Running a small business is already hard enough… and this is something most people don’t even realize is a risk.
A well known Florida restaurant, Satchel’s Pizza in Gainesville, was recently sued over website accessibility under the ADA.
The issue wasn’t their food, their service, or their building.
It was their website.
And like most business owners, they didn’t even know anything was wrong.
The lawsuit was part of a broader pattern where a single plaintiff filed dozens of similar cases against small businesses for accessibility issues. Many businesses settle quickly because it’s cheaper than fighting.
Satchel’s chose to fight… and won. But most businesses don’t have the time or resources to do that.
Here’s the takeaway:
Your website is considered part of your business under the ADA
It’s expected to meet accessibility standards (commonly WCAG 2.1)
You can be sued even if you had no idea there was an issue
This is not about ignoring accessibility. Accessibility matters.
But small businesses should not be blindsided with lawsuits without even knowing there’s a problem.
So here are a few simple things you can do right now:
Ask AI to review your website for accessibility issues
Talk to whoever built your site and ask if it meets WCAG standards
Run a basic accessibility scan online and fix obvious issues
Simple things like missing image descriptions, poor contrast, or navigation problems can trigger these cases.
Let’s not invite this kind of opportunistic legal activity into our communities by being unprepared.
Awareness is the first step.
