Do accessibility widgets and overlays make my site compliant?
No. Overlays add a toolbar or automatic fixes on top of your pages, but most barriers sit in the site's own code and content. In 2025 the FTC announced an order requiring one overlay maker to pay $1 million over claims its tool made any site compliant. Fixing the site itself is the reliable path.
The short version
- An overlay is a script that adds an accessibility toolbar or automatic “fixes” to your site.
- It can’t reliably repair missing alt text, unlabeled forms or keyboard traps.
- The FTC acted against one overlay maker over claims it made sites compliant.
- Test your key pages, then fix the problems in the site itself.
- Treat any product that promises compliance with caution. (This isn’t legal advice.)
What can overlays do, and what can’t they?
Overlays usually add a small icon. Click it, and visitors can change text size, contrast or spacing. Some also claim to fix problems automatically using AI.
They can offer display settings. Most phones and browsers already have those built in.
They can’t reliably fix the barriers that stop people, because those live in your own pages:
- Images without useful alt text. See how to write alt text.
- Form fields with no labels or unclear errors. See what fields your form should have.
- Menus and buttons that don’t work with a keyboard.
- Low color contrast built into the design.
- Videos without captions, and headings out of order.
Automated tools can guess at some of these, but they often guess wrong.
What did the FTC do?
In January 2025, the Federal Trade Commission announced an order requiring accessiBe to pay $1 million. The FTC said the company’s claims that its AI widget could make any website WCAG-compliant were false, misleading or unsupported. The FTC approved the final order in April 2025. It bars the company from making those claims without evidence.
Why does this matter?
An overlay can feel like the problem is handled when it isn’t. Customers who rely on a keyboard or screen reader still can’t book or call, and the money spent on the widget isn’t spent on real fixes.
What should I do instead?
- Test your key pages: home, contact, main services, and anything with a form or checkout. Use a free checker, then try each page with only the Tab and Enter keys.
- Fix the basics in the site: alt text, form labels, contrast, keyboard access, heading order and captions.
- Follow WCAG. The W3C’s WCAG overview explains the standard most accessibility work uses.
- Build it into every update, so new pages don’t bring new problems.
- Publish an accessibility statement with a way to report problems.
What are the common mistakes?
- Adding an overlay as the whole plan.
- Running one scan and calling it done. Scanners miss problems a person finds in minutes.
- Fixing the home page only. Forms and checkout matter most.
How much does it cost, and how long does it take?
Overlays are usually sold as subscriptions. A basic keyboard test of your main pages is free and takes under an hour. Fixes range from quick content edits to template changes, depending on how the site was built.
How does E-3 handle this?
Ask a person about your site before you buy an overlay. We don’t promise legal compliance. The Justice Department’s web guidance explains how the ADA applies to websites, and our answer on ADA accessibility covers the basics.
Related questions
Common questions
- Is an overlay better than nothing?
- Not necessarily. Some people who use screen readers say overlays get in the way of their own tools. Fixing your most important pages directly usually helps more.
- Will an overlay protect me from a lawsuit?
- We can't promise legal protection, and this isn't legal advice. Sites using overlays have still faced accessibility complaints. Ask a lawyer about your own risk.
- Should I remove the overlay I already have?
- Fix the underlying problems first, then decide. Removing it changes nothing on its own, and keeping it doesn't fix anything either.
Rather talk it through?
Call our team, or send a note and we’ll reply within one business day. No pressure and no jargon.