Accessibility in the News — 10/28/2022.

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Feature Stories

3 New Yorkers file a class-action lawsuit against the MTA over accessibility issues

October 26, 2022 | Source: ABC7 New York and The City

Three New Yorkers with disabilities have filed a class-action lawsuit against the MTA. They’re demanding that the MTA fix the gaps between subway trains and station platforms that can challenge riders who are blind or use a wheelchair. The suit accuses the agency of violating the city’s human rights law by not eliminating vertical and horizontal gaps of several inches. An MTA spokesperson released a statement responding to the pending litigation…

Paula Deen class action alleges website not fully accessible to visually impaired, blind customers

October 27, 2022 | Source: Top Class Actions

A legally deaf New Yorker is suing Paula Deen Ventures — the owner and operator of multiple restaurants around the country — alleging the company does not provide equal access to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals on its websites, in violation of the law. Plaintiff Denette J. Ligon filed the class action complaint against Paula Deen Ventures LLC Oct. 26 in a New York federal court, alleging violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)…

National News (U.S.)

Over-The-Counter Hearing Aids: Disability Experts Weigh Benefits And Concerns

October 19, 2022 | Source: HUFFPOST

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized a ruling Monday that will make hearing aids available over the counter without a prescription or an appointment. It’s a game-changer for many disabled people, who say the ruling will benefit millions of Americans with hearing loss. At the same time, the ruling illuminates barriers to hearing aid access that members of the disabled community say still need to be addressed. HuffPost spoke to experts in the field who unpacked the benefits of over-the-counter hearing aids ― and aired some concerns about their rollout…

The 5 Best Accessible Hair-Care Products, According To This Beauty Influencer With A Disability

October 20, 2022 | Source: Refinery29

When it comes to inclusivity and representation, the beauty industry has seen incredible progress (see: Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty and its 40-shade range of foundation or Deepica Mutyala’s Live Tinted and its multi-use, friendly-for-all-skin-tones Huesticks in 2017) across cosmetics, hair care, and skin care. Despite how frustrating (and painfully slow) change can be, the industry is, in fact, moving in a direction that’s more embracing of varying skin tones, hair textures, genders, ages, ethics, and budgets. But weak spots still very much exist in beauty, especially when it comes to disability representation…

Did the Pandemic Change People’s Personalities?

October 21, 2022 | Source: Vice

Some will tell you that people don’t change, but current science tends to disagree. A person’s personality can change naturally over time, or deliberately with effort. It can also change collectively, apparently, thanks to a global health crisis. New research published in PLOS One reported that American adults experienced changes in their personalities over the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes were small but equivalent to around a decade’s worth of personality changes in only two years…

US airlines pledge to improve disabled accessibility

October 21, 2022 | Source: Aircraft Interiors International

Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for US airlines, along with seven of its passenger airline members – Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest and United – have announced a pledge to improve accessible air travel for all passengers with disabilities, including those with mobility, cognitive and social disabilities. ‘A4A’s passenger airlines jointly commit to taking steps to improve accessibility and services for passengers with disabilities’ reads a letter signed by the seven airline…

Museum Accessibility: An Art and a Science

October 21, 2022 | Source: American Alliance of Museums

Over the past decade, conversations about accessibility have increased within the museum field, and many organizations including AAM have identified it as a priority. There is not, however, a straightforward and approachable blueprint for increasing accessibility, meaning the museum workers tasked with doing so are often left wondering, “How do I get started?” Heather Pressman and Danielle Schulz wrote The Art of Access: A Practical Guide for Museum Accessibility to answer this question and support museum practitioners on their accessibility journeys, regardless of the size, budget, or scope of their museum, by providing a range of starting points…

‘Go Baby Go’ adaptive cars make movement accessible for disabled kids

October 22, 2022 | Source: WPSD Local 6

Birth defects are common, affecting 1 in every 33 babies born in the United States each year. Some of these defects — or other conditions, such as cerebral palsy and Down syndrome — can cause mobility issues for kids. Additionally, defects and disorders can be isolating for children, keeping them from being able to enjoy activities other kids their age take part in. A new nationwide program hopes to change that. Go Baby Go, a program building adaptive toy cars, hopes to give kids with special needs the chance to start moving “on time,” or at least earlier than they would if they were waiting for their development to progress…

Father creates wheelchair-accessible Halloween costumes for son

October 22, 2022 | Source: WKRC

10-year-old helps create wheelchair accessible Halloween event

October 24, 2022 | Source: WVTM13

A boy in Melrose Park, Illinois, has been dazzling his community with his creative Halloween costumes for years, and now he’s inspiring others across the country. Thirteen-year-old Anthony Alfano has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. Anthony’s dad, Tony Alfano, makes the fun and elaborate wheelchair-accessible costumes that have since gained attention from Halloween lovers all over. Anthony has gone as Cameron from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Beetlejuice, Blue Man Group, Zoltar from the movie “Big” and more…

Making the joys of surfing accessible to kids with disabilities

October 22, 2022 | Source: PBS News Hour (Video)

Finally, tonight, a story from the beaches of little Compton, Rhode Island, Rhode Island, PBS Weekly Senior Producer Justin Kenny brings us the story of one nonprofit knocking down barriers to surfing for children with disabilities…

Counties work to make voting accessible for disabled residents

October 22, 2022 | Source: Texarkana Gazette

4 of 5 council candidates jointly pledge to improve accessibility for people with disabilities

October 23, 2022 | Source: The Citizen

As midterm elections approach, Bowie and Miller counties are preparing to make casting a ballot accesible to disabled voters. “Disabled voters can do a ballot by mail,” said Bowie County Elections Administrator Pat McCoy. “They can contact us to get an application and we can mail that to them.” McCoy said those who wish to vote at a polling station will find handicap-accessible buildings and an express vote machine. “If the screen needs to be magnified, we can do that. If they need it read aloud to them, we have that capability for them,” McCoy said…

Iowa artist Jill Wells uses ‘the power of touch’ to make art accessible

October 23, 2022 | Source: Des Moines Register

Inside the Tom and Ruth Harkin Center at Drake University, a short trail of paper cut-out butterflies traces the curve of a large white ramp that leads to the building’s second floor. From afar, the butterflies are soft in color, their pastel-hued bodies pressed against the surface, the tips of their wings lifted as if in motion and fluttering away. But another look revealed a bold message. Tiny raised dots are scattered all over the butterflies, some of which appear to have landed on top of framed pages and blended right in…

‘You can dream big’: NASA scientist advocates for disability inclusion in space

October 24, 2022 | Source: WBUR- Here and Now

It’s Black in Physics week, a time to celebrate Black Americans in the field and paint a fuller picture of who actually works in physics. So let us introduce you to NASA scientist K. Renee Horton of New Orleans, Louisiana, who has a PhD and currently serves as an airworthiness deputy for the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstrator Project. “What we do is we make sure that the plane is going to be worthy of flying, that it’s safe, and that we’re able to complete our mission,” Horton says. “If we’re not able to complete a full mission, to be able to meet the minimum requirements and to do it in a safe manner.”…

How to make web accessibility a part of digital marketing efforts

October 24, 2022 | Source: MarTech

After being diagnosed with dyslexia in the final semester of my undergraduate degree nearly 40 years ago, the issue of accessibility has always been on my mind. I think of all the issues I have faced when it came to correctly reading various materials — including advertising. I was thrilled to be present 25 years ago when Sir Tim Berners-Lee first announced the Web Accessibility Initiative back in April 1997. But while awareness of accessibility issues may have increased and various government legislations have mandated it (for some), anyone involved in the field of accessibility knows that digital campaigns as a whole are lacking…

Science ‘on their fingertips’: Texas professor making chemistry available to blind students

October 25, 2022 | Source: Texas Standard

Taking a chemistry class typically involves using your eyesight – noticing color changes in a test tube, or making drawings to describe the structure of a molecule, for example. For many blind students, the apparent visual requirements can put chemistry out of reach. Teachers often don’t believe it’s possible to succeed in the subject without vision. But a new program developed in partnership with Baylor University chemistry professor Bryan Shaw aims to open up what’s been called “the central science” to more people with blindness or visual impairment, whether they’re fulfilling a high school requirement or planning for a career in science…

A billing expert investigated her husband’s ER bill. She was able to knock thousands off the charge.

October 25, 2022 | Source: NBC

If Dr. Bhavin Shah was on his own, he said, he probably would have paid the bill for his broken arm. The 47-year-old physician from suburban Chicago incurred surprisingly steep charges after landing in an emergency room on New Year’s Day 2021. He’d hit an icy patch while skiing with his kids in Wisconsin. The $10,563.49 in initial ER charges from a Froedtert South hospital in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, seemed high considering he basically got only an exam, X-rays, pain relief, and an arm splint…

Nexstar refutes Fetterman campaign’s claims that closed captioning was ‘filled with errors’

October 26, 2022 | Source: Yahoo

Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman’s campaign is alleging that the closed captioning system used to assist the Democrat in Tuesday’s debate against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz was slow and full of errors, a claim the debate host refutes. Fetterman is recovering from a stroke he suffered in May and has since struggled with auditory processing issues and speaking clearly ever since. The campaigns for Fetterman and Oz both agreed that the lieutenant governor could use closed captioning for the debate…

Michael J. Fox remains optimistic amid health setbacks: ‘It’s been a struggle, but I’m happy’

October 26, 2022 | Source: Yahoo

Michael J. Fox continues to navigate new health challenges amid his 30-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. The Back to the Future star told People magazine that over the last year, “I broke my cheek, then my hand, then my shoulder, had a replacement shoulder put in and broke my [right] arm, then I broke my elbow. I’m 61 years old, and I’m feeling it a little bit more.” Fox admitted, “It got worse,” from where he was in 2020 — and that period was no picnic…

This researcher builds ‘cool stuff for blind people.’ He’s also trying to help transform society

October 26, 2022 | Source: PBS News Hour

The world is studded with tools to navigate life, but those resources – from the schedule posted at your local bus stop to the cellphone in your pocket – aren’t always accessible for people with disabilities. They may be forced to spend extra time, energy or money to access the same information or experiences as non-disabled people. Inventor Joshua Miele says it doesn’t have to be that way. “The fact that our built environment doesn’t take disability into account and accommodate for it, that’s not because we can’t do it,” said Miele, who has emphasized this idea across his decades long career as a technological innovator…

Students with disabilities innovate ways to use spaces, products not designed for them

October 26, 2022 | Source: PBS News Hour

For people with disabilities, innovating ways to navigate spaces and use products that weren’t designed for them can be part of everyday life. For some, that has meant making their own tools, modifying existing ones or entirely reimagining environments. Special correspondent Cat Wise spent a day with inventors in Berkeley, California…

Parking while disabled: Searching for a spot in downtown Orlando

October 26, 2022 | Source: Spectrum

For Jackie Gonzalez, driving to work can present a stressful conundrum because she has a hard time finding parking that works for her. Gonzalez has erythromelalgia, a condition that causes searing pain in her feet and makes walking for more than a few minutes impossible. A disabled parking tag hangs from her mirror, granting Gonzalez clearance to use an accessible parking spot — but she says it’s hard to find handicap parking. “There’s no parking, just, period,” she said. “No on-street parking. And even when there is street parking, there’s a time limit.”…

What Netflix’s ‘The Midnight Club’ Gets Right About Disability Representation

October 26, 2022 | Source: HUFFPOST

I’ll be honest: When I first learned about Netflix’s new horror series “The Midnight Club,” I was nervous. As a wheelchair user myself, one might think I would be excited to see a character using a power wheelchair prominently displayed in the promotional images ― but I’ve learned to assume the worst when it comes to disability representation in the media. I was intrigued to learn that the showrunners of “The Midnight Club” deliberately avoided the practice of “cripping up” (that is, casting able-bodied actors in disabled roles on stage or screen)…

The internet is still missing the mark on accessibility

October 27, 2022 | Source: Fast Company

Like many Americans, I like to consume news first thing in the morning. After my wife and I prepare breakfast, we open our phones and catch up on the day’s headlines. But while my wife has finished the article and is ready to discuss it, I’m still working on the third paragraph. My wife likes to read with her eyes, but as a person with dyslexia, I like to read with my ears, something that is not always offered as a form of accessibility for written content.

This is my reality—and the reality of those with learning disabilities like dyslexia and ADHD…

Accessible pedestrian signals in Cambridge are voiced by familiar citizens

October 27, 2022 | Source: WCVB

On a busy Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, familiar voices guide people through intersections, helping them know when to walk and where they are. “These are called accessible pedestrian signals,” traffic engineer Dana Benjamin said. “They are to help folks with visual impairments cross the roadway.” Some of the voices heard around town are voices of traffic engineers like Benjamin, who admits to hearing herself around town. These units are nothing new…

Jack Fact — Of the 38 million people in the U.S. who have self-reported auditory difficulties, only about 20 percent of them use hearing aids, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Among adults who are 70 and older, that figure is slightly higher at 31.8 percent.

Hit The Road Jack —Greek Tourism Ministry Discusses Thessaloniki Accessibility Issues and Badlands National Park Rated The Most Accessible Park In The United States

International News

Accessibility legislation is for everyone, not just the few

October 20, 2022 | Source: Building Design- UK

The government has announced its proposed changes to the Part M Building Regulations to provide step-free access to all new homes. It is a wonderfully refreshing piece of legislation. Ever since the introduction of the Part M Building Regulations, I have noticed a gradual increase in the number of disabled and less abled people populating the streets, and out and about in cafes and restaurants. This means that the legislation is working. This is because with compliant homes and commercial premises, people who have disabilities can comfortably leave their homes, and enjoy more of the activities from which they were previously excluded…

Improving resource accessibility for students with disability

October 21, 2022 | Source: Mirage News- Australia

A new guide designed to assist the higher education sector to procure accessible information and communications technology (ICT) products and services will further support students with disability to get the most out of their studies. Assistant Minister for Education Anthony Chisholm said the Accessible ICT Procurement Implementation Guide for Higher Education, launched today, will help reduce the number of barriers encountered by people with disability during their studies…

Ensuring accessibility is an important element of the design process

October 21, 2022 | Source: Planning, BIM and Construction Today- UK

Cost and conservation are key considerations when it comes to planning a major property refurbishment – and increasingly, they seem to be getting equal billing. We’ve all heard of cases where new build was considered preferable to renovation because it enabled a fresh start and could even be cheaper. But we are still finding examples of clients committing to refurbishment instead of large-scale redevelopment. There could be various reasons for the switch. Cost will always be the main factor but in recent years that has been influenced more than ever by supply chain problems…

Jonny Wilkinson: What critics are saying about the Accessibility Bill

October 21, 2022 | Source: NZ Herald- New Zealand

Accessibility. It’s a clear-cut concept to the individual. You know what you need to access something, whether it’s a flat pathway, a ramp or a website that is compatible with your screen reader. But when you combine that concept with the immensely broad spectrum of disability, it gets complicated, grey, and murky. Accessibility means very different things to different people and information about accessibility is crucial. If you don’t know where a mobility carpark is, you can’t park there; if you don’t know where an accessible toilet is, you can’t use it…

Lack of wheelchair-accessible housing forces 20-year-old to live in parents’ shed

October 21, 2022 | Source: ITV- UK

A young man has told ITV News how a lack of wheelchair-accessible housing left him feeling suicidal. Ash Mason, 20, is currently living in an outbuilding at the back of his parents’ garden in Derbyshire. I watch him as he struggles to make his way through the garden, down several concrete steps. First, he has to lock the wheels of his wheelchair, before he grasps the fabric of his trousers so that he can lift each leg out of the foot plates. He then uses the strength of his arms to haul his body out of the wheelchair – landing on the cold paving slabs…

COVID-19, Persons with Disabilities and an (Un)Inclusive Healthcare System

October 21, 2022 | Source: Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy- India

India’s disability rights law, the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 is a strong legislation which guarantees free healthcare, barrier-free access to healthcare and priority in delivering healthcare services to those with disabilities. These guarantees, unfortunately, remain confined to paper. This gap between what is and what should be, as far as the right to healthcare of those with disability is concerned, was further exacerbated by the pandemic. Conducted in collaboration with the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (‘NCPEDP’), the aim of this study is to generate evidence to fill this gap…

How to make Halloween accessible for kids of all ages and abilities in Peterborough and the Kawarthas

October 22, 2022 | Source: kawarthaNOW- Canada

Milton encourages accessible and inclusive trick-or-treating

October 22, 2022 | Source: Inside Halton- Canada

Trick or treating accessibility movement gains momentum

October 27, 2022 | Source: Global News- Canada (Video)

There’s no question Halloween is one of the favourite days of the year for kids, but more than 400,000 children in Canada have one or more disabilities that may prevent them from enjoying trick-or-treating with their siblings and other children. That’s why Five Counties Children’s Centre — which provides therapy services to children with special needs in the counties of Peterborough, Haliburton, and Northumberland and the City of Kawartha Lakes — is sharing its top tips to make trick-or-treating more accessible and inclusive for all children this year…

Wheelchair curling ‘funspiel’ about autonomy and accessibility

October 23, 2022 | Source: CTV News- Canada

A day of wheelchair curling for a good cause brought together people with and without disabilities Sunday to learn more about what it’s like living with a brain or spinal cord injury. It was the first annual wheelchair curling “funspiel” put on by the First Steps Wellness Centre (FSWC) at the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club. Interim president Ray Dupuis said they got they idea from their sister location in Regina. “We wanted to get a bit of a family community feeling, so people get to know a little bit of what we’re about, and also giving people an opportunity to see what being in a wheelchair is all about,” he said…

Downtown accessibility project could start again once city clears up legal issues

October 25, 2022 | Source: Moose Jaw Today- Canada

Construction students at Peacock Collegiate want to support a project that makes it easier for people with mobility challenges to access businesses but need the city to handle the legal issues first. Specifically, the school needs city hall to provide them with a legal waiver to review before they start swinging hammers and using saws. To facilitate that request, the special needs advisory committee (SNAC) submitted a recommendation to city council that the city solicitor assist the committee and its partners in developing a waiver of liability for the ramp project before Nov. 18…

Why accessibility and inclusion should be a priority for employers

October 26, 2022 | Source: The Globe and Mail- Canada

Job accessibility and accommodation needs have changed since the onset of the pandemic as hybrid work becomes the new norm. “The rise in work from home has allowed people, including those with disabilities, to build their career around their lives instead of their lives around their career,” says Michelle Slater, director of Indeed Canada. In today’s competitive talent environment, accessibility and inclusion should be a priority that begins with the hiring process…

“Blindfolded walk” explores accessibility for blind and partially sighted pedestrians

October 26, 2022 | Source: Devon County Council- UK

Some of our transport engineers and councillors got a fresh perspective on the challenges of navigating one of Exeter’s most popular streets on a recent visit organised by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). Local campaigner Marilyn Lant was joined by RNIB regional campaigners officer Steve Hyde to meet with our representatives for a blindfolded walk along Exeter’s leafy Magdalen Road which is home to many independent shops. The road was chosen as it had been part of one of the Department for Transport’s Emergency Active Travel Schemes during the COVID-19 pandemic…

Bristol inclusive cheerleading team in world championships

October 27, 2022 | Source: BBC- UK

A disability-inclusive cheerleading team has been chosen to represent England in the world championships. The Phoenix Allstars Cheerleaders, based in Longwell Green, Bristol, will be heading to the USA next year for the competition. Team member Beth Hope, 24, began using a wheelchair after she was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). “I really want to show people with a disability or illness that absolutely anything is possible,” she said…

Draft law to improve accessible facilities

October 28, 2022 | Source: China Daily- China

China’s top legislature reviewed a draft law on building accessible facilities on Thursday, with the aim to better meet the needs of the aging population, disabled people, pregnant women and children. Observers said it’s an important move to push forward China’s human rights protection. The draft law was submitted to the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, for the first review on Thursday…

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