What automated accessibility audits do and do not cover.

Every SmileLyra report includes this disclaimer. It is reproduced here for reference.

Scope of automated scanning

Static accessibility engines — axe-core, Lighthouse, and WAVE — inspect the initial DOM and detect approximately 30–40% of WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance failures on their own. A SmileLyra full audit adds two automated methods on top of that baseline: a Playwright-driven interaction scanner that operates each page in a real Chromium browser to test keyboard reachability, visible focus indicators, and errors that only appear after interaction; and an AI-assisted review pass. Together these surface many issues that rule-based scanners alone miss. The audit is fully automated and does not include manual human testing. No automated audit of this kind replaces a complete manual conformance evaluation conducted with assistive technology — screen readers and switch devices — across every user scenario. Issues such as screen reader semantics, reading order, cognitive clarity, and the more nuanced keyboard and focus behaviors of custom widgets still require hands-on verification by a qualified human evaluator.

Not legal advice

SmileLyra reports are informational documents generated by automated tools and AI-assisted review. They are not legal opinions and do not constitute legal advice. The report does not predict whether a regulatory action or lawsuit will be filed. Dental practices seeking legal counsel on ADA Title III or HHS Section 504 compliance should consult a licensed attorney.

No compliance certification

A SmileLyra audit report does not certify that a website is fully compliant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA, ADA Title III, or HHS Section 504. The report identifies barriers detected by automated tools and AI-assisted review. Remediating all identified findings significantly reduces legal risk but does not guarantee immunity from future claims.

No overlay tools

SmileLyra does not recommend accessibility overlay widgets as a compliance solution. Overlay tools do not reliably achieve WCAG conformance and have been the subject of ADA lawsuits.

Contact

Questions about report scope or limitations: teo@smilelyra.com