Advocates for blind sue McCarran over self-service ticketing kiosks

By Steve Green

Published Wednesday, March 30, 2011 | 8:27 a.m.

Updated Thursday, March 31, 2011 | 5:35 p.m.

McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is being sued by advocates charging its self-service ticket kiosks aren't configured to serve the blind.

A lawsuit seeking class-action status was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas against Clark County and the county Aviation Department, owner of the airport, by attorneys for the National Federation of the Blind and four individuals.

The suit alleges civil rights violations including violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act and violations of a federal rehabilitation act.

"By deploying automated 'common use self-service' ticketing kiosks at McCarran International Airport that are inaccessible to blind customers, Clark County is denying blind persons the use of the kiosks it offers to non-disabled airline passengers,'' the suit alleges. "Clark County thus excludes the blind from full and equal use of mainstream technology used by countless airline passengers each day.''

Two of the plaintiffs say they fly in and out of McCarran regularly, but because the 180 kiosks there don't work for them they either have to wait for an airline employee to help them with the check-in process or have to provide sensitive private information to a sighted stranger who can access the kiosks for them.

The suit says plaintiffs' counsel in September notified Clark County of the "unlawful accessibility barriers'' at McCarran and urged Clark County to address the issue in a cooperative manner with the Federation of the Blind, but that there has been no response.

"McCarran International Airport attorneys are in the process of researching the facts and issues raised in the case just filed. We cannot comment on this matter until our attorneys have reviewed the allegations," McCarran Public Affairs and Marketing Manager Elaine Sanchez said in a statement.