Accessibility in the News— 11/16/18.

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AITN Quote of the Week

“For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself.”

― Viktor Frankl

National News (U.S.)

College students with disabilities are too often excluded

November 5, 2018 | Source: The Conversation

AnnCatherine Heigl, a sophomore at George Mason University, recently attempted to join all eight sororities at her school. All eight turned her down. If you ask her sister, who Tweeted about how the experience left AnnCatherine “unwanted and devastated,” the reason the sororities denied AnnCatherine is because she has a disability: Down syndrome. This kind of outright rejection isn’t the experience of all college students with disabilities. But AnnCatherine’s experience is hardly an isolated case…

Bradenton Beach shuts down city website

November 6, 2018 | Source: AMI Sun

The city has shut down its website until it can be made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The city website was shut down last week at the request of Mayor John Chappie after he learned of a $16,000 settlement agreement Manatee County recently reached regarding the Joel Price v. Manatee County lawsuit filed with The United States District Court Middle District of Florida Tampa Division. Price and his Miami-based attorney, Scott Dinin, alleged the county website violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and sought injunctive relief to remedy alleged accessibility barriers at the county website…

A Final Proving Ground for Guide Dogs to the Blind: Midtown Manhattan

November 6, 2018 | Source: New York Times

Innes, a youthful German shepherd, was trying to make his way across a frenetic Manhattan intersection near Central Park and found himself facing down all sorts of projectiles — yellow cabs, bike messengers, pedicabs — as a deafening truck horn blasted and the traffic light changed against him. But Innes was not negotiating this chaotic scene while out for an afternoon stroll. He was safeguarding his new master, Kathy Faul, 73, a blind woman from Swarthmore, Pa. Both were relative strangers to New York City, but they had ventured into Manhattan expressly for moments like this, to experience its particular brand of street-level chaos…

Court rules against mother suing Warrick schools over wheelchair accessibility

November 8, 2018 | Source: TriStateHomepage & Justia

On Monday, a federal court ruled against a mom who sued the Warrick County School Corporation after she was unable to see her son sing at Christmas concerts. According to the suit, the concerts were held at a venue not wheelchair accessible. Mycal Ashby sued the school corporation in September 2016, accusing Loge Elementary School of holding Christmas concerts at the Warrick County Museum in 2014 and 2015. The court ruled against Ashby because they determined the concert was not technically a school activity…

An examination of accessibility for Etown students

November 8, 2018 | Source: Etownian

The accessibility of the Elizabethtown College campus has been a recurring question among students and faculty who may or may not be familiar with the current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliances. Is the College as ADA compliant as it could be? Or are there steps the College should be taking to make the campus more accessible to those who need it to be? The most recent survey of accessibility on campus was conducted in 2014, to assess the ADA compliance of the structures and buildings located within the campus community…

For Autistic Boys, the Subway Is Actually Soothing

November 8, 2018 | Source: New York Times

Travis Huggett thought of the subway as a means of getting from one place to another. Then he had a son on the autism spectrum. To Orson, now 9, a train was something more than transportation. It was soothing, endlessly fascinating, more intriguing than any destination it might reach. At his school for children with autism, other boys shared the same passion. When Mr. Huggett started photographing some of them, asking them about their interest in trains, he discovered how many different ways they were drawn…

For The Disabled, Office Accessibility Is Often A Dealbreaker — But It Doesn’t Have To Be

November 9, 2018 | Source: WBUR

Massachusetts law does not require all workplaces to be accessible to people with mobility impairments. It’s a problem advocates like me have been trying, unsuccessfully, to address for 18 years. The Massachusetts Architectural Board (AAB) is the state board tasked with ensuring that spaces are accessible. A bill that would expand the power of the AAB, to cover employee spaces, has repeatedly gotten stuck in the Massachusetts legislature. In the last legislative session, disability rights advocates finally learned the origin of our opposition: big business and real estate interests…

Universities under investigation for poor website accessibility

November 9, 2018 | Source: Education Dive

The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights is investigating hundreds of colleges and universities that it says have not met web accessibility standards for people with disabilities, Inside Higher Ed reported. An official told the publication there were 556 open cases as of August 2017. Numerous high-profile lawsuits in higher education over accessibility issues have brought the issue to the forefront of colleges’ attention, but monitoring thousands of web pages — with many created or revised daily — can be a giant undertaking…

Blind veteran catches second wave with a surfboard and iPhone

October 9, 2018 | Source: Apple

Scott Leason is an early riser. By 5:30 a.m., he’s checked his email, social media, the news and the weather. He’s reviewed the day’s surf reports via the Surfline app on his new iPhone XR, prepping for the day’s ride. Before the sun rises on this particular Friday, he’s geared up and ready to go for his session at Mission Bay Aquatic Center in San Diego where he’ll surf Mission Beach. And he experiences it all without seeing it. Leason is blind. A veteran of the US Navy, he was one of several visual communications experts — or “signal men” as they were called — stationed on the USS Tripoli amphibious ship…

A Call for Regulation: The DOJ Ignored Website Accessibility Regulation and Enterprising Chaos Ensued

November 9, 2018 | Source: New York Law Review

Business usually prefers to avoid championing day-to-day government regulation. But a recent explosion of “surf by” lawsuits accusing consumer-facing websites of violating Title III of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) has businesses demanding regulations setting the minimum requirements to render commercial websites accessible to disabled visitors. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has concluded that websites are places of public accommodation, requiring accessibility to all visitors…

The joys and pains of raising a canine companion

November 9, 2018 | Source: Fox News

“Awwwwww. He’s so cute! How can you give Spike up?” I get asked that question at least once a day. It’s one year from now and I can’t even think about having to give him up. Don’t ask me about it! But I did ask Andrea McCarren about it. McCarren is a wife, mom, investigative reporter for WUSA-9 in Washington, DC and she’s a Canine Companions for Independence volunteer puppy raiser. She’s been raising Nigel for the past 18 months and turns him in Friday. It takes a lot to agree to raise a puppy…

Autism Linked To Zinc Deficiency In Childhood

November 9, 2018 | Source: Newsweek

While the exact cause of autism is unknown, its development in children has been linked to various genetic and environmental factors—including zinc deficiency. It is still not clear whether this deficiency contributes to autism, but scientists have defined a possible mechanism for how this could work, according to a paper published in Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience. For their study, the researchers demonstrated how zinc shapes the connections, or synapses, between brain cells (neurons) that form during early development via a complex molecular machinery controlled by autism-linked genes…

This blind athlete has filed ADA 164 lawsuits

November 11, 2018 | Source: Palm Beach Post

Legally blind and confined to a wheelchair, Juan Carlos Gil has traveled the world competing in marathons in which he has earned plaudits for his athletic prowess and his determination to overcome his disabilities. But for government officials and some business owners in Palm Beach County, the 36-year-old Miami wheelchair athlete isn’t known for his inspirational feats but, rather, for his penchant for litigation. Gil has filed 164 lawsuits in South Florida, accusing government agencies, restaurants and stores of violating the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act by refusing to take steps to assure the blind can navigate their websites…

Lawsuits targeting business websites over ADA violations are on the rise

November 11, 2018 | Source: Los Angeles Times

For the Record- Correction

November 13, 2018 | Source: Los Angeles Times

The boutique Avanti Hotel is known for its poolside, dog-friendly rooms. Yet its website uses the valuable opening page not to highlight the Palm Springs inn’s amenities, but to explain, in stark black letters on a plain white background, that the Avanti violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Like thousands of other businesses in the United States, the 10-room hotel on East Stevens Road has been sued because it hasn’t fully complied with the 1990 law that requires public places — hotels, restaurants and shops — to be accessible to people with disabilities…

Gauging accessibility at Montgomery County’s polls

November 11, 2018 | Source: Roanoke Times

Tiffany Allison and Belle Ierardi raised their civic responsibilities another notch Tuesday when thousands of voters across Montgomery County took to the polls. In addition to casting their ballots, Allison and Ierardi spent a chunk of Election Day visiting polling sites across the county to survey the accessibility of the venues for persons with disabilities. Their first stop was Christiansburg Middle School, where everything went relatively smoothly save for one minor wrinkle. Standing just outside the poll’s entrance, Allison pointed to a door button located on a wall behind a bench and a garbage can…

Disabled People With Chronic Health Issues Face A World Of Inaccessibility

November 11, 2018 | Source: Huffington Post

I visit my pain doctor on a monthly basis. Sometimes I get trigger point injections ― shots of lidocaine into my muscles to stop them from spasming, a frequent occurrence due to my degenerative collagen disorder. Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome also causes my joints to frequently dislocate, randomly and without warning, causing severe and constant pain. But the main reason I make this 40-minute drive every month is to pick up a paper prescription for my pain meds; they’re considered a controlled substance, so the law forbids me from refilling them digitally…

Baby boomers aren’t buying senior housing

November 12, 2018 | Source: MNN

Almost 20 years ago, Canadian demographer David Foot wrote “Boom, Bust and Echo,” in which he claimed that “demographics explains two-thirds of everything — whether the subject is business planning, marketing, human resources, career planning, corporate organization, the stock market, housing, education, health, recreation, leisure, and social and global trends.” One of the lessons in that book was to follow the baby boomers, the oldest of whom are now 72 and the youngest 58…

AI for accessibility helps people with disabilities

November 12, 2018 | Source: TechTarget

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2015, there were roughly 40 million Americans with a disability. Assistive technologies are helping to solve general accessibility, transportation and communication problems and enabling more people to live independently. In particular, AI is showing its ability to improve the lives and well-being of people by reducing or removing technology barriers that people with disabilities face. As AI technologies continue to be infused in product offerings, companies are realizing the need to enable greater numbers of people with different abilities to interact with these technologies and devices…

What buildings can teach us about accessibility and future cities

November 12, 2018 | Source: Archinect

Accessibility looks like different things to different people. When architects design buildings there are parameters that must be met in order to meet standard building codes. With the passing of the Americans with Disability Act, building regulations were placed to ensure that the design process included these “check off items”. However, how can individuals with varying disabilities know where spaces are “fit” for them. Accessibility mapping has become a method which helps identify areas that provide access to individuals with disabilities…

Winery Websites Must Comply With The Americans With Disability Act, But How?

November 12, 2018 | Source: Forbes

In a recent blog post the Napa and Sonoma law firm of Dickenson Peatman & Fogerty (DPF) a firm that deals with many legal aspects of the beverage alcohol industry explained, “ There is considerable ambiguity in the law as to which companies are required to make their websites Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliant and what actually constitutes ADA compliance .” That ambiguity put fifteen New York wineries in a pickle after Kathy Wu of Brooklyn filed suit. Visually impaired, Wu uses screen-reading software that provides her access to website content…

Disability resources on Missouri State campus aim to be proactive for all students

November 12, 2018 | Source: Standard Online

The Disability Resource Center at Missouri State held their very first Disability Equity Week for students, faculty and staff throughout the week of Oct. 29. One of the sessions offered was tailored toward instructors, intended to help them better understand the accommodations process with the DRC. Shannon Wooden, a professor at MSU, hosted two sessions regarding disability representation in the media and the evolving language of disability. There was also a traveling exhibit from Saint Louis University called “Allies for Inclusion: The Ability Exhibit,” which covered various topics regarding disability inclusion through a multimedia approach…

HBO’s ‘My Brilliant Friend’ Discriminates Against Blind People

November 12, 2018 | Source: Huffington Post

I’ve watched the trailer for “My Brilliant Friend,” the first installment of HBO’s adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, about 30 times. I’m not joking. I’ve been watching it three to five times in a sitting, ever since it came out. Every time I tear up. But the reason I get emotional doesn’t have so much to do with the fact that it’s a book series that I very much relate to and love. What really gets me is that I have Stargardt disease — a condition similar to macular degeneration, which renders me legally blind, or having low vision — and probably won’t be able to watch the series…

Disability Services provides accessibility to students with disabilities

November 13, 2018 | Source: The Volante

Disability Services assists students who have mobility issues and use a wheelchair, cane or walker. Ernetta Fox, director of disability services, said USD complies with standards in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). “The ADA states that individuals with disabilities need to have access to the programs and services of an institution or a business,” Fox said. “Access to programs and services, not access to buildings.” This means not all buildings on campus must be physically accessible, but that programs and services must be available for all students…

Senior housing: Older Americans face affordability, accessibility challenges

November 14, 2018 | Source: Curbed

The U.S. housing market may appear to be shaped by the young, but with more than half of the nation’s households headed by someone 50 years of age or older, it’s time more focus is given to the nation’s 65 million older households. Our graying nation desperately needs to diversify and develop housing for older renters and owners, according to Housing Americas Older Adults, a new report from The Harvard Joint Center on Housing Studies (JCHS). Demographics alone suggest the so-called silver tsunami of older Americans is just starting to crest…

Rewriting the Old Disability Script

November 14, 2018 | Source: New York Times

Story creates culture. It teaches us to feel, think and behave in ways generally approved of by those around us. Story conditions us. This conditioning, or bias, is not always visible to us, but it constrains and guides our behavior. Implicit bias can’t be changed until we learn to see the old, embedded story and then find a new and better story to overwrite it. I am a queer, disabled writer who grew up Catholic in the north of England at the fulcrum of two competing stories…

Wineries Run Afoul of Obscure Law

November 15, 2018 | Source: Wine Searcher

Social activism via the courts is one of the most effective ways to legislate change. Just consider a few of the greatest hits: there’s 2013’s United States vs Windsor allows same-sex couples the same rights to each other’s inheritance as heterosexual couples; 1974’s United States vs Nixon limited the power of the US presidency, and 1954’s Brown vs Board of Education made segregation unconstitutional. The reverberations from those suits were felt in every corner of the United States and, arguably, around the globe. The Americans with Disabilities Act, which became a law in 1990, has also done far more good than ill…

Designing accessible ed tech can be costly, but demand is on the rise

November 15, 2018 | Source: The Hechinger Report

The people designing educational technologies are far removed from the students who end up using them. Perhaps most obviously, they’re adults, often many years away from their own time in a classroom. But the differences don’t end there. These designers almost always work in cities, and about 70 percent of U.S. students go to school outside cities. Designers also don’t have the range of language abilities represented in U.S. classrooms or all of the disabilities represented among students…

Human Eyes Need the Right Hormones to See Autumn Colors

November 15, 2018 | Source: Pew Trusts

Scientists have long faced difficulties studying how human eyes develop, because so much of that growth happens in the womb. But innovations in the lab of Robert Johnston, a Pew biomedical scholar and a professor at Johns Hopkins University, have given researchers new techniques to overcome these obstacles and unravel more mysteries of sight. In an Oct. 12, 2018, article in the journal Science, Johnston, Johns Hopkins doctoral candidate Kiara Eldred, and colleagues describe how they grew human retinas from stem cells over a nine-month period…

What You Don’t Know About Ada Compliance Could Cost You—Big Time

November 15, 2018 | Source: Massage Magazine

However, many small-business people aren’t aware of regulations imposed by the government that, if violated, could mean catastrophe for a small business. One such set of rules, which you may already be required to follow in your workplace, is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). ADA compliance also applies to business websites—and if your site fails to comply, you and your business could face lawsuits and potential financial ruin. Stewart Cirolo is a massage therapist who has practiced since 1998 and runs his massage business, Bodies Kneaded, in Miami Beach, Florida…

Got access for people with disabilities covered? Don’t forget your website

November 15, 2018 | Source: The Guardian

During the first six months of 2018, according to a mid-year report from law firm Seyfarth Shaw, more than 5,000 lawsuits were filed in federal court alleging businesses were in violation of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). That number is expected to reach 10,000 by the end of the year, a 30% increase over the prior year. Is it because these businesses are not making their facilities accessible to people with disabilities? Actually, no. In most cases it’s about their websites…

Jack Fact — According to the National Federation of the Blind, in 2015, 7,297,100 or 2.3% of the American population reported having a visual disability.

Hit The Road Jack — Shenzhen accessible travel guide to disabled friendly holidays

International News

Carleton works to update accessibility policies

November 8, 2018 | Source: The Charlatan- Canada

Carleton is developing a Coordinated Accessibility Strategy to make its campus more accessible. The new policy comes in light of the university’s 2013-2018 Strategic Integrated Plan (SIP) which identified the creation of the new strategy as a key performance measure. An Oct. 26 email from the administration asked students to provide feedback on the consultation process. Suzanne Blanchard, vice-president, and her office have since conducted individual interviews with campus representatives, student services, and student groups, and determined seven broad themes that the new strategy will focus on…

Disappointing compromise on EU Accessibility Act

November 8, 2018 | Source: European Disability Forum- EU

We have political agreement on the European Accessibility Act. The Act doesn’t live up to its name. A provisional agreement on the European Accessibility Act was reached today by the EU Institutions. The Act fails persons with disabilities. It only covers digital accessibility and leaves out the real world environment where persons with disabilities live. The European Accessibility Act will add new EU-wide minimum requirements on accessibility on a limited range of products and services…

8 disability rights activists changing the world for disabled people

November 11, 2018 | Source: Disability Horizons- UK

The rights that we as a disabled community have – and may even take for granted – have been fought for by disability rights activists, working tirelessly to help create change. Here, our writer Raya Aljadir takes a look at eight extraordinary people whose work has undoubtedly had an impact on disabled people’s lives. I am sure you would agree, we owe a lot to disability rights activists from across the world. I would love to highlight them all in this article, but it would be impossible…

Top 3 Ways to Make a Website Design More Accessible and Successful

November 12, 2018 | Source: Siliconindia.com- India

Various web design and development companies have been continuously working on the website accessibility and the improvement of the accessibility. The website accessibility would define whether or not a particular website is going to shine in the race for the first place in the consumers’ heart. Thus, every website owner needs to work on the website accessibility. There are secret tricks to make a website accessible and successful in the vicious competition. The foremost question that comes from the developers and designers is which is the best time to think about the accessibility during the website development?…

Oasis of accessibility in Rohingya refugee camps

November 12, 2018 | Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation- Bangladesh

Our health and rehabilitation centre in Balukhali refugee camp felt like an oasis of accessibility, after being pushed, pulled, lifted and carried through the sucking mud to get there. The short journey from the main road gave a vivid picture of just how physically challenging this place is, and the fact that I was the only person using a wheelchair is a reminder that many of the Rohingya refugees must spend their lives in or around their homes because of it. And it’s not all just about physical accessibility…

Ensure accessibility of buses to the differently abled

November 12, 2018 | Source: The Hindu- India

A public interest litigation petition filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday has sought a direction for the State to take necessary steps towards ensuring easy accessibility of the State run TNSTC buses as well as private buses to the differently abled. The petitioner K.R.Raja of Madurai, in his petition said that under the Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016 an equal opportunity should be provided to differently abled persons. However, the lacunae in implementing the act needs to be addressed, which also includes accessibility to public transport…

Paralympic Games a gateway to improved accessibility in Calgary?

November 12, 2018 | Source: CTV News- Canada

Athletes and researchers are touting a potential Calgary bid to host the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games as an avenue to creating a city where people with accessibility concerns can live or visit with ease. Lonnie Bissonette, a para-bobsleigh athlete, credits the legacy of the 1988 Winter Olympics with allowing him the opportunity to compete in his sport. “If they didn’t have that, I never would have been able to get into the sport.” According to the Paralympic Movement, the 1988 Paralympic Winter Games were held in Innsbruck, Austria, not Calgary, due to ‘issues with the Calgary 1988 Organisational Committee in Canada’…

Government Websites Should Be Built Professionally and Based on Policies and Standards

November 13, 2018 | Source: Liberian Daily Observer- Liberia

Two years of my professional life were spent working at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. The first year, I worked on the World Bank funded eLiberia project with the task of creating a “One-Stop Shop” environment (Government e-Portal), to enable Government deliver services and information to citizens online. The second year, saw me working with various stakeholders (Government, Private sector, NGOs, etc) toward the achievement of a robust e-government program that would change the way Government delivers services and information to citizens…

Ensuring full accessibility for all shoppers

November 13, 2018 | Source: Talking Retail- UK

Accessibility within public and leisure spaces is something that many of us take for granted. However, for millions of people across the UK with disabilities, even simple trips to the shops can currently be filled with unnecessary difficulty, confusion and apprehension. Initiatives such as Purple Tuesday are a fantastic step forward for the 13.9 million people in the UK of ranging ability and condition. However, inclusion should be an everyday consideration – it’s not enough to simply be inclusive for one day a year and leave it at that. What can independent stores do to ensure that they are fully accessible to all?…

Accessibility advocates want the Ontario government to put them to work

November 13, 2018 | Source: CBC- Canada

A Toronto student with multiple sclerosis has a message for Premier Doug Ford: “Get in my chair” and see how you experience the province. Kathleen Lynch, a journalism student at Humber College, is one of some 74,000 post-secondary students with disabilities in Ontario. She says if Ford could only see the daily challenges she faces, he’d work much harder to ensure the province accomplishes its goal of becoming fully-accessible by 2025. “Do you know how quickly he’d be snapping his fingers saying, ‘We need to do something about this?'” she said…

What Is Purple Tuesday? The Event Is Aimed At Improving Accessibility For Disabled Shoppers

November 14, 2018 | Source: Bustle- UK & Eastern Daily Press- UK

Today marks the launch of a brand new initiative aimed at making shopping more accessible: Purple Tuesday, created to draw attention to the challenges faced by disabled shoppers and the adjustments that could improve their experience. The initiative, taken up by retailers including Asda, Sainsburys, and Marks & Spencer, was created by Mike Adams, chief executive of nonprofit Purple, as the Guardian reports. Purple focuses on creating conversations between disabled people and businesses, in order to improve access for disabled people and enable them to spend the “purple pound.”…

BestCities unveil ground-breaking ‘Universal Accessibility in Meetings’ research

November 13, 2018 | Source: eTurboNews- India

BestCities Global Alliance, GainingEdge and Rehabilitation International unveiled new market-leading research into accessible meetings at today’s ICCA congress in Dubai. The outcomes promote awareness among the meetings community on what can be done to enforce universal accessibility for delegates with disabilities. The research was conducted with key venues across the globe, in BestCities destinations that have established an enviable reputation as leading cities for hosting meetings and business events…

Barriers to accessibility at Calgary’s new Central Library

November 13, 2018 | Source: CBC Canada

Some Calgarians are raising concerns over accessibility at Calgary’s new Central Library. The library has welcomed about 115,000 visitors since its opening nearly two weeks ago. But some say they’ve found it “discouraging” how difficult it can be to navigate the space. “I think it’s a landmark for Calgary to be proud of. Unfortunately, I think they missed the mark in terms of accessibility and in terms of being able to reach the entire community of Calgary,” said Sean Crump, head chair and CEO of Universal Access, a company that consults on and certifies accessible buildings…

Greens want to fix NBN, protect digital rights and digital accessibility

November 14, 2018 | Source: iTWire- Australia

The Australian Greens political party has announced a “plan to fix NBN, protect digital rights and ensure our digitally-connected world is accessible”, so what are the details? The part has announced “a comprehensive plan to ensure Australian game developers, innovators, tech entrepreneurs, creatives, and artists have the support, environment, and infrastructure to flourish and every Australian enjoys strong safeguards for digital privacy, security and safety online”. The party’s Digital Rights spokesperson, Senator Jordon Steele-John, will announce the policies at “an event tonight at Canberra Technology Park…

There’s already a blueprint for a more accessible internet. If only designers would learn it

November 15, 2018 | Source: Quartz- UK

The internet can be a hostile environment for 15% of the world’s population who experience some form of disability. Try navigating a website as someone who is visually impaired: Turn on voice command on your computer (Command ⌘ + F5 if you’re on a Mac, enable Navigator if you’re on a PC) and go to Amazon’s Kindle store. You’ll quickly find out that those who rely on voice commands can’t skip around and are doomed to listen to every notation about every page element before getting to the one piece of information they need…

India Needs To Improve Its Digital Accessibility For People With Disabilities

November 15, 2018 | Source: Youth Ki Awaaz- India

Despite the growing progress in technology and India’s home-grown initiatives like Digital India and Make in India – we yet have a long way to go to provide an inclusive space for People with Disabilities. In the United States, the laws require Federal agencies to ensure that Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) is accessible for PwD. Further, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) – a globally recognised consensus standard for web content and ICT too, requires all websites to provide accessibility for PwD…

Survey shows blind people significantly underemployed around the world

November 15, 2018 | Source: Newswire- Canada

New research from the CNIB Foundation, Vision Australia, and the Blind Foundation of New Zealand found people with sight loss are significantly less likely to be employed full time compared to their sighted counterparts. In a survey of blind and partially sighted adults across three countries, results showed Australia had the lowest full-time employment rate at 24 per cent, followed by Canada at 28 per cent, while New Zealand had the highest with only 32 per cent. However, the full-time employment rate among the general public in these countries is, in some cases, nearly double that…

How to prevent common eye problems

November 15, 2018 | Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal- UK

There are many modifiable lifestyle factors that contribute to sight loss and pharmacists should be able to advise patients on how to reduce their risk. There are more than 200 eye conditions, ranging from common problems (e.g. dry eye disease [DED], cataracts and glaucoma) to rarer diseases (e.g. ocular melanoma and vernal keratoconjunctivitis). Some of these have no symptoms and can cause loss of sight before patients even realise what is happening. There are 1.8 million people in the UK who are living with significant sight loss; 50% of which is avoidable…

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