Compliant

ADA Compliance is a REAL THING and I just learned about it

One of my students, Kristen, came to me yesterday with a statement about being ADA-compliant. My first response was, “Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh what?” And she (very patiently) explained to me what it is…which is making your website usable for people with disabilities: visually, physically, and cognitively. “Well shit,” I began to say, “I hadn’t even thought of this before,” and began to panic.

After we got off our call, I dove into ADA-compliance and learned I could run my website through a free checker, wave.webaim.org. Takes about 45 seconds and pops out a score of 10.

6.6. That’s my score.

Out of 10!

A 6.6. Which is, let’s be clear, not failing. But it’s also not great. It’s the grade you got on a test you didn’t study for because you didn’t know there WAS a test.

Ok ok ok, Let’s back up.

ADA compliance, the Americans with Disabilities Act, doesn’t just apply to physical spaces. Ramps and grab bars and those types of things. Courts have been ruling for years that websites are places of public accommodation. Which means YOUR website, as a working voiceover actor selling services to the public, is subject to those rules.

“But I’m just one person.” Yep. Doesn’t matter. “But nobody’s going to sue ME.” Maybe. But demand letters, those things which are a legal precursor to a lawsuit, are being sent to solo operators. Small businesses. People who never saw it coming. And those letters typically cost $10,000–$25,000 to resolve even if you do nothing wrong. A lawsuit can run $50,000+!!!!!

The math on just FIXING your site starts to look very different.

So what does “accessible” actually mean?

The standard everyone references is called WCAG 2.1: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Think of it like the building code for websites. It covers things like:

• Can a blind person using a screen reader understand what’s on your page?

• Can someone navigate your site without a mouse?

• Is the text readable for someone with low vision?

• Do your videos have captions?

• Does your website have anything flashing, autoplay, or poor contrast?

Level AA is what you’re aiming for. Not the hardest level, not the easiest. The middle ground that courts use as their benchmark.

And here’s what my audit actually found.

I’m going to translate it because the tool speaks in jargon: 6 Major Errors. These are actual violations, not suggestions.

Two of them are “missing form labels,” meaning my contact form fields don’t have proper labels that a screen reader can announce. So if someone who is visually impaired lands on my site and tries to reach me, they literally can’t tell what they’re supposed to type where.

Three of them are “empty links”. Links with no text. A screen reader just says “link.” Link to WHAT? No idea. It’s like a door with no sign on it. I discovered it was actually my logo images.

And one was an “empty heading.” A heading tag with nothing in it. So all I had to do was just delete it. Done. Phew. Okay. Moving on.

I had 10 Contrast Errors.

All ten are “very low contrast.” Meaning some of my text is too close in color to its background. This matters for people with low vision, color blindness, or anyone reading in bright sunlight on a phone. (Which is everyone, constantly.)

I had 59 “Alerts.”

Alerts sound fucking scary but they aren’t errors, they’re lower priority flags worth investigating. Thirty-seven of mine were “redundant title text,” which is almost certainly my client logos. Each logo has both an alt tag AND a title saying the same thing. Easy fix: remove one. Done.

Seven were YouTube videos that didn’t have adequate captions. That’s a little bit of a tougher fix but it’s something I can work on.

Five were images where the alt text looks auto-generated and suspicious. Like, “image001.jpg” suspicious. So that was a dumb error that I could fix easily too.

None of this is catastrophic. But none of it is nothing, either.

The form label issue is the one that actually makes me uncomfortable. Because the whole point of my site is to connect with people. Clients, agencies, casting directors. And if someone with a visual impairment lands there and can’t figure out how to reach me?

I’ve excluded them. Unintentionally. But still.

There’s also an SEO argument here, which I know some of you will find more motivating than the ethical one and I am NOT judging you for that. Alt text, heading structure, clear navigation, all of it overlaps with what search engines reward. Fixing your accessibility issues is also fixing your discoverability. Two birds.

So, here’s what I want you to do right now.

Go to wave.webaim.org. Type in your website URL. Hit enter. It will flag your errors in real time, overlaid directly on your site. It’s free. It takes one minute.

Then come back here and tell me your score.

I went first: 6.6. Your turn.

What’s your WAVE score? Drop it in the comments. I genuinely want to know if I’m the only one who’s been sleeping on this. Thanks again, Kristen!!!

LOTS ON THE CALENDAR THIS MONTH:

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🎙15 second copy with 6 second lifts, APRIL 14th 730PM EST Working through timing on a 15 second commercial is tricky---and so is nailing a 6 second lift. You’ll practice timing and solidifying your internal clock.
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🎙Cold Read Challenge, APRIL 20th 730PM EST Zero prep, just like an audition. You’ll get exposed to scripts you’ve never seen in commercial and interactive and perform it. This builds real world skills of walking into the booth blind.
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$20 to audit: https://www.actingbusinessbootcamp.com/offers/xb9gNKtw/checkout

🎙 Self-Direction Auditions, APRIL 28th 730PM EST I will assign students copy that they record and submit their own takes without any coaching, then we will review them together in class. The focus is on how to direct yourself, make bold choices alone in a booth, and submit something that stands out, a crucial real-world skill.https://www.actingbusinessbootcamp.com/offers/zhUXmxFz/checkout
$20 to audit: https://www.actingbusinessbootcamp.com/offers/ozka6W4J/checkout

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And of course, enrollment for THE VOICEOVER ACTOR ROAD MAP is open. If you’re ready to kick your career in gear, then please, join me for business coaching!! I can’t wait to help you craft the career you want to have. (Reach out to me for a 15% off coupon)