← Back to Ideas

Accessibility

The Accessibility Widget Trap: Why Overlays Don't Stop ADA Lawsuits in Florida

Miguel Alejandro Hayes·

Paste one line of JavaScript and your website is "ADA compliant." That's the promise many accessibility widgets sell. The data from 2025 says otherwise.

What a widget actually is

A widget (or overlay) is a script that adds a settings menu — font size, contrast, spacing — and tries to "patch" some problems automatically in the browser. It does not change your source code, and it can't fix what requires human judgment:

  • whether an image's alt text describes what matters;
  • a logical heading and focus order;
  • complex forms with clearly explained errors;
  • custom components such as menus, carousels, modals and maps;
  • PDFs, uncaptioned video and third-party content.

Blind users already rely on their own screen readers, so a widget menu does little for them. Some lawsuits even cite the overlay itself as a barrier.

The FTC case against accessiBe

In January 2025 the FTC alleged that accessiBe overstated its AI tool's ability to make any website WCAG compliant, and presented paid content as independent reviews. On April 22, 2025 the FTC approved a final order (3-0): $1 million, and a ban on claiming that its automated products can make any site compliant without evidence.

Widgets don't prevent lawsuits

  • Federal website lawsuits reached 3,117 in 2025 (+27%), according to Seyfarth Shaw.
  • Florida was second nationwide, with 961 federal website lawsuits — up from 470 in 2024.
  • About 1 in 4 website lawsuits in 2025 (983 of 3,948, per EcomBack) targeted sites that already had a widget installed.

What actually reduces risk

Accessibility built into the code, measured against WCAG 2.2 AA (the current W3C standard, also ISO/IEC 40500:2025, which covers 2.1 AA):

  1. Audit with automated tools plus manual testing using keyboard and screen readers.
  2. Remediate in the source: semantic HTML, labeled forms, contrast, visible focus, accessible components.
  3. Document what was tested and fixed.
  4. Maintain: every new page and feature can reintroduce barriers.

No honest provider can promise "guaranteed ADA compliance." What we can promise is a method and a standard.

How we work at Hayes Projects

Every site and app we build includes accessibility from the start. For existing sites, we offer audits and code remediation — no widgets sold as legal protection.

Tell us about your site and we'll review where it stands.

This article is informational and is not legal advice.