Litigation against higher education institutions for non-compliance with online ADA shows no sign up slowing down, with recent cases against Harvard (opens in a new window), Berkeley (opens in a new window), Colgate (opens in a new window), Mercer (opens in a new window), Lafayette and Loyola (opens in a new window) – to name but a few.
Last week we wrote about new cases already being reported in 2023 (opens in a new window). No doubt we will see more and more cases being reported over the next few weeks. But what’s happened in the last week?
Key figure on 'online' accessibility bill moves from congress to senate.
To kick the new year off we’re hosting another webinar! This webinar will cover Vendor and Supplier Management, it’s open to all AAAtraq members and will be held on Tuesday, January 17th 2023 at 9:30 PST / 5:30 GMT / 12:30 EST.
The start of the year often brings about a series of changes with people making new year’s resolutions and organizations starting new campaigns. However, one change we haven’t seen is website ADA legal demands, it’s only a few days into the year and we’re already seeing stories hitting the headlines.
One question that organizations often ask is whether laws relating to website and online accessibility can be applied to them. There can be misconceptions that somehow if an organization is of a particular size or in particular sector, it means they are exempt. The truth is that there are virtually no exemptions – the law affects every organization in the US.
Throughout society there is a call to be increasingly inclusive. Yet more than 30 years after the establishment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, as well as recurring lawsuits for alleged inaccessible content in violation of the 1973 US Rehabilitation Act, high-branded institutions such as Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley (UCL Berkeley), are failing to achieve digital inclusion for Americans with a wide range of disabilities.
Why do so many organisations have websites that fail their basic legal requirement of being accessible to people living with disabilities and open themselves up to the risk of litigation?
When it comes to making a website accessible to ensure it meets the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or other similar legislation, the immediate assumption is that this is an area purely for IT, the web or digital team, or a digital agency partner. Most business stakeholders will assume it’s “just one for the techies” to sort out, and a technical problem that can be fixed.
Receiving a demand letter from a legal firm with the potential threat of legal action can be stressful. But it’s becoming an everyday part of running a business.
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