Nick Cowie@nickobec

Perth Web Accessibility Camp1 August 2014

Web Accessibility & the Lawa brief history

I AM NOT A LAWYE

REven if I do dress like one on occasions

Nothing in the presentation is a substitute for good legal advice

http://pandora.nla.gov.au/nph-wb/20000110130000/http://www.olympics.com/eng/sports/index.html

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Maguire v. SOCOG

Australia 2000

Disability Discrimination Act 1992 Section 24Goods, services and facilities(1) It is unlawful for a person who, whether for payment or not, provides goods or services, or makes facilities available, to discriminate against another person on the ground of the other person’s disability or a disability of any of that other person’s associates:

http://humanrights.gov.au/disability_rights/decisions/comdec/1999/dd000150.htm

Access Now v. Southwest Airlines

United States of America 2002

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 a website was a virtual construct and hence not a “public place of accommodation”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Access_Now_v._Southwest_Airlines

National Federation of the Blind v. Target Corporation

United States of America 2008

“websites like Target.com must be accessible to the blind under both California law and the Americans with Disabilities Act”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Federation_of_the_Blind_v._Target_Corporation

Meanwhile in AustraliaHuman Rights Commission received on average one formal complaint each year about inaccessible websites. These complaints are from visually impaired Australians, who can not access significant websites, all Government, except one investor having problems with a real estate site.

All were resolved by negotiation.

Kerr v. Virgin Blue

Australia 2009

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/virgin-blue-in-court-over-website-20090119-7kc1.html

King v. Jetstar Airlines

Australia 2012

Disability Discrimination Act 1992 Section 24(2) It is not unlawful discrimination if the provision of the services or the making available of the facilities would impose “unjustifiable hardship” on the person.

http://www.hwlebsworth.com.au/latest-news-a-publications/publications/transport/aviation/item/745-victory-for-low-cost-carrier-in-disabled-passenger-case-king-v-jetstar-airways-pty-limited-2012-fcafc-115.html

National Association of the Deaf v. Netflix

United States of America 2012

“the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to website-only businesses”

http://dredf.org/captioning/

Jodhan v. Canada

Canada 2012

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms “Two systemic failures that underlie the government’s failure to provide online services in a manner that is accessible to the visually impaired were demonstrated in this case.”

http://recueil.cmf.gc.ca/eng/2011/2010fc1197.html

National Federation Of The Blind v. HRB Digital LLC and HRB Tax Group

United States of America 2013

“Under the terms of the five year decree, H&R Block’s website, tax filing utility and mobile apps will conform to the Level AA Success Criteria of the WCAG 2.0.”

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2014/March/14-crt-239.html

American Council for the Blind v. Tangherlini

United States of America 2014

“The great irony here is that the agency charged with ensuring that others comply with the Rehabilitation Act and make their websites accessible to the blind is not itself complying with the law. GSA is effectively telling federal contractors to ‘do as I say, not as I do,’”

http://www.law360.com/articles/530500/gsa-sued-scolded-for-its-blind-unfriendly-website

What is next for Australia?

Questions?

http://n1c.it/pwac2