On Tuesday, November 1, the trial of ACB’s litigation against nationwide phlebotomy lab Quest Diagnostics will begin at the federal courthouse in Los Angeles, California. We encourage any interested people to come and observe this important trial. The self-service kiosks at Quest Diagnostics’ Patient Service Centers are inaccessible to blind patients, and the Court will determine whether this lack of accessibility violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Beginning in 2016, Quest Diagnostics (“Quest”) began to install automated touch screen kiosks at its Patient Service Centers, which allow patients to, among other things, check-in for an appointment, edit personal information in a private setting, opt to wait safely outside and receive a text message when the patient’s turn has arrived, and request help via an on-screen help button. Following complaints from ACB’s members concerning the lack of accessibility of these kiosks, ACB joined a civil rights complaint in federal court in California in 2020 alleging that Quest’s kiosks deprived members of the blind community full and equal enjoyment of Quest’s services and failed to provide effective communication to blind customers.
Touchscreen kiosks are an ever-increasing part of our daily lives, and the results of this trial will greatly impact whether such kiosks must be accessible and usable to the blind and visually impaired community.
The trial is expected to last for 4 days beginning at 9:30 AM on November 1 at the United States Courthouse located at 350 West 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, Courtroom 8C, which is on the 8th Floor. Judge Dolly Gee will be presiding over the trial. We encourage all who are interested to come observe and show their support.