I got an ADA website accessibility demand letter — what do I do?
If a letter just landed claiming your online store violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — or the European Accessibility Act — take a breath. Thousands of small e-commerce businesses receive these every year, and most of what the letter alleges comes down to a short list of concrete, fixable technical issues on your website. Here's what the letter means, what it's actually claiming, and the steps that genuinely reduce your risk.
1. Don't panic — but don't ignore it either
Website accessibility lawsuits and demand letters have climbed year after year, and the majority target small and mid-sized e-commerce sites, not big brands. Law firms send these letters in volume, which is exactly why ignoring one is risky: silence is the easiest case for them to escalate. A letter is not a judgment. It's the start of a process, and how you respond in the first weeks matters.
2. First: talk to an attorney about the letter itself
Before you respond to anyone, have a lawyer look at the letter — ideally one with ADA or consumer-litigation experience. Many of these cases settle or resolve for far less than the initial demand, and an attorney will know the patterns. We are not lawyers, and nothing on this page is legal advice; this guide covers only the technical side of the problem.
3. What the letter is actually claiming
Nearly every website demand letter references WCAG — the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, usually version 2.1 level AA — as the measuring stick. And in practice, the same handful of failures show up in letter after letter:
- Images with no alt text — screen-reader users hear nothing, or a filename, where product photos should be described.
- Form fields with no labels — search boxes, email signups, and checkout fields a screen reader can't name.
- Low color contrast — text or buttons that low-vision users can't read against the background.
- Links and buttons with no readable text — icon-only buttons announced as just "button."
- Missing page language — a one-line HTML attribute that tells assistive tech what language to read in.
None of these are exotic. Most are one-line to one-afternoon fixes for a developer — once you know exactly where they are.
4. Do not install an "accessibility overlay" widget
The tempting shortcut — a one-click widget that promises instant compliance — has become a liability of its own. In 2025 the U.S. Federal Trade Commission ordered a leading overlay vendor to pay $1,000,000 over deceptive compliance claims, and overlays are now cited in lawsuits rather than accepted as a defense. Overlays don't change the underlying code of your site, miss most real issues, and can actively interfere with the screen readers your customers already use. There is no legal shield you can install.
5. Find out where your store actually stands
You can't fix — or respond to — what you can't see. The first technical step is an audit of your store against WCAG 2.1 A/AA, so you know which of the letter's claims correspond to real issues on your site, how severe they are, and where they live in your code. An honest automated scan finds the machine-detectable issues (the categories above are exactly the ones scanners catch well); full conformance review also involves manual testing, but the automated pass tells you most of what a demand letter is pointing at.
6. How fixes usually go
For a typical small store, remediation is far less dramatic than the letter implies. Alt text is written and added. Form fields get labels. A theme color is darkened to meet contrast. An icon button gets an accessible name. Most stores we scan have a concentrated set of issues repeated across pages — fix the template once and dozens of instances disappear. A competent developer with a precise fix list can usually clear the automated findings in a day or two.
7. Keep a record of everything
Document what you found, when you found it, and what you fixed. A dated audit report plus a dated record of remediation shows good-faith effort — something your attorney can actually use. Keep re-scanning as your site changes: new products, new themes, and new apps can reintroduce old issues.
See where your store stands — free
We run a developer-grade accessibility scan of your store (WCAG 2.1 A/AA, powered by the open-source axe-core engine) and email you a plain-English summary of what's wrong and how severe it is. No signup, no card.
If you want the full fix list — every issue, the exact code, step-by-step fixes, and a draft accessibility statement — that's a one-time $149. The free summary stands on its own.
Also worth reading: The European Accessibility Act is now in force — does it apply to your online store?
This article is general information about website accessibility, not legal advice. Automated testing identifies a subset of accessibility barriers and does not certify conformance with the ADA, the European Accessibility Act, or any other law. For questions about a specific letter or lawsuit, consult a qualified attorney.