We’ve all heard the stories: businesses, including law firms, being hit with lawsuits for having websites that aren’t ADA compliant. Some say these lawsuits are legitimate; others call them shakedowns. Either way, you don’t want your firm caught in the middle.
The good news? It’s not that hard to show that you’re making a real effort to be accessible and that effort can go a long way toward protecting your firm.
What Is ADA Compliance (and How Does It Apply to Websites)?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was created to ensure equal access to public spaces and that now includes websites. The challenge is that ADA requirements for websites aren’t clearly defined in the law. Instead, courts generally look at whether a website is reasonably accessible and whether the business has made a good-faith effort to accommodate users with disabilities.
Why Law Firms Should Care
- Legal risk: Whether justified or not, lawsuits happen. Showing effort toward compliance can help discourage frivolous claims.
- Professionalism: A website that’s accessible shows your firm pays attention to details and cares about all users.
- User experience: Accessibility improvements make your website better for everyone.
How WordPress Helps — and Where It Falls Short
Most modern WordPress themes and plugins are built with accessibility in mind. But even with a solid foundation, custom content, design choices, or overlooked details can create accessibility gaps.
The Tool We Recommend: UserWay
We use and recommend a plugin called UserWay, available at userway.org. UserWay adds an accessibility widget to your site, allowing visitors to:
- Adjust font sizes
- Change contrast and color settings
- Enable keyboard navigation
- Improve text spacing for readability
- Use screen reader enhancements
It’s a simple way to show that you’re making an effort to accommodate users of all abilities, and in some cases, just having this visible effort in place can help shut down nuisance lawsuits before they gain traction.
Important Disclaimer
While we can install and configure an ADA accessibility plugin like UserWay on your website, we cannot guarantee that your site will be fully ADA compliant. The law is still evolving, and full compliance involves legal interpretation and comprehensive audits beyond what a plugin or standard development process can provide.
What we can do is help you make your site as accessible as possible, show that you’re making a good-faith effort, and help you stay ahead of common issues.
Don’t Wait for a Lawsuit to Take Action
Even though the law is unclear, the best move you can make is showing that your firm cares about accessibility and is making an effort.
