July 2014 – The U.S. Justice Department has announced a settlement with Florida’s Orange County Clerk of Courts to resolve violations regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Orange County Clerk of Courts allegedly failed to provide accessible court documents to a blind attorney, despite repeated requests. The attorney’s appeal for electronic documents, accessible by screen reader technology, was not provided in an accessible format for over four months.
The Orange County Clerk of Courts has agreed to a settlement, providing individuals with disabilities with any official court record document in an accessible format upon request. In accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA requirements, the Clerk of Courts will also make their website accessible to individuals with disabilities, including the blind. Additional settlement conditions include $10,000 in retribution and WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility training.
