Accessibility Laws and Regulations

$240,000.00 Jury Verdict in Blind Students’ Accessibility Lawsuit against Community College

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On May 26, 2023 a jury in Los Angeles, California awarded two blind students a little over $240,000.00 in their lawsuit against the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD). The suit was filed in 2017 by students Roy Payan and Portia Mason under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation… Read more… $240,000.00 Jury Verdict in Blind Students’ Accessibility Lawsuit against Community College

Two US Government Agencies Address Online Accessibility in Higher Education: Are Regulations Next?

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On May 19, 2023, two United States federal agencies issued what is known as a “Dear Colleague” letter about the importance of digital accessibility in higher education. A Dear Colleague letter is a tool that government agencies use to convey policy, resources, and commitment on various issues. The higher education digital accessibility letter was jointly… Read more… Two US Government Agencies Address Online Accessibility in Higher Education: Are Regulations Next?

Early Win (and Settlement) for Deaf Plaintiff in VR Captioning Lawsuit

Posted on Updated on April 4, 2023
In 2020, lawyers for Dylan Panarra, a deaf man, filed a cutting edge lawsuit against the HTC corporation, one of the biggest electronics companies in the world. The lawsuit stated that HTC violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) because there is no captioning on the company’s Virtual Reality (“VR”) content. The first court ruling in the case came on April 15, 2022. Read more… Early Win (and Settlement) for Deaf Plaintiff in VR Captioning Lawsuit

Deja Vu All Over Again? DOJ Announces Intent to Adopt Web Accessibility Regulations for State and Local Governments

Posted on Updated on January 9, 2023
The ancient Greek story of Sisyphus tells of a doomed King sentenced forever to push a boulder uphill, only to witness it tumble down again just as he reaches the summit. The centuries-old story carries over to modern day English in the phrase “sisyphean task.” Dictionary.com defines such a task as one that is “seemingly… Read more… Deja Vu All Over Again? DOJ Announces Intent to Adopt Web Accessibility Regulations for State and Local Governments

Two US Government Agencies Warn about Hiring Technology that Discriminates against Disabled Applicants

Posted on Updated on January 1, 2023
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… Two US Government Agencies Warn about Hiring Technology that Discriminates against Disabled Applicants

Kiosk Accessibility: The Law is Paying Attention

Posted on Updated on November 6, 2022
[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.

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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.

Proposed web and software accessibility legislation introduced in United States Congress

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On September 28, 2022 the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act was introduced in both the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. (This is called “bicameral legislation” because the same proposed bill was introduced in both parts (Senate and House ) of the US Congress.) In the Senate the bill was… Read more… Proposed web and software accessibility legislation introduced in United States Congress

Podcasts Need Transcripts: December 2021 lawsuit against SiriusXM

Posted on Updated on August 29, 2022
On December 9, 2021, the National Association of the Deaf (“NAD”) and Disability Rights Advocates (“DRA”) filed a lawsuit against SiriusXM, Stitcher, and Pandora. The companies do not provide transcripts or captions for podcasts. (Sirius purchased Stitcher in 2020 for 325 million dollars. In 2019 it acquired Pandora in a $3.5 billion all-stock transaction.) The… Read more… Podcasts Need Transcripts: December 2021 lawsuit against SiriusXM