At GLIDE, we are dedicated to crafting accessible, inclusive digital experiences through our accessibility framework and industry best practices. While we prioritize accessibility in every project, the ultimate responsibility for setting and enforcing accessibility policy rests with your organization. We offer guidance and support, and we encourage clients to take proactive steps toward ongoing compliance.
To help, we have gathered the legal background you should know, along with resources you can share with your stakeholders.
ADA: The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) is the most important US law for accessibility and civil rights for people with disabilities. In 2018, the DOJ clarified that the ADA covers web accessibility. The ADA itself does not specify the criteria for a compliant website; today's industry standard is to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
WCAG: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines explain how websites should look and operate for people with disabilities. WCAG is the widely accepted technical standard for accessible websites, so following it is how a site works toward ADA alignment.
Additional Resources:
Our standard: We build to WCAG 2.1 AA, verified by automated and manual testing, at time of delivery. We do not describe a site as "ADA compliant" or guarantee compliance; that is a legal conclusion for you to make with your counsel. Because content and design choices made after launch affect accessibility, ongoing conformance is either managed by your team or handled under a support retainer with us.
How we build accessible sites: Our approach is to fix the underlying code, guided by the GLIDE accessibility framework. That includes:
Semantic HTML for proper structure and screen-reader compatibility.
Keyboard navigation, so the site is usable without a mouse.
Descriptive alt text on images.
Sufficient color contrast between text and background.
Accessible forms with proper labels, placeholders, and error messages.
Testing with automated tools and manual assistive-technology testing.
A note on accessibility overlays: You may have seen accessibility overlay widgets (such as UserWay, AccessiBe, or Elementor's accessibility tool). We do not recommend overlays as a compliance solution: an overlay does not guarantee compliance or a particular accessibility score, and it does not fix the underlying code. That said, an overlay can be a helpful add-on for some visitors, offering options like adjustable text size and contrast modes. If you already use one or would like to, you can purchase it directly and we will help connect it as a complement to real remediation, not a replacement for it.
Accessibility Statements: GLIDE maintains an accessibility statement for our own website. We recommend clients create their own, referencing the W3C WAI guidance, to reflect their commitment to inclusivity.