San Francisco APS Agreement

The Settlement Agreement about Accessible Pedestrian Signals with the City and County of San Francisco was the first in the country to address this critical pedestrian safety issue. The agreement, in which the City agreed to spend at least 1.6 million dollars and install APS at at least 80 intersections, was negotiated by Lainey and co-counsel Linda Dardarian using Structured Negotiations. Claimants in the case were the California Council of the Blind, the San Francisco based LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco, and blind advocate Damien Pickering. As exhibits to the Settlement Agreement, the parties negotiated Technical Specifications and a detailed tool to help public entities prioritize intersections for APS installation. Contact us if you would like a copy of the tool. Read more… San Francisco APS Agreement

MLB Continues Accessibility Initiative with AtBat™ App for iPhone and iPad

The press release posted here extends the Agreement between Major League Baseball and the American Council of the Blind and its Massachusetts and California affiliates. This is the first agreement of its kind to address the accessibility of applications for mobile devices. MLB has agreed to use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA as its standard for mobile applications, and has recently released AtBat™ for the iPhone and iPad with enhanced accessibility. Read more… MLB Continues Accessibility Initiative with AtBat™ App for iPhone and iPad

LFLegal at 25

I opened my law office in the upstairs bedroom of my house on October 1, 1996, 25 years ago this Fall. It’s been a quarter century of practicing law in the digital accessibility space. And a quarter century of practicing law with what I now call dolphin skills (thus the image of jumping dolphins illustrating… Read more… LFLegal at 25

Wells Fargo First Talking ATM Press Release

The press release posted here was the first in the United States to announce a plan to install Talking ATMs. Using the Structured Negotiations process, Wells Fargo worked with the California Council of the Blind and several blind individuals to reach an historic agreement requiring installation of Talking ATMs and provision of alternative formats for print financial information. This release was the first of several concerning Wells Fargo’s Talking ATM program. Read more… Wells Fargo First Talking ATM Press Release

WellPoint (Anthem) Accessibility Press Release

WellPoint Announces Accessibility Initiative INDIANAPOLIS (February 12, 2014) — Consistent with its commitment to being a valued health care partner, WellPoint (NYSE: WLP) today announced an initiative to make its affiliated health plan websites, mobile applications, and print information more accessible and inclusive for all members. WellPoint’s initiative will especially improve the member experience for health plan members with visual impairments. Read more… WellPoint (Anthem) Accessibility Press Release

Access World Talking ATM Article

This article Lainey wrote about Talking ATMs was published in January, 2003 in AccessWorld(R), a publication of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). Part 2 of this Article, titled “You Can Bank on It, Part 2: Advocacy, Outreach, and Legal Authority for Talking ATMs,” can be found in the March, 2003 issue of Access World. Read more… Access World Talking ATM Article

The First U.S. Web Accessibility Agreement was Signed Twenty Years Ago this Week

Twenty years ago this week (on March 14, 2000) Bank of America became the first company in the United States to sign an agreement to make its website accessible to people with disabilities. The agreement referenced the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 at a time when the standard was less than one year old.… Read more… The First U.S. Web Accessibility Agreement was Signed Twenty Years Ago this Week

West Valley College improves technology for students in Structured Negotiation

On August 26, 2020, the TRE Legal Practice announced a settlement with West Valley College that ensures blind students have access to critical educational technology, including immersive virtual language tools. Reached in Structured Negotiation without a lawsuit, among other things the agreement mandates that future procurement contracts must include provisions requiring technology vendors to deliver… Read more… West Valley College improves technology for students in Structured Negotiation