ADA Doesn't Apply to Web

djmoore writes "A federal judge has ruled that the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) does not apply to the Web. U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz dismissed with prejudice a suit demanding that Southwest Airlines make its website more accessible to the blind, saying that the suit would create new rights for the disabled without setting appropriate standards. Judge Seitz also rejected plaintiffs' claim that the Web is a 'place of exhibition, display, and a sales establishment,' one of the twelve categories covered by the ADA, on the grounds that the law only covers physical places." Our original article has more details.

Comments

Quite Right

[drhairston]

Finally, common sense from the bar. A new law is needed to define the rights of the disabled in cyberspace. Like the Digital Millenium Copyright Act defined how Copyright functions in cyberspace, a Cyber-ADA needs to be passed by Congress to define how (and whether) the handicapped shall access cyberspace.

Re:This doesn't exclude the Web from courtesy

[loply]

In my opinion, web design which makes a site inaccessible to impaired people is rude, discourteous, and even odious. It's not like disabled don't have enough problems. If you can't view it in Lynx, you're a bastard for writing it. Excuse me, but with all due respect, youre completely wrong.
For starters, the website I run (which neither works in Lynx nor is it accessible by blind people) is solely oriented around visual arts, so no, Im not rude, discourteous or odious.
And for your information, Lynx is a terrible browser which doesnt conform to the HTML standard with any degree of accuracy - Nor does it support most of the techologies which have enriched the internet: Java, Javascript, Flash, Graphics, Animation, streaming media.

You need to get real. Calling people names because they dont go to the huge effort of making their website for both visual, blind people and text mode people is ignorant.

Re:This doesn't exclude the Web from courtesy

[schon]

Excuse me, but with all due respect, youre completely wrong.

No, he's completely correct, you're completely wrong.

the website I run (which neither works in Lynx nor is it accessible by blind people) is solely oriented around visual arts, so no, Im not rude, discourteous or odious.

Yes you are - you just weren't aware of it.. which (ironically) is pretty much the reasong that others are rude and discourteous.

Lynx is a terrible browser which doesnt conform to the HTML standard with any degree of accuracy

Care to back that up?

Lynx is a great browser for text-based access. That's what it was designed for.

Nor does it support most of the techologies which have enriched the internet: Java, Javascript, Flash, Graphics, Animation, streaming media.

Ahem, HOW STUPID ARE YOU?

Of course it doesn't support visual gimmicks, as I said, it's a text-only browser.

You need to get real.

No, YOU need to get real.

The web was created as a tool for sharing information, not to let would-be artists show off the pretty graphics they can make. HTML is a platform-independant language for information exchange. It isn't a graphics language, despite the best efforts of bigots like you.

Hmm, I think I've just been trolled.