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Highlighting that the issue of ADA website accessibility remains a hot topic for CUs, the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) has launched a new ADA Website Accessibility Advocacy page. "We fully support and appreciate CUNA's efforts to provide as much information, support and resources to help our credit unions. Though it has not yet become an issue in Maine, we fully anticipate it is a question of 'when' and not 'if' it will be so the new Advocacy page can help our credit unions before that happens," explained Todd Mason, President of the Maine Credit Union League.
As CUNA and your League continue to push for solutions to credit unions facing legal threats on website accessibility under the Americans With Disabilities Act, it has launched an advocacy page outlining the current situation and steps CUNA is taking. Credit unions are facing increased legal threats due to confusion over website compliance with the ADA. CUNA has been working with the Department of Justice and Congress to solve the issue.
"Credit unions are victims of predatory litigation and frivolous demand letters. Credit unions exist to serve their members, so clearly they take every effort to make sure they're accessible to all of their members. This kind of predatory activity threatens credit unions' ability to serve their members," said CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan. "We're taking a 360 degree approach to this critical problem, pursuing legislative, regulatory and, if necessary, judicial remedies."
Donovan said that the association has even heard from credit unions leaders who say that their institutions may not be able to continue to serve members as a result of these baseless suits.
"It's clear that unscrupulous attorneys are taking advantage of a lack of clarity in regulation to prey on institutions that every day are trying to serve the very members the attorneys purport to represent," said Donovan. "The tragedy is that these consumers and others could be robbed of safe and affordable financial services by these law firms."
CUNA has also backed a bill that would address these threats, written to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, and spearheaded efforts that resulted in 61 members of Congress raising ADA concerns in a letter to DOJ.
Additionally, a breakout session dedicated to this issue and threat has been scheduled for CUNA's upcoming Governmental Affairs Conference on Monday, February 26, from 2:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. A number of Maine CU representatives have already registered to attend this year's Conference but it is not too late to do so. For more information about the Conference, please click here.
CUNA held a webinar on the topic on Thursday, January 17, and information, updates and a summary from it will be provided in next week's Weekly Update.
To access the new Advocacy page, click here.