In a groundbreaking legal move, a visually impaired individual has taken a major retail company to court over its alleged failure to make its digital platforms accessible to the blind. Tentya Booker filed the complaint against Dorothy Lane Market, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on February 14, 2025. The lawsuit claims that Dorothy Lane Market's online properties are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), thereby denying equal access to individuals with visual disabilities.
The plaintiff, Tentya Booker, who is legally blind due to an injury sustained at a young age, uses screen reader technology on her iPhone to navigate digital content. She alleges that Dorothy Lane Market's website does not accommodate such technology, effectively barring her from accessing their services and products online. According to Booker's complaint, this lack of accessibility violates Title III of the ADA, which mandates that public accommodations provide effective communication and equal access to all individuals, including those with disabilities.
Booker points out that despite the availability of cost-effective accessible technology solutions, Dorothy Lane Market has failed to implement them on its digital platform. This oversight forces visually impaired users like herself to expend unnecessary time and effort overcoming barriers that sighted users do not face. "Properly formatted digital content is universally accessible," Booker asserts in her filing. However, she argues that Dorothy Lane Market's reliance on ineffective accessibility overlays—software designed as a quick fix for web accessibility issues—does not meet ADA standards and can even hinder existing assistive technologies.
In her lawsuit, Booker seeks declaratory and injunctive relief requiring Dorothy Lane Market to overhaul its digital policies and practices. She demands that the company hire a qualified Web Accessibility Consultant to ensure ongoing compliance with ADA guidelines through regular audits and user testing by individuals who are blind or have low vision. Furthermore, she requests comprehensive training for employees involved in digital content development and customer service operations.
The case underscores the growing importance of web accessibility as e-commerce continues to expand post-pandemic. With more consumers relying on online shopping than ever before, ensuring equal access for disabled individuals is critical. Booker's lawsuit aims not only at rectifying her own grievances but also at setting a precedent for other companies lagging in digital inclusivity.
Representing Tentya Booker are attorneys Benjamin J. Sweet from Nye Stirling Hale Miller & Sweet LLP in Pittsburgh and Jonathan D. Miller from Santa Barbara. The case has been assigned Civil Action No. 1:25-cv-01592 in front of an undisclosed judge at this time.