FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Lana Gersten, (212) 784-5714
Lana@GroupGordon.com

NEW YORK (February 24, 2010) – New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), a nonprofit public interest law firm that advocates for disability rights, congratulates drugstore chain Rite Aid, for making its corporate customer service department more accessible to deaf and hearing-impaired customers.

In August 2009, NYLPI contacted Rite Aid regarding accessibility for people with hearing disabilities. Rite Aid worked with NYLPI to find the most effective and efficient means to improve accessibility to corporate customer services for its deaf and hearing-impaired customers.

Rite Aid added a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD/TTY) phone number for its corporate customer service department. The new number, 1-800-821-1833, which is a specially equipped line for teletypewriters, is now printed on all receipts, and can be found on the store’s Web site at www.riteaid.com.

“Without alternative means of communication, such as TDD/TTY numbers, the deaf and hearing-impaired are forced to rely on others for critical customer service needs,” said Koert Wehberg, the NYLPI Equal Justice Works Fellow involved with this project. “Rite Aid was quick to respond to our concerns and took swift steps to improve accessibility to their telephone and online services.”

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) is a nonprofit civil rights law firm that strives for social justice in New York City through litigation, community organizing, policy advocacy and public education. NYLPI has in-house expertise in health justice, environmental justice and disability rights. This expertise is extended by a network of volunteers from New York’s top law firms and corporate legal departments that work with NYLPI to provide pro bono legal assistance to nonprofit organizations and individuals in need.

###
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Inc.
151 West 30th Street, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10001-4017
Tel 212-244-4664