Heard about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) web accessibility lawsuits? Do you have an idea about ADA web accessibility? If not, don’t worry, you are not alone; there are many people who are unaware of these lawsuits.
ADA was turned into law in 1990 for the prevention of discrimination. The main aim of this law to avoid any kind of discrimination against any group that had to experience any hurdle. According to this law, it is illegal not to provide product or service to the disabled people.
When the ADA was signed, the internet was still in its infancy; but it is clear that it applies to the web accessibility as well. Many websites are not accessible for people with disability. This puts them at a huge disadvantage in today’s advanced world.
In this post, we have listed everything you need to know about the ADA web accessibility lawsuits. A recap of the highlights and download of the report is made available to republish and share for free at https://blog.usablenet.com/2018-ada-web-accessibility-lawsuit-recap-report. Continue reading to know more.
Increase in the Lawsuits Filed
The trend of federal lawsuits against the businesses and government is increasing. Many people mentioned that the websites of businesses violate the ADA. This is because websites are not easily accessible to disabled people.
In 2017, there were 814 web-accessibility related lawsuits against companies of different industries, ranging from restaurants to e-commerce websites. The number has increased to 2285 lawsuits in 2018; it can be said that there has been a 181% increase in the number of filed cases.
One of the reasons for the increased lawsuits is insufficient information and guidance provided by the government.
Places Where Lawsuits Were Filed
All over the US, people have filed ADA web accessibility lawsuit. The majority cases, however, are brought to Florida and New York. According to the survey, 96% of the filings are in Florida and New York. This doesn’t mean that the targeted companies are located in these cities only.
Since the lawsuits are being filed everywhere in the state, the top states include California, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. An important thing to note here is that this movement does not only have a nationwide impact, but rather an international impact. Additionally, it was reported 11% of the companies that are sued has headquarters in Brazil, France, Japan, and Italy. Hence, this trend has become global and many companies are at a risk.
Most Affected Industries
When it comes to the industries impacted by this movement, there are plenty of them. However, most affected industries are food service, banking & financial, entertainment, retail, self-service, and travel & hospitality.
A Final Word
Therefore, there will be a rise in the lawsuit in the coming year as well if the Department of Justice (DOJ) doesn’t come up with an actionable course. A word of advice for the organizations is to understand where they are regarding web accessibility by referring to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). With the help of this, businesses and companies can make sure they are complying with the regulations and standards and may be able to avoid the lawsuits.
About The Author
Jason C. Taylor is the Chief Innovation Strategist and Advisor to the UsableNet CEO with nearly 20 years of experience in usability and accessibility. He is a global technology thought leader for multichannel customer engagement, actively advising leading companies on how to extend their brands across multiple channels for all users. He has been an active member of the accessibility and usability communities since 2001 which started with leading partnerships between UsableNet, Macromedia (now Adobe) and The Nielsen Norman Group.
Contact The Author: jason@usablenet.com, http://www.usablenet.com Tel: +1 212 965 5388