[gui-talk] Montgomery County Discriminates Against BlindEmployee

Thu Apr 14 16:17:15 UTC 2011

I would imagine that they are litigating using Section 508 of the Rehab
Act.  I believe that 508 actually only applies to the Federal
Government, even though some states, such as California, have adopted
companion legislation.  The situation gets even stickier when you are
dealing with local municipalities.  I wish her luck.

Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Nadia Cioffi
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2011 3:19 PM
To: Discussion of the Graphical User Interface,GUI Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Montgomery County Discriminates Against
BlindEmployee

well lest hope they can get some good proof. All I'm saying is that this
would be good landmark case if won
hope they win to
Joe:
Have a computer quation for you, how do input videos files in office
2010
that will also work with 2003?
thanks
Nadia

On Wed, Apr 13, 2011 at 6:14 PM, Jorge Paez
<computertechjorgepaez at gmail.com
> wrote:

> Not gonna take sides,
> but from a legal standpoint this is gonna be a hard one.
>
> Wish the NFB the best.
>
> Jorge
>
>
> On Apr 13, 2011, at 6:12 PM, Nadia Cioffi wrote:
>
> > what a sham we can't be "treated like normal" Sometimes people and
their
> > bottem dollor is they care about. Wish the NFB luck, this will be a
> > landmarke case if won and teach people not to do this.
> >
> > On Wed, Apr 13, 2011 at 5:17 PM, Freeh, Jessica <JFreeh at nfb.org>
wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> CONTACT:
> >>
> >> Chris Danielsen
> >>
> >> Director of Public Relations
> >>
> >> National Federation of the Blind
> >>
> >> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
> >>
> >> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
> >>
> >> <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Montgomery County Discriminates Against Blind Employee
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Rockville, Maryland (April 13, 2011): With the assistance of the
> National
> >> Federation of the Blind, a blind woman who was until recently
employed
> as an
> >> information specialist with Montgomery County's Department of
Health and
> >> Human Services has filed suit against the County for unlawful
> discrimination
> >> under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  The suit arises from the
County's
> >> purchase of an inaccessible database program that employees of its
new
> 311
> >> call center must use to complete their tasks.  Yasmin Reyazuddin
worked
> in
> >> the call center of the County's Department of Health and Human
Services:
> >> Division of Aging and Disability Services until the County
consolidated
> that
> >> call center and others into its new Montgomery County 311 Call
Center.
>  Ms.
> >> Reyazuddin had been using screen access software, which converts
> information
> >> on a computer screen into synthesized speech or into Braille that
can be
> >> displayed on a device known as a refreshable Braille display, to
access
> the
> >> computer programs with which she needed to interact in order to
provide
> >> accurate information to callers, keep records of calls, and perform
> other
> >> tasks necessary for resolving the concerns of callers.  When she
learned
> >> that her agency's call center would be consolidated into the
County's
> new
> >> 311 call center, she repeatedly inquired of County officials
whether the
> >> software for the new call center would be accessible with screen
access
> >> technology and provided information to the County about accessible
> >> solutions.  For the new call center, the County ultimately procured
a
> >> database system from Oracle known as Seibel Customer Relationship
> Management
> >> (CRM).  According to its manufacturer, this software can be
configured
> to
> >> work with screen access software, but the County installed a custom
> >> configuration of the software that is not accessible to blind
employees.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Ms. Reyazuddin was originally scheduled to be transferred to the
new
> call
> >> center with other information specialists, but was not allowed to
be
> >> transferred when she raised concerns about the accessibility of the
CRM
> >> program.  Ms. Reyazuddin has not been allowed to test the software
for
> >> accessibility, and although Oracle provided the County with
> documentation
> >> describing how the software could be made accessible, the County
has not
> >> implemented an accessible configuration of the software.  Ms.
Reyazuddin
> has
> >> been downgraded from an information specialist to a support staff
> position
> >> at the County Department of Health and Human Services, and she is
only
> given
> >> duties that fill approximately half of an eight-hour work day.  She
has
> been
> >> informed that her pay will also be cut because the County claims
that
> her
> >> multilingual skills are no longer being used in her new assignment.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
> said:
> >> "Yasmin Reyazuddin has been treated shamefully and with deliberate
> disregard
> >> for her legal and civil rights by Montgomery County.  Instead of
taking
> the
> >> steps necessary to make the database program used by employees of
the
> >> Montgomery County 311 Call Center accessible, the County has
reassigned
> her
> >> to a lower-paying job in which her skills are not being used.  We
cannot
> and
> >> will not tolerate this discrimination against her and other blind
County
> >> employees."
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Ms. Reyazuddin said: "Despite my ten years of service to Montgomery
> County,
> >> I am now being shifted to a lower-paying position with little to
do.  I
> >> could do all of my former job duties if the County would follow
Oracle's
> >> guidelines for making CRM accessible, but instead I am largely
relegated
> to
> >> idleness.  The situation has caused me considerable emotional
distress.
>  I
> >> did not want to resort to litigation but I feel that I have no
choice if
> I
> >> am to once again be a productive employee of Montgomery County."
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> The plaintiff is represented with the assistance of the National
> Federation
> >> of the Blind by Joseph B. Espo and Timothy R. Elder of the
Baltimore
> firm
> >> Brown, Goldstein & Levy.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ###
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> About the National Federation of the Blind
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind
is
> the
> >> largest and most influential membership organization of blind
people in
> the
> >> United States.  The NFB improves blind people's lives through
advocacy,
> >> education, research, technology, and programs encouraging
independence
> and
> >> self-confidence.  It is the leading force in the blindness field
today
> and
> >> the voice of the nation's blind.  In January 2004 the NFB opened
the
> >> National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first
research
> and
> >> training center in the United States for the blind led by the
blind.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
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