1 in 4 U.S. adults has a disability – representing over $200 billion in spending power. Yet many businesses unintentionally create barriers that prevent them from engaging online.

You wouldn’t put an obstacle course in front of your brick-and-mortar store, so why do it online? An accessible website isn’t just the right thing to do – it improves user experience, engagement, and conversions for everyone.

And it’s not just a best practice – by June 2025, most businesses in the EU will be legally required to comply with accessibility standards. While there’s no similar federal law in the U.S. yet, lawsuits over inaccessible websites are increasing every year, and stricter regulations could follow – much like we saw with GDPR’s impact on U.S. businesses.

Website user with a visual disability

Why Accessibility Matters

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01.

Better UX for Everyone

Accessibility features not only benefit users with disabilities but also enhance the overall user experience (UX) for everyone who visits your site.

02.

SEO & Visibility Boost

Accessibility practices like ALT text and descriptive headings align with SEO best practices, increasing your traffic and engagement.

03.

Reach More Customers

Accessible websites are usable by more people, including millions of potential customers with disabilities.

04.

Reduce Legal Risk

Avoid lawsuits—accessibility overlays alone won’t shield you. In fact, 30% of U.S. accessibility lawsuits in 2023 involved overlays.

Frustrated computer user

“I already use an accessibility overlay, isn’t that good enough?”

Accessibility overlays are tools that promise a quick solution by using AI to attempt to fix accessibility problems on pages as they load. While they can make some improvements, like providing a toolbar for users to adjust text size or contrast, they don’t actually fix accessibility problems in the code1, giving website owners a false sense of security. They can slow down page loading, too.

Overlays can actually make your site less accessible by interfering with screen readers and adding bugs that create new barriers.2

Overlays have been cited in a number of lawsuits. In 2023, 30% of all U.S. accessibility lawsuits involved accessibility overlays3. Instead of using overlays, we recommend a combination of automatic and manual assessments to find and improve your site’s accessibility.

1 https://www.accessibility.works/blog/avoid-accessibility-overlay-tools-toolbar-plugins/

2 https://www.coloradovirtuallibrary.org/learning/edit/the-skinny-on-accessibility-overlays/#:~:text=While%20many%20overlay%20providers%20promise,for%20accessibility%20as%20not%20effective

3 https://www.accessibility.works/blog/2023-ada-website-lawsuits-legal-statistics/#:~:text=According%20to%20UsableNet%2C%202023%20saw,using%20an%20overlay%20were%20sued

Smart, Budget-Friendly Accessibility That Works.

Making your site accessible doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Our approach ensures real, lasting improvements—without performance slowdowns, unnecessary costs, or privacy risks.

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Keep Your Data Private

Your customer data and business IP stay in-house—our testing tool runs directly on your site with no external data transfer.
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No Slowdowns, No Overlays

We provide real code fixes, not performance-draining overlays that only mask accessibility issues.
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Bulk Issue Detection & Prioritization

Scan your entire website in minutes and get a clear, prioritized action plan for the most impactful fixes.
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Fix Issues Before Publishing

See accessibility issues directly in the post editor, so you can resolve them in real-time—no waiting, no surprises.
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Audit History & Legal Protection

Track your remediation progress with detailed reports, making it easy to respond to compliance inquiries.
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Move Toward Full Compliance

Follow a step-by-step improvement plan tailored to your budget, reducing legal risk while making your site more inclusive.

How It Works…

There are no cookie-cutter plans. We can jump in and address as many problems as quickly as possible, or spread fixes out over a longer time. It all depends upon your budget and preferences.

Step 1 – Accessibility Audit

We identify the most critical accessibility issues on your site. Starting at $149.

Step 2 – Urgent Accessibility Fixes

Address the most urgent problems for a safer, more compliant website. Starts at $500–$1,000.

Step 3 – Monthly Remediation

Work within your budget to tackle remaining issues over time, starting at $250/mo.

Step 4 – Monitoring

Ensure ongoing accessibility for new content with our tools. Starts at $180/qtr.

Case Study: How Ellis Ranch Transformed Their Website Accessibility

The Challenge: An Older Site with Major Accessibility Barriers

Ellis Ranch is a family-owned wedding and event venue in Loveland, Colorado that began operations in 1963.

The Ellis Ranch website had over 360 accessibility warnings and errors, many caused by less-than-ideal development practices in the theme and Elementor page builder. Without proper coding standards as a foundation, critical accessibility fixes weren’t possible without major structural changes. The way the site was built, it wasn’t coded to basic standards. And for accessibility, this matters a LOT.

Some of the biggest accessibility barriers included:

  • Headings out of order & missing H1 tags (causing screen reader confusion).
  • Empty & misused tags creating barriers for assistive technologies.
  • No way to properly label the logo, social icons, or sidebar headings within the current theme.

Ellis Ranch was also relying on an accessibility overlay tool – a quick fix that didn’t fully address compliance. Manager Kim Ellis knew they needed a real solution to ensure the site was truly accessible and not at risk for legal concerns.

Recognizing that quick fixes wouldn’t be enough, Ellis Ranch opted for a full site rebuild to create a long-term, compliant solution.

“We needed to change from just using an overlay tool that doesn’t remedy the whole website into an accessible website.”

Our Solution: A Full Site Rebuild for Lasting Accessibility

Rather than applying temporary fixes, we rebuilt the site from the ground up with accessibility as a priority. From the start, we kept Ellis Ranch informed, ensuring they understood every step of the remediation process. Beyond fixing accessibility issues, we refined the site’s design to improve clarity and make it easier to use for everyone.

Communication throughout the project was great – I knew what was happening throughout the project as well as what to expect once the project was completed.”

During the redesign, we:

  • Used an accessibility checker throughout the build to catch and fix issues in real-time.
  • Ensured proper heading structures, screen reader labels, and keyboard navigation.
  • Removed inaccessible elements from the old site and replaced them with compliant alternatives.
  • Also fixed UX issues to make the site more usable and useful for everyone.

“Debbie’s fixes made the website stand out more, become clearer, and updated the look to meet standards in the industry today.

The Results: A Fully Accessible, Modern Website

With a brand-new, accessibility-first website, Ellis Ranch no longer has to worry about overlays, legal risks, or hidden barriers. The site is now approaching WCAG 2.1 compliance, is easy to navigate, and built to make it easier for them to keep it accessible as they grow.

Audit history for Ellis Ranch project
Accessibility Checker results after remediation – fixing real issues, not just masking them with an overlay!

The biggest benefit was knowing that we now have an accessible website, and we don’t have to worry about an overlay program that doesn’t function as it should.

Ready to make your website truly accessible? Schedule a call today.

Frequently-asked Questions

Website accessibility ensures that your site is usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. This means making sure users who rely on screen readers, larger text, or keyboard navigation can interact with your content just as easily as anyone else.

An accessible website removes barriers, improves user experience, and helps businesses reach a wider audience while reducing legal risk.

  • It’s the right thing to do. Everyone deserves to use your website, including people with disabilities.
  • It expands your customer base. An accessible website reaches more people, increasing engagement and conversions.
  • It reduces legal risk. Accessibility lawsuits are rising, and compliance helps protect your business from costly legal action.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the primary law governing accessibility in the U.S. Enacted in 1990, the ADA prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in public spaces – including websites.

While the law doesn’t explicitly mention websites, courts have ruled that businesses with an online presence must ensure accessibility. Many companies follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to reduce legal risk and provide a better experience for all users.

If you’re the DIY type, start with free online tools that scan your website for accessibility issues, like WAVE or AXE. They can identify some of the more common issues.

However, automated scans definitely don’t catch everything; many critical issues require manual testing. For a comprehensive review, consider an Accessibility Audit from Red Kite, where we identify barriers and provide a step-by-step plan to improve your site’s accessibility.

  • Hard-to-read text – Small fonts or poor color contrast make content difficult to see.
  • Missing ALT text – Screen readers can’t describe images without it.
  • Keyboard navigation issues – Many sites can’t be used without a mouse, blocking users with mobility disabilities.

These are just a few common problems. A full Accessibility Audit can identify and fix hidden issues, ensuring your site is truly accessible.

It depends on your website’s current state, size, and complexity. If accessibility is built into the design from the start, costs are lower. For existing sites, remediation can often be done without a full redesign.

At Red Kite, we tailor solutions to your needs:

  • Accessibility Audit: Starts at $149 to assess your site’s issues.
  • Urgent Fixes: Critical issue remediation starts at $500–$1,000.
  • Ongoing Accessibility Improvements: Plans begin at $250/month to steadily improve compliance over time and according to your budget.

Let’s create a plan that fits your budget. Schedule a call today.

No automated tool or service can guarantee 100% compliance—even full manual audits can miss certain issues.

At Red Kite, we combine automated testing with hands-on manual reviews to help you get as close as possible to WCAG 2.1 compliance. Accessibility is an ongoing process, but we ensure you’re making meaningful, measurable improvements that reduce risk and create a better user experience.

Yes! Demonstrating a good-faith effort to improve accessibility – such as implementing key WCAG guidelines – can make your site less of a target for lawsuits and show that you take compliance seriously.
Beyond legal protection, accessibility improvements enhance user experience, increase engagement, and expand your audience, making it a smart business decision as well.

Let’s Make Your Website Accessible!