Uber updates app to accommodate deaf drivers in response to allegations it turned away blind riders
Uber has updated its app to better accommodate its deaf driving partners.
While the effort is valiant, it is also conveniently-timed, as Uber was accused of turning away blind customers and contradicting the Americans with Disabilities Act last month.
The updated driver app signals driver requests with a light instead of sound and doesn’t give the rider the option to call the driver. It also prompts riders to enter addresses into their phones, informing them that the driver is hard-of-hearing.
“These updates incorporate suggestions and feedback from our partners as well as the National Association of the Deaf, the nation’s leading non-profit advocating for economic empowerment for deaf and hard-of-hearing people,” Uber wrote in a blogpost.
The update is currently available in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.