New York City’s public Wi-Fi kiosks aren’t sufficiently accessible to blind people, according to claims made in a lawsuit filed Thursday by attorneys representing advocates for the disabled.
Source: www.wsj.com
The kiosks include Braille labels next to a 911 button and a headphone jack. The kiosk’s touch-screen tablet is also at a level so that those in a wheelchair are able to use it, according to a CityBridge spokesman.
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Mindy Jacobsen, a 65-year-old Brooklyn resident, is one of three blind residents suing the city. Last week, Ms. Jacobsen, who teaches technology courses in Manhattan, said she plugged her headphones into a kiosk on Eighth Avenue, hoping to use it for directions. But the maps feature was on the touch screen, which Ms. Jacobsen couldn’t use.
A 911 call can only be placed when an on-screen prompt is pressed.