ADA Compliance for DreamHost Websites
DreamHost hosts a lot of blogs, portfolios and publishing sites, which means a steady stream of new content. ADA risk on content sites tends to build up post by post: an image without alt text here, a vague link there, until thousands of small gaps have accumulated.
This DreamHost ADA compliance checker runs the same engine as the DreamHost accessibility checker with the ADA preset selected, so the results are measured against WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Paste a page address above to see the issues on your own site.
DreamHost ADA Compliance Risks to Check First
These are the barriers most often behind accessibility complaints on DreamHost sites. Each one maps to a WCAG success criterion that the scan reports.
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Blog and portfolio images
Featured images and gallery pictures published without alt text, across hundreds of posts.
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Read more links
Archive and category pages full of identical “read more” links.
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Bold text used as headings
Long posts where sections are bold paragraphs instead of headings.
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Video without captions
Embedded videos and podcasts with no captions or transcript.
How the ADA Applies to Your DreamHost Site
Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires businesses open to the public to give people with disabilities equal access to their goods and services. The Department of Justice states that this covers a business's web content as well as its physical locations ({ADA.gov web guidance (opens in a new tab)}). The law does not name a technical standard for private websites, so courts, settlements and demand letters tend to point to WCAG 2.1 Level AA, which is why this checker uses it.
- 3,117 website accessibility lawsuits filed in U.S. federal court in 2025, up 27% from 2024 Seyfarth Shaw, ADA Title III blog (opens in a new tab)
- 5,000+ digital accessibility lawsuits filed across federal and state courts in 2025 UsableNet 2025 year-end report (opens in a new tab)
- 1,427 of those 2025 lawsuits were against companies that had already been sued UsableNet 2025 year-end report (opens in a new tab)
- 64% of companies sued in the first half of 2025 had annual revenue under $25 million UsableNet 2025 midyear report (opens in a new tab)
None of this depends on which platform you use: a claim names the barrier on the page, not the software behind it. Read more in our ADA website compliance guide and the general ADA compliance checker.
DreamHost ADA Compliance Steps
- Run the ADA check above on your homepage, and then on a page of each type you publish.
- Set a publishing checklist for every post: alt text, real headings, descriptive links and captions on video.
- Scan an archive page and a recent post, since templates repeat issues across both.
- Work backward through older posts in order of traffic, fixing the most-visited first.
- Rescan to confirm each fix, and keep dated records. AccessBell Pro monitors up to 500 URLs per domain every day and emails you when something new fails.
What an Automated DreamHost ADA Check Can and Cannot Do
Automated testing finds a large share of the machine-detectable WCAG failures, such as missing alt text, unlabeled fields, low contrast and broken ARIA. It cannot judge whether alt text is accurate, whether a keyboard path makes sense or whether a screen reader user can complete a purchase. Test your key journeys by hand as well, and read our methodology for exactly what runs.
No tool, including this one, can certify that a DreamHost site is ADA compliant or protect you from a claim. Treat a scan as evidence of ongoing effort, and speak to a lawyer if you receive a demand letter.
Free scan and 3-day free trial
- Free, with no account: every issue found on the page, ranked by severity, with the WCAG criteria each one fails.
- With the trial: the failing HTML, how to fix each issue, scans of up to 500 pages per domain, daily monitoring and a dated record of your fixes.
Publishing an Accessibility Statement on DreamHost
Add an accessibility statement page and link it in the footer or sidebar, so readers can ask for content in another format. Our free accessibility statement generator writes the text, and it should name the standard you follow, any known gaps and a way to contact you.
DreamHost ADA Compliance: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a personal blog need to be ADA compliant?
The ADA covers businesses open to the public, so a purely personal blog is less exposed. A blog that sells, advertises or promotes a business is a different matter.
How do I fix hundreds of old posts?
Start with the most visited ones. Template-level fixes, such as link wording and contrast, correct every post at once.
Does DreamHost offer ADA tools?
Hosting does not provide accessibility compliance. Test your site directly with a scanner.
What standard does the DreamHost ADA compliance check use?
WCAG 2.1 Level AA, the technical standard the Department of Justice has adopted for state and local government websites and the one courts and settlements most often cite for businesses. The ADA itself does not name a technical standard for private business websites.
Sources
- ADA.gov: Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA (opens in a new tab)
- W3C: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (opens in a new tab)
- Seyfarth Shaw, ADA Title III blog (opens in a new tab)
- UsableNet 2025 year-end report (opens in a new tab)
- UsableNet 2025 midyear report (opens in a new tab)
This page explains general ADA and accessibility patterns for DreamHost sites and is not legal advice. AccessBell is not affiliated with DreamHost. DreamHost and its logo are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify the platform. See our disclaimer.
