Why Website Accessibility Providers Can’t Guarantee You Won’t Be Sued
When it comes to website accessibility, service providers often can’t offer a guarantee that you won’t face legal action. Here’s why:
- Ongoing Responsibility
A service provider can only ensure your website meets accessibility standards at the time of the audit or remediation. However, they can’t control future changes to the website. If you or your team make modifications—like adding new content, third-party tools, or redesigning pages—it could introduce new accessibility issues. Since these changes fall outside the service provider’s control, they can’t offer a guarantee against lawsuits. - Lawsuits Are Outside Provider Control
Lawsuits can be filed for any reason, regardless of your site’s compliance. A website could still be in the queue of a plaintiff’s lawyer, and even after completing remediation, a lawsuit could be filed. In these cases, the provider can’t stop the lawsuit. What they can do is ensure your website is WCAG-compliant and provide documentation, which can help in resolving a case more quickly if a suit arises.
What You Can Do to Lower Your Risk
- Training and Education: To avoid introducing new accessibility issues, invest in training for your team. This will help maintain accessibility and prevent future lawsuits.
- Ongoing Maintenance: Accessibility is not a one-time fix. Implement processes to ensure accessibility remains a priority in ongoing website changes, whether it’s content updates, design tweaks, or new features. Regular checks will keep your site WCAG-compliant.
In conclusion, while providers can’t offer a blanket guarantee against lawsuits, proper training and consistent maintenance of accessibility will help reduce your risk and keep you in compliance with the latest standards.