A number of hundred individuals with blindness and low imaginative and prescient and their allies protested exterior the San Francisco headquarters of Uber and Lyft Tuesday accusing the rideshare corporations of illegally denying rides to blind individuals and their service animals, and stigmatizing would-be passengers.
Organizers with the Nationwide Federation of the Blind, a Baltimore-based group working to advance the lives of blind individuals, mentioned the rideshare rallies are meant to attract consideration to the businesses’ failure to cease discrimination in opposition to those that are blind, notably these accompanied by information canines, which violates state and federal legislation and the businesses’ personal acknowledged insurance policies.
Alex Hernandez, a 32-year-old from Santa Rosa who’s blind, mentioned he attended the rally along with his information canine Adonis as a result of he’s regularly denied rides by Uber and Lyft drivers. He mentioned he’s virtually been run over a few occasions by ride-hailing drivers who refused him service after which sped away.
“It’s more frequent now than in the last two years,’’ he said. “A lot of times I have my camera out when this happens and I report the service denials to the companies.
Lyft did not respond to a request seeking comment on the rally or its own policies Tuesday. Last week, Uber unveiled new policies and features, designed with the guidance of disability advocates and experts, that it says will help create a more dependable experience for riders.
“It is our hope that these changes will drive enhanced communication and reliability even further on Uber,’’ the company said in a statement.
A new feature on the Uber app gives hearing impaired and blind or low-vision riders the option to self-identity on the platform so drivers are prepared for them before the pickup takes place. It also allows those riders to choose how they communicate with drivers.
“With these new features, our hope is to create a more efficient way of communicating needs and preferences for both riders and drivers from pickup to drop off,’’ the company said in a statement.
Mark Riccobon, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said he attended the rallies on Tuesday because the organization has negotiated with Uber and Lyft “for a long time, yet there are still people all over the world who are denied rides.”
Riccobon mentioned he’d prefer to see the businesses work with native legislation enforcement as a result of when riders with service canines are denied rides they typically name police for again up.
Karen Woon with Information Canines for the Blind in San Rafael mentioned the trip denial drawback is frequent amongst its members. A latest survey of 200 blind individuals by the group confirmed that 83% of respondents had been denied a trip.
“I think today’s rallies were amazing,” she mentioned. “It was a good mix of guide dog handlers and cane users, all here in support of their right to ride. It’s great to see the blindness community and their allies working together to solve this pervasive and pernicious problem.”
Whereas California is residence to almost 800,000 residents with blindness, individuals from 48 states attended the rallies, which befell on White Cane Consciousness Day, which celebrates the flexibility of blind individuals to journey independently.
Attendee Ronza Othman of Maryland was in Houston when she mentioned she was held at gunpoint by native police after an Uber driver tried to tug her and her good friend from his car.
“Uber discriminated against me and a fellow passenger who used a guide dog in July of 2023, and as a result of Uber’s incompetence and discrimination, local law enforcement held me at gunpoint and treated me like a criminal,” Othman mentioned. “The fact that Uber personnel didn’t know their responsibilities under the law or their own policies is unforgivable.”
The American Disabilities Act mandates that these with service animals can’t be denied rides, however many blind riders say drivers refuse to move them.
In a number of weeks, Uber will launch a pilot permitting riders with a service animal to inform drivers they’re with a information canine.
And beginning this month, all U.S.-based Uber drivers are being requested to look at a brand new service animal training video that Uber says was designed in partnership with main blind and repair animal advocacy organizations and coaching facilities.
The corporate says the video consists of details about the important function of service animals, ideas for transporting them and a reminder that it’s in opposition to Uber’s coverage and unlawful to disclaim somebody a trip due to a service animal.
Initially Printed: October 15, 2024 at 4:45 p.m.
