In 2025, over 4,600 ADA website accessibility lawsuits were filed in the United States. Florida was among the top three states for filings. And healthcare practices like dentists, chiropractors, dermatologists, physical therapists are increasingly being targeted because they handle public-facing services and typically have small, non-compliant websites.
The legal risk is real, but here's the thing: making your website accessible isn't just about avoiding lawsuits. It actually improves your site for everyone and can directly increase patient bookings.
What ADA Compliance Means for Websites
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that businesses open to the public provide equal access to their services. Courts have increasingly interpreted this to include websites. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA is the standard most courts reference.
For a healthcare practice, this means your website needs to be usable by people with visual impairments, motor disabilities, hearing loss, and cognitive disabilities.
The Most Common Violations We See
- Missing alt text on images: Every image needs descriptive alt text that screen readers can interpret
- Poor color contrast: Text that doesn't have sufficient contrast against its background is unreadable for low-vision users
- Forms without labels: Appointment request forms where the fields aren't properly labeled for screen readers
- No keyboard navigation: Users who can't use a mouse need to navigate your entire site with a keyboard
- Missing video captions: Any video content needs closed captions
- Non-descriptive links: "Click here" tells a screen reader nothing about where the link goes
A Practical Compliance Checklist
- Run your site through a free accessibility scanner like WAVE or axe DevTools
- Add alt text to every image on your site
- Ensure all forms have proper labels and error messages
- Check color contrast ratios (minimum 4.5:1 for normal text)
- Test full keyboard navigation, can you reach every page and function without a mouse?
- Add captions to all video content
- Ensure your site works properly with screen readers
- Post an accessibility statement on your website
- Set up a feedback mechanism for accessibility issues
Beyond Compliance: Better Patient Experience
Accessible websites are simply better websites. They're faster, cleaner, easier to navigate, and work better on mobile. The same changes that make your site ADA compliant, clear navigation, readable text, proper form labels, also make it easier for every patient to book an appointment.
We've seen healthcare clients increase their online booking rate by 20-30% after accessibility improvements, simply because the site became easier to use for everyone.
What to Do Now
If your healthcare practice website hasn't been evaluated for accessibility, do it today. The cost of remediation is a fraction of the cost of a lawsuit, typical settlements range from $5,000 to $75,000 plus attorney fees.
We build and rebuild healthcare practice websites with ADA compliance built in from the start. Reach out for a free accessibility audit of your current site.
