Articles
This page has short summaries of every article posted on Lainey Feingold's website with links to the full articles. Visit the Writings Page to read Lainey's articles that were first posted in other publications. Visit the Topics Page for all 300 plus articles on this website organized into 38 topics including web accessibility settlements and Talking ATM press releases.
In 2000, Bank of America was the first bank in the United States to sign an agreement to make its web site and on-line banking accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. In the almost eight years that have passed since the bank signed the first of three agreements with the blind community, significant work has been done both by members of the blind community and by countless Bank of America employees to make sure the agreements work as they are supposed to. Recently, we learned that one of those bank employees — Amy Vaughn — had died.
Read more… Amy Vaughn: Bank of America Leader in Web Accessibility
Congratulations are in order for friend and colleague, Jeff Thom. Jeff, the president of the California Council of the Blind, has been chosen as the “2008 Public Lawyer of the Year” by the State Bar of California. Jeff is a 1978 graduate of Stanford Law School and a lawyer in the Office of Legislative Counsel in Sacramento, California. According to the State Bar website, Jeff was selected for this honor because of his “distinguished record of professional service to the public, both as an attorney and as a civic leader.”
Read more… California Council of the Blind President Honored by State Bar
National Credit Reporting Companies, Blind Community, Announce Landmark Initiative to Provide Accessible Online Credit Reports
Braille and Other Formats also to be Made Available
Washington, D.C. (April 23, 2008) – The nation’s three major consumer credit reporting companies today unveiled a comprehensive program to provide improved access to important credit information for people who are blind or visually impaired. The initiative, crafted with the American Council of the Blind, its California affiliate and several individual members of the blind community, will help protect the credit information of individuals who cannot read a standard print credit report.
Read more… Accessible Credit Reports Press Release
John Slatin was a well loved and highly respected accessibility advocate and University of Texas professor who died at the end of March after a courageous three year battle with leukemia. In John’s obituary in the Austin American-Statesman, one of John’s graduate students was quoted as saying “It was striking that even after blindness and leukemia, he was still happy.”
John’s kindness and contributions to the field of web accessibility have motivated John’s friends and colleagues to develop The John Slatin Fund Accessibility Project to match accessibility experts with firms and companies that would like a brief review of their site for accessibility. In return, the site owner is asked to contribute a minimum of $500 to The John Slatin Fund.
Read more… John Slatin Fund Accessibility Project
The 7-Eleven Point of Sale (POS) press release is being issued as a result of a settlement agreement 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, 7-Eleven agreed to install tactile point of sale devices at all its stores in the United States. The full 7-Eleven POS Settlement Agreement is posted in the Point of Sale Settlements category where you can also find agreements on this issue reached with other national retailers.
Read more… 7-Eleven Point of Sale Press Release
In July, 2007, the following article by reporter Matthew Hirsch was published on the legal website Law.com.
Read more… Law.com Article About Structured Negotiations
This release about web accessibility and point of sale devices was issued as a result of a Settlement Agreement negotiated by Lainey and co-counsel 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). The full Settlement Agreement is posted in the Point of Sale Settlements Category.
Read more… RadioShack POS and Web Press Release
The following press release was issued as a result of a Settlement Agreement negotiated by Lainey and co-counsel Linda Dardarian using Structured Negotiations. The full American Express Braille Settlement Agreement is posted in the Alternative Formats Settlements Category.
Read more… American Express Braille Press Release
This press release was issued as a result of the LaSalle Bank Settlement Agreement which addressed ATMs, the bank’s website, and alternative formats. The agreement was negotiated using Structured Negotiations on behalf of the Chicago affiliate of the American Council of the Blind and Kelly Pierce, a long-time advocate for Talking ATMs and financial service access. The settlement was negotiated by Lainey and co-counsel Amy Peterson of the Chicago-based disability rights organization Equip For Equality.
Read more… LaSalle Bank Talking ATM and Web Press Release
In October, 2004, the following article by reporter Sarah Lacey was published in Business Week Online.
Read more… Business Week Online Article about Structured Negotiations and Web Access
