Legal

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Five Guys burger chain in a pickle over website inaccessibility

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On 21 July 2017, a US federal district court in Manhattan rejected a ‘motion to dismiss’ claim by the ‘Five Guys’ burger chain (Case No. 17-cv-788) defending their alleged inaccessible website. The judge found that there is indeed a case of discrimination to answer against a legally-blind customer who couldn’t order the burger they wanted from the fast food seller’s site.

A ‘Five Guys’ burger with beef and cheese

A ‘Five Guys’ burger with beef and cheese.


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US restaurant chain has trouble on the menu

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The Olive Garden restaurant group in the US is accused of having a website that is inaccessible to the vision impaired, with a lawsuit filed in Florida in April 2017. The company is alleged to be violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which is the US equivalent of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) in Australia.

Red slash through wheelchair

Red slash through wheelchair

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UK charity puts pressure on government to enforce web accessibility

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Robin Christopherson, head of digital inclusion at Abilitynet, a UK disabilities charity, has written an open letter to the British Parliament, to put pressure on the people in power to fine organisations whose websites and apps fail to comply with WCAG 2.0.

Traffic warden issuing a parking ticket on a busy London road


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New Zealand holds an inquiry into captioning

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New Zealand’s Government Administration Committee has announced an inquiry into captioning, and is seeking submissions from the public.

Remote control being pointed at a TV with captions at the bottom of the screen

The inquiry’s terms of reference include:


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Public Sector web and mobile app accessibility to become law in Europe

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Last week, three years since its proposal, it was agreed that public sector web accessibility will now become a legal requirement in Europe; an improvement that will make a huge impact on the community.

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NSW set for web accessible 2015 election

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The forthcoming NSW election is looking to be one of Australia’s more accessible state elections thanks to the remote electronic voting system, iVote.

iVote logo

The iVote system was introduced for the NSW State General Election in March 2011, initially to enable people who are blind or have low vision to cast an independent vote.


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Coles web accessibility case settled

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The case against grocery retailer Coles, for the alleged inaccessibility of its online shopping service, has been settled.

Miniature shopping cart resting on a laptop keyboard. Image credit:  Tim Reckmann, Flickr

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Deadline for submissions to caption review arrives

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Today is the deadline for submissions to the Senate Communications and Environment Committee which is reviewing proposed changes to captioning regulations.

Number 10 circled on calendar with the word 'Deadline' written below; right hand holding pen underneath


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Online grocer Peapod settles web accessibility action

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Online shoppers with disabilities have achieved a win with the news overnight that the US Justice Department has settled a discrimination action against internet supermarket, Peapod.

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Did you know: One Deaf lawyer helped increase access for all Deaf Canadians?

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In 2000, Vancouver lawyer Henry Vlug lodged a complaint against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) for not including closed captions on all of its television programs.

Vlug stated he could not enjoy programs such as major league baseball playoff games without the inclusion of captions, arguing that Deaf Canadians are equal to those who can hear since their taxes funded the broadcaster, entitling them to the full experience of CBC programming.

The case was won and the lawyer granted CAD$10,000 by the CHRT for pain and suffering. CBC appealed the tribunal’s settlement but later dropped the bid when it settled with Vlug out of court for a lower amount.


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