Central Portfolio Control is continually seeking ways to enhance the consumer experience. For answers to our latest search, we turned to our marketing partner, Branding Arc, to discuss ADA website compliance and web accessibility to improve our website and increase usability across a more diverse population.
What is ADA?
ADA, or The Americans with Disabilities Act, is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life. This includes employment, schools, state and local government, public accommodations such as transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public.
In addition to ADA, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that all electronic and information technology be accessible to persons with disabilities. Currently, only federal agencies are required to comply with Section 508; the private sector is not regulated by Section 508.
While both ADA and Section 508 ensure that people have access to goods, services, communication, and information, ADA broadly prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life while Section 508 specifically refers to electronic and information technology.
How Is This Helping Our Consumers?
CPC is continuously working to make our website accessible to people with diverse abilities. With the help of the Branding Arc team, we have improved our website and increased accessibility by installing specialized tools, updating the code and site design to match requirements, and testing our site using accessibility tools. We understand that broader accessibility benefits everyone. We have also added an accessibility statement page and consumers are encouraged to visit cpcrecovery.com/accessibility for more information.
“Central Portfolio Control is enhancing our services to include ADA accessibility features. Our design and navigation are not compromised for non-disabled users, rather, our updates optimize the CPC website for improved website usability for everyone,” says Mike Lesher, COO. “While we realize that compliance with ADA and Section 508 is not a requirement for us at this time, we believe that our first steps towards ADA compliance cement our commitment to providing top-quality services. As a company, we continue to be guided by the good ethics and morals that are the foundation of our daily business operations. We hope that our consumers will find our greater accessibility to be more inviting and user-friendly for everyone.”
The Risks of Non-Compliance
While there is no legal requirement to have our website within the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), we believe that it’s simply common sense to provide equal access and equal opportunity to our consumers and the general public. Central Portfolio Control is proud of the inclusive design that encompasses people with disabilities, the elderly, and others who can benefit from improved usability through greater accessibility.
About Central Portfolio Control
Central Portfolio Control, or CPC, is a full-service and nationally licensed collection agency focused on the recovery of distressed accounts receivable. CPC manages accounts on behalf of creditor clients while maintaining the highest ethical and legal standards. Central Portfolio Control is a consumer-focused organization that employs high-quality professionals to implement proven processes of compliant collection and recovery, delivering exceptional customer service and bottom-line results. The Company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Minnetonka, MN.
