While Uber makes life easier for deaf drivers, but still faces lack of Accessibility for Disabled

IMAGE: THE WASHINGTON POST / CONTRIBUTOR / GETTY IMAGES

BY MATT PETRONZIO | Mashable.com | May 28, 2015
Just a week after the ride-sharing company came under fire for continued allegations of flouting disability laws, Uber, master of stunt marketing and PR recovery attempts, is updating its Uber Partner app to cater to deaf and hard-of-hearing drivers.

The app's new features — a result of Uber working with the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and deaf driver partners to learn about their specific frustrations with the platform — include a flashing screen for trip requests (as opposed to previous audible-only beeps) and the ability to turn off the option for users to call deaf drivers (users will only be able to text them).

The app will also send a notification to users to let them know their drivers are deaf or hard of hearing, prompting them to enter destination details ahead of time.

Uber announced the updates at an event with the NAD in Washington, D.C., Thursday morning. The new features are now available to all Uber Partner drivers in four U.S. cities with some of Uber's largest markets: Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. A broader rollout will come "soon," according to a blog post from the company.

These efforts, developed over several months through Uber's product innovation team, are intended to make the platform more accessible and "remove some of the friction we were hearing about from our driver partners, and even from riders who were taking rides from deaf or hard-of-hearing partners," Rachel Holt, Uber's east coast general manager, told Mashable.

"I think it's just a really neat way that our technology platform can enable this frictionless experience, and really showcase a way for members of the community who are deaf or hard of hearing to now feel like, 'Here's an opportunity for me to make money with a technology platform that's actually designed around the unique needs that I have,'" Holt said.

At face value, these app updates do seem beneficial. Holt mentioned the number of deaf Uber drivers is growing; that means the new app features have the potential to increase work opportunities for the deaf community, which has a disproportionately high unemployment rate. It also ultimately increases communication between drivers and riders.

But the juxtaposition of this announcement to Uber's recent practices might compel the public to view the initiative as conveniently timed.

Over the past eight months, there have been several lawsuits alleging that Uber drivers have discriminated against blind and wheelchair-using riders. Uber claimed that, as a technology company and not a transportation service, the Americans With Disabilities Act doesn't apply to its operations, according to The Daily Beast's Nina Strochlic.

Kristin Parisi, a Boston-based Uber rider who has used a wheelchair for 25 years, said Uber drivers have refused to take her; others have been verbally abusive.

Via The Daily Beast:
Parisi says the driver called her an “invalid” and said she “must not be a Christian” and needed to “develop thicker skin.” At the end of her ride, Parisi says the driver asked if she was going to give a bad review. “I said, ‘It has nothing to do with bad review, it has to do with illegal practice,’” she says. “‘You have to understand what you’re doing is not only mean — it’s against the law.’”
When asked whether the new app updates have anything to do with these recent controversies, Uber's Holt simply told Mashable she thinks the Uber app was "always designed to expand access to safe and reliable transportation options for all on the rider side, including riders with disability."

"I think we're incredibly committed to continue to build solutions that support everyone's needs and to move around more effectively. I think this particular update is unique in that it also addresses partner needs," she said.

While considering driver needs is important, it's the treatment of riders that has largely earned Uber a seemingly never-ending streak of bad publicity.

Examples include a number of sexual abuse allegations against Uber drivers (and a canceled partnership with UN Women), concerns over privacy violations after an executive suggested the hiring of "opposition researchers" to dig up dirt on journalists, alleged shady business tactics against competitors and enabling surge pricing during crises.

The company has tried to introduce new features that tackle social issues before, such as adding an "SOS" button to the app in India earlier this year after a New Delhi driver allegedly raped a female rider. Critics, however, pointed out that such an update is not enough to protect Uber customers.

In addition to app updates, Uber has engaged in a number of marketing stunts over the past several years— some charitable, some downright strange — in attempts to refocus its public image. Despite these efforts, many users continue to boycott the app.

Ultimately, Uber maintains that Thursday's new app features will benefit drivers in the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, as well as passengers overall.

"I think this is the right thing to do for our partners, and for riders who are connected to those partners," Holt said.

http://mashable.com/2015/05/28/uber-partner-app-deaf-drivers/