Case: DOJ and National Federation of the Blind Settlement with Sacramento Public Library Authority

DJ #204-11E-387 | No Court

Filed Date: 2012

Closed Date: 2015

Clearinghouse coding complete

Case Summary

In 2011, the National Federation of the Blind brought to the attention of the United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (DOJ) that the Sacramento Public Library Authority had acquired and was lending to its patrons Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader devices. The devices were totally inaccessible to the blind and to individuals with print disabilities; they lacked any text-to-speech output and the ability to output to a braille display. Alternative devices usable by both blind and sighted users were readily available on the market. The NFB alleged that this was a violation Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131 et seq.The DOJ and the NFB negotiated an out-of-court settlement agreement with the Library. The Library did not admit to any wrongdoing or to having violated the ADA. Under the settlement, dated August 29, 2012, the Library will not acquire any e-readers for use by patrons that are inaccessible to blind or print-disabled individuals. The library agreed to acquire and deploy within 180 days of the effective date of the settlement at least 18 e-readers that are accessible to persons with such disabilities. The Library agreed to advertise the availability of the accessible e-readers.The settlement agreement also requires the library provide mandatory training on Title II of the ADA to all individuals acting on behalf of the Library, including volunteers, who interact with the public in any capacity, and also to all individuals who have been, or may in the future be involved in, discussions or decisions regarding acquisition of technology for use by Library patrons.

show full summary

Summary Authors

Alex Colbert-Taylor (6/13/2013)

Clearinghouse (6/23/2013)

People

Attorney for Plaintiff

Friel, Gregory (District of Columbia)

Langford, Anne E. (District of Columbia)

Perez, Thomas E. (District of Columbia)

Ruisanchez, Alberto (District of Columbia)

Wolfe, Kathleen P. (District of Columbia)