BarrierFreeSite: Accessibility Compliance for Shopify & E-Commerce (ADA / WCAG) — Fully Automated
WCAG 2.1 AA compliance for Shopify and custom stores. Full automation, legal-grade reports, and audit-ready implementation.
Why Accessibility Compliance Is Now a Legal Obligation
From June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) enforces strict accessibility standards for all digital commerce platforms in the EU.
This means every online store - regardless of industry or size - must be fully compliant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
This is not optional.
What the law says:
- Based on the Polish Act of April 26, 2024, implementing EAA
- Applies to product and service providers offering online sales
- Includes websites, mobile apps, forms, checkout, video, and all product content
What it requires:
- Conformance with 50 success criteria in WCAG 2.1 AA
- A public Accessibility Declaration with contact and remediation plan
- Periodic accessibility audits (minimum every 24 months)
Who enforces it?
The President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) is the main enforcement authority in Poland, with audit and penalty powers
Non-Compliance Carries Legal
and Business Risk
Legal Fines
- 50,000 - 500,000 PLN depending on severity, duration, and company size
- Administrative orders may force you to fix issues in a defined timeline
- Business suspension is possible for persistent violations
Revenue Impact
- Up to 15% of users (disabled, elderly, neurodiverse) may abandon your site
- Loss of search engine visibility due to non-structured HTML and poor semantics
Brand & UX Reputational Risk
- Non-compliance can damage trust with customers and partners
- Expect public scrutiny and potential PR fallout from accessibility advocacy groups
BarrierFreeSite – Accessible by Default
BarrierFreeSite is not another accessibility toolbar or visual gimmick. It’s a comprehensive plugin for regulated compliance, technical performance, and seamless UX.
We built it for the realities of e-commerce architecture: dynamic content, product feeds, APIs, and daily changes. Other tools patch the front end. We fix the actual structure.
What You Get with BarrierFreeSite:
| Features | Description |
|---|---|
| AI ALT Text Engine | Automatically generates descriptive text for all image assets, banners, icons, product images. |
| Contrast & Text Control Panel | Real-time toggles for font size, background contrast, and readability without breaking layout. |
| Accessibility Statement Generator | Auto-generates legally valid, multi-language declarations with compliance logs. |
| WCAG Audit Crawler | Weekly scans with detailed reports on issues, regressions, and new violations. |
| Keyboard Navigation Layer | Full skip-link structure, tab map, and focus rings. |
| Video Transcriptions | Auto-generates captions and transcripts from embedded video content (beta). |
| Voice-Controlled Navigation | Planned for Q3 2025: Navigate your store via spoken commands. |
Deployment Is Fast and Fully Automated
BarrierFreeSite is plug-and-play for Shopify, WooCommerce, and custom platforms.
Implementation Flow:
#01 Initial Site Audit
Free scan with prioritization of WCAG 2.1 failures
#02 Plugin Installation
One-line embed script or Shopify App Block
#03 Layer Activation
WCAG-compliant overlays and controls appear automatically
#04 Accessibility Statement Generation
Auto-generated with compliance level, limitations, contact form
#05 Weekly Monitoring
Dynamic scanner runs weekly or daily depending on plan
No theme editing.
No breaking your frontend.
No re-coding your store.
BarrierFreeSite
WCAG 2.1 AA compliance for Shopify and custom stores. Full automation, legal-grade reports, and audit-ready implementation.
E-Commerce Benefits of
ADA & WCAG Compliance
ADA & WCAG Compliance
BarrierFreeSite isn't just legal protection. It creates business value for your business:
Conversion Impact
- Better readability and keyboard flows = reduced bounce rate
- Improved Core Web Vitals from semantic HTML structure
- Enhanced UX for all users, including elderly, low vision, and mobile-first customers
SEO Gains
- Search engines reward structured accessibility markup
- Improved indexing of rich media (images, video) with proper ALT and metadata
Brand Trust & CSRG
- Demonstrate digital responsibility and inclusiveness
- Avoid negative brand mentions and accessibility-related takedown request
Legal Audit Readiness
- Full documentation, accessibility logs, and declaration PDFs ready for any audit
Why This Plugin Is Different
Most accessibility tools are either static overlays that simulate compliance (but don’t meet legal criteria) or manual checklists with no real-time enforcement or reports.
BarrierFreeSite vs Other Plugins
| Features |
BarrierFreeSite |
Basic Toolbar Plugins |
|---|---|---|
| Real-Time Audits | true | false |
| Compliance Report PDF | true | false |
| Automated ALT Text | true | false |
| AI Transcripts for Video | true | false |
| Accessibility Statement Generator | true | false |
| Legal Basis (WCAG 2.1 AA, EAA) | true | false |
| Structured WCAG Validation (50 points) | Full | Partial |
| Shopify-native integration | true | ⚠️ Often custom |
How BarrierFreeSite work for our clients?
In Q1 2024, we deployed an early version of BarrierFreeSite
on pelna-zycia.pl
Results:
- 97% WCAG 2.1 AA compliance achieved in 14 days
- 100+ missing ALT tags auto-generated by the plugin
- Contrast errors fixed without touching the theme
- Public accessibility statement published in 3 languages
- Positive feedback from users aged 60+ with visual impairments
FAQ
Yes. ALT text is 1 of 50 WCAG criteria. Compliance includes forms, keyboard flow, color contrast, and much more.
Yes. EAA applies to all digital product/service providers selling in the EU. There are no microbusiness exemptions as of 2025.
Risk of legal fines, forced changes by regulators, SEO ranking loss, and user abandonment.
Absolutely. All layers are responsive, accessible via mobile screen readers, and tested for mobile UX.
No. It runs asynchronously, with no impact on site speed or theme performance.
No developer needed. Just install the app or add the embed script.
Run a Free EAA Compliance Check for Your Store
Don’t wait for the deadline – take control today.
With BarrierFreeSite, your store will:
- Meet current legal requirements
- Be ready for audits or accessibility requests
- Expand your user base
- Improve search and UX quality
- Eliminate legal and financial risk
