Accessibility Laws and Regulations

Hacking Accessible Pedestrian Signals is Not a Joke: It’s a Civil Rights Violation Audible signals are a critical safety tool for Blind pedestrians and advocacy is why we have them

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On April 12, 2025 the top story on the Palo Alto (California) online news site was “Silicon Valley Crosswalk Buttons Apparently Hacked to Imitate Musk, Zuckerberg Voices” It told the story, covered by other media too, of how someone hacked into audible pedestrian signals so they broadcast messages such as “From undermining democracy, to cooking… Read more… Hacking Accessible Pedestrian Signals is Not a Joke: It’s a Civil Rights Violation Audible signals are a critical safety tool for Blind pedestrians and advocacy is why we have them

Accessibility is a Civil Right: Lainey Feingold’s 2025 CSUN Digital Accessibility Legal Update Short article with slide deck and recording

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On March 13, 2025 I offered the United States digital accessibility legal update as a featured presentation at the 40th annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference in Anaheim California. I began attending the conference 25 years ago, and this year was one of many times I’d given the legal update. This time was different. Jump to:… Read more… Accessibility is a Civil Right: Lainey Feingold’s 2025 CSUN Digital Accessibility Legal Update Short article with slide deck and recording

In 2022 US Government Agencies Warned about Artificial Intelligence Hiring Tech that Discriminates against Disabled Applicants In 2025 a legal complaint was filed on these issues

Posted on Updated on March 19, 2025
The unemployment rate for people with disabilities in the United States is at an unacceptable high rate. As the US Bureau of Labor Statistics stated in a February 2022 informational release: “Across all educational attainment groups, unemployment rates for persons with a disability were higher than those for persons without a disability.” Two new resources from the US federal government address one type of barrier to the employment of disabled people: Algorithmic and Artificial Intelligence (AI) hiring tools that discriminate. Read more… In 2022 US Government Agencies Warned about Artificial Intelligence Hiring Tech that Discriminates against Disabled Applicants In 2025 a legal complaint was filed on these issues

Two Federal Actions Address Disability and Accessibility More on federal DEIA programs and Department of Education processing of complaints

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I recently came across two documents from the trump administration that indicate that the administration may consider disability issues differently than race, gender, and gender identity issues. As explained below, I share these here with some trepidation. Jump to: February 5, 2025 memo from the US Office of Personnel ManagementDepartment of Education lifts freeze on… Read more… Two Federal Actions Address Disability and Accessibility More on federal DEIA programs and Department of Education processing of complaints

Lawsuit filed to Block trump DEIA Executive Orders "In the United States," says the legal complaint, "there is no king."

Posted on Updated on February 23, 2025
I was glad to learn that a lawsuit was filed in federal court challenging two Executive Orders published shortly after trump became president. These sweeping (and unlawful) executive orders attack diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) from many angles. I was also glad to see that the first line of the introduction to the legal… Read more… Lawsuit filed to Block trump DEIA Executive Orders "In the United States," says the legal complaint, "there is no king."

Web Accessibility Lawsuit Moves Forward Against the State of Louisiana Judge refuses to throw case out of court just because deadlines for Title II technical standards are in the future.

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The deadline for state and local governments in the United States to meet the 2024 rule about web and mobile accessibility are coming up in 2026 and 2027, depending on the size of the government agency. I illustrated this article with an image of an hour glass to represent the idea that time is running… Read more… Web Accessibility Lawsuit Moves Forward Against the State of Louisiana Judge refuses to throw case out of court just because deadlines for Title II technical standards are in the future.

Top Lawyers in 16 States Push Back on anti-DEIA Executive Orders "Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility best practices are not illegal"

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February 13, 2025 brought welcome news in the ongoing resistance to the federal executive orders attacking diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. The Multi-State Guidance Concerning Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Employment Initiatives is a breath of fresh air (like the flower breaking through pavement illustrating this article) in the face of illegal and unjust pronouncements… Read more… Top Lawyers in 16 States Push Back on anti-DEIA Executive Orders "Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility best practices are not illegal"

Another Web Access Overlay Company Sued by a Small Business Class action lawsuit against UserWay alleges violations of Delaware Consumer Fraud Act and other laws

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Another class action lawsuit has been filed by a small business that purchased an overlay monthly subscription, yet still got hit with a lawsuit claiming its website was not accessible. This suit against UserWay by a small online florist, described below, is similar in scope to the class action lawsuit filed against AccessiBe, another overlay… Read more… Another Web Access Overlay Company Sued by a Small Business Class action lawsuit against UserWay alleges violations of Delaware Consumer Fraud Act and other laws

Kiosk Accessibility: The Law is Paying Attention

Posted on Updated on February 14, 2025
[Latest UpdateJune 28, 2022] Digital accessibility is not just about websites, and the law is taking notice. This post, updated with new developments, highlights cases about kiosk accessibility. I use the term “kiosk” broadly to include tablets and any piece of technology offering services, products, and information. Who will use that technology? People — and that means disabled people. Read more… Kiosk Accessibility: The Law is Paying Attention

New regulations for kiosks and self-service transaction machines? We’ve been here before.

Posted on Updated on February 12, 2025
On September 21, 2022 the United States Access Board, a federal government agency, issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making (ANPRM) about kiosks. The Notice is about the details for making self-service kiosks (alternatively referred to as self-service transaction machines (SSTMs)) independently usable by people with disabilities. The image accompanying this article is an… Read more… New regulations for kiosks and self-service transaction machines? We’ve been here before.