Wal-Mart sued by disabled over payment machine access

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Wal-Mart sued by disabled over payment machine access

By Jonathan Stempel
Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:54pm EDT

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc has been sued by disability rights advocates who accused the world's largest retailer of failing to make payment machines accessible to disabled customers who use wheelchairs and scooters.

In what they called the first case of its kind, the plaintiffs accused Wal-Mart of discriminating against disabled customers by mounting "point-of-sale" terminals in many stores at elevated heights that cannot be reached.

They said this makes it difficult or impossible for the customers to pay for goods with credit or debit cards, and that Wal-Mart has refused to replace these older-model terminals despite using more accessible equipment in other stores.

The complaint filed on Wednesday with the federal court in San Francisco accuses Wal-Mart of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and California state laws protecting the disabled.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/25/us-walmart-disabled-lawsuit-idUSBRE86O1UY20120725

[gopiscrap]

1. I can't stand Wal-Mart they are such a nasty outfit!!!

[notadmblnd]

2. I'm no fan of Walmart but can't one just hand the card to the cashier and let them run it as credit?

[LiberalFighter]

3. I would have to agree.

It is my understanding that merchants aren't required to provide every conceivable access to handicap. Are they required to provide those scooters for handicap?

[d_r]

4. i don't want to be chide you

And I don't want to be chided as a word police.

But words have meaning and power and I'm going to ask you to consider something.

Something to think about is "people first language." That means simply that you put the person first. Instead of labeling someone as "handicap" and referring to them as a label, talk about them like they are a person first. You might say "people with a disability" or "people with different ability" or even "a person with limited mobility."

In that way, you don't reduce a person to just being the label - "a handicap." The person comes first, and they just happen to be a person with that difference in ability.

It works with a lot of things. Just something to consider.

Having said that, I do not know if the ADA covers this situation or not, but I am not a lawyer.

[d_r]

5. also

I don't think they will run them for you anymore.