Your website can look like it’s open for business, but it might be shutting people out.
Can someone navigate through a checkout with only their keyboard? Do you have a form that is a jpeg? Do your videos need sound to be able to make sense of what’s going on?
These aren’t just design oversights. They can prevent disabled customers from accessing what your business offers.
Under ADA Title III, private, public and nonprofit entities or facilities that are open to and serve the general public (public accommodations) must provide people with disabilities full and equal enjoyment of their goods and services. The Department of Justice has consistently maintained that those obligations extend to what those businesses offer online.
And that means real litigation risk.
Seyfarth Shaw counted 3,117 website accessibility lawsuits filed in federal court in 2025. That figure was a 27% increase over 2024. That count excludes state-court lawsuits and demand letters.
In its 2014 accessibility agreement with the DOJ, H&R Block agreed to pay $45,000 to two individual plaintiffs and a $55,000 civil penalty. That doesn’t even account for the company’s legal or remediation costs. The agreement also required accessibility improvements, staff training, testing, and independent evaluations. (https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-enters-consent-decree-national-tax-preparer-hr-block-requiring)
But avoiding a lawsuit should not be the whole strategy.
Consider the improved experience people have on your site when you offer:
Clear form instructions
Readable text
Useful headings
Captions
Keyboard access
My advice to business leaders:
Evaluate the tasks customers need to complete, not just your homepage.
Check the PDFs and documents customers rely on.
Combine automated checks with manual accessibility testing.
Prioritize barriers, fix them, and verify that the fixes work.
Don’t do a one-time fix. Build accessibility into ongoing design and development.
Proactive accessibility work is an investment in improving access and reducing risk
At Covenforge, I turn accessibility violation findings into practical, prioritized roadmaps your team can act on.
Because “All Are Welcome” should describe how your business works and not just what it says.
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