Target becomes target of class-action suit
Target faces a class-action lawsuit this week because their website was deemed inaccessible for those with disabilities like blindness. The judge struck down a motion to drop the case stating that Target must make its website accessible to those with disabilities just as if they were shopping in their physical stores. The judge cited the Americans with Disabilities Act, saying Target is legally obligated to serve its online customers with the same provisions as brick-and-mortar stores. Target is still hopeful that this will not be the final word, and the ruling has not been finalized yet, but this case does raise interesting issues and accessibility law considerations for many companies, depending on how this case turns out.[Via DailyCal.org]
After spending the better part of an hour on 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gardiner Westbound said 8:58AM on 9-14-2006
Who knew? This will make a lawyer rich.
What next, menswear stores being sued for not carrying frilly underwear for homos?
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tank said 11:23AM on 9-14-2006
Blind people shop online? Didn't know that.
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Murph said 12:51PM on 9-14-2006
Okay, we're really reaching on the "PC" front with this one. I appreciate the needs of the blind, but is it the merchants responsibility to provide technology or does this fall on the shoulders of the consumer to provide their own products to enter the mainstream? If you're blind, obese, or an agoraphobic - do what you can to get your needs met, yes?
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Dallas said 12:51PM on 9-14-2006
Are the commentors kidding? Yes yes yes its the responsibility of the merchant to create accessible sites, especially when you're a force as large as Target. Seriously? All it would probably cost is a week's worth of TV advertising to make their site fully accessible.
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james said 1:33PM on 9-14-2006
Dallas, right on. Really, what is Target thinking? Are they looking for bad PR? And why in the world would they not be making their site accessible on their own? Don't they want more customers?
It really should not cost that much, unless they have a totally crappy IT department. But since they did not make the site accessible in the first place, it is likely that they do have a crappy IT department.
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Mustang said 11:29PM on 9-14-2006
Are you kidding me? This is absolutely ridiculous. There is no way Target can be forced to cater to people with disabilities on their site. If they are then it would lend to many other large websites being sued for silly things like this.
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UhOh said 3:02AM on 9-16-2006
Are there existing laws that require websites to be screen-reader/blind-friendly? If Target isn't, won't the blind just go shop at walmart.com or amazon.com or elsewhere?
I know my own website isn't blind-friendly... uh oh -- can I be sued? How about any website that uses Flash extensively? How do you make Flash friendly for sight-impaired users?
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RP said 8:57AM on 9-16-2006
I know that our local Target is part of an effort to donate millions of dollars to our local schools. They claim to have given $183 million for books and playground purchases. Actually, it looks like a nation-wide program. I think that's pretty generous.
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itanshi said 9:07AM on 9-20-2006
heh makes my life difficult, but i'm sure something can be arranged.
this is valid, no matter how silly.
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