Target Looses Lawsuit To Blind Users

PRIORITE
Creative Commons License photo credit: Rhian vK

If you have been following the latest news in accessibility and retail, then you’ve heard of the lawsuit between the retail giant Target and blind users of the internet. Let’s say you wanted to to buy something online from Target. You could not, and more importantly, you would be discriminated against. All because Targets website is inaccessibly designed. But because of the lawsuit, the Target  that’s going to be changed. Target has been ordered by the courts to pay $6 million on the class action lawsuit against them.

Here’s a quote from the ruling:

“Furthermore, the settlement requires Target to implement internal guidelines to make its site more accessible to the blind by Feb. 28, 2009, with assistance from the NFB. The retailer and the NFB have agreed to a three-year relationship during which the advocacy group will keep testing the site to make sure it is accessible to the blind who use technologies such as screen-reading software. NFB said it will certify the site through its own certification program once the improvements are completed.”

Happy 4th!
Creative Commons License photo credit: The Wandering Angel

This is great news for web standards, accessibility, and the many disabled and other users everywhere!

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About the Author

Martin

Member of the GAWDs and Web Standards Group. As a member of the Web Standards Group, as well as membership in the Guild of Accessible Web Designers, I strive to achieve maximum website accessibility in my designs, while using the latest, cutting-edge eXtensible HyperText Mark-up Language/CSS markup. My sites fully validate with the W3C standards for XHTML/CSS, as well as comply with the W3C's WAI - A, AA, or AAA standards. Separation of Content from presentation and a site that fully complies with this philosophy - will reach more than just your intended audience, it'll reach everyone! Web standards at FierceStreet Networks is all about usability - XHTML for content, and CSS for presentation.

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