A new insurtech product has been launched to help organizations demonstrate reasonable adjustment toward digital accessibility compliance and help mitigate the threat of legal action. AAAtraq is an automated compliance identification management system that helps organizations define their existing level or accessibility to non-compliance risk exposure. The product also helps organizations progress toward full compliance through a managed process.
The number of digital accessibility lawsuits filed against companies in the US shot up by 187% between 2017 and 2018, and those numbers are believed to have risen even more in 2019, AAAtraq said. In one high-profile case, Domino’s Pizza was found liable for not making its website app accessible to the visually impaired, and was forced to make changes to improve user experience.
AAAtraq is a service that provides website owners with a way to protect their organizations from risks of legal action by giving them a pathway to compliance. Subscribers receive an AAAtraq “accessibility rating” badge that can be displayed on websites to show that they are working toward digital compliance. US-based organizations can also get complementary insurance from Brit with a benefit limit of up to $50,000.
AAAtraq’s full service is available through a monthly subscription. The service provides a guided methodology and full digital supplier management, AI-based training and education for developers and content producers, and benchmarking and KPIs to measure improvements in compliance.
“Organizations are not deliberately non-compliant, but the level of misinformation in circulation coupled with a succession of successful legal cases in the US has created the perfect storm,” said AAAtraq CEO Lawrence Shaw. “Digital accessibility lawsuits are one of the fastest-growing financial risks for organizations who are literally burying their heads in the sand because they don’t understand the accessibility legislation and mistakenly believe it is difficult and expensive to comply.”
