[NAGDU] Upcoming UBER Town Hall Session

[Richard]

How will this relate to the House Energy and Commerce hearing on July 26th titled, "Self-Driving Vehicle Legislative Framework?".

There are potential serious safety matters for self-driving transit and TNCs (e.g., Uber and Lyft). Surely any of us who have experienced the danger of being dropped off at an incorrect location will be fearful of how systems can fail. Often addresses are not well identified and it's doubtful AI can problem solve ambiguous errors. (I have a sense of the possible danger from related problems  which have occurred even with human drivers when drivers have ended a trip at an incorrect location. GPS can be seriously incorrect. A correct drop off requires good problem solving and effective communication between the blind passenger and driver. Sighted passengers  can see a destination and direct the driver accordingly. This is not true for those of us who are blind. Many of us have had unpleasant and  even dangerous experiences. 


From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Al Elia via NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2023 8:24 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Al Elia <al.elia at aol.com>
Subject: [NAGDU] Upcoming UBER Town Hall Session

 From: National Federation of the Blind webmaster at nfb.orgNational 
Federation of the Blind logo and tagline live the life you want

Upcoming UBER Town Hall Session

July 27, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern via Zoom.

Attend an upcoming event that UBER has organized to share your 
experiences and ask questions. As mentioned in the 2023 Presidential 
Report, a persistent problem we face is the denial by rideshare drivers 
who refuse to transport us because of our guide dogs and, sometimes, 
even just because we are blind people. The National Federation of the 
Blind has redoubled our efforts to make progress, but there is still 
much work to do. Join this town hall listening session with UBER on July 
27, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.  

During the 2023 National Convention, UBER representative, Liza Winship, 
spoke to the convention about the company’s commitment. Review 
Liza's remarks.

“We have persuaded the courts to acknowledge that rideshare services 
are subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act, and we demand that 
these innovative transportation providers put the right policies and 
practices in place to make the legal ruling a reality. We are tired of 
waiting for equal treatment, and we are prepared to do everything 
necessary to stop the harmful discrimination that blind people are 
experiencing daily from drivers.” Mark Riccobono, President of the 
National Federation of the Blind

"Blind people should not have to experience worry over whether they will 
be late for work, late to pick up their children from daycare, miss an 
important medical appointment, or be left stranded in a potentially 
unsafe environment caused by a denial." Raul Gallegos, President of the 
National Association of Guide Dog Users

Below includes a recent message from UBER and how to access the 
listening session/town hall.

Message from UBER

Dear National Federation of the Blind members,

Thank you for welcoming me as a representative of Uber to the 
eighty-third convening of this distinguished community. I was honored to 
demonstrate the company's commitments to working together on solutions 
to barriers impacting blind and low vision users of rideshare.

We look forward to executing on our commitments to service animal 
handlers and also to learning more from you all about how our platform 
can best support your access to transportation. There are two ways we 
can stay in touch:

1. To submit feedback regarding our commitments to service animal 
handlers, please write to our team at serviceanimals-group at uber.com 
(please do not submit trip denials through this email, but do use it for 
feedback or ideas);

2. Join an NFB-exclusive town hall session on July 27 at 3:00 p.m. 
Eastern to learn more and ask questions. Briana Gilmore, Head of 
Accessibility Policy, and Chris Yoon, Product Manager, from Uber will 
host this hour-long info and feedback session. The Zoom info is included 
after the signature in this note.

We look forward to building this relationship and investing in 
solutions for service animal handlers and the blind and low-vision 
community.

Sincerely,

Liza Winship

NFB Service Animal Town Hall Zoom Information
Time: Jul 27, 2023, 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://uber.zoom.us/j/99960753787?pwd=akwxTzBlQnNiak5FVmw2OHVQVytvdz09
Meeting ID: 999 6075 3787
Password: 743850
Dial by your location
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
        +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
        +1 564 217 2000 US
Meeting ID: 999 6075 3787
Password: 743850
Find your local number: https://uber.zoom.us/u/adHcYrSQUI

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