A landmark website accessibility case in the US involving Target.com rumbles along. For anyone not aware of this case, Target has a website that is not accessible to blind users.
The NFB (the US National Federation for the Blind) and a blind internet user brought a case against Target. The court has so far ruled that:
- the website is inaccessible to blind users and
- a class action may be brought.
Target now argues that it has made improvements to its website to improve accessibility and requested the court to declare the continuing legal case "moot" ie of no import. The judge refused to make such a ruling because, she pointed out, accessibility aspects of the website have been improved but there are still problems and, as new pages are added daily, the problems persist.
This case could have ramifications for UK based businesses as websites are accessible worldwide. Compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 requirements in the UK should be sufficient, but how many businesses are absolutely sure that their website meets UK standards?
Mandy Webster
Data Protection Consulting
In particular, there is no alternative text for images, no headings (which screen readers use to navigate) and keyboard navigation does not work, you have to use a mouse. To use a mouse, you need to be able to see.
www.dp-smart.co.uk 
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