FBI Analyst With Blindness Can Sue Over Software Accessibility

An intelligence analyst for the Federal Bureau of Investigation can pursue a lawsuit accusing the agency of failing to use computer software that’s accessible to employees with blindness, the D.C. Circuit ruled Friday.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the first major federal statute focused on individuals with disabilities, authorizes private lawsuits by people with disabilities—including employees of federal agencies—who file administrative complaints about inaccessible technology, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held.

The federal government argued that the statute only authorizes lawsuits against agencies acting in their capacity as providers of federal funding, and ...