Sue Ammeter, Blind Disability Rights Champion, Dies at 69

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The list of Sue Ammeter’s advocacy roles could fill this post.  Board member (and often officer) of the American Council of the Blind, the Washington State Council of the Blind, and the National Braille Press are just some of the organizations Sue Ammeter volunteered with on top of her paid work. Organizations that will miss the talent, commitment, and unstoppable advocacy of the Washington state resident who died on April 7, 2018. Read more… Sue Ammeter, Blind Disability Rights Champion, Dies at 69

Digital Accessibility Legal Update (and more) at CSUN 2018

Posted on Updated on April 9, 2018
Want to know what’s happening in the digital accessibility legal space? I’m happy to let attendees of the 33rd annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference know that I will be offering the Digital Accessibility Legal update three times this year. (This will be one presentation repeated three times so everyone who wants to attend can!) Lainey will also be co-presenting a fourth session (not the legal update) with Sue Boyd, an Assistant General Counsel in Microsoft’s Regulatory Affairs group who leads a legal and policy team focused on accessibility. Sue and I will be talking about best practices for staying ahead of the curve when it comes to accessibility. Read more… Digital Accessibility Legal Update (and more) at CSUN 2018

Weight Watchers Print and Digital Accessibility Settlement Agreement

Posted on Updated on April 3, 2018
Posted here is the settlement agreement between Weight Watchers, the American Council of the Blind, and blind Weight Watchers members Alice Ritchhart and Lillian Scaife. The agreement demonstrates Weight Watchers’ strong commitment to digital accessibility for its members and subscribers who are blind and visually impaired. Weight Watchers will be using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA as the standard for its online and mobile application content, and will be providing print material in accessible formats for persons with visual impairments who cannot read standard print. The agreement, reached using Structured Negotiations, also includes training, monitoring and implementation provisions. Linda Dardarian of the Oakland civil rights firm Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho was co-counsel with the Law Office of Lainey Feingold in representing the blind community. Read more… Weight Watchers Print and Digital Accessibility Settlement Agreement

Target Point of Sale Settlement Agreement

Posted on Updated on April 3, 2018
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

TCF Bank Talking ATM and Alternative Formats Settlement

Posted on Updated on April 3, 2018
The TCF Bank Settlement Agreement was negotiated by Lainey Feingold and co-counsel Amy Peterson of the Chicago-based Equip for Equality using Structured Negotiations on behalf of the Illinois Council of the Blind, an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind and a blind TCF customer. In the Agreement, TCF began a Talking ATM and alternative format program in all states in which it does business. The bank will install over 300 Talking ATMs by the end of 2009. Read more… TCF Bank Talking ATM and Alternative Formats Settlement

Wal-Mart POS Agreement

Posted on Updated on April 3, 2018
The Wal-Mart Point of Sale (POS) Agreement 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 this Agreement, Wal-Mart agreed to install tactile point of sale devices at all Wal-Mart stores in the United States. It was the first agreement in the country to address this issue. Read more… Wal-Mart POS Agreement

Wells Fargo Iowa and Utah Agreement

Posted on Updated on April 3, 2018
This is the second agreement that Wells Fargo signed with the blind community about Talking ATMs as a result of Structured Negotiations. This agreement was negotiated by Lainey and Linda Dardarian on behalf of the Utah Council of the Blind and the Iowa Council of the Blind. Wells Fargo installed the first Talking ATMs in Iowa and Utah, and now has over 7,000 Talking ATMs throughout the United States. Read more… Wells Fargo Iowa and Utah Agreement

Union Bank of California Agreement

Posted on Updated on April 3, 2018
The Union Bank settlement agreement was negotiated by Lainey using Structured Negotiations on behalf of California blind advocate Margie Donovan. In the agreement, the bank agreed to install Talking ATMs at all its locations and implement a comprehensive alternative format policy. Union Bank of California had the first Talking ATMs in Washington State and Oregon. Subsequently, the bank also committed to make its website accessible. Read more… Union Bank of California Agreement

American Express Braille and Large Print Agreement

Posted on Updated on April 3, 2018
The American Express Braille Settlement Agreement was negotiated by Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian using Structured Negotiations on behalf of Paul Parravano and Clarence Whaley. In the Agreement, American Express agreed to provide monthly credit card statements and year end summaries in Braille and Large Print for all American Express customers in the United States. Read more… American Express Braille and Large Print Agreement