Website accessibility isn't just a nice-to-have — it's a legal requirement that's being enforced with increasing frequency. In 2025, over 4,000 ADA-related website lawsuits were filed in the United States, and that number continues to grow. Virginia businesses aren't exempt, and the consequences of non-compliance range from lawsuits to lost customers.
What Is Website Accessibility?
Website accessibility means that people with disabilities — visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive — can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with your website. This includes people who use screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, voice commands, or other assistive technologies.
The standard for web accessibility is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), currently at version 2.2. Most legal requirements reference WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the minimum standard.
The Legal Landscape
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires businesses open to the public to provide accessible services — and courts have increasingly interpreted this to include websites. Key points:
- Any business with a physical location that also has a website can be sued
- E-commerce sites are especially targeted
- Demand letters often come before lawsuits — and settlements typically range from $5,000 to $25,000+
- Government websites and organizations receiving federal funding have explicit accessibility requirements under Section 508
Common Accessibility Issues
Most websites fail accessibility in predictable ways:
- Missing alt text on images — screen readers can't describe images without it
- Poor color contrast — text that's too similar to its background is unreadable for low-vision users
- No keyboard navigation — users who can't use a mouse need to navigate with Tab and Enter keys
- Missing form labels — screen readers can't identify what information a form field requires
- Auto-playing media — unexpected audio is disorienting for screen reader users
- No skip navigation link — keyboard users shouldn't have to Tab through your entire menu on every page
- Inaccessible PDFs — scanned documents without text layers are completely invisible to screen readers
How to Make Your Website Accessible
Quick Wins
- Add descriptive alt text to every image
- Ensure color contrast ratios meet WCAG AA (4.5:1 for normal text)
- Make all interactive elements keyboard-accessible
- Add proper labels to all form fields
- Use semantic HTML (proper heading hierarchy, landmarks, lists)
- Add a skip-to-content link
Ongoing Practices
- Test with a screen reader (NVDA is free for Windows)
- Run automated scans with tools like axe, WAVE, or Lighthouse
- Include accessibility in your design and development process from the start
- Provide captions for video content
- Create an accessibility statement on your website
Accessibility Overlays: Do They Work?
You may have seen companies selling accessibility overlay widgets — a single line of JavaScript that claims to make your site compliant. These don't work. The accessibility community, advocacy organizations, and legal experts all agree: overlays don't provide meaningful accessibility and may actually make your site harder to use for people with disabilities. Several companies have been sued despite using overlays.
Real accessibility requires building it into your website's code, not bolting on a widget.
The Business Case for Accessibility
Beyond legal protection, accessibility is good business:
- 15% of the world's population has some form of disability
- Accessible websites perform better in search rankings (Google rewards good HTML structure)
- Accessible design often improves usability for everyone
- It demonstrates your business values inclusion
Get an Accessibility Audit
Not sure where your website stands? Contact Crozetti for a free accessibility assessment. We'll identify issues and provide a clear remediation plan to protect your business and serve all your customers.
