Latest news with #DisabilityRightsAdvocates
CBS News
16 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
City of Chicago installed to order a whole lot more audible crosswalk signals for visually impaired
Two years ago, a federal judge ruled the City of Chicago violated the Americans with Disabilities Act for a lack of accessible intersections. Now, a new ruling could make Chicago safer for the blind and low-vision community. That federal court ruling requires the city to install a whole lot more accessible pedestrian signals with audible elements. Right now, only about 3% of intersections have them. It has been a legal battle years in the making, and one that is being celebrated by access advocates. Ashley Eisenmenger jokes with friends that crossing the street is the scariest thing she does every day. "Where you may have the benefit of looking at the little walking person or stop hand, I can't see those things," said Eisenmenger, an advocate for the blind. APS, or accessible pedestrian signals, will now be popping up at more signalized intersections. Such signals notify pedestrians of crossing information in formats that do not require sight. A federal judge has ordered the city of Chicago equip about 70% of intersections with the audible crossing cues over the next decade, and 100% over the next 15 years. "It's a long time coming," said Eisenmenger. "There are so many other cities that have extensive grids of APS throughout, and Chicago is really behind on that." Right now, only 85 of Chicago's estimated 2,800 signalized intersections have APS, according to the city and attorneys with the group Disability Rights Advocates, who filed the lawsuit. "The reason we brought this case was because of those numbers," said Rachel Weisberg, an attorney with Disability Rights Advocates. Weisberg said there were even fewer APS systems when the lawsuit was filed in 2019. "This is a huge victory for access for all Chicagoans, and especially blind pedestrians in Chicago," she said. The Chicago Department of Transportation said APS are incorporated into all new traffic installations "It's going to make it a lot safer and easier," said Ray Campbell, president of the Illinois Council of the Blind. Campbell is a plaintiff in the lawsuit. He said other cities should take note of the ruling. "The courts are not in your favor on this, and you need to buckle down and really start to consider involving your blind community," Campbell said. The court order lays out benchmarks for how many signals need to be installed annually, and even a requirement to prioritize dangerous intersections — which could one day make walking a little safer for those who are blind. "it's really exciting to know that at some point down the line, crossing the street might not have to be the scariest thing I do every day," said Eisenmenger. The city says priority will be given to intersections near public transportation, and also locations where people have already requested APS.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Judge orders City of Chicago to install accessible pedestrian signals
CHICAGO (WGN) — Kathy Austin and her guide dog, Rowen, navigate the streets of Chicago together, but it can often be a harrowing experience due to the lack of accessible pedestrian signals in the city. 'It's too difficult to cross down here with all the noise going on around us. You can hear, and it's difficult to hear the traffic,' Austin said. 'It's terrifying. I know one person who has gotten hit in a crosswalk without a signal.' Austin, a blind resident of Chicago, isn't alone in being able to recount instances when those like her were put in harm's way by not having the right assistance traversing pedestrian crosswalks. Jean Johnson, another blind resident of the city, shared similar sentiments to those expressed by her. 'I've had a lot of close calls. There are times when I know I have the white walking guy and people aren't paying attention,' Johnson said. 'I've been almost hit on several occasions just trying to cross the street.' As of Wednesday, only 3% of signalized intersections in Chicago have accessible pedestrian signals (APS), which are meant to help visually impaired pedestrians cross the road. Since there are so few intersections have APS in a city as large as Chicago, a group of blind residents filed a class-action lawsuit against the city. 'The case was brought under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is the part of the ADA that applies to public entities, state and local governments,' said Rachel Weisberg, an attorney with Disability Rights Advocates (DRA). 'We also brought this case under Section 504, of the Rehabilitation Act.' DRA attorneys were in court Wednesday, where they reviewed a judge's remedial order that will require the city to install APS devices at 71% of its signalized intersections in ten years, and get to 100% compliance in 15 years. 'We're way behind,' Weisberg said. 'And Chicago is a first-class, incredible city, and everyone who lives here deserves to be able to safely and independently navigate our pedestrian signals.' While the remedial order serves as a sign of progress in Chicago, blind residents like Austin and Johnson still expressed a blend of disappointment and optimism. 'These should be in place already,' Johnson said. 'Ten years is a nice pad for them, but I think it's too long.' 'You go to any other cities, and many of them already have every intersection already equipped with these APS signals,' Austin said. 'So, it's a long time coming. Hopefully, it will happen quickly.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
San Francisco Chronicle
06-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
SuperShuttle Express faces suit over airport rides
The airport transit giant SuperShuttle Express is violating state and federal laws because its vehicles no longer carry wheelchairs, advocates for disabled passengers said in a lawsuit Monday. SuperShuttle's website still states that 'In compliance with federal regulations, we provide reservations with Independent Operators who offer accessible vehicles to customers with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs.' But all three plaintiffs, disabled women from Berkeley and Richmond, 'have repeatedly been told by SuperShuttle representatives that no such options are available,' lawyers for the nonprofit Disability Rights Advocates said in a legal action in federal court in San Francisco. The policy violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and a comparable California law and will 'adversely impact thousands of disabled individuals,' attorney Meredith Weaver wrote in the lawsuit. According to U.S. Census Bureau reports, Weaver said, wheelchairs are used by 5.5 million Americans and 800,000 Californians. The suit seeks court orders requiring SuperShuttle to provide wheelchair access, in its own vehicles or by contracting with other transit providers, and unspecified damages for the three women. 'What is really shocking is that SuperShuttle holds itself out as having accessible transportation services but completely excludes wheelchair users,' Weaver said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. SuperShuttle representatives could not be immediately reached for comment. The company is based in Scottsdale, Ariz. According to the suit, one plaintiff from Berkeley had used SuperShuttle for airport trips with no extra charge for her wheelchair and luggage. But when she tried to book a ride late last year, she was told the service was no longer available, and she had to pay cab fare. Another plaintiff is also paying additional sums for airport trips with family and friends. The third plaintiff, Kathi Pugh, a former attorney in Berkeley, said the loss of wheelchair-accessible transportation has changed her life. 'I used to travel all over the country nearly every other month for work,' Pugh, who suffered a broken neck at age 20, said in a statement released by her lawyers. 'I relied on SuperShuttle to get me to and from the airport. 'Now that SuperShuttle no longer has any wheelchair-accessible vans, my traveling days are over.'
CBS News
07-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Baltimore City reaches settlement to improve sidewalk, ramp accessibility for disabled pedestrians
Baltimore City reached a settlement that requires officials to increase the amount of accessible ramps and sidewalks. The settlement comes after a group of pedestrians with mobility disabilities filed a claim alleging that many of the city's ramps and sidewalks are not accessible and violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To resolve the lawsuit, the city entered into a partial consent decree in which officials agreed to devote a minimum of $44 million to build or fix thousands of ramps and sidewalks throughout Baltimore. A consent decree is an agreement or settlement that resolves claims between two parties without either side having to admit liability or guilt. They are often used to ensure businesses comply with certain laws. A partial consent decree allows for specific issues to be resolved while other aspects are left unresolved. Baltimore's partial consent decree requires compliance with the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under the agreement, the city will create new programs that will increase sidewalk accessibility for residents and visitors with mobility issues. The city is also required to improve its 311 system that allows for requests and complaints related to accessibility at intersections and sidewalks. In the third year of the partial consent decree, the city and the pedestrians who filed the claim will negotiate a long-term plan to make all of the city's ramps and sidewalks accessible. "This partial consent decree puts in place the programs to ensure that Baltimore finally lives up to the promises of the Americans with Disabilities Act, so that people with mobility disabilities can navigate around the City of Baltimore just as safely and to the same extent as everyone else," said Madeleine Reichman, Senior Staff Attorney at Disability Rights Advocates. Baltimore City officials said they plan to invest $8 million in 2025 , and $12 million for each of the following three years to update their sidewalks and curbs. The city will create a program with the Department of Transportation to manage the projects. An ADA coordinator will also be appointed to focus on maintaining accessibility for pedestrians. "The challenge posed by our city's sidewalks and curbs long predates the Americans with Disabilities Act and adequately changing our infrastructure poses a monumental task," Mayor Brandon Scott said. "However, under my administration, we are committed to taking every action necessary to set the City on track to come into compliance with the ADA, and ensure Baltimore is more accessible to our disabled community than ever before."
CBS News
31-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Attorney sues N.Y. court system, claims he was kicked off grand jury because he's blind
Brooklyn attorney Albert Elia says he was kicked off a grand jury after being empaneled because he's blind. Now Elia and the National Federation of the Blind – New York are suing the court system . "This was flagrantly unlawful," Elia said. "The judge said if I could not perceive the evidence with my own sense, I was not fit to serve as a juror." Elia, who uses a guide dog , has made a career defending people with disabilities from discrimination. He says now he's the one who needs defending after he was kicked off a Brooklyn grand jury. Although he's blind, he says he sees this situation with crystal clarity. According to Elia, the judge kicked him off the panel last year because he couldn't see video exhibits without someone describing them to him. "I pointed out that excluding me was a violation of Title 2 of the [Americans with Disabilities Act]," Elia said. "What was really upsetting is this is the court system. This is where I practice and go before a judge and jury and represent people like me." Federal law requires courts ensure that no one is excluded from jury service based on disability. Elia is now suing the New York State Unified Court System for failing to accommodate him. "Our focus isn't on this one judge, this one decision," Disability Rights Advocates attorney Victoria Pilger said. "It's more of, how can we make sure the system as a whole is following the law?" Court spokesperson Al Baker wouldn't comment on Elia's case, but said "There is no prohibition against blind or visually impaired individuals serving on grand juries and, depending on particular circumstances, reasonable accommodations for such individuals can be made." Attorney Vinoo Varghese says Elia's blindness would skew the outcome of any case involving video. "Obviously, if you can't watch video, that's a big problem. If you can't see the video and someone has to describe it, that's a big problem," Varghese said. Elia isn't backing down. He says he hopes his lawsuit leads to court staff being reeducated on the law, and gives him another chance to serve on the grand jury. "The evaluation of evidence, including so-called visual evidence, is possible with the proper accommodations required by law, and juror functions like determining the credibility and value of testimony and weighing the evidence presented by the parties do not require eyesight. Of all government entities, the courts ought to be the most aware of their legal obligations and of the right of blind people to participate in the judicial process, and blind Americans will not tolerate anything less," said Mark Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind.
