A Supreme Court decision last week keeps in place a lower court ruling that Domino's Pizza is obligated to provide a website accessible to disabled customers. The case, pitting the pizza chain against a blind customer, brings attention to the reality that disability accommodations are not just for physical spaces. Companies that provide online platforms must also meet the needs of disabled users. This is an important conversation governing the use of HR technology.
The US Chamber of Commerce had warned the Supreme Court not to let the ruling stand, arguing that doing so would "discourage the kind of innovation and investment that would best serve the very individuals whom the ADA was rightly intended to benefit." In the absence of guidelines for what constitutes sufficient accessibility in the digital age, the Chamber argued, companies will pull back from innovative online platforms rather than risk exposure to legal liability.
By declining a possible reversal of the earlier ruling, the Court hastens an era in which software companies and other purveyors of websites and apps can't be caught without well-developed accessibility practices.
For HR professionals and those interested in pre-hire assessments, this discussion may bring on some unease. At Traitify, we approach access with enthusiasm. We're proud that our assessments are compatible with screen readers, so they can be used by individuals with visual impairments. By combining captions and images, we've got the means to meet our users' needs, and we've ensured that our products can be adapted for use with assistive devices. Our assessments also involve little reading and can be completed in two minutes or less, so they are open to a wide range of literacy skills and for those with limited attention spans.
It's part of our overall mission of widening the scope of assessment insights. An important benefit of our mobile, user-friendly assessment is that it delivers personality data to places that others have not. We're bringing insights to high-volume hiring environments, not just selective salaried positions. And we're providing content not only to hiring managers, but to job candidates themselves. Warehouse workers, front-of-house restaurant staff, retail cashiers and others can complete the application process with insights about their personalities. They learn their strengths, areas for growth, and what to look for in work environments in order to be successful. We're democratizing the assessment space, and we're bringing career growth across the pay scale.
Leadership in HR should recognize that our conversations must encompass all the workforce, regardless of background or ability or job category. When implemented with this in mind, assessments have the potential to enhance diversity and inclusion and to bring innovation to workers once effectively excluded from the benefits of HR tech. At Traitify, we're gratified to be innovators in accessibility and inclusion.
