ADA Compliance: Website Accessibility Is a Legal Requirement

Website accessibility is not optional -- it is the law. The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to websites, and lawsuits against non-compliant businesses have increased substantially. But beyond legal requirements, accessibility is good business.

What the Law Requires

The DOJ has stated that websites must be accessible under ADA Title III. The standard referenced is WCAG 2.1 Level AA, which includes:

• Color contrast: Text must have sufficient contrast against background colors
• Keyboard navigation: Every function must be usable with a keyboard alone
• Screen reader compatibility: Content must be properly structured for assistive technology
• Alt text: All meaningful images must have descriptive text alternatives
• Form labels: All form fields must have associated labels
• Captions: Videos must have captions or transcripts

The Business Case for Accessibility

Over 61 million adults in the United States have a disability. That is roughly 25% of the population. An inaccessible website excludes a quarter of your potential customers.

Accessible sites also tend to have better SEO (screen reader-friendly structure helps search engines), lower bounce rates, and higher conversion rates because clear design benefits everyone.

Common Accessibility Issues

The most common problems we find on Michigan business websites:

• Missing alt text on images
• Poor color contrast ratios
• Forms without proper labels
• Keyboard traps in navigation menus
• Auto-playing media without controls
• PDFs that are not screen-reader accessible

AppWT includes an ADA accessibility widget on every site we build and conducts accessibility audits as part of our design process. Learn about our accessibility services.