One in four Americans lives with a disability. That’s approximately 61 million people who may rely on assistive technologies, keyboard navigation, or other accommodations to access digital content. Yet despite this significant portion of the population, many websites remain barriers rather than gateways to information and services. As digital accessibility becomes increasingly important — both from a legal compliance standpoint and as a matter of inclusive design — we’re receiving more questions from clients who want to do accessibility right.
This guide compiles the most frequently asked questions we hear, along with comprehensive answers to help you navigate the world of web accessibility with confidence.
Our approach to website accessibility is rooted in the principle of building accessibility into the foundation of every project, not adding it as an afterthought. We create inherently accessible websites by integrating ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliance considerations at every phase of the website build.
At AOR, we do not rely on quick-fix solutions, such as accessibility overlay plugins. Instead, we natively build accessible websites by leveraging industry-leading design, usability, and development best practices. This means our sites are constructed from the ground up with accessibility in mind.
Accessibility goes far beyond simple color contrast ratios. We build our sites to be fully keyboard navigable, ensuring users who cannot use a mouse can still access all functionality. We implement proper heading hierarchies, descriptive link text, alt text for images, and ARIA labels where appropriate. Every interactive element, form field, and navigation component is tested to ensure it works seamlessly for users with various assistive technologies.
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Accessibility overlay plugins (also called one-click compliance solutions) are not the answer to genuine website accessibility, and we strongly advise against them for several important reasons.
First, these overlays are not natively compliant. They attempt to “fix” accessibility issues through JavaScript that runs on top of your website, but they cannot address fundamental structural problems in your site’s code and design. Think of it like putting a Band-Aid on a broken bone.
More concerningly, these plugins can actually increase your legal risk. Despite their marketing claims, multiple lawsuits have been filed against websites using these tools. For instance, accessiBe, one of the most popular overlay providers, has faced class action lawsuits claiming their AI-powered software cannot ensure ADA compliance as advertised. The courts and advocacy groups have been clear: these automated overlays do not constitute real accessibility.
Many users with disabilities find these overlays frustrating and unhelpful. Blind users often note that overlays create more barriers than they remove, interfering with the assistive technologies users already rely on.
The bottom line: there are no shortcuts to accessibility. True compliance requires thoughtful design, proper development practices, and ongoing testing, exactly what we provide with our native approach.
Learn more about overlays here.
Absolutely. Digital accessibility extends to every digital touchpoint where your audience encounters your brand, including social media platforms.
The content you create and post on social media must be accessible to all users. This includes:
Remember, accessibility on social media isn’t just about compliance — it’s about reaching the widest possible audience and demonstrating your commitment to inclusion across all channels.
You usually can’t tell just by looking at it, but there are a few quick checks that can reveal obvious red flags.
While a full accessibility evaluation requires professional testing, try these simple tests:
Navigate with Your Keyboard
Check Color Contrast
Is your text easy to read against its background? Low contrast may look modern, but can be unreadable for users with low vision.
Zoom to 200%
Increase your browser zoom. Does anything overlap, break, or require horizontal scrolling? Content should remain usable at higher magnification.
Turn On a Screen Reader
Test Your Forms
These checks won’t catch everything. Much of accessibility lives in the underlying code — semantic structure, ARIA labels, proper focus management, and assistive technology compatibility — which isn’t always visible on the surface.
If you want to know for sure where your site stands, reach out to us for an accessibility audit. We’ll provide a clear assessment and roadmap for improvement.
Our accessibility auditing process combines both automated machine testing and manual human evaluation to ensure the most comprehensive assessment possible.
Machine Testing:
We leverage several specialized digital tools and platforms:
Manual Testing:
Automated tools can only catch about 30-40% of accessibility issues, which is why manual testing is crucial. Our manual testing includes:
We’re also developing our own proprietary scoring system that takes into account multiple data sources beyond Acquia Web Governance alone, giving clients a more holistic view of their accessibility performance.
We primarily build to WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, which is the internationally recognized benchmark for web accessibility and the standard referenced in most ADA-related legal cases. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are organized around four core principles — often remembered by the acronym POUR:
We work with each client to determine the appropriate standard based on their industry, audience, and legal requirements.
Accessibility is an ongoing commitment, not a one-time project. Here’s why:
We recommend ongoing accessibility monitoring and periodic audits (at minimum, annually) to ensure your website remains compliant as it grows and evolves.
The legal landscape around web accessibility has become increasingly active in recent years. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), your website is considered a place of public accommodation, meaning it must be accessible to people with disabilities.
The risks include:
The good news? Proactively building accessibility into your website from the start is far more cost-effective than reactive remediation after receiving legal threats.
The cost of accessibility varies significantly based on your approach:
Building it in from the start is the most cost-effective approach. When accessibility is integrated into your design and development process from day one, the incremental cost is relatively minimal.
Retrofitting an existing site is considerably more expensive, potentially costing 30-50% of your original development budget or more, depending on how inaccessible the current site is.
Ignoring it entirely can be the most expensive option of all when you factor in potential legal fees (often $5,000-$25,000+ for demand letter settlements), remediation costs under court order, and lost business.
Think of accessibility as an investment in:
This is one of the most common misconceptions about accessibility: that it requires sacrificing aesthetics or creativity. The truth is exactly the opposite.
Accessible design is good design. Many accessibility principles benefit all users, not just those with disabilities. Features like captions help people watching videos in sound-sensitive environments. Keyboard navigation helps power users who prefer keyboard shortcuts. Clear, descriptive link text helps everyone understand where they’re going.
Modern accessible websites can be every bit as visually stunning and innovative as any other site. In fact, some of the most beautifully designed websites in the world also happen to be highly accessible. The key is working with designers and developers who understand how to achieve both goals simultaneously.
Accessibility constraints can even spark creativity, pushing designers to find innovative solutions that work for everyone.
When we build and test for accessibility, we consider the wide range of assistive technologies your users might employ:
Our testing process ensures your website works seamlessly with these technologies, not against them. We verify that the experience is genuinely usable and efficient for people relying on assistive technologies.
At the end of the day, accessibility is about equity and equality. It’s about letting your users and audiences know that you care about them, no matter who they are. It’s the right thing to do, above all else.
At AOR, it’s a crucial core value of ours to be inclusive, so we extend that energy into everything we do. We’ve been focused on this topic for a while and have several other great articles on the topic:
As always, reach out to us if you have any other questions!