WHEREAS, many blind people in the Denver Metro area find it most convenient and expedient to take a rideshare home from the Denver International Airport (DIA), as do blind visitors to the Denver area who may be staying in various hotel and convention locations; and

WHEREAS, until June 18, 2019, travelers arriving at DIA could meet their rideshare drivers curbside on the sixth level and, prior to that arrangement, curbside on the lower levels; and

WHEREAS, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

“a leading pedestrian interval (LPI) gives pedestrians the opportunity to enter an intersection 3-7 seconds before vehicles are given a green indication. With this head start, pedestrians can better establish their presence in the crosswalk before vehicles have priority to turn left.”; and

WHEREAS, FHWA's Handbook for Designing Roadways for the Aging Population recommends the use of the leading pedestrian interval at intersections with high turning vehicle volumes; and

WHEREAS, Kronos is an online web-based system used by state employees to track work hours, breaks, and all types of leave; and

WHEREAS, because Kronos is not compatible with the screen reading programs needed by blind employees to perform their jobs, it is, in effect, not accessible to nor usable by nonvisual users; and

WHEREAS, the latest jobs statistics indicate that almost ¾ of blind Coloradans are unemployed or significantly underemployed; and

WHEREAS, in order for people who are blind or visually impaired to participate actively in every aspect of life including worship, education, family and community activities, and employment, affordable and easily available transportation options must exist; and

WHEREAS, since 2001, the state of Colorado has had a law on the books which requires state agencies to procure technology that is accessible to the blind—i.e., nonvisually accessible; and

WHEREAS, in the 2021 Legislative Session, with the passage of HB21-1110, this law was strengthened to include all people with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, manufacturers of assistive hearing instruments (for example, hearing aids and cochlear implant processors) are to an increasing extent designing these devices to be operated with remote controls, smartphones, or computer software; and

WHEREAS, it is too often the case that the technology used to operate assistive hearing instruments intended for use by deafblind individuals is neither accessible to nor usable by the very people they are supposed to benefit; and