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National Federation of the Blind claims discrimination by airline kiosk

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Oct 27th 2010 at 10:00AM

The National Federation of the Blind issued a press release this morning, with the headline United Airlines Discriminates Against Blind Passengers.

That is obviously the kind of headline that is designed to grab some attention. In it, the federation claims United Airlines is discriminating by making their electronic check-in kiosks inaccessible to blind passengers.

The President of the federation has the following to say:

The airline industry has an unfortunate history of discriminating against blind passengers, and now United Airlines is repeating that history by deploying inaccessible technology that we cannot use. United is engaging in this blatant discrimination even though the technology to make its kiosks accessible is readily available, has been deployed by others, and will involve little cost to the company.

Now, I'm really not sure what to make of this - because it isn't like the electronic kiosk is the only way to check-in at the airport. One of the arguments made by the NFB is that the lines for checking in with an employee are very long.

Every time I've used EasyCheck-In, there have been United employees in close proximity, ready to help me out. Converting the kiosks would require audio feedback, special keyboards and modifications to the screens - all to accomplish something that is possible by requesting a staff member to assist.

I'm not an expert, but I just don't buy the claim that modifications would involve little cost to the company. ATM's have been modified for blind users, but the amount of information presented on the screen of a check-in kiosk is quite complex - with things like a seat map and security questions.

The time it would take to have this all presented in audio would most likely make waiting in line much quicker anyway. Also, the risk of making a mistake during this procedure could quickly turn into a real mess, changing flights, canceling segments or removing upgrades. And finally, there is no obligation to use these machines at the airport - as almost every airline in the country offers the ability to check-in online at home, and print your own boarding pass.

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for helping blind passengers make the experience at the airport just as swift as offered to anyone else, but I can't help feel that this battle is one that they won't win. To read the entire press release, click here.

What are your thoughts?

Should United Airlines modify all their check-in kiosks for blind passengers?
Yes - everyone should be able to use these machines	13 (14.4%)
No - staff are always available to help passengers	77 (85.6%)

[Photo from Flickr/Dennis]

Filed under: North America, Airlines

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Concerned Oct 27th 2010 12:21PM

What you are missing is that the law requires United to make its accommodations and facilities fully and equally accessible. So, that means if United decides to use kiosks, which it does for substantial labor cost savings, it has to make them fully and equally accessible. The availability of mobile or other check-in methods is entirely besides the point. Separate but equal is not acceptable, both as a matter of principal and of law. Further, many blind passengers have experienced vastly different treatment by airline employees who are purported to be there to help than your blog suggests. As for the cost, there is at least one kiosk manufacturer, namely IBM, that has accessible solutions that have a nominal cost increase from inaccessible models. United's choice to not use the accessible versions available long ago is not a valid justification for opposing what the National Federation of the Blind is doing.

Scott Carmichael Oct 27th 2010 12:23PM

Thanks for your input - as I said, I'm not an expert on these issues, so I'm very interested in your opinions.

I was under the impression that the law only required them to provide accessible features if there was no alternative. For example - they don't need to make ALL bathrooms accessible, just make sure there are some. And because you can still check-in with an agent, the kiosk is not the only option available.

If United started charging to use an agent,or removed them completely, I'd understand the concerns.

Concerned Oct 27th 2010 1:12PM

Scott, I understand your perspective, but I think the legal details are throwing you off. For instance, your bathroom analogy is not quite on point. As you correctly point out (though you didn't specify bathroom stall as opposed to a bathroom in total), if an establishment offers bathrooms, they must make a certain number of stalls accessible, the sink has to be a certain height and reach distance, the paper towels or drier the appropriate height, and so on. Had the establishment offered other means of toileting (I can't think of any civilized means, but the point remains), they'd have to make the requisite accommodations for that method, too.

Now, let's take United. They have several ways, including kiosks, to check-in and engage in other flight-related transactions. The law obligates them to make each means accessible. Your analogy only makes sense if kiosks are the only way to check in and so forth. Even then, at the very least, a certain number of the kiosks must be accessible, in the same way that a certain number of bathroom stalls must be accessible.

Refurbished Computers Oct 27th 2010 3:40PM

The availability of mobile or other check-in methods is entirely besides the point. Separate but equal is not acceptable, both as a matter of principal and of law. Further, many blind passengers have experienced vastly different treatment by airline employees who are purported to be there to help than your blog suggests.....