[Nfbo-announce] Fwd: National Federation of the Blind Sues Department of Transportation Over Airline Regulations

[President]

Carla McQuillan
President, NFB of Oregon
Executive Director
Main Street Montessori

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Freeh, Jessica" <JFreeh at nfb.org>
> Date: January 22, 2014 at 9:07:41 AM PST
> To: "State President, Puerto Rico" <arguza at attglobal.net>, "State President, Nebraska" <amy.buresh74 at gmail.com>, "State President, Connecticut" <erival at comcast.net>, "State President, Arizona" <krezguy at cox.net>, "State President, New York" <office at nfbny.org>, "State President, Oregon" <president at nfb-oregon.org>, "State President, Kentucky" <cathyj1949 at gmail.com>, Charlene Smyth <cs.nfbwv at verizon.net>, "State President, Vermont" <deannaljones at comcast.net>, "State President, North Dakota" <diverson at midco.net>, "State President, Idaho" <elsiedickerson at ymail.com>, "State President, Ohio" <eduffy at pobox.com>, "Schroeder, Fred" <fschroeder at sks.com>, "State President, North Carolina" <ghraynfbofnc at charter.net>, "State President, Missouri" <gwunder at earthlink.net>, "State President, Montana" <jkaldrich at samobile.net>, "State President, Pennsylvania" <president at nfbp.org>, "State President, Tennessee" <nfb.tennessee at gmail.com>, "State President, Minnesota" <jennifer.dunnam1829 at gmail.com>, "State President, Alaska" <jnhburton at gci.net>, Joe Ruffalo <nfbnj at yahoo.com>, "State President, Wisconsin" <johnfritz66 at gmail.com>, "State President, Wyoming" <kthornbury at bresnan.net>, "State President, South Dakota" <gatorbumps at rushmore.com>, Kimberly Flores <kimberly.aguillard at gmail.com>, "State President, Massachusetts" <kshachmut at nfbma.org>, "State President, Maine" <leonproctorjr at yahoo.com>, "State President, Delaware" <lynne.majewski at gmail.com>, "State President, California" <mwillows at sbcglobal.net>, "State President, Maryland" <melissa at riccobono.us>, "State President, Iowa" <michael.nfbi at gmail.com>, "State President, Washington" <k7uij at panix.com>, "State President, Hawaii" <nanifife at aol.com>, "State President, Louisiana" <pallen at lcb-ruston.com>, "State President, South Carolina" <parnell at sccoast.net>, "State President, Illinois" <pattischang at gmail.com>, "Brown, Ron" <RB15 at iquest.net>, "State President, Mississippi" <sgleese at city.jackson.ms.us>, "State President, Colorado" <slabarre at labarrelaw.com>, "State President, Alabama" <joy.harris at dwx.com>, "State President, Arkansas" <tosheeler at cox.net>, "State President, District of Columbia" <callaway.shawn at gmail.com>, "State President, Florida" <danjhicks at yahoo.com>, "State President, Georgia" <gscott at nfbga.org>, "State President, Michigan" <president.nfb.mi at gmail.com>, "State President, Nevada" <realhappygirl1 at gmail.com>, "State President, New Hampshire" <cemcnabb21 at yahoo.com>, "State President, New Mexico" <avigil74 at gmail.com>, "State President, Oklahoma" <jmassay1 at cox.net>, "State President, Rhode Island" <silvara at cox.net>, "State President, Utah" <baconev at yahoo.com>, "State President, Kansas" <topage at swbell.net>
> Subject: National Federation of the Blind Sues Department of Transportation Over Airline Regulations
> 
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>  
> CONTACT:
> Chris Danielsen
> Director of Public Relations
> National Federation of the Blind
> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
> cdanielsen at nfb.org
>  
> National Federation of the Blind Sues Department of Transportation Over Airline Regulations
>  
> Regulations on Access to Kiosks Violate Federal Law, Organization Says
>  
> Washington, D.C. (January 22, 2014): The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind people, filed suit (case number: 1:14-cv-00085) in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia today against the United States Department of Transportation (DOT).  The suit challenges regulations, issued by the DOT under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), which purport to require that airline check-in kiosks be made accessible to airline passengers who are blind.  The regulations, which took effect on December 12, 2013, require only 25 percent of airport check-in kiosks to be accessible to blind passengers by ten years from that date. The NFB maintains that this requirement fails to implement the ACAA as Congress intended.  The ACAA prohibits discrimination against passengers with disabilities by airlines.  The legislative record shows that when it passed the law, Congress intended that the only permissible restrictions on access to air travel would be directly related to the safety of all passengers.  Among other things, by allowing continued discrimination against the blind by the airlines on a matter not related to safety, the agency violated the law, the suit claims.  Kiosks can be made accessible to the blind in the same way that ATMs and other customer service devices (such as ticket-purchasing kiosks used by Amtrak and other transit agencies) are already made accessible: by affixing Braille labels, installing headphone jacks, and adding speech software that provides audio prompts to the user.  The NFB’s president, Dr. Marc Maurer, and director of advocacy and policy, Anil Lewis, both of whom are blind and fly frequently on organization business, are also named as plaintiffs.
>  
> Dr. Maurer said: “The technology to make airline check-in kiosks accessible to blind people is readily available; similar technology is already deployed on ATMs, other kiosks, and similar devices nationwide, and has been for many years.  Yet the Department of Transportation violated the law by allowing continued discrimination against blind passengers based on spurious assertions by the airline industry that making kiosks accessible will cost too much and take a decade.  Furthermore, the regulations will only require 25 percent of these kiosks to be made accessible; apparently 75 percent discrimination against blind people is acceptable to the DOT.  The agency also failed to make the information it gathered from airlines available until these regulations were issued, which also violated federal law and denied blind Americans the opportunity to challenge the airlines’ assertions.  We are therefore asking the court to strike down the regulations and order the agency to restart the rulemaking process.”
>  
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>  
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> About the National Federation of the Blind
> 
> The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the oldest, largest, and most influential nationwide membership organization of blind people in the United States.  Founded in 1940, the NFB advocates for the civil rights and equality of blind Americans, and develops innovative education, technology, and training programs to provide the blind and those who are losing vision with the tools they need to become independent and successful. 
>  
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