Target Corporation
The case that woke up every retailer in America.
In 2006, a blind college student named Bruce Sexton couldn't shop on Target.com. The site's images had no descriptions, so his screen-reading software just said "image" over and over. The checkout flow required a mouse he couldn't use. The National Federation of the Blind sued on behalf of every blind shopper in California.
Target argued that the ADA only covered physical stores, not websites. The court disagreed. Target ended up paying $6 million to blind customers, another $3.7 million to the plaintiffs' lawyers, and rebuilt its entire website. It was the first time a major company had to pay millions because of an inaccessible site — and it set the rule every business has lived under ever since.
Settlement
$6M
Court
Northern District of California
Case
National Federation of the Blind v. Target Corporation
3:06-cv-01802
Outcome
Class action settlement — $6 million in damages to class members; $3,738,864.96 in attorney fees and costs
What went wrong on the site
Each visual below shows what visitors with disabilities actually experienced.
Screen reader announces:
"Image. Image. Image."
Product images and key visuals had no alt text — screen readers announced 'image' or the file name instead of describing what users were looking at.
WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content
Click only — Tab key does nothing
Core interactions required a mouse. Keyboard-only users could not navigate menus, complete checkout, or operate widgets.
WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard
<div onClick="buy()">
<div>Buy now</div>
</div>
Custom controls had no ARIA roles, so screen readers could not announce what they were or what state they were in.
WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
Sources & documentation
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