Beyoncé’s Website Violates Americans With Disabilities Act, Lawsuit Claims
Beyoncé’s company Parkwood Entertainment is facing a class action lawsuit which claims that Beyonce.com denies equal access to visually impaired users, THR reports. The lawsuit—filed today by New York woman Mary Conner, who is blind—argues that the website violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by being “an exclusively visual interface” without any coded alt-text behind the images.
“Plaintiff dreams of attending a Beyoncé concert and listening to her music in a live setting,” Conner’s attorney writes in the complaint. “However, when she browsed the Beyonce.com website, she encountered numerous barriers which limited her accessibility to the goods and services offered on the website.” The lawsuit also cites a lack of accessible drop-down menus and the inability to use a keyboard instead of a mouse.
The proposed class includes “all legally blind individuals in the United States who have attempted to access Beyonce.com and as a result have been denied access to the enjoyment of goods and services offered by Beyonce.com, during the relevant statutory period.” Pitchfork has reached out to Parkwood Entertainment for comment.
