Find guides, tools, patterns, workflows and standards across the complete library.
380 resources found
Blog
Most ADA website demand letters land on small and mid-sized businesses — not big brands. Here are the six myths that leave small businesses exposed, and the reality behind each one.
Laws
The DOJ's April 2024 final rule establishes specific technical requirements for web and mobile app accessibility by state and local governments under ADA Title II. It mandates conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. On April 20, 2026, the DOJ published an Interim Final Rule (91 Fed. Reg. 20902) that extended the original compliance dates by one year: large entities (population 50,000+) now have until April 26, 2027, and smaller entities have until April 26, 2028. This is the first federal rule to codify a specific WCAG version for ADA compliance.
Site resources
A scrollable story following one day of the barriers people with disabilities face online — and what an accessible web looks like instead.
Site resources
Learn about whatisADA.com — our mission to make ADA education free, accessible, and accurate. Published by Grow Wild Agency.
Tools
Document templates, representative URLs, complete processes, test environments and exclusions.
Guides
Compare accessibility audit proposals by pages, user journeys, WCAG version, assistive technology testing, deliverables, and retesting. Includes a scope checklist.
Tools
Use your own quantities, hours, rates and contingency to build a transparent budget estimate.
Site resources
How to estimate work using explicit assumptions and measured samples.
Tools
Create a starting checklist for your content and technical target. Record progress and review the limits of the selected scope.
Tools
Explore which legal frameworks may require further review based on your organization and activities.
Tools
Fetch a public page and inspect selected accessibility rules in its HTML. Includes a prioritized findings list and clear limits on the checks.
Glossary
An accessibility overlay is a third-party JavaScript widget that claims to automatically detect and fix website accessibility issues, but independent research, court rulings, and disability advocacy organizations have consistently found that overlays do not deliver meaningful accessibility and may increase legal risk.
Site resources
A transparent planning framework based on observed user impact.
Tools
Mark documented accessibility work and download a practical next-step plan. No lawsuit prediction or settlement estimate.
Site resources
whatisADA.com is committed to WCAG 2.2 Level AA conformance. Read our full accessibility statement including testing methods, known limitations, and how to report issues.
Site resources
80 practical testing, publishing and operational workflows.
Disclosure and dialogs
An accordion organizes related expandable sections.
Forms
A combobox combines an input or selection control with an associated popup.
Navigation
Breadcrumbs communicate a page's location within a site hierarchy.
Controls
Use a native button for an action performed on the current page, such as saving a draft or opening a dialog.
Data and collections
A carousel needs understandable slide controls and an accessible way to stop automatic rotation when used.
Forms
Use a checkbox for an independently selectable choice.
Disclosure and dialogs
Use an alert dialog for a brief, important interruption that requires a response, such as confirming a consequential deletion.
Data and collections
Use a table when cells have meaningful row and column relationships.
Disclosure and dialogs
A disclosure reveals or hides a section in place.
Navigation
Most website dropdown navigation is a disclosure containing ordinary links, not an application menu.
Forms
Keep a labeled native file input available even when a drag-and-drop area is offered.
Status and feedback
An error summary gives users a compact route to all detected problems after submission.
Blog
Roughly half of the web's home pages have unlabeled form fields. Forms are where accessibility and revenue collide — fix them well and you reduce legal risk and lift conversions at the same time.
Page structure
Use heading elements to express the content's hierarchy, and write headings that describe their sections.
Status and feedback
Inline errors identify the affected field and explain what must change.
Site resources
40 patterns with implementation guidance and testing examples.
Navigation
Use a real anchor with a destination when the purpose is navigation.
Data and collections
A listbox presents selectable options with a managed keyboard interaction model.
Status and feedback
A meter describes a scalar measurement within a known range, such as storage used.
Disclosure and dialogs
A modal dialog temporarily makes the rest of the page unavailable while the user completes a focused task.
Forms
Use numeric controls when the value is a quantity, and explain units, bounds and valid increments.
Page structure
Landmarks identify major page regions such as navigation, main content, search and the footer.
Navigation
Pagination needs understandable page links, a current-page indication and predictable behavior when results change.
Forms
Password inputs need clear labels, appropriate autocomplete and support for password managers and paste.
Status and feedback
Use a progress indicator for completion of an ongoing task.
Forms
Radio buttons let users choose one option within a named group.
Controls
A slider selects a value from an ordered range.
Forms
A search form needs a discoverable search region, a labeled query field, a clear submit action and understandable results.
Forms
For a straightforward choice from a fixed list, a native select supplies familiar keyboard and platform behavior.
Navigation
A skip link lets keyboard users bypass repeated navigation and reach the page's main task.
Data and collections
A sortable table retains its table structure while exposing sorting as an action in the relevant header.
Status and feedback
Routine status messages should communicate results without taking focus.
Controls
A switch represents a setting that is on or off.
Navigation
Tabs switch among associated panels within a single interface.
Page structure
A description list expresses associations between terms and their descriptions or values.
Forms
Use a labeled textarea for multiline input.
Forms
Give text inputs visible labels and explain important constraints before entry.
Controls
A toggle button represents an on/off state for an action or mode.
Controls
A toolbar groups a related set of controls and, when using the ARIA toolbar pattern, provides efficient keyboard movement within that group.
Disclosure and dialogs
A tooltip supplies a brief description for a focused or hovered control.
Data and collections
A tree represents a hierarchical collection with expandable branches and a full tree keyboard model.
Status and feedback
Use an alert for important, time-sensitive information that needs prompt announcement without requiring focus.
Glossary
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark U.S. civil rights law enacted in 1990 that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including employment, education, transportation, and access to public and private places open to the general public.
Questions
The definitive ADA website compliance FAQ — Title II IFR extension, WCAG 2.1 AA, lawsuit costs, overlay widgets, exemptions, deadlines, and more. Plain-English answers grounded in current law.
Glossary
Comprehensive glossary of ADA, WCAG, and web accessibility terms. Find clear definitions for accessibility concepts, legal terms, technical standards, and more.
Glossary
ADA compliance means meeting the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to facilities, services, employment, and digital content — including websites and mobile applications.
Guides
Free in-depth guides on ADA compliance, WCAG standards, web accessibility best practices, and digital inclusion. Written for developers, business owners, and legal teams.
Glossary
A systematic evaluation of a website, application, or physical space to determine whether it meets ADA requirements and WCAG standards for accessibility.
Industries
Industry-specific ADA compliance guides covering regulations, common violations, lawsuit statistics, and actionable checklists for 14 industries.
Platforms
Whether a CMS or site builder is "ADA compliant" depends on the theme, the plugins, and the content on top of it. Platform-by-platform guides to what each one does and does not handle.
Site resources
A practical 50-item ADA website compliance checklist mapped to WCAG 2.1 Level AA, grouped by the WebAIM Big Six and the POUR principles. Print, audit, ship.
Site resources
Compare ADA Title II and HHS Section 504 web accessibility deadlines, the 2026 extensions, and which organizations each rule covers.
Industries
Car dealerships, manufacturers, and auto service websites face growing ADA lawsuit risk. Learn how to protect your digital presence.
Industries
Construction and building industry websites must meet ADA digital requirements alongside physical accessibility standards.
Industries
Online retailers are the #1 target for ADA lawsuits. Learn how to make your store accessible and protect your business.
Industries
Schools, universities, and edtech platforms must ensure digital learning is accessible to all students under ADA and Section 504.
Industries
Banks, credit unions, fintech, and investment firms must ensure equal digital access to financial tools and information.
Industries
Federal, state, and local government websites must meet strict accessibility standards under ADA Title II and Section 508.
Industries
HIPAA meets ADA: everything healthcare organizations need to know about web accessibility compliance, from patient portals to telehealth.
Industries
Hotels, restaurants, and travel companies must make reservation systems and digital services accessible to all guests.
Industries
Insurance companies must make policy information, quote tools, and claims processes digitally accessible to all customers.
Industries
Law firms and legal services face unique ADA challenges. Learn how to make client portals, case documents, and legal websites accessible.
Industries
Nonprofits serving the public must ensure their websites and digital programs are accessible, often with limited budgets.
Industries
Consulting firms, accounting practices, and professional service providers must ensure their digital presence is accessible to all clients.
Industries
Real estate websites, property listings, and virtual tours must be accessible under ADA and Fair Housing requirements.
Industries
Software-as-a-Service companies must build accessibility into their products to meet customer requirements and avoid legal risk.
Blog
Stay informed on ADA website compliance news, lawsuit roundups, regulatory changes, technical tutorials, and expert analysis.
Guides
Learn about ADA employment requirements, including reasonable accommodations, the interactive process, and employer obligations under Title I. Covers hiring, workplace policies, and digital accessibility for employees.
Laws
Comprehensive reference of ADA federal laws (Title II 2024 rule + April 2026 IFR, Title III + Robles/Winn-Dixie circuit split, Section 504 HHS, Section 508), WCAG standards, state accessibility laws (Unruh, NYCHRL, IL HRA, Florida), EAA, and key court rulings.
Glossary
An ADA lawsuit is a civil rights legal action filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act alleging that a business or organization has discriminated against people with disabilities by failing to provide accessible facilities, services, or digital experiences.
Site resources
All 50 WCAG 2.1 AA criteria behind ADA website requirements, who must comply, and a plain-English checklist — updated for the April 2026 DOJ rule.
Laws
The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design set the technical requirements for the design and construction of facilities covered by ADA Titles II and III. While primarily focused on physical accessibility (buildings, public spaces, transit facilities), these standards establish the baseline physical accessibility requirements that complement digital accessibility obligations and inform the broader framework of ADA compliance.
Laws
Title I of the ADA prohibits private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies, and labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training, and other terms and conditions of employment. Employers with 15 or more employees must provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities unless doing so would cause undue hardship.
Guides
A practical guide for government IT and compliance officers on ADA Title II: the WCAG 2.1 AA deadlines under the April 2026 DOJ Interim Final Rule, self-evaluation and transition plans, VPATs in procurement, and where to start.
Laws
Title II of the ADA prohibits state and local governments from discriminating against people with disabilities in all services, programs, and activities. This includes public transportation, court systems, voting, education, and, following the 2024 rulemaking, websites and mobile applications. It is one of the most frequently cited titles in digital accessibility enforcement.
Glossary
ADA Title III prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in places of public accommodation operated by private entities, including hotels, restaurants, retail stores, healthcare providers, and — as courts and the DOJ have increasingly affirmed — their websites and digital services.
Laws
ADA Title III applies to private businesses — and to their websites, per Robles v. Domino's (9th Cir. 2019). Plus the 11th Circuit Winn-Dixie split, 2025 lawsuit data, and what compliance looks like.
Laws
Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in places of public accommodation operated by private entities. This includes restaurants, hotels, theaters, retail stores, doctors offices, and increasingly, websites and digital platforms. Title III is the basis for most ADA web accessibility lawsuits against private businesses.
Guides
Understand the differences between ADA, WCAG, and Section 508. Learn which applies to your organization, how they overlap, and which standard to follow.
Site resources
Every sourced, dated statistic on ADA website lawsuits, WCAG failure rates, settlement costs, and compliance deadlines in one place — updated monthly, every number linked to its primary source.
Site resources
ADA website compliance in plain English — who the law covers, the WCAG 2.1 AA standard, 2027 deadlines, lawsuit costs, and the six fixes that matter most.
Site resources
Most "I think I'm exempt" answers turn out to be "you're covered." The real ADA exemptions: 28 C.F.R. § 35.201 (Title II), Title III religious + private clubs, EAA microenterprise. Decision tree included.
Site resources
The technical guidelines behind ADA website compliance — WCAG 2.0 / 2.1 / 2.2, Section 508, EN 301 549, and the four POUR principles that organize all of them.
Laws
The 2025 ADA website accessibility lawsuit dataset: 8,667 total Title III filings, 3,117 website cases (+27% YoY), state breakdown, industry distribution, and settlement cost ranges.
Blog
A comprehensive look at ADA website accessibility lawsuit trends in 2025 — 3,117 federal filings, a 27% year-over-year increase, the top filing states, and what businesses should expect in 2026.
Blog
Federal website accessibility lawsuits hit 3,117 in 2025 — a 27% jump. Here is what is driving the 2026 filings, which states and industries carry the most risk, and how to stay off the target list.
Guides
Learn about ADA website lawsuit trends, serial plaintiffs, average settlement costs, and how to respond if your business receives a demand letter in 2026.
Site resources
Industry-specific ADA web accessibility requirements: e-commerce, healthcare, hospitality, financial, government, education. 2025 lawsuit distribution + the rules that apply to your sector.
Documents
Provide and verify captions for meaningful audio in presentation media.
Guides
Master alt text for web accessibility. Learn when to use descriptive alt text, when to leave it empty, see real-world examples, and avoid common mistakes.
Questions
Some overlay features (font sizing, high-contrast mode) replicate functionality modern browsers and operating systems already provide natively and more rel
Questions
For Title III (public accommodations): yes, per 42 U.S.C. § 12187. The exemption applies to religious organizations and entities controlled by them. The ex
Glossary
ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) is a set of HTML attributes defined by the W3C that add semantic meaning to web elements, enabling assistive technologies like screen readers to understand and interact with dynamic content and custom interface components.
Glossary
Audio description is a narration track added to video content that describes important visual information, actions, and scene changes during natural pauses in dialogue, making video accessible to people who are blind or have low vision.
User journeys
Review how a donor selects an amount, frequency and payment route, then understands the commitment.
User journeys
Review the permit process across instructions, eligibility, uploads, fees and submission status.
User journeys
Review search dates, room selection, rate conditions and reservation review.
User journeys
Test discovery, filtering, item details and placing a hold as one connected task.
Content publishing
Compare the visible sections of a page with its semantic heading structure.
User journeys
Review an admissions process across program choice, eligibility questions, documents and status tracking.
Interaction testing
Test an embedded widget as part of the page and the complete user process.
Platforms
Test the complete form produced by the site's configured plugin and theme.
User journeys
Review the booking process from service choice to confirmation and rescheduling information.
User journeys
Scope a purchase from product discovery to confirmation, including variants, stock changes and payment-provider boundaries.
User journeys
Review a quote journey with changing questions, validation and a final comparison.
User journeys
Test an application from vacancy discovery through document upload and submission review.
Content publishing
Review whether readers can determine where links lead from their text and available context.
Content publishing
Review the language identified for the page and for meaningful passages in another language.
User journeys
Test account access and recovery without relying on memory puzzles or a single sensory channel.
User journeys
Review how an account holder locates, downloads and reads a statement.
User journeys
Review event choice, ticket quantity, seat selection and checkout.
Audit operations
Create a map of the structures that generate the site before choosing audit pages.
Laws
The California Unruh Civil Rights Act is a state civil rights law that provides broader protections than the federal ADA, including a minimum of $4,000 in statutory damages per violation. California courts have held that ADA violations automatically constitute Unruh Act violations, making California the most active state for web accessibility litigation due to the availability of monetary damages not available under federal ADA Title III.
Questions
No. Automated tools (axe-core, WAVE, Lighthouse) catch 30-40% of WCAG failures. Manual assistive-technology testing — screen reader, keyboard-only, focus,
Questions
In most of the country, yes — federal ADA Title III does not require a plaintiff to send a demand letter or offer a cure period before filing suit, so the
Visual testing
Test whether focused controls are hidden by sticky or fixed content.
Documents
Inspect a PDF table at the cell and header-association level.
Content publishing
Decide what an image contributes in its specific context before writing alt text.
Procurement
Identify the reporting standard requested by the buyer before selecting an ITI VPAT® edition.
Tools
Compare a valid foreground and background color pair against WCAG contrast thresholds.
Glossary
Color contrast ratio is a mathematical measurement of the luminance difference between foreground text and its background color, used by WCAG to ensure text is readable for people with low vision or color vision deficiencies.
Laws
What Colorado's HB21-1110 and SB23-244 require of state and local government websites, the WCAG 2.1 standard adopted, the 2024 deadline, and how to comply.
Tools
Review six common categories of accessibility barriers and identify topics for further testing.
Site resources
Have a question about ADA compliance, found an error on the site, or want to contribute? Get in touch with the whatisADA.com team.
Site resources
Share your accessibility expertise with thousands of readers. Learn about our guest contributor guidelines, content types, editorial standards, and submission process.
Site resources
Cookie policy for whatisADA.com — what cookies we use, why we use them, and how you can control them.
Audit operations
Connect training to the decisions each team makes and the defects the product actually has.
Content publishing
Make the chart's message and relevant data available without requiring visual interpretation.
Audit operations
Protect important repaired behavior with a small set of meaningful repeatable tests.
Questions
Yes. HHS issued its own May 2026 interim final rule. The WCAG 2.1 AA compliance dates are May 11, 2027 for recipients with 15 or more employees and May 10,
Questions
No. Title II's nondiscrimination mandate remains in full force. Private plaintiffs can still sue during the extension. DOJ stated it "fully anticipates imp
Questions
No. The FTC fined accessiBe $1 million in April 2025 for falsely claiming its overlay made websites WCAG-compliant. EcomBack reports 22.64% of websites sue
Questions
Yes. ADA Title III has no small-business carve-out for websites. The 15-employee threshold applies to ADA Title I (employment), not Title III (public accom
Questions
It can extend beyond your website. The DOJ's 2024 Title II rule specifically lists "social media content when used as an official communication channel" as
Questions
Yes. In Robles v. Domino's Pizza (2019), the Ninth Circuit held that Domino's mobile ordering app — not just its website — was subject to ADA Title III's a
Guides
Native mobile apps are increasingly treated the same as websites under the ADA. Learn the public-accommodation legal theory, why WCAG 2.1 AA is the practical benchmark for apps, and how VoiceOver, TalkBack, and platform accessibility APIs fit in.
Guides
Who ADA Title II and Title III cover, the current 2027/2028 government deadlines, what WCAG 2.1 AA means in practice, and how to check your own site.
Laws
The DOJ has issued multiple guidance documents affirming that the ADA applies to websites, establishing that web accessibility is a civil rights obligation for both government entities and private businesses. This guidance, while not carrying the force of a formal regulation for Title III, has been cited by courts nationwide and represents the DOJ's authoritative interpretation of the ADA's application to digital content.
Laws
The DOJ's April 24, 2024 ADA Title II web accessibility final rule — and the April 20, 2026 Interim Final Rule that extended compliance dates by one year to April 26, 2027 and April 26, 2028.
Laws
In this landmark Ninth Circuit decision, the court held that the ADA applies to Domino's Pizza's website and mobile app, rejecting the company's argument that the lack of specific DOJ web accessibility regulations meant websites were not covered. The court ruled that the ADA's requirement that places of public accommodation provide full and equal enjoyment extends to websites and mobile apps with a nexus to a physical location. The Supreme Court declined to hear Domino's appeal, letting the ruling stand.
Laws
Understand the EAA’s covered product and service categories, the service microenterprise exemption, and how to scope a technical accessibility review.
Procurement
Read an ACR as evidence about a specific product version and evaluation scope.
Documents
Treat PDF export as a separate quality checkpoint after repairing the Word source.
Laws
Florida has enacted several laws addressing disability accessibility, including the Florida Americans with Disabilities Accessibility Implementation Act and the Florida Civil Rights Act. Notably, Florida passed legislation in 2021 and 2023 aimed at curbing what legislators characterized as abusive ADA accessibility lawsuits, establishing specific procedural requirements and limitations that affect web accessibility litigation in the state.
Tools
Use 12 free accessibility tools for contrast, headings, WCAG criteria, HTML scanning, audit scope, budgets and ACR preparation.
Site resources
Get a free preliminary WCAG 2.1 AA scan of your website, focused on the WebAIM Big Six failure types, plus a fixed-scope remediation quote from Grow Wild Agency.
Laws
Gil v. Winn-Dixie was the first ADA web accessibility case to go to a full federal trial. The district court ruled in favor of the blind plaintiff, finding Winn-Dixie's website inaccessible. However, the Eleventh Circuit reversed on appeal in 2021, holding that a website is not itself a place of public accommodation under the ADA and that the plaintiff lacked standing because the website's inaccessibility did not prevent him from accessing the physical store. This created a significant circuit split with the Ninth Circuit's Robles decision.
Site resources
Accessibility planning methods from Grow Wild Agency: prioritizing repairs, estimating budgets and a clearly labeled proposed overlay study.
Audit operations
Turn a visitor's report into a respectful support response and a reproducible product issue.
Tools
Inspect heading markup and review its hierarchy, labels and potential structural problems.
Blog
HHS moved its WCAG 2.1 AA deadlines to May 2027 and May 2028. Check your employee threshold, inventory patient journeys, and plan testing and remediation.
Laws
HHS extended its WCAG 2.1 AA web and mobile deadlines to May 11, 2027 and May 10, 2028. Check coverage, employee thresholds, and next steps.
Questions
An accessible PDF needs a logical tag structure (headings, lists, tables), alt text for images, a defined reading order, a specified document language, suf
Questions
3,117 federal website accessibility lawsuits in 2025 — a 27% increase over 2024. Top filing states: NY (1,021), FL (961), IL (585). Illinois alone was up 7
Guides
Understand the real costs of ADA website compliance, from initial audits to remediation and ongoing monitoring, broken down by business size and website type.
Questions
Demand-letter settlements: $1,000–$25,000. Out-of-court settlements: ~$25,000 average, up to $100,000. Court judgments: ~$75,000 average. Class actions: $6
Questions
At minimum, once a year, plus after any significant change — a redesign, a new feature, a platform migration, or a CMS update. Many organizations now pair
Guides
A step-by-step self-check for non-technical site owners: run a free automated scan, test keyboard navigation, try a screen reader, check color contrast, alt text, and form labels. Honest about what this does and doesn't prove.
Guides
A practical 7-step process for making a website ADA compliant under WCAG 2.1 Level AA — audit, remediation priorities, manual testing, accessibility statement, and ongoing monitoring.
Blog
You can get a real, honest read on your website's accessibility in a couple of hours using free tools and a keyboard. Here's the step-by-step — and the clear line where DIY ends and a professional audit begins.
Media testing
Review visual information that a listener cannot obtain from the existing audio.
Laws
The Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act (ITAA) requires all Illinois state agencies and universities to ensure that their websites, information technology systems, and electronic content are accessible to people with disabilities. Enacted in 2007, the ITAA was one of the earliest state laws specifically addressing digital accessibility and references the Section 508 standards and WCAG as its benchmarks.
Documents
Review whether PDF tags represent the document's actual structure.
Questions
For state and local government sites: yes, under ADA Title II and the DOJ 2024 final rule. For private businesses: there is no formal DOJ deadline, but Tit
Questions
Under ADA Title II (28 C.F.R. § 35.201): archived content is exempt if it is (1) maintained exclusively for reference/research/recordkeeping, (2) not updat
Platforms
Whether WordPress core, your theme, your plugins, or your content decides accessibility, what 'accessibility-ready' really covers, and how to check your site.
Site resources
Kaden Ewald is Founder and Lead Accessibility Engineer at Grow Wild Agency, and the author of whatisADA.com. Credentials, areas of expertise, and everything he has published here.
Guides
Learn how to build keyboard-accessible websites with proper tab order, visible focus indicators, skip navigation, and focus trapping for modal dialogs.
Glossary
Keyboard navigation is the ability to use a website or application entirely through keyboard input — using Tab, Enter, arrow keys, and other keys — without requiring a mouse, which is essential for users with motor disabilities and screen reader users.
Visual testing
Review the actual background behind text when it varies across an image or gradient.
Laws
Murphy v. Eyebobs and similar cases represent a growing body of litigation challenging the effectiveness of accessibility overlay tools. In these cases, plaintiffs who are blind or visually impaired have sued businesses whose websites used accessibility overlays (such as accessiBe, AudioEye, and similar products) and argued that the overlays did not actually make the websites accessible. These cases have undermined the marketing claims of overlay vendors and reinforced that automated overlay solutions do not constitute ADA compliance.
Laws
The New York State Human Rights Law and the New York City Human Rights Law provide extensive disability discrimination protections that complement and, in some cases, exceed the federal ADA. New York is the second most active jurisdiction for web accessibility lawsuits, with both state and city laws offering compensatory damages and broader coverage than federal Title III. New York City's law is considered one of the most protective civil rights statutes in the country.
Guides
A practical guide to PDF accessibility: why PDFs are commonly inaccessible, what tagged PDF and the PDF/UA standard require, how to check a PDF's accessibility, and a step-by-step remediation workflow for ADA and Section 508 compliance.
Site resources
The four POUR principles organize all 78 WCAG 2.1 success criteria. Plain-English explanations with real examples for each principle and what failing each one looks like in practice.
Procurement
Describe the accessibility outcomes and evidence needed for the actual purchase.
Documents
Organize a workbook so a reader can identify sheets, locate tables and interpret values without relying on color or visual position.
Procurement
Organize evidence before completing an Accessibility Conformance Report.
Audit operations
Triage findings using a documented impact model and the importance of the affected task.
Site resources
Privacy policy for whatisADA.com — how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.
Glossary
The process of identifying and fixing accessibility barriers in digital content, websites, or applications to bring them into compliance with WCAG and legal requirements.
Documents
Make the document's visible sections available as a navigable heading hierarchy.
Audit operations
Verify a repair against the original reproduction steps and the surrounding user process.
Content publishing
Test the actual sent email in representative clients, including its text, links, images and reading order.
Visual testing
Inspect a site with an operating system contrast theme or a documented forced-colors test setup.
Platforms
Check the published Webflow form with its real labels, styles and success and error states.
Assistive technology
Use VoiceOver on macOS with Safari to review page structure, control names and a short task.
Procurement
Map who can repair each part of an integrated service and how defects will be escalated.
Assistive technology
Use TalkBack on an Android device to test names, reading order and actions on a mobile web page.
Media testing
Watch a complete representative media item with its captions enabled and compare the captions with the audio.
Interaction testing
Test each answer that reveals or removes dependent fields.
Documents
Inspect tables as relationships between headers and values rather than as visual grids.
Assistive technology
Evaluate whether someone can understand a data value together with its row and column context.
Documents
Check the document's navigation as a reader would use it: identifying a destination, activating it and understanding the arrival point.
Documents
Convert an image-only document into accurate machine-readable text before building its accessible structure.
Documents
Check the sequence in which slide objects are presented to a screen reader.
Assistive technology
Evaluate whether the essential task can be completed using a switch access system's sequential selection.
Platforms
Inspect the product gallery as a shopping task, including alternatives, controls and media behavior.
Content publishing
Prepare social content so its message remains available beyond the visual asset.
Platforms
Review the site's published content structure and responsive layout after editing in Squarespace.
Platforms
Review image alternatives on the rendered WordPress page, not only in the media library.
Assistive technology
Use NVDA on Windows to inspect the structure and basic interaction of a representative page.
Assistive technology
Review one complete process without a mouse, from entry to confirmation.
Glossary
A screen reader is assistive technology software that converts on-screen text, images, and interface elements into synthesized speech or braille output, enabling people who are blind or visually impaired to use computers and navigate websites.
Laws
Section 504 was the first federal civil rights law to protect people with disabilities. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity that receives federal financial assistance. This broad reach covers public schools, universities, hospitals, social service agencies, and any other organization that receives federal funds, making it a foundational law for disability rights.
Glossary
Section 508 is a provision of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities, including federal websites, software, documents, and digital services.
Laws
Section 508 requires federal agencies to ensure that their electronic and information technology (ICT) is accessible to people with disabilities, both employees and members of the public. The 2017 refresh aligned Section 508 standards with WCAG 2.0 Level AA, establishing a concrete technical benchmark for federal digital accessibility.
Site resources
Compare federal ICT requirements under Section 508 with ADA Titles II and III. Understand funding, procurement, technical standards and overlapping obligations.
Audit operations
Choose pages and states that cover the product's important structures and complete processes.
Documents
Give a PDF a meaningful document title and the correct primary language, then review language changes within its content.
Platforms
Check your Shopify theme, product options, apps, cart, and checkout. Use this practical audit scope to assign fixes and retest the customer journey.
Laws
Beyond the ADA: state laws that drive web accessibility lawsuits. California's Unruh Act ($4,000 per violation), NY's NYCHRL, Illinois's 746% surge, Florida. 2025 federal filings by state.
Glossary
An assistive technology method that allows people with severe motor disabilities to operate computers and mobile devices using one or more switches instead of a keyboard or touchscreen.
Tools
Explore target dimensions against WCAG size thresholds, with spacing and exception limits explained.
Site resources
Terms of service for whatisADA.com — the rules and guidelines for using our website and educational resources.
Interaction testing
Evaluate the process from an invalid submission to a successful correction.
Assistive technology
Test the actual mobile page with VoiceOver on an iPhone or iPad.
Assistive technology
Review a checkout using JAWS in a documented Windows and browser configuration.
Documents
Review a fillable PDF through instructions, field entry, validation and saving.
Interaction testing
Review what happens when a single-page application changes its main view without a full browser load.
Assistive technology
Review a form in NVDA from initial instructions through error recovery.
Visual testing
Check a vertically scrolling page at a width equivalent to 320 CSS pixels.
Visual testing
Review how a site responds to a user's reduced-motion preference.
Interaction testing
Review a time-limited process using a documented test account and a controlled timeout.
Platforms
Review the actual cart and checkout configuration as a complete purchase process.
Visual testing
Review whether text can be enlarged to twice its original size without losing content or functionality.
Assistive technology
Check whether a person using speech input can activate controls by saying the labels they see.
Visual testing
Apply the specified line, paragraph, letter and word spacing simultaneously to check for lost content or functionality.
Platforms
Review the rendered WordPress navigation at desktop and mobile widths.
Laws
Texas has its own Accessibility Standards (TAS) for the built environment and Chapter 2054 of the Texas Government Code, which requires state agencies and institutions of higher education to comply with web accessibility standards. The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) oversees state agency technology accessibility, and Texas was one of the first states to establish specific web accessibility requirements for government websites.
Glossary
A text alternative is a textual description that serves as a substitute for non-text content such as images, videos, audio, and charts, making the information accessible to people who cannot perceive the original format.
Blog
The annual analysis of the top one million home pages found detectable WCAG failures on 95.9% of them — up from 94.8%, reversing years of slow progress. Here's what the data means for your site.
Guides
A practical breakdown of the ADA web audit process. Tooling, methodology, manual vs automated coverage, deliverables, and what to demand from any vendor proposing to audit your site.
Guides
A plain-English checklist of all WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA success criteria organized by POUR principle. Understand every requirement for web accessibility.
Blog
The EAA became enforceable on June 28, 2025 across all 27 EU member states — and it reaches U.S. companies that sell to European customers. Here is who is covered and what conformance requires.
Blog
In April 2025 the FTC fined accessiBe $1 million for claiming its overlay made sites WCAG-compliant. A year on, the data is clear: accessibility widgets are a liability, not a shield. An opinion.
Blog
Beyond avoiding lawsuits, web accessibility delivers returns through expanded market reach, improved SEO, and better user experience for everyone. Here is the honest case, with sourced numbers.
Blog
The DOJ's original April 24, 2026 ADA Title II web accessibility deadline was pushed back a year by an April 2026 Interim Final Rule. Here is what changed and what state and local governments must still do.
Platforms
Use the Wix Accessibility Wizard to identify supported issues, then complete its manual tasks and review the published site.
Documents
Check that meaningful content is read in an order that preserves the document's explanation.
Glossary
Assistive technology that allows users to operate computers and mobile devices using spoken commands, enabling people with motor disabilities to navigate, type, and interact without a keyboard or mouse.
Glossary
A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is a standardized document that explains how a digital product or service conforms to accessibility standards, primarily used in government and enterprise procurement to evaluate whether technology meets Section 508 and WCAG requirements.
Tools
Organize product identity, reporting requirements and evaluation evidence before preparing an ACR.
Glossary
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a set of internationally recognized technical standards published by the W3C that defines how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities, organized around four principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust.
Perceivable · Level A
Make the purpose or information in non-text content available through text.
Perceivable · Level A
For prerecorded media with only audio or only video, provide the information in another usable form.
Perceivable · Level A
Prerecorded video with audio needs synchronized captions for spoken words and meaningful sounds.
Perceivable · Level A
Prerecorded synchronized media must provide audio description or a full media alternative for important visual information that the soundtrack does not communicate.
Perceivable · Level AA
Live synchronized media needs captions for the live audio.
Perceivable · Level AA
Prerecorded video in synchronized media needs audio description for important visual information missing from the soundtrack.
Perceivable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, prerecorded synchronized media includes sign-language interpretation of its audio.
Perceivable · Level AAA
When normal pauses are too short for necessary audio description, Level AAA calls for extended description.
Perceivable · Level AAA
Level AAA requires a complete text media alternative for prerecorded synchronized media and prerecorded video-only content.
Perceivable · Level AAA
Live audio-only material needs an alternative presenting equivalent information at Level AAA.
Perceivable · Level A
Structure and relationships conveyed visually must also be available programmatically or in text.
Perceivable · Level A
When the order of content affects meaning, the programmatically determined reading sequence must preserve that meaning.
Perceivable · Level A
Instructions must not depend only on shape, color, size, location, orientation or sound.
Perceivable · Level AA
Content should work in both portrait and landscape unless a particular orientation is essential to its purpose.
Perceivable · Level AA
For fields collecting information about the user, identify the expected purpose programmatically when it appears in WCAG's input-purpose list and the technology supports it.
Perceivable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, the purpose of interface components, icons and regions is programmatically identifiable in markup-based content.
Perceivable · Level A
Color cannot be the sole visual cue for information or an action.
Perceivable · Level AA
Content should reflow without loss or two-dimensional scrolling at a width equivalent to 320 CSS pixels, or a height equivalent to 256 CSS pixels for vertically written content, apart from content needing a two-dimensional layout.
Perceivable · Level AA
Visual information needed to identify controls, their states and meaningful graphical objects generally needs 3:1 contrast against adjacent colors.
Perceivable · Level AA
Users can increase specified text-spacing values without losing content or functionality in markup-based content that supports those properties.
Perceivable · Level AA
Additional content triggered by hover or keyboard focus must satisfy the dismissible, hoverable and persistent conditions where they apply.
Perceivable · Level A
Audio that starts automatically and continues for more than three seconds needs a way to pause or stop it, or a volume control independent of the system volume.
Perceivable · Level AA
Ordinary text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background; large text needs 3:1.
Perceivable · Level AA
Text can be enlarged to 200 percent without losing content or functionality, apart from the specified exceptions for captions and images of text.
Perceivable · Level AA
Use real text when the technology can provide the intended presentation.
Perceivable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, ordinary text needs at least 7:1 contrast and large text needs at least 4.5:1, subject to the stated exceptions.
Perceivable · Level AAA
For prerecorded audio-only material that is primarily speech and falls within this criterion's scope, background sound must be absent, switchable off, or at least 20 decibels below the foreground speech, with limited exceptions.
Perceivable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, readers can control several aspects of text presentation: colors, line width, alignment, spacing and resizing behavior.
Perceivable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, use images of text only for pure decoration or when the particular presentation is essential.
Laws
WCAG 2.0 is the foundational web accessibility standard published by the W3C in December 2008. It provides 12 guidelines organized under four principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) with three conformance levels (A, AA, AAA). WCAG 2.0 Level AA is incorporated into Section 508 and remains the baseline for most accessibility compliance programs worldwide.
Laws
WCAG 2.1 extends WCAG 2.0 with 17 new success criteria addressing mobile accessibility, low vision users, and people with cognitive and learning disabilities. Published in June 2018, WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the standard adopted by the DOJ's 2024 Title II web accessibility rule and is the current recommended benchmark for digital accessibility compliance.
Site resources
A practical breakdown of WCAG 2.1 Level AA — 30 Level A + 20 Level AA success criteria — grouped by the POUR principles. The operative technical standard for ADA Title II and Title III.
Operable · Level A
Provide keyboard operation for all functionality, without requiring precisely timed individual keystrokes, except for functions whose underlying purpose depends on a movement path.
Operable · Level A
People must be able to leave any component they can enter with a keyboard.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, every function must have keyboard operation without precisely timed individual keystrokes.
Operable · Level A
Character-only shortcuts must be switchable off, remappable to include a non-printable key, or active only while the relevant component has focus.
Laws
WCAG 2.2 is the latest completed version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, published in October 2023. It adds 9 new success criteria to WCAG 2.1, with a strong focus on cognitive accessibility, improved authentication methods, and consistent help mechanisms. WCAG 2.2 also removed one WCAG 2.0 criterion (4.1.1 Parsing) as obsolete.
Operable · Level A
For time limits imposed by content, let users turn them off, adjust them sufficiently or extend them under the criterion's conditions, unless a defined exception applies.
Operable · Level A
Give users control over qualifying automatic movement and updates.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, activities do not make timing essential except for non-interactive synchronized media and real-time events.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, users can postpone or suppress interruptions except those involving an emergency.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, a user whose authenticated session expires can sign in again and continue without losing data.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, tell users how long inactivity can last before it causes data loss, unless the data is preserved for more than 20 hours without action.
Operable · Level A
Avoid content that flashes more than three times in a one-second period unless it is below the defined general-flash and red-flash thresholds.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, nothing on the page flashes more than three times in any one-second period.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, users can disable motion animation triggered by interaction unless that motion is essential.
Operable · Level A
Provide a way to bypass repeated blocks such as navigation.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, use section headings to organize written content.
Operable · Level AA
When a component receives keyboard focus, author-created content must not hide it entirely.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, no part of a component receiving keyboard focus may be hidden by author-created content.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, a visible focus indicator needs an area at least equivalent to a two-CSS-pixel perimeter and a 3:1 change between the same pixels in focused and unfocused states, subject to stated browser-control exceptions.
Operable · Level A
Each page needs a title describing its topic or purpose.
Operable · Level A
Where navigation sequence affects meaning or operation, keyboard focus must follow a sequence that preserves both.
Operable · Level A
A link's purpose must be understandable from its text or from text plus programmatically determined context, except where its purpose is ambiguous to everyone.
Operable · Level AA
Within a set of pages, offer more than one way to locate a page unless it is a process step or result.
Operable · Level AA
Headings and labels should describe the topic or purpose of the content or control.
Operable · Level AA
Keyboard users need a visible indicator showing which interactive element currently has focus.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, provide information showing where the user is within a set of pages.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, a mechanism lets users identify each link's purpose from link text alone, except where the purpose is generally ambiguous.
Operable · Level A
Functions using multipoint or path-based gestures need a single-pointer alternative that does not require a path, unless the gesture is essential.
Operable · Level A
Single-pointer actions should avoid committing a function on pointer-down, allow abort or undo around completion, reverse the down action on release, or meet an essential exception.
Operable · Level A
When a control has a visible text label, its accessible name must contain that text.
Operable · Level A
Functions triggered by device or user motion need an interface-control alternative, and the motion response can be disabled unless a defined exception applies.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, pointer targets are generally at least 44 by 44 CSS pixels, with specified exceptions for equivalent controls, inline targets, unmodified browser controls and essential presentation.
Operable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, content does not unnecessarily restrict input methods available on the platform.
Operable · Level AA
Functions requiring a dragging movement need a single-pointer alternative without dragging, unless dragging is essential or the behavior is an unmodified browser function.
Operable · Level AA
At Level AA, pointer targets are generally at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels or satisfy a defined exception.
Laws
WCAG 3.0 is a major in-progress overhaul of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines that reimagines how accessibility is measured and reported. It introduces a new scoring model, expands scope beyond web content to all digital content and applications, and uses plain language outcomes instead of technical success criteria. WCAG 3.0 is still in Working Draft status and is not expected to become a W3C Recommendation for several more years.
Understandable · Level A
The default human language of a page must be available programmatically.
Understandable · Level AA
Identify the language of passages or phrases that differ from the page's default, except for defined cases such as proper names, technical terms and words adopted into surrounding usage.
Understandable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, provide a way to identify specific meanings of unusual or restricted words, including jargon and idioms.
Understandable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, users can identify the expansion or meaning of abbreviations.
Understandable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, material requiring reading ability above lower-secondary education needs supplemental content or a simpler version, after excluding proper names and titles from that assessment.
Understandable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, provide a way to identify pronunciation when a word's meaning in context depends on how it is spoken and would otherwise be ambiguous.
Understandable · Level A
Receiving focus must not itself trigger a change of context.
Understandable · Level A
Changing a control's setting must not unexpectedly change context unless the user was told beforehand.
Understandable · Level AA
Navigation repeated across a set of pages must keep the same relative order unless the user initiates a change.
Understandable · Level AA
Components with the same functionality in a page set should be identified consistently.
Understandable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, context changes happen only at the user's request, or a mechanism allows the changes to be turned off.
Understandable · Level A
When specified help mechanisms repeat across a set of pages, keep their order relative to other content consistent unless the user changes it.
Understandable · Level A
When an input error is detected automatically, identify the field and describe the error in text.
Understandable · Level A
Provide labels or instructions when users must enter information.
Understandable · Level AA
When automatically detected input errors have known corrections, suggest how to fix them unless doing so would compromise security or the content's purpose.
Understandable · Level AA
For specified consequential submissions, provide a reversible action, error checking with a chance to correct, or review/confirmation with correction before finalizing.
Understandable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, context-sensitive help is available.
Understandable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, all pages requiring information submission provide reversal, checking with correction, or review/confirmation with correction.
Understandable · Level A
Within the same process, information already entered by or provided to the user and required again should be auto-filled or selectable, unless re-entry is essential, security-related or the prior information is no longer valid.
Understandable · Level AA
Authentication steps should not require an unassisted cognitive test unless a defined exception applies.
Understandable · Level AAA
At Level AAA, authentication cannot require a cognitive test unless an alternative avoids it or a mechanism assists the user.
Robust · Level A · Legacy
Parsing was removed from WCAG 2.2.
Robust · Level A
User-interface components need programmatically determinable names and roles, and their user-settable states, properties and values must be available to software.
Robust · Level AA
In markup-based content, status messages must have roles or properties that allow assistive technology to announce them without moving focus.
Site resources
WCAG is a W3C technical specification. The ADA is a U.S. civil rights statute. Here is exactly how WCAG 2.1 Level AA became the legal benchmark courts and the DOJ apply for ADA web accessibility.
Site resources
All 86 active WCAG 2.2 criteria and the legacy Parsing reference.
Tools
Search criteria by version, principle and level, then open examples and testing worksheets.
Glossary
Web accessibility is the practice of designing and developing websites, tools, and technologies so that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, interact with, and contribute to the web equally and independently.
Site resources
Web accessibility is the practice of building sites everyone can use; the ADA is the U.S. law that makes much of it mandatory. Here is exactly how the two fit together — and what to build.
Platforms
Plan a Webflow accessibility review covering CMS content, shared components, forms, menus, motion, and embeds, with clear ownership and retesting.
Site resources
Stay current on ADA compliance, web accessibility, and WCAG standards. One weekly email covering lawsuits, deadlines, and practical fixes — no spam.
Questions
Per WebAIM Million 2026, six failure types account for 96% of detected errors: low contrast text (83.9% of home pages), missing alt text (53.1%), missing f
Questions
E-commerce and retail dominate: EcomBack put them at roughly 69% of 2025 digital accessibility lawsuits, followed by food and beverage at about 21%. Entert
Questions
An ADA demand letter is a formal pre-litigation notice, usually from a plaintiff's attorney, describing specific accessibility barriers on your website and
Questions
A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is a standardized document, created by the Information Technology Industry Council, that vendors use to r
Guides
A practical guide to VPATs (Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates) and Accessibility Conformance Reports: the four editions, how conformance levels are scored, who requests them, and why a vendor-completed VPAT is not proof of an independent accessibility audit.
Questions
ADA compliance for a website means the site is accessible to people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Courts and the DOJ apply W
Guides
Learn what ADA compliance means for websites, apps, and digital content. Covers legal requirements, WCAG standards, and practical steps to become compliant.
Questions
An accessibility overlay is a third-party JavaScript widget that scans a page after it loads and tries to auto-inject fixes — like alt text or ARIA labels
Questions
Section 508 applies to federal agencies, contractors, and federal funding recipients — technical standard WCAG 2.0 AA. The ADA covers state/local governmen
Questions
WCAG 2.0 (2008) established 61 success criteria under the four POUR principles and is still the version Section 508 references. WCAG 2.1 (2018) added 17 mo
Questions
WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines at the AA conformance level — 50 success criteria (30 Level A + 20 Level AA) across the f
Guides
Learn what WCAG is, how the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines work, the POUR principles, conformance levels A through AAA, and how WCAG relates to ADA law.
Questions
In 2025 federal data: New York (1,021), Florida (961), Illinois (585), Minnesota (162), Pennsylvania (137). California has the most state-court filings und
Questions
Per the DOJ's April 20, 2026 IFR (91 Fed. Reg. 20902): April 26, 2027 for state/local government serving 50,000+ population, and April 26, 2028 for smaller
Guides
The FTC fined accessiBe $1 million in April 2025 for falsely claiming its overlay made sites WCAG-compliant. 22.64% of sued sites had an overlay installed. Here is why overlays fail and what to do instead.
Questions
DOJ stated it "overestimated the capabilities (whether staffing or technology) of covered entities" to comply in the original time frames. Public comment r
Blog
E-commerce accounts for roughly 69% of digital accessibility lawsuits. Here is exactly why online stores are so exposed, the barriers plaintiffs find first, and the fix order that protects both compliance and conversions.
Audit operations
Turn an observation into a repairable issue with a clear trigger, user impact and expected behavior.
Audit operations
Publish a statement that helps visitors understand accessibility support, known limitations and how to report a problem.
Content publishing
Explain what people need to provide before they encounter an error.
Documents
Review each image in its document context and decide whether it conveys information, performs a function or is decorative.
Blog
A calm, step-by-step playbook for the first 48 hours after an ADA website demand letter — what to do, what to avoid, and how to turn a scary letter into a manageable fix.