A business owner sent me a panicked message: “I got a letter saying my site isn’t accessible and I’m being sued for 50,000 ILS. Is this real???”

The phenomenon is real, the number is meant to scare, and the solution is simpler than it seems. Let’s sort it out, calmly. (Important disclaimer: I build websites, I’m not a lawyer. This is practical field knowledge, not legal advice.)

What does the law actually require?

In Israel, the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities regulations require businesses serving the public to make their digital services accessible too. The basis is Israeli Standard 5568, which adopts the well-known international WCAG 2.0 standard at level AA.

In plain language: the site must be usable by people who see partially, don’t see, don’t hear, or struggle with a mouse. There are certain exemptions for small businesses, but the practical bottom line: a business with a public-facing site needs an accessible site. Because of the law, because of the lawsuits - and, let’s not forget, because these are real customers: hundreds of thousands of Israelis with disabilities who want to buy from you.

What does it mean in practice? The core list

Accessibility sounds like an entire world (and it is), but most requirements boil down to common sense:

  • Alt text for images: a blind visitor browses with a screen reader that reads aloud. An undescribed image is a hole in the service.
  • Sufficient contrast: light gray text on white looks “delicate” to a designer and unreadable to half the over-50 population.
  • Full keyboard navigation: some people don’t use a mouse. Everything clickable must work with Tab and Enter.
  • Labeled forms: a field without a label (“what goes here?”) hinders everyone, and screen readers most of all.
  • Captions for videos: audio content needs a written alternative.
  • Proper heading structure: screen readers navigate by headings. A page of giant bold text instead of real headings is a maze.

Notice what the whole list has in common: these are traits of a well-built site, period. An accessible site is almost always a site Google understands better, because a screen reader and Google’s crawler “see” the site in similar ways.

The accessibility statement: your line of defense

The regulations require publishing an accessibility statement: a page detailing what was made accessible, known limitations, and who to contact about issues. Beyond the duty, it is the most practical protection there is: a business with an accessible site and an orderly statement is an unattractive target for opportunistic claims, and a business showing good faith and quick fixes stands in an entirely different position even if something slipped through.

And the floating widget?

Many businesses install an accessibility widget (the floating blue button) and feel covered. They are not: the widget adds display options, but doesn’t fix undescribed images, unlabeled forms or broken navigation. Real accessibility is built in code. The sites we build have accessibility baked in from the foundation, scoring 100 on automated audits - without a single floating button.

Bottom line

Website accessibility in Israel is a legal duty, but the right way to think about it is not fear of letters: an accessible site is a well-built site that serves more customers and ranks better. The steps: verify the basics (list above), publish an accessibility statement, and build new sites accessible from the foundation instead of patching later.

Want an honest accessibility check for your current site, or a new one accessible from the first line of code? We’re here ↗