A visually-impaired woman has filed a lawsuit against Hinge claiming that she can’t use the dating app due to a lack of accessibility options.
Plaintiff Aretha Crosson submitted the case in the Brooklyn Federal Court and stated that she is being socially left behind as she is unable to use the app to find a partner or make new friends.
It’s argued that Hinge is violating the Americans With Disabilities Act because it’s not providing equal access.
The court papers explain: “[Crosson] browsed and intended to purchase a subscription in order to find meaningful conversation and date with people similar to herself.
“However, unless [Hinge] remedies the numerous access barriers on its app, [Crosson] will continue to be unable to independently navigate, browse, use, and complete a transaction on the app.”
Crosson has a history in the federal courts and has tried to sue a total of 77 companies in the past over similar issues. One of her most recent targets was mobile phone accessory company PopSockets, claiming that its website is unusable.
Match.com faced a lawsuit under the same act in 2017, after a blind man said the lack of alt-text, inaccessible forms, clear navigation links and improper labelling made browsing the app almost impossible.
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