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The complaint was settled today with City Wide and Metro Cab Companies. The taxi services will work with the Memphis Center for Independent Living to establish some guidelines of non- discrimination for drivers. Mr. Verity, who is not an attorney, will receive an assurance that the cab drivers will not discriminate, court costs and a cash settlement.
"Equality is what the law requires," said Bob Verity, "and I need a ride just like anyone else." The complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee in January of this year maintains that the cab companies do "...not consistently allow dog-guides to accompany riders in their taxis."
Attorneys for the taxi services responded with another ADA consideration: that dog-guides may aggravate allergies of some drivers. Therefore, as a reasonable accommodation to an employee with an allergy, a rider with a dog-guide would be passed off to another dispatched cab.
As part of this settlement, only cab drivers with medically verified allergic conditions on file with the cab companies, will be in position to ask for a reasonable accommodation.
54 million Americans have some level of disability, 26 million people have a severe disability. [Current Population Reports. U.S. Department of Commerce - Census Bureau. Aug. 1997 p. 70-61]
The Memphis Center for Independent Living
1633 Madison Avenue,
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 726-6404 v/tty (901) 726-6521 fax
mcil@mcil.org
MCIL is a United Way of the Mid-South member Agency
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