Check your site against WCAG 2.2 Level AA: run an automated scan to find the problems a tool can detect, then test the rest by hand with a keyboard and a screen reader. No scan alone can tell you a site is compliant, and the ADA doesn’t certify websites, so “compliant” in practice means you’ve found and fixed what WCAG asks for and can show it.
1. Know what you’re measuring against
The ADA requires businesses open to the public to give people with disabilities full and equal access, and the Justice Department’s 2022 guidance (opens in a new tab) says that includes what you offer on your website. It doesn’t mandate a technical standard for businesses, but it points to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). For state and local governments the Department went further: its 2024 rule (opens in a new tab) adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Measure against WCAG 2.2 Level AA, the current version, and you cover both.
2. Run an automated scan
Start with what a tool can find, because it’s fast and it’s what anyone looking for problems on your site finds first. WebAIM found detectable WCAG failures on 95.9% of the top million home pages, an average of 56 per page (WebAIM Million (opens in a new tab)). The most common: low-contrast text, images with no alt text, form fields with no label, links and buttons with no name, and pages with no declared language.
Scan more than the home page. Checkout, sign-up, contact and booking pages are where a blocked visitor loses the thing they came for.
3. Test what a scan can’t
The Justice Department’s guidance puts it plainly: a “clean” report from an automated checker “does not necessarily mean everything is accessible.” These need a person:
- Keyboard only. Put the mouse away. Reach every link, button and form field with Tab, and complete your main task, such as checking out.
- Visible focus. At every Tab stop you should see where you are.
- Screen reader. With VoiceOver (Mac and iPhone) or NVDA (Windows), check that images, buttons and form fields are announced in a way that makes sense.
- Zoom to 200%. Text should still be readable without scrolling sideways.
4. Fix, then keep a record
Fix the problems that block a task first, then the rest. Publish an accessibility statement with a way to report problems, which the guidance also recommends, and keep your scan reports. If a demand letter arrives, a dated record of what you found and fixed is worth more than a claim that the site is “compliant”.
Questions
Does the ADA apply to my website?
If your business is open to the public, the Justice Department says the ADA's requirements for businesses (Title III) cover the goods and services you offer through your website. Whether a website-only business is covered is a question courts have answered differently.
Which WCAG level do I need?
Level AA. The ADA itself doesn't name a standard for businesses, but the Justice Department adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA for state and local government websites in 2024, and WCAG 2.2 Level AA is the current version of that bar.
Can a free scan tell me if my site is ADA compliant?
It can tell you what's wrong, not that nothing is. Automated checks catch problems like missing alt text, low contrast and unlabeled form fields. Criteria like keyboard operation and focus order need a person to test.