If you’ve recently received an email or “audit report” saying your League website is “not ADA compliant” or encouraging you to purchase a compliance package, you’re not alone. These messages are common across nonprofits and membership organizations and are often sales outreach rather than indicators of an actual problem.
Your Member Essentials public site is already built on an accessibility‑focused foundation. The support article below explains what that means in practice and how you can continue to support accessibility through the content choices on your website.
What does ADA compliance mean for a website?
ADA accessibility (often aligned with WCAG guidelines) means your website is usable for people with disabilities, including individuals who use screen readers, navigate with a keyboard, or need clear visual structure to understand content. In practical terms, this means:
- Content is structured clearly (headings, sections)
- Images include descriptions (alt text)
- Links and buttons are understandable
- Text is readable and not embedded in images
- The site works with assistive technologies like screen readers
How your Member Essentials site supports accessibility
The Member Essentials public site platform (using the AJLI WordPress template) is designed with accessibility in mind and aligned with current best practices. This includes:
- Proper heading structure built into templates
- Compatibility with screen readers
- Fields for adding alt text to images
- Standardized layouts that support readable, structured content
- Responsive design for different devices
In other words, your site’s underlying structure is already configured to support ADA (and WCAG) informed accessibility.
Where your role comes in
Accessibility is a shared responsibility between the platform and the content added over time.
As your League’s website lead, your role is to help ensure that content follows basic accessibility best practices:
- The platform provides the structure
- Your content completes the experience
Simple ways to keep your site accessible
You do not need to be a developer to do this well. Focus on these key areas:
1. Add alt text to images
When uploading images, include a short description of what the image shows.
Good example:
“Junior League volunteers assembling care packages”
Avoid:
“image1.jpg” or leaving it blank
2. Use headings in order
Structure your pages with headings (H1, H2, H3) in a logical way.
- Page title = H1
- Section headers = H2
- Subsections = H3
This helps screen readers and improves readability for everyone. However, you are free to use smaller header sizes that fit the aesthetic of your website and internal web pages (e.g. H3 or H4).
3. Avoid images with embedded text, where applicable.
If important information is inside an image (like a flyer), be sure to also include that information as text on the page.
This ensures everyone can access it.
4. Use clear link text
Instead of:
- “Click here”
Use:
- “View our Volunteer Opportunities”
This provides context for all users.
5. Keep formatting clean and consistent
- Use standard fonts and sizes
- Avoid excessive colors or hard-to-read combinations
- Keep paragraphs short and easy to scan
About third-party ADA compliance services
You may occasionally be contacted by third‑party companies offering audits or paid “compliance packages.” These are typically broad, automated scans and sales solicitations, and are not official determinations of noncompliance.
For Member Essentials sites:
- The platform is already developed with accessibility compliance as a priority
- Many “findings” from generic audits relate to content, not the system itself
- Most content-related recommendations can be addressed directly within your site at no additional cost
Receiving one of these messages does not mean your site is suddenly out of compliance, and there is no automatic requirement to purchase external services.
When to reach out for support
If you receive an accessibility-related outreach or have questions about your site:
- You can submit a support ticket and include any emails or reports you’ve received
- We can help interpret recommendations and distinguish between genuine issues and sales language
- We can point you to resources or best practices for addressing specific items
The bottom line
Your Member Essentials website is built on an accessibility‑supportive foundation, and leagues using this platform are already aligned with current accessibility best practices at the system level.
By following a few simple content practices, you can confidently maintain an accessible site for your community without needing to engage third‑party vendors in response to unsolicited outreach.