The ADA Book

Kris Rivenburgh explains why a VPAT® is not intended to be used for websites, generally. However, if the website is part of a product or service - or it is the product or service, then using a VPAT or Voluntary Product Accessibility Template to create the ACR or Accessibility Conformance Report for the website is appropriate. VPAT Information: https://www.section508.gov/sell/vpat/ https://www.itic...

Block & Leviton LLP and NYE, Stirling, Hale, Miller & Sweet LLP are fairly active law firms in ADA website accessibility litigation. The plaintiff in the complaint in the video is Arnold Vargas. In this video, Kris Rivenburgh reads through some of the website accessibility claims made in a complaint filed by Jason M. Leviton, Benjamin J. Sweet, and Jonathan Miller in the United States Dist...

Kris's friend David joins show and asks questions about ADA Website Compliance as a small business owner (in California) who had never heard that you could be sued over website accessibility. David asks Kris about ADA compliance testers, web designer services, how much work goes into an audit, the ADA Compliance Course, prices, and Accessible.org website accessibility services. Timestamps (Lin...

Kris interviews ADA defense attorney Richard Hunt on website accessibility litigation and asks Richard for responses to Reddit comments and questions on ADA compliance (subjects time stamped below). Richard Hunt is a Board Certified Civil Trial lawyer with 35+ years of trial experience in state and federal courts. Richard has a national ADA and FHA consulting and defense practice representing real...

Kris Rivenburgh explains ADA website compliance in practical terms. ADA website compliance originates from ADA compliance or compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act which requires accessibility of public accommodations generally. Because the ADA was signed into law in 1990, it doesn't contemplate modern digital technology such as websites and mobile apps. The Department of Justice...

The Law Office of Pelayo Duran (along with Roderick V. Hannah, Esq., P.A.) is one of the most active law firms in ADA website accessibility litigation. Plaintiffs represented include Nelson Fernandez, Victor Ariza, and Daniel Moncada. In this video, Kris Rivenburgh reads through some of the website accessibility claims made in a complaint filed by Roderick Hannah and Pelayo Duran, co-counsel, in t...

Kris relays an ADA website lawsuit anecdote from small business owner u/offgray, updated on December 17, 2022. Here, a class action lawsuit was filed against his small business as well as other local competitors. A defense lawyer agreed to represented the collective group for a flat fee and u/offgray paid “I believe a couple thousand” as long as it didn’t go to trial. After a couple months of nego...

Kris relays two very different Reddit tales of settlement amounts from ADA website lawsuits. One Redditor settled for $20,000 and another was able to settle for $2,000 approximately 11 months ago which his lawyer correctly stated, "is almost unheard of." Here is the Reddit thread with quotes from both posters below: https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/p3lzap/hit_with_a_lawsui...

Many website owners lose intensity after entering into an ADA website settlement. Kris explains why this is a costly mistake that can unnecessarily result in another loss of $10,000 or more. Just because you settle with one plaintiff does not mean that another plaintiffs law firm will not sue you. And it's not unheard of for the same plaintiff to sue a business twice. Small businesses must esp...

Kris covers a hypothetical timeline for making a website "ADA compliant" from start to finish. The timeline includes expected turnaround times for WCAG 2.1 AA audit and remediation. Select vendor and contract with vendor: 1-2 weeks Manual audit: 2-5 weeks Remediation (code): 2-12+ weeks Remediation (content): 2-12+ weeks This is a long process that leaves website owners susceptible to AD...

Kris explains why sourcing an "ADA website" audit from a defense law firm is very likely a bad purchase, despite the seeming appeal of having a law firm, who is experienced and familiar with plaintiffs' law firms, tell you what you need to do. #ADAWebsiteAudit #ADAAudit #WebsiteAccessibilityAudit Kris designed the ADA Compliance Course (ACC) as instructions you can give your team to...

Kris Rivenburgh dissects the total cost of an ADA website lawsuit with an expected conservative price tag of $23,000 and a range starting at $10,500 for the least possible expense and ranging up to $51,500 on the higher end. Of course, it is possible that your cost ends up lower or higher depending on various factors (e.g., law firm, state, size of entity, etc.), but these dollar amounts help guid...

The SubReddit for Miami, Florida (/r/Miami) shares experiences with ADA compliance lawsuits. One Redditor (/u/diegou654) warns that their business was sued over the physical location accessibility and then they were sued again for their website's accessibility right after. "Sadly that is the cheapest option. A part of you will want to fight back but it will cost way more. It happened to u...

Kris Rivenburgh reviews the new WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria expected for the official WCAG 2.2 release in May 2023. You can download Kris's WCAG 2.2 AA Checklist and Guide cheatsheets for free at https://accessible.org/wcag . Kris's WCAG Course contains lessons for each WCAG success criterion found in all WCAG versions (2.0 AA, 2.1 AA, 2.2 AA). The WCAG Course includes video explanations,...

Kris Rivenburgh reviews his WCAG 2.2 AA Checklist and Guide. Kris's WCAG 2.2 AA documents are completely free with no subscription required at https://accessible.org/wcag . Kris's WCAG Course contains lessons for each WCAG success criterion found in all WCAG versions (2.0 AA, 2.1 AA, 2.2 AA). The WCAG Course includes video explanations, code examples, and sortable Excel spreadsheet checkli...

Kris announces that you can get everything you need (audit and remediation services) for website accessibility / ADA compliance at Accessible.org. Most digital accessibility providers do not offer remediation, only audits which means website owners must either take care of remediation in-house or hire a third-party agency. Beyond the additional cost of hiring a specialty agency, Kris recommends co...

Acacia Barros, P.A. is one of the most active law firms in ADA website accessibility litigation. Plaintiffs represented include Aishia Petersen and Raymond T. Mahlberg. In this video, Kris Rivenburgh reads through some of the website accessibility claims made in a complaint filed by Acacia Barros, Esq.. in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida Miami Division. Kris&#...

Kris Rivenburgh provides price ranges for a website accessibility audit and remediation from Accessible.org. The cost depends on factors including number of pages / layouts in scope, state of accessibility, and the complexity of the website, pages, or elements. Most digital accessibility companies don't offer both audit and remediation services. Offering both services helps clients who want a...

Kris Rivenburgh discusses the pros and cons of buying a manual website accessibility audit. The pros: an audit is thorough and necessary for full WCAG Conformance, in theory, you will know all issues, an audit is conducted manually by a technical expert, an audit results in formal, official documentation, and an audit is a one-time cost, at your discretion. The cons are the high cost (usually $3,5...

Kris Rivenburgh explains the top defenses to material claims of website inaccessibility / barriers to access to by plaintiffs law firms. Defense attorneys understandably don't have the technical knowledge (e.g., WCAG standards, screen reader experience) to unravel many of claims made by plaintiffs lawyers, but that knowledge is extremely helpful when attempting to lower settlement amounts. #AD...

Gottlieb & Associates is one of the most active law firms in ADA website accessibility litigation. Plaintiffs represented include Denise Crumwell, Henry Tucker, Sylinia Jackson, Victor Lopez, Lawrence Young, and Donna Hedges. In this video, Kris Rivenburgh reads through some of the website accessibility claims made in a complaint filed by Dana L. Gottlieb in the United States District Court fo...

Manning Law, APC is one of the most active law firms in ADA website accessibility litigation. Plaintiffs represented include Biglang-Awa Castro Sheila and Perla Mageno. In this video, Kris Rivenburgh reads through some of the website accessibility claims made in a complaint filed by Joseph R. Manning Jr., Esq. in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Kris's A...

Pacific Trial Attorneys, APC is one of the most active law firms in ADA website accessibility litigation. Plaintiffs represented include Rusty Rendon, Brittney Mejico, Dominick Martin, and Luis Licea. In this video, Kris Rivenburgh reads through some of the website accessibility claims made in a complaint filed by Scott J. Ferrell in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of...

Mizrahi Kroub LLP is one of the most active law firms in ADA website accessibility litigation. Plaintiffs represented include Rafael Cordero, Braulio Thorne, Kathleen Sypert, Ana Chalas, Roberta Feliz, Omar Rodriguez, Vivian Alvarez, Maricela Donet, and Jose Zarzuela. In this video, Kris Rivenburgh reads through some of the website accessibility claims made in a complaint filed by William J. Downe...

Shaked Law Group, P.C. is one of the most active law firms in ADA website accessibility litigation. Plaintiffs represented include Linda Slade, Aretha Crosson, Marion Kiler, Nadreca Reid, and Pedro Martinez. In this video, Kris Rivenburgh reads through some of the website accessibility claims made in a complaint filed by Dan Shaked, Esq. in the United States District Court Southern District of New...