WordPress site got an ADA letter? Fix these first.
Most ADA website complaints cite the same handful of problems. On WordPress they come from three places: your content, your theme and your plugins. Here's where to look for each one.
Got a lawsuit, not just a letter? Fixing your site matters, but it doesn't answer the lawsuit. Read the first 72 hours and talk to a lawyer about your deadline.
Start by finding out what's actually wrong
Don't guess from the complaint. Scan your homepage, a typical page or post, your contact page and, if you sell online, a product page and the cart. A problem that shows up on every page usually comes from the theme or a plugin, so one fix clears it everywhere.
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Describe every image
Missing image descriptions (alt text) are the most common problem in these complaints.
Where: Media, Library, click the image, then fill in Alternative Text. Images already placed in a page keep whatever text they had when you inserted them, so also select each image block in the editor and check Alternative text in the sidebar. WooCommerce product images use the same Media Library field.
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Label every form field
Contact, newsletter and checkout forms often use grey placeholder text instead of a real label. Many form plugins hide labels by default to look cleaner.
Where: in your form plugin's settings for each form. Turn field labels on and avoid "placeholder only" styles. Don't forget required-field messages and error messages, which should be text, not just a red border.
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Fix headings and text contrast
Screen reader users jump between headings to find their way, so headings need to be real headings, in order. Page builders make it easy to pick a heading level for its size instead.
Where: in the block editor or your page builder, check each heading's level (H1 once per page, then H2, H3 in order). For faint text, change colors in Appearance, then Editor and Styles (or Customize on older themes). Some page builders set colors per block, so check those too.
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Give icon buttons and links a name
Search, cart, menu and social icons often have no text a screen reader can read.
Where: usually your theme or a plugin. Check for updates first. If the theme is the problem, a developer can add labels, or you can switch to a theme built with accessibility in mind. The WordPress.org theme directory has an "accessibility-ready" tag for themes that passed an extra accessibility review, though the WordPress team notes that doesn't mean a theme fully meets WCAG AA (WordPress Theme Handbook).
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Try your site with only the keyboard
Unplug your mouse. Use Tab to move, Enter to choose, and Escape to close things. Open the menu, submit a form, and if you sell online, add something to the cart and reach checkout.
Menus, sliders, pop-ups and cookie banners from plugins are the usual traps. If you can't reach or close something, neither can a keyboard or screen reader user.
Don't install an overlay plugin as the fix
Plugins that add an accessibility toolbar or claim a "one-line fix" don't change the code that causes these problems, and sites running them still get sued. The FTC fined the biggest overlay company, accessiBe, $1 million over its claims (FTC).
Keep dated proof, and re-check after updates
Save a dated record of what was wrong and what you fixed. Courts have dismissed cases when a business showed its site was already fixed and the plaintiff couldn't rebut it (Seyfarth Shaw). Theme and plugin updates can quietly bring problems back, so re-scan after big updates.
If a letter has already arrived, the Letter Response Kit scans up to 25 pages, groups the problems by template with WordPress steps, and seals the results into a dated evidence pack for your lawyer.
Automated scans find only some accessibility problems, so a clean scan doesn't mean a site is compliant. Due Effort is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice. Menu names vary by WordPress version, theme and plugin. Other platforms