Protect Your Website: Accessibility Lawsuit Insights Part 2

(Episode 30)

AAArdvark Accessibility Podcast

Join Natalie Garza and Natalie MacLees for the 30th episode of the AAArdvark Accessibility Podcast to explore statistics and dive into state-level compliance with accessibility laws and the prevalence of ADA lawsuits. The hosts discuss specific state requirements in Texas, Illinois, and Minnesota, and elaborate on the differences between Section 508 and WCAG guidelines. They also analyze the statistics of ADA lawsuits targeting WordPress, Shopify, and custom-coded websites, and provide crucial compliance deadlines for the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and ADA Title II.

Natalie Garza: Hello everybody, and welcome to the AAArdvark Accessibility Podcast. I’m Natalie Garza, and with me today is,

Natalie MacLees: Natalie MacLees.

Natalie Garza: And in this episode, we’re gonna go over some more statistics and dive into them. So, first statistic, I’m going to read out:

“The key areas of focus for businesses in 2025 include state-level compliance, proactive accessibility measures, and preparation for the EAA, which will begin enforcement in June 2025.”

I looked into the United States. That’s where we live. I found that each state may or may not have its own accessibility requirements.

Natalie MacLees: Yeah, Sure. We can go over some of the other states. So we have Texas, which has Administrative Code Section 206 that generally is aligned with Section 508, Section 504, saying that websites are required to meet specific standards.

(Texas Administrative Code Chapter 206 is only applicable to state agencies and higher education websites as of 08/2025)

Do you know Natalie, if that is just government websites or does it apply to private business websites as well?

Natalie Garza: I am gonna have to look into that. But you mentioned that there is a difference, and most states, and most laws apply to government sites, don’t they?

Natalie MacLees: In the United States, that’s generally true. Most of our accessibility laws that apply to websites apply only to government websites. There are a few states and, like local governments, that have requirements for private websites, but most of the laws are focused on government websites or websites associated with the government in some way, like public universities, public libraries and things like that.

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Natalie MacLees: The Shopify lawsuits, at almost 36%, are really surprising. I couldn’t find any statistics on what percent of the internet is built on Shopify, but I can say for sure that it’s nowhere near 36%.

So, if people are specifically targeting e-commerce sites, Shopify would end up being overrepresented in the sample.

Natalie Garza: Exactly. So I think with that said, if you’re on Shopify, if you’re on WordPress, make sure to double check your themes, check all the content that you personally add on there, and maybe check with the developer who’s familiar with accessibility to help guide you through using those platforms.

Natalie MacLees: Sure. You can check out AAArdvarkAccessibility.com. You can run a free scan on your homepage. Find out what your accessibility issues are and get instructions on how to fix them.

Natalie Garza: Wanna talk about the dates?

Natalie MacLees: So we have some important compliance deadlines. The European Accessibility Act (EAA), which went into effect in June of 2025, requires that you have an accessible website. We have another episode where we talked about that. In the United States, ADA Title II has guidelines that go into effect for governments serving a total population of 50,000 or more, by April of 2026. If the total population is less than 50,000, the deadline is April of 2027.

Natalie Garza: Yeah, so important dates coming up. Go check out AAArdvark. That is the end of this AAArdvark Accessibility Podcast. Talk to y’all next time!