[Blind-rollers] Article: Appeals Court Overturns Wheelchair Accessibility Ruling For NYC Taxis

[Becky Frankeberger]

Sad as I personally, especially when I was dressed up always asked for the
wheelchair cab as they called it then.  One of the drivers and I became
friends. He said many followed my lead, but of course he took people in
wheelchairs also.  I really liked it as Jake's fur did not get on my
clothes.Also there was lots of room in the cab.  So I took one to the
airport with my luggage. He told me he was always busy.  He drove that cab
until the door literally fell off from rust.  I was only in New York once
and truly do not remember many curb cuts. We were by the Waldoff Hotel which
there were curb cuts, but none a block or two away.    

Becky Frankeberger
Butterfly Knitting

Custom-made knit throws, shawls, and more!

Phone: 360-426-8389
E-mail: becky at ButterflyKnitting.com
Website: www.ButterflyKnitting.com


-----Original Message-----
From: blind-rollers-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:blind-rollers-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Criminal Justice
Major
Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2012 11:20 PM
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Subject: [Blind-rollers] Article: Appeals Court Overturns Wheelchair
Accessibility Ruling For NYC Taxis

Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2012 6:09 PM
Subject: Article: Appeals Court Overturns Wheelchair Accessibility Ruling
For NYC Taxis The following article is forwarded to you by the Great Lakes
ADA Center ( www.adagreatlakes.org
) for your information:
CBS New York
June 28, 2012
Appeals Court Overturns Wheelchair Accessibility Ruling For NYC Taxis
Decision Seen As Blow To Disability Advocates, Who Heralded Earlier Ruling
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - A federal appeals court struck down a ruling
Thursday that would have required New York City to give taxi licenses only
to vehicles that are wheelchair accessible - disappointing disability
advocates upset that fewer than 2 percent of city cabs can accommodate
wheelchairs.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Americans with
Disabilities Act doesn't require the city to demand that cabbies serve the
disabled. Instead, the court ruled, in this case the ADA only bars the city
Taxi & Limousine Commission from discriminating against disabled people
seeking a license to drive a cab.
The law "prohibits the TLC from refusing to grant licenses to persons with
disabilities who are otherwise qualified to own or operate a taxi," the
justices wrote. "It does not assist persons who are consumers of the
licensees' product."
The decision was a blow to disability advocates, who had heralded the lower
court ruling that declared access to such services "a basic civil right."
"We're disappointed. But this is Round One of what is likely to be a lengthy
battle on many fronts," said Sid Wolinsky, director of litigation for
Disability Rights Advocates, which represented some of the plaintiffs.
Wolinsky argued his group could still ultimately win the lawsuit through
other arguments that weren't addressed in the appeals court ruling. But the
city's disabled residents will suffer in the interim, he said.
"What's going to happen now is probably going to take many, many months and
even years to decide," he said. "While that happens the New York City taxi
fleet is 98.2 percent inaccessible, and that's not going to change any time
in the near future."
Michelle Goldberg-Cahn, a lawyer for the city, said she believes the lower
court would also find in favor of the city.
"We think that the remaining claims similarly lack merit," she said.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg applauded the appeals court's decision.
"This ruling is consistent with common sense and the practical needs of both
the taxi industry and the disabled, and we will continue our efforts to
assist disabled riders," he said in a statement.
The ruling's outcome has no direct bearing on the city's ongoing fight to
sell 2,000 taxi medallions - auctions that the city is relying upon to
balance its budget that takes effect July 1. All 2,000 medallions would be
exclusively for wheelchair-accessible cabs, but the sales are on hold
pending the outcome of a separate court challenge.
Source:
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/06/28/appeals-court-overturns-wheelchair-ac
cessibility-ruling-for-nyc-taxis/
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