CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Blind Md. residents sue Walmart over alleged ADA violations

Capital - 10/27/2018

Three blind Maryland residents and the National Federation of the Blind are suing Walmart, alleging that the company violates the Americans with Disabilities Act because its self-checkout kiosks are not fully accessible to blind customers.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court, also claims that an employee at the Walmart in Owings Mills allegedly attempted to take money from one of the plaintiffs while she was checking out at the store.

The suit claims that a staff member at the Owings Mills store on Reisterstown Road was assisting Cynthia Morales with a purchase at a self-checkout kiosk in July 2017 when the employee selected an option for cash back from her debit card and took $40 without her knowledge.

"It's important for blind people to be able to use the machines independently ... so that people are not stealing from us," Morales, a Parkville resident, said in an interview. "We should be treated like everybody else - when we come into the store we would like to check out at the self-checkout quickly just like everybody else, and I know that the technology is out there."

In addition to Morales, other plaintiffs include Linwood Boyd, a Pikesville resident who was shopping with Morales when the alleged incident occurred; Baltimore resident Melissa Sheeder; the National Federation of the Blind Inc.; and the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland.

The plaintiffs are seeking a permanent injunction that would require Walmart to make its self-service kiosks throughout the U.S. accessible to blind customers; a declaration that Walmart has been violating the ADA; and court costs and attorneys' fees.

Chris Danielsen, a spokesman for the National Federation of the Blind, said he's not aware of any large retailers that incorporate self-checkout kiosks that are fully accessible to blind people, but he pointed to self-service software for machines such as ATMs, Amtrak ticket booths and taxicabs that allow blind people to operate the devices independently.

Credit: By Sarah Meehan - The Baltimore Sun

Nationwide News