The Illusion of Compliance: Why the Era of Accessibility Overlays is Over
For years, businesses were enticed by the promise of accessibility overlays, but the illusion of a quick fix has been shattered. In 2025, the FTC's decisive action against major providers and a surge in lawsuits have exposed these automated solutions as liabilities rather than strategies. The FTC's intervention against companies like accessiBe, with fines and bans on claims of 'instant compliance', highlights the deceptive nature of these solutions. Automated overlays fail to address the majority of WCAG issues, which require human judgement. Furthermore, using widgets has become a legal target, with lawsuits increasing against websites employing them. Ethically, overlays force users with disabilities to navigate separate, often conflicting tools, undermining true accessibility. The solution lies in native accessibility, integrating it into the code from the start, which offers benefits in market reach, SEO, and brand authenticity. The path forward involves removing overlays, conducting manual audits, and training teams to prioritise accessibility from the outset.