1 00:00:00,250 --> 00:00:04,170 So is your business website accessible to the disabled? 2 00:00:04,171 --> 00:00:07,348 If it is not, a lawsuit could be coming your way. 3 00:00:07,349 --> 00:00:09,428 Business owners and web developers across the 4 00:00:09,429 --> 00:00:12,116 nation are on edge and rightly so. 5 00:00:12,117 --> 00:00:13,092 After our Better Call 6 00:00:13,093 --> 00:00:17,546 Behnken, investigation uncovered thousands of ADA lawsuits 7 00:00:17,547 --> 00:00:20,948 targeting website accessibility, 8 on your side. 8 00:00:20,949 --> 00:00:22,628 Investigator Shannon Behnken returns now 9 00:00:22,629 --> 00:00:23,796 with an update on this story. 10 00:00:23,797 --> 00:00:25,788 As soon as we heard that the first time you 11 00:00:25,789 --> 00:00:28,364 told me before the story aired, I went, what? 12 00:00:28,365 --> 00:00:29,548 Because I think it does take 13 00:00:29,549 --> 00:00:31,116 a lot of people by surprise. It does. 14 00:00:31,117 --> 00:00:33,218 And I'm hearing from quite a few business owners 15 00:00:33,219 --> 00:00:35,020 who tell me that they didn't know about this. 16 00:00:35,021 --> 00:00:38,002 And professionals who developed the websites, 17 00:00:38,003 --> 00:00:39,036 they don't know about it either. 18 00:00:39,037 --> 00:00:40,220 And that's the scary thing. 19 00:00:40,221 --> 00:00:41,968 And that's why so many business owners need 20 00:00:41,969 --> 00:00:43,808 to make sure that they didn't buy a 21 00:00:43,809 --> 00:00:46,534 website template that can get them sued. 22 00:00:46,535 --> 00:00:48,000 We have great customers. 23 00:00:48,001 --> 00:00:50,208 Ben Tundis was stunned when he was 24 00:00:50,209 --> 00:00:53,012 served with an ADA lawsuit over his 25 00:00:53,013 --> 00:00:55,674 new website for Island Comfort Footwear. 26 00:00:55,675 --> 00:00:57,034 We're all sitting ducks. 27 00:00:57,035 --> 00:01:00,052 A blind woman claims she couldn't buy shoes because 28 00:01:00,053 --> 00:01:03,194 the site was not compatible with her screen reader. 29 00:01:03,195 --> 00:01:07,112 The woman has sued 175 businesses. But 30 00:01:07,113 --> 00:01:09,934 now they're attacking mom and pop stores. 31 00:01:09,935 --> 00:01:12,050 I guess you'd call it small business owners, you know. 32 00:01:13,030 --> 00:01:15,592 We just can't write some big check and walk away. 33 00:01:15,593 --> 00:01:18,028 Under the ADA, businesses that are open to 34 00:01:18,029 --> 00:01:21,570 the public cannot discriminate against people with disabilities. 35 00:01:21,571 --> 00:01:24,076 In recent years, lawyers have won or 36 00:01:24,077 --> 00:01:27,690 settled thousands of cases over website accessibility. 37 00:01:27,691 --> 00:01:30,130 Even so, Shawn Warmouth at Thirteen05 38 00:01:30,131 --> 00:01:33,270 Creative tells me, many website developers 39 00:01:33,271 --> 00:01:35,510 are not aware of these requirements. 40 00:01:35,511 --> 00:01:38,134 Or if you build a building, it has to be ADA compliant 41 00:01:38,135 --> 00:01:39,712 and there's an inspector who comes out and 42 00:01:39,713 --> 00:01:41,792 tells you, hey, this light switch isn't right, 43 00:01:41,793 --> 00:01:43,152 or this door handle isn't right. 44 00:01:43,153 --> 00:01:45,748 So you know exactly what is and isn't. With a website, 45 00:01:45,749 --> 00:01:47,380 it's the Wild West. We don't know. 46 00:01:47,381 --> 00:01:50,458 The ADA doesn't specify how websites 47 00:01:50,459 --> 00:01:52,388 should be ADA accessible, but there 48 00:01:52,389 --> 00:01:55,070 are industry standards recognized by courts. 49 00:01:55,071 --> 00:01:56,830 This is an area of concern. 50 00:01:56,831 --> 00:01:59,944 However, Chris M. Law of Accessibility Track 51 00:01:59,945 --> 00:02:02,728 says those standards are rarely included in 52 00:02:02,729 --> 00:02:05,464 basic website templates businesses buy. 53 00:02:05,465 --> 00:02:08,033 If you're a small business owner and you're 54 00:02:08,034 --> 00:02:13,282 going to have your parking lot redone, nobody 55 00:02:13,283 --> 00:02:16,876 is going to ask you any questions about 56 00:02:16,877 --> 00:02:19,702 the blue paint for the wheelchair spaces. 57 00:02:19,703 --> 00:02:21,248 It's all just built in. 58 00:02:21,249 --> 00:02:23,318 Not the case with websites. 59 00:02:23,319 --> 00:02:26,720 The onus for accessibility is on the small business 60 00:02:26,721 --> 00:02:31,740 owner, not on the people that provide the services. 61 00:02:33,390 --> 00:02:34,794 So, buyer beware. 62 00:02:34,795 --> 00:02:37,764 Before you hire a web developer or buy a template to 63 00:02:37,765 --> 00:02:40,212 build your own site, you need to ask some questions. 64 00:02:40,213 --> 00:02:43,652 And if your developer doesn't know about ADA accessibility, or 65 00:02:43,653 --> 00:02:45,988 they're not willing to learn about it, you may just 66 00:02:45,989 --> 00:02:48,532 want to find yourself a new company to work with. 67 00:02:48,533 --> 00:02:51,124 Well, with so many people and businesses already 68 00:02:51,125 --> 00:02:52,884 have their website, so it's one thing if 69 00:02:52,885 --> 00:02:54,388 you're starting out and we'll go search for 70 00:02:54,389 --> 00:02:56,812 this and pony up whatever that cost is. 71 00:02:56,813 --> 00:02:58,348 We still don't know exactly what that is, 72 00:02:58,349 --> 00:02:59,820 but but you already have a website. 73 00:02:59,821 --> 00:03:00,716 What do what do you do? 74 00:03:00,717 --> 00:03:02,764 Well, you know, it is complicated because the guy that 75 00:03:02,765 --> 00:03:05,660 we spoke with today, he is a website developer, and 76 00:03:05,661 --> 00:03:07,452 he had to start looking some of this up today. 77 00:03:07,453 --> 00:03:09,228 He says he's already called his attorney, and 78 00:03:09,229 --> 00:03:10,988 they're looking into what they need to do. 79 00:03:10,989 --> 00:03:13,468 But there are companies out there, national companies and 80 00:03:13,469 --> 00:03:15,644 a few local ones that audit your site. 81 00:03:15,645 --> 00:03:17,068 They can tell you what you need 82 00:03:17,069 --> 00:03:18,652 to do, what's wrong with your site. 83 00:03:18,653 --> 00:03:20,044 Also, you can go to the Lighthouse for 84 00:03:20,045 --> 00:03:22,052 the Blind, and they will help you too. 85 00:03:22,053 --> 00:03:23,748 You need someone to audit it and tell you 86 00:03:23,749 --> 00:03:25,060 what you need to do to fix it. 87 00:03:25,061 --> 00:03:26,772 It can cost quite a bit of money 88 00:03:26,773 --> 00:03:28,164 as we were talking about yesterday. The 89 00:03:28,165 --> 00:03:30,330 blind deserves to have this accessibility. 90 00:03:30,331 --> 00:03:32,068 But at the same time, if you have a website and 91 00:03:32,069 --> 00:03:34,218 you don't know about this, I mean, really, you're a victim. 92 00:03:34,219 --> 00:03:35,578 It's almost like you're being targeted 93 00:03:35,579 --> 00:03:36,484 in this sort of thing. 94 00:03:36,485 --> 00:03:38,644 So a lot to learn here, a lot more to come on it. 95 00:03:38,645 --> 00:03:38,860 Thank you.