OCR Complaints: Siteimprove’s Philosophy

Summary

Siteimprove does not file OCR complaints and does not share scan data with third parties; instead, the company focuses on proactively helping organizations improve accessibility because it is the right thing to do—not out of fear of litigation.

Overview

This article explains Siteimprove’s position on accessibility-related complaints and litigation, including its stance on OCR complaints, confidentiality of scan data, and its broader philosophy on improving digital accessibility.

Increase in OCR complaints and accessibility lawsuits

Siteimprove is aware that there has been a marked increase in the number of complaints to the United States’ Office of Civil Rights (OCR) against U.S. educational institutions regarding the accessibility of their websites and digital materials.

This isn’t just a problem in the U.S. – institutions all over the world are dealing with accessibility lawsuits. Indeed, this goes beyond just educational organizations. Many businesses are also facing lawsuits for inaccessible websites.

Siteimprove’s philosophy on accessibility

Our strong belief is that organizations should proactively improve their websites for persons with disabilities because it’s the right thing to do. We do not think that making websites accessible should be motivated by a fear of litigation.

Siteimprove’s position on OCR complaints

Siteimprove has never filed OCR complaints against any organization. It’s just not how we do business. Feel free to make a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in any of the countries where we do business; it will validate this. Our main goal is to work with clients to make their websites better for users. We’re not in the litigation business.

Confidentiality of website scan data

We do scan websites to assess their strengths and weaknesses as a means of proactively engaging organizations. But confidentiality is paramount to all of our relationships, and we consider those reports to be confidential information. For that reason, Siteimprove does not share website scan results with third parties.

Contact and further discussion

We’d be happy to discuss this issue further with you. Please feel free to contact us using this form "Learn More about Testing Services" or call: +1 855 748 3467

Key takeaways

• Siteimprove does not file OCR complaints
• Accessibility improvements should be proactive, not fear-driven
• Website scan results are treated as confidential
• The company focuses on collaboration, not litigation