Website accessibility in the USA: ADA, WCAG and what to do first

Website accessibility means people with disabilities, including those who use screen readers, keyboards instead of a mouse, or captions instead of audio, can use your site. For US businesses it is also a risk question, since accessibility complaints and lawsuits tied to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are common. This guide is practical information, not legal advice: talk to a lawyer about your specific obligations.

ADA and WCAG: how they relate

The ADA is the law. It does not list technical rules for websites. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the technical standard most commonly used to judge whether a site is accessible, and version 2.1 or 2.2 at level AA is the usual target. Meeting WCAG AA is not a legal guarantee, but it is the benchmark most organizations work to.

The issues that come up most

• Low color contrast between text and background
• Missing alt text on images that carry information
• Forms without labels, so screen readers cannot say what a field is for
• Keyboard traps and menus that cannot be used without a mouse
• Unclear link text such as "click here"
• Videos without captions
• Popups that cannot be closed with the keyboard or that trap focus

A practical starting checklist

1. Run a free automated scan such as WAVE or Lighthouse to find the obvious problems.
2. Tab through your site with the keyboard only. Can you reach and use everything, and always see where you are?
3. Check text and button contrast against 4.5:1 for normal text.
4. Add meaningful alt text to informational images and leave decorative ones empty.
5. Label every form field and make errors clear in text, not only color.
6. Use headings in order and descriptive link text.
7. Add captions to videos.
8. Publish an accessibility statement with a way to report problems.

Do accessibility overlays fix it?

Overlay widgets that promise one-line compliance usually do not fix the underlying code, can interfere with assistive technology and have been part of lawsuits themselves. Real accessibility comes from building it into design, development and content.

How we approach it

We design and build to WCAG 2.1 AA practices: readable contrast, keyboard navigation, alt text, labelled forms and clear structure. We explain what your team needs to maintain after launch, because accessibility is partly about the content added later. See our web design and web development services, or contact us about an accessibility review of an existing site.

Frequently asked questions