Tribute Technology

What Does Being ADA Compliant ACTUALLY Mean?

May 13, 2022

What Does Being ADA Compliant ACTUALLY Mean? 

Picture how you arrived at this blog; you may have opened an email or were scrolling through social media, then clicked on a link which took you here. Quick and easy right? 


Now imagine doing the same navigation but without the ability to see or use a mouse. Would you be able to get to this blog the same way? Probably not. But millions of people with visual and motor impairments need to navigate websites each day. This is one of the reasons the ADA was developed. 

The Americans with Disabilities Act 

The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, was created to protect people with disabilities from discrimination and offer them reasonable accessibility. Many countries outside the US, including Canada, have similar laws. The ADA guarantees people with disabilities the same freedoms and opportunities as everyone else. These guarantees include the ability to access services, protection against discrimination in seeking employment, and much more. 

What does this mean for websites? 

Although websites did not exist in 1990 when the ADA was created, they are interpreted to fall under ADA Title 3. This section states that any place of business that serves the public must be accessible to those with disabilities. This used to mean brick-and-mortar locations like hotels, restaurants, and retail stores, but websites have also been placed under this umbrella as they are places that accommodate the public for goods and services. 

[WEBINAR]

Everything You Need to Know About ADA Compliance Online.

Is Your Firm at Risk?

FREE WEBINAR RECORDING!

Watch Webinar

How does ADA affect funeral home websites? 

As mentioned above, websites fall under ADA, meaning your funeral home’s website must comply with these standards. The easiest way to make sure your website is more compliant with ADA is to follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (or WCAG), specifically level AA. This means your website must be accessible to at least most users. 

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 

The 4 Core Accessibility Principles 

To meet level AA, WCAG offers 4 principles to help you determine whether your website is accessible to almost all users. Your website must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Following these 4 Principles will set your website up to be more ADA compliant. 

  • Be Perceivable

    Imagine reading a page and random parts of it are missing, it would be like reading Swiss cheese - holes everywhere. This principle is about making sure that all the information presented is accessible to everyone. For example, if a person with a visual impairment tries to watch a video on your page, are there subtitles or a transcript? 

  • Be Operable

    All users should be able to navigate your website with ease. Some people with motor impairments can’t use a mouse and won’t be able to use your menus and links in the typical way of clicking on it, so they rely on features such as keyboard navigation. This also applies to any other tools or features you have on your website, such as a pricing calculator or video content. 

  • Be Understandable

    Content and controls must be understandable to the user. Accessibility is nothing if those accessing your website cannot understand what they’re using, reading or hearing. Providing instructions for features, like a contact form, helps users form a clear idea of how to use that feature.  

  • Be Robust

    Treat all your users the same by providing them with the complete user experience, even if they’re using assistive technologies such as voice readers. Even though the delivery may be different, the information should be the same. Your content should stand the test of time and be compatible with both current and future assistive technologies. 

What happens if you don’t comply?

There are 3 ways your business can be affected if you do not comply with the ADA. 

  1. Fines: Government fines can be up to $75,000 for the first violation and increase to a maximum of $150,000 for each additional violation. 
  2. Lawsuits: Whether from people with disabilities or from law firms, you can get sued for not providing adequate accommodations to disabled users. 
  3. Reputation: Serious ADA violations become public record, and will damage the image and reputation of your funeral home 

For example, retail giant Amazon was hit with a website ADA lawsuit in 2018. The eCommerce platform was sued over the inability to use screen readers on their website, which caused accessibility barriers to users who are visually impaired. The lawsuit resulted in Amazon paying out a settlement. 

Tribute Accessibility: Robust ADA compliance 

We at Tribute are pleased to now offer ADA compliance tools through Tribute Accessibility, powered by UserWay. Tribute Technology delivers this innovative product through its network of Premier Partners including leading providers such as FrontRunner Professional, MKJ Marketing, SRS Computing, Funeral Tech, CFS, and others. Tribute Accessibility ADA compliance solutions include ADA website audits, accessibility widgets, and more. Contact us to learn how we can help your funeral home’s website become more ADA compliant. 

25 Mar, 2024
Are those with no connection to the funeral profession outranking your funeral home in Google searches? What can you do to stop this while attracting more families to your website? Start by winning the SEO race . When it comes to combatting obituary spam, Tribute Technology CEO Charlie Cole said, “The best thing funeral homes can do is dominate their own SEO.” If you aren’t among the top search results in your area, you are missing calls. Consider Cole’s top three tips to improve your SEO, as shared in a recent webinar on protecting your business and families from spammers : Be the first to post your obituaries. Share obituaries on every social account you manage. Have a fast website. Learn more about how to outrank the competition and increase your website’s searchability and relevance by talking to one of our marketing specialists .
25 Mar, 2024
Generative AI has revolutionized many aspects of our lives, but unfortunately, it has also made spamming obituaries easier than ever. For funeral homes across the country, combating obituary spam has become a daily challenge that demands proactive action. What can funeral professionals do in the face of this persistent threat? Tribute Technology CEO Charlie Cole offered a straightforward solution in a recent webinar about obituary spam : "Start reporting as much as humanly possible. If enough people report a website for scamming, it’ll cause Google to pay attention." Here are some actionable steps you can take to combat obituary spam: Report Spam to Google: Use Google's dedicated tool for reporting spam at this link: Report Spam . By flagging suspicious websites, you contribute to the effort to clean up search results and protect users from scams. Report Obituary Scams to the FTC: If you encounter obituary scams or instances of identity theft involving deceased individuals, report them to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or call 877-382-4357. Notify the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): In cases where obituary spam involves online fraud or criminal activity, such as identity theft, it's crucial to alert the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. You can file a complaint through their website: IC3 Complaint . If obituary spam escalates to involve malicious intent, collaboration with law enforcement agencies may be necessary to thoroughly investigate and prosecute offenders. It's essential to recognize that combating obituary spam requires a collective effort from online platforms, obituary hosts, and community members. Together, let's work toward preserving the sanctity of online obituary pages as sacred spaces for remembrance, reflection, and respect.
22 Mar, 2024
The recent webinar we hosted with Connecting Directors , " Obituary Spam: What It Is and How to Protect Your Business and Your Families ," has gotten a lot of feedback. So, how can funeral homes protect against obituary spam? You have questions, and we have answers. What is obituary spam? Those from outside the funeral profession are taking advantage of the immense amount of website traffic that obituaries generate. They will create “spam” content to manipulate Google’s algorithms to outrank local funeral homes in searches. They also create obituaries that aren't real because every click has the potential to generate ad revenue. Why does somebody want to spam a funeral home? In short, eyeballs on a website are worth money. Every time a display ad pops up on a website, money can be made. What methods are spammers using? Generative AI makes it very easy to create and manipulate an obituary to take advantage of Google's algorithm. When the content contains localized information, even if it’s not real, it makes the website much more likely to rank (and beat a funeral home) in searches. How is obituary scraping legal? Aggregators and scammers are good at skirting copyright laws by changing the content just enough to call it original. Tribute Technology’s Chief Customer Officer Courtney Gould Miller was recently quoted in The Verge talking about obituary spam. Why is this topic gaining so much traction right now? The Verge is holding power brokers accountable. Funeral searches and obituary searches across the entire Internet get a massive amount of traffic. Industry watchdogs are worried that generative AI is going to make spreading spam like this across the Internet even easier and faster. You can read the entire article here. Can funeral homes build generative AI into their site to produce a website to outrank bad actors? Yes – and it starts with the AI obituary writer. There are methods to write an obituary that help firms understand the Google algorithm. Funeral homes need to be aware of this when posting and writing obituaries, along with being aware of SEO best practices. What’s your best advice on how to push down spammers and aggregators? Number one: Be the first to post original content. Number two: To the extent you're comfortable, share obituaries on every single social account you have. Number three: Have a fast website. What can you say to families who are upset about their obituary getting scraped? Be transparent about the fact that you don’t sponsor or do business with the scrapers. You might also consider sharing resources, such as The Verge article mentioned above. How important is local traffic on an obituary posted on a funeral home website? As a funeral home, your obituary traffic is your most valuable asset. Every single person you lose to a spammer is going to see something else, which might be a preneed ad at another local funeral home. Does reporting scraped obituaries to Google make a difference? Yes – especially when they’re reported repeatedly. This helps notify Google and its algorithm that the content being produced by this specific domain is less valuable to those searching for information. Eventually, this will make an impact. Have more questions? Feel free to reach out to us here or reach out to any Tribute Technology team member.
21 Mar, 2024
WAUNAKEE, WI — The Business Intelligence Group announced today that Tribute Technology was named a winner in its Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards program . Tribute Technology, a trusted technology provider for over 9,000 end-of-life providers, received the award for its Tribute Obituary Writer in the Artificial Creativity category for a Product or Software. Tribute Obituary Writer is an AI-powered tool that enables funeral directors and families to quickly generate personalized obituaries by inputting details about their loved ones. With intuitive options for tone and style, families can easily tailor the obituary to reflect the essence of their loved one's life — and easily adjust content and length. The software streamlines the process by prompting for key information such as career highlights, achievements, and interests, offering a range of tones from solemn to lighthearted, and providing options for more detailed narratives. “Our team at Tribute Technology focuses on creating software specifically engineered for funeral homes, crematory operators, and cemeteries, and this is another example of how we are constantly improving to help funeral homes serve grieving families even better,” said Tribute Technology CEO Charlie Cole. “It’s a privilege to receive this award that recognizes this important tool, which we believe brings additional comfort to families during the worst time of their lives.” “We are truly honored to recognize Tribute Technology with this prestigious award,” stated Maria Jimenez, Chief Nominations Officer for the Business Intelligence Group. “The unwavering commitment of their team to excellence and their innovative AI applications have catapulted them to this remarkable achievement. Congratulations to the entire organization!” Click here for more information about Tribute Obituary Writer: https://www.tributetech.com/tribute-obituary-writer . Members of the media with questions about Tribute Technology or any of the company’s products are services are asked to contact press@tributetech.com . About Tribute Technology: Tribute Technology’s mission is to bring the best technology to all funeral homes, to help communities around the world celebrate life, and to pay tribute to loved ones. Over 9,000 end-of-life providers already use Tribute Technology’s software and product offerings, including websites, marketing services, management software, online planning, personalized memorial keepsakes, payment processing, and other solutions. Tribute Technology is focused on innovating to help funeral directors save time on tasks, so they can focus more on connecting with the families who have lost a loved one. The company’s goal is to give funeral directors everything they need to run their business in one place, making their lives easier. About Business Intelligence Group: The Business Intelligence Group was founded with the mission of recognizing true talent and superior performance in the business world. Unlike other industry award programs , these programs are judged by business executives having experience and knowledge. The organization’s proprietary and unique scoring system selectively measures performance across multiple business domains and then rewards those companies whose achievements stand above those of their peers.
Software for funeral homes
06 Mar, 2024
If your only reason for upgrading software is because it's "old", you should question your reasoning. Matt Powell, CTO at Tribute Technology, shares valuable insights in his latest feature in the February edition of American Funeral Director.
22 Feb, 2024
We know every moment matters when you’re serving families. In 2024, our gift to you is to make creating memorial videos faster than ever... giving you some of your valuable time back. Our latest update to Tribute Video includes HUGE improvements for uploading photos, previewing your videos, and rendering your videos. We’ve heard from many of you about how much faster you’d like photo uploads to be, and we listened! Upload a dozen photos in 12 seconds Add 50 photos in under 1 minute Upload 100 photos in under 2 minutes Add 200 photos in 3 minutes It now takes 60% less time on average to preview your video, and 68% less time to finish rendering your video. What will you do with your extra time? That’s all up to you. Not using Tribute Video yet? Learn more here.
19 Feb, 2024
Personalized fingerprint jewelry is a fast-growing way to help families stay connected with their loved ones who have died. Is your funeral home offering this Keepsake option? If not, how can you get started? Hosted in partnership with Legacy Touch, you can watch a replay of our FREE webinar, which includes expert advice regarding: Best practices for taking fingerprints, including when to take them, how many to take, and more How to market Keepsakes and make sure families know their options How the Family Connection Program drives sales and gives your staff an easy way to serve families The new obituary integration features families love The live webinar has already happened, but you can watch the recorded version by signing up here . Don’t miss out on this important trend!
19 Feb, 2024
From stolen wallets to hacked accounts, identity theft can happen in many ways. As if that weren’t enough, scammers will say or do anything to earn your trust. They even target veterans, claiming they can help with benefits... only to charge them money or even steal their personal information. So, how can you help veterans protect themselves? Here are some quick tips you can share with the families you serve: Never pay to file or get help with VA benefits claims. Scammers may offer assistance for a fee or a percentage of benefits, but applying for benefits is always free with an accredited representative. Don’t work with people who pressure you. Reviewing your paperwork and options takes time—nobody should be pushing you into fast decisions. Don’t sign blank paperwork to be filled in later and make sure your VA benefits are deposited into your account, no one else’s. That includes advisors, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes. Protect your personal information. Don’t share your VA login or password with anyone. For veterans or their families who are concerned about their benefits or identity being misused, advise them to call the VA Identity Theft Helpline at 1-855-578-5492. This number is toll-free, and they can get help if their benefits or services have been impacted by identity theft. Don't hesitate to contact our experts if you have any question.
18 Feb, 2024
In today’s digital world, an effective website is a must for your funeral home. With the right balance of easy-to-digest information and captivating designs, it can reassure visitors that you’re the right choice to help them honor their loved one. However, building your website alone from scratch is a major time investment. Tribute Tech offers eye-catching templates catered to your unique preferences. You can choose your own fonts, colors, and layouts to make the site truly your own. We have dozens of templates to choose from, including our newest additions: Traverse Molina Reding Sovereign  From traditional designs to modern layouts, we’ll capture the legacy, mission, and values of your funeral home in one user-friendly website. Check out our themes here and fill out the form at the bottom of the page to start creating.
16 Feb, 2024
This year’s MKJ Summit promises to be an eventful weekend full of outdoor adventure, cozy amenities, and most importantly, amazing speakers who have great advice to share. One of these speakers is Galen Smith, the former CEO of leading entertainment company Redbox. Smith obtained his MBA in Finance and Economics at the University of Chicago, then joined Morgan Stanley as an investment banking associate. From there, he moved to Redbox’s former parent company, Coinstar, as Corporate Vice President of Finance and Treasurer. In 2011, Smith transitioned to Senior Vice President of Finance at Redbox, eventually working his way to Chief Executive Officer in 2016. We can’t wait to hear his insights about business growth and marketing. If you can’t wait either, join us in beautiful Vail, Colorado, March 4–6 for the MKJ Ski Summit. Tribute Technology is a proud sponsor of this event. Register here today!
More Posts
Share by: