[nagdu] Washington DC law suit re guide dogs & cabs

Applebutter Hill applebutterhill at gmail.com
Tue Mar 17 17:26:26 UTC 2015


Just saw this on the GDF-talk list and thought some may want to know.
Donna
Block quote
WASHINGTON, (March 16, 2015) - 

The Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP announced today that they have filed a
lawsuit on behalf of Eric Bridges and the American Council of the Blind
(ACB) against four taxicab companies in the District of Columbia for
discriminatory practices against visually impaired individuals accompanied
by service animals.

The complaint, filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia,
alleges that Yellow Cab of DC, Grand Cab, Elite Cab, and Pleasant Taxi all
engaged in discriminatory practices when their drivers failed to pick up
Eric Bridges, an ACB employee and member, who was hailing a cab with his
service dog, General. This discriminatory treatment is all too common for
blind and low-vision passengers who use service animals. As soon as taxi
drivers see the service animal, they frequently drive by or refuse to pick
up the passenger outright.

Matthew Handley, Director of Litigation at the Washington Lawyers'
Committee, commented, "The incidents alleged in the complaint are just a few
examples of the systemic discrimination that blind individuals with service
animals face on a daily basis. Like anyone else, the blind depend on taxis
and public transportation to get to work, meetings, and other daily
activities. Equal access to public transportation and transportation
services is a fundamental right under the DC Human Rights Act and Americans
with Disabilities Act. The Cab Company Defendants have all contributed to
this systemic discrimination and illegal activity by engaging in, and
allowing their drivers to engage in, a pattern and practice of
discrimination. This is not acceptable and will not be tolerated."

Said Plaintiff Eric Bridges, Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs
at the American Council of the Blind: "I often use taxis for business and
personal travel. It is upsetting to have to stand outside on a cold, hot,
or wet day and wait 40 minutes for a cab to stop for you simply because they
don't like your professionally trained dog, which is a mobility aid for the
blind. Furthermore, not being able to see who is deliberately passing you
by and report the incident because you can't see the cab number or driver is
frustrating. I am so glad that the filming done by WUSA9 has brought this
issue into the public eye."

Added ACB Executive Director Melanie Brunson, "The American Council of the
Blind is glad to be a part of this lawsuit on behalf of the blind in the
District. People come to DC from all over the country to attend
conferences, advocate on the Hill, and as tourists. DC should be the gold
standard for equal treatment and opportunity, including access to
transportation services for the blind."

In 2010, the Equal Rights Center (ERC), a national non-profit civil rights
organization in DC, completed a study of taxicab hauling practices for blind
individuals entitled, The Equal Rights Center, No Dogs Allowed:
Discrimination by D.C. Taxicabs against People who use Service Dogs (2010)

http://www.equalrightscenter.org/site/DocServer/Taxicab_Report.pdf?docID=242

) The ERC report concluded that there is a 50% rate of refusal of service
for blind individuals with service dogs in DC. The ERC report further
concluded that this discriminatory conduct requires a three-pronged
response: periodic testing to ensure compliance by drivers, training of
drivers and certifications that they will comply with the law, and
enforcement of penalties against drivers and their taxicab companies for
violations.

Taxicab companies are prohibited under federal and state law from
discriminating on the basis of a disability such as blindness. Drivers are
explicitly prohibited from refusing to pick up passengers with service
animals. The complaint is based on only four incidents caught on camera by
WUSA Channel 9 in a report on discrimination by taxicabs in the District of
Columbia. The drivers at issue were videotaped passing Mr. Bridges and his
service animal and stopping for an adjacent passenger who was sighted and
did not have a dog accompanying him. The blatant discrimination seen on
these videos is particularly shocking because blind individuals cannot see
it themselves, nor can they identify the drivers or cabs that are passing
them by.

Among other remedies, the lawsuit seeks to establish an annual random
testing protocol for taxicabs in the District of Columbia. It cites recent
operations run by the DC Taxicab Commission, the Anonymous Riders Program,
which revealed systemic discrimination against blind individuals with
service animals in the District.

Pillsbury became involved in the case through the Washington Lawyers'
Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. The Committee became aware of
the case when Mr. Bridges contacted the Committee after initially filing
administrative complaints with the DC Office of Human Rights.

Copies of the complaint are available online at:

http://www.washlaw.org
Block quote end
 

-- The Heart of Applebutter Hill - a novel on a mission:

http://DonnaWHill.com <http://donnawhill.com/> 

 



More information about the NAGDU mailing list