News and Articles

The Gig Economy: Making it available to everyone

Posted on Updated on August 16, 2017
The gig economy: Flexible jobs! Extra money on the weekends! A quick ride (don’t worry about parking)! Meal delivery at your fingertips, and task rabbits to mow your lawn or build your Ikea furniture. Paralegals when you need them, no excess payroll when you don’t. “Feel at home” anywhere in the world—no hotel workers needed. Today, the term “gig economy” describes an increasing number of modern economic relationships in the United States and around the world. Where do disabled people fit in? Disability rights are implicated by new economic structures; the law is beginning to take notice. Read more… The Gig Economy: Making it available to everyone

Web Accessibility for Grocers: Winn-Dixie Wasn’t Paying Attention

Posted on Updated on August 11, 2017
Last month the Winn-Dixie grocery chain lost the very first trial under the Americans with Disabilities Act about the accessibility of a private company’s website. A blind shopper had sued the chain when he couldn’t access online coupons and other parts of the company’s website. The judge’s verdict was big news; unlike most accessibility stories it was covered in the mainstream media. But web accessibility for grocery stores is nothing new. If Winn-Dixie had been paying attention, it would have known over three years ago that grocery chains were making their websites accessible. Winn-Dixie should not have waited for the legal knock on the door. When it came, it should not have put up a fight. Read more… Web Accessibility for Grocers: Winn-Dixie Wasn’t Paying Attention

Blind People Cook: A Web Accessibility Story

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Another day, another hit piece against law suits about website accessibility. Typically these articles are best ignored. But a recent piece in the New York Post demands attention. I’ve asked web accessibility leader and home cook extraordinaire Lucy Greco to join me in responding to the article, titled “Lawyers cash in on suits demanding ADA-compliant websites.” You’ll find out below why Lucy’s cooking skills are as relevant to this piece as her web expertise. Read more… Blind People Cook: A Web Accessibility Story

Rejected by the Los Angeles Times

Posted on Updated on July 31, 2017
On June 23, 2017, the Los Angeles Times published an op-ed titled “Is your company’s website accessible to the disabled? You’d better hope so.” The piece was mean spirited and full of inaccuracies about web accessibility. I took the piece’s alternative facts personally because the author wrongly claimed that Bank of America, Charles Schwab, and Safeway had been sued for web accessibility. I knew better — my clients, co-counsel and I had worked with each of these companies in Structured Negotiation. Joseph O’Connor and I tried to submit a response to the Los Angeles Times, but our efforts were rejected. Read more… Rejected by the Los Angeles Times

Safeway Announces Website Accessibility Initiative

Posted on Updated on July 2, 2017
Safeway Announces Website Accessibility and Usability Enhancements to its On-line Grocery Delivery Website Benefiting Shoppers with Visual Impairments Customers Applaud Safeway’s Commitment Pleasanton, California (December 13, 2013) — Safeway (NYSE:SWY) today announced a comprehensive initiative to make its online grocery shopping website more accessible and usable for Safeway shoppers with visual impairments. The site enhancements are the result of collaboration between Safeway and several visually impaired customers. Safeway has adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0 level AA as its accessibility standard and has already made significant enhancements to its online shopping website to meet this standard and will continue to do so over the next year. Read more… Safeway Announces Website Accessibility Initiative

ABA Journal Highlights Structured Negotiation

Posted on Updated on May 31, 2017
Catching flies with honey is not the default strategy most attorneys use to resolve disputes. But Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian, both longtime California advocacy lawyers, have worked out a method that avoids conflict, costly litigation and protracted time in court—while still yielding beneficial results for their clients. The process they call “structured negotiations” has been used mainly to achieve improved access for the blind, including ATM machines that talk, websites embedded with code to decipher text and photos, and tactile point-of-sale devices in grocery stores. Read more… ABA Journal Highlights Structured Negotiation

Structured Negotiation Book Event at 2017 CSUN Conference

Posted on Updated on February 16, 2017
To match the fast pace of the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference, Lainey Feingold will hold a lightning book event after the first full day of conference events. Join her in The Deque Presentation Room (Ballroom F) at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, California from 5:15 – 6:00 on Wednesday March 1 to hear stories from her book, Structured Negotiation, A Winning Alternative to Lawsuits. Read more… Structured Negotiation Book Event at 2017 CSUN Conference

Structured Negotiation Talks in Toronto and Windsor

Posted on Updated on January 30, 2017
It will be cold, but it will be fun! From February 7 – February 10 Lainey Feingold will be speaking at several events in Toronto and Windsor Canada about her book Structured Negotiation a Winning Alternative to Lawsuits and about the state of digital accessibility law and advocacy in the United States. Most of these events, described below, are open to the public. A huge thank you to David Lepofsky for organizing Lainey’s trip, and for Osgoode Hall Law School for sponsorship. Read more… Structured Negotiation Talks in Toronto and Windsor