An Equal Rights Center study (the original PDF report is available here) has found that cabbies in DC will pass by blind people with service dogs 50% of the time.
The study was based on 30 tests done in the District of Columbia in which two people, one blind with a guide dog, and the other not blind, were planted on a street corner. The blind person with the dog stood in front of the sighted person so that he or she would be seen first.
In 15 of the 30 tests, the cab driver drove past the blind person with the dog and picked up the person who was not blind. Worse, in three of these tests, the driver attempted to add a surcharge to the blind person's fare for transporting the service animal, which is illegal under the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as under DC law.
2.5 million individuals in the United States are legally blind, and around 7,000 of them use guide dogs. For more information on guide dogs and other service animals, click here.
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