Medical & Dental Practice Accessibility & ADA Compliance Guide

520+

Annual Lawsuits

Up 19% year-over-year

Trend

$18,000-$35,000

Avg Settlement

Appointment booking must be fully keyboard accessible

Patient intake forms must have clear labels and instructions

Telemedicine platforms must support captions and screen reader access

Insurance and payment information must be in accessible format

Pre-appointment instructions must be in text, not image only

Contact forms for accessibility requests must be prominent

Patients with motor disabilities cannot book appointments online. Must call instead. Creates access barriers to healthcare.

Screen reader users cannot complete intake. Cannot schedule first appointment. Locked out of healthcare.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients cannot participate in video visit. Healthcare access barrier. Violates ADA.

Blind patients cannot read pre-procedure instructions. Safety risk. Cannot prepare for procedure.

Screen reader users cannot understand insurance details. Cannot make informed decisions about healthcare costs.

Test appointment booking calendar with keyboard navigation (arrow keys to select date/time)

Ensure patient intake form has clear labels on all fields

Verify required fields marked in text, not color or asterisk alone

Implement captions on all telemedicine platforms (Zoom, Google Meet, proprietary)

Convert pre-appointment instructions from PDF to accessible text format

Test form validation—errors must be announced to screen readers

Ensure payment form is secure and accessible

Test entire patient journey from appointment booking through telehealth with screen reader

Provide alternative appointment methods (phone, in-person) if online inaccessible

Display accessibility accommodations request prominently