Miami University Faces Accessibility Lawsuit

A visually impaired university attendee, Aleeha Dudley, with the help of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), has filed an accessibility lawsuit opposing Miami University. Ms. Dudley was a remarkable pupil enrolled the school’s zoology program and had ideas of one day becoming a veterinarian, but her aspirations were ruined when course work for her program were incomprehensible for her as a blind student. The accessibility lawsuit declares that the University violated the ADA (American with Disabilities Act) in addition to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act by intentionally not providing necessary supplies for the impaired attendee that would allow her to meet stage necessary requirements. Miami University fell short in delivering items, such as schoolbooks and course materials that could be used by those with visual impairments. If the university had appropriately offered the supplies, Ms. Dudley could have had the opportunity to maintain her grades and sustain her position in the zoology program. Ms. Dudley has fallen behind within her program, not as a result of her abilities but, alas, because of the university's inability to adapt and supply for their impairment students.

The Disability Rights Ohio Advocacy Group and the NFB will be representing the blind student in the accessibility lawsuit. Evidently, Ms. Dudley’s situation is not the first or even the sole visually impaired individual to be discriminated against at Miami University. Other blind students have faced similar discouragements and pointless challenges to efficiently accesses course work and supplies. A university has an incredible chance to insure a brilliant future for those with impairments, but as Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the NFB, said in an announcement regarding this circumstance, the university did not acknowledge its moral and lawful obligations, they failed to supply accessible material for Ms. Dudley’s education. The NFB is taking a stand and claims they will not allow the inequalities happening to Ms. Dudley and or to any other visually impaired students in America. The NFB may fervently pursue this lawsuit and is encouraging other university facilities and educational facilities to take the mandatory measures to ensure accessibility for their students.

The university attendee has described her experience at the school as being a nightmare. Ms. Dudley is now behind her in her degree and may have no chance of fulfilling her dream of becoming a veterinarian. Ms. Dudley explains her actions in submitting the accessibility lawsuit stating she is taking this case on not just for herself, but to support a path for other visually impaired students looking to attend Miami University, so they will not have to experience the same dismal challenges and anguish she had to undergo.

5 great reasons to focus on web accessibility in 2014

Opening the New Year brings resolutions, ambitions, a rejuvenated desire to make changes for the better. New Year’s resolutions cover a broad area ranging from creating food regimens and working out to world influencing decisions. In spite of the resolutions in store for 2014, there's certainly one area business can improve which can have a profound outcome, by setting a new year’s resolution to make the company website easily accessible. Having an easily accessible web site is going to improve the everyday life of individuals with impairments moreover it will generate more visits for to the company's internet site. Become a part of the movement to have online accessibility in 2014.

5 great reasons to focus on web accessibility in 2014:

1. Improve the Everyday Life of Impaired Individuals:
Ensuring a internet website is accessible would permit disabled individuals to have an opportunity to access identical facts, goods or services as other individuals.

2. New Consumers:
Increasing web accessibility will give the opportunity to allow impaired users to visit and navigate a website and may open companies to new clients.

3. Enhanced Usability of a Web-page:
Focusing on web accessibility will not simply help impaired clients navigate a website better, but moreover will help to facilitate the overall performance of a site.

4. Boost Search Engine Optimization and Internet browser Compatibility:
SEO, internet browser capabilities, in addition to accessibility are all attached. The adjustments utilized to further boost web accessibility also may allow website crawlers to locate an internet site more easily. The easier it is for internet crawlers to locate and navigate a website the more an organization will be visible online.

5. Maximize Earnings:
By improving a company's consumer reach as well as improving SEO, will help to acquire new customers and bring in additional sales.

Isn't it time for the web to become similarly accessible for every online client? Businesses ought to take action, support web accessibility and make a new year’s goal to have internet website that is accessible in 2014.

Netflix Web Accessibility Lawsuit; First Online Company to Face Charges

The Netflix lawsuit filed in 2010, was a pivotal web accessibility lawsuit. This case was the first time a company that operated solely online was considered a place of public accommodation and required to provide reasonable access for disabled individuals. The lawsuit is clearly shows that the internet is a public space and all it’s information and resources should have reasonable accommodations for disabled users. Now, businesses that operate at physical store locations or online need to be concerned with web accessibility.

Netflix, an online video store, has agreed to offer closed captioning for all videos available on their website. The National Association for the Deaf (NAD) filled the class action lawsuit back in 2010, stating that the video site was a public space that was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The popular video company put a significant amount of effort trying to dismiss the case on the grounds that ADA does not apply to Netflix because it was replaced by new laws from the FCC to provide rules for captioning online. The Netflix argument did not go through when a Massachusetts Federal judge ruled that the FCC was meant to work with ADA laws and not to replace them.  After a two year battle the class action lawsuit ended with the video service making an agreement to add captioning to all of it’s content by 2014, as well as implement other accessibility changes.

Netflix has Agreed To:

• Adding caption content within 30 days of posting by 2014, by 2015 must be added within 14 days and by 2016 within 7 days.
• Netflix offers video service on over 1,000 devices and captioning is available on many of those devices, but not all. In the future Netflix has made a promise to make significant efforts to work on all devices. However they are not required to work on 100% of all devices.
• $755,000 was awarded to the plaintiffs’ lawyers and $40,000 to go the official order of implementation over the upcoming 4 years.

Learning about #A11y

Internet accessibility is developing into a subject the internet community is conversing about, and for important reasons. Possessing an internet site that permits access to new customers, even those with disabilities, is vital for increasing business, and defends from legal actions due to discrimination. The topic of web accessibility has advanced from something technical that only internet developers, national and government internet websites, or major corporations, have paid attention to. Now, it is having a large impact on the entire internet community. Articles and blog post are sent out daily on the topic and anyone can follow the conversation live on social websites using the #a11y.

The word accessibility is 13 letters long, in an internet world that typically only allows 140 characters. A11y was created to condense the length of a word. The shortened word A11y, a numeronym, is the characters ‘A’ and ‘Y’ with the number 11, representing the characters between the beginning and last letter. A11y is utilized to imply the subject of accessibility or to switch with the word when used in a sentence. Here are a couple of samples:

Use #A11y in a sentence:
Help to increase awareness of web #A11y and support the disabled community.

Place the pound symbol at the back of your post to imply the subject:
Websites must provide equal access to all users. #A11y

Gain knowledge of what A11y means, and becomes part of the discussion to support web accessibility. Website accessibility is continuing to gain importance and weight, as it affects the existence of individuals with disabilities and impacts the visibility of company owned web pages across the globe.

Web Accessibility to be Refreshed in 2014

Moving into 2014, web accessibility is expected to make serious advances and movement throughout the year. Changes are anticipated in everything from finalizing accessibility plans, refreshing current policies, to increased accessibility overall.

The Section 508 that is known today will be refreshed in the upcoming twelve months, the update will call for government establishments to be compliant at level AA of the WCAG 2.0.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was amended in 1998 creating Section 508.  The amendment was created to require government organizations to provide access to all digital information, but with rapid advances in technology the amendment has been unable to cover all areas of accessibility. The coming refresh will attempt to address the uncovered accessibility areas.

The update advances from level A to AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG 2.0 represents the most recent set of suggestions put out by the W3C, the guidelines are composed of specifications to ensure digital technology is usable for disabled individuals. The specifications encompass three degrees of testable guidelines: A, AA and AAA. The levels become more difficult to adjust to as each particular level because the levels build on one another.

Level A: first criteria
Level AA: required to comply with A and AA
Level AAA: required comply with A, AA and AAA

Predicted to be revealed later in the year is the refresh to Section 508, an extension to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that specifies obligatory necessities to obtain web accessibility guidelines. Indicators imply that upgrades are thought to be approved in March preceding any legislative alterations in a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM). Current discussion signifies that preliminary expected conformance date of any proposed changes will be no earlier than 2016 to provide time to put into place new standards.

Structured Negotiations and Website Accessibility

Lawsuits pertaining to web accessibility have currently been in the news, and becoming more relevant to all business owners. Businesses are progressively understanding the risks and danger associated with having an inaccessible website.  Having products, services, and even information that are not accessible to people having impairments can put a business at serious risk for legal action. Many legal proceedings seek substantial payouts for inaccessible websites but, for most accessibility cases making a website usable to individuals with disabilities is more important than receiving a large settlement. To achieve the goal of accessibility some businesses are fortunate to be approached with improving their website through a less damaging approach, through structured negotiations.

What are Structured Negotiations?
Structured negotiations take a cooperative approach to repair website disputes rather than to seek monetary benefits. This technique allows businesses to avoid legal action, while advocates receive an accessible website. Negotiations are made between the advocate party and company, once an agreement is made, a legally binding contract will be created and signed by both parties. This method is increasingly utilized for advocacy groups with a positive outcome. More websites are becoming accessible and helping to generate awareness for web accessibility.

Positive Outcomes for Accessibility
Negotiations have provided remarkable positive aspects for the rights of the impaired. Through these types of discussions there are now; audio pedestrian indicators, voice ATMs, and many establishments that supply POS (point of sale) instruments in their stores. Internet accessibility has become a priority for disability advocates. Many modifications have been made for businesses of all sizes to acquire accessibility and have become devoted to preserving an easily accessible website. A few major organizations that have been involved in accessibility negotiations are; CVS, 7-Eleven, Wells Fargo and the non-profit American Cancer Society.

The danger of a lawsuit continues to be a serious issue and businesses can face serious penalties for not having an accessible website but, negotiations can provide a more amicable solution. The collective approach can assist to implement necessary improvements that are far less costly than a lawsuit. Businesses ought to be aware of all risks linked to having a website that is not usable to individuals with disabilities. If web accessibility enhancements are implemented now, perhaps businesses can evade ever being approached with a lawsuit or negotiations altogether.

Why Educational Institutions Need Web Accessibility

Last summer, the Department of Justice informed that a settlement had been made in the case against Louisiana Tech University to handle claims the university had violated the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). The agreement will repair assertions the educational organization did not follow the ADA by using an online learning device that was not available to a student with visual impairments. The student’s lack of ability to gain access to class materials continued until he became so far behind in class work and was forced to make the decision to withdraw from the course. The agreement also repairs another university class, in which the blind pupil was not offered properly accessible materials for course discussions or exam preparations.

Within the settlement, Louisiana Tech is now going to embody a range of web accessibility guidelines, such as adding a requirement to offer education materials, online resources and course materials that are accessible as well as adjust to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG) Level AA standards. The college will also be certain current web pages and information generated post 2010 are accessible. The agreement also insisted the school provide instruction to its professors and faculty on the ADA specifications. The blind student in this case was awarded with a sum of over $20,000 in damages.

Present day technology, inclusive of web based educational tools, are changing the approach individuals take to attain knowledge, it has to be ensured that people with disabilities are not left in the dark or discriminated against in using these new educational tools, described Eve L. Hill, the Assistant Lawyer General for Civil Rights Division. Stephanie A. Finley, a lawyer for the Western District of Louisiana further expressed that this is a favorable modification by the school. The modifications implicate a desire to make sure that each disabled student has an equal opportunity at Louisiana Tech University.

The Americans with Disabilities Act, in this case Title II, protects the disabled from being discriminated in any activity, service or program of state and government establishments, including universities. Title II demands that government and state establishments must offer disabled individuals equal opportunity to retain all advantages from any services or aids offered.

Sadly, Louisiana Tech is not the sole academic entity to face a web accessibility lawsuit, but what this school did, was make a positive decision to support change and implement required changes. The lawsuit against Louisiana Tech is yet another illustration of how the world wide web does not provide equality to the disabled as well as represents the necessity for every educational institution to provide easily accessible materials on the web and within the classroom.

Why Have An Accessible Website

Why focus on web accessibility?

There are plenty of reasons to consider working to ensure a website is accessible to people with disabilities. There are obvious reasons, like the legal and ethical components that invoke the need to be accessible. Additional motives comprise SEO (search engine optimization), and delivering a responsive website that will operate with all instruments that connect to the web. Arguably, the most important and applicable inspiration for businesses to attain an error free web page and a site that allows access to consumers with disabilities, should be sales. In an analysis performed by the National Federation for the Blind, they found that over 6 million men and women reported having vision impairments. The business world is so competitive; it doesn’t make sense to exclude an entire population of consumers with disabilities. When businesses are examining the need to acquire more customers, they should ask be asking, “is our website fully accessible?”

How web accessibility makes a site usable for disabled individuals?

The ideal place to start is becoming aware of web accessibility and understanding compliance standards. Next, test the web site for problems and errors by using validation tools. Validation tools can scan a website for not only accessibility problems, but also for coding and link issues. Once the website has been examined, work with a dependable internet developer that can help make the necessary changes.

It does not matter if the motivation to create an accessible website is ethical, legal, or sales driven, it is time to ensure all online resources are accessible to everyone. Don't exclude a website from potential business any longer. Keep websites error free by inspecting and maintaining an internet site by utilizing validation tools and making necessary changes.