ADA Website Risk and Images: A Technical Risk View (Not Legal Advice)
Technical view of image-related accessibility risk on US websites—not legal advice or compliance guarantees.
BLUF
Demand letters and complaints often cite inaccessible web content, including images without usable text alternatives. This article describes technical risk signals only—not legal advice or outcomes.
Why images show up in audits
Automated tools flag missing alts, empty alts on informative images, and non-descriptive filenames. Manual audits add context automated tools miss.
Risk reduction (technical)
- Document decorative vs informative decisions in your design system
- Fix shared components (nav, cards, carousels) once
- Re-scan after deploys; see WCAG alt requirements
Resources
- ADA.gov web guidance (official information)
AltTagFix provides a free technical scan—not certification or legal clearance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a scanner prove compliance? No. It surfaces technical patterns only.
Are all missing alts equal risk? Context matters; decorative misses differ from checkout icons.
Should lawyers review my site? For legal questions, consult qualified counsel.
What is a reasonable first step? Crawl top templates and fix systemic issues.