[blindlaw] Announcement: DOJ Settlement Agreement with WalmartStores, Inc.

Wed Feb 4 05:28:32 UTC 2009

I like it.
Chuck
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <b75205 at gmail.com>
To: <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 7:47 PM
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Announcement: DOJ Settlement Agreement with 
WalmartStores, Inc.


> No the solution here is to contact Dayton Hudson Corporation and tell them 
> that Walmart was doing this, so they can put it into their Target ads that 
> if you are blind we will not shut the door on you or kick you out of the 
> store. That would have done much more than any of this stuff. You need to 
> humiliate the corporate boardroom and make heads roll before you are going 
> to see any real changes out there.
>
> James
>
> On Feb 2, 2009 9:06pm, "Craig%20R.%20Anderson" <mar.cra at comcast.net> 
> wrote:
>> Well, folks, this is perhaps better than nothing. But in this settlement
> Wal-mart is agreeing to do little more than comply with the law for the 
> next three years and pay a nominal amount into a dedicated fund. With the 
> federal government incurring a trillion dollars in debt this fiscal year, 
> and the country in a raging recession, couldn't the DOJ have expended its 
> scarce resources here to at least slightly more fruitful effect?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Craig
>>
>>
>> ----- Noel Nightingale Noel.Nightingale at ed.gov> wrote:
>>
>>
>> >
>>
>>
>> >
>>
>>
>> > -----Original Message-----
>>
>>
>> > From: Region V ADA Information [mailto:GREATLAKES at LISTSERV.UIC.EDU]On
>>
>>
>> > Behalf Of Robin Jones
>>
>>
>> > Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 11:32 AM
>>
>>
>> > To: GREATLAKES at LISTSERV.UIC.EDU
>>
>>
>> > Subject: Announcement: DOJ Settlement Agreement with Walmart Stores,
>>
>>
>> > Inc.
>>
>>
>> >
>>
>>
>> > The following information is forwarded to you by the DBTAC-Great Lakes
> ADA
>>
>>
>> > Center (www.adagreatlakes.org) for your information:
>>
>>
>> >
>>
>>
>> > Settlement Agreement between the United States of America and Wal-Mart
>>
>>
>> > Stores, Inc. Under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act
>>
>>
>> >
>>
>>
>> > On January 16, 2009, the Civil Rights Division entered into a 
>> > settlement
>>
>>
>> > agreement with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. under Title III of the Americans
> with
>>
>>
>> > Disabilities Act (ADA) to improve access for persons with disabilities
> at
>>
>>
>> > Wal-Mart stores nationwide. The agreement resolves an investigation 
>> > that
>>
>>
>> > was initiated after the Department received several complaints alleging
>>
>>
>> > that Wal-Mart had refused to make reasonable modifications to its 
>> > rules,
>>
>>
>> > policies, practices, and procedures for customers with disabilities in
>>
>>
>> > violation of Title III of the ADA. Many of the complaints alleged that
>>
>>
>> > persons with disabilities were denied access to Wal-Mart stores or were
>>
>>
>> > denied an equal opportunity to shop, free of repeated challenges by
>>
>>
>> > Wal-Mart staff, because they were accompanied by serice animals. 
>> > Service
>>
>>
>> > animals are dogs and other animals that are individually trained to 
>> > work
>>
>>
>> > or perform tasks for persons with disabilities.
>>
>>
>> >
>>
>>
>> > The settlement agreement covers all facilities located in the United
>>
>>
>> > States where Wal-Mart sells any good or service to members of the
> public,
>>
>>
>> > including all Wal-Mart stores, Supercenters, Sam's Clubs, and
> Neighborhood
>>
>>
>> > Markets. The settlement agreement, which will be effective for three
>>
>>
>> > years, requires Wal-Mart to take several steps to improve access for
>>
>>
>> > customers with disabilities, including:
>>
>>
>> >
>>
>>
>> > * an undertaking by Wal-Mart not to discriminate in violation of Title
>>
>>
>> > III of the ADA and to provide reasonable modifications to individuals
>>
>>
>> > with disabilities as required by Title III of the ADA, such as
>>
>>
>> > disability-related assistance such as helping customers in locating,
>>
>>
>> > lifting, and carrying items;
>>
>>
>> > * the adoption and implementation of an ADA-compliant policy of
>>
>>
>> > welcoming persons with disabilities who use service animals into
>>
>>
>> > Wal-Mart stores with little or no questioning and without repeated
>>
>>
>> > challenges by Wal-Mart employees;
>>
>>
>> > * training for all employees on Wal-Mart's obligations under Title III
>>
>>
>> > of the ADA to make reasonable modifications for individuals with
>>
>>
>> > disabilities and Wal-Mart's new ADA-compliant service animal policy;
>>
>>
>> > * additional training for store management and People Greeters, since
>>
>>
>> > employees in these positions have additional responsibilities under
>>
>>
>> > Wal-Mart's new service animal policy;
>>
>>
>> > * the posting of Wal-Mart's new service animal policy on its website
>>
>>
>> > and in employee areas at its stores;
>>
>>
>> > * the establishment of a grievance procedure in which Wal-Mart will
>>
>>
>> > receive complaints alleging violations of Title III of the ADA at a
>>
>>
>> > toll-free hotline, investigate such complaints, and take appropriate
>>
>>
>> > corrective actions to resolve any noncompliance with Title III of the
>>
>>
>> > ADA, including relief to complainants where appropriate;.
>>
>>
>> >
>>
>>
>> > Under the settlement agreement, Wal-Mart will also pay $150,000 into a
>>
>>
>> > fund to compensate certain individuals with disabilities who filed
>>
>>
>> > administrative complaints with the Department alleging Wal-Mart's
> refusal
>>
>>
>> > to make reasonable modifications, including the denial of equal access
> to
>>
>>
>> > persons with disabilities who use service animals. The Civil Rights
>>
>>
>> > Division will determine which complainants are to receive damages from
> the
>>
>>
>> > fund and the amount of damages to be received.
>>
>>
>> >
>>
>>
>> > In furtherance of the public interest, Wal-Mart will also pay an
>>
>>
>> > additional $100,000 into a fund that will be used by the Civil Rights
>>
>>
>> > Division to finance a public service announcement campaign to increase
>>
>>
>> > public awareness of the access rights of persons with disabilities who
> use
>>
>>
>> > service animals. The nature and scope of the public service 
>> > announcement
>>
>>
>> > campaign will be determined by the Civil Rights Division.
>>
>>
>> >
>>
>>
>> > The complete Settlement Agreement is available on the US Department of
>>
>>
>> > Justice ADA Website at: http://www.ada.gov/walmart.htm#settlement
>>
>>
>> >
>>
>>
>> > _______________________________________________
>>
>>
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>>
>>
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>>
>>
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>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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