Accessibility in the News—2/16/18.

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National News (U.S.)

TOP STORY

House Passes Bill Critics Say Would Undermine Disability Rights

‘It’s frustrating’: Winter brings challenges for people with disabilities

February 9, 2018 | Source: CNYcentral.com

Connor McGough drives an accessible van to get to work at Arise on James Street. He brings along his service dog, Topper. Eight years ago, he was in a diving accident and broke his C5 and C6 vertebrae in is neck, leaving him in a wheelchair. He says being in a wheelchair during winter is much more difficult, as it’s hard to get around. “Not just trying to make my way in the snow in a wheelchair, but also driving. Since I drive my own accessible van finding parking where there aren’t snowbanks,” McGough said.

Accessibility In The Workplace: What Businesses Need To Know: Part 4

February 9, 2018 | Source: The National Law Review

This is the final installment in our series looking at accessibility in the workplace. Part 1 looked at the importance of deploying accessible IT in order to benefit employees and businesses. Part 2 examined national equality laws requiring businesses to make “reasonable accommodations” for employees in the workplace. In part 3, we set out how industry standards are playing an increasingly important role in helping organizations demonstrate compliance with accessibility requirements. In this final installment, we look at practical steps businesses can take to improve their accessibility credentials…

Retailer Rag and Bone Faces ADA Suit Over Web Accessibility

February 9, 2018 | Source: Law360 (Subscription)

Luxury apparel chain Rag & Bone was hit Thursday with another discrimination suit in New York federal court for purported violations of state and federal disability law, this time based on the apparent inability of the fashion retailer’s website to interface with screen-reading software used by the blind and visually impaired. The proposed class action against Rag & Bone Holdings LLC filed by named plaintiff Marion Kiler, who is legally blind and a member of a protected class under the Americans with Disabilities Act, asserts violations…

VWSD website more accessible and user-friendly

February 9, 2018 | Source: Vicksburg Post

Big changes have come to the Vicksburg Warren School District’s website to make it more accessible and user-friendly. The school district updated its site to make it compliant with guidelines required for sites to be accessible by people with disabilities and also in order to help give a unified web presence for each of the district’s 16 schools. The schools previously had a motley collection of websites, if the school had one at all, and now each of the district’s schools have a similar site with the goal of better serving the community…

Artworks take off for adults with disabilities

February 9, 2018 | Source: Fox61

There is no shortage of drawing power at New Horizons Village, a community for disabled adults in Unionville. The residents at New Horizons work on art projects individually and in groups, like in programs such as Artforms which provides classes for disabled kids and adults. Recently Connecticut’s Office of the Arts invited the residents to showcase their works at Bradley International Airport. “It’s fun and it’s incredible to be able to do it,” said Amy Tonucci, who is a quadriplegic but still is a master in the art of counted cross stitch…

It’s OK To Look At Your Phone At A Broadway Show, If Your Hearing Is Impaired

February 11, 2018 | Source: NPR

Jerry Bergman is sitting in the audience at a Broadway matinée performance of The Band’s Visit. Despite the fact that a huge sign above the stage tells the audience — in English, Hebrew and Arabic — to turn off cellphones, Bergman is keeping his on so he can read closed captions while watching the show. He is one of an estimated 48 million Americans who have some degree of hearing loss. And he is availing himself of new technology that allows deaf and hearing-impaired people to enjoy shows with something most people have in their pocket — a smartphone…

US Accessibility Standards a Boon to Media Localizers and Subtitlers

February 12, 2018 | Source: Slator

The United States Access Board has updated the Electronic and Information Accessibility Standards covered under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to make public-facing content produced by federal government agencies more accessible to users with disabilities. The revised standards, which took effect on January 18, 2018, now include the mandatory provision of audio or video descriptions and closed captions for digital content accessible from multifunction devices such as smartphones, cameras, and computers…

Congress Weighs Changes To ADA

February 12, 2017 | Source: Disability Scoop & Teen Vogue & Think Progress & Pacific Standard

House Lawmakers Approve Changes To Americans With Disabilities Act

February 15, 2018 | Source: Disability Scoop & The Hill

Disability advocacy groups are rallying to fight against legislation they say would undermine longstanding accessibility protections in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA Education and Reform Act, or H.R.620, is slated to come up for a full vote in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday or Thursday. But detractors say the bill would gut the part of the landmark ADA law which requires public businesses to make accommodations allowing for ease of entry for people with disabilities…

Cooper Hewitt Symposium Covers the Why and How of Designing More Accessible Spaces

February 12, 2018 | Source: Architectural Digest

Most of us are fortunate enough to move through the world without facing any major obstacles or impediments. But for millions of individuals with disabilities, the absence of accessible design features in everything from everyday objects to transportation methods can have an immediate, significant impact on not only quality of life but overall sense of dignity. In an effort to further its longstanding commitment to inclusive design, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum recently hosted “Design Access,” a symposium dedicated to an exploration of accessible products, places, and philosophies…

1-800-Flowers Can’t End Suit Over Accessibility To Blind

February 12, 2018 | Source: Law360 (Subscription)

A Massachusetts federal judge on Monday rejected 1-800-Flowers.com Inc.’s attempt to escape a lawsuit alleging its websites are not accessible enough to blind and visually impaired customers, finding its arguments failed to hold water. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani denied 1-800-Flowers.com’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit by disability rights organization Access Now Inc. and Lisa Gathers, R. David New, and Stephen Theberge alleging its websites violate Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires entities to take steps to make sure individuals with disabilities…

The UW has come a long way on accessibility, but there’s still a ways to go

February 13, 2018 | Source: The Daily

Only one in three U.S. students with disabilities graduate from a four-year college within eight years. The UW has more disabilities resources than many other institutions, but students say there’s still a gap. “Sometimes I get professors who are really great support for students like me,” Ashley D’Ambrosio, ASUW Student Disability Commission director and a student who lives with chronic illness, said. “But then I get other professors who say that it’s not fair to the other students in the class that I get an extension or that I get alternatives to attendance because so many professors grade based on attendance.”…

Accessibility suit vs Kohl’s can proceed; Judge: Moveable displays can be ‘architectural barriers’

February 13, 2018 | Source: Cook County Record

A woman may proceed with her lawsuit claiming the layout of a Kohl’s store makes the store inaccessible to people with disabilities. The plaintiff, Patricia Thomas, was originally one of six people who attempted to file a nationwide class action against the department store chain through the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group the Equal Rights Center. Last August, U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman separated the cases and instructed each plaintiff to pursue their own case in different jurisdictions…

Boy Invents Game To Help Sister With Autism

February 13, 2018 | Source: Star Tribune

Ten-year-old Kusa Xiong has looked out for his big sister for as long as he can remember. At school, he helps her unpack her things at her locker. At home, the siblings read together, makeup games and practice counting. Kusa said 12-year-old Pahnuly, who has autism, inspires him to think differently. It was because of her, after all, that inspiration struck the kid inventor one day at home in Brooklyn Park while the family played ping-pong — a sport Pahnuly struggled with. Kusa wanted to find a way to make ping-pong more suited to his sister’s needs…

Lawsuit: Pharrell Williams’s Website Isn’t Friendly to the Blind

February 13, 2018 | Source: JDJournal

Singer Pharrell Williams may sing about being “Happy,” but his websites allegedly aren’t joyous for blind people. According to the New York Post, the musician is being sued because his sites don’t have software that makes them audible. Plaintiff Victor Lopez filed a lawsuit on Monday against Pharrell’s websites, Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream. He also sued 20 other companies, and those defendants include jeweler Daum and cosmetics company Lalique. Lopez, who is visually impaired, said that he has been “denied the full use and enjoyment of goods and services” of these companies…

How this blind engineer is using AI to make Facebook safer and more accessible for everyone

February 13, 2018 | Source: Silicon Valley Business Journal

Matt King’s team at Facebook is working to keep disturbing images off of the world’s largest social media platform. There’s just one catch: King is blind. As CNBC reports, his team of engineers is using artificial intelligence to “see” and understand images and the context they appear in. That technology has been used to make Facebook and the 2 billion photos that are shared on the platform each day accessible to blind users. Object recognition technology, a form of artificial intelligence, can recognize what’s in a picture and generate a description for people who use a screen reader…

I helped pass disabilities reform — I know the cost if it’s gutted

February 14, 2018 | Source: The Hill

The experience of having a disability profoundly shapes one’s life. It affects how one lives, where one learns, if one works, what our personal relationships are like, and how we interact with our community. This is not just because of the disability, but also because of the responses from people around us — their attitudes, their interactions and their inclusion — or exclusion — of us. My epilepsy (defined as chronic seizures), which I’ve had since I was a teenager, has been a defining characteristic of my life…

ADA Accessibility Matters – But Don’t Forget Her Sister Statutes

February 14, 2018 | Source: insideARM.com

Rarely does the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) present unique compliance issues for a web developer based on industry type. The visual and audio solutions most businesses and organizations must incorporate into their websites are one-time solutions that can be replicated over and over across all websites. While this is true for most, it is not true for third-party debt collection agencies, financial services organizations, companies that process electronic payments online, or healthcare providers…

The rights of disabled Americans are under attack

February 15, 2018 | Source: CNN

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been a law for 28 years now — and I can honestly say that rights for Americans with disabilities, including accessibility to public spaces, are now facing more uncertainty and outright hostility than at any time in recent memory. Recently, Delta Airlines began pushing back on service and support animals, introducing a new policy that requires increased documentation to register the animals at least 48 hours in advance of flying. No other population is required to submit additional paperwork 48 hours before a flight…

Houston Airports enhances accessibility for blind and low vision passengers with Aira smart glasses

February 15, 2018 | Source: Future Travel Experience

Houston Airports has partnered with technology company Aira to provide a more accessible passenger experience for blind and low vision travelers. The subscription-based smart glasses will now be available at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport. The Aira app and smart glasses connect travelers to specially trained agents at a remote location, who sees a real-time live stream of the user’s surroundings from the camera on the glasses or smartphone…

University addresses student accessibility concerns

February 15, 2018 | Source: The Brown Daily Herald

Following the implementation of the University’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan and the creation of departmental and administrative DIAPs, the University has demonstrated progress in addressing accessibility-related issues on campus, said Catherine Axe ’87, associate dean and director of Student and Employee Accessibility Services. Over the past year, academic and administrative departments have been working with SEAS to “make sure the … physical accessibility (of their buildings) is increased,” Axe said…

CUNA-backed HR 620 passes as CUNA continues push for website accessibility solution

February 15, 2018 | Source: CUInsight

The House passed CUNA-backed H.R. 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017, that was introduced by Reps. Ted Poe. (R-Texas), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Mike Conaway (R-Texas). “This bill is an important step forward in addressing other litigation threats,” said CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle. “It will ensure those protected by the ADA will continue to be protected but will take the right steps to curb predatory litigation that harms all consumers…

Trump Administration Still Offering No Guidance on ADA

February 15, 2018 | Source: Credit Union Times

Despite the urging from members of Congress and many credit unions, the Justice Department is remaining noncommittal about releasing guidance on website access under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In a letter to members of Congress obtained by CU Times, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd simply said that the department is evaluating whether accessibility standards are “necessary and appropriate.” Credit unions have been plagued by a rash of lawsuits—many filed by the same law firm—alleging that websites do not comply with the ADA…

97 percent of curb ramps on state highways not ADA-compliant

February 15, 2018 | Source: East Oregonian

Ninety-seven percent of curb ramps on Oregon’s state highways are not compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, according to a recent inventory, and Umatilla County is no exception to that lack of accessibility. Pendleton, in particular, has a long list of corners along Highway 395 that are missing ramps to allow wheelchair users to access the sidewalk. The city was one of several places in Oregon singled out in a report by advocacy group Disability Rights Oregon, although many ramps in Hermiston are also non-compliant…

Jack Fact — According to Physical & Health Canada, 38 percent of Canadian children with a disability almost never get physical exercise after school compared to 10 percent of typically developing children.

International News

We Carry Kevan: an epic tale of friendship, inclusion and accessibility- Bright Vibes- Europe

In the summer of 2015, a group of friends decided to set out on an adventure together. They wanted to go to Europe, but it was going to be a bit trickier than just that, as one of them was in a wheelchair. Kevan Chandler was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a neuromuscular disease which limits his mobility, and the group wanted to visit some specific places that were not exactly handicap accessible. The seven friends spent a year working toward their goal to travel, including a fundraiser and designing a backpack to carry Kevan on their backs…

Using Digital Technology to Improve Banking Inclusion

February 8, 2018 | Source: The Financial Brand- Greece

Piraeus Bank was the first Greek bank to launch a fully automated e-branch that combined the best of high tech with the warmth of high touch. With a focus on consumer education, expanded accessibility and intuitive engagement, transaction costs have been reduced while the customer experience has been improved. Many consumers are excited about the possibilities offered by digital enhancements in retail banking and have become enthusiastic early adopters of new products made viable by digital platforms and technology…

Student associations want more in grants for students with disabilities

February 9, 2018 | Source: The Gateway Online- Canada

The Student’s Union is working with the Canadian Alliance of Student’s Associations to demand the federal government increase grants for students with permanent disabilities by 50 percent, an additional $43 million per year. Approximately 1,200 students at the University of Alberta have a formally documented permanent disability. The Canadian student grants program gives these students a maximum of $2,000 per academic year to offset the costs of purchasing necessary equipment or assistance through the university’s Student Accessibility Services…

Israeli Start-Up Strives to Make Broadway Theaters More Accessible to Patrons with Disabilities

February 8, 2018 | Source: Tablet Magazine- Israel

Even though Broadway theater is one of the biggest tourist draws in one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, its accessibility has always been limited. From limited wheelchair accommodations to scant autism-friendly performances, patrons with disabilities often find roadblocks to experiencing a Broadway show. Recently, however, this has finally started to shift, and the newest major player is an Israeli startup, doing much of their work from an ocean way…

‘They’re oblivious to it’: many HRM schools still not accessible

February 9, 2018 | Source: The Signal- Canada

Seven Halifax Regional Municipality schools will receive wheelchair lifts in the next few months, but dozens remain inaccessible to children with mobility issues. A tender listing on the Halifax Regional School Board’s website says the plan is to install nine inclined wheelchair lifts in seven multi-story schools by March 31. The upper floors of these schools are currently inaccessible to people in wheelchairs. “These schools were built when the code of the day did not require accessibility design elements, as they would be today,” Maria Cantagalli, administrative assistant of the operations department at the HRSB…

Future guide dogs stealing hearts

February 13, 2018 | Source: Truro Daily- Canada

There was some serious puppy love going on Monday at the CNIB offices in Halifax as the organization showed off four new cuties destined to become guide dogs for blind or visually impaired people. One black and three yellow lab pups romped around under the watchful eyes of their volunteer raisers and local media. Catherine Kieran is one of those puppy raisers. “At this point, we’re just making sure that they’re socialized appropriately,” Kieran said. “Today, the puppies are getting together for a play date here at CNIB. And they’re just so thrilled to see each other because, of course, they’re litter-mates.”…

’73pc polling stations in NA-154 lack accessibility’

February 10, 2018 | Source: The News International- Pakistan

Accessibility audit of NA-154 polling stations showed distressing statistics as it appeared that 73 percent of the sampled polling stations didn’t meet the essential accessibility criteria. This implies that persons with disabilities, elderly and the sick will not be able to make it to 73 percent of the polling stations on February 12, 2018 by-election in Lodhran-I. The report was issued by Pakistan Alliance for Inclusive Elections (PAIE) to share findings of Accessibility Audit of polling stations in NA-154…

Gov’t OKs bill to boost public transport accessibility for disabled

February 10, 2018 | Source: Japan Today- Japan

The Japanese government has approved a bill to encourage public transport operators to make their services accessible for people with disabilities ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The bill to amend the law on accessible transport, if passed in the Diet, would require operators to formulate and release to the public plans to make facilities accessible or face a fine of up to 500,000 yen. But it stops short of setting a deadline for the implementation of these plans…

App identifying barrier-free routes for wheelchair users in the works

February 10, 2018 | Source: Channel News Asia- Singapore

A route-planning app for wheelchair users in the works, with the aim of locating barrier-free routes in public housing heartlands. The app will also be able to predict the shortest possible routes for wheelchair-using residents to get around, starting with Bukit Panjang town where the pilot was launched on Saturday (Feb 10). Developed by research and technology non-profit organization Trampolene and the Singapore Management University, the SmartBFA app will make use of crowdsourced data from resident volunteers to locate obstacles and barrier-free access routes over more than 400 blocks across Bukit Panjang…

Delhi govt to re-develop dept websites, make them user-friendly

February 11, 2018 | Source: India Today- India & Daily Pioneer- India

The Delhi government has decided to re-develop the websites of all its 180 departments by taking several steps, including providing Hindi content to make them user-friendly, an official said. The information technology department of the government has asked all secretaries and principal secretaries to nominate a nodal officer for coordination with IT department to re-develop the websites. As per the plan, departments will also have to provide Hindi content on their respective websites. Most of departments websites now have content in English…

Plans for Larissa to become the first Greek city fully accessible to people with disabilities

February 12, 2018 | Source: Independent Balkan News Agency- Greece

The prefecture of Thessaly, the municipality of Larissa and the Thessaly federation of people with disabilities have signed a co-operation memorandum that aims to improve the living conditions of disabled persons in the specific city of Greece. The actual goal, which everyone involved hopes not to take long to be achieved is to transform Larissa, in (CE Greece) the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region and the fifth-most populous in Greece into a fully accessible city to people with disabilities of all ages…

Disability advocates feel they’re still left behind as Lyft launches

February 13, 2018 | Source: CBC- Canada

As the city prepares to welcome a second ride-hailing service, advocates say they’re distressed that people with disabilities are once again being left out. Lyft announced plans Monday to launch in Ottawa as a competitor to Uber. When Uber arrived in 2016, the company sparked major changes to the city`s ride-for-hire legislation. Both companies bill themselves as cheaper alternatives to traditional taxis and allow passengers to track their ride using a smartphone app. Since the rides are offered using drivers’ personal vehicles, they rarely accommodate people with mobility devices like wheelchairs and scooters…

Fair Frome’s ‘Access For All’ campaign

February 15, 2018 | Source: Frome Times- UK

Fair Frome has been busy campaigning for better access to public buildings, cafes and restaurants with its ‘Access For All’ campaign, which was launched last year. The group has just completed its first building review at Frome Town Hall to test the facilities and produce an accessibility review. It was helped by Frome Town Council, which is based at the Town Hall and with the invaluable input of the PACE (personal achievement & creative experience) group, a social group for people with disabilities…

Giant art formation to spread message

February 14, 2018 | Source: The Star Online- Kuala Lumpur

The World Urban Forum 9 (WUF9) aerial art project themed “Cities for All” was a collaborative effort involving 500 people at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur. The event was an artistic interpretation of the World Urban Forum, with the aim of elevating the way in which people think about inclusion around the world and calling for inclusive urban growth and development. World Enabled (also known as Pineda Foundation), an educational non-profit organization with a mission to promote the rights and dignity of disabled people, organized this initiative in collaboration with Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU) Sentral…

What would a truly disabled-accessible city look like?

February 14, 2018 | Source: The Guardian- UK

To David Meere, a visually impaired man from Melbourne, among the various obstacles to life in cities is another that is less frequently discussed: fear. “The fear of not being able to navigate busy, cluttered and visually oriented environments is a major barrier to participation in normal life,” says Meere, 52, “be that going to the shops, going for a walk in the park, going to work, looking for work, or simply socialising.” That’s what makes an innovative project at the city’s Southern Cross train station so important to him…

Soho to become more accessible for the disabled after years of campaigning

February 15, 2018 | Source: Evening Standard- UK

Campaigners who have battled for years to make Soho more accessible for disabled people hailed a major victory today as plans to improve wheelchair access were given the green light. The high kerbs of the bustling nightlife district in central London are to be transformed with lower access points for wheelchairs and scooters. It comes after years of tireless campaigning by activists and wheelchair-users including Christopher Andrats, who said the decision will save disabled people from having to go out of their way on “lengthy, tedious” journeys…

Teacher training website to facilitate disabled persons

February 15, 2018 | Source: Times of India- India

Chandigarh: Soon, the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR) website will be accessible to persons with disabilities, especially blind persons. The institute website is adding facilities as per the standards of W3C, according to which the accessibility option should be provided to those who find reading difficult. Dr Maitreyee Dutta, principal investigator of the project, said the website is in the final stages and will be accessible to people by February-end…

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