Software Accessibility: Why ADA Compliance Matters for Your Tech Stack

ADA lawsuits hit a record high in 2024 — and your software stack is a major factor. Here's what to look for.

By The StackMatch Research Team

ADA web-accessibility lawsuits have climbed sharply in recent years — and the software you buy, not just your own website, is part of the exposure

$25K+Illustrative average settlement, before legal fees

WCAG 2.1 AAThe baseline standard vendors should meet

1VPAT you should request per vendor, every renewal

Directionally illustrative figures — actual lawsuit volume and settlement amounts vary by year and jurisdiction.

You didn't write the code, but you own the liability

A vendor's dashboard failing WCAG standards feels like their problem until a customer or employee who uses a screen reader can't complete a purchase or a task on your site — at which point the liability lands on the business that chose the tool, not the company that built it. Every SaaS product your employees and customers touch is effectively part of your compliance surface, whether or not you had any say in how it was built.

An illustration of a software audit checklist.

Requesting a vendor's accessibility documentation before signing is the actual audit — a demo call won't surface it.

What to look for in vendor accessibility

Vendor accessibility requirements

WCAG 2.1 AA compliance documented in VPAT
Keyboard-navigable interfaces (no mouse required)
Screen reader support (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver)
Color contrast ratios meeting 4.5:1 minimum
Alt text on all images and icons
Captions and transcripts on video content
Form labels and error messages accessible to AT
Annual third-party accessibility audits
Accessibility statement on vendor website
ADA compliance included in vendor contract SLA

$75K

DOJ civil penalty ceiling for a first ADA Title III violation

Subsequent violations carry a higher ceiling — before counting legal fees or a forced platform migration.

The cost of non-compliance

Settlements in ADA Title III web-accessibility claims commonly land in the $20K-$50K range before legal fees, and that's typically the smaller cost — the bigger one is the forced, unplanned migration off a vendor that turns out not to be fixable in place.

Illustrative growth in web-accessibility lawsuit filings

The WCAG 2.2 update adds new requirements: focus appearance, accessible authentication, and draggable movements. Tools compliant with 2.1 may not satisfy 2.2 — verify before signing.

Building an accessible stack

Prioritize vendors that publish Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs). Request their latest accessibility conformance report during evaluation. If they can't provide one, consider it a red flag. Accessibility isn't optional — it's a procurement requirement.

Run the free StackMatch audit to see accessibility compliance scores for your current software stack and identify vendors that put you at risk.

Run your own audit