[blindlaw] Recommendations for Court

Wed May 2 21:08:24 UTC 2018

My comments largely mirror Tai's though I have a bit less experience
actually using Beacons. It also is my understanding that there is some
considerable cost to maintain, replacing batteries, replacing beacons
themselves at some times and the like. This is not a reason necessarily to
oppose the concept but if installed, maintenance is important. It also is
unclear to me whether beacons will prove a long-term option. I do believe
that as in door navigation solutions develop, best practice accessibility
will be to install them in government buildings. I am not sure how nimble
programs will be in this area though. Maryland has a long-standing program
we call Access-Maryland and I have begun overseeing this program. It is an
old program that provides physical access to Maryland state facilities and
clearly, the expectation is physical access, accessible bathrooms/stalls,
elevators, ramps and compliant signage.    In my opinion, in door
mapping/GPS or a GPS like environment should be considered accessibility as
one would know locations in a building, court rooms, the cafeteria and so
forth. People who were blind or could not read the standard map would still
have access to the information, but even if that becomes the case, I am not
sure that the program here will be able to address the topic without
modifications. 
Jim McCarthy

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindLaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tai Tomasi
via BlindLaw
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2018 4:01 PM
To: Blind Law Mailing List
Cc: Tai Tomasi
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Recommendations for Court

Aser,

Are you talking about Apple iBeacons or another system? Can you educate me
regarding the cost of each navigation beacon? 

As for practicality, I am not sure such indoor beacons would help, at least
not in the courthouses I frequent. I have experience with such navigation
beacons in museums, and they were only slightly helpful due to the close
proximity of the beacons. I found that multiple beacons were communicating
with my phone at the same time, letting me know they were close by. The
problem was that the notification wasn't enough to identify the actual
location of the beacon. In my experience, beacons are not directional,
meaning that neither your phone nor the beacon seemed able to provide
accurate information about which way to turn. In other words, they are not
like GPS systems that can give you directional information. In my local
courthouses, the courtrooms are so close together that multiple beacons
would be sending notifications to my phone, meaning it would still be
necessary to ask for assistance or look for tactile wall signage. Although I
am an early adopter of technology and use it wherever possible, it isn't
always the best substitute for simply asking or looking for tactile signage.
I find the ability to read raised standard print very helpful in these
situations. Just my first thoughts on the subject.

Ms. Tai Tomasi, J.D.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Staff Attorney

400 East Court Ave., Ste. 300
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Tel: 515-278-2502; Toll Free: 1-800-779-2502
FAX: 515-278-0539; Relay 711
E-mail: ttomasi at driowa.org
www.driowa.org

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-----Original Message-----
From: BlindLaw <blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Aser Tolentino via
BlindLaw
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2018 2:50 PM
To: Blind Law Mailing List <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Aser Tolentino <agtolentino at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Recommendations for Court

Good afternoon,

Do people think deployment of indoor navigation beacons in courthouses would
improve your ability to independently find the right courtroom with less
fuss?

Respectfully,
Aser Tolentino, Esq.

> On May 2, 2018, at 12:23, Howard Adelsberg via BlindLaw
<blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Dear all, I have been asked by the NYS Office of Court Administration 
> to seek input from attorneys that are either blind or have vision 
> impairment for recommendations on how the Court may  help or  assist 
> us  in all aspects. Even if you are not admitted to NY, your input 
> would be appreciated .-Howard M. Adelsberg 
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BlindLaw:
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