Accessibility isn’t optional—here’s what to expect
Web accessibility compliance is here. The European Accessibility Act became effective June 28, 2025, and federal lawsuits in the U.S. jumped 37% year-over-year in the first half of this year alone. But compliance isn’t just about avoiding legal risk—it’s about opening your platform to 61 million Americans with disabilities and a $18.3 trillion global disability market.
If you’re wondering what accessibility reviews involve and whether your website is compliant, here’s what you need to know.
The legal landscape is multi-jurisdictional
Accessibility requirements now span multiple jurisdictions. In the U.S., the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to private businesses (Title III) and state and local governments (Title II, with an April 2026 deadline). In Europe, the EAA applies to any business serving EU customers—regardless of where you’re based.
The technical standard everyone points to is WCAG 2.1 Level AA—the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines published by the W3C. While the DOJ hasn’t formally mandated WCAG for private businesses, 100% of accessibility lawsuits cite WCAG failures. Courts consistently use it as the benchmark.
One more thing: accessibility overlays don’t work. Those auto-fix widgets promise one-click compliance, but 25% of 2024 lawsuits cited overlays as barriers, not solutions. The FTC fined accessiBe $1 million in January 2025 for false advertising. Real accessibility requires fixing your code, not adding a band-aid on top of it.
What an accessibility review actually involves
Accessibility isn’t a one-time fix—it’s an ongoing commitment structured in three layers.
Layer one: Audit. A manual and automated review identifies barriers across your site. You’ll receive a report listing specific violations (like missing alt text, keyboard navigation failures, or poor color contrast) mapped to WCAG criteria. This gives you a clear scope of what needs fixing.
Layer two: Remediation. You work with developers to fix the issues. Depending on your platform and issue severity, this might involve updating templates, rewriting components, or restructuring content. The timeline depends on complexity—simple fixes take days; structural overhauls take weeks.
Layer three: Ongoing maintenance. Every new feature, page, or design update needs accessibility testing. Compliance isn’t static. You’ll need policies for content creation, QA checklists for developers, and periodic audits to catch regressions.
Set realistic expectations with your team: accessibility is a mindset shift, not a checklist. It requires planning, testing, and iteration—just like security or performance.
The business case goes beyond compliance
Yes, accessibility is legally required. But it’s also smart business.
The global disability market represents $18.3 trillion in purchasing power when you include friends and family who make buying decisions. In North America and Europe alone, people with disabilities control $2.6 trillion in disposable income. That’s the third-largest market segment in the U.S.
But accessible design benefits everyone, not just people with disabilities. Captions help people watching videos in noisy environments. Keyboard navigation helps power users. High-contrast text helps people reading on their phones in sunlight. When you design inclusively, you improve usability across the board.
There’s also brand value. Accessibility signals that you care about ethics and inclusion. It’s the kind of work that builds trust—and differentiates you from competitors who haven’t caught up yet.
What to do next
If you’re unsure where your site stands, start with an accessibility review. You’ll get a roadmap of what needs fixing, realistic timelines, and guidance on prioritizing high-impact changes.
At TBM, we run Accessibility Reviews & Compliance Audits that assess your site against WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, identify violations, and provide actionable remediation guidance. We work with you to build sustainable compliance practices—not just check a box.
Talk to us about where to start.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Accessibility requirements vary by jurisdiction and business type.