Blind activists rally to end guide dog discrimination outside of SF Uber headquarters
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The National Federation of the Blind held a rally at Uber and Lyft headquarters on Tuesday morning over discrimination concerns.
With the support of their guide dogs by their sides, many rallying say they have been repeatedly denied service with their service dogs even though it's against the law.
It's become so much of a problem, busloads of people have been brought in to send a bigger message to these companies.
The National Federation of the Blind says they have around 200 people rallying from 48 states across the country.
They say the denials of service animals in Lyft and Uber rideshare vehicles are happening every day nationwide, often leaving riders with anxiety over booking any future rides.
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Jessica Beecham serves as President of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado.
She flew to San Francisco to take part in the rallies after being repeatedly denied rides with her guide dog named Prada.
"I've been denied on multiple occasions and they've ranged anywhere from causing me to miss very important appointments to being left in extraordinarily inclement weather to actually being in a vehicle, trying to protect my rights and being harassed by the police department who didn't understand their responsibility to uphold the law," Jessica Beecham, the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado President said.
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Tuesday's rally is being held on White Cane Awareness Day, meant to celebrate the independence and freedom of blind people.
Though the National Federation of the Blind says, rideshare companies are hindering their independence and rights.
"We've negotiated, we've talked, pleaded, we've pushed, we've pulled but hundreds of blind people across the nation, actually across the globe continue to be discriminated against and these companies refuse to do anything significant about us so we've brought it to the public and to the streets," Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind said.
Uber said that all drivers across the U.S. will be getting a new service animal education video in October.
They added that they recently launched a new self-identification pilot program for a small group of volunteers.
Through the pilot, some riders are able to self-identify as a service animal owner and can choose to automatically notify drivers ahead of time, that they're traveling with a service animal.
"Our policies prohibit drivers from denying service because of a rider's service animal or assistive device, and we are committed to implementing technology and policies that help make transportation more accessible," a spokesperson for Uber said in a statement.
This group plans to hold a second protest outside of Lyft headquarters on Tuesday.
Lyft issued a similar statement ahead of the rally.
"Discrimination has no place in the Lyft community. We strive to provide an inclusive and accessible platform for riders, including those who rely on service animals. We continually update our practices to improve accessibility for riders and are proud to be working directly with advocacy organizations in the community. This year, we are launching a Service Animal Opt-In feature, allowing riders to disclose that they travel with a service animal when requesting a ride. This feature is a significant step in our broader mission to ensure that riders feel safe and supported on our platform."
