Accessibility Is Not Optional — WCAG Compliance for Business Sites

## Legal Risk Is Real Web accessibility isn't just the right thing to do — it's increasingly the law. ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) lawsuits against websites tripled between 2018 and 2021. Canadian accessibility legislation (AODA in Ontario, ACA federally) is following the same path. WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the standard most courts and regulations reference. Here's what it requires and how to get there. ### The Four Principles **Perceivable** — Can all users perceive your content? - All images have descriptive alt text - Videos have captions and transcripts - Text has sufficient contrast (4.5:1 ratio for normal text, 3:1 for large text) - Information isn't conveyed by color alone (a red error message also needs an icon or text) **Operable** — Can all users operate your interface? - Every interactive element is keyboard-accessible (Tab to navigate, Enter to activate) - No content flashes more than 3 times per second (seizure risk) - Users can pause, stop, or hide moving content (carousels, animations) - Pages have descriptive, unique titles **Understandable** — Can all users understand your content? - Form inputs have visible labels (not just placeholder text) - Error messages explain what went wrong and how to fix it - Navigation is consistent across pages - Language of the page is identified in the HTML lang attribute **Robust** — Does your site work with assistive technology? - HTML is valid and uses semantic elements (nav, main, article, button) - ARIA attributes are used correctly — or not at all (incorrect ARIA is worse than none) - Content works with screen readers (VoiceOver, NVDA, JAWS) ### Quick Wins Most WordPress themes fail at least 5 WCAG criteria. Start with the highest-impact fixes: 1. Add alt text to every image (5 minutes per page) 2. Fix contrast issues (check with WebAIM Contrast Checker) 3. Ensure all forms have visible labels 4. Make sure you can navigate the entire site with just a keyboard 5. Add skip-to-content link for screen reader users ### The Audit Run your site through WAVE (wave.webaim.org) or axe DevTools (browser extension). They'll flag specific violations with explanations and fix suggestions. A manual keyboard-only test catches what automated tools miss. Accessibility isn't a one-time fix — it's an ongoing practice. Include it in your design review, your content workflow, and your development process.