Section 1
Why an owner-runnable checklist matters
Accessibility improves when it's actionable, and the technical-specialty framing makes it feel un-actionable for non-technical owners, so they do nothing. In reality, several high-impact barriers are checkable without code, you can see whether your text has enough contrast, whether you can navigate by keyboard, whether your images have meaningful alternative text, whether your video has captions. Running these checks yourself catches a real share of the problems, makes accessibility tangible, and tells you specifically what to hand to a professional for the parts that do need expertise. So the owner-runnable checklist isn't a substitute for professional testing where needed; it's the on-ramp that turns "too technical, ignore it" into "here's what I found and what I need help with." The principle: many common accessibility barriers are checkable by a non-technical owner, making accessibility actionable and clarifying what needs a professional. (This applies the accessibility research cited across this library.) Accessibility feels like a developer's job, so owners ignore it, and that's the real mistake. You can check contrast, keyboard navigation, alt text, and captions yourself, no code required. Running those checks catches real problems and tells you exactly what to hand to a pro. The checklist won't make you an expert; it'll make accessibility something you actually do.
Section 2
The owner's checklist
You can check these yourself: 1, Color contrast. Use a free online contrast checker on your main text/background color combinations. Low contrast fails accessibility and hurts readability for everyone. 2, Keyboard navigation. Put your mouse away and try to use your whole site, menus, links, forms, buttons, with the Tab and Enter keys alone. If you can't reach or operate something, neither can many assistive-tech users. 3, Image alt text. Check whether your meaningful images have descriptive alternative text (your site builder usually shows an "alt text" field). Decorative images can be empty; meaningful ones need description. 4, Video captions. Ensure any meaningful video has accurate captions, for deaf/HoH users and the muted-viewing majority. 5, Text clarity and size. Check that text is reasonably sized and readable, and that you're not relying on color alone to convey meaning (e.g., "click the red button"). 6, Forms. Check that your form fields have visible labels (not just placeholder text) and that error messages are clear, forms are your highest-stakes conversion point. Hand these to a professional: Full screen-reader testing and conformance auditing. Anything you found that you don't know how to fix. A definitive WCAG-conformance or legal determination. And avoid accessibility-overlay widgets as a shortcut, they don't reliably deliver real accessibility or legal protection.
Section 3
The owner's accessibility checklist, in one view
The takeaway: accessibility feels like a developer's specialty, which makes non-technical owners ignore it, but many of the most common barriers are checkable by you, with no code: color contrast (a free checker), keyboard navigation (Tab/Enter through your site), image alt text, video captions, text clarity, and form labels. Running these yourself catches a real share of the problems, makes accessibility tangible, and tells you exactly what to hand to a professional (screen-reader auditing, conformance, legal determinations), while avoiding the overlay shortcut that delivers neither real accessibility nor real protection. The checklist won't make you an expert, but it turns accessibility from an intimidating technical specialty you avoid into a concrete set of checks you actually run. This is general guidance, not legal advice. (The checklist synthesizes the accessibility research established across this library.)
Section 4
Execute This With AI
Step 1, Inputs. Note your site builder/platform and your key pages (especially forms). Step 2, Run the prompt: You are an accessibility coach for a NON-TECHNICAL business owner. Many common barriers are checkable without code: color contrast (free checker), keyboard navigation (Tab/Enter), image alt text, video captions, text clarity (not color-alone), form labels/errors. I run these myself; I hand screen-reader auditing, conformance, and legal determinations to a pro. Avoid overlay-widget shortcuts. My platform: [X]. My key pages (esp. forms): [LIST]. Do four things: 1. Turn the checklist into step-by-step instructions for MY platform (where to find alt text, etc.). 2. Tell me exactly how to run the keyboard and contrast checks myself. 3. Help me record what I find in a simple format I can hand to a professional. 4. Tell me which findings I can likely fix myself vs. which need a pro. Make accessibility something I can actually do today. Step 3, Run it now. Do the keyboard test on your most important page (your contact/booking form), "can I complete it with Tab and Enter alone?", and a contrast check on your main text. Record what you find. Tools and expected output. Any frontier chat model, plus a free contrast checker and your keyboard. Expect platform-specific instructions, how-to for the self-checks, a recording format, and a fix-yourself-vs-pro split. The QA discipline: the self-checklist catches common barriers but isn't a full conformance audit, hand screen-reader testing, conformance, and legal determinations to a qualified professional, and don't rely on overlay widgets. This is general guidance, not legal advice. The model coaches the checks; running them yourself (and a pro for the rest) delivers the accessibility. Accessibility feels like a developer's specialty, which makes non-technical owners ignore it, but many of the most common barriers are checkable by you, with no code: color contrast, keyboard navigation, image alt text, video captions, text clarity, and form labels. Run these yourself to catch a real share of the problems, make accessibility tangible, and learn exactly what to hand to a professional, while skipping the overlay shortcut that delivers nothing real. The checklist won't make you an expert; it turns accessibility from an intimidating thing you avoid into a concrete set of checks you actually run today. Start with the keyboard test on your booking form, if you can't complete it with Tab and Enter, neither can many of your visitors.
Section 5
Keep reading
Keep reading in the Accessibility & the EAA cluster and across the library: [The Business Case for Accessibility (Beyond Compliance)](/blog/the-business-case-for-accessibility-beyond-compliance), [Keyboard Navigation: The Accessibility Test Most Service Sites Fail](/blog/keyboard-navigation-the-accessibility-test-most-service-sites-fail), [Is Your Website Breaking the Law? A Plain-English Accessibility Checklist](/blog/is-your-website-breaking-the-law-a-plain-english-accessibility-checklist). Also relevant: [The Motion Accessibility Mistake That Excludes Real Customers](/blog/the-motion-accessibility-mistake-that-excludes-real-customers), [The Service-Business Website Priority Stack: What to Fix First When Everything Needs Work](/blog/the-service-business-website-priority-stack-what-to-fix-first-when-everything-needs-work), [When to Rebrand: A Decision Framework for Service Business Owners](/blog/when-to-rebrand-service-business).