The members of the National Federation of the Blind have approved a resolution to begin a new campaign to convince Apple to consider accessibility when they are approving apps for the App Store. The group successfully sued Apple in 2008 over iTunes’ accessibility features.
While the resolution — which was approved during last week’s NFB convention in Orlando, Fla. — does not call for a repeat of the 2008 litigation that saw Apple pay $250,000 and overhaul iTunes’s accessibility features as part of a settlement, Reuters notes that some of the organization’s members view such an action as inevitable if Apple fails to implement new accessibility requirements.
“It’s time for Apple to step up or we will take the next step,” NFB of California board member Michael Hingson told Reuters, adding that another lawsuit would be “the only resort” to force compliance.
While Apple has made a number of accessibility improvements in their iOS devices in recent years, advocates for the blind – while acknowledging Apple’s improvements, such as VoiceOver – say the company needs to do more to encourage third-party app developers to follow the company’s lead.
The NFB cites apps from companies such as Netflix and Bank of America as lacking even basic accessibility features such as button labels that can be read aloud by VoiceOver.
