ADA checklist for dispensary websites.

Accessibility demand letters have moved into cannabis retail. The pattern is familiar from other industries: automated scans find barriers, a letter follows, and the settlement costs more than the fix would have. The good news is that most fixes are simple. This checklist covers them.

This guide is practical, not legal. Talk to your attorney about your specific exposure. But do the checklist either way, because it also makes your site better for every customer.

The checklist

1. Alt text on every image. Screen readers describe images to blind users through alt text. Every product photo, banner, and icon needs a short, honest description. "Blue Dream eighth in glass jar" works. "Image" does not. Decorative images get empty alt text so screen readers skip them.

2. Keyboard navigation. Unplug your mouse and tab through your site. Every link, button, menu, and form field should be reachable and usable by keyboard alone. If you get stuck somewhere with no way forward, that is a keyboard trap. Fix it. This is the single most common failure in automated scans.

3. Visible focus indicators. When tabbing, users need to see where they are. Every interactive element needs a visible focus outline. Do not let your designer remove focus styles for aesthetics. Style them to match your brand instead.

4. Color contrast. Text needs enough contrast against its background to be readable. The standard is 4.5 to 1 for normal text and 3 to 1 for large text. Light gray text on white fails. Run your palette through a free contrast checker and fix every failure.

5. Form labels. Every input needs a real label, not just placeholder text. Placeholders disappear when users type, and screen readers often skip them. Label the name field, the email field, the age-gate fields, all of them.

6. Skip links. Keyboard users should be able to jump past your navigation straight to the content. One "skip to content" link at the top of every page. It takes a developer ten minutes.

7. Video captions. Any video with speech needs captions. Auto-generated captions are a start, but review them for product names and strain names, which auto-captioning mangles.

8. No auto-playing media. Video or audio that starts on its own is a barrier for screen reader users and a violation of basic accessibility standards. Let users press play.

9. Accessible menus. Dropdown and mobile menus must open by keyboard, close with the escape key, and announce their state to screen readers. Test every menu on your phone and with a keyboard.

10. Age gates that work for everyone. Cannabis sites need age verification. Make sure yours is keyboard accessible, clearly labeled, and does not trap users who cannot use a mouse.

How to test

You do not need an expensive audit to start. Two free steps catch most problems.

• Run an automated scan. Free tools like WAVE or axe scan your pages and flag issues with explanations. Fix everything they flag as an error.
• Do the keyboard test. Tab through your homepage, menu, and checkout flow with no mouse. If you can complete every task, you are in good shape. If you cannot, you found real barriers.

What to fix first

If the full list feels like a lot, start with the three items that show up in demand letters most often: alt text, color contrast, and keyboard traps. Those three cover the majority of automated-scan findings. Then work through the rest over the next month.

Keep a record of what you fixed and when. If you ever receive a letter, documented remediation in progress is far better than a site nobody ever touched.

This guide is practical information, not legal advice. Accessibility law varies by jurisdiction. Consult your attorney about your specific situation.