# Violation of the ADA? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 4, 2024, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460 "2024-06-04T00:45:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460/1 "2024-06-04T00:45:19Z")
Since I am not in the US, this wouldn’t apply to me anyway, but there is a Microsoft program that cannot be used if you set the scale factor on your display above 100. It has to do with 2 factor identification in Outlook. The identification factor apparently appears off-screen and cannot be brought back. There is no scroll bar. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460/2 "2024-06-04T00:57:58Z")
The Americans with Disabilities Act? Is it a government content app? ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460/3 "2024-06-04T01:03:43Z")
Sounds more like a bug. My scale is set quite since my mail monitor is a 42” 8K display and I don’t have any issues. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460/4 "2024-06-04T01:18:46Z")
Agreed it sounds like a (very aggravating) bug/oversight, but don’t see how it would be an ADA issue. I had a coworker years ago who used something like this: > **[Amazon.com: Kantek MAXVIEW Desktop LCD Screen Magnifier, Fits 17" 5:4 Aspect...](https://www.amazon.com/Kantek-Magnifier-measured-diagonally-MAG17L/dp/B002XINP0Y)** > > Buy Kantek MAXVIEW Desktop LCD Screen Magnifier, Fits 17" 5:4 Aspect Ratio (Not Widescreen) Not for use with Laptops, Magnifying Computer Monitor Filter, Lightweight Optical Grade Fresnel Lens: Monitors - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on... That was provided by work for better screen visibility. If the link didn’t load, it’s a optical magnifier that can fit in front of a monitor for magnification above and beyond the scale factor. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460/5 "2024-06-04T06:21:47Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > Sounds more like a bug. Either that or user error. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460/6 "2024-06-04T08:12:04Z")
There are various scaling compatibility options in Windows that might mitigate this. You would right click on the shortcut to the program, click on the Compatibility tab, and then Click “High DPI Settings.” Then try to various solutions there. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460/7 "2024-06-04T14:41:50Z")
The ADA doesn’t say that all software must be accessible to all users. It states that government services and businesses open to the public cannot discriminate against people with disabilities. There are not hard and fast rules about what constitutes discrimination with regards to websites. Is allowing scaling at greater than 100% a reasonable accommodation? Could access be granted instead by high-contrast colors, larger fonts, or support for a screen reader? You’d need to answer those questions (and potentially argue them in court). But based on your brief OP, I’d say the biggest barrier to this being an ADA violation is the nature of the software. If this something that a government office or public business requires the public to use in order to accesses services? The public does _not_ have a right to say “I must be able to use this program.” They _do_ have a right to access services. That can be an obvious distinction in some cases and a tricky one in others. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460/8 "2024-06-04T23:36:25Z")
I work on a public-facing governmental website design sometimes, for which I have to take annual training on non-governmental recommended [WCAG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_Content_Accessibility_Guidelines) standards. We have to meet AA level standards, while AAA level will be nice to have. This obvious bug is not an ADA or WCAG barrier, it appears to be a bug. Private software doesn’t need to be accessible to everyone, that’s an unreasonable burden even for a megacorp, let alone some small time software developer to comply to. I don’t know how to force Outlook to induce 2FA, but next time it happens to me I can see if there’s a workaround for your present situation. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460/9 "2024-06-05T00:16:55Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > This obvious bug is not an ADA or WCAG barrier, it appears to be a bug. Are the two mutually exclusive? Something that’s accidentally noncompliant is still noncompliant. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460/10 "2024-06-05T00:54:57Z")
Ok, I guess I misunderstood what the ADA covered. In response to the suggestion of user error, the user in question was the specialist from McGill’s IT department. He had taken over my computer using something called quick assist. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460/11 "2024-06-05T04:06:24Z")
My typo/edit is a bug. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460/12 "2024-06-05T09:47:29Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > He had taken over my computer using something called quick assist. Scaling and remote access can present some issues. I will often reduce scaling and screen resolution before starting a screen sharing session. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violation-of-the-ada/1002460/13 "2024-06-05T15:39:09Z")
Yes, screen scaling can cause issues at the best of times, and it has even more problems when screen sharing or when you have multiple monitors with different scaling on each. Outlook isn’t the only program where “centered” dialog boxes appear off screen.