What "ADA compliant" really means for a website
The ADA does not publish a website checklist. In practice, courts and settlements point to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the standard most demand letters and lawsuits measure you against. We build toward that standard rather than promising a legal shield, because no vendor can honestly guarantee you will never receive a claim.
Accessibility is also just good design. Captions, readable contrast, and keyboard support help everyone, not only people with disabilities.
- Sufficient color contrast between text and background (4.5:1 for normal text)
- Full keyboard operability — every menu, form, and control usable without a mouse
- Proper heading structure and landmarks so screen readers can navigate
- Text alternatives (alt text) for meaningful images
- Labeled, error-friendly forms
- Visible focus states and skip-to-content links
How we build and verify accessibility
We combine automated scanning with manual testing, because tools catch only part of the picture. Automated checkers flag things like missing alt text and contrast failures; a person has to confirm the site actually works with a real screen reader and keyboard.
We bake accessibility into the design and build phases rather than bolting on an overlay widget. Accessibility overlays are widely criticized and have themselves been named in lawsuits.
- Automated audits (axe, Lighthouse) plus manual keyboard and screen-reader testing
- Semantic HTML, with ARIA used only where it is actually needed
- An accessible color palette and type scale chosen during design, not patched later
- No third-party "accessibility overlay" widgets
- A plain-language accessibility statement page for your site
- Guidance so your team keeps new content accessible after launch
More on web design & development
Frequently asked questions
Can you guarantee I won't get sued?
No — and be skeptical of anyone who does. Accessibility is ongoing, and new content or third-party tools can introduce issues over time. What we can do is design and build to WCAG 2.1 AA, document our testing, and give you an accessibility statement, which meaningfully reduces exposure and, more importantly, makes your site usable.
Do accessibility overlay widgets make my site compliant?
Generally no. Overlays are automated scripts layered on top of an inaccessible site; they often miss real barriers and have been named in lawsuits themselves. Real accessibility comes from the underlying code and content, which is what we fix.
Will making my site accessible make it uglier?
No. Accessibility constrains contrast, structure, and interaction — not creativity. Plenty of visually striking sites are fully accessible, and good contrast and clear structure usually improve the design.