The Digital Accessibility Protection & Education Network (DAPEN) exists for one reason: to help small business owners understand digital accessibility rules in plain English and avoid becoming easy targets for predatory demand letters. We focus on clarity, practical steps, and reactive protection if you’re ever targeted.
Our Role
We explain how accessibility laws apply to typical business websites, what usually triggers complaints, and how to reduce risk without blowing up your roadmap. No scare tactics, no legal jargon — just the facts and the steps that matter.
- Understand the rules: What accessibility means for a small business site and where owners commonly get tripped up.
- Avoid easy mistakes: Simple changes that reduce your risk of being singled out by firms hunting for quick settlements.
- Be prepared: If a letter arrives, you’re not alone — you’ll have a response process ready through the DAPEN® Defense Fund.
The DAPEN® Defense Fund (Reactive Protection)
If you receive an ADA website demand letter or similar notice, the Defense Fund activates. Our goal is to help you respond promptly and credibly, and to remediate the specific issues cited in the letter.
How it works
- Register for the Defense Fund and keep your subscription active.
- Forward the letter (or email) to the address we provide after registration.
- Attorney review — An ADA-focused attorney reviews the claims and drafts a response on your behalf.
- Developer remediation — An accessibility developer fixes the issues identified in the letter on the pages in scope and documents the changes.
- Response + documentation — We deliver a response package and remediation summary you can provide to the claimant.
- Next steps — You’ll receive clear guidance on what to improve going forward to reduce repeat targeting.
What’s included
- Attorney review of the letter and drafted response tailored to your situation.
- Remediation of the specific website issues cited in the letter (within the agreed scope).
- Documentation of fixes and practical recommendations to prevent similar claims.
Eligibility & scope
- Coverage applies to letters received while your subscription is active.
- Scope focuses on your public-facing website (excludes separate apps, third-party platforms, or services you don’t control).
- The Defense Fund addresses demand letters and related pre-litigation correspondence. It does not include court representation.
What’s not included
- Payment of settlements, fines, or damages.
- Court/ongoing litigation defense beyond response letters.
- Broad site rebuilds or new features not related to the letter’s claims.
For pricing and full terms, visit Get Protected or see the Defense Fund details.
Why businesses get targeted
Most demand letters point to basic issues: missing text alternatives, poor color contrast, keyboard traps, unclear form labels, inaccessible PDFs, or media without captions/transcripts. These are fixable. Knowing what matters — and documenting improvements — lowers your risk profile.
Questions?
If you’ve received a letter or want to prepare before you ever do, reach out on our Contact Us page.
Reviewed/Updated: August 2025
Important: DAPEN provides educational information and coordinated response services through licensed attorneys and developers. We are not your law firm, and this site is not legal advice. Engagement terms apply to Defense Fund services.