PHOTO:
Sigmund
When President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law in 1990, it focused mainly on questions of employment and improved physical access. Widespread adoption of the world wide web was still years away and so the topic of better online access wasnât a major consideration of the original law.
While the web, the internet and mobile apps are now integral parts of everyday life for most people in the US, accessibility remains an issue for many â an issue that was heightened during the increased reliance on online interactions spurred on by the pandemic. According to UsableNet, web, app and video accessibility cases were up almost 25% from the previous year, with December 2020 lawsuits double what they were in January 2020.