Apple settles, to make SF store accessible

In law school, I learned about some pretty ugly human behaviour through the criminal and torts cases our class read. Sometimes I couldn't understand what could bring people to the level of a torts suit, and often I could only shake my head, because as my professor said, "in a lawsuit, the only people who win are the lawyers." So when I learned of the settlement terms of the August 2007 lawsuit against Apple by two plaintiffs, I was pleasantly surprised. The plaintiffs, using wheelchairs, had trouble accessing the San Francisco Apple retail store. Instead of seeking monetary compensation, the plaintiffs asked for something that would actually fix the problem.

As a result of the settlement, Apple will improve the accessibility features of the store and train employees in serving people in wheelchairs. It is nice to see that sometimes there are proactive solutions to lawsuits.

Full details: Consent Decree and (Proposed Order) (PDF), (via Ars Technica)