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Managed Compliance · ADA

ADA Compliance Services: Make Your Website ADA Compliant

Check your site free in seconds, let AI fix the bulk automatically, and have certified IAAP/CPWA experts audit, remediate and certify the rest - one managed path from first scan to signed certificate.

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ADA compliance for a website means making it accessible to people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act - measured in practice against WCAG 2.1 Level AA, the standard the DOJ has codified for Title II and US courts apply to private businesses, with WCAG 2.2 AA as current best practice. EqualWeb gets you there with a hybrid model: a free instant check, AI remediation of 80+ common WCAG 2.2 issues, and certified IAAP/CPWA experts who audit, fix and certify your site through Managed Compliance, typically up to 30 business days.

The standard

What does ADA compliance require for a website?

The ADA itself contains no technical checklist for websites. In practice, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) fill that role. The Department of Justice's 2024 rule under ADA Title II makes WCAG 2.1 Level AA the binding standard for state and local government websites, with compliance deadlines of April 26, 2027 for entities serving populations of 50,000 or more and April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special districts - deadlines extended from the original April 2026 and April 2027 dates by a DOJ Interim Final Rule effective April 20, 2026. For private businesses under Title III there is no equivalent federal rule yet, but courts and DOJ settlement agreements consistently treat WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the benchmark, and WCAG 2.2 Level AA is widely regarded as current best practice.

Concretely, WCAG Level AA translates into testable, page-by-page requirements.

  • Text contrast of at least 4.5:1 against its background, or 3:1 for large text (WCAG SC 1.4.3); the enhanced AAA level raises this to 7:1 (SC 1.4.6)
  • Contrast of at least 3:1 for interface components and meaningful graphics (SC 1.4.11, non-text contrast)
  • Every function operable by keyboard alone, with a visible focus indicator
  • Alternative text for images, captions for video, and transcripts where needed
  • Forms with properly associated labels and clear, descriptive error messages
  • A logical heading structure and reading order that screen readers can navigate
The path

How does EqualWeb make your website ADA compliant?

EqualWeb's path to ADA compliance starts free and scales with your needs. It is a hybrid model by design: AI handles the volume, certified experts handle the judgment, and you end up with documentation you can actually show someone - a procurement team, an insurer, or your own lawyer.

  • Check - run the free Accessibility Checker on any URL and get an instant WCAG 2.2 score from 0 to 100 with a prioritized issue list, no installation required
  • Remediate with AI - install the Accessibility Widget with one line of code; it automatically fixes 80+ common WCAG 2.2 issues and adds 9 accessibility profiles for real users, with a 7-day free trial
  • Audit and certify - Managed Compliance pairs you with certified IAAP/CPWA experts who manually audit your templates, flows and documents, remediate on the client side, and verify conformance - delivering a signed Accessibility Compliance Certificate, a VPAT 2.2 conformance report and litigation support documentation in up to 30 business days
  • Monitor - continuous scanning tracks a live 0-100 compliance score and flags regressions the moment new content ships, because ADA compliance is an ongoing obligation, not a one-time fix
Check your site freeHow Managed Compliance works
The risk

What happens if your website is not ADA compliant?

Here are the numbers, plainly. In 2025, 3,117 website-accessibility lawsuits were filed in US federal courts - a 27% increase over 2024. Most cases settle, typically in the range of $5,000 to $75,000, plus legal fees, remediation costs and ongoing monitoring requirements. Beyond private suits, the DOJ can seek civil penalties of up to $75,000 for a first ADA violation and up to $150,000 for subsequent violations - 2014 statutory caps that are subject to annual inflation adjustment, so current adjusted amounts may be higher.

Two points worth knowing before assuming this is someone else's problem. First, ADA Title III has no small-business or revenue-based exemption: online-only stores and local service businesses are covered alongside national brands. Second, much of this litigation comes from serial plaintiffs who file thousands of cases annually. A documented, ongoing remediation program does two things at once: it removes the barriers that draw complaints in the first place, and it gives your legal team evidence of good-faith effort if a claim arrives anyway.

The honest answer

Why isn't a widget alone enough for ADA compliance?

Automation is genuinely powerful, and EqualWeb's AI is built to do as much of the work as software can: the Accessibility Widget automatically fixes 80+ common WCAG 2.2 issues, which in practice addresses roughly 80% of what a typical site gets wrong. That is real progress, deployed in minutes - and it is not full compliance.

The remaining issues are the ones that require human judgment. No algorithm can decide whether alt text actually describes what an image means in context, whether a checkout flow makes sense to a screen reader user, whether a PDF's reading order matches its visual layout, or whether captions convey the substance of a video. WCAG conformance is assessed criterion by criterion, and several criteria simply cannot be verified by software alone.

This is why EqualWeb is a hybrid platform rather than a widget with a support line. Full compliance is the goal of the expert-led Managed Compliance service: certified IAAP/CPWA specialists manually audit the templates, flows and documents that scanners miss, remediate on the client side, and sign the Accessibility Compliance Certificate only after conformance is verified. Anyone promising full ADA compliance from a single line of code is overselling. We would rather tell you exactly what automation does well, what it does not, and who closes the gap.

FAQ

ADA compliance - frequently asked questions

How do I check if my website is ADA compliant?
Start with EqualWeb's free Accessibility Checker: enter your URL and get an instant WCAG 2.2 score from 0 to 100 with a prioritized issue list, no installation required. For a fuller picture, the Accessibility Monitor offers a free 100-page scan across your site. Because some WCAG criteria require human judgment, a certified expert audit is the only way to confirm full conformance.
How much does ADA compliance cost?
It depends on the size and complexity of your site - EqualWeb prices Managed Compliance by scope, not a flat fee, so the proposal is quote-based. The sensible sequence: run the free Accessibility Checker first, try the Accessibility Widget with its 7-day free trial, then request a demo to scope expert audit and certification covering exactly what your site needs.
Is an accessibility widget enough to make my website ADA compliant?
No, and you should be skeptical of anyone who says otherwise. EqualWeb's Accessibility Widget automatically fixes 80+ common WCAG 2.2 issues - roughly 80% of typical problems - which is a strong start and a meaningful risk reduction. But WCAG criteria involving context and judgment require human review. Full compliance is the goal of EqualWeb's expert-led Managed Compliance service, which combines the widget with certified manual remediation.
Is there a deadline for ADA website compliance?
For state and local governments under ADA Title II, yes: the DOJ rule requires WCAG 2.1 Level AA by April 26, 2027 for entities serving populations of 50,000 or more, and by April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special districts. For private businesses under Title III there is no fixed deadline - the obligation applies now, and lawsuits are already being filed. EqualWeb's free Accessibility Checker shows where you stand today.
How long does it take to make a website ADA compliant?
The free Accessibility Checker scores any page in seconds, and the Accessibility Widget starts fixing 80+ common WCAG 2.2 issues within minutes of installing one line of code. Full, certified conformance through EqualWeb's Managed Compliance takes up to 30 business days across four stages: audit, remediation, monitoring and certification. After delivery, continuous monitoring keeps your compliance score current as your site changes.
Does my small business website really need to be ADA compliant?
Yes. ADA Title III covers virtually every business open to the public, including online-only businesses, with no small-business or revenue-based exemption for digital content. Serial plaintiffs file thousands of website accessibility cases annually, and settlements typically run $5,000 to $75,000 plus legal fees. EqualWeb's free Accessibility Checker shows where your site stands in seconds, and the widget's 7-day free trial is a low-risk first step.
Get ADA compliant

Start with a free check of your website

Run a free instant scan, then let certified IAAP/CPWA experts take you the rest of the way - with the documentation to show your site's conformance.

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