For a while now, any website that receives funding from the federal government has had to conform to guidelines that make the website accessibile to the disabled. The buzzword here is Section 508, after its location in the US legal code.

There's a small but lucrative sub-practice of web design that helps site owners pass muster in this area. But the net may be widening. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, activists are pushing for a wider interpretation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). They argue that all e-commerce websites have to be 508-compliant.

So far, Target, Netflix and eBay have gone 508-compliant rather than get dragged through litigation. Will the activists push smaller e-commerce sites like yours? Will they press for ALL websites to be 508 compliant? Nobody knows yet, but we'll keep our ear to the ground and keep you informed as the saga unfolds.