When news broke that HP was facing a class action lawsuit over an inaccessible website, it caught the attention of business owners, developers, and accessibility advocates everywhere. According to the complaint, HP’s website contains missing alt text, broken ARIA labels, unlabeled buttons, inaccessible navigation, and other barriers that prevent blind users from accessing the company’s digital services (Src: Top Class Actions).
The timing of all this is interesting. We are heading straight into Black Friday, the moment of the year when websites experience the highest traffic, highest conversions, and highest customer expectations.
Accessibility is not optional. It is part of running a stable, trustworthy online presence.
Start your full accessibility audit
Black Friday Makes Accessibility Failures More Dangerous
Black Friday is the pressure test for websites everywhere. It is when:
- traffic spikes
- errors surface faster
- carts get abandoned instantly
- users have zero patience for broken interfaces
For the millions of users who rely on assistive technologies, inaccessible websites are not just an inconvenience. They are a barrier that blocks them from participating in the biggest sales weekend of the year.
Globally, more than 15 percent of people live with some form of disability and rely on accessibility features to complete online actions (Src: WHO).
If your checkout button, menu, form field, or product gallery is inaccessible, that is real lost revenue during the highest traffic period of the year.
Run a free Black Friday readiness scan
Why HP Is Being Sued
The lawsuit alleges that HP’s site failed to meet basic accessibility standards by including:
- missing or incorrect alternative text
- unlabeled links and buttons
- broken ARIA roles
- inaccessible menus and navigation
- elements that prevent assistive technologies from working
These issues reportedly denied blind users equal access to HP’s digital services (Src: Top Class Actions).
Check your site for these same issues
Accessibility Lawsuits Are Rising Every Year
The HP lawsuit is not an isolated case. Accessibility-related lawsuits have been rising steadily for years across every major industry (Src: Accessibility.com), including:
- retail
- ecommerce
- SaaS
- restaurants
- hospitality
- finance
- healthcare
Many of these lawsuits occur during or shortly after Black Friday, simply because inaccessible websites break down fastest under high traffic pressure.
Protect your business before issues become legal risk
Why Accessibility Matters Beyond Compliance
Accessibility affects the overall health, performance, and user experience of your website.
1. Better user experience for everyone
Clear structure, proper labels, readable contrast, and full keyboard support make navigation easier for all visitors.
2. Better SEO and organic visibility
Google rewards accessible websites because they are easier to crawl and interpret (Src: Google Search Central).
3. Higher conversions (especially on Black Friday)
When menus, forms, and buttons work for everyone, more users complete purchases.
4. Lower long term maintenance costs
Accessible websites break less frequently and scale more easily.
5. Reduced legal and financial risk
Compliance is significantly cheaper than responding to a lawsuit.
See how your site performs for real users
The Most Common Accessibility Issues We Find During Audits
Across all industries, the same issues appear again and again:
- missing alt text
- poor color contrast
- unlabeled or duplicated buttons
- broken ARIA attributes
- incorrect heading structure
- inaccessible navigation menus
- form fields without labels
- keyboard traps
- inaccessible modals and popups
- plugins that block screen reader behavior
Request a full accessibility audit
How To Protect Your Website Before Black Friday and Beyond
Accessibility cannot be solved with:
- a plugin
- a one click overlay
- an automated scan alone
It requires real testing, real remediation, and ongoing monitoring.
Our full audit includes:
- manual screen reader testing
- keyboard-only navigation validation
- ARIA role and label checks
- contrast and readability review
- dynamic element testing
- WCAG 2.1 alignment
- a complete issue list with severity markers
- clear remediation recommendations
Start your full audit with the Accessibility Wizard
Black Friday Limited Time Offer: Free Accessibility Mini Audit
This Black Friday we are offering a free accessibility mini audit. This quick scan checks several of the most common accessibility failures that impact revenue during high traffic periods.
- unlabeled buttons
- missing alternative text
- contrast issues
- navigation problems
- ARIA errors
- screen reader barriers
Claim your free Black Friday mini audit
Final Thoughts
The HP lawsuit is a reminder that accessibility is now a core part of running a stable, trustworthy, and user friendly digital presence. Black Friday makes accessibility problems surface faster and hit harder. A single inaccessible button or broken menu can cost more in one weekend than years of accessibility improvements ever would.
Get your accessibility audit before traffic spikes
The good news is that accessibility is fully fixable. You do not have to wait for a crisis to take action.