That’s the hidden cost of inaccessible digital experiences. One in four adults in the U.S. lives with a disability, according to the CDC. That’s 67 million people — and your website, patient portal, or digital ad may be unknowingly excluding them.
Still think ADA compliance is the IT team’s job?
Today, accessibility is no longer a legal afterthought. It’s the new front door to your healthcare brand — and it’s time marketing leaders took the keys.
Welcome to the era where accessibility equals strategy, not just compliance.
A Tidal Wave of Lawsuits — and Brand Damage
Let’s start with the wake-up call: digital ADA lawsuits are exploding. In 2023 alone, over 4,600 federal web accessibility lawsuits were filed — a 45% increase since 2020, according to Accessibility.com. Healthcare is among the most targeted sectors.
The reason is clear: digital access is a civil right. If a visually impaired patient can’t schedule an appointment online, or a deaf caregiver can’t navigate a video, your organization is at risk — reputationally, financially, and ethically.
And the DOJ is doubling down. In July 2023, it proposed a landmark rule requiring state and local government websites — including hospitals — to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards. Legal experts expect a ripple effect in the private sector.
Translation? If you’re not compliant, you’re exposed.
The Compliance Conversation Has Changed
In 2015, accessibility was about lawsuits. In 2025, it’s about leadership.
This isn’t a checkbox or a cost center. It’s a brand asset. It’s an experience differentiator. And it’s one of the smartest moves a healthcare CMO can make.
Here’s why:
- 83% of patients say a seamless digital experience is as important as quality of care (Salesforce, 2023).
- Up to 30% of seniors rely on screen magnifiers or readers — and seniors are the fastest-growing group of digital health users.
- Google rewards accessibility: Sites that meet accessibility standards often perform better in search due to improved structure and metadata.
So, if your brand promises inclusion, prevention, equity, or access — accessibility is the delivery mechanism.
Don’t Let a Lawsuit Teach You UX
Here’s the thing most marketers don’t realize accessibility improves user experience for everyone.
The same principles that make a site easier for a patient with low vision also help a busy parent navigating your portal at 10 p.m. Or a patient recovering from surgery using only one hand.
Good design is accessible design.
That means:
- Logical navigation
- Clear, consistent headers
- Alt text on images
- Keyboard navigation
- Strong color contrast
- Readable fonts
- Captions and transcripts for all media
If that sounds like UX best practices — that’s because it is. Accessibility is just UX with empathy.
The Ecosystem Is Bigger Than Your Website
If your accessibility strategy stops at your homepage, you’re missing the forest for the trees.
Today’s healthcare marketing stack includes:
- Patient portals
- Mobile apps
- Digital intake forms
- Email newsletters
- Video campaigns
- Health literacy PDFs
- Virtual care platforms
Each one is a potential ADA violation — or a chance to build trust.
Pro tip: PDFs are a hot spot for risk. According to CommonLook, over 75% of PDFs in healthcare are not compliant, especially those tied to billing, insurance, and instructions for care.
A fully inclusive patient journey means designing every touchpoint with accessibility in mind.
The Business Case: From ROI to ROR (Return on Reputation)
Let’s talk numbers.
A recent WebAIM analysis found that 96.3% of the top 1 million websites had accessibility failures on their homepages. That’s not a gap — it’s an opportunity.
When health systems lead with accessibility, they:
- Expand market share to include 67M Americans with disabilities
- Improve SEO through structured content and metadata
- Reduce bounce rates from frustrated users
- Avoid costly litigation and settlements
- Earn trust from regulators, payers, patients, and communities
And there’s a softer — but more powerful — metric: brand equity.
Healthcare is built on trust. Accessibility reinforces it in every click, every scroll, every experience. It’s a promise kept.
From Risk to Readiness: How to Get There
At ab+a, we help healthcare organizations transform digital risk into digital leadership through structured, strategic ADA compliance support.
Our Accessibility Impact Audit provides:
- A WCAG 2.1 AA scan of your digital ecosystem
- A plain language, prioritized roadmap
- Remediation tactics your dev team can actually use
- Content and UX best practices to future-proof your assets
We don’t just check the box. We elevate the brand.
And we help you build a proactive governance model so that accessibility becomes embedded — not episodic.
What the Smartest Brands Are Doing
Leading health systems aren’t waiting for regulators. They’re using accessibility as a competitive advantage.
Here’s what they’re doing right now:
- Embedding accessibility into RFPs and brand guidelines
- Training content teams to write and design for inclusion
- Auditing marketing channels quarterly
- Designing for aging populations (think: larger fonts, simple layouts, voice-friendly interfaces)
- Partnering with inclusive agencies who know the nuances of healthcare + compliance
It’s not just about fixing code — it’s about elevating culture.
This Is About Leadership
Let’s stop calling it compliance. Let’s start calling it what it is: leadership.
Inclusion. Trust. Innovation. Brand integrity. That’s what accessibility signals to your patients, your board, and your community.
And it’s not optional anymore.
As one accessibility advocate recently said,
“Accessibility is not about disability. It’s about possibility.”
Ready to Lead? Start Here.
If your healthcare brand is serious about growth, inclusion, and digital maturity, accessibility isn’t a future goal — it’s your next move.
Let ab+a help you assess where you stand — and where you can lead.
We’re offering a complimentary ADA compliance audit for qualified health systems and plans ready to shift from compliance risk to brand advantage.
It’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about opening doors.
Let’s open them — wide.
