Serving people with disabilities
As someone who drives with Uber, you can help make transportation more accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Find information below about picking up and assisting riders with disabilities.
Breaking down the WALL
When picking up a rider with a disability, you can think about watching, asking, listening, and learning (WALL).
Tips from Open Doors Organization
- Watch the person to understand their abilities
- Ask how you can help
- Listen to their requests and preferences carefully
- Learn from every person you assist
How you can communicate with riders
- Being patient and asking yes-or-no questions when you can
- Asking the rider to repeat instructions if you haven't understood them the first time
- Avoiding interrupting
- Avoiding speaking to the person's companion or attendant instead of the rider, unless directed
Top ways you can help
Asking if you're unsure
If you don't know how to assist a rider, you can ask about what you can do to help.
Speaking respectfully
Nobody wants to be described by their disability. So instead of saying, "the blind man," you can say, "Felix, who is blind."
Welcoming service animals
Service animals are generally allowed everywhere that their owner goes. They can look just like any other animal or pet. See below for more details.
Rights of riders with service animals
Riders cannot be denied service because they travel with a service animal. It’s the law in Canada.
As part of our policy, a rider will be refunded any trip cancellation fee or other charges imposed if a driver denied a rider service because of a service animal.
Similarly, riders cannot be charged cleaning fees if their service animal sheds. Riders will be refunded any cleaning fees charged for shedding by their service animals.
What is a service animal?
A service animal is an animal that helps a person with their disability, both visible and non-visible.
There are 2 ways for an animal to qualify as a service animal.
First, an animal is a service animal if it can be easily identified as one. Service animals often wear a harness or a vest, or are obviously helping the person with their disability.
Second, the individual may have a document confirming the animal is a service animal, like a health professional’s letter that the animal is needed due to a disability, a government-issued service animal card, or, in Quebec, a certificate from a service animal training school.
Understanding the Service Animal Policy
Canadian laws prohibit drivers who are using the Driver app from discriminating against riders with service animals, including denying them service. As explained in Uber’s Community Guidelines, drivers who engage in discriminatory conduct in violation of their legal obligations will lose their ability to use the Driver app.
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