Sometime last year, a bubble began to emerge in the Internet world in the shape of “Web 2.o“, which is effectively nothing more than more streamlined web-based applications. The coolness factor, however, and the onset of various technologies that foster rapid development of these applications, has sparked a new revenue stream for developers.

Another area that looks like it may be poised to take the forefront in web developers’ and site owners’ minds alike is that of Accessibility. For quite some time, places of public entrance around the world have been bound by various governing laws, and effectively forced to provide easy access to all persons… with or without disabilities. The punishment for not complying? Stiff fines.

But since the onset of the Internet, few governments have enacted or enforced rules governing accessibility on websites and their owners. In the United States, for example, only government sites are expected to comply with ADA guidelines for accessiblity. But the current climate may be changing this.

News.com reports that a blind student is now suing Target, claiming that its inaccessible site violates the Americans With Disabilities Act and various U.S. state laws. This story comes after recent reports that Target was facing pressure from various advocacy groups to fix their site’s barriers to the blind. While Target reacted swiftly to fix some of their site issues, it’s still not over. They’re far from being accessible to those who must navigate their site with a screen-reader. Now, the possibility arises for an actual precedent-setting legal case to mandate that public companies take down the barriers from their sites on the web.

This interests me for more than one reason. First of all, I think everyone should have the ability to access the same information… even if it’s delivery comes in different shapes and sizes. So, it’s good to see equal opportunity coming about in more of a mass-medium.

The other great interest I have in this outcome is what it means to developers and companies who have the knowledge and ability to develop accessible websites. In my mind, it presents a great opportunity to take the lead on an issue that many companies are going to be concerned about very quickly. Getting your expertise promoted now, while this giant is only beginning to awake, will help educate people on who to turn to when the government comes breathing down their neck.

I have a feeling it will only take one lawsuit to turn in the favor of a blind “victim” of website inaccessibility for this behemoth to take shape and a flurry of lawsuits to follow. What will follow then will be a frantic flurry of companies trying to find someone to safeguard their site from their own nice little litigation nightmare.

So, could this be the next big Bubble in the web? We’ll see!