Accessibility in the News — 2/12/2021.
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Feature Stories
Robinhood Sued in Class Action, Alleging Website Inaccessibility and Discrimination Against Blind Users
February 5, 2021 | Source: Fredrikson & Byron
Robinhood Markets, Inc., owner of the now infamous Robinhood stock-trading app, has been sued in a federal class action lawsuit for alleged disability discrimination. Sanchez v. Robinhood Markets, Inc., F.D.N.Y., Case #1:21-cv-00939. Plaintiff Christian Sanchez alleges that www.Robinhood.com is not equally accessible to blind and visually-impaired individuals in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the New York Human Rights Law…
Funimation Faces Class-Action Lawsuit for Allegedly Violating Americans with Disabilities Act
February 8, 2021 | Source: Anime News Network
Jenisa Angeles, a legally blind person, filed a class-action lawsuit against Funimation Global Group, LLC on January 13 on behalf of herself “and all others similarly situated” alleging that Funimation’s website violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit was filed in the District Court of the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit claims that Funimation has failed “to design, construct, maintain, and operate its website to be fully accessible to and independently usable by [Angeles] and other blind or visually-impaired people,” which it claims is a violation of her rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)…
EEOC Sues Saint Clare’s Health for Disability Discrimination
February 8, 2021 | Source: EEOC
Saint Clare’s Health, a division of Prime Healthcare Services that operates two hospitals in Morris County, N.J., violated federal law when it refused to accommodate a new employee’s sudden disability by delaying her start date, and withdrew her job offer instead, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today. According to the EEOC’s complaint, Taylor McKay, who was pregnant at the time, was hired by Saint Clare’s Health as an EMS dispatcher. She completed a background check, drug test, and health screening and was scheduled to start work…
Norwalk Fitness Club Agrees to Comply with the ADA and Improve Accessibility
February 10, 2021 | Source: Department of Justice
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached a settlement agreement with Fitness International, LLC, doing business as L.A. Fitness, to resolve allegations that an L.A. Fitness club in Norwalk was not operating in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”). The settlement agreement resolves an ADA complaint filed by an individual with disabilities alleging that the L.A. Fitness club located at 761 Main Avenue in Norwalk was not accessible to individuals with physical disabilities…
Williamsport agrees to make City Hall more accessible for those with disabilities
February 10, 2021 | Source: Penn Live
The city of Williamsport has agreed to make modifications to City Hall to settle a federal lawsuit that accused it of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. City Council in a special meeting Wednesday night approved a consent decree with the Center for Independent Living of North Central Pennsylvania, the local chapter of ADAPT and four individuals. ADAPT describes itself as a community that organizes disability rights activists. The cost of making the necessary structural improvements to City Hall that would include full compliance with all ADA requirements has been estimated at between $3 million and $8 million…
National News (U.S.)
Westerly train station on list for Amtrak settlement with patrons who have mobility disabilities
February 5, 2021 | Source: The Westerly Sun
People with mobility disabilities who traveled to or from or wanted to use the Westerly train station may qualify for financial compensation from Amtrak under a recently announced settlement between the transportation company and the U.S. Department of Justice. The Department of Justice and Amtrak, which is also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp., entered into an agreement on Dec. 2 to resolve the department’s findings of disability discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)…
MTA’s Pandemic Federal Wish List Seeks $8B For Subway Elevators, Escalators And More
February 5, 2021 | Source: Patch
The future of the MTA’s $51.5 billion blueprint to improve the transit system has been clouded by uncertainty since being put on hold last June because of the pandemic-driven economic crisis. But a new document offers a window into which capital projects are eligible for federal funding — such as subway accessibility, elevator and escalator replacement and station renovations — as the MTA attempts to get some of its 2020-2024 capital program on track…
Braille is everywhere, but most blind kids can’t read it. A competition hopes to change that
February 6, 2021 | Source: Your Sun
The challenger sat alone at a square folding table in the center of her teacher’s immaculate living room, stockinged feet whispering against the plush, white carpet, hands poised over a blue Perkins Brailler — something like a manual typewriter crossed with a court reporter’s steno machine. To say the Brailler is loud is an understatement. The force required to emboss Braille paper produces a noise less like typing and more like repeatedly firing a BB gun. “It’s really loud,” said contender Lynn Wu, 14, who at the time was a rising freshman at Tesoro High School in Orange County and a finalist in the 20th annual Braille Challenge…
‘I was heard’: New Milford mom fights for meetings to become accessible to those with hearing loss
February 7, 2021 | Source: Laredo Morning Times
She held the paper up to the screen, on and off, for well over an hour. “I’m deaf, please turn on the closed captioning,” it read. She scribbled her email at the bottom of the page, as well. The New Milford Board of Education meeting droned on— without closed captioning. The next meeting, the same thing happened. “I was there, I could see myself, but I didn’t understand anything,” said Jennifer Hauschild, a New Milford resident. Hauschild, 34, was diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss at a young age. Hearst Connecticut Media conducted this interview using a third-party translator…
Warren ‘Wawa’ Snipe’s ASL Super Bowl performance went viral. He wants to redefine what deaf artists can do.
February 8, 2021 | Source: The Washington Post
For weeks, Warren “Wawa” Snipe, stood in front of his bathroom mirror replaying the same two songs and rehearsing every word. Ever since the National Association of the Deaf asked him last month to perform the national anthem and “America the Beautiful” in American Sign Language at Sunday’s Super Bowl pregame, Snipe, who is deaf, began studying the lyrics and translating them to ASL. “I would listen to the music over and over to get a feel of the music and the singing,” Snipe, a 50-year-old rapper and actor, told The Washington Post in an interview via text messages early Monday…
Advocates eyeing bills that would increase accessibility, create protections for people living with disabilities
February 8, 2021 | Source: WMDT
Advocates for folks with disabilities are launching Developmental Disability Day Tuesday. It aims at promoting a number of bills in Maryland’s General Assembly. The bills are designed to protect people living with disabilities from being taken advantage of financially and uplift them as members of society. One of those bills is Senate Bill 327. That bill would provide an avenue for legal recourse if someone financially exploits a person with disabilities who is buying a house, a car, or other big ticket items…
School for the Deaf offers adaptive equipment
February 8, 2021 | Source: Tahlequah Daily Press
Telephone and assistive equipment is available for eligible Oklahomans who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, and those with speech communication needs through the Oklahoma School for the Deaf’s Equipment Distribution Program. This adaptive equipment is free or at little cost for those who meet the guidelines of the program. The equipment program is located on OSD’s main campus in Sulphur. The school is a division of Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services…
How To Teach Kids To Stop Staring At People Who Look Different Than Them
February 9, 2021 | Source: Huff Post
One of parents’ biggest jobs is to teach their children etiquette. Not, like, the rules of fine dining (though kudos to any parents of young children who’ve mastered that). But the really big, foundational stuff. How do children show people respect as they move through their days and lives? In what ways are they considerate of others? And one area that parents of young children without disabilities sometimes neglect? Basic disability etiquette, which is really about setting expectations for how kids should behave, or not, when they meet someone with a disability or any other external trait that piques their curiosity…
Disability advocates split on ‘sub-minimum wage’ law
February 10, 2021 | Source: Live5News
Tom Ridge: It’s time to end subminimum wage for workers with disabilities
February 9, 2021 | Source: USA Today
A South Carolina legislator is pushing to end the use of a federal act that allows employers to pay people with disabilities less than minimum wage. Lexington Republican Senator Katrina Shealy is sponsoring a joint resolution that would prohibit the use of Section 14(c) Certificates. Employers can apply for a Section 14(c) Certification of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 that grants them the right to pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25…
Types of Hearing Aids and How to Choose What’s Best for You
February 9, 2021 | Source: Healthline
If you’re one of the 48 million Americans with some degree of hearing loss, you might be wondering if hearing aids can help improve your hearing. While they can’t restore normal hearing, a hearing aid can improve your ability to hear, and they may also play a significant role in boosting your overall quality of life. Keep reading to learn about the different types of hearing aids available, and how to choose which one is right for you. If you have hearing loss, your doctor may recommend a small electronic device called a hearing aid that you wear in or behind your ear…
Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Nevada to End Discriminatory Policies Against Inmates with HIV and Inmates with Disabilities
February 11, 2021 | Source: U.S. DOJ
The Justice Department reached a settlement agreement with Nevada to resolves the department’s findings that the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) violated the ADA by segregating inmates with HIV and denying inmates with disabilities classification and placement at lower-custody levels and facilities where they can reintegrate back into the community. Among the terms of the agreement, Nevada will amend its policies, practices, and procedures; train NDOC staff and inmates on HIV and disability discrimination; designate statewide and facility-specific ADA Coordinators; and implement an ADA grievance procedure…
Protect your eyes from glaucoma and other serious optical diseases
February 11, 2021 | Source: CBS 12 News
Millions of Americans suffer from glaucoma, a group of eye diseases that damages the optic nerve. Glaucoma can cause serious vision loss and even blindness. Glaucoma is actually the second-leading cause of blindness in the world, and many people don’t even know they suffer from it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The prevalence of glaucoma is not to be ignored. In fact, prevention is the best policy. Anyone, including children, can develop the disease in their lifetime…
Local non-profit trains service dogs for vets and kids
February 11, 2021 | Source: Monitor
Anyone who has ever owned a dog knows that training one is hard work. Most of us are satisfied with the basics – but Tom and Julie Coleman, co-founders of Pawsitivity Service Dogs in St. Paul, have a taller order to fill. Since 2012, they have dedicated themselves to rescuing and training service dogs for U.S. military veterans and children with a range of physical and psychiatric disabilities. According to Tom, about one out of every 1,000 dogs is suitable for service dog training. He said, “The list of desirable personality traits is pretty long. We prefer low-energy dogs, for starters…
From Jamaica to U.S., here’s the story of the first female deaf Black lawyer who advised Obama
February 11, 2021 | Source: Face2Face
Claudia Gordon was eight years old in rural Jamaica when she suddenly developed severe pain in her middle ears. Her aunt, Mildred Taylor, took her to a small clinic but with no doctor on duty, the nurse couldn’t determine what was wrong. Gordon became deaf. Her mother at the time had immigrated to the South Bronx, in New York, to make a better living for herself and her family. A domestic servant with only an eighth-grade education, she left Gordon and her two other children in the care of her eldest sister, Mildred, a schoolteacher. Her plan was to reunite with them as soon as possible. Then Gordon’s unfortunate event occurred.
Jack Fact — According to the CDC, the estimated number of children ever diagnosed with ADHD, according to a national 2016 parent survey,1 is 6.1 million (9.4%).
Hit The Road Jack — Auckland’s first disability access mat installed at Takapuna beach
International News
How Slamdance and other festivals are working to acknowledge disability
February 5, 2021 | Source: Screen International- UK
Juliet Romeo met Peter Baxter, the co-founder and president of Slamdance, on a Zoom session in mid-2020 where he offered advice to Miami-based filmmakers. She was struck by Baxter’s open-mindedness and contacted him to discuss her own films that explore people like herself living with sickle-cell disease. That email snowballed, and Slamdance (running online from February 12-25, 2021) is launching its first Unstoppable programme, 22 shorts made by creators with disabilities, plus a series of themed talks and panels…
Disabled TikTokers demand captions as the app is still inaccessible to them
February 6, 2021 | Source: The indy100- UK
Disabled content creators have today called for TikTok to add automatic captions, after the social media platform is yet to introduce a feature which makes videos accessible to deaf users. Users currently have to download additional applications to add captions to videos – a solution which has been described as a “bandaid” by campaigners. In a video explaining the call-to-action, organiser Madison Zalopany says: “If you are disabled, deaf, or a disability ally, by now you know that TikTok needs auto-captioning. Frankly, it’s egregious that it doesn’t…
Help create accessible communities in Saskatchewan
February 6, 2021 | Source: Weyburn Review- Canada
The Government of Saskatchewan is engaging the public to help create new accessibility legislation for the province and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. The Ministry of Social Services has launched an online engagement platform the public can find at www.saskatchewan.ca/accessiblesk to have their voices heard during this process. Online, they can find surveys, register for and attend an online discussion forum, access a discussion guide to fill in, share comments and ask questions. The first phase of engagement will run from February 4 to March 31, 2021…
Acceptance in the Jewish world
February 6, 2021 | Source: The Jerusalem Post- Israel
An online series featuring an array of impressive individuals who are involved in the field of disability access is taking place this month to mark Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month (JDAIM). The series is the brainchild of Jamie Lassner, executive director of Friends of Access Israel (FAISR) who, when he first learned about JDAIM, began thinking of creative ways to share stories with the wider world of the strengths and accomplishments of people with disabilities…
Assam MP Abdul Khaleque for accessible toilets to people with disabilities
February 6, 20210 | Source: Northeast Now- India
Assam Congress MP Abdul Khaleque on Saturday said he would speak Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment to guarantee hassle-free access to toilets to people with disabilities. Topcem Cement, on January 28, as part of its CSR programme, gifted a toilet block at Arya Vidyapeeth Higher Secondary School in Guwahati. Unfortunately, the toilet block does not have access to students and teachers with disabilities…
CHR lauds bills seeking accessibility and mobility for PWDs
February 8, 2021 | Source: Philstar- Philippines
The Commission on Human Rights expressed support Monday for pending proposals at the House of Representatives pushing for accessibility and mobility initiatives for persons with disabilities. This came in response to a number of measures filed by the lower chamber’s special committee on PWDs, which also unanimously agreed to consolidate the proposed PWD bills and amend existing laws to address the current day-to-day challenges of PWDs taking public transportation…
10175 buses made fully accessible for people with disabilities: Social Justice Ministry
February 9, 2021 | Source: Outlook India & The Hindu
As many as 42,169 buses have been made partially accessible and 10,175 fully accessible for people with disabilities, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said on Tuesday. Responding to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishnapal Gurjar said Rs 445.99 crore has been released to states and Union Territories to make 1,153 identified buildings accessible for people with disabilities. “Out of these, 356 buildings have been made accessible. Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has made 998 central government buildings accessible,” he said…
How A Brand-New Virtual Travel Program Is Making World Travel Accessible For People With Disabilities
February 9, 2021 | Source: Your Tango- Russia
Amanda Kauftheil never dreamed of traveling to Russia, where her mom Vera grew up — and certainly not in the middle of a global pandemic. But this summer, she was able to tour Moscow and St. Petersburg through some creative virtual globetrotting, learning about Russian Hanukkah traditions, the history of ballet in Russia and even designing her own Russian Matryoshka nesting dolls. Kauftheil is part of the Silver Center for Special Needs Connections program at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, dedicated to building and nurturing an inclusive community for individuals of varying abilities…
Thousands of deaf young people to benefit from tailored careers advice
February 9, 2021 | Source: Wales247- UK
Deaf children and young people across Wales will benefit from tailored careers advice for years to come thanks to a new partnership. Careers Wales, which gives free and impartial careers guidance to young people, has joined forces with the National Deaf Children’s Society Cymru to help better meet the needs of the country’s 2,500 deaf young people. The partnership was established after deaf young people revealed they were worried about how being deaf would affect their employment prospects…
Southeastern to implement additional accessibility measures under new Accessible Travel Policy
February 10, 2021 | Source: Global Railway Review- UK
Andy Barrow, Paralympian, joins panel to make sure Southeastern trains are accessible
February 10, 2021 | Source: Rail Advent- UK
A host of new measures that have been designed to improve the travel experience on Southeastern services for anyone who has a disability or mobility issue are being implemented during 2021, it has been announced. They are part of the operator’s new Accessible Travel Policy that is now available following approval by the Office and Rail and Road (ORR). Around 11 per cent of rail passengers declare that they have some form of disability and, thanks to improvements in trains and at stations over the last 25 years, a large proportion can still travel unaided or without booking assistance…
Australian housing needs mandatory accessibility standards to create ‘homes, not just accommodation’, advocates say
February 10, 2021 | Source: ABC News- Australia
More than 30 organisations have written an open letter to the Prime Minister and state and territory leaders urging them to “futureproof Australian housing” through mandatory accessibility standards as part of the national construction code. Signed by groups representing people with disability, older Australians, health professionals and parts of the housing sector, the letter comes ahead of a meeting of building ministers next month where accessibility is set to be one of the issues…
Mumbai woman with cerebral palsy drives accessibility fight
February 10, 2021 | Source: NYOOOZ & Times of India
The 49-year-old software tester Jasmina Khanna lives with cerebral palsy and can only commute to work by car or a special taxi service that allows her wheelchair to be brought in. So when Khanna found out a few years ago that the Central government had laid down guidelines for accessibility, she decided to do what she knew best– doggedly pursue implementation with local authorities. Three years since Khanna took a survey of public amenities in Vile Parle, the BMC has approved transformation of two key streets in the suburb…
“Accessible education is our right,” Tamil Nadu’s vision-impaired students complain of facing exclusion, neglect in online education
February 10, 2021 | Source: TwoCircles.net- India
The debate of whether or not e-learning replicates a classroom experience has been of huge significance since Covid-19 lockdown. The narrative of disabled students in this debate has been long absent. Scores of vision-impaired students from different Arts colleges in Chennai in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, while talking to TwoCircles.net, recall a collective experience of exclusion in online education. Many of these students expect the reopening of colleges after the Tamil Nadu government announced its approval to reopen educational institutions starting February 8…
Why many advocates prefer the term ‘disabled people’ over ‘people with disabilities’
February 10, 2021 | Source: CTV News- Canada
Canadians need to get more comfortable with using the term “disabled people” to describe those who wish to be called that, advocates say. Over the past 10 to 15 years, disability advocates have embraced the term “disabled person” to describe members of their community instead of “people with disabilities” — the go-to descriptor used since the 1960s. And this is because they say the first one better centres their disability as part of their identity…
Updated Guide To Increasing Arts Accessibility
February 11, 2021 | Source: Scoop- New Zealand
“I want more than inclusion. I want equity and an arts sector committed to including disability artistry in its annual programme of works rather than a tick-box measure or one-off accessible performance,” says Pelenakeke Brown, one of a dozen artists, practitioners and accessibility advocates profiled in the recently published third edition of Ngā Toi mō te katoa: Arts For All. Arts For All is a practical guide providing information and tools to encourage arts and cultural organisations, venues, artists and producers to improve their accessibility…
Public buildings a no-entry zone for the disabled
February 11, 2021 | Source: Times of India
This Friday, officials are meeting at the state commissionerate for the disabled for a mandatory disability audit. They will take stock of issues concerning people with all categories of disabilities, including access to public buildings and facilities. Ahead of this bureaucratic exercise, TOI visited the city’s government facilities and found that none provided easy access for the disabled. This despite the Accessibility India campaign launched by the Centre in 205 and aimed at making public buildings barrier-free for the differently abled…
SC Judgment Which Excluded Persons With Over 50% Visual/Hearing Impairment From Judicial Service No Longer Binding Precedent
February 11, 2021 | Source: Live Law- India
The Supreme Court, in a judgment delivered on Thursday, observed that its decision in V Surendra Mohan v. State of Tamil Nadu would not be a binding precedent, after the coming into force of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. In Surendra Mohan, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court had held that stipulating a limit of 50% disability in hearing impairment or visual impairment as a condition to be eligible for the post of a judicial officer is a legitimate restriction…
How Deaf pride helped Fiona Murphy come to terms with a daunting diagnosis
February 11, 2021 | Source: ABC- Australia
Fiona Murphy was in the first grade when a hearing test confirmed she was profoundly deaf in her left ear. The discovery explained a lot. At school, despite her best efforts, she had been struggling to learn simple words, and during noisy swimming lessons at the pool her instructor reported that she was failing to follow basic instructions. In attempting to make sense of her diagnosis, Fiona says she quickly linked being hard of hearing with being less capable…
COVID-19 Resources and Information
- Texas Coronavirus Relief Bill Rental Assistance Program- Texas Rent Relief
- Parents Plead: Hold Them Back A Year, They Haven’t Learned A Thing- Huff Post
- US Digital Divide Threatens Vaccine Access for Older People- Human Rights Watch
- Israeli disabled peoples’ NGO invited to speak at European conference- The Jerusalem Post
- People With Developmental Disabilities Face Higher Risk of COVID Death- NBC San Diego
- The Pandemic’s Effect on the Economy and Workers- National Conference of State Legislatures
- Disabled people and carer’s experiences of accessing the coronavirus vaccine- Disability Horizons
- California lags behind other states in prioritizing COVID-19 vaccine for people with disabilities- ABC7
- Ways to ensure an inclusive economic recovery from the pandemic- Western Governors’ Association Podcast
- WeWalk Smart Cane Guides Visually Impaired During Pandemic With Voice Assistant and Ultrasonics- Voicebot.ai
Accessibility Blogs and Information
- 2021 State of Digital Accessibility Survey
- Is Your Business ADA Compliant?- Legal Desire
- Accessibility and Usability Shine at CES 2021- CES
- There’s beauty in accessibility, says Stark CEO- 150sec
- 3 ways for FEDs to lift your accessibility game- August
- The need for accessibility compliance as code- Luke Fretwell
- 20 Years of Driving Change and Creating Opportunity- ODEP
- Disabled people need state to invest in accessibility- Kitsap Sun
- EDITORIAL: Establish the Disability Cultural Center- The Hoya
- SFU’s Centre for Accessible Learning is not accessible- The Peak
- Don’t Miss The Accessibility Forest For The Trees- Jeff Singleton
- Conversations with Accessibility Experts: Regine Gilbert- Diamond
- W3C Unveils New WCAG Compliance Rules- Klein Moynihan Turco
- Entering a new digital age for accessibility and inclusion- Denis Boudreau
- Why Brands Must Make Accessibility the Cultural Default- Andrew Kirkpatrick
- Inclusive Design of Autonomous Vehicles: A Public Dialogue- US Access Board
- Accessibility Review of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Clubhouse Is A Club So Exclusive, It Excludes Disabled People By Design- Forbes
- Hear the story behind Scribe for Meetings on ACB Radio’s Main Menu- Mike Calvo
- WaPo: How to Modify a Home to Help Seniors Age in Place- Reverse Mortgage Daily
- Prioritizing Accessibility at UVA: What’s Happening Now and What’s Ahead- UVA Today
- New Web Content Accessibility Standard, WCAG 3.0, Promises Far-Reaching Impact- Wiley Rein
- Press This Podcast: Why Just Installing Plugins isn’t a Magic Fix for Accessibility with Nick Croft
- Valentine’s Day Singing Telegrams- The National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division
- In a win for disabilities advocacy, Student Accessibility Services pilots new peer liaison program- Yale Daily News
- Deafness, ADHD, Physical Disabilities, PTSD And More: All Leanne’s Award-Winning Work At NMC- Traverse City Ticker
- U.S. Election Assistance Commission Roundtable on Accessibility Lessons Learned From the 2020 Elections- Disability Rights Pennsylvania
- In-Depth Interview With NVDA Contributor Joseph Lee, We Talked About Screen Readers, Education, And Everything Else Accessibility Related- techvb.net
- Opening Doors: Promoting Equity through Accessibility | Center for the Advancement of Teaching- Center for the Advancement of Teaching – Temple University
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- HIRE Vets Medallion Award
- The Audio Description Project
- Assisted Living in Austin, Texas
- Help shape an accessible Peninsula
- Google’s project to make tools accessible
- Scribe for Meetings is Free for Webinars Worldwide
- Children’s Books Honored For Disability Narratives
- Scribe for Meetings Is Free for Webinars Worldwide
- Children’s Books Win Awards For Disability Storylines
- Bridge II Sports Working Toward Accessibility for All
- Israel’s accessiBe raises $16 million for web accessibility
- A Kazakh start-up helps the blind – through echolocation
- Children’s Books That Feature Characters With Disabilities
- Brampton Accessibility Awards nomination window now open
- Sensory Packs first of many efforts to make KDL more inclusive
- Tourism4All Promotes Accessible Tourism and Season Prolongation
- FCC Invites Comment on Proposed Metrics for Captioned Telephone Services
- Amazon updates the Alexa app with light/dark switching, accessibility features
- App will help visually impaired, seniors enjoy ride-sharing with self-driving cars
- Amazon Chooses First Alexa Accessibility Award Winner in Brazil-Exclusive Contest
- Advantage Microsystems Seals Partnership to Offer Next Generation Cyber Protection
- Traditional Arts Indiana receives funding to make music accessible to older populations
- The Peak District at 70: the national park is improving accessibility, including on the Monsal Trail
- “Raise Hand” feature for Microsoft Teams meetings to become more accessible with keyboard shortcut
- Methodology for heuristic evaluation of the accessibility of statistical charts for people with low vision and color vision deficiency
- Talview is the First AI-led Video Interviewing and Proctoring Company to Attain WCAG 2.0 Compliance, Ensuring Accessibility for All Talent
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- Accessibility auditing and ego
- It’s easier when you do it earlier
- Critical moves: Accessibility in gaming
- Advocating for Accessibility in Video Games
- [Expanding Accessibility with Samsung] ② Audio
- How Cool Accessibility Tools Can Make Your Life Easier
- How Cooking Websites Are Failing People With Disabilities
- aria-description: By Public Demand and to Thunderous Applause
- Improving Wireframe Accessibility: A More Inclusive Design Process
- Why and How to Create Accessible Social Media and Website Content
- Using SEO, User Experience & Accessibility to Improve Search Results
- How video game accessibility will improve on the Xbox Series X and PS5
Accessibility Statements
- Innovate Ohio
- Annual Reviews
- eNews Park Forest
- IEEE Computer Society
- East Gippsland Shire Council
- University of Central Arkansas
- Quebec Ministère des Finances
- Weald and Downland Museum
- Wyoming Department of Education
- ‘Ask the government a question’- Gov.UK
- Accessibility in the News: Accessibility Statement Pages
Microassist Digital Accessibility Services
Have you received an accessibility demand letter because of your website or application? Please contact us for any questions you have about our accessibility services and how we might support your organization.
Services include:
- Accessible Website and Application Development— We rely heavily on accessibility best practices and using HTML5 and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) standards to build WCAG-compliant and human-tested accessible environments. Our teams are proficient in open source technologies such as WordPress, Drupal and Moodle, as well as custom frameworks in .NET, PHP, AngularJS, and other frameworks. Our Learning and Development team can also help you create accessible custom training.
- Accessible Document Services— Whether you’re dealing with a few or a warehouse of Microsoft Office documents, PDFs, or other files, there are several ways Microassist can enable your team to offer documents and materials that meet stringent accessibility standards.
- Accessibility Remediation— Our accessibility remediation services help you fix existing materials so that they conform to WCAG, Section 504 and 508, Department of Education OCR, and ADA Title II/III requirements. We remediate websites, applications, documents, and elearning, recommending re-creation when that is more efficient and economical. Especially for website and applications, to find out what is in need of remediation, we’ll start with an Accessibility Audit.
- Accessibility Training— With several courses available for developers, testers, and content creators, your team can become equipped to consistently and expertly produce accessible digital products and online environments.
- VPAT®Evaluation Services— Primarily used by government purchasers and government vendors during the procurement and sale of ICT products and services under Section 508, a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® (VPAT) attests to the accessibility of a given product or service. Contact us to make sure the VPAT you write or review is accurate and meaningful.
Learn More About Digital Accessibility
Our Digital Accessibility Digest blog covers our Accessibility in the News archives as well as expert commentaries on digital accessibility issues.
Our most popular commentaries include:
- The WCAG 2.1 Update: A Brief Look at What’s Changed
- Introducing VPAT®0, the More Stringent Accessibility Reporting Tool Required for Government IT Procurement
- Accessibility in the News, Legal Edition: Updates on ADA Title III News and More
- What Lawyers Need to Know: A Primer on Digital Accessibility Terms and Today’s Legal Landscape
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