[nfbwatlk] [Wcb-l] Fwd: No more excuses: ADA alreday covers websites (andSection 504 too)

[Debby Phillips]

What's that old saying about, They came for the Communists, but I 
didn't speak up, because I wasn't one.  They came for....  Well, 
if we don't speak out about this whether it affects us or not, 
are we not allowing another disability group to be discriminated 
against? The question I have is this though: would they stand up 
with us if a website is not accessible for us?    Debby

 ---- Original Message ------
From: Marlaina Lieberg <1guidedog at gmail.com
Subject: [Wcb-l] Fwd: No more excuses: ADA alreday covers 
websites (andSection 504 too)
Date sent: Fri, 26 Jun 2015 10:08:29 -0700





Marlaina and guide dog, Nisha
1guidedog at gmail.com




Begin forwarded message:

From: Lainey Feingold <LF at LFLegal.com
Subject: No more excuses: ADA alreday covers websites (and 
Section 504 too)
Date: June 25, 2015 at 6:11:52 PM PDT
To: Lainey Feingold <LF at LFLEGAL.COM

Colleagues:

Today the U.S.  Department of Justice filed "Statements of 
Interest" in cases against Harvard and MIT filed by the National 
Association of the Deaf.  The lawsuits allege that the 
universities failed to caption online video content and that the 
failure violated the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitiation 
Act.  The DOJ documents support NAD's position.

The universities argued that the court should throw the cases out 
of court because the ADA and 504 don't cover websites.  The 
schools also argued that the court should wait for the Title III 
web regulations.  The DOJ couldn't have written a stronger brief 
(one in each case).  The ADA already covers websites.  There is 
no need to wait for regulations.

This is not the first time the DOJ has reminded us all that the 
ADA already covers websites, just the most recent.  For other DOJ 
activity, see the digital access legal update I wrote in March 
at: http://lflegal.com/2015/03/legal-update-csun15/ 
<http://lflegal.com/2015/03/legal-update-csun15/>.  Another 
update coming soon.

Here are the links to today's legal filings:

DOJ Statement of Interest in MIT case: http://1.usa.gov/1BFdCqs 
<http://1.usa.gov/1BFdCqs

DOJ Statement of Interest in Harvard case: 
http://1.usa.gov/1J8Edfl <http://1.usa.gov/1J8Edfl

Happy reading,  Lainey


Lainey Feingold
Law Office of Lainey Feingold
http://lflegal.com/ <http://lflegal.com/
510.548.5062
LF at LFLegal.com <mailto:LF at LFLegal.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LFLegal <http://twitter.com/LFLegal

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