In the last few weeks, a barrage of lawsuits hit New York
federal courts alleging that retail defendants violate the ADA
because they fail to offer Braille gift cards for purchase to
consumers. The cases are brought as putative class actions on
behalf of individuals who are blind or visually-impaired. Many of
the plaintiffs are the same ones who flooded the courts with
website accessibility lawsuits in the last several years.
Specifically, plaintiffs allege that they contacted the
defendant store and asked if the defendant sold gift cards
containing Braille. According to plaintiffs, they were informed by
the defendant’s employees that the defendant does not sell
store gift cards in Braille. Plaintiffs’ contend that the
defendant store’s failure to offer Braille gift cards
discriminates against individuals with vision impairment by
preventing equal access to the defendant’s retail store and
the goods and services offered to the public. The complaints cite
to the
