Last fall Deque presented an accessibility litigation webinar hosted by noted disability rights attorney John D. Kemp. The webinar discussed the rising numbers of lawsuits stemming from digital accessibility issues, and what companies can do to minimize their risk. One of the key takeaways from the webinar was that many of these digital accessibility lawsuits often came about after just one user complained about a website’s inaccessibility. Think about this — it only takes one person who can’t use your website or app to bring a lawsuit. That one person represents hundreds, if not thousands of other users who likely gave up using your site in frustration.
Avoid Digital Accessibility Litigation
The lesson is clear. Having an inaccessible website costs you in lost sales, and potentially opens your organization up to a costly lawsuit. Often, companies do not realize their site is inaccessible until a user with a disability speaks up and complains about it. It is absolutely vital for companies to handle these complaints quickly, effectively, and with empathy. This is why Deque decided to create How to Handle a Web Accessibility Complaint, a free downloadable guide to help your company respond to issues from users with disabilities.
Your organization can take a proactive approach to any accessibility errors on your site by following the helpful tips in this guide. Furthermore, make sure you are communicating effectively to users who have reported issues. Working in good faith to resolve errors on your site, while maintaining open lines of communication with users who had difficulty, will go a long way to head off any problems before they ever need to escalate to litigation. Better management of your responses to accessibility issues will not only prevent future litigation, but it will also improve customer service – to ALL your customers.
