ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuits Are On The Rise
Monday, July 2, 2018
Written by Jane Markley
Tags: ADA Compliance ADA Compliant Websites PD/GO Websites Accessible Websites WCAG Vero Beach Web Design
An estimated 19 percent of the United States population can’t read this sentence without assistive technology, like screen readers, speech recognition or closed captioning. If you’re not familiar with the needs of this population, you may be putting your business at risk for a potential lawsuit by not complying with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This same 1990 civil rights legislation that mandated modifications like installing automatic door openers, handicapped parking and wheelchair ramps was expanded in 2000 to include the Internet and websites.
Hooters is one of the latest in a string of companies facing claims that their website does not provide proper accessibility features for the blind, a violation of the ADA. In April 2017, Dennis Haynes filed a lawsuit alleging that the hot wings restaurant violated the ADA with a website that wasn’t compatible with JAWS Screen Reader Software. Without that, Haynes, who is blind, cannot read the content of the website, according to his suit. Another similar lawsuit was filed against Hooters in September 2016.
In the last few years, there has been an unprecedented rise in the number of lawsuits against businesses whose websites are not compliant for users with disabilities. In fact, Florida ranks number two in the nation for the most lawsuits of this nature. Defending cases against them can cost businesses a significant amount of money in legal fees and settlements.
BETTER ACCESSIBILITY BENEFITS EVERYONE
Having an ADA-compliant website is a best practice that can provide your business with an opportunity to increase your customer base by potentially reaching more than 56 million people with disabilities who find it challenging to visit a brick-and-mortar store, allowing them instead to easily shop online in the comfort of their own home.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR WEBSITE ACCESSIBLE
It can be daunting to regularly review and keep your website ADA compliant. PD/GO Digital Marketing offers services that can help. For more information or to request a quote, email or call 888.354.4946 x1.