Back in 2005, Target unwittingly became the poster child for how not to handle a confrontation from the National Federation of the Blind (NFB).  When confronted about how their Website was not accessible to blind and visually impaired users, Target decided to dig their heels in and fight.Taget Logo

The issues with the Target Website where ones that their IT team should have taken on such as providing <ALT> tags, making accessible image maps for their store locator, and adding header <H1> tags.  As a result, a Federal Judge ruled in 2006 against Target’s motions to dismiss the lawsuit.

In the end, Target settled out of court for millions of dollars and incurred a great deal of negative press for their decision to fight the case in court.  Given their druthers, I’m sure Target would have decided to work with NFB from the beginning on how to make their site as accessible as possible.

More details are available at W3’s Website: http://www.w3.org/WAI/bcase/target-case-study

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