Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_05-cv-04696/USCOURTS-cand-3_05-cv-04696-7/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 29:0794 Job Discrimination (Handicap)

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JOINT STATUS CONFERENCE STATEMENT, CASE NO. C 05-4696 MJJ 

WONDIE RUSSELL (Bar No. 77990) 

CATHERINE P. ROSEN (Bar No. 62562) 

PETER J. CROSBY (Bar No. 115588) 

HELLER EHRMAN LLP 

333 Bush Street 

San Francisco, CA 94104 

Telephone: +1.415.772.6000 

Facsimile: +1.415.772.6268 

Wondie.Russell@hellerehrman.com 

ARLENE MAYERSON (Bar No. 79310) 

LARISA M. CUMMINGS (Bar No. 131076) 

SILVIA YEE (Bar No. 222737) 

DISABILITY RIGHTS EDUCATION AND DEFENSE FUND 

2212 Sixth Street 

Berkeley, CA 94710 

Telephone: +1.510.644.2555 

Facsimile: +1.510.841.8645 

lcummings@dredf.org 

See Signature Page for List of Additional Counsel 

Attorneys for Plaintiffs 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 

AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND, a 

District of Columbia non-profit corporation, 

TAMMY RENEE COOPER, SCARLETT 

MILES, MARVELENA QUESADA, ARLENE 

DOHERTY, ALICE MARJORIE DONOVAN, 

BILLIE JEAN KEITH, GEORGE P. SMITH, and 

DOROTHY JACKSON on behalf of themselves 

and all others similarly situated, 

Plaintiffs, 

 v. 

MICHAEL ASTRUE, Commissioner of the 

Social Security Administration, in his official 

capacity, and SOCIAL SECURITY 

ADMINISTRATION 

Defendants. 

Case No.: C 05-4696 MJJ 

CLASS ACTION

JOINT STATUS REPORT 

Date: August 7, 2007 

Time: 2:00 P.M. 

Courtroom: 11 

The Honorable Martin J. Jenkins

Case 3:05-cv-04696-MJJ Document 50 Filed 07/23/2007 Page 1 of 5 Case 3:05-cv-04696-WHA Document 51 Filed 08/02/07 Page 1 of 5
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JOINT STATUS CONFERENCE STATEMENT, CASE NO. C 05-4696 MJJ 

Plaintiffs, American Council of the Blind, et al., and Defendants Michael 

Astrue, Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, in his official capacity, 

and Social Security Administration, in accordance with this Court’s Order of May 

14, 2007 ordering a Status Conference on August 7, 2007, hereby jointly advise the 

Court about the status of this case. 

A. STATUS OF THE CASE 

This case is not yet at issue pursuant to an agreement and stipulation 

between the parties to allow time for discussion and information gathering aimed at 

potential settlement. In the Parties’ Joint Status Conference Report filed on April 

30, 2007, information describing the parties’ respective legal and factual positions 

was set forth. (See Dkt. No. 44.) We do not repeat that detail here but instead 

focus on the negotiations that have taken place and are expected to take place in 

the near term. 

B. PARTIES’ EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE RESOLUTION 

As the parties have previously advised the Court, in October 2006 the parties 

started exploring the feasibility of entering settlement negotiations. Defendants 

began to provide information to plaintiffs about the Social Security Administration’s 

systems and technologies for communicating with applicants, recipients and 

beneficiaries of Social Security benefits. The parties have continued to exchange 

information and employees primarily from defendants’ systems and operations 

components have continued to answer plaintiffs’ questions and provide additional 

information concerning the systems, technologies, and operational processes 

pursuant to which SSA communicates with applicants, recipients and beneficiaries. 

The parties also identified operational and technological obstacles to providing 

notices in various alternative accessible formats and discussed potential ways to 

overcome these hurdles during the course of several telephone conferences. 

Since at least January 2007, the parties have been discussing the feasibility of a 

consensual resolution of this case. Another telephone conference took place on 

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JOINT STATUS CONFERENCE STATEMENT, CASE NO. C 05-4696 MJJ 

March 6, 2007, at which time the parties exchanged further systems and operations 

related information. Counsel have continued to confer by telephone and remain 

committed to negotiating and exchanging proposals that may lead to a satisfactory 

resolution. 

In the spring of this year, plaintiffs presented defendant with a proposal for 

telephone communications between SSA and plaintiffs addressing some of the 

concerns raised in the parties’ prior communications, and the parties have provided 

exemplar notice materials to technology vendors to allow them to test their ability to 

convert into various alternative formats. 

In addition, on May 22, 2007, SSA published a “Request for Information” 

(RFI) seeking commercial sources that can convert large volumes of notices 

produced using SSA’s systems into formats accessible to persons with visual 

impairments. SSA employed this procedure for gathering information about 

technologies available in the marketplace because it constituted the quickest way 

to ascertain what the marketplace has the ability to provide while ensuring a level 

playing field for all prospective vendors, in accordance with the applicable Federal 

Acquisition Regulations, 48 C.F.R. pt. 10. Plaintiffs were able to direct any 

companies they believed have the capabilities specified in the RFI to respond to the 

RFI. The RFI closed on June 29, 2007. 

SSA received multiple submissions and information from vendors, and has 

assembled an intra-agency group to evaluate whether any of the submissions 

present a technologically and financially viable means to convert large volumes of 

SSA notices into accessible formats. Once this analysis and review is concluded, 

the parties will be in a better position to ascertain settlement prospects. At that 

point, if the parties decide to further proceed, SSA may need to commence making 

internal systems and operational changes and will consider the procedures 

necessary for issuing a solicitation in accordance with the Federal Acquisition 

Regulations.

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JOINT STATUS CONFERENCE STATEMENT, CASE NO. C 05-4696 MJJ 

At this time the parties remain committed to a good faith effort at resolving 

the issues presented by plaintiffs through negotiation. 

C. CASE SCHEDULE 

Unless the Court wishes to hear further from the parties in person, the parties 

request that the Court remove the Status Conference scheduled for August 7, 2007 

from the calendar and schedule a further Status Conference in approximately six 

months time so that the parties may report their progress and together schedule 

any appropriate further dates, such as dates for a Settlement or Case 

Management Conference and/or hearings on Defendants’ withdrawn motions to 

dismiss. 

Respectfully submitted, 

DATED: July 23, 2007 HELLER EHRMAN LLP 

DISABILITY RIGHTS EDUCATION AND 

DEFENSE FUND 

By_/s/Wondie Russell______________

WONDIE RUSSELL 

Attorneys For Plaintiffs 

DATED: July 23, 2007 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 

Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch 

By _/s/ Tara La Morte_______________

PETER D. KEISLER 

RICHARD G. LEPLEY 

TARA M. LAMORTE 

Attorneys for Defendants 

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JOINT STATUS CONFERENCE STATEMENT, CASE NO. C 05-4696 MJJ 

Additional Co-Counsel for Plaintiffs: 

GERALD A. MCINTYRE (Bar No. 181746) 

NATIONAL SENIOR CITIZENS LAW CENTER 

3435 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 2860 

Los Angeles, CA 90010 

Telephone: +1.213.639.0930 

Facsimile: +1.213.639.0934 

gmcintyre@nsclc.org 

KATHLEEN L. WILDE (Oregon Bar No. 97105) (Admitted Pro Hac Vice) 

OREGON ADVOCACY CENTER 

620 SW Fifth Avenue, Fifth Floor 

Portland, OR 97204 

Telephone: +1.503.243.2081 

Facsimile: +1.503.243.1738 

kwilde@oradvocacy.org 

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