In a significant legal development, a visually-impaired individual has filed a class action lawsuit against a major children’s clothing retailer for allegedly failing to make its website accessible to blind and visually-impaired customers. The complaint was filed by Dustin Youngren in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on November 5, 2025, targeting Gerber Childrenswear, LLC.
Dustin Youngren, who is legally blind and relies on screen-reading software to navigate websites, claims that Gerber Childrenswear’s online platform, Gerberchildrenswear.com, is not accessible to individuals with visual impairments. According to the complaint, the website contains numerous barriers that prevent blind users from accessing goods and services available to sighted customers. Youngren argues that this exclusion violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which mandates equal access to public accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
The lawsuit highlights several specific issues encountered by Youngren while attempting to shop on Gerberchildrenswear.com. These include poorly descriptive alternative text for images, interactive elements without proper labels, automatic pop-ups causing disorientation, and a requirement for mouse usage that excludes keyboard-only navigation—a necessity for many visually-impaired users. “Plaintiff was denied a shopping experience like that of a sighted individual due to the Website’s lack of features and accommodations,” states the complaint.
Youngren’s legal team asserts that despite readily available technology and guidelines—such as those provided by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) under WCAG 2.2 standards—Gerber Childrenswear has failed to implement necessary modifications. The plaintiff seeks both injunctive relief requiring Gerber Childrenswear to update its website for accessibility compliance and compensatory damages for discrimination experienced by him and similarly affected individuals.
The lawsuit also includes allegations of negligent infliction of emotional distress due to the website’s inaccessibility causing mental anguish and interference with daily activities. Youngren’s attorneys argue that Gerber Childrenswear knew or should have known about these accessibility issues but chose not to address them.
Representing Youngren is Alison Chan from Equal Access Law Group, PLLC. The case is presided over by an unnamed judge under Case No.: 1:25-cv-13578 in the Northern District of Illinois court.
Source: 125cv13578_Dustin_Youngren_v_Gerber_Childenswears_Complaint_Northern_District_of_Illinois.pdf
