Target class action claims website not equally accessible to blind, low-vision customers

Target class action overview: 

• Who: Target Corp. is facing a class action lawsuit from plaintiff Julie Dalton.
• Why: Target’s website is not accessible to those who are blind or have low vision, the lawsuit claims.
• Where: The Target website class action was filed in federal court in Minnesota.

Target Corporation is facing a class action lawsuit claiming its website is not accessible to consumers who are blind or have low vision.

The Target website has several issues that lead those using screen readers to have less access to the full website than other users. That includes not having certain links and/or buttons on the website described adequately so the process of browsing the website is trial and error, the lawsuit claims.

“When digital content is properly formatted, it is universally accessible to everyone,” the Target website class action says. “When it’s not, the content provider fails to communicate to individuals with a visual disability effectively. In turn, these individuals must expend additional time and effort to overcome communication barriers not applicable to sighted users, which may require the assistance of third parties or, in some instances, deny outright access to the online service.”

Plaintiff asks judge for injunction requiring Target website to be equally accessible for all, Target class action says

Plaintiff Julie Dalton is asking for an injunction requiring Target to make its website accessible to all users and to create corporate policies to ensure the website remains equally accessible to all users.

There were 7,675,600 individuals with a visual disability in the United States in 2016 with 86,500 in Minnesota, according to The National Federation of the Blind. The number of individuals with visual impairment or blindness in the United States is expected to double to 8 million by 2050, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Target is also facing a class action lawsuit claiming it misleads consumers about the actual cleanliness of many beauty products it sells that are labeled as “Target Clean.”

Have you had issues using a company’s website due to a disability? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Patrick W. Michenfelder and Jason Gustafson of Throndset Michenfelder LLC.

The Target class action lawsuit is Dalton v. Target Corp., Case No. 0:23-cv-03080, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.

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