Bank One Preliminary Talking ATM Press Release

Posted on Updated on August 31, 2021
The Bank One Press Release posted here was issued as a result of an initial settlement agreement that Bank One signed with Chicago blind activists Kelly Pierce and Anna Byrne using Structured Negotiations instead of litigation. In the 2001 Bank One Preliminary Settlement Agreement, the bank agreed to install Talking ATMs at 130 locations, making it the first bank with Talking ATMs in Illinois and Ohio. Two years later, the bank signed a comprehensive agreement providing for additional Talking ATMs, an alternative format policy, and an accessible web site. Read more… Bank One Preliminary Talking ATM Press Release

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

Posted on Updated on August 31, 2021
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

U.S. Federal Appeals Court Slams Unethical ADA Practice

Posted on
On August 17, 2021 judges in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld sanctions against a Florida lawyer (Scott Dinin) and his client (Alexander Johnson) because of unethical conduct in cases brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar Florida law. Sanctions are a way that a court can punish lawyers and clients for bad behavior. In this case the sanctions included requiring Johnson and Dinin to pay money to a disability-based nonprofit or the court and preventing them from filing ADA cases without the court’s permission. Read more… U.S. Federal Appeals Court Slams Unethical ADA Practice

Accessible Credit Reports Agreement

Posted on Updated on July 13, 2021
The accessible credit reports agreement was negotiated by Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian on behalf of the American Council of the Blind, the California Council of the Blind and blind individuals Paul Parravano, Lucy Greco and Lori Gray. In the Agreement, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion agreed to provide credit reports that are accessible to people who are blind and visually impaired. On-line reports will meet standards established by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium, and credit reports will be made available in Braille, Large Print, and on audio CD. Read more… Accessible Credit Reports Agreement

Access Board Considers ADAAG Coverage for Self-Service Kiosks

Posted on Updated on June 22, 2021
The United States Access Board is currently considering proposed changes to the ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) that would require certain self-service kiosks to be accessible to people with disabilities. Based on their experience with Talking ATMs and tactile point of sale devices, the Law Office of Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian of Goldstein, Demchak, Baller, Borgen & Dardarian, prepared comments on the Board’s proposal for use by persons interested in accessible devices. Those comments, all or parts of which were incorporated into submissions filed with the Board by several organizations, are posted here. Read more… Access Board Considers ADAAG Coverage for Self-Service Kiosks

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

Posted on Updated on May 15, 2021
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

Posted on Updated on May 1, 2021
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

Proposed Public Rights-of-Way Guidelines (Finally) Coming July 26

Posted on Updated on April 25, 2021
The United States Access Board has announced that it will (finally) publish proposed Public Rights-of-Way Guidelines on July 26 – the 21st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The guidelines will address access to sidewalks and streets by people with disabilities, including accessible pedestrian signals, crosswalks, roundabouts, curb ramps, street furnishings, parking, and other components of public rights-of-way. Technical specifications on these issues will be welcomed, but it is important to remember that the Americans with Disabilities Act has required such access for more than twenty years. Read more… Proposed Public Rights-of-Way Guidelines (Finally) Coming July 26

Wells Fargo First Talking ATM Press Release

Posted on Updated on April 13, 2021
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