Businesses open to the public
Shops, restaurants, hotels, banks, healthcare — and their websites. This is where most website lawsuits are filed.
COMPLIANCE · ADACOMPLIANCE · AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
Is your website ADA compliant?
Courts apply the ADA to websites and measure them against WCAG 2.1 AA. Scan a page to see where yours stands, then read what the law expects.
- Standard courts use
- WCAG 2.1 Level AA
- How it’s enforced
- Private lawsuits and DOJ action
- Who can sue
- Any person with a disability, in federal court
- What ADAGuard tests
- WCAG 2.2 A and AA, which includes 2.1
Who the ADA applies to.
State and local government
The DOJ’s April 2024 rule adopted WCAG 2.1 AA as the standard for state and local government websites and apps.
Online-only businesses
Courts disagree on whether a business with no physical location is covered.
What WCAG 2.1 AA asks for.
- 1.1.1Images have text alternativesTested automatically
- 1.4.3Text contrast of at least 4.5:1Tested automatically
- 2.1.1Everything works with a keyboardTested automatically
- 2.4.7Keyboard focus is visibleTested automatically
- 1.3.1Headings, lists and labels are marked upTested automatically
- 3.3.2Form fields have labels or instructionsTested automatically
- 1.2.2Videos have captionsPartly tested
- 2.4.3Focus moves in a sensible orderNeeds a person
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Lawsuits, demand letters and DOJ action.
Under Title III anyone with a disability can sue in federal court, with no complaint process first, and law firms often send demand letters before suing. Settlements usually commit the business to fixing the site as well.
Overlays don’t fix it
An overlay changes the page in each visitor’s browser. It doesn’t change your code, so the problems WCAG measures are still there.
Fixing the code does
Accessible markup, tested and kept that way, is what WCAG measures — and what a person using a screen reader actually needs.
Scan
Find what automated testing can find — 40 of the 55 WCAG 2.2 A/AA criteria, fully or partly.
Fix, most severe first
Critical issues block people outright. Each comes with its element and how to fix it.
Test the rest, then keep watching
Review the criteria that need a person, and schedule scans so new releases don’t regress.
QuestionsADA questions.
Does the ADA apply to my website?
If you’re a business open to the public, or a state or local government, very likely. Courts disagree about online-only businesses. This page explains the law in general terms — it isn’t legal advice.
What does an ADA compliant website need?
Pages people with disabilities can use: text alternatives for images, enough color contrast, everything usable with a keyboard, labelled form fields, captions on video and a clear heading structure. Those are WCAG 2.1 Level AA criteria, the standard courts and the Department of Justice’s 2024 rule point to. Checking a site takes an automated scan plus a manual review.
What is the difference between ADA Title II and Title III for websites?
Title II covers state and local governments: a 2024 Department of Justice rule sets WCAG 2.1 Level AA for their websites and apps. Title III covers businesses open to the public; it names no technical standard, and courts and settlements use WCAG Level AA.
What WCAG level does the ADA require?
The ADA itself doesn’t name one. Courts, settlements and the DOJ’s 2024 rule for state and local government use WCAG 2.1 AA. WCAG 2.2 AA includes all of it.
Does an accessibility overlay make my site compliant?
No tool makes a site compliant by itself. An overlay changes the page in each visitor’s browser but leaves your code as it was; what WCAG measures is the code.
Can a scan prove my site is compliant?
No automated tool can. A scan finds the issues that can be tested automatically; the rest needs a person. Use both, and keep records of what you fixed.
This page explains the law in general terms. It isn’t legal advice — talk to a lawyer about your situation.
Find out where you stand.
- Real browser, 100+ checks
- No signup
- Your score in 10–30 seconds