Disability Group Sues Over Call Box Access

Saying disabled drivers are left “without assistance and often in grave danger” when their cars break down, a disabled-rights group sued three government agencies Friday to make freeway call boxes more accessible to people who are deaf or in wheelchairs.

The suit alleges that county and state agencies have discriminated against the disabled by requiring voice and aural communication at the call boxes. The boxes are also situated on slopes, uneven ground or behind curbs, putting them out of reach for people who cannot walk easily, according to the suit, which seeks no damages.

“It’s not a suit about money. We just want them fixed,” said David Raizman, executive director of the Western Law Center for Disability Rights, which brought the lawsuit on behalf of three deaf county residents and one woman who suffers from multiple sclerosis.

About 4,200 call boxes, which connect motorists directly to the California Highway Patrol, line local freeways on land owned by Caltrans. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority puts up and maintains the boxes, first installed in 1962.

All three agencies are named as defendants in the suit, which accuses officials of violating the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act and other state and federal statutes.

MTA officials expressed surprise at the legal action, saying it seemed premature since the agency is awaiting final federal guidelines on redesigning call boxes to comply with the ADA and intends to abide by them.

“That document is still in production,” said spokeswoman Clara Potes-Fellow.

Two drafts of the regulations have been issued, but not a final version, MTA officials said. The agency has already contacted contractors about retrofitting the call boxes when the guidelines come through, probably at the end of the year, officials said.

Measures outlined in the draft reports include slicing away some sections of curb and laying plastic pads on the ground to enable those in wheelchairs to roll to the call boxes more easily.

The plaintiffs also demand that call boxes be outfitted with TDDs, or telecommunications devices for the deaf. Raizman said such equipment would benefit everyone, since loud freeway traffic and occasional poor connections can make speaking and listening difficult.

The lawsuit describes difficulties experienced by the four plaintiffs when their vehicles broke down on area freeways.

In one incident, plaintiff Carol Anne Wright, who uses a wheelchair because of multiple sclerosis, was forced to crawl from a curb along the San Diego Freeway to the call box, only to find it was out of order, the complaint said.

CHP and Caltrans officials declined comment on the lawsuit.