October 2021

Page A6 OCTOBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A By Welton Hong Everyone knows that businesses must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But did you know that the ADA’s regulations aren’t limited to physical locations? You also must ensure your funeral firm’s website accessibility conforms to the law. According to Title III of the ADA, businesses with areas that accommodate the public must remove bar- riers that might keep people with disabilities from ac- cessing business services or goods. The language of Title III doesn’t literally mention websites (it was passed in 1990), and you might think digital locations shouldn’t count as “areas that accom- modate the public.” But the courts tend to disagree. In lawsuits and regu- latory action on the matter, U.S. courts and the De- partment of Justice have repeatedly interpreted Title III as also applying to websites and mobile apps . That makes sense, especially given everything that’s occurred throughout the COVID health crisis. For some businesses, digital channels might be the only touchpoints currently available for consumers. People who can’t fully access your site and its information and functions are at a disadvantage. Digital Accessibility Guidelines The technical requirements are spelled out in the law’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The WCAG document is long . It’s also been updated a number of times over more than a decade, with an- other update expected in 2021. The updates are nec- essary because technology keeps changing—for exam- ple, the mobile app options available today didn’t exist when WCAG was first created. Tons of information and a moving target can make it challenging for funeral service providers to ensure their websites are ADA-compliant. Here are some of the things required by WCAG: • Text alternatives for all content. The ability to hear written content read aloud and have images described can be important to those with disabilities. All images should have descriptive “ alt text ” so text- to-speech programs have something to interpret. For example, where others might see an image of a woman selecting an urn for cremated remains, users with a need for auditory processing might hear alt text that states, “Image of a woman choosing among urn options.” Captions for videos, written explanations of charts and graphs and alt text for navigation items are other examples of this requirement. • Ability to use all functions from the keyboard. Func- tionality on the website must work with keyboard commands and interactions for people who cannot use a mouse. • Information available in multiple or simplified for- mats. Complex information on your site should be available in various formats to ensure people can find an option they’re able to engage with. Someone might be unable to properly view a certain graph, so the in- formation contained within should be explained in text somewhere else. So, if you have a step-by-step chart of cremation with a service options or an infographic on the benefits of funeral preplanning, the page should also include text versions of that information. • Support for programmatic language applications. Ma- chine learning and artificial intelligence support a myriad of software programs and other tools that help people en- gage with online content. Many of these involve program- matic solutions that read the content to help users make decisions or convert information into audio formats. • Support for other assistive technologies. ADA-compli- ant websites should also support other types of assistive technologies, including browser extensions and solutions users have invested in to help them navigate the web. ADA Laws Have a Digital Component Too Powerhouse Marketing with Welton Ensure Your Site Is ADA-Compliant Staying compliant with the few things listed above probably sounds like a daunting task, and we’ve only made the smallest of dents in WCAG technical re- quirements. Start by reading up on ADA requirements for web- sites. You can find the entire text of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines with explanations and exam- ples related to each section online at www.w3.org. Numerous software companies provide ADA compli- ance checkers : tools that crawl your website and return information about areas you might need to address. To get into the nitty gritty of ADA compliance on the web, a manual audit might be necessary. Small deathcare businesses might consider working with WCAG experts. These individuals are extremely famil- iar with how the ADA relates to digital solutions and what courts have decided in previous cases. More Reasons for ADA Compliance Reducing the risk of expensive lawsuits is obviously a compelling business reason to look into ADA compli- ance for your deathcare website. But if you’re still on the fence, here are a few other potential benefits: • Improved SEO: ADA compliance requires work- ing on alt image text, meta tagging, transcripts, and other elements that can improve SEO performance. • A more functional website: Sites that function well for people with disabilities tend to function well for everyone because thought was put into the naviga- tion and other elements. • Greater customer reach: Ensuring your site is ac- cessible by more people helps you reach out to more potential clients. Welton Hong is the founder of Ring Ring Marketing ® and a leading expert in creating case generation from online to the phone line. He is the author of Making Your Phone Ring with InternetMarketingforFuneralHomes . Formore information, visit www.FuneralHomeProfits.com. F U N E R A L H O M E & C E M E T E R Y N E W S w w w . N o m i s P u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m Monthly Columns online at www. vischerfuneralsupplies.com Cremation Urns, Jewelry & Keepsakes 941-751-3382 www. BOGATI URNS.com Known for quality materials and craftsmanship, Madelyn Co. Keepsake Pendants are hand-made using jewelry-grade metals. The opportunity to choose a Keepsake Pendant presents itself only once. The comfort a Keepsake Pendant offers, lasts a lifetime. www.madelynpedants.com e-mail orders@madelynco.com 800-788-0807 Fax 608-752-3683 call about monthly specials or visit ourwebsite TM K e e p s a k e P e n d a n t s February '21 FHC:Layout 1 12/24/20 5:12 PM Pag e 1 Speaking with Keith, he mentioned that with the continued growth of the funeral home and his own children not wanting to get into funeral service, he needed to start looking at the next chapter in the busi- ness. When asked why he decided to sell the firm to Rollings Funeral Service, Red- mon said “Greg and Debbie’s approach is far different than the large corporations. They like to keep in place what works, and they serve as a large support system to us as we continue to do the things that have made us successful.” For the Redmon family, it has always been about the fami- lies they serve, so the ability to now solely focus on serving is something that Red- mon looks forward to in this partnership. “I know that by implementing the soft- ware and structures that Greg is introduc- ing to us, we will run smoother, more or- ganized and increase even further family satisfaction,” Redmon noted. Annually, Redmon Funeral Home serves over 300 families. With nearly 70 locations, Rollings Fu- neral Service is one of the largest private funeral home owners in the eastern Unit- ed States. With each of their firms operat- ed on the local level, their managers work directly with Rollings Funeral Service to establish budgets, pricing, and best prac- tices. They also pride themselves on being a great alternative to selling to a public- ly traded company and they continue to search for firms that will be a great fit to their growing family of funeral homes. Rollings Funeral Service Announces Acquisition of Redmon Funeral Home in Ohio Staff at Redmon Funeral Home TYRONE,GA— Rollings Funeral Service is proud to announce the recent acqui- sition of Redmon Funeral Home in Stow, OH. The funeral home, which has been serving its communi- ty since 1968, was formerly owned by Keith Redmon and his parents, Bruce and Lou-Ann Redmon. fectly with our family of firms and I look forward to this new chapter in the fu- neral home.” Rollings also added that this marks his eighth location in Ohio. Greg Rollings, president and CEO of Rollings Funeral Service, commented “Like Debbie and myself, the Red- mon family has built a successful business founded on family values and a passion for serving others. I knew im- mediately that Redmon Funeral Home would fit in per-