Accessibility in the News — 4/26/19.

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AITN Quote of the Week

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”― Jean Baptiste Moliere

Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law

National News (U.S.)

Orlando Housing Authority pulls records from web over ADA fears, vows they’ll return once renovated

April 18, 2019 | Source: Orlando Sentinel

The Orlando Housing Authority is the latest Florida agency to strip some public documents from its website over fears it wasn’t complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The authority’s attorney, Ricardo Gilmore, said Thursday the agency is updating the website in hopes of returning meeting agendas and other documentation online in a format that will be accessible to those with disabilities. All public records are available upon request, he said, and he recommended a letter be issued to media outlets with information about upcoming board meetings and agendas…

Disabled Homeowner’s Lawsuit Against Jersey City Over Carport Request Moves Forward

April 19, 2019 | Source: New York Law Journal

A disability suit by a Jersey City homeowner against the city for denying her request to build a carport in front of her yard instead of installing a handicap parking spot can proceed, according to a U.S. District Court judge.

Judge Esther Salas’s ruling on April 12 denied defendant Jersey City’s motion to dismiss the case. The lawsuit was decided without oral argument. “In short, the Court holds that the instant controversy is fit for judicial resolution and that plaintiff would suffer hardship absent judicial consideration,” Salas wrote in her court opinion…

The $7 Trillion Business Opportunity That Nobody is Talking About

April 19, 2019 | Source: Real Leaders

“Well, we ran the numbers, and our bottom line is great: we’ve got a steady stream of sales. However, there’s an untapped market segment worth $7 trillion that we’ve decided to ignore, and will continue to ignore because it seems a little too challenging,” said no business leader ever. But then again, don’t we unconsciously say this every time we design a product or service that’s not accessible to the one billion people living with a disability? Consider the fact that these individuals, and their immediate families and communities, represent a total spending power of almost $7 trillion…

Autonomous Vehicles- Accessibility struggles could extend to AVs

April 19, 2019 | Source: Axios

Even as ridesharing companies expand their offerings and look towards AV deployment, many people with disabilities are still unable to access today’s shared vehicles, Henry Claypool writes for Axios Expert Voices. Why it matters: Ridesharing companies, such as Uber and Lyft, formed their business models and then — belatedly, critics allege — began addressing accessibility challenges. That strategy could hinder disability access to AVs in the future…

What makes for an accessible sporting venue?

April 19, 2019 | Source: The Sports Daily

Watching live sport is a favorite pastime for many, and we are now living in an age where the venues which host popular sporting events are constructed with accessibility features being one of the most important priorities. In the USA alone, it’s estimated that there are between 243,000 and 347,000 individuals living with spinal cord injuries that have resulted in full or partial paralysis. That’s a significant number of people – many of whom will surely be fans of watching live sport…

This Open Source Software Could Make Museum Websites More Accessible

April 19, 2019 | Source: Artsy

Earlier this year, dozens of New York City art galleries were hit with lawsuits filed separately by two legally blind plaintiffs. Their common charge: The websites of galleries including Sperone Westwater, Gagosian, and David Zwirner were not readable by people with vision loss, an alleged violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Many of these cases are pending, and the law on ADA website compliance is murky. But defendants and other cultural players who do want to break down digital barriers face the question of how they can redesign their websites to be accessible to all…

Student Teams Harness Artificial Intelligence to Aid Accessibility

April 19, 2019 | Source: CSUN Today

What do Amazon Alexa, Netflix streaming and Facebook tagging have in common? Answer: Each uses artificial intelligence (AI) to make our daily lives easier to nnavigate. And while the world’s largest tech companies employ AI to examine word accuracy through tone of voice or make movie recommendations based on behavioral data, AI has not been widely used to make the world more iclusive. California State University, Northridge students aim to change that trend. In order to narrow the inclusivity gap, several teams of CSUN students this spring competed in an artificial intelligence competition, dubbed AI-Jam…

The PDF Association thinks the Mueller report sucks

April 19, 2019 | Source: The Verge & The Daily Dot & PDF Association

When Special Counsel Robert Mueller released his report on Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election yesterday and political wonks across the internet rushed to download it, many people noticed two things: you couldn’t search for any text on the pages, and the whole file was really, really large. If you were annoyed by either of those things, you probably weren’t nearly as ticked off as the PDF Association, which published a long explanation of just why the Mueller report PDF file was so bad…

ADA Compliance: Records vanish amid wave of legal threats

April 20, 2019 | Source: The Ledger

City Clerk Kelly Koos has received phone calls lately from residents complaining that they couldn’t find campaign documents or other archival material on the city’s website. “I have been hearing, ‘Where’d that go? Where’d that go?’ ” Koos said. “That’s been frustrating because I feel like the public has just learned that’s where they should go to get information, and now it’s gone.” Lakeland removed those documents for the same reason the city has taken down a trove of material from its website…

Aging-in-place: an opportunity for contractors and homeowners

April 21, 2019 | Source: Greeley Tribune & PDF

GHBA Remodelers Council: Shower design keeps aging in place in mind

April 21, 2019 | Source: Chron

Modifications can keep you in home

April 22, 2019 | Source: Concord Monitor

Bruce and Kay Broderius had a problem in their bathroom — a once trendy Jaccuzzi-style bathtub. Both had received knee surgeries and getting in and out of the deep bathtub was impractical, if not impossible. They face other problems in the bathroom of their Greeley home too. The shower was too small, and using the toilet? Well, that was just a hazard. The couple moved to their home because their former place in Greeley took “12 steps to get anywhere,” as Bruce put it…

Website accessibility act not exactly a new idea

April 21, 2019 | Source: Santa Fe New Mexican

The 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act, signed into law Dec. 20 by President Donald Trump, is intended to ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that any new or redesigned website, web-based form, web-based application or digital service is accessible to individuals with disabilities. Millions of individuals with visual impairment, blindness, cognitive or neurological impairment and upper mobility limitations are negatively impacted by inaccessible websites, according to the W3 Consortium, a working group of experts on web accessibility…

Disabilities won’t stop these New Yorkers from looking fabulous

April 22, 2019 | Source: NY Post

Earlier this year, actress Selma Blair revealed she had multiple sclerosis, and that she struggled with putting on the kinds of everyday items most of us take for granted: blouses with buttons, sneakers with laces and pants with zippers. For an Oscars afterparty, she donned a gorgeous gown — accessorized with a cane to help her make her way down the red carpet. It was the first time many people thought about adaptive fashion, or clothes that disabled people can don without assistance…

Benetech, Macmillan Pioneer Effort to Make All Digital Books ‘Born Accessible’

April 22, 2019 | Source: EdSurge

There are more than 711,000 books—and counting—in Bookshare, a digital reading platform for people with reading barriers including dyslexia, blindness or cerebral palsy. Working with more than 850 publishers across the world, the library adds as many as 100,000 titles every year, according to Brad Turner, vice president and general manager of global education and literacy at Benetech, the nonprofit that runs Bookshare. But even at that laudable clip, Benetech is falling behind…

New Developments in Ongoing Website Accessibility Litigation

April 22, 2019 | Source: Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo

A federal district court in Massachusetts recently ruled against Harvard University in an ongoing lawsuit filed on behalf of disabled individuals challenging the accessibility of online video content on the university’s websites. (National Association of the Deaf v. Harvard University (D. Mass. March 28, 2019) 2019 WL 1409302, No. 3:15-cv-30023-KAR.) On the same day, the court issued a similar ruling in a companion lawsuit against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, relying on the rationale from the Harvard University decision….

Safeway to pay $75,000 to resolve disability discrimination lawsuit

April 22, 2019 | Source: KIRO7 & Legal Newsline

Safeway will pay $75,000 and will make changes to its policies and hiring practices to resolve a disability discrimination lawsuit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Monday. The EEOC said Joel Sibert applied online for several jobs at the Safeway store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood in July 2017 and was selected for an interview based on his qualifications and previous experience working similar jobs. “However, once Sibert explained that he is deaf and would need an interpreter for the interview, the in-store hiring recruiter told him..

Take note: This teen with autism wrote the perfect guide on how to treat people

April 23, 2019 | Source: Click Orlando

After dealing with exclusion by his peers over the years, Timothy Rohrer, a now-young adult who was diagnosed with autism as a second-grader, penned and published a pamphlet in which he basically guides people on how to treat those with disabilities. Rohrer, who will turn 19 in May, said he struggled fitting in socially with other students in school. “Having a disability is not easy,” he said. “People with disabilities can’t defend themselves either.”…

Lawsuits increase, alleging websites are not compliant with ADA

April 23, 2019 | Source: Auto Remarketing

A new wave of lawsuits is being filed across the country under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA is a federal law passed in 1990 requiring “reasonable accommodations” in “any place of public accommodation” to make them accessible to people with disabilities. Examples of ADA reasonable accommodations are wheelchair ramps and handrails. The new lawsuits allege that the Internet is a place of public accommodation…

NY Lawmakers Plan to Address Surge in ADA Website Accessibility Suits

April 24, 2019 | Source: New York Law Journal

A little-known committee chaired by State Sen. Diane Savino, D-Staten Island, has plans to tackle the issue, which has caused the number of lawsuits brought against businesses allegedly out of compliance with the ADA to skyrocket in recent years. Lawmakers in New York are planning legislative action to curb a surge in the number of lawsuits brought in federal court against businesses who operate websites that allegedly violate the terms of the Americans With Disabilities Act, or ADA…

Schenectady County polling places inaccessible, group says

April 23, 2019 | Source: The Daily Gazette

Schenectady County’s election polling places aren’t easy for people with disabilities to access, according to a report from a disabilities rights group. Disabilities Rights New York, a federally funded non-profit organization, found that 94 percent of the county’s polling places had accessibility issues, based on visits conducted during two 2018 elections, including the Sept. 13 primary and Nov. 6 general election. “The ADA guarantees voters with disabilities the right to fully accessible polling places, however, 94% of the polling sites DRNY surveyed in Schenectady County presented at least one barrier to accessibility.”…

Scientists Use Artificial Intelligence to Turn Brain Signals Into Speech

April 24, 2019 | Source: The Wall Street Journal

Scientists have harnessed artificial intelligence to translate brain signals into speech, in a step toward brain implants that one day could let people with impaired abilities speak their minds, according to a new study. In findings published Wednesday in the journal Nature, a research team at the University of California, San Francisco, introduced an experimental brain decoder that combined direct recording of signals from the brains of research subjects with artificial intelligence, machine learning and a speech synthesizer…

5 of the best cruises for accessible travel

April 24, 2019 | Source: Insider

Although all US-based cruise ships should be somewhat accessible because of the US Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), some vessels can be more accommodating than others. Fortunately, many cruise lines and ships are designed to be accessible — offering thoughtful accommodations and specific features that welcome a variety of travelers, including people who use wheelchairs or walkers and those who are deaf and/or blind. Here are some cruise lines and cruise ships that are great for accessible travel…

ADA Request Launches Changes in Gulfport’s Website

April 24, 2019 | Source: Gulfport Gabber

It started with a letter sent to the city of Gulfport earlier this year. The correspondence was not a lawsuit but a specific request for what is called “remediation” or compliance to have certain online documents on the municipal website be made more accessible based on the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), said David Mather, the city’s IT and Library director. Mather is also one of three full-time staff whose job responsibilities include updating the city’s website where hundreds of public records like meeting agendas and videos, memos, resolutions, architectural and sewage plans, and the current annual budget are usually posted…

Making outdoor recreation accessible for Utahns with disabilities

April 24, 2019 | Source: KSL

A physical or mental disability may seem like a big roadblock to participating in outdoor recreation, but many organizations and gear companies in Utah are seeking to make adventuring outside more accessible. The simple truth is outdoor recreation is a lot more difficult and expensive for individuals with disabilities, as it requires special equipment and is often a lot more challenging. In the Outdoor Foundation’s 2016 Outdoor Participation Report, they identified that 16 percent of Americans who don’t participate in outdoor activities say it’s due to a physically limiting disability…

Michigan lawmaker proposes updated accessibility sign portraying active independence

April 24, 2019 | Source: WDIV ClickOnDetroit & UPMatters

A Michigan lawmaker proposed a new accessibility icon for signs in parking lots and buildings to better portray the lifestyles of people with disabilities. State Rep. Beau LaFave’s plan is intended to show active independence, rather than stationary helplessness, a release from his office said. “It’s not about political correctness. It’s about showing the true relationship between people and the devices that assist them. It’s not 1968 anymore. It’s time to portray the new reality,” LaFave said…

Longboat seeks dismissal of website lawsuit

April 24, 2019 | Source: YourObserver.com

Joel Price, a blind Daytona Beach man who has sued Longboat Key and dozens of other Florida towns, cities and counties over access to their official websites, has filed at least a dozen more actions since early March. All take the same basic form as the one he filed against Longboat Key in early March, which specified the town must “update all electronic documents made available to the public to remove barriers in order that individuals with visual disabilities can access the electronic documents to the full extent” of federal law…

Advancing Efforts to Hire People with Disabilities Across New York’s Economy

April 25, 2019 | Source: Gotham Gazette

In the fairest big city in America, everyone deserves the opportunity to be employed. Unfortunately, the reality is that people with disabilities in the United States are twice as likely to be out of the workforce as their nondisabled peers. Data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the U.S. Department of Labor shows that the proportion of Americans with disabilities ages 16 to 64 that was employed last year was only 30.4% compared to 74% for non-disabled individuals in the same age group…

Accessibility Key for Online Patient Education Materials, Websites

April 25, 2019 | Source: Patient Engagement HIT

While healthcare organizations work to make appointments and even their own facilities more accessible, they may also consider measures to make online patient education materials more accessible as well. After all, patients do like engaging with online medical information. A 2013 study from Pew Research revealed that nearly three-quarters of patients have searched online for medical information. For 46 percent of patients, an online medical information search led to a doctor’s office visit and potentially medical intervention…

Lego’s braille bricks prove that good things can be better

April 25, 2019 | Source: TNW & CNN

At some point in their lives, almost everyone I know has constructed entire worlds from LEGO, the foot pain-causing multi-colored bricks. So, it’s nothing but brilliant to see that Lego‘s looking to change more people’s childhoods through the announcement of Braille Bricks – a product to help blind children learn the writing system. They work like this. Instead of the normal dots (the company refers to them as “studs”) you see on top of Lego bricks, this version will be set-up with the same patterns as the Braille alphabet. Each brick will also have a printed letter or number, so sighted people can interact with the objects too.

Jack Fact — According to the European Commission; in 2012, people with accessible needs took approximately 783 million trips within the EU, and the demand is anticipated to grow to about 862 million trips per year by 2020.

Hit The Road Jack — 5 accessible parks and gardens across the UK for anyone with a disability

International News

Vancouver’s ban on plastic straws likely delayed until 2020

April 18, 2019 | Source: Vancouver Courier & CTV News & Globalnews- Canada & Ottawa Citizen

Businesses that give out plastic straws, foam cups and foam takeout containers might get a bit of a reprieve before Vancouver implements its bans on those items. City staff will update council next Wednesday on the implementation of the city’s single-use item reduction strategy. Staff also plan to request new start dates for the bans — Jan. 1, 2020 for the ban on foam cups and takeout containers, and April 2020 for the ban on the unnecessary use of plastic straws…

Poll booths have miles to go to reach differently abled

April 19, 2019 | Source: Deccan Herald- India

The state of polling booths with respect to disabled-friendly facilities reflected the condition of schools, with most of the private schools having the permanent infrastructure with regard to accessibility while the government schools lagged behind…

Printed braille shows NZ needs legislation to enforce the language on all signs – experts

April 19, 2019 | Source: Stuff- New Zealand

A printed braille faux pas at an Auckland event centre is evidence of why legislation for accessible signage should be law, experts say. Aotea Centre was criticised on Monday for having printed braille on its temporary signs because it was “invisible” to the blind and low-vision community, a customer said. Auckland Live, which runs the centre, said it was an “oversight” but they were temporary signs designed to indicate where raised braille would be installed on permanent signs in coming weeks…

Social body supports inclusion of differently abled voters

April 18, 2019 | Source: The Tribune- India

Braille voter slips, pick-up and drop facilities, wheelchairs and special ramps for better accessibility to booths are some facilities that will be provided by the Election Commission to the voters with disabilities ahead of the elections. While 11,000 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) have been registered as voters in Jalandhar so far under the Election Commission’s PwD app, the district administration will make several arrangements, including 2,000 wheelchairs, 400 voter guides and 400 Braille voter slips for visually impaired persons, for voters…

UAE- MDS Leads Transformation of the Education Sector with Apple’s Innovative Products and Technologies

April 21, 2019 | Source: MENAFN- UAE

MDS Computers Technical Systems (MDS CTS), Apple Solution Expert (ASE) for Education in the UAE, has been the fulcrum of change in the UAE’s education sector by successfully deploying Apple’s products to transform teaching and learning. Currently, the company is working with over 100 educational institutes and training centres with five of these schools being recognised as Apple Distinguished Schools. MDS CTS has also been leading an Inclusive Learning Initiative, which aims to offer students with special needs the opportunity to become active independent learners by utilizing accessibility features embedded into Apple Devices…

Inaccessibility to LGBTI spaces is leaving disabled people out in the cold

April 21, 2019 | Source: Gay Star News- UK

It’s a disturbing reality for many LGBTI disabled people that lack of accessibility contributes to feelings of loneliness and isolation. From Pride events to pubs, clubs and LGBTI safe spaces, inaccessibility is often a top priority. But more often than not, it’s not their disability holding them back, it’s a combination of this lack of access to community spaces, as well as social stigma, cost of living pressures and under-funding in the social care system. That’s what UK-based disability charity Scope found in its 2017 report…

Passing Bill C-81 is critical to making Canada accessible for all Canadians

April 22, 2019 | Source: The Globe and Mail- Canada

I’m often asked, “Where does Canada stand in terms of accessibility?” Without consistent standards of measurement or legislation that define what meaningful access is, it’s a question that’s challenging to answer accurately. When Canada brought home its Constitution in 1982, it also enacted the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Section 15 of which ensures that individuals – regardless of race, religion, ethnic origin, sex, age or physical or cognitive disability – be treated as equals…

How 30 Under 30 finalist overcame serious illness to fight for disability rights

April 22, 2019 | Source: Birmingham Live- UK

Amy is passionate advocate for inclusive property design, with her masters of architecture research and work in practice focused on providing decent accommodation for the disabled. She campaigns on the issue through talks, national events, design projects and volunteering. Her studies were cut short in 2015 due to a rare, life-threatening illness called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome in which the sufferer is subjected to multiple, severe anaphylaxis reactions…

Wellington’s Frank Kitts playground to be accessible for kids with disabilities

April 22, 2019 | Source: Stuff- New Zealand

A makeover of Frank Kitts playground will see it become fully accessible for children with disabilities. The waterfront playground is due to be completed early next year but some parents are concerned it will not be safe for children with higher needs and would be better in a quieter location. Wellington City Council granted the resource consent last year and allocated $2.1 million for the work. The council’s Accessibility Advisory Group approved of plans with new features for children with disabilities in late March…

Chennai airport’s new terminal to show a disabled-friendly, accessible face

April 23, 2019 | Source: NewzHook- India

There’s much to look forward to at the new upgraded Chennai airport terminal. Better facilities and infrastructure that’s disabled-friendly and accessible.One of India’s biggest airports, Chennai aims to show the way to others when it comes to inclusion. Reports are that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is abiding by the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in ensuring complete accessibility in the new terminal. Construction work began last July, and is expected to be completed in another three years so domestic and international flights can be accommodated…

Vancouver Airport to increase airport accessibility for those with autism

April 23, 2019 | Source: International Airport Review- Canada

Canucks Autism Network and Vancouver International Airport (YVR) have welcomed 175 individuals to the fifth annual YVR & CAN Autism Accessibility Tour. The tour took individuals and families living with autism through the entire pre-flight process, including checking-in, finding the gate, going through security and boarding the aircraft for a simulated take-off. For the first time, 2019’s tour took participants through the arrivals experience…

No more excuses for ignorance: NWT needs accessibility legislation

April 23, 2019 | Source: CBC- Canada

The idea of creating barrier-free spaces was once novel to me. I was born able-bodied and had the privilege of entering into and out of spaces with little fuss or notice. However, during the summer of 2016, I contracted a rare bacterial infection that caused my body to go into septic shock. The night everything happened, my partner was told to call my parents and tell them to rush to the hospital to say their goodbyes. Luckily, my medical team was able to save my life — but at a cost…

More fully accessible motorway service station toilets planned

April 23, 2019 | Source: Motoring Research- UK

Time to flush out the poor design of accessible loos

April 23, 2019 | Source: Planning & Building Control Today- UK

Motorway service stations are invited to apply for funding to improve facilities for travellers with disabilities, under a new £2 million government-backed scheme. The Department for Transport (TfL) has teamed up with Muscular Dystrophy UK (MDUK) to award money for Changing Places toilets, which are expected to be ready by the early 2020s. Motorway service station operators have until 12 July 2019 to submit their application…

Svayam Stirs up a Conversation on Accessibility with #YahanSeWahanTak

April 22, 2019 | Source: MENAFN- India

In its quest to stir up a meaningful conversation on accessibility, Svayam, the leading accessibility organisation, Founded by Ms. Sminu Jindal launches #YahanSeWahanTak. A movement, to create an India where all Indians have uninterrupted access to mobility. Ms. Jindal believes that the new India that is being designed by people has to be inclusive of all Indians. We cannot leave behind children with injury, elderly, pregnant women and people with disability…

Blind groups hit out at South Shields Market Place ‘dangers’

April 23, 2019 | Source: Shields Gazette- UK

The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) North East and South Tyneside Visually Impaired Council (STVIC) say South Shields Market Place – which underwent major redevelopment just four years ago – has serious design flaws and is a danger to people with sight issues. Both groups – and visually impaired South Tyneside grandmother Sandra Nesbitt, 66 – say South Tyneside Council is failing to heed their warnings and claim a report by the RNIB, which made a series of recommendation in 2017 to correct faults, has been largely ignored by council bosses…

How elections are made accessible to PWDs and senior citizens

April 23, 2019 | Source: Rappler- Philippines

Among some 60 million registered voters for the May 13 elections are persons with disabilities (PWDs) and senior citizens. It’s the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) duty to ensure that they are able to participate in the electoral process. Republic Act (RA) 10366 or “An Act Authorizing the Commission on Elections to Establish Precincts Assigned to Accessible Polling Places Exclusively for Persons With Disabilities and Senior Citizens,” signed into law in 2013, was established precisely for this purpose…

Activist combats social stigma of people with disabilities in Jordan

April 23, 2019 | Source: Al-Arabiya- Jordan

Aya Aghabi does not take no for an answer as she defies the odds of being a person with a disability (PWD) in the Middle East. The 27-year-old Jordanian activist is the founder of Accessible Jordan, an online platform launched in 2017 to archive accessible locations in the country for PWDs to encourage them to go out more. In 2009, Aya was in a harrowing car accident that caused her to lose mobility in her legs, but this would not stunt her vigor…

CBA ‘progressing’ with Albert accessibility upgrades, training

April 24, 2019 | Source: Computerworld- Australia

Commonwealth Bank of Australia says it has begun rolling out accessibility upgrades to its Albert point-of-sale device, following a lengthy legal battle that settled in December. The upgrades come in response to a discrimination case brought against the bank last year by former Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes and Nadia Mattiazzo, whose complaint focused on the difficulty blind and vision-impaired people have in securely using the touchscreen device…

Barrier-Free Manitoba criticizes review of accessibility act

April 24, 2019 | Source: CTV News- Canada

An independent review of the Accessibility for Manitobans Act is recommending that small organizations be exempt from documenting their accessibility measures, policies and practices – which one non-profit says will exempt 95 per cent of businesses from implementing the act in a meaningful way. According to a provincial news release from February, the review was carried out by Theresa Harvey Pruden and focused on the work that’s been done since the legislation was put in place and the structures that support its implementation…

This Company Has Made Machu Picchu Accessible By Wheelchair

April 24, 2019 | Source: Simplemost- Peru

Machu Picchu is one of the wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It ranks high on many travelers’ bucket lists, and millions of visitors make the trek to Peru each year to check it off. But the high-altitude Incan citadel has never been known for its accessibility — until now. Accessible-travel company Wheel the World now offers the first wheelchair-accessible tours of Machu Picchu. Using a wheelchair will no longer exclude travelers from enjoying this incredible experience…

Paralympics GB stunned after Yokohama hotels demand payment for accessibility

April 24, 2019 | Source: The Guardian- UK & inews.co.uk

British Paralympic officials say they were left stunned when hotels near their training camp for the 2020 Games demanded they pay to make rooms accessible for wheelchair athletes – and then pay again to convert them back afterwards. One senior figure said there had been a “total lack of interest” from hotels they had contacted in Yokohama when it came to helping the British Paralympic team, who will make their final preparations in the city for Tokyo 2020. Another source said the problem had been a “huge headache” for more than 18 months…

Canada announces funding for projects that improve accessibility for persons with

April 25, 2019 | Source: Mirage News- Canada

Ensuring Canadians of all abilities have safer, easier access to our public spaces and workplaces. Today, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, announced financial support of more than $11 million over two years through the Enabling Accessibility Fund (EAF) mid-sized projects component to 14 organizations across Canada. The announcement took place at the University of Regina, with the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and Member of Parliament for the Regina-Wascana constituency, in attendance…

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