[Oagdu] service animals and Uber or Lyft again

[Deanna Lewis]

I would like it if there was a button or box that I could check saying that I am blind, so please be on the lookout for me. That way the driver can find me easier, and knows that I won’t be able to locate them easily.
I typically do not have a big need take taxis and have not yet tried Uber, but I’ve had some very negative experiences with taxis. The first one, was at an NFB Convention in Detroit. The driver was picking up a group of us, and flat out refused to take me and another lady with a guide dog. He would take everyone else. So,for a while, on the rare occasions that I did use a cab after that, I informed to dispatcher that I am blind and use a guide dog, so please send someone who likes dogs. The first time I did this, it worked out great! The second time, I got someone who really hated dogs and did not want to take us. I politely imformed him that it was illegal to refuse me service, so he reluctantly took us. He was in a hurry to get rid of us and was driving very reclassly, he drove over a curb and got a flat tire. So, then he had to call another cab to pick us up. It was a horrible experience, and I was on my way to a Christmas party and got there 2 hours late. Kind of ironic, since he really wanted to get rid of us, but we had to wait in his van for another hour or so… But, after that I realized it really didn’t do much good to notify the company that I had a guide dog, because I don’t think they really cared and definitely did not try to get a driver who is ok with a dog.
Deanna


From: Oagdu [mailto:oagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Marianne Denning via Oagdu
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2015 6:06 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Marianne Denning; Ohio Association of Guide Dog Users List
Subject: [Oagdu] service animals and Uber or Lyft again

I am on a Facebook group for blind and visually impaired iPhone users and there is a conversation about putting a button on the Uber and Lyft app that would allow you to let them know you have a guide dog so the driver can choose whether to pick you up or not. A lot of people thought this was a great idea. Of course, I had to jump in and tell them that is a terrible idea.  Discrimination is discrimination no matter what form it takes.

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Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
(513) 607-6053



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