Started DANCING SHAKING HIS HIPS, HE WAS THREE TIMES OVER THE LEGAL LIMIT AND WAS ARRESTED FOR DUI COMPLETED BY OR SCAMMED. She IS TACKLING EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SOMETHING THAT IS GOING WRONG, WRITE, BETTER CALL BEHNKEN FROM LARGE CORPORATIONS TO MOM AND POP BUSINESSES. Most HAVE A WEB SITE, BUT DID YOU KNOW YOUR WEB SITE COULD BE A SITTING DUCK FOR A LAWSUIT THAT COULD COST YOU TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS? Business WEB SITES, JUST LIKE THE PHYSICAL LOCATIONS, ARE REQUIRED UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT TO BE ACCESSIBLE. That INCLUDES CUSTOMERS WHO ARE BLIND OR DEAF 8.
On YOUR SIDE, INVESTIGATOR, SHANNON BEHNKEN JOINS US NOW KEITH AND I WE ARE SO INTERESTED WHEN WE HEARD YOU WERE DOING THIS STORY, BECAUSE I DO N’T THINK A LOT OF BUSINESSES THINK ABOUT THIS BEING A POSSIBILITY Reporter. This IS SOMETHING SO MANY BUSINESSES HAVE N’T HEARD OF I’Ve BEEN HEARING FROM THEM ALL DAY IF YOUR WEB SITE IS N’T ACCESSIBLE. Those WHO ARE VISUALLY OR HEARING IMPAIRED, CA, N’T USE THE SITE, AND SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING BACK. I FOUND DISABLED ACTIVISTS FILING ADA WEB SITE LAWSUITS BY THE STACKFUL BEN AND DONNA OWN ISLAND COMFORT, FOOT WEAR IN WESTVILLE COUNTRYSIDE MALL IN CLEARWATER. This IS MY SHIPPING AREA, WHERE I DO MY WEB ORDERS.
Reporter THEY DECIDED TO EXPAND BY SELLING THEIR SHOES ON-LINE, THEY LAUNCHED A WEB SITE AND THEN BAM A LAWSUIT SUMMONS ON A THURSDAY NIGHT AT 8:00 AT NIGHT, IN THE DARK GOT A KNOCK ON THE DOOR Reporter. A BLIND WOMAN IN SOUTH FLORIDA CLAIMS THEIR WEB SITE IS N’T COMPATIBLE WITH SCREEN-READING SOFTWARE USED BY THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED, LEAVING HER UNABLE TO BUY THEIR SHOES. It’S A $ 65, A MONTH WEB SITE, Reporter WAS THERE ANY MENTION OF WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE ADA COMPLIANT, NOT AT ALL Reporter WHEN MOST BUSINESSES THINK ADA, THEY THINK HANDICAP PARKING SPOTS GRAB BARS IN RESTROOMS ADA LAWSUITS ARE NOTHING NEW Now THE SPOTLIGHT IS ON WEB SITES. 2,225Ada WEB SITE LAWSUITS WERE FILED IN FEDERAL COURT IN 2018, A YEARLY INCREASE OF A WHOPPING 181 %. Emily FULLER, THE WOMAN WHO SUED THE CLEARWATER SHOE STORE, HAS GONE AFTER 175 BUSINESSES IN THE PAST TWO YEARS SHOWN HERE BY ALL THESE LAWSUITS.
First, SHE WENT AFTER BIG NAMES LIKE SEPHORA, HOME DEPOT AND CHICK-FIL-A AND NOW SUED A STORE THAT SELLS TAMPA BAY, LIGHTNING GEAR. Insigh AMALIE ARENA Reporter LAWYERS CALL THESE A SHAKEDOWN ATTORNEYS ARE TELLING US WE SPOKE TO MANY. They ARE SAYING YOU CA, N’T FIGHT THIS. If YOU FIGHT THIS, YOU ARE GOING TO QUADRUPLE YOU’RE BILL, THERE’S NOTHING. You CAN DO JUST WRITE THEM A CHECK.
Reporter COMPANIES SETTLE BECAUSE THERE IS NO DEFENSE TO IGNORING ADA REQUIREMENTS. MISFULLER’S ATTORNEY — MS. FULLER’S ATTORNEY TELLS ME HIS CLIENT IS AN ADVOCATE WORK TO GO IMPROVE SOCIETY AND THESE LAWSUITS ARE NOT GOING AWAY. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE STRUGGLE FACING THE BLIND, I SAT DOWN WITH LOUISE WHO USES A SCREEN READER TO DO THINGS LIKE SHOP, READ THE NEWS, AND USE FACEBOOK. WHEN WEB SITES DON’T HAVE THE CORRECT CODES TO COMMUNICATE WITH HER SOFTWARE, SHE’S EXCLUDED.
IT HAS TO BE REALLY FRUSTRATING. YOU GET THIS FAR AND YOU CAN’T GET PASS THAT ONE THING. EXACTLY. Reporter: FRUSTRATIONS LIKE THAT ARE WHY CHRIS DANIELSON OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND TELLS ME BUSINESSES NEED TO UPDATE THEIR WEB SITES. HE BELIEVES EDUCATION AND NEGOTIATION SHOULD COME FIRST.
RATHER THAN SPRAYING BUSINESSES WITH A FIRE HOSE OFLITIGATION, A MUCH MORE THOUGHTFUL AND TRANSPARENT APPROACH WOULD BE A BETTER FORM OF ADVOCACY. Reporter: HE AGREES WITH THAT. HE TAKES THIS LAWSUIT PERSONALLY AND SAYS HE WOULD HAVE HELPEMS. FULLER AND CHANGED HIS WEB SITE IF SHE JUST ASKED. WE SERVICE EVERYBODY AS IF THEY ARE OUR FAMILY.
Reporter: THE PLAINTIFFS AREN’T SUPPOSED TO RECEIVE ANY MONEY, BUT THE LAWYERS ARE COLLECTING ATTORNEY FEES THAT COULD RANGE FROM A COUPLE THOUSAND DOLLARS TO $20,000 AND A LOT MORE IF THIS GOES TO TRIAL AND THAT’S WHY SO MANY PEOPLE SETTLE.THAT COULD CRUSH A SMALL BUSINESS. I MEAN, IT BEGS THE QUESTION HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT YOUR WEB SITE IS COMPLIANT AND IS IT A SIMPLE FIX? Reporter: SOMETIMES IT CAN BE SIMPLE. OFTENTIMES IT’S NOT.
IT’S A LOT EASIER TO DO THIS ON THE FRONT END WHEN YOU’RE LAUNCHING YOUR WEB SITE. YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOUR WEB DEVELOPER KNOWS HOW TO MAKE YOUR SITE COMPATIBLE. THERE ARE INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED STANDARDS AND VARIOUS COMPANIES YOU CAN HIRE TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR SITE. L-THE NATIONAL FELLED RACIAL OF THE — ALSO, THE NATIONAL FEDERATION FOR THE BLIND CAN HELP AND THEY SAID THEY’LL DO AUDITS AND HELP PEOPLE FOR FREE IN SOME CASES. THE SHOE STORE SAID IT COSTS HIM $65 A MONTH FOR THIS WEB SITE.
IF YOU ADD THIS FEATURE THAT ALLOWS THE BLIND TO READ STHARKS A — READ, IS THAT A LOT MORE MONEY? Reporter: IT COULD BE. A SIMPLE SITE — I SPOKE TO A PERSON WHO DOES AUDITS. $1,600 TO AUDIT YOUR SITE. MORE MONEY TO MAKE SURE IT’S COMPATIBLE.
IT ADDS UP. YOU ARE FOLLOWING THE LAW. YOU ARE OPENING UP FOR POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS WHO COULDN’T USE YOUR SITE.SURE. INTERESTING.
NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF IT..