MIT Website ADA Class Action Settlement

By Top Class Actions | April 10, 2020

Category: Closed Class Actions

This settlement is closed!

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An MIT class action settlement will ensure that videos on the college’s website will include closed captioning for deaf and hard of hearing viewers.

The settlement benefits disabled individuals who, since Feb. 11, 2012, were covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act and were (or could have been) denied access to MIT’s website due to a lack of captioning on their content. MIT students are not included in the Class.

The MIT ADA class action lawsuit was filed by three deaf plaintiffs and the National Association of the Deaf. The class action included claims that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) failed to provide captioning on its publicly available online videos.

According to the plaintiffs, the lack of captions or inaccurate captions prohibited deaf and hard of hearing individuals from accessing MIT’s online content. These access barriers allegedly violated the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).

The ADA is a federal law which was passed in 1990 and aims to protect individuals with disabilities. Under the act, employers, governments, and public accommodations are required to ensure that disabled individuals have equal access.

MIT did not admit to any wrongdoing under the ADA, but agreed to settle the claims against them to avoid the risks and costs that may have resulted from continuing to litigate the issue.

The settlement does not provide monetary compensation. Instead, Class Members will benefit from various forms of injunctive relief that will provide captions on MIT content. This includes webpages on the MIT.edu domain as well as MIT content on public platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, and Soundcloud channels operated by the college. Specific student, alumni, and organization pages may not be covered by the injunctive relief.

The first form of injunctive relief ensures that any new content posted by MIT faculty, employees, or sponsored groups will include captioning after posting. This means that deaf or hard of hearing individuals can access the content without barriers.

The settlement also provides captions for content posted previously. For content posted before Jan. 1, 2019, captions will be available upon request (within seven business days). For content posted after Jan. 1, 2019, captions will be added as soon as deemed practical, within a year of the effective date, or upon request within seven days.

Finally, MIT will provide live captioning for certain university-wide events that can be accessed through live streaming by the public.

In addition to this injunctive relief, Class counsel has asked for $1.05 million in attorneys’ fees, court costs, and other expenses.

Class Members who wish to object to the terms of the settlement must do so by May 19, 2020. Objections can be sent in writing to the court or submitted on the settlement website’s objection form. The exclusion deadline is also May 19, 2020. The final approval hearing for the MIT ADA class action settlement is scheduled for July 14, 2020.

Who’s Eligible

Disabled individuals who, since Feb. 11, 2012, were covered by the ADA and were (or could have been) denied access to MIT’s website due to a lack of captioning on their content. MIT students are not included in the Class.

Potential Award

Injunctive relief including:

Any new content posted by MIT faculty, employees, or sponsored groups will include captioning after posting;
For content posted before Jan. 1, 2019, captions will be available upon request (within seven business days);
For content posted after Jan. 1, 2019, captions will be added as soon as is practical, within a year of the effective date, or upon request within seven days;
Live captioning for certain university-wide events that can be accessed through live streaming by the public.

MIT content includes content posted on webpages on the MIT.edu domain as well as on public platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, and Soundcloud channels operated by the college. Specific student, alumni, and organization pages may not be covered by the injunctive relief.

Proof of Purchase

N/A

Claim Form

There is no Claim Form for this settlement. Class members with further questions can click here for more information.

Claim Form Deadline

5/19/2020

Case Name

National Association of the Deaf, et al. v. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Case No. 3:15-cv-30024-KAR, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts