Seyfarth Synopsis: If ADA Title III federal lawsuit numbers continue to be filed at the current pace, 2018’s total will exceed 2017 by 30%, fueled largely by website accessibility lawsuit continued growth.

We have completed our mid-year analysis of the ADA Title III lawsuit numbers and the results are striking.

ADA Title III Lawsuits (All Types)Plaintiffs filed 4965
Continue Reading Website Access and Other ADA Title III Lawsuits Hit Record Numbers

Seyfarth Shaw Synopsis: Effective December 18, 2017, New York became the latest state to enact a law cracking down on fake service animals.

New York recently joined an increasing number of states that have passed laws aimed at curbing abuse of laws and regulations designed to ensure that individuals with disabilities can be accompanied by their service animals in places
Continue Reading New York Passes Law Against Service Animal Fraud, Joining Other States

Seyfarth Synopsis: The Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Fry v. Napoleon Comm. Schools limits IDEA’s exhaustion requirement to those cases which seek relief for a denial of FAPE allowing for some claims brought under Title II and Section 504 on behalf of IDEA eligible students to proceed directly to court without implementation of IDEA’s administrative processes before litigation is commenced.
Continue Reading Supreme Court Rules Title II and Section 504 Claims Can Proceed to Court Without Exhausting IDEA’s Administrative Processes In Certain Circumstances

Seyfarth Synopsis: Google Maps now provides information on accessibility, but the information may not be particularly reliable or useful to gauge accessibility.

The Google Maps app now indicates if a location is “accessible” to wheelchair users.  Here’s how it works: users can now click on various storefronts and other public places within the mobile app, and it will say whether
Continue Reading Google Maps App Now Tells Users If Locations Are Accessible, But Is It Accurate and Reliable?

Seyfarth Synopsis: Pennsylvania court rules that a museum violated the ADA when it refused to waive the entry fee for a guest’s personal care assistant. 

A federal district court judge in Pennsylvania court recently held that Title III of the ADA required the Franklin Institute (“FI”) to waive the admission fee for the personal care assistant (“PCA”) of a person
Continue Reading Pennsylvania Court Says Museum Must Waive Admission Fee for Personal Care Assistants

Seyfarth Synopsis: New Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Regulations will require covered entities providing health care programs and services have accessible electronic information technology, including accessible websites.

While we continue to wait for new regulations for the websites of state and local governments, federal agencies and public accommodations, two new regulations from the Department of Health and Human Services
Continue Reading New Healthcare Regulations Impose Accessible Technology Requirements

Seyfarth Synopsis:  In what has been deemed the first of its kind, Netflix has entered into an agreement with the American Council of the Blind, the Massachusetts-based Bay State Council of the Blind, and a blind individual, to add “audio descriptions” to many of the programs offered on its video streaming and DVD rental service.

“Audio description”  is narration added
Continue Reading Netflix Agrees To Add Audio Description to Many of Its Shows and DVD Rentals