Who needs a web accessibility audit?

Web accessibility standards apply to any commercial business, nonprofit, or public entity with a public-facing website. If someone in your community relies on your site to browse services, find information, or fill out a form, the code behind that page needs to support however they interact with it.

Depending on your organization type, that expectation is backed by a specific federal or state law — outlined below — but the practical reason to care is simpler: visitors who can't use your site leave it, and that's true whether or not a regulation is attached.



Your specific obligations and audit needs vary by organization type. Here's how that breaks down.

Small Businesses and
E-Commerce

If your site promotes local services or processes online orders, it's treated under Title III of the ADA as a place of public accommodation — the same standard that applies to accessible parking or signage at a physical location.

There's a practical side too: keyboard-only users, people with color blindness, older visitors, and anyone dealing with a temporary limitation — a sprained wrist, recent eye surgery — will simply leave a site that feels broken.



Common issues we find:

• Hidden or missing keyboard focus indicators.
• Broken tab order through shopping carts or drop-down menus.
• Low-contrast filters and product text.
• Form errors that don't explain what went wrong.
  

Nonprofit Organizations

Nonprofits and community organizations — social programs, early childhood centers, regional foundations — exist to serve the public, which puts their websites under the same accessibility expectations as any other public-facing entity.

Organizations receiving state, county, or federal funding face an added layer under Section 504/505: civil rights compliance tied directly to that funding, including the website. Nonprofit status is rarely an exemption — worth confirming with legal counsel if you're unsure — but it's worth addressing regardless of where the legal line falls.

Common gaps we see:

• Fundraising details, phone numbers, or donation criteria are embedded in image graphics that screen readers can't read.
• Donation forms are missing descriptive field labels.
• Third-party embeds — donor tracking widgets, maps — that haven't been vetted.

A third-party tool embedded on your site is still your responsibility. You may not be able to fix it directly, but it needs to be documented in your accessibility statement.

Government Agencies and Municipalities

Local governments, public health departments, school districts, and municipal services fall under Title II of the ADA, which requires state and local public entities to align web portals and public documents with WCAG 2.1/2.2 Level AA — the specific baseline and compliance date depend on your entity's population size, so it's worth confirming where yours falls.

Public sites need to work for every resident to access health data, review local codes, or submit forms independently.

Common issues in public-sector sites:

• Unlabeled document portals and untagged public PDFs.
• Missing "Skip to Main Content" links, which add unnecessary steps for keyboard users on every page.
•  Interactive maps without accessible text alternatives or data labels.
  

Schools and Educational Institutions

From early childhood programs through higher education, schools are bound by federal civil rights law requiring equal access to educational resources, enrollment tools, and public communications for students, parents, and staff with disabilities. A clean automated scan isn't the same as compliance — educational sites tend to be large, multi-page systems, and those need manual keyboard and screen reader testing to make sure nothing isolates the people trying to use them.

Common issues we find:

• Interactive calendars and event listings that can't be operated by keyboard.
• Parent portals and enrollment forms with unlabeled fields.
• Document libraries and syllabi are posted as untagged PDFs.
  

Professional Service Firms

Law practices, accounting firms, insurance providers, real estate agencies, and healthcare clinics often assume accessibility rules are a retail concern. In practice, the same Title III standard that applies to small businesses applies here — and even a simple 5–10 page brochure site can carry real issues.

Common issues we find:

• Color contrast that fails against brand colors.
  Heading tags (H1, H2, H3) are used for visual styling instead of actual page structure, which keyboard and screen reader users rely on to navigate in order.
• Inaccessible PDFs — bios, intake forms, disclosures.



These are usually quick to find and quick to fix.