RESOLUTION 2023-01
Regarding the Inaccessibility of AXS.com and the AXS Mobile App
WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado (NFBCO), a (501)(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the largest advocacy organization of blind people in Colorado, is comprised of blind people of all ages, their family members, and their friends who are working together to achieve full participation, equal access, and integration on the basis of equality by the blind into our society; and
WHEREAS, AXS is a prominent online ticketing, data, and marketing solutions provider in the United States and other countries; and
WHEREAS, AXS describes itself as an organization “powering the ticket buying experience for over 350 world-wide partners, teams, arenas, theaters, clubs, and colleges to maximize the value of all their events and create joy for fans”; and
WHEREAS, AXS offers the website AXS.com and the AXS mobile app for purchasing tickets to various live events such as concerts, sports, festivals, and more--with contracts to act as the sole ticketing provider for some of the largest and most popular venues in Colorado, including Ball Arena and Red Rocks Amphitheater; and
WHEREAS, the Axs.com website and the AXS mobile app impose various barriers and challenges for blind or visually impaired users who rely on screen readers or other assistive technologies to access digital content; and
WHEREAS, examples of these barriers and challenges include (but are not limited to):
• anti-bot technologies which make it difficult or impossible for nonvisual users to prove their humanity and
• seat selection strategies which may work efficiently for people who can see the screen, but which make it difficult or impossible for screen reader users to efficiently find and select available seats; and
WHEREAS, these challenges and barriers not only discriminate against the blind by violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, but also demonstrate a flagrant disregard of AXS’ own beliefs, as stated on the company’s website that the process of purchasing tickets from AXS should be “a simple customer journey;”: Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado in convention assembled this 29th day of October, 2023, in the City of Lone Tree, Colorado, that this organization call upon AXS to take immediate and effective steps to make the AXS.com website and the AXS mobile app fully accessible to blind or visually impaired users who use screen reading and other assistive technologies to access digital content and services; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization insist that AXS work closely with the National Federation of the Blind, the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado, and other stakeholders in the blind community to ensure that blind customers are able to avail themselves of all of its online services--including purchasing tickets and selecting seats--with the same efficiency, effectiveness, and independence as its sighted customers.
Resolution unanimously adopted.