Round up for July, who has been covering online inclusivity?

In this edition, as always, we’ve included some of the highlights from this month such as news from Senators and more dialect on lawsuit trends.

Disability Pride Month

July is Disability Pride Month. On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed. Following this, Boston held the first Disability Pride Day event in July 1990 and Disability Pride Month was born. Now events are held in various cities across the US.

https://www.thevaluable500.com/spotlight/disability-pride-month (opens in a new window)

For Blind Internet Users, the Fix Can Be Worse Than the Flaws

As this article states, the ‘fixes’, mainly overlays, do not make the web more inclusive to users with disabilities, instead users are made to work around them to be able to navigate websites.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/technology/ai-web-accessibility.html (opens in a new window)

What's Happening With Digital Accessibility In 2022

Usablenet’s mid year report is out, and their data is predicting another year of growth for ADA-based digital lawsuits, with almost 100 lawsuits a week being filed, making it another record.

https://blog.usablenet.com/whats-happening-with-digital-accessibility-in-2022 (opens in a new window)

Despite New DOJ Guidance, Many Organizations Haven't Adopted Accessible Web Design

It's been four months, since the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a statement clarifying the technical requirements of digital accessibility under the ADA, but why haven't websites even made a start on making imporvements to their website?

https://www.boia.org/blog/despite-new-doj-guidance-many-organizations-havent-adopted-accessible-web-design (opens in a new window)

DOJ Fails To Report On Making Federal Websites Accessible To Disabled People

A group of Senators have again called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to report on the federal government's compliance with accessibility standards for information technology which is required by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. They haven’t released a report on this since 2012 and the Senators, like us, would like to know why.

https://www.npr.org/2022/06/30/1108737968/federal-websites-accessible-disabled?t=1656662748400 (opens in a new window)

Website Owners: Make Your Website Accessible or Else!

Another article highlights why organizations need to take the ADA and website accessibility seriously – it’s not a topic which is going away, especially as we’ve been discussing lawsuits are continuing to rise.

https://techbullion.com/website-owners-make-your-website-accessible-or-else/ (opens in a new window)

Senator Markey Joins Senator Schatz, Colleagues In Urging Department Of Justice To Ensure Americans With Disabilities Act Applies To The Internet

Another Senator has this month joined the 11 other Senators who are asking the DOJ to restart a rulemaking process under the ADA to establish new rules ensuring that the ADA applies to the Internet.

https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-markey-joins-senator-schatz-colleagues-in-urging-department-of-justice-to-ensure-americans-with-disabilities-act-applies-to-the-internet (opens in a new window)

Down To Business: Number Of Website-Accessibility Lawsuits Continues To Climb

Like we’ve already mentioned, the number of website accessibility lawsuits continues to rise. Many organizations are seen as an easy target by the drive by lawyers.

https://dailygazette.com/2022/07/06/down-to-business-number-of-website-accessibility-lawsuits-continues-to-climb/ (opens in a new window)