A visually-impaired individual has filed a lawsuit against an online retailer, accusing the company of failing to make its website accessible to blind and visually-impaired users. Andre Battle, the plaintiff, filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on February 20, 2025, targeting Society6, LLC. The lawsuit alleges that Society6's website is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), thereby denying equal access to its products and services for individuals who are blind or visually impaired.
Andre Battle, who is legally blind and requires screen-reading software to navigate websites, claims that Society6.com contains numerous accessibility barriers. These barriers prevent him and others with similar disabilities from enjoying a shopping experience equivalent to that of sighted customers. According to Battle's complaint, these issues include inaccurate landmark structures, unclear labels for interactive elements, lack of alternative text on graphics, inadequate focus order, and reliance on mouse-only navigation. Such barriers hinder blind users from completing transactions independently on Society6's platform.
The lawsuit highlights how these accessibility issues contravene the ADA’s mandate for eliminating discrimination against individuals with disabilities. "Society6 denies the blind access to goods, services and information made available through Society6.com by preventing them from freely navigating Society6.com," states the complaint. Battle emphasizes that despite readily available technology solutions used by other major retail websites to ensure accessibility—such as alternative text descriptions and keyboard navigability—Society6 has chosen not to implement these features.
Battle seeks a permanent injunction requiring Society6 to modify its website policies and practices so that it becomes fully accessible to blind and visually-impaired consumers. Additionally, he requests compensatory damages for himself and others similarly affected by what he describes as unlawful discrimination under federal law.
Representing Andre Battle in this case is attorney Uri Horowitz from Flushing, New York. The case has been assigned Case No.: 1:25-cv-1742 in front of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.