Justice Division Strikes to Intervene in Incapacity Discrimination Go well with Towards Metropolis of Chicago Relating to Pedestrians with Visible Disabilities | OPA

The Department of Justice today decided to intervene in a disability discrimination lawsuit filed against the City of Chicago by private visually impaired plaintiffs under the Disabled Americans Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504). The complaint proposed by the ministry alleges that the city is not providing equal access to pedestrian signaling information to blind, visually impaired, or deafblind people at intersections. Pedestrian signal information such as For example, a flashing “Go / Don’t go” signal indicates when it is safe to cross the street.

Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) are devices that provide pedestrians with safe crossing information in a non-visual format; B. through audible tones, voice messages and vibrotactile surfaces. Since at least 2006, Chicago has recognized the need to install APS for pedestrians with visual impairments. While Chicago currently has visible pedestrian signals for sighted pedestrians at nearly 2,700 intersections, it has installed APS at only 15 of those intersections. The proposed lawsuit alleges that the lack of APS at over 99% of Chicago’s signaled intersections makes people blind, visually impaired, or deafblind to additional risks and stresses that sighted pedestrians are not exposed to, including fear of injury or death .

“ADA and Section 504 require people with disabilities to have equal access to public services, including access to information about pedestrian crossings that is critical to safety and full participation in community life,” said Assistant Attorney General Pamela S. Karlan from the Department of Civil Rights of the Ministry of Justice. “Chicago has determined that there is a need for safe crossing information in order for sighted pedestrians to navigate the city. This suit is designed to ensure that the city provides the same benefits to people with visual impairments.”

“The US attorney is taking these steps to ensure that Chicagoans with disabilities have equal access to city services, especially public safety services,” said US attorney John R. Lausch Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois. “We are concerned about the severe lack of access to safe intersections for Chicago residents who are blind, partially sighted, or deaf-blind, and we are confident that our involvement in this important case will ultimately result in a meaningful solution for the city and its millions of people Residents, daily commuters and visitors. “

The motion and complaint for intervention were jointly filed by the Disability Rights Division of the Division’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. The case is being handled by US assistant attorneys Patrick Johnson and Sarah J. North and trial attorney Matthew Faiella. Click here to read the application for intervention: https://www.ada.gov/acbmc/acbmc_motion.html.

For more information on the Civil Rights Division, visit www.justice.gov/crt. For more information about ADA, contact the department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov. Members of the public can report potential civil rights violations at https://civilrights.justice.gov/report.