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The National Federation of the Blind of California knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness does not hold us back. Together with love, hope and determination, we transform dreams into reality.

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What is the National Federation of the Blind?

The National Federation of the Blind is an organization of blind and interested sighted people whose purpose is to promote equal opportunity for the blind. Founded in 1940, the Federation has affiliates in every state, Puerto Rico, Washington DC and includes more than 50,000 of the nation’s blind. Dedicated to the complete integration of the blind into society, the Federation works toward the removal of legal, economic, and societal barriers to full participation by blind people in employment, education, recreation, and all other aspects of community life. The Federation is working to end discrimination by educating the public to new concepts about blindness and the abilities of blind people, offering training and advocacy to blind people and to parents of blind children, and providing job referrals and placements. The Federation helps the newly blinded to learn the techniques that will enable them to maintain productive lives and informs them of services available from governmental and private agencies and of the laws and regulations concerning the blind.

The National Federation of the Blind is an organization of the blind speaking for ourselves. Please visit www.nfb.org to learn more on:

  • About the NFB
  • Info on Blindness for …
    • Members
    • Resources
    • Products & Technology
    • Publications
  • Vehicle Donations program
  • Free White Cane program
  • Joining the NFB
  • Making A Donation

We Need Your Help! Monitor Uber and Lyft Compliance with Service Animal Agreement

The National Federation of the Blind has created a rideshare testing program to measure Lyft and Uber’s efforts to eliminate driver discrimination against riders with guide dogs or service animals. Recent agreements with these two major ridesharing companies require the National Federation of the Blind to provide feedback, over the next three to five years, on the efforts they have agreed to undertake to prevent discrimination against service animal users.

Here’s where you come in. If you use Uber or Lyft and have a service animal or travel with someone who has a service animal, we need your help. Fill out our online questionnaire after your next Uber or Lyft ride, and as often as you can after that. We would love feedback from regular Uber and Lyft users at least once a month, about both positive and negative experiences.

Extensive information about the program is available in the May 2017 issue of the Braille Monitor. You can also visit nfb.org/rideshare for more information, including an extensive FAQ, information on how to report discrimination to Uber and Lyft directly as well as through our questionnaire, and a list of the questions we’ll ask so you can be thinking about them when you take your next ride.

Please share this information with fellow Uber and Lyft users with guide dogs or other service animals.

If you have questions that are not answered by the resources above, contact Valerie Yingling, legal program coordinator, at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, at (410) 659-9314 extension 2440, or vyingling@nfb.org.

Thanks in advance for your assistance with this important effort.

Lyft’s Service Animal User Guide

As part of the agreement reached between the NFB and Lyft, Lyft has created a service animal user guide. Please view the version most appropriate for you and share with other service animal users.

Additional Information

For additional information about the National Federation of the Blind of California or how to send us a donation, please contact NFBCA President Tim Elder at the following:

National Federation of the Blind of California
Phone: 916-382-0372
Email: president@nfbcal.org

Our National Code of Conduct.

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