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

[Susan Kelly]

Just out of curiosity...would this apply to on-line services such as ADP (for payroll, time / attendance, and other HR related matters)?  It is not fully accessible, and thus I have had to give my password - and thus access to all of my personal information and that of my n=beneficiaries/dependents - to co-workers to complete the various tasks that are assigned through that portal.  I would LOVE to be able to cite this to our HR department if others who have had time to read the opinion (I have not yet had the time, thanks to work) believe it applicable.

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David Andrews via blindlaw
Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2015 1:46 PM
To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
Subject: [blindlaw] Fwd: [stylist] FW: Victory in Scribd case: internet-based companies must comply with the ADA

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-sc
>ribd- 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


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