Judge says web sites not subject to ADA
In a case involving a blind man and Southwest Airlines, a federal judge ruled last week that the airline is not compelled by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to make its Web site more accessible to those with disabilities. According to judge Patricia Seitz, the ADA applies only to physical spaces, not to “virtual” spaces like Web sites. The advocacy group Access Now had filed the suit against the airline on behalf of Robert Gumson, who argued that, although he was able to use the Web site to buy plane tickets, it was “extremely difficult.” The suit asked Southwest to modify its site, particularly the graphics, so Gumson could more easily use the site. The judge’s decision presumably has significance for many other businesses, whose Web sites could have been subject to ADA standards of accessibility.