The class action lawsuit was almost dismissed before a judge ruled that Five Guys’ website did in fact fall under the ADA, since the websites’ incompatibility with screen readers made it impossible for visually impaired users to order food from the site independently (i.e., without assistance from someone without visual impairments).
Nike, along with many of the other companies on this list, failed to design its website to be usable with screen readers, meaning visually impaired users could not use or make purchases from its sites without assistance.Īnother company sued in 2017 over barriers to accessibility for blind and visually impaired users was Five Guys Burgers and Fries.
BIG BUSINESS ON NETFLIX SOFTWARE
For this software to work, websites have to be designed to be compatible with it. Visually impaired users rely on screen-reading software to read text from a website aloud. Nike came under fire in 2017 because both websites it operates – and – were inaccessible to visually impaired users, a very common violation of Title III website accessibility guidelines. This lawsuit helped clarify the importance of website accessibility in ADA Title III, making clear that even companies that have no physical premises can be sued for ADA violation if their websites – their primary “place” of business – is not accessible. As such, this was another early ADA lawsuit highlighting the importance not just of physical accessibility but also digital accessibility. Blue ApronĪ 2017 ADA lawsuit against the meal kit service Blue Apron made a media splash precisely because it lacks a brick-and-mortar store. This case – resting on the complaint that the website was not accessible to visually impaired users relying on screen reader technology – helped paved the way for many similar cases listed below. The judge ruled that because Winn-Dixie’s website was so heavily integrated with its physical stores, it was subject to accessibility requirements outlined in the ADA.
BIG BUSINESS ON NETFLIX TRIAL
Winn-Dixieįive years after the Netflix case, Florida resident Juan Carlos Gil sued grocery store chain Winn-Dixie in what was deemed the first trial of its kind. At the time, the streaming service landscape was much less abundant than it is now: Netflix was the only major online-only movie-watching service, making the disparity in access for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing that much more significant. In 2012, the National Association of the Deaf brought a lawsuit against streaming service Netflix for failing to provide adequate closed captioning on most of its “Watch Instantly” content. Below are just some of the most high-profile cases to make headlines in recent years. Title III ADA lawsuits and settlements can affect companies of all sizes across a wide range of industries. Companies Sued Over Website Accessibility
Today, we look at some of the household names who have been in the news because of web accessibility litigation.
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