ADA Website Lawsuits Are Rapidly Increasing. Hospitality Is A Target.

There are numerous articles on this subject. You can easily find them with an internet search. I will condense the issue down to a few major points. 

• If you have a website combined with a physical business, your website must accommodate disabled viewers. It is the law. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed, and smaller businesses are becoming targeted. Your website is considered a “public accommodation” and must be available to persons with disabilities, including visual and/or auditory impairment and more. Approximately 25% of Americans have some kind of disability.

• A hotel in Maine recently advised us that they had received a “complaint” letter stating that their website was out of compliance. A Google search revealed that the “complainant” was a lawyer in New York, with a reputation for filing ADA complaints against hotels and restaurants. It turned out that the issues with the website were real, and we were able to remediate the problems without great expense.

• This is a real thing, not an empty threat – and should be attended to promptly.