ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
The ADA is the 1990 US federal civil-rights law prohibiting disability discrimination. DOJ guidance says Title III covers the goods and services that businesses open to the public provide online; business-specific questions can depend on facts and jurisdiction.
Detailed explanation
Title III prohibits disability discrimination by places of public accommodation. The DOJ explains that the ADA applies to the goods and services that businesses open to the public provide online. The precise legal test and remedies for a particular ecommerce business can depend on the facts and jurisdiction.
Title III has no detailed web technical regulation. DOJ guidance identifies WCAG as helpful technical guidance. The Department of Justice issued a separate Title II web rule for state and local governments in 2024 that uses WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
An inaccessible storefront can block customers and create complaint or litigation risk, but an online glossary cannot predict claim probability, settlement value, defense cost, or the outcome of a legal matter.
How this applies to Shopify stores
Shopify merchants serving US customers should make core shopping tasks accessible, keep accurate remediation records, and obtain qualified advice for business-specific legal questions. AccessComply provides scoped technical records, not a legal opinion.
What merchants should check next
Treat this term as a practical audit prompt, not just a definition. Check the storefront pages where the concept shows up in real customer journeys: product discovery, add-to-cart, cart drawer, checkout handoff, account login, and support contact flows. If the issue affects code, verify the rendered HTML and computed browser output after the theme change. If it affects copy or media, keep the merchant-facing wording accurate and easy to maintain.
Primary source: ada.gov