News

Advocates for blind file second suit over airport kiosks

March 29, 2011

McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is facing a lawsuit alleging that its self-service ticket kiosks aren't configured to serve the blind.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, the lawsuit seeking class-action status was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas against Clark County and the county Aviation Department, owner of the airport, by attorneys for the National Federation of the Blind and four individuals.

This marks the second civil rights suit the group has filed in the last four months. It made similar grievances against United Airlines in November.

"By deploying automated 'common use self-service' ticketing kiosks at McCarran International Airport that are inaccessible to blind customers, Clark County is denying blind persons the use of the kiosks it offers to nondisabled airline passengers,'' the suit alleged. "Clark County thus excludes the blind from full and equal use of mainstream technology used by countless airline passengers each day.''

The suit says plaintiffs' counsel in September notified Clark County of the "unlawful accessibility barriers'' at McCarran and urged Clark County to address the issue in a cooperative manner with the Federation of the Blind, but that there has been no response.

Do you think airports should be allowed to deploy kiosks that are not accessible to blind customers? Leave your comment below.