Legal Precedent Set for Web Accessibility

In response to a recent article announcing that retailers may be sued if their Web sites are not accessible to the blind, SEO Inc., a Search Engine Marketing Firm that focuses on achieving high rankings for client websites, announces that their optimization services fully comply with the Web Accessibility Initiative and Section 508 of the American Accessibilities and Disabilities Act. This ensures that all people with disabilities, including the blind, are able to navigate the SEO Inc. Web site as well as thousands of other Web sites SEO Inc. has optimized over the years.

Founder and CEO of SEO Inc., Garry Grant, has extensive experience associated with the difficulties of navigating the Internet while being visually impaired. He has a daughter who is blind, thus giving him firsthand knowledge of the needs of the blind community.

As a Search Engine Optimization Frim , SEO Inc. specializes in giving clients more exposure on the Internet. For almost 10 years, SEO Inc. has been making sure Web sites are compliant with strict search engine guidelines, the W3C (the group that issues the standards of HTML compliance and promotes the Web Accessibility Initiative) and Section 508 of the American Accessibilities and Disabilities Act. SEO Inc. became a member of the W3C in 2004, making them the first and only search engine firm to become a member of this reputable organization.

The lawsuit concerning a Web site that is inaccessible to the blind was brought by the National Federation of the Blind against Target Corp., charging that Target's Web site violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the California Unruh Civil Rights Act, and the California Disabled Persons Act. It is the first class action suit of its kind and charges that Target's website lacks fundamental coding attributes that allow blind customers to browse, purchase products and access important corporate information.

Target asked the court to dismiss the action by arguing that no law requires Target to make its Web site accessible. The court denied Target's motion to dismiss and held that all services provided by Target, including its Web site, must be accessible to persons with disabilities according to federal and state civil rights laws. This case could prove a great victory for blind people in America, as it emphasizes the necessity of tailoring online search and consumerism to all people, including the blind.

Section 508 Optimization - SEO Inc.'s optimization processes are inclusive of customers with special needs, specifically the hearing and sight impaired. By adding optimization attributes to Web sites, SEO Inc. can make any Web site fully compliant with Section 508 of the American Accessibilities and Disabilities Act. No other search engine marketing company possesses this ability. The optimization of all Web sites for complete accessibility by blind persons makes sense for businesses looking to open sales opportunities to a new market that was not being reached before.

There are as many as 500 million disabled people worldwide and nearly 54 million in the United States; that is one in every five Americans. Today there are approximately 25 percent more people in the United States with disabilities than a decade ago. This increase is largely due to the aging of the baby boom generation, a trend likely to increase over the next few decades.