Blind Student Hits Target with Class Action Lawsuit
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Using alt tags on your web site is good for SEO purposes and improves site accessibility. If you need another reason to convince you or your clients to use alt tags, how does avoiding a lawsuit strike you? Discount retailer Target found itself on the wrong end of one early last year that just received class action status, thanks to the inaccessibility of its web site to certain users.
The drama started back in February of 2006, when Bruce Sexton Jr., a blind student at the University of California-Berkeley, first filed a lawsuit against Target in Alameda County (it was moved to San Francisco the following month). Sexton serves as the president of the California Association for Blind Students, and filed his suit in association with the National Federation for the Blind. As you probably guessed, there is an agenda here. The whole point of the lawsuit is to focus attention on the plight of blind web surfers, who must use special screen reader technology to navigate web sites.
It’s not just a niche issue, though. “What I hope is that Target and other online merchants will realize how important it is to reach 1.3 million people in this nation and the growing Baby Boomer population who will also be losing vision,” Sexton noted. Thanks for reminding me about my approaching blindness, Sexton; now excuse me while I clean my glasses…
All joking aside, however, this is a serious issue. Site owners should be thinking in terms of accessibility from the very beginning, because it’s much easier to build it in from the ground up than to go back and fix everything. Target’s site is quite large and established, so it would be a lot of work to fix it. Not only is the lack of alt tags a problem, but the site includes image maps that can’t be read by screen readers. This makes it impossible for blind web surfers to navigate Target.com without assistance from a sighted person. Importantly, at the time the lawsuit was filed, certain crucial page elements, such as the “Add to Cart” graphic, did not have alt tags, making the site unusable for any blind web surfer wanting make a purchase.
The US passed laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act to force places of “public accommodation” to make changes to allow access to those with disabilities. This is why many restaurants have ramps to allow those in wheelchairs to get in, and public restrooms boast at least one stall with handrails and enough space to fit the mobility-impaired. The current lawsuit argues that a retailer’s web site is an extension of its physical store, and should therefore be bound by the same laws.
Next: Uphill Battle for Class Action? >>
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