Special software can help the blind access the internet, but not every website supports it. A wave of lawsuits is pushing to change that

CHICAGO - Jose Martinez has been thwarted when buying concert tickets online. He changed banks after finding his financial institution's mobile app wouldn't work for him. Sometimes, when he can't finalize a purchase on an e-commerce site, he simply takes his business elsewhere.

Martinez, 37, is legally blind. The Chicago resident uses screen-reading software on his computer that converts text into descriptive speech, a technology that has made it possible for him to live independently.

"I live alone ... I want to make my life as practical as possible," Martinez said.

But not every website is compatible with the software Martinez and visually impaired consumers across the country use. There is no federal law requiring businesses to design websites that work with the tools blind and deaf consumers use to navigate the internet. Nor are there any federal guidelines on how to create