Structured Negotiations Behind Landmark Hospital Access Settlement

The Law Office of Lainey Feingold congratulates the lawyers and activists who used Structured Negotiations to hammer out a landmark agreement on hospital access for people with disabilities at two major Boston medical facilities. A press release announcing the accessibility initiative was issued on June 26, 2009. Kudos especially to Dan Manning, Litigation Director of Greater Boston Legal Services, who championed the Structured Negotiations approach to resolve the the Boston Hospital accessibility claims. Read more… Structured Negotiations Behind Landmark Hospital Access Settlement

Talking ATM History: Early Structured Negotiations in New England and the Midwest

This post is one in an ongoing series on the history of the advocacy and technology behind Talking ATMs. A short summary of all articles in this series is available by selecting the Talking ATM History link on the Categories Page of this website. In this post you can read about early Massachusetts Talking ATM advocacy and Talking ATM efforts in Chicago and the Midwest. Read more… Talking ATM History: Early Structured Negotiations in New England and the Midwest

Talking ATMS: Ten Years of Accessible Banking Technology

The press release posted here was issued by the American Council of the Blind to recognize October 1, 2009 as the tenth anniversary of the first Talking ATM in the United States. As a result of extensive advocacy by the blind community and industry effort, it is estimated that there are now close to 100,000 Talking ATMs in the U.S. and around the world. Congratulations to the blind and visually impaired community for this accessible technology milestone. Read more… Talking ATMS: Ten Years of Accessible Banking Technology

Trader Joe’s Point of Sale Agreement and Amendment

The Trader Joe’s Point of Sale Agreement posted here was negotiated by Lainey and Linda Dardarian using Structured Negotiations on behalf of the American Council of the Blind, the American Foundation for the Blind and the California Council of the Blind. In the Agreement, Trader Joe’s agreed to install tactile point of sale devices at all its stores in the United States. Read more… Trader Joe’s Point of Sale Agreement and Amendment

Target Point of Sale Settlement Agreement

The Target Point of Sale Settlement Agreement was negotiated by Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian using Structured Negotiations on behalf of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), the American Foundation for the Blind, and the California Council of the Blind (CCB). In the Agreement, Target agreed to install tactile point of sale devices in every Target store in the United States. On May 14, 2009, the parties issued a press release about the Target POS settlement. Read more… Target Point of Sale Settlement Agreement

Staples Point of Sale Press Release

The Staples Accessible Web Site and Point of Sale Settlement Agreement below was negotiated by Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian using Structured Negotiations on behalf of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), the American Foundation for the Blind, and the California Council of the Blind (CCB). In the Agreement, Staples agreed to install tactile point of sale devices in every Staples store in the United States and to upgrade its website to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) promulgated by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium. Read more… Staples Point of Sale Press Release

CVS Accessible Web Site and Point of Sale Settlement Agreement

In the CVS Accessible Web Site and Point of Sale Settlement Agreement below, CVS agreed to install tactile point of sale devices in every CVS store in the United States and to upgrade its website to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) promulgated by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium. The Agreement was negotiated by Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian using Structured Negotiations on behalf of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), the American Foundation for the Blind, and the California Council of the Blind (CCB). Read more… CVS Accessible Web Site and Point of Sale Settlement Agreement

Share Your Talking ATM Experience

October 1, 2009 marks the tenth anniversary of the first Talking ATM installed in the United States. As a result of a wide range of advocacy efforts across the country, we estimate that there are now more than 100,000 Talking ATMs in the U.S., with thousands of others across the globe. In this post you can find information about how to share your Talking ATM experiences. There is also information on Talking ATM resources. Read more… Share Your Talking ATM Experience

Seeking Feedback!

Feedback from the visually impaired and blind community is critical in helping to monitor and implement Structured Negotiations settlement agreements. Many agreements call for annual or semi-annual meetings to talk not just about the issues addressed in the settlement, but any technology issues affecting the blind community. In this post we invite you to share your feedback about Rite Aid’s website, point of sale devices and other Rite Aid pharmacy issues, accessible credit reports, 7-Eleven point of sale devices, and San Francisco accessible pedestrian signals. Entities that sign agreements as a result of the Structured Negotiations process have shown a strong commitment to the blind and visually impaired community. Read more… Seeking Feedback!

New York A.G. Announces Comprehensive Web Access Settlement

Congratulations to New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo’s office for its announcement this week of a comprehensive accessibility settlement with HSBC Card Services. Read the NY AG’s press release. The settlement, negotiated by attorney Jeffrey Powell in the Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection, addresses web accessibility, alternative formats for visually impaired customers, relay service for deaf and hearing impaired customers, and other important accessiblity issues. Under the Agreement, the HSBC web site will satisfy Conformance level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, promulgated by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (w3c) no later than May 31, 2010. Read more… New York A.G. Announces Comprehensive Web Access Settlement