Got an ADA demand letter for your Shopify store?

Shopify handles hosting and much of checkout, but your theme, apps, images and content can still create accessibility barriers. Here is where to look first.

This is a technical accessibility assessment, not legal advice, and automated testing cannot establish ADA compliance.

Start with the letter, then the store

Read the letter with your attorney, then turn the claims into a technical checklist. Most Shopify demand letters name broad categories, not one exact line of code. Your job on the technical side is to find where those categories appear on your actual pages.

Common Shopify issues named in letters

• Product images without useful alternative text. Check Products → Media for missing descriptions or file-name-style text.
• Low-contrast theme colors. Check Theme settings → Colors, especially sale text, secondary text, badges and footer links.
• Newsletter, search or account fields without labels. Placeholders are not a reliable replacement for a label.
• Icon-only buttons and links. Cart, menu, search, close and carousel arrows need readable names.
• App pop-ups that trap keyboard users. Test cookie banners, email pop-ups, chat widgets and review widgets with the Tab key.

What Shopify store owners should not assume

A theme marketed as accessible can still have issues after custom colors, uploaded images, app embeds and code changes. An accessibility app or overlay also does not change the underlying product content and theme markup that many letters discuss.

Priority order

1. Home page and navigation.
2. Product pages, especially image alt text, variant pickers and add-to-cart controls.
3. Cart page or cart drawer.
4. Contact, newsletter and account forms.
5. High-traffic collection pages and landing pages.

How to document Shopify fixes

Keep a dated record of the issue, the page, the Shopify admin location or theme file changed, and the re-check result. If a developer makes the fix, ask them to note the theme file, commit or app setting they changed.

For a broader Shopify fix list, see what to fix first on Shopify. If your letter mentions a widget or overlay, read why a widget is not a complete answer.