[Oagdu] Fwd: [nagdu] Washington Post: Uber sued for allegedly refusing rides to the blind and putting a dog in the trunk

[Aleeha Dudley]

I personally have never had issues, but I have heard of many who have. I'm glad that something is being done. Take a look below.

Aleeha Dudley and seeing eye dog Dallas 
Vice President, Ohio Association of blind students
Blindcowgirl1993 at gmail.com
"The wind of Heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears." Arabian proverb 
 
Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Marion Gwizdala via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Date: September 10, 2014 at 7:40:20 PM EDT
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,	the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>,	"'New York Association of Guide Dog Users'" <nyagdu at nfbnet.org>,	"New Jersey Association of Guide Dog Users" <njagdu at nfbnet.org>,	"'Florida Association of Guide Dog Users'" <flagdu at nfbnet.org>,	<nagdu-leaders at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: "Marion Gwizdala, M.S." <marion.gwizdala at verizon.net>
> Subject: [nagdu] Washington Post: Uber sued for allegedly refusing rides to the blind and putting a dog in the trunk
> Reply-To: Marion Gwizdala <blind411 at verizon.net>, "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> 
> Dear All,
> 
> 
> 
>                Please circulate the following information as widely as
> appropriate.
> 
> 
> 
> Fraternally yours,
> 
> 
> 
> Marion Gwizdala, President
> 
> National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc.
> 
> National Federation of the Blind
> 
> (813) 626-2789
> 
> (888) 624-3841 (Hotline)
> 
> <mailto:President at nagdu.org> President at nagdu.org
> 
> <http://www.nagdu.org> http://www.nagdu.org
> 
> 
> 
> High expectations create unlimited potential for the blind!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Uber sued for allegedly refusing rides to the blind and putting a dog in the
> trunk
> 
> 
> By  <http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/gail-sullivan> Gail Sullivan
> September 10 at 5:06 AM
> 
> An advocacy group for the blind is suing the app-based ride-sharing service
> Uber, alleging the company discriminates against passengers with service
> dogs.
> 
> The federal civil rights suit filed Tuesday by the California chapter of the
> National Federation of the Blind cites instances in California and elsewhere
> when blind Uber customers summoned a car only to be refused a ride once the
> driver saw them with a service dog. In some cases, drivers allegedly
> abandoned blind travelers in extreme weather and charged cancellation fees
> after denying them rides, the complaint said.
> 
> The complaint filed in a Northern California District Court cites one
> instance where a California UberX driver put a service dog in the trunk and
> refused to pull over when the blind passenger realized where the animal was.
> 
> On another occasion a passenger was trying to explain that his dog was not a
> pet but a service animal when the driver allegedly cursed at him and
> accelerated abruptly, nearly injuring the dog and striking the passenger's
> friend, who is also blind, with an open car door.
> 
> The group said it's aware of more than 30 times blind customers were denied
> rides in violation of the American with Disabilities Act and California
> state law.
> 
> As a result, blind passengers are confronting unexpected delays and "face
> the degrading experience of being denied a basic service that is available
> to all other paying customers," the complaint said.
> 
> Services such as Uber are quickly supplanting traditional taxis, a service
> blind people rely on due to the limitations of public transportation.
> 
> The National Federation of the Blind wants Uber to educate its drivers about
> disability rights and punish the violators in addition to providing a way
> for disabled passengers to immediately register complaints when they are
> refused rides because of service dogs.
> 
> In a statement reported by the
> <http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/lawsuit-alleges-uber-discriminates-a
> gainst-blind-passengers-with-service-dogs/Content?oid=2895322> San Francisco
> Examiner, Uber said its policy is to terminate drivers who refuse to
> transport service animals. "The Uber app is built to expand access to
> transportation options for all, including users with visual impairments and
> other disabilities," the statement said.
> 
> However, Uber allegedly told some passengers it can't control what drivers
> do because they are independent contractors. The company advised them to let
> drivers know about their animals ahead of time, said the Federation, which
> filed suit after Uber rejected its request to negotiate a solution.
> 
> The group claims the company closely monitors and controls its drivers by
> managing payments and services through the app, and by assessing driver
> performance based on customer feedback.
> 
> In September 2013, California's Public Utilities Commission classified UberX
> as a transportation provider because it functions like a taxi dispatch. The
> commission also said that UberX may not discriminate against the disabled,
> the Federation noted.
> 
> Figuring out whether to treat Uber like a traditional taxi service or
> something else is the subject of heated debate across the country. Taxi
> services are
> <https://adata.org/publication/disability-law-handbook#Transportation and
> the ADA> required by federal law to serve the disabled, even if drivers are
> independent contractors.
> 
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/09/10/uber-sued-for-a
> llegedly-refusing-rides-to-the-blind-and-putting-a-dog-in-the-trunk/
> 
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