Today’s Voices post is a little different, in that I’m not highlighting one particular writer or speaker. Instead, I want to talk about the current court case involving Domino’s and the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).
You can find a more thorough write-up of the case here, but essentially a blind customer is suing Domino’s for having an inaccessible website. Domino’s is trying to argue that the ADA does not apply to websites, since it was written prior to the role that the modern internet plays in our lives.
Recently, a federal appeals court agreed with the plaintiff. However, Domino’s is now petitioning for this to go to the Supreme Court. And in our current political climate, this could have a huge impact on the lives of many disabled people. Domino’s is being supported by a number of large retailers, all of whom want to fight accessibility online.
Now, I don’t eat at Domino’s, because I like pizza that’s actually good, but a company fighting something like this speaks volumes from a cultural perspective.
The cost of updating their website is estimated to be about $38,000. Domino’s reported a profit last year of 362 million.
Making your website more accessible for the disabled tends to be good for everyone, as creating an improved and more inclusive design helps all customers.
And more accessibility means more people to use or consume your product, which means more money coming in.
So why are retailers fighting this so hard? Why have so many companies always had such a hard time with the ADA?
As with most things, it comes back to politics, bias, privilege, and a lack of true leadership.
All bias has a certain element of the ridiculous, but this is especially so when it comes to disability. 61 million adults live with a disability in this country. Most of us, if we live long enough, will be disabled at some point. Most of us, some day, will need accommodation. Even if this were not the case, making life accessible for the disabled is not a burden. It’s a responsibility. And Domino’s, like many corporations, wants to be above responsibility.
If they’re above taking care of their customers, I highly suggest their customers be above ordering from Domino’s.