Beginner’s Guide to ADA Compliance for SaaS Companies

Accessibility is not just a checkbox—it’s how you make your product usable for everyone and reduce legal and commercial risk. This beginner’s guide explains what ADA compliance means for SaaS, how European rules differ, how to use WCAG 2.1 Level AA as your technical north star, and how to test and document digital accessibility compliance without slowing delivery.

Use this as a practical roadmap: align on requirements, translate them into product and engineering work, verify with testing, and communicate conformance transparently to customers.

ADA Compliance Requirements for SaaS Companies

What “ADA compliant” means for SaaS

In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits disability-based discrimination in services offered to the public. For SaaS, that means your web app, mobile app, and customer communications should be accessible to people using assistive technologies such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, voice control, and switch devices.

Two parts of the law commonly touch SaaS sales and usage: ADA Title II, which covers state and local government entities (relevant when you sell to public-sector customers), and ADA Title III, which covers places of public accommodation—often interpreted to include consumer-facing websites and apps. In both contexts, WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the de facto technical benchmark many organizations adopt to show good-faith conformance.

Scope you should plan for

• Core product: web app UI, mobile apps, dashboards, and embedded widgets.
• Acquisition and support: marketing pages, sign-up, billing, help center, chat, and email templates.
• Documents and media: PDFs, reports, exports, images, audio/video with captions and transcripts.
• Authentication and security: MFA flows, CAPTCHA alternatives, timeouts, and error recovery.

Operational requirements to make compliance stick

• Define an accessibility policy and owner; set WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the baseline.
• Embed requirements in design systems (color, components, patterns) and code review.
• Train designers, engineers, PMs, and QA on core patterns and anti-patterns.
• Run staged reviews for new features and major UI refactors.
• Document conformance and known gaps; publish remediation timelines.
• Offer accessible support channels and a way to report barriers.

European Accessibility Act and SaaS Platforms

How the EAA differs from the ADA

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) sets EU-wide accessibility rules for certain products and services supplied to consumers. Many SaaS offerings fall in scope when they provide consumer-facing services (for example, e‑commerce features or communications). While the ADA is civil-rights legislation enforced through complaints and litigation, the EAA relies on conformity assessment, documentation, and market surveillance by EU member states.

Practical steps for SaaS providers

• Map your product to the EAA service requirements and identify in-scope user journeys.
• Adopt EN 301 549 as your technical reference; it aligns closely with WCAG 2.1 Level AA and broader ICT accessibility requirements in the EU.
• Create and maintain a technical file: accessibility requirements, design decisions, test evidence, and known limitations.
• Provide an accessibility statement and an accessible feedback mechanism for users to report issues.
• Ensure customer support, onboarding, and contractual materials are accessible.
• If claiming disproportionate burden for specific features, document the rationale and timeline for alternatives.

WCAG 2.1 Level AA Standards

The four principles

WCAG organizes success criteria under four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. For SaaS, focus on predictable navigation, keyboard operation, clear structure, and compatibility with assistive technologies.

High-impact criteria for typical SaaS UIs

• Text alternatives: meaningful alt text for icons and images; descriptive names for controls (1.1.1, 4.1.2).
• Structure and relationships: use semantic HTML for headings, lists, tables, and form fields (1.3.1).
• Color and contrast: 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text; 3:1 for graphical objects and focus indicators (1.4.3, 1.4.11).
• Keyboard and focus: all functionality by keyboard, logical focus order, visible focus styles (2.1.1, 2.4.3, 2.4.7).
• Meaningful links and controls: clear labels and purpose in context (2.4.4, 2.5.3).
• Forms and errors: labels, instructions, error identification, suggestions, and prevention on critical actions (3.3.1–3.3.3).
• Responsive and reflow: content works across viewports without two‑dimensional scrolling (1.4.10).
• Status messages and live updates: announce changes programmatically without stealing focus (4.1.3).

Turn standards into systemized delivery

• Codify WCAG rules in your component library: names, roles, states, focus management, and contrast tokens.
• Ship accessible patterns for forms, modals, menus, tables, charts, and infinite lists.
• Gate merges with automated checks and targeted manual reviews for complex patterns.

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) Use

What is a VPAT and why it matters

The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template is the industry template you complete to create an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). Buyers—especially public sector and large enterprises—use your ACR to assess conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA, EN 301 549, and related requirements during procurement.

How to produce a credible ACR

• Test against the relevant standards and versions (for most SaaS, WCAG 2.1 AA; add EN 301 549 for EU sales).
• Complete each criterion with a clear result: Supports, Partially Supports, Does Not Support, or Not Applicable.
• Provide evidence: where and how the criterion was tested, including browser/AT coverage and known limitations.
• Scope precisely: name the product, versions, platforms, and major dependencies.
• Update the ACR on major releases or after significant remediation, and date it.

Good practices

• Keep marketing claims in sync with the ACR to avoid misrepresentation.
• Cross-link remediation plans and owners so sales and support can set accurate expectations.
• Store ACRs with your security and privacy artifacts to streamline enterprise reviews.

Legal and Business Consequences of Non-Compliance

Legal exposure

Failure to provide accessible digital services can trigger demand letters, complaints, and lawsuits under the ADA, potentially resulting in settlements, injunctive relief, and ongoing monitoring. In the EU, market surveillance can require corrective actions or restrict non-conforming products and services.

Commercial impact

• Lost deals: many enterprise RFPs require an up-to-date ACR/VPAT and a remediation roadmap.
• Customer churn: inaccessible flows increase abandonment, support tickets, and SLA friction.
• Brand and SEO: accessible, semantically structured content often improves performance, search visibility, and user trust.
• Engineering drag: retrofits are costlier than building accessible components from the start.

Accessibility Testing Techniques

A layered testing strategy

• Design-time checks: color contrast decisions, component selection, and content structure reviews.
• Automated accessibility testing: integrate linters and rule engines into CI to catch common violations early.
• Manual expert testing: keyboard-only navigation, screen reader workflows, zoom/reflow, and focus management.
• Assistive technologies coverage: validate with at least one screen reader per platform (for example, NVDA or JAWS on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS and iOS) and popular browsers.
• Mobile testing: touch targets, orientation, dynamic type, and system accessibility settings.
• User validation: periodic studies with people with disabilities to uncover real-world barriers automated tools miss.

Make it repeatable

• Define acceptance criteria per feature tied to WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria.
• Track defects with severity linked to user impact and remediation dates.
• Sample representative flows in each release; run full sweeps quarterly or before major launches.
• Capture evidence (videos, logs, and annotated screenshots) for your VPAT/ACR and audits.

Benefits of Accessible SaaS Platforms

Why accessibility is a growth strategy

• Wider reach: inclusive design expands your addressable market and improves conversions for all users.
• Procurement readiness: documented conformance (VPAT/ACR) and EN 301 549 alignment accelerate enterprise and public-sector deals.
• Lower costs: fewer support tickets, smoother onboarding, and less rework.
• Better quality: semantic structure, predictable interaction, and performance optimizations often follow accessibility best practices.

Conclusion

ADA and EU accessibility obligations converge on the same practical playbook: set WCAG 2.1 Level AA as your baseline, build with accessible components, verify through layered testing, and document results with a credible Voluntary Product Accessibility Template. Treat accessibility as ongoing product quality, and you’ll reduce risk, win more deals, and create a better experience for everyone.

FAQs.

What are the key ADA compliance requirements for SaaS companies?

Ensure your web and mobile apps are usable with a keyboard and assistive technologies, provide sufficient color contrast, supply text alternatives and clear labels, and structure content semantically. Operationalize compliance with a policy, training, WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the standard, ongoing testing, and transparent documentation of conformance and remediation.

How does the European Accessibility Act affect SaaS providers?

The EAA requires certain consumer-facing digital services in the EU to meet defined accessibility requirements and to document conformance. For SaaS, adopt EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.1 Level AA as your technical baseline, maintain a technical file and accessibility statement, and provide accessible support and feedback channels.

What is a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)?

A VPAT is the standard template used to produce an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). It details how your product meets specific accessibility criteria (such as WCAG 2.1 Level AA and EN 301 549), where gaps remain, and your remediation plans, enabling customers—especially enterprises and the public sector—to evaluate digital accessibility compliance during procurement.

How can SaaS companies test for accessibility compliance effectively?

Combine automated accessibility testing in CI to catch common issues with manual expert reviews and scenario-based testing using screen readers and keyboard-only navigation. Add mobile checks, include users with disabilities in periodic studies, tie acceptance criteria to WCAG 2.1 Level AA, and capture evidence to keep your VPAT/ACR accurate and up to date.