Nov. 18--Peapod inked a settlement with the Justice Department on Monday that resolved allegations that the online grocer's website violated the Americans with Disabilities Act because it was not accessible to people with vision and hearing issues and other physical disabilities.
Under the agreement, Peapod is required to retain an independent website accessibility consultant who will annually evaluate the website and its mobile applications for accessibility and adopt a formal web accessibility policy, among other measures.
"This agreement ensures that people with disabilities will have an equal opportunity to independently and conveniently shop online for groceries," Vanita Gupta, acting assistant attorney general of the civil rights division, said in a statement. "We applaud Peapod for working cooperatively with the department and for its commitment to customers with disabilities."
Peapod, which started in 1989 and is an Ahold USA company, said it began providing a screen reader accessible version of its website in 1993 to assist visually impaired customers and has always provided telephone assistance to customers with disabilities who have trouble using the website.
"We are pleased to enter this agreement with the Department of Justice as it reflects Peapod's long-standing commitment to make our online grocery services accessible to individuals with disabilities," said Andrew Parkinson, Peapod's president, in a statement. "We hope other online service providers will follow suit to ensure that the needs of this important group of shoppers are met."
mepodmolik@tribpub.com
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