[Nfbnet-members-list] AG HEALEY AND NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO MAKE HEALTH CARE KIOSKS ACCESSIBLE TO BLIND CONSUMERS

Morey, Kristian KMorey at nfb.org
Wed Jul 27 14:03:24 UTC 2016


FOR IMMEDIATE 
RELEASE                                                      MEDIA CONTACT:
July 26, 
2016 
Emalie Gainey (AGO)
                                                                                                             (617) 
727-2543
                                                                                                             Chris 
Danielsen (NFB)
                                                                                                                                                 (410) 
262-1281

AG HEALEY and national federation of the blind 
ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO MAKE HEALTH CARE KIOSKS ACCESSIBLE TO BLIND CONSUMERS
Announcement Marks 26th Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act
BOSTON – On the 26th anniversary of the passage 
of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 
Attorney General Maura Healey and the National 
Federation of the Blind (NFB) announced a 
first-of-its-kind agreement with Pursuant Health, 
Inc. to make its self-service health care kiosks 
accessible to blind consumers.

The agreement reached with Pursuant Health, an 
Atlanta-based company that manufactures and 
operates thousands of self-service health care 
kiosks in retail stores nationwide, provides 
meaningful benefits to individuals nationwide who 
are blind or who have low vision, including 
27,000 Massachusetts residents who are legally blind.

“Technology should be used to improve people’s 
lives, not create barriers,” said AG Healey. “We 
must take steps to ensure that all Massachusetts 
residents have equal access to health care 
services, and that technology is accessible to 
consumers with disabilities. We are pleased to 
have worked with the NFB and Pursuant Health to make these kiosks accessible.”

Pursuant Health’s kiosks offer important 
biometric health screenings, including vision 
assessments, blood pressure screening, weight and 
BMI assessments, and pain management advice. 
Health risks and recommendations for further 
testing or treatment are displayed on the kiosk 
or sent to the consumer via email. Until now, 
however, blind consumers have not been able to use the kiosks effectively.

“Living the lives we want as blind people 
includes monitoring our own health so that we can 
take steps to maintain or improve it,” said Mark 
A. Riccobono, President of the NFB. “Health 
information has the potential to be more 
accessible than ever to the blind with 
twenty-first-century technology, but only if the 
manufacturers of technology keep accessibility in 
mind. We are delighted to have reached this 
agreement with Pursuant Health, working with the 
outstanding civil rights advocates in Attorney 
General Healey’s office, and believe that it will 
result in health information kiosks that set an industry-leading example.”

According to the terms of the agreement, Pursuant 
Health will implement a detailed project plan to 
make their kiosks and website accessible to 
consumers who are blind or visually impaired. The 
kiosks will be made accessible over time and will 
be reformatted to provide audio instructions and 
easily locatable “hot spots” on the kiosk screens 
to help blind consumers navigate the system. 
Pursuant Health will also offer membership 
options to make it easier for blind consumers to 
activate the kiosks and track their individual health assessments.

Finally, Pursuant Health will make payments 
totaling $95,000 to the AG’s Office and the NFB, 
which will be used to further improve access and 
opportunity for individuals with disabilities.

“Massachusetts Commission for the Blind applauds 
the efforts of Attorney General Healey for 
negotiating a settlement that takes one more 
important step closer to providing equal access 
to technology and health care,” said MCB Commissioner Paul Saner.

The agreement is the most recent result of 
collaboration between the AG’s Office and the 
NFB. Past collaborations have included making 
<http://www.mass.gov/ago/news-and-updates/press-releases/2013/2013-01-30-monster-agreement.html>Monster.com’s 
website, 
<http://www.mass.gov/ago/news-and-updates/press-releases/2008/ag-and-national-federation-of-the-blind-reach.html>Apple’s 
iTunes services and 
<http://www.mass.gov/ago/news-and-updates/press-releases/2014/2014-11-24-cardtonics-settlement.html>Cardtronics 
ATMs fully and equally accessible to blind consumers.

             State and federal laws not only 
prohibit disparate treatment of individuals with 
disabilities in employment and housing, but also 
require that all businesses operating places of 
public accommodation provide people with 
disabilities with full and equal enjoyment of 
their goods, services, and facilities.

Continuing her efforts to protect the civil 
rights of all Massachusetts residents, 
<http://www.mass.gov/ago/news-and-updates/press-releases/2015/2015-07-22-disability-committee.html>AG 
Healey formed a Disability Rights Advisory 
Committee in July 2015. The Committee is 
comprised of advocates and experts who meet on a 
regular basis to consult with and advise AG 
Healey and her staff on matters pertaining to 
inclusion, access, and equality for individuals 
with disabilities. Please click 
<http://www.mass.gov/ago/docs/civilrights/ada-anniversary.pdf>here 
for more information on AG Healey’s disability rights work since taking office.
This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney 
General Genevieve C. Nadeau, Chief of AG Healey’s 
Civil Rights Division on behalf of the 
Commonwealth, and by Daniel F. Goldstein of the 
Baltimore firm Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP on behalf of the NFB.

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