ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit: an online hotel reservation platform

Plaintiff Raymond T. Mahlberg, a visually-impaired and legally blind individual, represented by Acacia Barros, P.A., has filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, on April 11, 2022. The complaint alleges that an online hotel reservation platform, which acts as a point of sale for a physical hotel, is not fully or equally accessible to blind or visually impaired consumers, thereby violating Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The lawsuit specifically details several WCAG violations, including screen reader incompatibility preventing date selection in the calendar, with the screen reader announcing "blank, blank, blank" instead of dates. It further states that images on the front page and gallery lack alternative text descriptions, rendering them unreadable by screen readers. Icons on the rooms page, meant to convey room features, all voice as the generic word "button," preventing the plaintiff from understanding room specifics. Additionally, the website fails to provide information about accessible accommodations or room pricing, and does not offer information regarding architectural or digital accessibility for the physical hotel.

This litigation highlights a significant legal risk for businesses operating online platforms that serve as extensions or gateways to physical places of public accommodation, such as hotels. Failure to ensure full and equal access to digital services for individuals with disabilities, including screen reader users, can lead to lawsuits demanding injunctive relief, requiring extensive modifications to digital properties and policies to achieve ADA compliance and prevent ongoing discrimination.