summary
Dental Marketing Firm Helps Companies Guard Against ADA Violations with New Product Continue reading
prREACH
Apr 20, 2017 /prREACH/ -- A troubling trend of demand letters and lawsuits towards unsuspecting business owners has prompted Inc. 500/5000 company LocalSearchForDentists.com to roll out a new product aimed towards helping dental practices protect themselves against unexpected legal fees and settlement costs. Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides for people with disabilities to have equal access to buildings, public restrooms, medical facilities, restaurants and other places of business. If a public business does not provide for equal access, they may be in violation of the law and must bring their properties up to code as well as pay any fees that may be incurred. Recently, the Department of Justice and a Federal Court have ruled that this law also applies to websites. The ADA does not allow for awarding monetary damages to people with disabilities who may file suit for an ADA non-compliance issue but does allow for “reasonable” attorney fees. Seeing an opportunity for moneymaking, some unscrupulous attorneys have begun filing demand letters and lawsuits against dental practices across the U.S. Many dental practices without the resources or legal know-how to fight these lawsuits end up settling with these lawyers for sums in the thousands, not to mention the cost of bringing their website up to code.
The crossover from a physical address ADA compliance issue to website compliance was recently felt at home by LocalSearchForDentists.com. Contacted by a dentist who requested they be put in contact with an ADA compliant developer, CEO Graig Presti and his staff dove deep into addressing this burgeoning, disturbing trend. Few websites are able to pass muster with accredited ADA compliance testing tools, and even fewer practices realize that they are in the crosshairs of legal and financial downfall.
LocalSearchForDentists.com’s new ADA-compliant websites provide dental practice owners with peace of mind in an increasingly litigious world. Using Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 AA standards and tested HTML5 and WordPress development, Presti is confident that dentists will not only be pleased with their newly accessible websites but will also enjoy the benefits of a modernized website. "Our ADA-compliant websites take your individual brand and showcase it in the most accessible, SEO-friendly, mobile-friendly method available. Many of these attorneys are looking for the low hanging fruit and we're determined not to give it to them," says Presti. “Anyone who is looking to bring a lawsuit against LocalSearchForDentist.com's clients’ websites, is going to have a very hard time explaining how we don't strive to bring the easiest possible experience to people of all different abilities and limitations."
Some web firms and dental associations are telling their clients that they’re compliant if they add an accessibility link to their website, but unfortunately that won’t make a business compliant and in some cases makes their lack of compliance worse because they’re admitting knowledge of the law but choose to ignore it. To make it simple they’re putting a bulls-eye on their back.
“LocalSearchforDentists.com's initial ADA website clients are finding real pride in being able to reach out to everyone in their community through their highly-accessible website. It might be a protective measure for a practice but it’s also just the right thing to do. In the United States, one out of every five adults has a disability, and differently-abled people have just as much right to access business information as everyone in the community,” says Daniel Dykstra, Director of Operations. In developing their proprietary website template, it was important to the company that they raise awareness about the hazards of continuing to operate with a "business as usual" mentality. "The worst thing that can happen if one updates their site to an ADA compliant website is that it's more accessible, modern and can reach a wider audience of people from all walks of life," continues Presti. "The dangers of leaving one's business exposed will be felt the day a demand letter is received from a lawyer they've never heard of, because then the real headaches begin."
About LocalSearchForDentists.com LocalSearchForDentists.com' proprietary suite of products utilize diverse, effective, ethical White Hat strategies for getting dental practices recognized within their communities. Search Engines reward this optimization for working within the policies and rules of their algorithms to achieve long lasting, noticeable results. Dental businesses around the world have found LocalSearchForDentists.com's proprietary system to be fundamental to their business, resulting in some of the fastest growth for an online marketing firm ever seen. To learn more, visit www.LocalSearchForDentists.com or http://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2017/04/texas-dentist-sued-in-federal-court-for-non-american-with-disabilities-compliant-website.html
Media
