Understanding Your Rights as a User Requiring Web Accessibility Features

Introduction

If you rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, high contrast modes, captions, or any assistive technology to access the web, you have fundamental rights to equal access. These aren't favors. They're not optional accommodations businesses can choose to provide when convenient. They are legal protections you're entitled to as a person with a disability.

This guide explains your practical rights as a user requiring accessibility features, what accommodations you should expect, and what steps you can take when websites fail to provide equal access.

Your Fundamental Digital Access Rights

The Right to Equivalent Access

You have the right to access the same content, functionality, and services available to users without disabilities. This doesn't mean the experience must be identical—but it must be equivalent. If a sighted user can browse products, read reviews, and complete checkout, you must be able to do the same using your assistive technology.

Equivalent access means you shouldn't have to:

• Call customer service to complete tasks others can do online
• Email forms that could be submitted directly on a website
• Wait for someone else to help you navigate a site
• Guess at unlabeled buttons or navigation elements
• Abandon tasks because the site is incompatible with your assistive technology

The Right to Use Your Assistive Technology

Websites must be compatible with the assistive technology you rely on. This includes:

• Screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, TalkBack)
• Screen magnification software
• Voice control and dictation software
• Switch controls and alternative input devices
• Custom stylesheets and browser accessibility settings
• Keyboard-only navigation

A website that breaks when you enable these tools, or refuses to work without a mouse, is denying you equal access.

The Right to Accessible Content Formats

You have the right to perceive and understand content in formats that work for you:

• Images and graphics: Descriptive alternative text that conveys meaning
• Audio content: Accurate captions and transcripts
• Video content: Synchronized captions and audio descriptions when visual information is essential
• Documents: Accessible PDFs, HTML alternatives, or compatible formats
• Forms: Clearly labeled fields with accessible error messages

What You Can Reasonably Expect from Websites

Clear and Consistent Navigation

Websites should provide navigation you can understand and predict. This means:

• Logical heading structure (H1, H2, H3 in proper order)
• Descriptive link text (not just "click here")
• Consistent placement of navigation elements
• Skip links to bypass repetitive content
• Keyboard focus indicators showing where you are on the page
• Breadcrumb trails and clear page titles

Perceivable Visual Design

Visual design must support users with low vision, color blindness, or light sensitivity:

• Sufficient color contrast between text and background
• Text that can be resized up to 200% without breaking the layout
• Information not conveyed by color alone
• Support for high contrast modes and dark modes
• No flashing content that could trigger seizures

Keyboard-Accessible Functionality

Every interactive element must be usable with a keyboard alone:

• All buttons, links, and form fields reachable with Tab key
• Logical tab order that matches visual layout
• Ability to activate buttons and links with Enter or Space
• No keyboard traps where you can't navigate away
• Dropdown menus and modal dialogs accessible via keyboard

Understandable Errors and Feedback

When things go wrong, you deserve clear communication:

• Form validation errors that explain what's wrong and how to fix it
• Error messages announced to screen readers
• Focus moved to errors or clear instructions on where errors are located
• Suggestions for correcting mistakes
• Confirmation messages for successful actions

How to Request Accessibility Accommodations

Step 1: Identify the Barrier

Be specific about what's preventing you from accessing the site:

• Which page or feature is inaccessible?
• What assistive technology are you using?
• What happens when you try to use the feature?
• What would equivalent access look like?

Step 2: Contact the Website Owner

Most websites have contact information in the footer or an "accessibility" page. Reach out professionally and clearly:

• Explain you're a user with a disability
• Describe the specific barrier you encountered
• Request an accessible alternative or accommodation
• Provide your contact information for follow-up
• Give them a reasonable timeframe to respond (typically 5-10 business days)

Step 3: Document Everything

Keep records of your communication and the barriers you encounter:

• Screenshots or screen recordings of the issue
• Date and time you encountered the barrier
• Copies of emails or messages you sent
• Responses (or lack of response) from the website owner
• Steps you took to try to work around the problem

Step 4: Escalate If Necessary

If the website owner doesn't respond or refuses to accommodate you:

• File a complaint with your state human rights commission
• Report to the Department of Justice (for federal issues)
• Contact disability rights advocacy organizations
• Consult with an attorney specializing in accessibility law
• Share your experience with accessibility communities

Common Accessibility Violations You Should Never Accept

Blocking Assistive Technology

Some websites actively block or interfere with screen readers and other assistive tools. This is never acceptable. You should not encounter:

• JavaScript that disables right-click or keyboard shortcuts
• CAPTCHA systems with no audio or alternative option
• Popups or overlays that trap keyboard focus
• Content that appears only on hover without keyboard access
• Forced mouse-only interactions

Missing or Useless Text Alternatives

Images, icons, and graphics must have meaningful alternative text. You shouldn't have to guess:

• What a button does because it's an icon with no label
• What product you're looking at because there's no alt text
• What's in an infographic because it's just an image
• What links go where because they're all labeled "click here"

Inaccessible Forms and Input Fields

Forms are often the most critical—and most broken—part of websites:

• Unlabeled input fields where you can't tell what to enter
• Error messages that don't explain what's wrong
• Required fields not clearly marked
• Time limits that expire before you can complete the form
• Submit buttons that don't work with keyboard

Inaccessible Media Content

Audio and video content without accessibility features excludes millions:

• Videos without captions for deaf users
• Podcasts without transcripts
• Webinars without live captioning
• Visual-only tutorials without audio description
• Auto-playing media without pause controls

Your Right to Reject "Quick Fix" Accessibility Widgets

Many websites install accessibility overlay widgets—tools that claim to make sites accessible with one line of code. These tools often create more problems than they solve. You have the right to:

• Reject these widgets in favor of native accessibility
• Report when overlays interfere with your assistive technology
• Demand real accessibility fixes instead of band-aid solutions
• Disable or bypass overlay widgets that make your experience worse

Real accessibility is built into the website's code—not added as a widget. Don't accept overlay tools as evidence of compliance when the underlying site remains broken.

Recognizing Good Faith Accessibility Efforts

Not every website will be perfectly accessible, but you can recognize when organizations are making genuine efforts:

• An accessibility statement explaining current conformance level
• Contact information for reporting barriers
• Documented accessibility roadmap and timeline
• Prompt responses to accessibility concerns
• Visible progress on fixing reported issues
• Third-party accessibility audits and certifications

Organizations making good faith efforts may still have issues—but they're committed to fixing them. That's very different from organizations that ignore accessibility entirely.

Your Voice Matters: Advocacy and Community

As a user requiring accessibility features, your feedback is invaluable:

• Report barriers when you encounter them
• Praise organizations that prioritize accessibility
• Share your experiences with accessibility communities
• Participate in user testing for accessible products
• Educate others about disability rights and accessibility
• Support organizations fighting for digital accessibility

Every report filed, every email sent, and every barrier documented helps build a more accessible web for everyone. Your lived experience as a user with a disability is expertise that can drive real change.

Resources for Understanding and Asserting Your Rights

Legal Resources

• ADA.gov - Official ADA information from the Department of Justice
• Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)
• National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)
• Your state's human rights commission or attorney general's office

Technical Resources

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1
• WebAIM - Web accessibility in mind
• A11y Project - Community-driven accessibility resources
• NVDA screen reader documentation
• JAWS screen reader documentation

Advocacy Organizations

• American Council of the Blind
• National Federation of the Blind
• American Association of People with Disabilities
• World Institute on Disability