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

[Applebutter Hill]

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=