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Accessibility is the website requirement most business owners have never heard of. The ADA applies to websites, lawsuits over inaccessible sites have been rising, and about 1 in 4 adults in the US has some kind of disability. That is a large share of customers a site can shut out without anyone noticing.
01What Does Web Accessibility Mean?
That people with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive disabilities can use your site. A blind visitor can move through it with a screen reader. Someone who cannot use a mouse can get around by keyboard. Someone with low vision can read the text. Screen readers alone have millions of users.
Most sites fail the basics: low-contrast text, images with no description, forms without labels, videos without captions.
02Where Do You Start?
With the basics, which need no expertise. Give text enough contrast against its background, so no light gray on white. Add alt text describing every image. Make sure the whole site can be used with a keyboard. Label every form field so a screen reader can announce it.
None of those changes how the site looks, and all of them help someone using assistive technology. They help your ranking too, because Google reads alt text and proper HTML structure.
03Can a Small Business Get Sued?
Yes. ADA website suits have risen every year, and while large companies are hit most often, small businesses are not exempt. A demand letter can arrive any time and settling is expensive. Building the site right from the start is the cheap option, and accessibility belongs in the design and the build rather than bolted on after.
04Does Accessibility Help Everyone Else?
It does. Clear navigation, readable text, logical structure, and descriptive links make a site better for every visitor, and the work that makes a page usable with a screen reader tends to make it faster for everyone else. Usable sites turn more visitors into customers.