Right now, small businesses are constantly at risk of expensive and oftentimes meritless lawsuits over website accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The lawyers filing these suits are interested in profit, not actual accessibility. They hope that the mere threat of a court case is enough to intimidate small business owners into settling, sometimes for upwards of $20K. 

Even if your store hasn’t faced one of these suits, it is nonetheless a shadow hanging over every business–as a suit could happen at any time. The ACCESS Act will change that. 

Please reach out to your Representative immediately and urge them to support the bipartisan ACCESS Act (H.R. 8396), also known as the "ADA Compliance for Customer Entry to Stores and Sites Act of 2025,” which is sponsored by Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) and Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA). 

To reach out to your lawmakers, simply fill out the form on the right. It should only take a few minutes. 

The ACCESS Act will stop these frivolous website lawsuits by creating a mandatory "notice and cure" period before any civil action can be filed. 

Here’s the quick breakdown of what the ACCESS Act does:

• Notice First, Lawsuit Later: Before a lawsuit can begin over a technological barrier on your website, the aggrieved person must provide you with a specific written notice.
• Be Specific: This notice has to be detailed enough for you to identify the barrier and must specifically describe how that individual was actually denied access, including the website URL. This prevents vague, mass-produced demands.
• Time to Fix It: Once you receive notice, you have 60 days to respond with a written plan outlining the improvements you will make. After sharing your plan, you get another 60 days to remove the barrier or make substantial progress. If you follow this process, the lawsuit is barred.
• Clarify ADA Regulations. It will also strengthen ADA website compliance by codifying WCAG website standards into law and providing education on ADA compliance for small businesses. 
   

The ACCESS Act gives small businesses a fair chance to fix issues quickly and efficiently, steering the focus toward compliance and away from costly litigation. It also mandates that the Department of Justice develop an education program to guide property and website owners in promoting access.

Please call your lawmaker today!