This document summarizes key legal cases related to web accessibility and disability rights in several countries: - Australia 2000: Maguire v. SOCOG established that the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the provision of goods, services and facilities. - United States 2002: Access Now v. Southwest Airlines determined that a website alone was not considered a "public place of accommodation" under the Americans with Disabilities Act. - United States 2008: National Federation of the Blind v. Target Corporation ruled that websites like Target.com must be accessible to the blind under both California law and the Americans with Disabilities Act. - Additional cases from Australia, the United States and

1. Web Accessibility & the Law
Nick Cowie
@nickobec
Perth Web Accessibility Camp
13 March 2013

2. I AM NOT
A LAWYER
is is not a substitute for for legal advice

3. http://pandora.nla.gov.au/nph-wb/20000110130000/http://www.olympics.com/eng/sports/index.html

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5. Australia 2000
Maguire v. SOCOG
Disability Discrimination Act 1992
Section 24
Goods, services and facilities
(1) It is unlawful for a person who, whether for
payment or not, provides goods or services, or
makes facilities available, to discriminate against
another person on the ground of the other
person’s disability or a disability of any of that
other person’s associates:
http://humanrights.gov.au/disability_rights/decisions/comdec/1999/dd000150.htm

6. United States of America 2002
Access Now v. Southwest Airlines
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
website was a virtual construct and hence not a
“public place of accommodation”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Access_Now_v._Southwest_Airlines

7. United States of America 2008
National Federation of the Blind
v. Target Corporation
“websites like Target.com must be accessible to the
blind under both California law and the
Americans with Disabilities Act”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Federation_of_the_Blind_v._Target_Corporation

8. Australia 2009
Kerr v. Virgin Blue
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/virgin-blue-in-court-over-website-20090119-7kc1.html

9. United States of America 2012
National Association of the Deaf
v. Netflix
“the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to
website-only businesses”
http://dredf.org/captioning/

10. Australia 2012
King v. Jetstar Airlines
Disability Discrimination Act 1992
Section 24(2)
It is not unlawful discrimination if the provision of
the services or the making available of the facilities
would impose “unjustifiable hardship” on the
person.
http://www.hwlebsworth.com.au/latest-news-a-publications/publications/transport/aviation/item/745-victory-for-low-cost-carrier-in-disabled-passenger-case-king-v-jetstar-airways-pty-limited-2012-fcafc-115.html

11. Canada 2012
Jodhan v. Canada
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
“Two systemic failures that underlie the
government’s failure to provide online services in
a manner that is accessible to the visually impaired
were demonstrated in this case.”
http://recueil.cmf.gc.ca/eng/2011/2010fc1197.html

12. Questions?
http://n1c.it/pwac