[nabs-l] Taxi Technology for Passengers who are Blind or Visually Impaired

Arielle Silverman arielle71 at gmail.com
Wed May 30 00:05:50 UTC 2012 

I think this is a really awesome idea and probably the best example of
new technology for the blind that I've heard about in a long time. My
sister lives in Brooklyn and one time when I took a cab from the
airport to her house, the cab driver refused to swipe my card because
he said he wasn't allowed to. Since the machine was inaccessible my
sister had to come downstairs and run my credit card for me. If I
hadn't been going to meet up with someone sighted I wouldn't have been
able to pay my fare without stopping at an ATM and running the meter
even higher. The talking meters also sound really cool. Finally, I am
excited to think about the kinds of accessible touch-screen devices
that might be inspired by this invention, such as airport kiosks,
checkouts at the grocery store where you have to enter your ATM PIN,
DVD players, etc.
Arielle

On 5/29/12, David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com> wrote:
> I have no idea -- ask your cab company!
>
>
> Dave
>
> At 12:45 PM 5/29/2012, you wrote:
>>Do you know how I can check to see when this system will be installed in
>>cabs in my area?
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf
>>Of David Andrews
>>Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 12:51 PM
>>To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
>>Subject: [nabs-l] Taxi Technology for Passengers who are Blind or Visually
>>Impaired
>>
>>
>> >
>> >The following press release is forwarded to you by the Great Lakes ADA
>> >  Center (
>> ><http://www.adagreatlakes.org>www.adagreatlakes.org
>> >) for your information:
>> >Press Release:
>> >Taxi Technology for Passengers who are Blind or Visually Impaired
>> >Contact: Don Hoffman (Lighthouse), 212-981-5118
>> >Partnership leads to accessibility improvements for blind and visually
>> >  impaired taxi
>> >riders in New York and around the nation
>> >April 17, 2012, New York - In partnership with Creative Mobile
>> >  Technologies (CMT)
>> >and Lighthouse International, Council Member James Vacca, Chair of the
>> >  Council Transportation
>> >Committee, and former New York Governor David A. Paterson today
>> > announced
>> >  groundbreaking
>> >software enhancements designed to enable blind and visually impaired
>> > taxi
>> >  riders
>> >to independently access the credit card payment system and other
>> >  technology features
>> >in New York's yellow medallion taxicabs as well as taxi fleets around
>> > the
>> >  nation.
>> >CMT created adaptive software that will allow blind or visually impaired
>> >  taxi passengers
>> >to hear the fare changing in regular intervals during the trip and
>> >  facilitate all
>> >aspects of the credit card or cash payment functions upon reaching their
>> >  destination,
>> >including selection of payment options, verification of fare and
>> > selection
>> >  of tip
>> >percentages. CMT's audible touch screen system, which can be activated
>> > by
>> >  a special
>> >card or by simply asking the driver, will transform the screen into
>> > large,
>> >  easy-to-navigate
>> >sections that are operated by touch and prompted by step-by-step spoken
>> >  instructions.
>> >"I consistently hear that New York City is one of the most difficult
>> >  places for blind
>> >and visually impaired individuals to navigate," said Vacca. The payment
>> >  system in
>> >taxicabs has been a great improvement for passengers, and visually
>> >  impaired riders
>> >deserve to enjoy the same benefits of that system. This nationwide
>> >  initiative to
>> >make taxis more accessible for visually impaired riders is a major
>> >  achievement, both
>> >for the industry, and for this community. I want to commend CMT and
>> >  Lighthouse for
>> >making this a priority. This technology will make a real difference for
>> >  people who
>> >need it."
>> >This software is critical to the blind and visually impaired community's
>> >  ability
>> >to independently pay taxi fares. Prior to implementation of this new
>> >  software, blind
>> >and visually impaired passengers who chose to use credit cards were
>> > forced
>> >  to rely
>> >on cab drivers to swipe their card and enter the correct amount,
>> > including
>> >  tip. Not
>> >only is this a violation of current TLC rules, but also it exposes the
>> >  visually impaired
>> >passenger to the potential for fraudulent transactions, including
>> >  overpayment.
>> >"As a blind New Yorker I am part of a community that until now did not
>> >  benefit from
>> >the convenience of being able to use a credit card in the city's cabs
>> > when
>> >  the technology
>> >was first mandated in 2008," said David A.Paterson, 55th Governor of the
>> >  State of
>> >New York. "I applaud CMT for extending electronic payment to an often
>> >  underserved
>> >community by making New York City taxis independently accessible for the
>> >  vision impaired.
>> >Council Member James Vacca and Lighthouse International also deserve a
>> >  great deal
>> >of gratitude for their undying stewardship of this significant issue."
>> >In addition to its NYC rollout, CMT also plans to introduce software in
>> >  4,500 credit
>> >card and payment systems in taxis around the country including Chicago,
>> >  Boston, San
>> >Francisco, Philadelphia, Anaheim, Detroit, Kansas City, Columbus and
>> >  Charlotte.
>> >CMT and Lighthouse International will issue blind and visually impaired
>> >  individuals
>> >a card, compatible with any CMT taxi nationwide, that will activate the
>> >  adaptive
>> >software, though an activation card will not be required to engage the
>> >  system.
>> >"CMT is excited to work alongside Chairman Vacca and Lighthouse
>> >  International to
>> >produce these innovative software solutions that will revolutionize the
>> >  taxi experience
>> >for our blind and visually impaired customers," said Jesse H. Davis,
>> >  President of
>> >Creative Mobile Technologies. "We are very proud of the CMT team for
>> >  developing
>> >this innovative technology, and we praise the hard working advocates at
>> >  Lighthouse
>> >International who provided us with invaluable feedback in shaping its
>> >  development
>> >and to Chairman Vacca who has demonstrated great leadership on this
>> > issue.
>> >  We look
>> >forward to rolling out this feature in New York City and in CMT markets
>> >  throughout
>> >the nation."
>> >"This is an excellent example of the private sector working with
>> >  government leaders
>> >and advocates to voluntarily change a system that has excluded the
>> >  independent participation
>> >of thousands of people who are blind or visually impaired for far too
>> >  long," said
>> >Mark G. Ackermann, President and CEO of Lighthouse International. "We
>> > are
>> >  delighted
>> >to have played a role in this nationwide initiative and will continue
>> >  working to
>> >ensure that every taxi in the nation is accessible to people with a
>> > visual
>> >  impairment.
>> >Many thanks to Council Member James Vacca for his continued leadership
>> > on
>> >  behalf
>> >of people who are blind and visually impaired and to Creative Mobile
>> >  Technologies
>> >for their willingness to make this a reality."
>> >"Having a credit card system that talks will make riding in a taxi more
>> >  accessible,
>> >enabling me to pay by credit card independently. I applaud the efforts
>> > of
>> >  Council
>> >Member Vacca and Creative Mobile Technologies for making this possible,"
>> >  said Ellen
>> >Rubin, independent access consultant.
>> >"We applaud this innovation, which we believe will enhance the ability
>> > of
>> >  visually
>> >impaired New Yorkers to more independently use taxis and to pay for
>> > their
>> >  trips with
>> >credit and debit cards," said Commissioner David Yassky, Chairman of the
>> >  Taxi and
>> >Limousine Commission. "This is another good example of leveraging
>> >  technology to help
>> >overcome barriers to accessibility, and we look forward to working with
>> >  the tech
>> >community to bring further innovation to taxis with the goal of making
>> >  taxis more
>> >accessible to everyone."
>> >Lighthouse International estimates that the prevalence rate of vision
>> > loss
>> >  in New
>> >York City is 362,000. This number will only increase because of the
>> > aging
>> >  population
>> >and age-related causes of visual impairment and blindness, as well as
>> >  blindness due
>> >to uncontrolled diabetes.
>> >This announcement is the latest in a string of pro-accessibility
>> > measures
>> >  championed
>> >by Vacca, whose own father was blind. On March 28, the New York City
>> >  Council passed
>> >three bills aimed at improving mobility for blind and low vision
>> >  individuals navigating
>> >the city. Vacca's bill, Introduction 745, requires the Department of
>> >  Transportation
>> >to post maps of major street redesigns on its website in a format
>> >  accessible for
>> >people with sight and hearing disabilities. Lighthouse International
>> >  played a major
>> >role in securing the passage of this legislation, which Mayor Bloomberg
>> >  will sign
>> >today at 5 p.m. in the Governor's Room at City Hall.
>> >*About Lighthouse International:*
>> >Founded in 1905, Lighthouse International is a leading non-profit
>> >  organization dedicated
>> >to fighting vision loss through prevention, treatment and empowerment.
>> > It
>> >  achieves
>> >this through clinical and rehabilitation services, education, research
>> > and
>> >  advocacy.
>> >For more information about vision loss and its causes, contact
>> > Lighthouse
>> >  International
>> >at 1-800-829-0500 or visit
>> ><http://www.lighthouse.org>www.lighthouse.org
>> >.
>> >*About Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT):* Founded in New York City in
>> >  2005 by taxi
>> >industry leaders, Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT) provides more than
>> >  20,000 taxicabs
>> >in 60 cities and 35 states with a variety of taxi technologies and
>> >  enhancements including
>> >credit and debit card processing, media and advertising content, text
>> >  messaging,
>> >interactive passengers maps, GPS, electronic trip sheets and back-office
>> >  fleet management
>> >systems. CMT has more than 6,600 units in New York City alone. CMT's
>> >  unique "for
>> >the industry, by the industry" business model has empowered taxi fleets
>> >  and individual
>> >taxi operators throughout the country with customized solutions born out
>> >  of the company's
>> >deep roots in the taxi industry. CMT's FREEdom Solution integrates all
>> > of
>> >  the technology
>> >including dispatching, banking and media components that has helped to
>> >  bring the
>> >American taxi industry into a new era of efficiency and innovation.
>> >Source:
>> ><http://www.lighthouse.org/news/press-releases/vacca>http://www.lighthouse.
>>org/news/press-releases/vacca
>
>
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