Blind Man Wins Website Accessibility Lawsuit

In a lawsuit that poses concerns for any business with a website, a judge has ruled that a Colorado luggage store’s website lacked accessibility features for blind consumers, thus violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and a California Anti-Discrimination law. The site does not have things like screen-reading software, which allows the blind to navigate the Internet. The defendant “presented sufficient evidence that he was denied full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, privileges, and accommodations offered by the defendant because of his disability,” Judge Bryan F. Foster of the San Bernadino Superior Court wrote. The luggage store must pay $4,000 and make changes to its website, and cover the more than $100,000 in legal fees owed to the defendant’s team.