As part of an estimated $6M settlement of a lawsuit against Target by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), Amazon will be required to make the Web more accessible. According to the Financial Times, Amazon Enterprise Solutions which provides Web technology to the sites of Target, Marks & Spencer, Mothercare, Lacoste, and Timex, will be required “to ensure ‘full and equal’ access for blind people both to its own site, and to those of the merchants it supports”.

The Target suit claims that alternate text and accessible image maps are missing which screen readers depend on to read through the page content and vocalize it to the user; and, the website requires the use of a mouse to complete certain functions. The NFB who, in part, filed the suit has also filed and won similar cases against America Online, Priceline.com, and Ramada.com.

Cynthia Waddell, of the International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet, noted that the court had also ruled in the case that the state’s Ralph Civil Rights Act requires all websites, not just those of groups with a physical presence such as a retailer, to provide equal access to disabled people. “I don’t think this is on the radar of most businesses yet.”

In the end, the responsibility lies with Target but this is a classic example of where making sure the outside vendor or technology enabler is compliant, helps to prevent costly mistakes.

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