Were You Unable to Shop or Order Online from Amazon? That Could Be Discrimination
Did you recently try to shop on Amazon or to place an order, only to realize that the website was not ADA-accessible and posed barriers to you because of your blindness or low vision? Business websites throughout South Florida, including both smaller in-person companies that do some business over the web as well as nationwide ones like Amazon that are entirely web-based, can violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when their websites are not accessible to shoppers with disabilities. Companies like Amazon and others that serve the public, regardless of their size, must comply with ADA accessibility requirements. If they fail to comply with those requirements, it may be unlawful discrimination.
What constitutes unlawful discrimination under the ADA when you are trying to shop online or make an order? Our Palm Beach Gardens ADA violation lawyers can explain in more detail.
How Businesses Like Amazon Can Fail to Address Online Shopping and Ordering Barriers
How do businesses like Amazon fail to address online shopping and ordering barriers for people who are blind or have low vision? There are many different ways, and the following are just some common examples:
- Providing the majority of information about a product through an image without providing any alternative text (or, “alt text”) for that image;
- Requiring the buyer to fill out an online form in order to place an order;
- Having products or subpages that have mouse-only navigation; and
- Advertising products where the advertisements are incompatible with screen readers.
ADA Requirements for Website-Based Businesses Like Amazon
Under Title III of the ADA, any business that is a “public accommodation” (which means a business that serves the public in any way) must comply with the ADA and meet the requirements for accessibility. Failure to do so can amount to discrimination.
What are the specific website requirements for businesses under Title III of the ADA? Although the US Department of Justice does not have a specific list of requirements that must be followed, businesses must ensure that all users can equally access the information contained on their websites regardless of disability, including blindness, low vision, deafness, and other types of physical disabilities for which there can be barriers to screen access.
Businesses must ensure that images on their websites have alt text, that all components of their websites are compatible with screen readers or other similar accessibility tools, and that shoppers regardless of their disabilities can access information on the website and make a purchase in the same manner as a customer with a disability.
Contact a Palm Beach Gardens ADA Violation Lawyer Today
If you experienced any difficulty shopping or ordering online from Amazon or from another major retailer, you may have experienced unlawful discrimination. It is critical for businesses to ensure that their websites are ADA-compliant, and for these businesses to be held accountable when their websites are not in compliance with requirements under the ADA. One of the experienced Palm Beach Gardens ADA violation attorneys at Sconzo Law Office can speak with you today to learn more about the website difficulties you experienced and to discuss filing an ADA claim. Contact our firm for additional information.
Source:
ada.gov/resources/web-guidance/
