U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Haw.) is leading the push among 12 senators in calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish rules to ensure that the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to the internet to provide online protections for those with disabilities.
According to a press release, in their letter to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who leads DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, the senators cited a study which found that the overwhelming majority of the top one million most-visited websites on the internet were inaccessible in some way to people with disabilities. More than 4,000 cases were filed in federal and state courts referencing ADA compliance last year, with verdicts remaining uncertain without DOJ regulations.
“The United States has invested billions of dollars to develop technology and provide connectivity to all parts of the country, but it is of little value to the Americans who are unable to access the online services that the rest of us so heavily rely on,” the senators wrote in their letter.
They went on to say that internet use has grown in importance since ADA first became law, making it more vital than ever that Americans with disabilities have equal access.
“When Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, the internet and digital technologies were at a nascent stage. More than 30 years later, these technologies are now ubiquitous, and we rely on them for daily activities—such as communicating with friends and family, conducting business, accessing government resources and obtaining health care. New rules are necessary so that individuals with disabilities are provided equal access to the digital world," the letter said.
Besides Schatz, the letter received nationwide support from the following: U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bob Casey (D-Penn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Visitors can read the full letter here.