[Nfbnet-members-list] Fw: Groundbreaking Settlement to End Discrimination Against Blind Uber Riders Who Use Guide Dogs

[David Andrews]

>
>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
>April 30, 2016
>
>
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>CONTACTS:
>
>
>
>Timothy Elder
>
>TRE Legal Practice
>
>(410) 415-3493
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><mailto:telder at trelegal.com>telder at trelegal.com
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>Larry Paradis
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>Disability Rights Advocates
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>(510) 541-4459
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><mailto:lparadis at dralegal.org>lparadis at dralegal.org
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>Michael Bien
>
>Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld
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>(415) 439-9821
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><mailto:mbien at rbgg.com>mbien at rbgg.com
>
>
>Chris Danielsen
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>National Federation of the Blind
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>(410) 262-1281
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><mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
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>
>
>
>
>
>
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>Groundbreaking Settlement to End Discrimination 
>Against Blind Uber Riders Who Use Guide Dogs
>
>
>
>April 30, 2016 –“ Berkeley, California – In an 
>unprecedented settlement announced tooday, Uber 
>has agreed to take affirmative steps to prevent 
>discrimination against blind riders who use 
>guide dogs in its transportation network across the United States.
>
>
>
>The settlement resolves a lawsuit—National 
>Federation of the Blind of California, et al.. 
>v. Uber Technologies, Inc.—brought by the 
>National Federation of the Blind, its California 
>affiliate, and individuals who use guide dogs, 
>to ensure that guide dog users have full and 
>equal access to vehicles in the Uber network. 
>This is the first nationwide class-action 
>settlement of its kind against an app-based transportation network company.
>
>
>
>While the growth of Uber’s on-demand 
>transportation services has the potential to be 
>a boon to blind people, drivers using the Uber 
>platform have denied rides to blind people who 
>use guide dogs. Any such discrimination violates 
>federal and state laws that protect the rights 
>of people with disabilities. Under the 
>settlement, Uber will work to end this 
>discrimination and blind individuals will be 
>able to use Uber without the threat of discrimination.
>
>
>
>Uber has agreed to take affirmative steps to 
>tell drivers about their obligations to 
>transport riders who are disabled and use 
>service animals. Uber will require that existing 
>and new drivers expressly confirm that they 
>understand their legal obligations to transport 
>riders with guide dogs or other service animals. 
>Uber will also implement stricter enforcement 
>policies—Uber will remove a driver from the 
>platform upon a sinngle complaint if Uber finds 
>that the driver knowingly denied a person with a 
>disability a ride because the person was 
>traveling with a service animal. In addition, if 
>Uber receives complaints that a driver denied a 
>person a ride because of a service animal on 
>more than one occasion, the driver will 
>permanently be removed from the Uber platform 
>regardless of the driver’s intent.
>
>
>
>Uber will also enhance its response system for 
>complaints related to discrimination against 
>guide-dog users, and will track detailed data on 
>all allegations of such discrimination. 
>Additionally, the National Federation of the 
>Blind and its California affiliate will deploy 
>testers over a multi-year period to evaluate 
>Uber’s compliance with the settlement.
>
>
>
>Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National 
>Federation of the Blind, said: “Access to 
>reliable and effective transportation is 
>critical to the ability of blind people to live 
>the lives we want. Uber and similar services can 
>be a great asset to the blind when they are 
>fully and equally available to us. The National 
>Federation of the Blind is therefore pleased 
>with Uber's commitment to effectively enforce a 
>nondiscrimination policy with respect to blind 
>people who use guide dogs. We look forward to 
>working with Uber to ensure that all blind 
>passengers can take advantage of the innovative 
>transportation service it offers.”
>
>
>
>Plaintiff Michael Hingson commented: “This 
>settlement is a great step forward for all blind 
>people. Uber can be such a convenient 
>transportation option. I’m looking forward to 
>being able to use the Uber services when Uber 
>makes the changes needed to fix its 
>discrimination problem and bring true access to guide dog users.”
>
>
>
>Attorney Larry Paradis of Disability Rights 
>Advocates said: “This settlement sets 
>important precedent and shows that companies 
>cannot ignore the rights of people with 
>disabilities just because they use a new 
>technology or a novel business model. We are 
>pleased we could come to an agreement with Uber 
>and look forward to working with the company to 
>ensure a more accessible system.”
>
>
>
>Attorney Michael Bien of Rosen Bien Galvan & 
>Grunfeld LLP observed: “Technology-enabled 
>services such as Uber have tremendous potential 
>to empower people with disabilities to live more 
>independent lives. By ensuring reliable equal 
>access for blind riders with service animals to 
>Uber’s services, this agreement harnesses that potential.”
>
>
>
>Plaintiffs and defendant submitted the proposed 
>settlement to the court on April 29, 2016, and 
>seek approval from the court to settle as a 
>nationwide class action. Copies of the 
>settlement and other documents can be found at 
><http://dralegal.org/case/national-federation-of-the-blind-of-california-et-al-v-uber-technologies-inc-et-al/>http://dralegal.org/case/national-federation-of-the-blind-of-california-et-al-v-uber-technologies-inc-et-al/.
>
>
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>Plaintiffs are represented by Larry Paradis and 
>Julia Marks of Disability Rights Advocates, 
>Timothy Elder of TRE Legal, and Michael Bien and 
>Michael Nunez of Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP.
>
>
>
>###
>
>
>[]
>
>
>About the National Federation of the Blind:
>
>The National Federation of the Blind knows that 
>blindness is not the characteristic that defines 
>you or your future. Every day we raise the 
>expectations of blind people, because low 
>expectations create obstacles between blind 
>people and our dreams. You can live the life you 
>want; blindness is not what holds you back. For 
>more information, visit <http://nfb.org/>http://nfb.org.
>
>
>About the California Affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind:
>
>The NFB of California (NFBC) is the state 
>affiliate of the National Federation of the 
>Blind. The NFBC knows that blindness does not 
>define you or your future. For more information, 
>visit <http://nfbcal.org/>http://nfbcal.org/.
>
>
>
>About Disability Rights Advocates:
>
>Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) is one of the 
>leading non-profit disability rights legal 
>centers in the nation. With offices in Berkeley 
>and New York City, DRA’s mission is to advance 
>equal rights and opportunities for people with 
>all types of disabilities nationwide. To advance 
>that mission, DRA regularly advocates for 
>greater access to transportation services and 
>modern technologies. DRA recently negotiated a 
>landmark settlement that will dramatically 
>improve access to taxis in New York for people 
>with mobility disabilities. DRA has also 
>negotiated access improvements to several types 
>of popular modern technologies, including the 
>website Target.com in National Federation of the 
>Blind v. Target, Corp. and Redbox touchscreen 
>video rental kiosks in Lighthouse for the Blind 
>and Visually Impaired et al. v. Redbox Automated 
>Retail, LLC et al. For more information, visit 
><http://www.dralegal.org/>www.dralegal.org.
>
>
>
>About TRE Legal:
>
>Founded by Timothy Elder, TRE Legal is a civil 
>rights law firm fighting discrimination and 
>specializing in the rights of the blind and 
>other disabled people to access employment, 
>education, government programs, public 
>accommodations, digital information, and all 
>other aspects of modern society. TRE Legal has 
>helped negotiate collaboration agreements 
>between the blindness community and several 
>mobile app developers to make their respective 
>technologies independently accessible to the 
>blind. For more information, visit 
><http://www.trelegal.com/>www.trelegal.com.
>
>
>
>About Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP:
>
>Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP (RBGG) is a 
>private law firm that specializes in complex 
>litigation, including with respect to business 
>disputes, employment matters, institutional 
>reform, and civil rights. RBGG has extensive 
>experience representing individuals and classes 
>of people with disabilities in litigation both 
>against private entities and in the criminal 
>justice context. For more information, visit <http://rbgg.com/>http://rbgg.com/
>
>

         David Andrews and long white cane Harry.
E-Mail:  dandrews at visi.com or david.andrews at nfbnet.org
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