What Does An Audit Cost?
What drives the price of an accessibility audit, what each package includes and how to compare quotes before you buy.
Read the audit cost guideAccessibility Glossary: 200 Web Accessibility Terms Explained In Plain English
Clear definitions of the WCAG, ARIA, ADA, Section 508 and European Accessibility Act terms you will meet in audits, VPATs and legal letters. Reviewed by our founder, an IAAP CPACC, WAS and CPWA certified specialist with 10+ years of hands-on accessibility testing.
Start Here
Turn These Terms Into A Plan
Looked up a term? These guides answer the questions people ask next. New here and not sure what you need? Book a free 30-minute call: a first conversation to understand where you stand and scope your project. Already have scan results or audit findings to go through with your developer? The $100 one-hour technical consultation is built for that.
Got An ADA Demand Letter?
What to do in the first days after a demand letter or lawsuit, and how an audit and documented fixes support your response.
Read the ADA lawsuit guideHow Remediation Works
How audit findings become code, content and design fixes, and how each fix is retested so you can show it is resolved.
Read the remediation guideAutomated Scans Vs Manual Testing
What automated accessibility testing catches, where it stops, and why a manual review with a screen reader still matters.
Read the testing guideSelling In The EU?
What the European Accessibility Act requires, who it covers and how EN 301 549 and WCAG fit together.
Read the EAA guideDo Overlays Make A Site Compliant?
Why accessibility widgets do not fix the underlying code, and what courts and the FTC have said about them.
Read the overlays guideget in touch
Know where you stand. Know what to work on next.
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From Definition To Fix
Accessibility Glossary Terms Buyers Ask About Most
This accessibility glossary explains 200 terms in plain English. If you are buying an audit or answering a procurement request, start with accessibility audit, WCAG, success criterion, conformance level, VPAT, ACR, accessibility remediation, tagged PDF and accessibility roadmap. For the laws behind them, see ADA Title II, ADA Title III, Section 508, the European Accessibility Act and EN 301 549. Technical definitions follow the W3C’s WCAG 2.2 text.
Accessibility Audit
A structured review of your site against WCAG 2.2 Level AA using screen readers, the keyboard and automated scans. Our Quick Audit is $500 and a complete audit is $2,000.
Accessibility Audit ServicesVPAT And ACR
A VPAT is the ITI reporting template. Once it is filled in from real testing it becomes an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR), which buyers and Section 508 reviewers ask for.
VPAT And ACR DocumentationAccessibility Remediation
Fixing the issues an audit finds in your code, content or CMS settings, then retesting each fix so you can show it is resolved.
Accessibility RemediationADA Demand Letter
A letter claiming your website breaks the ADA, often sent before a lawsuit. An expert audit and documented fixes are the usual first response.
ADA Lawsuit RemediationTagged PDF
A PDF with a tag tree that gives screen readers its headings, reading order, tables and alt text. PDF/UA (ISO 14289) is the standard for accessible PDFs.
Document Accessibility TestingAccessibility Roadmap
A prioritised plan for fixing issues and keeping them fixed, with owners, dates and scheduled retests after each release.
Accessibility MonitoringAll Accessibility Glossary Terms From A To Z
200 definitions covering WCAG success criteria, ARIA, assistive technology, testing tools and accessibility laws around the world. Select a term to read the full definition.
Serial Plaintiff (ADA Litigation)
A serial plaintiff, in ADA litigation, is an individual (often working with a small number of law firms) who has filed a large number of similar accessibility lawsuits against different businesses.
Shift-Left Accessibility Testing
The practice of catching accessibility issues as early as possible in the design and development process, rather than only auditing a finished product right before launch.
Sip-and-Puff Switch
An assistive input device operated by inhaling or exhaling through a straw-like tube, converting sips and puffs into switch activations for people with limited or no hand movement.
Situational Disability
Situational disability describes a temporary, context-driven limitation caused by someone's environment or circumstances rather than a lasting condition, such as being unable to use audio in a quiet meeting or one hand being full while holding a baby.
Skip Link
A skip link is a hidden or visually minimal link, usually the first focusable element on a page, that lets keyboard users jump straight past repeated navigation to the main content.
Speech-to-Text
Technology that converts spoken words into written text, used both for dictation software and increasingly for real-time captioning of live audio and video.
Status Messages
A WCAG 2.1 success criterion (4.1.3, Level AA) requiring that status updates, like form success or error messages, be announced to screen readers without moving keyboard focus.
Sticky Keys
An operating system accessibility feature that lets modifier keys, like Shift, Control, or Alt, be pressed one at a time in sequence instead of held down simultaneously.
Structured Negotiation
Structured negotiation is a collaborative, non-litigation process for resolving accessibility complaints, where the disabled individual and the business agree to work toward a fix together instead of going straight to a lawsuit.
Success Criterion
A success criterion is a single, individually testable requirement within WCAG, numbered like 1.4.3 or 2.4.7, that a page either passes or fails.
Switch Access
Switch access is a method of operating a computer or device using one or a small number of physical buttons (switches), typically paired with on-screen scanning, for users with significant motor disabilities who cannot use a standard keyboard or mouse.
Tab Order
Tab order is the specific path keyboard focus follows as a user repeatedly presses the Tab key, moving from one focusable element to the next across the entire page.
Tabindex
Tabindex is an HTML attribute that controls whether and when an element receives keyboard focus via the Tab key, with tabindex=0 adding an element to the natural tab order and tabindex=-1 making it focusable only by script.
TalkBack
TalkBack is Google's built-in screen reader for Android devices, the Android equivalent of Apple's VoiceOver, included free on most Android phones and tablets.
Target Size
Target size refers to the minimum clickable or tappable area of an interactive element like a button or link, which WCAG 2.2 requires be at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels to accommodate users with limited fine motor control.
Temporary Disability
A temporary disability is a limitation caused by a short-term injury or medical condition, such as a broken arm, eye surgery recovery, or a concussion, that resolves over time rather than lasting permanently.
Text Alternatives
Text alternatives are written descriptions that convey the same information as a non-text element, such as an image, chart, or icon, so screen reader users and search engines can understand it.
Text-to-Speech
Technology that converts written text into spoken audio, used both by screen readers for blind users and as a standalone reading aid for people with dyslexia or low literacy.
Third-Party Accessibility Risk
The accessibility exposure an organization takes on from embedded third-party tools, widgets, ad content, or vendor software that it does not directly control or build.
Three Flashes or Below Threshold
A WCAG success criterion (2.3.1, Level A) prohibiting any content from flashing more than three times per second unless the flash is below a defined size and contrast threshold.
Put The Terms To Work
Not Sure Which Of These Terms Apply To Your Site?
New here? Start with a free 30-minute call to understand where you stand and scope your project. Already have scan results or audit findings to work through with your developer? Book the $100 one-hour technical consultation. Ready for findings? Start with a $500 Quick Audit or a $2,000 complete audit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an accessibility glossary?
An accessibility glossary is a list of the terms used in digital accessibility, from standards such as WCAG and EN 301 549 to laws, assistive technologies and testing methods, each explained in plain language. Ours has 200 terms, written and reviewed by the web accessibility experts who run our audits.
What is the difference between WCAG, the ADA and Section 508?
WCAG is the W3C’s technical standard for accessible web content. The ADA is a US civil rights law: the Department of Justice’s Title II web rule requires state and local governments to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA by April 26, 2027 (populations of 50,000 or more) or April 26, 2028 (smaller entities and special districts). Section 508 covers US federal agencies, and its standards incorporate WCAG 2.0 Level AA. See ADA Title II, ADA Title III and Section 508 in the glossary.
What is the difference between a VPAT and an ACR?
A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is the blank reporting template published by the Information Technology Industry Council. When it is completed from real testing, the result is an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). We write ACRs from hands-on testing through our VPAT and ACR documentation service.
What does WCAG 2.2 Level AA mean?
WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023. It adds nine success criteria to WCAG 2.1, such as Target Size (Minimum) and Accessible Authentication, and removes 4.1.1 Parsing (W3C: What’s New in WCAG 2.2). Level AA means a page meets every Level A and Level AA success criterion. It is the level most laws and contracts ask for.
How much does an accessibility audit cost?
Our packages are fixed prices: a one-hour technical consultation (audit walkthrough, developer Q&A or live issue review) is $100, a Quick Accessibility Audit is $500, and a complete audit is $2,000, including the Shopify Accessibility Audit. Remediation and VPATs are quoted after we see the findings. See accessibility audit pricing for what each package includes.
Can an automated scanner or overlay make my website compliant?
No. Automated tools cannot check every WCAG requirement, which is why the W3C’s guidance on evaluation tools says to combine them with manual review. An accessibility overlay does not fix the underlying code either; read why in accessibility overlays and ADA lawsuits. Our audits pair scans with manual testing in NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver and the keyboard.
Who writes and reviews these glossary definitions?
Our web accessibility experts. Reviews are led by founder Mohammad Shadab Saifi, who has 10+ years in digital accessibility and holds the IAAP CPACC, WAS and CPWA certifications. If a term on your audit report is unclear, book a $100 consultation and we will walk you through it.
I am new to accessibility. Where should I start?
Read WCAG and accessibility audit first, then the guide that fits your situation: audit cost, an ADA demand letter or the European Accessibility Act. When you want to talk it through, book a free 30-minute call. It is a first conversation to understand where you stand and scope a project. If you already have scan results or audit findings to go through with your developer, the $100 one-hour technical consultation is the better fit.