RNIB sues BMIBaby over inaccessible website

The Royal National Institute for the Blind has started legal proceedings against low cost airline BMIBaby over the failure to make its website accessible to those with disabilities.

The website is currently impossible to use by the blind, partially sighted and those navigating without the use of a mouse. The issues were initially flagged up in 2010 when BMIBaby sought expert advice and recommendations on how to make its website accessible to screen readers, used by those with sight loss. However, the company has since made very little progress in its accessibility initiative, prompting RNIB’s action this week.

Hugh Huddy, RNIB Campaigns Officer for Inclusive Society, said: "Blind and partially sighted customers deserve to have access to the best online prices and flight information, just as any customer of BMIBaby does. Why should those with sight loss risk missing out on a web-only deal or be forced to ring a call centre simply because companies are failing to take accessibility standards seriously?"

The web is a fantastic medium which can give those with disabilities an enormous degree of freedom and independence. However, websites must be designed with accessibility in mind for all sectors of the population to benefit.

The 1999 amendment to the Disability Discrimination Act stated that all website owners were legally obliged to make reasonable adjustments to their websites. This has since been replaced by the 2010 Equality Act but owners are still responsible for ensuring that their websites adopt accessibility standards.

In the UK , no website owners have yet been sued for poor accessibility. However, RNIB has started legal  proceedings with two high profile brands in the past. These 2 cases were both settled out of court and the companies retained their anonymity.

The RNIB has proved in the past that it prefers to assist companies to improve their accessibility, rather than calling on the law to prosecute infringers. However it seems this time that it has lost patience with BMIBaby. It remains to be seen whether BMIBaby will respond in a positive way and make the necessary changes, or if the case will run its full course. Watch this space!

For more information on the laws surrounding inaccessible websites, read Wagada’s article.

If you want to know if your website has accessibility issues, contact Wagada.

Read the full press release from the RNIB here