[blindlaw] Fwd: [stylist] FW: Victory in Scribd case: internet-based companies must comply with the ADA

[David Andrews]

FYI:

Dave





>Hello Friends,
>As many of you know, I did a little consulting, PR and writing about the
>online subscription library Scribd, which is inaccessible to authors and
>readers with print disabilities. NFB filed a law suit against them last
>summer. The following is from a deaf-blind lawyer at the firm Disability
>Rights Advocates and is hot off the presses. I think it's a landmark
>decision which will hopefully have long term benefits for those of us
>seeking online access.
>Donna
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Haben Girma [mailto:habengirma at gmail.com]
>Sent: Friday, March 20, 2015 9:14 PM
>Subject: Victory in Scribd case: internet-based companies must comply with
>the ADA
>
>
>Dear Friends,
>
>I'm pleased to share exciting news: yesterday, March 19, 2015, Judge William
>K. Sessions III issued a beautifully written opinion holding that companies
>providing services through websites and apps must comply with the Americans
>with Disabilities Act (ADA).
>
>Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) filed a lawsuit last year in the U.S.
>District Court for the District of Vermont against San Francisco-based
>Scribd, Inc. for failing to design its website and apps in a manner
>accessible to blind readers. Rather than providing access to blind readers
>who want to read the more than 40 million books and documents in the Scribd
>collection, Scribd moved to dismiss the case alleging that the ADA exempts
>businesses that operate exclusively online.
>
>Confirming what DRA, NFB, and other advocates have argued, the Court ruled
>on March 19th that the ADA does indeed cover online businesses. "Now that
>the internet plays such a critical role in the personal and professional
>lives of Americans, excluding disabled persons from access to covered
>entities that use it as their principal means of reaching the public would
>defeat the purpose of this important civil rights legislation," the Court
>wrote.
>
>The Court's ruling signals to online businesses the importance of designing
>websites and apps for accessibility. The decision impacts all entities that
>conduct business in Vermont over the Internet, and just about every online
>business has customers in Vermont. Through this case, Disability Rights
>Advocates works to change attitudes about accessibility not only at Scribd,
>but throughout the digital services industry. We hope companies will feel
>inspired to make their services accessible after reading the Court's
>decision.
>
>Advocates around the country celebrate the Court's confirmation that the ADA
>applies to online businesses. Only one other court has held that the ADA
>covers virtual businesses, National Association of the Deaf v. Netflix, Inc.
>Together, the Scribd and Netflix decisions promise Americans with
>disabilities that the ADA's protections apply to services over the Internet.
>
>A copy of our client NFB's press release and the Court's opinion is here:
>http://dralegal.org/pressroom/press-releases/dra-achieves-victory-in-scribd-
>case-internet-based-companies-must-comply.
>
>Hope you will celebrate this weekend!
>
>Best,
>Haben=

         David Andrews and long white cane Harry.
E-Mail:  dandrews at visi.com or david.andrews at nfbnet.org