We don't sell overlays. Here's why you shouldn't either.

Overlays promise accessibility compliance with one line of code. Regulators, lawsuit data and disabled users say they don’t deliver it. If you resell one to a client, your agency’s name is on that promise.

A script on top of the site, not a fix inside it

An accessibility overlay is a third-party script, usually with a floating toolbar, added to a website with a single line of code. It tries to repair accessibility problems in the visitor’s browser after the page loads. The site’s own code doesn’t change.

What an overlay can do

What it can't do

Make a website conform to WCAG. The FTC found accessiBe's claim that its product could do this was unsubstantiated.
Write meaningful alt text, fix keyboard traps, or repair broken form logic reliably
Change the underlying code that screen readers and other assistive technology rely on
Protect a site from accessibility lawsuits

Regulators, courts and disabled users agree

We only state what the sources say. Every claim here links to where it came from.

Federal regulator

$1M

The FTC's final order against accessiBe

In April 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission approved a final order requiring overlay vendor accessiBe to pay $1 million. The FTC's complaint alleged that claims its product could make any website WCAG-compliant were false, misleading or unsubstantiated, and that the company presented paid reviews as independent opinions.

Source: FTC press release, April 2025

Lawsuit data

~1,400

Lawsuits in 2025 against sites already using widgets

UsableNet tracked more than 5,000 US digital accessibility lawsuits in 2025. Lawsuits against companies using accessibility widgets ran at roughly 95 to 155 a month all year, about 1,400 in total. UsableNet's conclusion: widgets don't materially reduce legal risk.

Source: UsableNet, 2025 year-end lawsuit trends

Disability community

Hundreds

Of accessibility professionals signed against overlays

The Overlay Fact Sheet, signed by hundreds of accessibility practitioners, many of them disabled, states that overlays don't make sites compliant and can interfere with the assistive technology people already use. The National Federation of the Blind barred accessiBe from sponsoring its 2021 convention.

Source: OVERLAY FACT SHEET; NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND, 2021

If you resell it, you own the promise

Overlays are easy to resell: one script, a monthly fee, a client who feels covered. That’s exactly the problem. When the client gets a demand letter, they’ll ask the agency that recommended the widget why it didn’t work. The fix they need at that point is the code work the overlay was supposed to replace, done under pressure and on a deadline. Selling real remediation from the start is better for the client, and a more durable revenue line for you.

Legal exposure for your client

A widget on the site is not a defence, and lawsuits against widget users haven't slowed.

Reputational exposure for you

Your agency recommended it. The failure lands on your relationship, not the vendor's.

Real users still blocked

Screen reader and keyboard users hit the same barriers in the code underneath.

A bill that never ends

Overlay subscriptions run forever, and the underlying issues are still there when you cancel.

Find the issues, fix the code, check what automation misses

Nothing is ever injected into your client’s site. Every change is a code change a developer can review.

Find

Scheduled WCAG 2.2 AA scans across every client site, with issues grouped by root cause and the failing element shown. We say on every report that automated testing catches roughly 30–57% of issues.

How the platform works

Fix

Your developers fix the root causes in templates and components, using the fix code in each report. One template fix often clears hundreds of issues.

See a sample report

Verify

A re-scan confirms what cleared. For sites with legal exposure, a manual audit with keyboard and screen readers covers what scanners can't.

How the platform works

Overlay vs code-level remediation

approach // comparison

Question	Overlay	A11yRemedy approach
What changes?	A script patches the page in the visitor's browser	The site's own code is fixed
Compliance claim	Often implied or promised	None. We say what automation can't see.
Assistive technology users	Can conflict with their screen reader or settings	Get standard, well-structured HTML
Legal risk	No reduction, according to 2025 lawsuit data	Real barriers removed; manual audit recommended for exposed sites
When you stop paying	The problems come back	The fixes stay in the code
What your client sees	A widget icon	A report of what was fixed, under your brand

Questions agencies ask

Are accessibility overlays illegal?

No. It’s legal to sell and install them. The problem is what they’re claimed to do. The FTC acted against accessiBe over claims that its product could make websites WCAG-compliant, and installing an overlay doesn’t stop a site being sued.

Can a client keep an overlay while the code gets fixed?

We don’t recommend it, because some users find overlays make sites harder to use. If a client insists, don’t describe the site as compliant because of it, and don’t let it slow down the real fixes.

Is A11yRemedy an overlay?

No. We never add a script, widget or toolbar to your clients’ sites. The scanner loads pages the way a visitor would, and reports what to change in the code.

Will the site be compliant after remediation?

The issues in scope will be fixed and confirmed by a re-scan. Automated scanning covers only part of WCAG, so we don’t call a site compliant on that basis. For sites with legal exposure, add a manual audit.

Don't disabled users need the toolbar features?

People who need larger text, higher contrast or a screen reader usually already have those tools in their browser, operating system or assistive technology, and use them on every site. What they need from your client’s site is code that works with those tools.

Does automated scanning have the same problem?

Partly, which is why we say so. Automated scanning finds roughly 30–57% of WCAG issues, so we never call a clean scan compliance. The difference is that we report issues for people to fix, rather than claiming to fix them automatically.

Where these facts come from

Federal Trade Commission, “FTC Approves Final Order Requiring accessiBe to pay $1 Million”, April 2025. ftc.gov
UsableNet, “ADA Web Lawsuit Trends for 2026: What 2025 Filings Reveal”, January 2026. blog.usablenet.com
Overlay Fact Sheet, community statement on accessibility overlays. overlayfactsheet.com
National Federation of the Blind, “National Convention Sponsorship Statement Regarding accessiBe”, 2021. nfb.org

Give your clients fixes, not a widget

Scan a client site for free, or start a trial and monitor your whole portfolio.