Is Dawn 5.0 theme ADA compliant?

[Cheweetina]

Hello,

I'm reading that my site has to be ADA COmpliance, I haven't hear of Shopify mentioning it? Do Shopify developers take care of this or is the latest theme compliant? 

Thanks,

Christina

[Cheweetina]

Thanks!

[Daniel · Accepted solution]

Hey there, Christina! 

Welcome to the Community! Definitely a great place to gather some input regarding anything about the platform!

With regards to your inquiry, it is possible to create an ADA compliant store using Shopify however, this is a matter that we refer you to your own counsel as every jurisdiction is different. 

It is the your responsibility to ensure that your storefront complies with all applicable laws and regulations in the your jurisdiction and in the jurisdiction of each of your customers, including all laws and regulations which relate to web accessibility. 

You can reach out to one of our Accessibility Partners for more assistance. These Partners specialize in auditing and remediation of web sites to meet WCAG 2.1 AA compliance:

• Accessible360 
• Deque Systems 
• eSSENTIAL Accessibility 
• Fable 
• Level Access 
• Tenon 
• The Paciello Group 
• UsableNet 

Also, at this time, Shopify's free OS 2.0 themes (including the Dawn theme), paired with Checkout, is Shopify's most ADA compliant offering.

Shopify Checkout has gone through a full audit and remediation project to meet WCAG 2.1 AA. Remaining issues are still being addressed. Checkout's accessibility compliance level is high and continues to improve with time.

Shopify's free OS 2.0 themes are recommended as they have gone through a full audit + remediation process to meet the WCAG 2.1 AA standard. This means the theme's design and code do a lot of heavy lifting in creating an accessible experience by default.

Examples of these details can be found in the blog post, "7 Tips to Increase the Accessibility of Your Debut Theme Shopify Store".

[Cheweetina]

Oh Daniel,

Thanks so much! I'm on it!!

[Daniel]

Glad to have been of help to you in this!

All the best to you and your store. 

Please keep utilizing the Community for whatever it is that you may need. Help is always available to you on these forums. 

[bradplg]

Hi Daniel. Why the free 2.0 themes? Are those more compliant than paid themes? 

[Daniel]

Thanks for the question, @bradplg. 

The 2.0 themes are Shopify's most compliant offering. As for the paid themes, these come from third party developers which is why we can only speak on what the platform is offering (old themes vs. new 2.0 themes). 

I hope this clarifies that information provided above. At the end of the day however, we always recommend you seek your own counsel to ensure you are abiding by certain regulations that apply to you and your business. 

[fangirlstar]

Is Shopify compliant? I have found issues with the Dawn theme in regards to contrast because of the theme's inherent rgb variables. As well as issues with ARIA and redundant links in the collections feeds. These are all things SHOPIFY should be responsible for fixing.  Non-compliance puts clients (esp. in the US at risk for lawsuits).

[BusStop]

I have found these same issues to be non-compliant and am dealing with legal issues surrounding these problems which must be coded out by a PAID "expert". Absolutely unbelievable that shopify is offering themes that are essentially illegal for clients to use! If anyone can direct me to affordable solutions I would greatly appreciate it.

[Cindy_Conner]

We are currently being sued over our Shopify store not being ADA compliant which is a HUGE price to pay for a system that should have already addressed this. Everything on our part is ADA compliant, but the theme itself fails using screen readers. We should not have to consult and pay for over 8 different of your "Accessibility Partners" for a CMS system that Shopify themes should have already done. We are NOT programmers and this is so disheartening to pay thousands of dollars in a law suit and then thousands more to reprogram a theme. Very upset with Shopify right now.

[mscott9494]

Cindy - so sorry to hear that you are dealing with this issue, not just in a theoretical way, but financially also.

The issue of ADA compliance for websites is an absolute mess, and major shortfall of the agencies regulating these things.  It is a complete and total windfall for the lawyers who are so viciously targeting small businesses such as yourself.

The response from the Shopify staffer(s) in this post mean nothing in the real (or legal) world, and leave sellers of the platform basically unprotected.

The tools mentioned?  They don't actually shield you if the case is filed in a court where a judge will hear such cases.  
Numerous examples show, if you rely on their “automated plug-ins”, each of these tools has holes that the filing lawyers can puncture to still bring a claim…

Unless you have deep pockets to be able to bring on human staff/ developers to create a custom solution ( not trivial for a small business ), until something changes in how the courts interpret the ADA law when applied to websites, Shopify puts a target on your back for predatory law practice.