WCAG DEADLINE EXTENSION GIVES HME BUSINESSES OPPORTUNITY TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE

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HME businesses are focused on helping customers face and overcome their greatest challenges. For many of their customers, accessibility is a top concern. But accessibility goes beyond physical access to your store. Website accessibility is now a key element for every business to consider as they determine how best to serve ALL their customers.

According to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, any business or organization that receives federal financial assistance must have its web content and mobile applications accessible for users living with disabilities. Adopted in 2024, these requirements were set to be required by May 11, 2026.

However, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently revised the compliance date requirements to the following:

• Recipients with 15 or more employees will now have until May 11, 2027, to comply.
• Recipients with fewer than 15 employees will now have until May 10, 2028, to comply.

But how do HME businesses ensure their website and mobile applications are compliant? First, we need to understand the standards for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. HME websites are expected to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium. These standards include:

• Provide text alternatives for all non-text content so images, icons, and media can be interpreted by screen readers
• Ensure video and audio content is accessible, including captions for prerecorded and live media and audio descriptions where needed
• Use semantic HTML and structured content so headings, lists, and relationships are programmatically identifiable by assistive technologies
• Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning, and maintain sufficient contrast between text and background
• Make all functionality accessible via keyboard without requiring a mouse, and avoid keyboard traps
• Provide users enough time to read and interact with content, including options to pause, stop, or extend time limits
• Avoid content that could trigger seizures, such as flashing visuals above safe thresholds
• Ensure clear and consistent navigation, including descriptive page titles, logical focus order, and multiple ways to locate content
• Make text readable and understandable, including specifying page language and avoiding overly complex or unclear wording
• Ensure predictable functionality and layout, so pages behave consistently when users interact with them
• Provide input assistance in forms, including labels, instructions, error identification, and suggestions for correction
• Support responsive and flexible layouts, ensuring content works across screen sizes, orientations, and zoom levels
• Ensure compatibility with assistive technologies by using valid code and proper ARIA roles, names, and values

It can be difficult to know where to begin to ensure your HME business’s website meets the necessary requirements. VGM Forbin specializes in building websites that meet the necessary WCAG standards, and offers ongoing maintenance plans to continually address any potential accessibility issues as they arise on your website.

“Web accessibility continues to be a hot topic among VGM members and VGM Forbin’s larger customer base. These extensions provide HME businesses with an opportunity to be proactive as they pursue web compliance,” said Cassi Price, president of VGM Forbin. “It’s critical to ensure your web properties’ compliance not only to protect your business, but to serve all your customers to the best of your ability.”

If you’re interested in seeing just what it will take to make your current website compliant, VGM Forbin offers complimentary ADA accessibility audits. You can learn more by visiting www.forbin.com/accessibility-audit.