[il-talk] Accessibility of Hotel Online Reservation Systems

[Kelly Pierce]

Architects and construction companies did not design and build
fireproof buildings until people sued building owners over their
negligence and government started strictly enforcing modern fire
safety regulations. Web developers are not aware of Web access issues
because employers and businesses are not demanding it or even putting
it into their contracts explicitly. Most accessibility laws like the
ADA operate only when a person with a disability decides to enforce
the law them self. So far it seems Michal has complained about
inaccessible hotel websites but not obtained the services of an
attorney to enforce access laws against the travel and lodging
companies.

Kelly


On 5/4/18, David Andrews via IL-Talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Sorry I am responding late, but .....
>
> In an idea world companies would make their web
> sites accessible upfront. However, there are lots
> of reasons why this doesn't happen.
>
> There are millions of existing sites out there.
> Many developers do not know about accessibility,
> it isn't even on their radar. Sites don't often
> hear from disabled users, and/or don't hear in a
> constructive way. Some developers think
> accessibility is hard, or it doesn't apply to them, or lots of other
> reasons.
>
> So, we just keep chipping away, with contact,
> education, outreach, law suits etc.  Change takes
> time and takes many different kinds of efforts, there just isn't'  one
> answer.
>
> Dave
>
> At 11:29 AM 4/28/2018, you wrote:
>>Why not just make the website accessible from
>>the start? Websites are constantly being
>>updated. I don’t see a cost issue. Julieta
>>Kindlund Meyer > On Apr 28, 2018, at 10:12 AM,
>>David Andrews via IL-Talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>wrote: > > I know the technology folks in
>>Baltimore work with a variety of companies on an
>>ongoing basis -- but I can't say specifically if
>>they have talked to this group. > > Dave > > At
>>03:23 PM 4/23/2018, you wrote: >> Dave, >> >>
>>Thank you for this information. Have we ever
>>reached out to those companies regarding this
>>issue? Going after hundreds of independent
>>websites would undoubtedly be costly and
>>probably inefficient, but if the problem is
>>caused by only a handful of actors, making
>>significant accessibility improvements in this
>>area might be a realistic goal. >> >>
>>Michal >> >> Sent from Mail for Windows 10 >> >>
>>From: David Andrews via IL-Talk >> Sent:
>>Saturday, April 21, 2018 2:30 PM >> To: NFB of
>>Illinois Mailing List >> Cc: David Andrews >>
>>Subject: Re: [il-talk] Accessibility of Hotel
>>Online Reservation Systems >> >> I have noticed
>>this, was hotel shopping a year ago, for a trip,
>>and >> had particular trouble with date pickers.
>>I think the main cause is >> that most hotels
>>are owned by 3 or 4 big companies, who are using
>>the >> same inaccessible components to construct
>>their web sites. >> >> >> Dave >> >> At 12:50 PM
>>4/21/2018, you wrote: >> >Hi All, >> > >> >I
>>have noticed that online hotel reservation
>>platforms (both those >> >provided by the hotels
>>themselves through their websites and
>>those >> >run by third-party sites) tend to have
>>more access barriers than >> >websites of other
>>businesses. Have any of you gotten the
>>same >> >impression? If so, why might the hotel
>>booking sector have a >> >disproportionately
>>high inaccessibility rate? Could it be,
>>perhaps, >> >because more people prefer to
>>reserve rooms over the phone >> >regardless of
>>web accessibility, and therefore do not complain
>>when >> >they encounter an inaccessible hotel
>>website? >> > >> >Best, >> > >> >Michal > > >
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