ADA Ready · Compliance guide
US courts apply WCAG 2.1 AA to business websites under ADA Title III — thousands of demand letters land each year. Check the basics, and don't rely on an accessibility overlay.
This rule applies if you run a website serving customers in the US. US website? Check the basics that drive ADA accessibility lawsuits — and avoid overlay-only fixes. Not sure? The free checker tells you in about a minute — no signup.
In practice, ADA Ready's checker looks at whether you can answer "yes" to each of these. Each one is a place sellers commonly get caught:
⚠️ Exposure: DOJ up to $118,225 (1st violation) + private-suit costs. Status: In force.
Statutory maximums are worst-case ceilings, not a prediction — but they're why this is worth ten minutes now. Compare the penalty for every rule →
US courts widely treat business websites as places of public accommodation under ADA Title III and apply WCAG 2.1 level AA. If you serve US customers, you're exposed to demand letters.
No. Overlay/widget tools don't ensure conformance and are themselves frequent lawsuit targets. Fix accessibility in the actual site.
Meet WCAG 2.1 AA basics (alt text, keyboard, contrast, labeled forms), test with assistive tech, and publish an accessibility statement with a contact to report barriers.
RuleGoose checks this against the ADA Title III (42 U.S.C. 12181) — courts apply WCAG 2.1 AA. Read it yourself: ADA.gov — web accessibility guidance →
see the penalty for every rule, or get one RuleGoose Score across every rule that applies to you.
How this rule lands depends on where you sell — what the platform handles for you and what's still on you differs. Pick yours:
Informational only, not legal advice, and not affiliated with the DOJ. Last reviewed 2026-07-04.