Michael said: Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
How do you check if a site has ADA issues?
The WAVE extension for Chrome or Firefox catches most issues. You’ll still need to check some things manually, but overall, it’s a great tool.
Thanks! I’ll try WAVE. Do you think PageSpeed Insights could work too?
Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
I used to work for a disability organization. We’d help people raise accessibility issues, and if necessary, help with legal steps. But it rarely went that far. The goal was always to get companies to make changes, not to make money.
These lawsuits sound like scams, but your site should be accessible. It’s not hard if you think about it from the start. I don’t use templates, but accessibility should definitely be a priority when choosing one. Learn to use a screen reader, test with your keyboard, and check color contrast. It shouldn’t be an afterthought.
Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
Yeah, it’s common for lawyers to go after everyone.
Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
This needs to change. These predatory lawyers are a real problem. Congress needs to step in, and Shopify should help out.
Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
How do we check to see if our site meets WCA guidelines?
Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
My website got hit with a Japanese language virus. Any tips on removing it?
Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
This isn’t new. The chance of a small business getting sued is really low.
There were 2,794 accessibility lawsuits in 2023. There are over 33 million small businesses in the US. That’s a 0.008% chance of getting sued.
Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
This isn’t new. The chance of a small business getting sued is really low.
There were 2,794 accessibility lawsuits in 2023. There are over 33 million small businesses in the US. That’s a 0.008% chance of getting sued.
It’s not fear-mongering. These lawyers are predators. They should be locked up.
Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
This isn’t new. The chance of a small business getting sued is really low.
There were 2,794 accessibility lawsuits in 2023. There are over 33 million small businesses in the US. That’s a 0.008% chance of getting sued.
Yeah, until you’re the one getting sued, and it costs 10 times more than just being compliant. The IRS will even help cover half the expense if you qualify.
Gracey said: Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
This isn’t new. The chance of a small business getting sued is really low.
There were 2,794 accessibility lawsuits in 2023. There are over 33 million small businesses in the US. That’s a 0.008% chance of getting sued.
Yeah, until you’re the one getting sued, and it costs 10 times more than just being compliant. The IRS will even help cover half the expense if you qualify.
Sell your website to a shell company and shut it down if you get sued.
Squadguy said: Gracey said: Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
This isn’t new. The chance of a small business getting sued is really low.
There were 2,794 accessibility lawsuits in 2023. There are over 33 million small businesses in the US. That’s a 0.008% chance of getting sued.
Yeah, until you’re the one getting sued, and it costs 10 times more than just being compliant. The IRS will even help cover half the expense if you qualify.
Sell your website to a shell company and shut it down if you get sued.
Gracey said: Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
This isn’t new. The chance of a small business getting sued is really low.
There were 2,794 accessibility lawsuits in 2023. There are over 33 million small businesses in the US. That’s a 0.008% chance of getting sued.
Yeah, until you’re the one getting sued, and it costs 10 times more than just being compliant. The IRS will even help cover half the expense if you qualify.
Once you get big enough, sure, it’s worth it. But for a small mom-and-pop shop, the risk isn’t there.
Squadguy said: Gracey said: Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
This isn’t new. The chance of a small business getting sued is really low.
There were 2,794 accessibility lawsuits in 2023. There are over 33 million small businesses in the US. That’s a 0.008% chance of getting sued.
Yeah, until you’re the one getting sued, and it costs 10 times more than just being compliant. The IRS will even help cover half the expense if you qualify.
Once you get big enough, sure, it’s worth it. But for a small mom-and-pop shop, the risk isn’t there.
ADA compliance tools can cost as little as $500 a year. It’s worth it for peace of mind. The lawyers usually don’t bother with sites that make an effort.
Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
This isn’t new. The chance of a small business getting sued is really low.
There were 2,794 accessibility lawsuits in 2023. There are over 33 million small businesses in the US. That’s a 0.008% chance of getting sued.
Gracey said: Benaiah said:
We went from 1-2 calls a month to 10-15, which shows a pattern I hadn’t seen before. Now it’s happening to small businesses, and I figured it was only a matter of time, but it’s still a shock.
Yesterday, someone shared a link about a Shopify theme (check the comments).
With Google focusing on tech and accessibility issues and lawyers suing small businesses, it’s a good idea to make sure your sites (or your clients’ sites) are WCAG compliant. Start before launching. If you get targeted, your site could be down for 2-6 months.
PS: This isn’t an attack on Shopify. All CMS platforms have non-compliant themes.
This isn’t new. The chance of a small business getting sued is really low.
There were 2,794 accessibility lawsuits in 2023. There are over 33 million small businesses in the US. That’s a 0.008% chance of getting sued.
Where did you get those numbers?
Would love to see better numbers if you have them. Everything I’ve seen shows that most attention is on big eCommerce sites.
For most businesses, especially smaller ones, worrying about ADA compliance right away is overkill.