Asking about compliance? You may be asking the wrong question

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During a recent presentation about the digital accessibility legal space I was asked a question. It was about a word that pops up with increasing frequency as fear of lawsuits drives too much of the digital accessibility world. The “C” word — compliance. The question was this: If the captions on online videos are 65% accurate do you think that would comply with legal responsibilities?audience question This is the kind of question that arises when people are driven by fear. When people forget what accessibility is about. Even forget what the law is about. Read more… Asking about compliance? You may be asking the wrong question

Building Accessibility into Technology Vendor Contracts

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Want to make sure that accessibility becomes — and stays — part of your organization’s way of doing business? Want to stay ahead of the legal curve and make sure the technology you purchase works for everyone, including your disabled students, customers, patients, employees and members of the public? A key component is having technology vendor contracts that include accessibility. The article posted here offers smart practices for this important aspect of technology procurement. Read more… Building Accessibility into Technology Vendor Contracts

Bank of America Credit Card Rewards Website Agreement

Posted on Updated on April 3, 2018
Bank of America has long been a leader in its commitment to accessible digital content. The agreement posted here concerns accessibility enhancements to the bank’s travel rewards redemption site. This agreement was reached through Structured Negotiations, a collaborative dispute resolution process. Structured Negotiations has been used for twenty years to successfully resolve accessibility claims without lawsuits. Read more… Bank of America Credit Card Rewards Website Agreement

Bank of America Accessible Mortgage Information Agreement

Posted on Updated on April 3, 2018
The settlement agreement posted here details Bank of America’s commitment to improving the accessibility and usability of mortgage documents for customers who are blind. The agreement was reached in Structured Negotiation; no lawsuit was needed or filed. The Law Office of Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian, of the Oakland civil rights firm Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian and Ho represented Bank of America mortgage holder Jessie Lorenz in the negotiation. This agreement reflects Bank of America’s ongoing commitment to its disabled customers, begun more than fifteen years ago when the bank assumed a leadership role in rolling out Talking ATMs and making its online banking platform accessible. Visit the Bank of America Accessibility topic on this website for links to press releases and settlement agreements demonstrating the bank’s accessibility commitment. Read more… Bank of America Accessible Mortgage Information Agreement

Denny’s Announces Digital Accessibility Initiative

Posted on Updated on April 2, 2018
Denny’s Introduces Newly Enhanced Website and Mobile Application Upgraded Platforms Offer Enhanced Accessibility and Functionality for All Users SPARTANBURG, S.C., January 6, 2016 – Denny’s Corporation (NASDAQ: DENN), franchisor and operator of one of America’s largest franchised full-service restaurant chains, today announced its newly upgraded website and mobile application offering an enhanced user experience and greater accessibility for all consumers. Read more… Denny’s Announces Digital Accessibility Initiative

Web Accessibility for Grocers: Winn-Dixie Wasn’t Paying Attention

Posted on Updated on August 11, 2017
Last month the Winn-Dixie grocery chain lost the very first trial under the Americans with Disabilities Act about the accessibility of a private company’s website. A blind shopper had sued the chain when he couldn’t access online coupons and other parts of the company’s website. The judge’s verdict was big news; unlike most accessibility stories it was covered in the mainstream media. But web accessibility for grocery stores is nothing new. If Winn-Dixie had been paying attention, it would have known over three years ago that grocery chains were making their websites accessible. Winn-Dixie should not have waited for the legal knock on the door. When it came, it should not have put up a fight. Read more… Web Accessibility for Grocers: Winn-Dixie Wasn’t Paying Attention

Blind People Cook: A Web Accessibility Story

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Another day, another hit piece against law suits about website accessibility. Typically these articles are best ignored. But a recent piece in the New York Post demands attention. I’ve asked web accessibility leader and home cook extraordinaire Lucy Greco to join me in responding to the article, titled “Lawyers cash in on suits demanding ADA-compliant websites.” You’ll find out below why Lucy’s cooking skills are as relevant to this piece as her web expertise. Read more… Blind People Cook: A Web Accessibility Story

Rejected by the Los Angeles Times

Posted on Updated on July 31, 2017
On June 23, 2017, the Los Angeles Times published an op-ed titled “Is your company’s website accessible to the disabled? You’d better hope so.” The piece was mean spirited and full of inaccuracies about web accessibility. I took the piece’s alternative facts personally because the author wrongly claimed that Bank of America, Charles Schwab, and Safeway had been sued for web accessibility. I knew better — my clients, co-counsel and I had worked with each of these companies in Structured Negotiation. Joseph O’Connor and I tried to submit a response to the Los Angeles Times, but our efforts were rejected. Read more… Rejected by the Los Angeles Times

Digital Accessibility in the New Political Reality

Posted on Updated on January 2, 2017
Five days before the election I wrote a post about what a Donald Trump presidency could do to the ongoing struggle for equality in the digital space. I wrote from my heart and from a place of fear. While I am despondent over the election, and still believe what I wrote on November 3, I realize it was only half the story. Now I feel a new responsibility: to remind us all that digital accessibility is here to stay. That despite obstacles the new administration will throw in the path of progress, disabled people will continue to insist on their civil rights. And the law, possibly battered and bruised, or temporarily in retreat, will be there to help. Read more… Digital Accessibility in the New Political Reality