LYONS, Kan. (AP) - A Lyons woman has sued the city and Rice County, saying a new method of answering emergency calls puts hearing-imparied residents in danger. Danette Dixon and the Kansas Disability Coalition claim in the lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Wichita that the Lyons Police Department and Rice County dispatch do not have computer equipment needed to communicate with deaf people, which violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. In April, the Lyons City Council withdrew $72,000 from the Rice County dispatch. The 911 center still handles emergency calls, but non-emergency calls were routed to the police station during working hours or an answering machine after-hours. The Lyons City Council will meet Friday afternoon to discuss reinstating an agreement that routed all 911 calls to the Rice County Dispatch Center.
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