ADA compliant website design that works for everyone
Around one in four adults in the US lives with a disability, and many use screen readers, keyboards or zoom to browse. If your site doesn’t work for them, you lose customers and take on legal risk. Our ADA compliant website design and ADA compliance services start with a website accessibility audit against WCAG, fix the problems in your design and code and test the results with the tools disabled visitors actually use.
What ADA compliant website design means
The Americans with Disabilities Act doesn’t list technical rules for private business websites, but the Department of Justice has said that websites must be accessible, and courts and settlements usually point to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, WCAG, at level AA. In 2024 the DOJ adopted WCAG 2.1 AA as the rule for state and local government websites. In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments, and WCAG is the usual benchmark there too.
In practice, ADA compliant website design means building to WCAG: enough color contrast, text alternatives for images, forms with labels, everything usable by keyboard, clear headings, captions for video and pages that work when zoomed. These changes make the site easier for every visitor to use. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Signs your site needs accessibility work
- You have never had an accessibility audit
- Images have no alt text
- Forms can’t be completed with a keyboard
- Light gray text on white backgrounds
- You rely on an overlay widget for compliance
What our ADA compliance services include
An audit, real fixes and testing, with a record of the work.
Website accessibility audit
Automated scans plus manual testing with keyboards and screen readers against WCAG 2.2 AA.
Prioritized fix list
Every issue explained, linked to the WCAG criterion and ranked by its impact on users.
Design fixes
Contrast, focus states, layout and typography updated in your design system.
Code fixes
Labels, headings, landmarks, alt text, keyboard support and ARIA corrected in the code.
Accessible new builds
New sites and pages designed and built to WCAG from the start.
Accessibility statement
A statement for your site describing your standard, known issues and how to get help.
ADA compliance services in depth
Why accessibility is a design and code job, and how we test it.
Why overlays aren’t enough
Overlay widgets promise one-line compliance, but they can’t fix missing labels, broken keyboard navigation or confusing structure in the underlying code, and many screen reader users find they make sites harder to use. Lasting accessibility comes from fixing the design and the code itself.
Testing like a real user
Automated tools catch only some accessibility problems. We also test by hand: moving through every page with a keyboard, listening with screen readers such as VoiceOver and NVDA, zooming to 200 percent and checking forms, menus and pop-ups. That is how we find the issues that actually block people. Each issue in the report includes the page, the element, who it affects and how to fix it.
Keeping it accessible
Accessibility slips as new content is added. We train your team on alt text, headings and link wording, build accessible components they can reuse, and offer periodic checks so new pages stay at the same standard.
How our ADA compliance services work
Audit, fix and verify, with a progress update every week.
- Step 01
Audit
Key templates and journeys tested against WCAG 2.2 AA, automatically and by hand.
- Step 02
Prioritize
Issues ranked by impact on users, with the effort to fix each one.
- Step 03
Fix
Design and code fixes made by our team or handed to your developers as tickets.
- Step 04
Verify
Fixes retested, a summary report delivered and an accessibility statement drafted.
Why Griffon for ADA compliant website design
We design and build websites, so we fix accessibility problems where they start: in the design system and the code, without an overlay script layered on top. When we build new pages, accessibility is part of the design review and the code review.
We test with keyboards and screen readers as well as automated tools, and we explain every issue in terms your team can act on. You get a record of the audit, the fixes and the retest, which is useful to show the work done.
Part of our Website development ↗2 hours
our usual reply to a new inquiry, one business day at most
Weekly
progress updates, plus a monthly report with the data and the work done
One team
strategy, design, development and marketing under one roof
You own it
the design, code and accounts are yours once the work is paid in full
Questions about ADA compliant website design, answered
What is ADA compliant website design?
It is designing and building a website that people with disabilities can use, usually measured against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, WCAG, at level AA. It covers design choices like color and layout as well as code, content and media.
Does the ADA apply to my website?
The DOJ has said the ADA applies to the websites of businesses open to the public, and courts often look to WCAG. Ask your lawyer about your specific situation; this isn’t legal advice.
What does a website accessibility audit include?
Automated scans, manual keyboard and screen reader testing, color contrast and zoom checks, and a list of issues linked to WCAG criteria and ranked by impact.
Will an accessibility overlay make my site compliant?
Overlays can’t fix problems in your site’s code, and many disabled users find them unhelpful. We recommend fixing the site itself.
Which version of WCAG do you test against?
We test against WCAG 2.2 at level AA, which also covers WCAG 2.1 AA, the standard the DOJ adopted for government websites.
How much do ADA compliance services cost?
It depends on the size of the site and how many issues it has. We run a free accessibility check and price the audit and fixes in your proposal.
Get a free accessibility check
A 30-minute call. No deck, no pressure. Bring the site, the numbers and the goal, and leave with a plan and a price.