Apple iTunes Agrees to Become Fully Accessible

Evidencing the truth in the theory that the Target settlement will catalyze accessibility initiatives amongst businesses and industry, it was announced on September 26, 2008, that NFB and the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts had signed a cooperative agreement with Apple Inc. to make iTunes software accessible by those who are blind or have low vision. Under the agreement, Apple will make iTunes U accessible by December 31, 2008, and will ensure the full accessibility of iTunes by June 30, 2009.

Under the agreement, Apple will continue to work with NFB to ensure the accessibility of iTunes to those with visual disabilities. Too, Apple will educate all employees who program or write code for iTunes regarding the importance of accessibility features. The company will also contribute $250,000 to the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind to assist the agency in providing adaptive technologies to blind citizens of Massachusetts.

This is certainly not the first time that a business has engaged in such an agreement with NFB. In a previous issue of DATA, we reported on an agreement between NFB and Amazon, by which the two parties agreed to "work together to promote and improve technology that enables blind people to access and use the World Wide Web." In the cooperation agreement, Amazon.com pledged its commitment to continue improving the accessibility of its website and, in turn, the NFB pledged to assist in the effort with its expertise in accessibility technologies. An Amazon.com representative stated that "[b]y working directly with the NFB, which has a wealth of accessible technology experience, we´ll be able to make more improvements for both our sighted customers and those customers who use screen access software to browse and shop the Internet."

As word of the Target settlement spreads throughout the business world, it is likely that more businesses will either seek to engage in such agreements or work independently toward greater accessibility. The court´s early opinion in the Target case and the settlement send a clear signal to businesses that legal arguments against accessibility are unlikely to sustain.

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