[Nyagdu] Taxi Technology for Passengers who are Blind or Visually Impaired

[David Andrews]

>
>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