The US National Federation of the Blind (NFB) brought legal action against the US retailing giant Target Corporation due to the inaccessibility of their website on 7 February 2006 after trying to negotiate a solution in May 2005.

From the 9-page complaint (PDF 76Kb):

“Target.com contains a variety of access barriers that prevent free and full use by blind persons using keyboards and screen reading software. These barriers include but are not limited to: lack of alt-text on graphics, inaccessible image maps, and mouse-only driven transactions.”

No alt-text? Surely even the most jaded of 1996-era web developers know this will book them a place in Hell? Never assume.

A day after Webstandards.org take aim, the mouse-only submit buttons on the Target Pharmacy sign in page were changed to address this issue - but if the fix was that quick to implement, why wasn’t it done 10 months ago? People’s continued lack of professionalism in this industry really astounds me.

What’s more worrying about this issue is the commentary elsewhere. I couldn’t believe the comments over at the Wall Street Journal.

“Next they’ll be suing banks, charging that the blind can’t use drive-up ATMs.”

“Instead, why don’t they sue the company that makes their reader software for not programming it to read Target’s website? Even better, shop somewhere else!”

A few of us set the record straight.

For more great comments head over to Overlawyered.com were accessibility advocates like Ben Henick, Isofarro and Brady J. Frey have put forward some well thought out and detailed comments to educate uninformed commentators - like Ted. I recommend you go read them.

Lamest comment goes to Bill Hobbs:

“Next they should sue the federal government because the that pretty view in the government-owned national park is not accessible to the blind.”

Nice one idiot.

Some of the arguments to be found in the various comments are based on the rights and wrongs of enforcing accessibility through legislation. Unfortunately that legisaltion must exist to combat unprofessionalism and disinterest amongst old school web developers, raise awareness with people commissioning websites for business purposes and remind people of their ethical obligations.

Further Reading

• Webstandards.org: Taking Aim at Target(.com)
• Webstandards.org: Staying on Target
• Derek Featherstone: Staying on Target
• Molly.com: Targeting Target
• Bruce Lawson: The Webdev Community’s Response to the Target Lawsuit. Good God, you must read this and associated links.