Over a third of Internet inaccessible to blind users

E-commerce businesses need to pay attention to recent decisions issued in the class suit action against Target Corp which charges that the company has failed to make its website accessible to blind Internet users.

by Helen Leggatt

In its bid to open up more of the Internet to blind users, the National Federation of the Blind has taken out another law suit against an online business. This time it’s Target Corp.’s turn.

The issue is whether or not the Target.com website has the necessary speech-to-text labelling and audio options for CAPTCHAs that make the site navigable and interactive for blind users. While the required labelling requires a very small part of the website budget, it can be a lengthy process depending on the complexity of the web pages.

"This is a tremendous step forward for blind people throughout the country who for too long have been denied equal access to the Internet economy,” said the National Federation if the Blind’s President, Marc Maurer. "All e-commerce businesses should take note of this decision and immediately take steps to open their doors to the blind.”

According to David Grant, vice president of marketing for Watchfire, an Internet-access consultant owned by IBM, more than a third of the Internet isn’t accessible to blind users.