Once again, the central problem is our human frailty. So often the
ones who take the key positions are not doing it for the organization.
We had a president of the WCB, who believed he was far too good to
take a train or a bus. He flew everywhere, and stayed at the best
hotels...at WCB expense.
I'd rant more, but I'm sort of sleepy. Cathy is helping her mother
today and my sister-in-law is working. Just me and two horses...and
they are down at the barn. Think I'll toss another hunk of wood on
the fire and settle down with some Science Fiction on Talking Book.
Carl Jarvis
On 4/28/17, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Leave it to Mike Godino to find someone else to sue so that he can get more
money without working for it. He and Lori plus an additional person who
follows their directions, sued Nassau County for not installing accessible
traffic signals in their area when renovations were veing done to the
streets there. That, too, was, theoretically , beneficial to blind people.
But it wasn't a selfless act. It netted them each, I believe, $10,000 each,
per perhaps it was $20,000 each, along with the same amont to LICB. I wonder
how much Mike will net this time. Mike has always taken advantage of
financial possibilities. He tends to become treasurer of each organization
of wich he's a member, including National ACB for a time. He wanted ACB of
NY to open a financial office, separate from the state organization, of
which he would be director. But unfortunately for Mike, that didn't happen.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Friday, April 28, 2017 1:16 PM
To: blind-democracy <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] from the may 2017 braille forum
Eatsa, Restaurant of the Future, Excludes Blind Customers
New York, N.Y. — Eatsa, a chain of eateries touted as the “restaurant of the
future,” has arrived in New York City with two Manhattan locations. Yet its
high-tech ordering and food pick-up process has failed to include existing,
readily available usability features for blind and low-vision people, in
violation of civil rights law. Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a national
nonprofit legal center, filed a class action federal lawsuit today with
plaintiffs the American Council of the Blind and Michael Godino, a New York
resident who is legally blind and cannot access Eatsa independently,
representing the class.
Eatsa employs no waiters or cashiers. Instead, patrons order their Eatsa
meals through a phone app or at one of a number of in-store ordering kiosks.
These kiosks consist of Apple iPad devices mounted and framed on a stand.
When the food is ready, the customer’s name appears on a screen along with a
number.
The number directs the customer to a cubby where they can retrieve their
food. The entire process is silent.
While tablets can easily provide assistive technology that make text
accessible to blind and low-vision users with a few taps, these kiosks do
not. Strikingly, the audio jacks and home buttons required for accessible
options are covered by a frame and no tactile features exist on the kiosks.
Moreover, Eatsa’s
phone app is also incompatible with screen-reader technology, and the food
pickup process has no audible or tactile cues. While Eatsa’s kiosks contain
an option to request assistance from an employee, this feature, like every
other feature on the kiosk, is inaccessible to blind customers.
Eatsa is a growing national chain that has received national attention for
revolutionizing automated, self-service technology in the food industry. It
was recently founded by San Francisco branding executives Scott Drummond and
Tim Young, and funded by David Friedberg, a former Google and Monsanto
executive, who sold his farming insurance startup for $1 billion in 2013.
“Sophisticated business titans should be well-versed in laws related to
accessibility prior to launching new business ventures,” stated Michelle
Caiola, director of litigation at DRA’s New York office. “The Americans with
Disabilities Act’s purpose is to ensure equal and independent access for
all, including those who are blind, and it has been the law of the land for
decades.”
Plaintiff Michael Godino, a New Yorker who is legally blind, was recently
unable to access Eatsa without sighted assistance. “It’s frustrating because
the technology to make the app and iPads accessible already exists,”
he explained. “Eatsa just did not care enough to include this technology in
their design.”
Kim Charlson, president of the American Council of the Blind, said,
“Technology has had a major positive impact on improving the inclusion of
blind people.
Eatsa’s concept is all about the power of technology, but the company did
not think to take the added steps to make it accessible for its blind
customers.”
The federal lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, seeks an
injunction against Eatsa’s further discrimination of persons with
disabilities and a comprehensive plan to provide blind patrons independent
access to Eatsa restaurants.
A copy of the complaint is available at
http://dralegal.org/press/eatsa-restaurant-future-excludes-blind-customers/.
*****