Title III of the ADA prohibits “… discrimination on the basis of disability in the activities of places of public accommodations …” Today, many courts are interpreting that to include the Internet. “Digital Accessibility” is about providing equal access to individuals with a range of disabilities. The failure to provide accessible websites excludes millions. It is this exclusion that has led to hundreds of thousands of complaints, legal demand letters and hundreds of federal lawsuits since 2015.
In terms of access, the Internet poses an even bigger problem than the physical world. Every one of the 56.7 million people in the U.S. with a disability cannot realistically attempt to enter / access every physical structure – whether it is accessible or not. However, they can, attempt to access any of the 1.3 billion websites, so the issue of accessibility in the digital world is much greater than in the physical world. Whether physical or digital, people with disabilities are guaranteed equal access under the Americans with Disabilities Act.