ADA Accessibility: Is Your Practice Website Compliant?

In 2025, there were over 4,600 ADA website accessibility lawsuits filed in the United States — a 300%+ increase from 2018. Healthcare providers and professional service firms are increasingly targeted because their websites provide access to essential services. If your website is not accessible, you face legal risk, you exclude potential patients, and you miss a genuine opportunity to serve your full community.

What Is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility means that people with disabilities — visual impairments, hearing loss, motor disabilities, cognitive differences — can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with your website. The standard is WCAG 2.1 Level AA (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), published by the W3C.

The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) does not mention websites explicitly. But the Department of Justice has consistently taken the position that websites of businesses open to the public are covered under Title III. Federal courts have largely agreed, especially for healthcare and professional services.

Why Healthcare Sites Face Higher Scrutiny

Healthcare websites are disproportionately targeted for three reasons:

• Essential services: Medical care, dental care, and mental health services are necessities, not luxuries. Blocking access is more impactful
• Section 508: If your practice accepts Medicare or Medicaid, you may be subject to Section 508 compliance requirements for electronic content
• Patient demographics: A significant percentage of patients — especially older adults — have vision, hearing, or motor impairments. An inaccessible website directly excludes your patient population

What WCAG 2.1 Level AA Requires

The guidelines are organized around four principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Here are the requirements most relevant to practice websites:

Perceivable

• Alt text on all images: Every image needs a text description that screen readers can announce
• Color contrast: Text must have at least a 4.5:1 contrast ratio against its background (3:1 for large text)
• Video captions: Any video content needs closed captions
• Form labels: Every form field must have a visible label (not just placeholder text)

Operable

• Keyboard navigation: Every function must work with a keyboard alone — no mouse required
• Skip navigation: A "Skip to main content" link for keyboard users to bypass the menu
• Focus indicators: Visible outlines on focused elements so keyboard users know where they are
• No seizure triggers: No flashing content above 3 flashes per second

Understandable

• Consistent navigation: Menu structure should be the same on every page
• Error identification: Forms must clearly identify errors and suggest corrections
• Readable text: Language is specified in the HTML, and content is written clearly

Robust

• Valid HTML: Proper semantic markup that assistive technologies can parse
• ARIA landmarks: Main content areas identified with proper roles (main, nav, footer)
• Name, Role, Value: Interactive elements properly identified for screen readers

Common Violations on Practice Websites

When we audit practice websites, the most common accessibility failures are:

• Missing alt text: Stock photos with no descriptions. Provider headshots with no name identification
• Poor color contrast: Light gray text on white backgrounds. White text on light blue buttons
• Missing form labels: Placeholder text disappears when you start typing, leaving no indication of what the field is for
• No keyboard navigation: Dropdown menus, FAQ accordions, and image galleries that only work with a mouse
• Missing skip-to-main link: Keyboard users must tab through the entire navigation menu on every page
• Auto-playing video or audio: Disorienting for screen reader users and seizure-risk for photosensitive users

How We Build Accessible Sites

Accessibility is not a feature we add after launch — it is built into our framework from the ground up:

• Skip-to-main navigation link on every page
• Semantic HTML with proper heading hierarchy (H1, H2, H3)
• ARIA landmarks (main, nav) for screen reader navigation
• Keyboard-accessible FAQ accordions with aria-expanded states
• Color contrast ratios verified against WCAG 2.1 AA standards
• Form fields with proper labels, error messages, and autocomplete attributes
• Focus-visible outlines for keyboard navigation

Our goal is not just technical compliance — it is building websites that work for everyone who visits them. That includes the 26% of American adults who live with some form of disability.

Not sure if your current site is accessible? Request a free accessibility audit and we will identify the specific issues that need attention.