Accessibility in the News—8/10/18.
An interesting mix of stories highlighted both ends of the aging spectrum: accessible accommodations for children as well as for adults in their senior years. Accessibility can benefit anyone of any age, with or without a disability. But this week’s news included braille on Kellogg’s Rick Krispies Treats just in time for school year snack needs, as well as the PBS launch of “Railway Hero,” an accessible game for kids with physical and cognitive impairements. A Canadian non-profit, ParticipACTION also spotlighted the need for kids with disabilities to have greater access to physical activity. Simultaneously, baby boomers are encountering needs for accessible travel after retirement, as well as accessible housing. On that note, beaches in Australia and Gibraltar are becoming more accessible, making it easier for people with disabilities, mobility situation and advancing age to enjoy the seaside.
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AITN Quote of the Week
“My disability is that I cannot use my legs. My handicap is your negative perception of that disability, and thus of me.”
— Rick Hansen
Digital Accessibility Legal Summit, 2018-19—Accessibility Lawsuits: How to Handle Them, How to Avoid Them
(October 1 – 2, 2018, Washington, D.C., & March 11 – 12, 2019, Anaheim, CA)
National News (U.S.)
As Michigan’s population ages, accessible housing lags behind
August 3, 2018 | Source: Michigan Radio (Podcast)
The larger Metro Detroit area, including the inner-ring suburbs, the outer-ring suburbs, and the surrounding counties, is beginning to face a new problem that’s only going to get bigger. Treskon said elements inside homes such as stairs and bathtubs can present an issue for an aging population, and two out of three houses in Detroit even have stairs leading to the entrance that need to be navigated. We have an aging population, and our housing stock is largely inadequate for those older residents, especially when it comes to negotiating physical barriers like steps…
If You Don’t Do Stairs, Half of New York City Is a Transit Desert
August 3, 2018 | Source: CityLab
When Monica Bartley got off the New York City subway at Union Square, she found the station didn’t have an elevator for her wheelchair. So she took the 4 train all the way uptown to Grand Central Station, 28 blocks away, where she knew there’d be an elevator. It was broken. So Bartley was stuck underground for hours trying to head to work. Finally, she circled back to the station where she started, took the elevator up to the street, and took the bus instead. “By the time I got to my office in the afternoon, my spirit was broken,” said Bartley…
Compliant, not Optimum
August 3, 2018 | Source: MyWabashValley
Sometimes the government works and sometimes it could do better. That’s the observation from a local businessman who shared his frustration with us this week. Andy Stadler needs a wheelchair to get around, and says he’s made a complaint for the fourth year in a row about the BMV’s handicap accessibility. Sadie All has been covering the story. Today she talked with Pete Ciancone of the WILL Center. He’s an advocate for people with disabilities. “It is in compliance and I brought my handy dandy tape measure just to make sure,” Ciancone said…
‘Too Little Too Late’: Bankruptcy Booms Among Older Americans
August 5, 2018 | Source: The New York Times
For a rapidly growing share of older Americans, traditional ideas about life in retirement are being upended by a dismal reality: bankruptcy. The signs of potential trouble — vanishing pensions, soaring medical expenses, inadequate savings — have been building for years. Now, new research sheds light on the scope of the problem: The rate of people 65 and older filing for bankruptcy is three times what it was in 1991, the study found, and the same group accounts for a far greater share of all filers…
BECU shows ADA disputes don’t have to be acrimonious
August 6 , 2018 | Source: Credit Union Journal
Website accessibility has become a hot-button issue for credit unions over the last year – due in no small part to one law firm in California that has generated hundreds of demand letters to CUs alleging violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act, even though in many cases the alleged plaintiff had no ability to join the credit union in question. But $18.6 billion BECU, Tukwila, Wash., showed what can happen with disabled members approach a credit union looking for an actual solution, as opposed to an attorney seeking a payout…
For Special Needs Travelers, Travel Agents Can Make All the Difference
August 6, 2018 | Source: Travel Market Report
“Accessible travel is not just a niche market — it will soon take up 25 percent of the travel market,” said John Sage, president of Accessible Travel Solutions (ATS), a Houston-based tour company. In fact, 19 percent of the U.S. population has a disability and 49 percent of U.S. seniors have a disability, according to the U.S. Census. As more and more Baby Boomers with disabilities are retiring, they want to travel and they are willing to spend the money to do so. Sage said when serving clients living with disabilities, it’s important to remember that every detail matters…
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats launches braille snack notes for visually-impaired kids
August 7, 2018 | Source: WHAS11.com & Huffington Post
Kellogg is making a special feature on its Rice Krispies Treats more accessible for people who are vision-impaired. Rice Krispies Treats launched writable wrappers in the summer of 2017, allowing families to send an encouraging message to their children at lunch. In partnership with the National Federation of the Blind, Kellogg announced today that it is launching “Love Note” Braille stickers and recordable audio boxes for its Rice Krispies Treats, so children who are blind or have low vision can also get messages from their families…
Camping with Cerebral Palsy Is Fun and Challenging
August 7, 2018 | Source: Cerebral Palsy News Today
Camping isn’t on the top 10 list of activities for people with disabilities. Growing up, I went to a summer camp for children with disabilities, but I stayed in cabins with bathrooms. Five years ago, my husband asked me to go camping. I didn’t think it would work out, but I agreed to give it a chance. Camping with cerebral palsy makes me smile — and cringe. I’m won’t be dishonest. The first camping experience we went on had bathroom inaccessibility problems, tent complications, baby issues, and rain…
PBS KIDS launches accessible Cyberchase game
August 8, 2018 Source: Kidscreen
New York pubcaster WNET has created Railway Hero, a new accessible digital math game based on the PBS KIDS series Cyberchase. Designed specifically to incorporate accessibility features for children with physical and cognitive impairments, the game is free and available on the PBS KIDS Games app and at PBSKIDS.org. It was produced by New York-based THIRTEEN Productions for parentco WNET in collaboration with NYC-based accessible media company Bridge Multimedia and developed by learning and entertainment developer Sudden Industries…
Will blind people use Braille in the future?
August 8, 2018 | Source: PRI (Podcast)
We live in a time of technological disruption, all happening at disorienting speed. Which tech innovation is actually helping? Which isn’t? How we comprehend the future effects when we live so breathlessly in the present? Braille, the writing system for the blind, is being put through its paces by this right now. And because there’s some anxiety among Braille advocates, we at The World in Words podcast thought, good story! Sheri Wells-Jensen tells us how Braille itself came into being as a tech disrupter, thanks to its genius inventor, Louis Braille…
“Able New York”: The Latest ADA-Related Initiative May Create New Requirements for Long Term Care Providers
August 8, 2018 | Source: JD Supra
This past July 26, 2018 was the 28th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), landmark civil rights legislation designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities. Specifically, the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation and telecommunications. It protects anyone with a “disability”, defined as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities”…
Dining out in Asheville presents challenges for people with disabilities
August 8, 2018 | Source: Mountain Express
One day several months ago, two sight-impaired diners came in to Calypso, a restaurant that serves St. Lucian Caribbean cuisine in downtown Asheville. The two people listened as the menu was read to them. Thinking of other times sight-impaired people had visited her restaurant, owner Esther Joseph had a eureka moment — menus in Braille. She ran it by the two diners, who said it was a great idea. With difficult parking, noisy crowds and uneven sidewalks, dining downtown can be hard for people with disabilities…
Lowering Your Blood Pressure Could Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk, New Research Shows
August 9, 2018 | Source: Time
Margaret Daffodil Graham tries to live a healthy life, particularly since she has a health issue that requires constant attention. Like more than 100 million other Americans, the 74-year-old from Winston-Salem, N.C., has high blood pressure, and she has been taking medication to control it since she was in her 30s. So when she read that her nearby hospital, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, was looking for people with hypertension to volunteer for a study, she quickly signed up, knowing the doctors would monitor her blood pressure more intensively and hopefully lower her risk of developing heart disease and stroke…
What does a guitar solo look like if you can’t hear? How a sign language interpreter translates concerts
August 9, 2018 | Source: CNN
If you showed up late or missed the introduction, you might think she’s the main attraction. On the main stage are four middle-aged men, adorned with tattoos, tank tops and long, flowing white hair. They screech and growl, plunging their bodies back and forth. A little off to the side is Lindsay Rothschild-Cross. She looks like she’s simply rocking out at this heavy metal concert. But she’s actually performing a valuable service: interpreting each syllable, scream and solo with precision for deaf concertgoers, using American Sign Language…
Judge tosses ADA website suit against Aurora Policeman Credit Union
August 9, 2018 | Source: Credit Union Journal & CUNA
A lawsuit against $17 million Aurora Policeman Credit Union, Aurora, Ill., has been dismissed for lack of standing. The decision by Judge Thomas M. Durkin of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois was announced late Tuesday. The Illinois Credit Union League and the Credit Union National Association on Wednesday issued a statement noting they joined together to defend APCU by filing a joint amicus curiae brief in support of the credit union’s motion to dismiss the complaint…
In Worcester, a new restaurant critic with a taste for accessibility
August 9, 2018 | Source: Worcester Mag
Editorial: Accessibility should not be afterthought
August 9, 2018 | Source: Worcester Mag
For many of us, going out to eat is no harder than choosing a restaurant, making a reservation if needed, then jumping in the car and heading out. For those with disabilities, however, dining out can be much more difficult. Someone in a wheelchair, for example, can’t just park their car, walk in and be seated. A blind customer can’t simply thumb through a menu and choose the day’s special. And while some restaurants might book a live band or play background music, someone who is deaf or hard of hearing may find it almost impossible to hear the person sitting with them or the waiter taking their order…
Report: 10 civil rights complaints in three years
August 9, 2018 | Source: Montclair Local
Ten civil rights complaints have been filed with U.S. Department of Education against Montclair schools over the past three and a half years, according to a June report by ProPubica. ProPublica compiled the database of civil rights violations ranging from racial discrimination in school discipline to sexual violence to special education accessibility against school districts and public colleges and universities since January 2015. Of the 10 cases filed against the Montclair public schools since 2015, only one was sustained, a case related to the accessibility of websites and online courses…
Civil case dismissed, but ADA battle involving Fresno restaurant family still brewing
August 9, 2018 | Source: Fresno Bee
A Fresno judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit against a family-run business whose owners maintain they’re the target of what amounts to a shakedown over Americans with Disabilities Act rules. Superior Court Judge Kimberly Gaab ruled that Mission Law Firm did not follow California’s Code of Civil Procedures when it sued the Saniefar family in April 2017 because the law firm should have notified the defendants of their rights. San Francisco attorney John D. O’Connor, who represents Mission, said last week that his client still has a legitimate case against the Saniefar family…
Jack Fact — Approximately 2.4% of the U.S. population reported a visual disability in 2016, according to Cornell University’s analysis of the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
International News
‘Never assume anything’: The golden rules for inclusive design
August 2, 2018 | Source: Silicon Republic- UK
Why should developers and designers have inclusivity at the forefront of every project? Henny Swan is director of user experience (UX) at The Paciello Group (TPG), a leading accessibility services firm helping businesses to ensure their websites, web apps and mobile apps are user-friendly for everyone. Swan spoke to Siliconrepublic.com about the importance of inclusive design and accessibility, and the steps organisations can take to broaden their marketplace, minimise risk and make users happier…
Transport group board appointments aim to improve accessibility for disabled
August 3, 2018 | Source: Belfast Telegraph- Ireland
People with personal experience of disability have been appointed to the top level of transport organisations in a bid to improve accessibility for disabled people in Ireland. Making the announcement, Transport Minister Shane Ross said that people with disabilities have been restricted to expressing their views and needs in the media, however their voices will now be heard at the very top of state boards. The new public appointees to the boards of Bus Eireann, Irish Rail, Dublin Bus, the CIE and the National Transport Authority were unveiled on Friday…
Pursuing accessibility for PWDs
August 5, 2018 | Source: Manila Bulletin- Philippines
The United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) said the implementation of Batas Pambansa 344 which promotes the welfare of persons with disability (PWD) should be seriously given attention by the government and all other private stakeholders. During the daylong accessibility audit training dubbed as “Building a better world for all” which was held at the SFJ multipurpose hall in Holy Angel University here, architect Arnel Agustin, UAP – Alaya chapter chair, said there were lots of government and private structures, and similar establishments, particularly in rural areas, that have no ramp facilities for PWDs…
The web and brain signals
August 5, 2018 | Source: Times of Malta
As internet users, we are all accustomed to reading the news online, buying stuff online and interacting with friends and family through social networks. We all share one common factor that allows us to do so – we can all move our hands, enough to move a mouse pointer around the screen and click. But what if you didn’t have that luxury? Accessibility is one area of research and practice that attempts to bridge this gap, allowing people with different limitations to access technology and use it to its full extent…
Disability access ‘not about ticking boxes’ as regional NSW councils strive for more inclusive towns
August 5, 2018 | Source: ABC Local- Wales
Mayors around regional New South Wales are getting a glimpse of what it’s like living with a disability while asking residents to point out where their towns are falling short. In Gunnedah in the state’s north, members of the local government’s disability advisory group recently led Mayor Jamie Chaffey and his fellow councillors through the town centre in a wheelchair. They were later put through their paces in low-vision goggles and blindfolds. “It was a very powerful experience,” said the council’s community and social planner Debra Hilton…
Push for accessible housing regulations
August 6, 2018 | Source: Government News- Australia
A network of designers, researchers, people living with disability and seniors are calling on Australian governments to introduce regulations mandating that new houses meet accessibility standards. At a key meeting on Friday state and federal building ministers will consider a draft options paper which, if approved, will be released for public consultation as part of COAG’s commitment to undertake a regulatory impact assessment. In 2010, Australia’s construction industry agreed to voluntarily apply universal design principles to housing design that would ensure properties are accessible to people with disabilities and seniors…
Pushmobility director Shane Hryhorec hopes beaches around Australia can be accessible for all
August 7, 2018 | Source: Newcastle Star- Australia
Shane Hryhorec, managing director for mobility advocate group Pushmobility, has a simple dream – to make sure everyone can enjoy beaches, surf carnivals and ocean-side triathlons. According Hryhorec, more than 20 per cent of the Australian population cannot go to the beach because of disabilities, mobility situations or simply advancing age, and he believes that in a country renowned for its swimming culture that number should be much lower. “We’re heading to Newcastle to speak to people in the hope that we can have the beaches in the region be more accessible in the near future,” he said…
Gibraltar’s Accessible Beaches
August 7, 2018 | Source: Vox- Gibraltar
The summer season is now in full swing and Gibraltar’s community is enjoying spending time at its various beaches. Since 2012, these beaches have been improved to also make them accessible to people with disabilities and many facilities have been introduced so that everyone can enjoy the beach just as much. In addition this year, the Government has provided disability awareness training to all beach personnel. ‘The beach improvements ensure that many people, who physically were unable to enjoy our beaches before are now able to do so with their families…
Pioneering Accessible Technology Since 1996 – Byungho Kim
August 7, 2018 | Source: Samsung- South Korea
In 1996, only a select few of us were engaging with computers or accessing the Internet on a daily basis. As these trailblazers were mapping out the digital space as we know it today, Byungho Kim overcame adversity in the prime of his professional career and dedicated himself to making technology accessible to as many people as possible. The husband and father of two was diagnosed legally blind in 1995, following several years of increasing vision loss. The next year, Kim underwent four months of full-time residential rehabilitation, where he acquired skills to navigate his condition…
Cork Airport installs signage about invisible disabilities
August 7, 2018 | Source: RTE- Ireland
Cork Airport has become the first major travel hub in Ireland to adopt new signage for accessible toilets, to help raise awareness of invisible disabilities. It follows a call from the Irish Society for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease, the national charity for people with inflammatory bowel disease, to introduce the new signage in Ireland’s airports, rail stations and service stations. The new signage was introduced last month and reminds people that some people who need to use accessible toilets may not show any physical signs of disability…
Thompsonites trained to deliver accessible customer service standards workshop
August 7, 2018 | Source: Thompson Citizen- Canada
Eight Thompsonites were recently trained by the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities (SMD) to deliver a two-hour workshop on accessible customer service standards. Under the terms of the Accessibility for Manitobans Act, businesses and organizations must train staff and volunteers in these standards, designed to ensure customer service is available to all Manitobans regardless of ability, by Nov. 1 of this year. The SMD designed a trains-the-trainer course to help organizations comply by the deadline, said training co-ordinator Heather Hiscock…
My Disability Matters: Designing with disability in mind
August 7, 2018 | Source: Medium- Australia
Something I discussed in A potential tipping point is that even if most people aren’t ready to #DeleteFacebook, more and more are at a stage where they realize they’re not getting their needs met and looking for something better. Different people have different notions of what’s “better,” so we’re not likely to see a single one-size-fits-all solution take Facebook’s place. Instead, we’re likely to see more social networks which focus on communities that are currently being badly under-served in some ways by Facebook. Like the disability community, for example…
Children with disabilities need better access to sport
August 8, 2018 | Source: The Conversation- Canada
Canada’s 2018 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, published by the national non-profit organization ParticipACTION, gives Canadian children and youth an overall D+ grade for physical activity. It calls for Canadian kids to get up and move. For the first time, the report makes specific mention of the importance of physical activity to children with disabilities. Our team at the Kids Brain Health Network proudly contributed to, and enthusiastically endorses, its findings and recommendations…
Journey to the West: The Disability Act vrs the disability life
August 9, 2018 | Source: 3News- Ghana
It has been over a decade since the Persons with Disability Act (Act 715) was passed but persons with disability are yet to feel its full implementation, especially in their quest to access education and public services. More often than not their experiences can best be described as “dehumanizing”. The Disability Act provides that public buildings are made accessible to persons with disability; a provision that many public offices and institutions fault with impunity…
Accessibility Blogs and Information
Accessibility Resources
- Accessible Comics- Hampus Sethfors
- Accessibility in Tech with Haben Girma (Podcast)
- Designing for Accessibility_02- Gamasutra
- Higher Ed. & Accessibility- Donna Bungard
- Caring about webform accessibility- Jacob Rockowitz
- I’m in it for the love of my children- Dr. Annie McAuley
- Personalization & Accessibility with Drupal- Mike Gifford
- Why I Love WCAG (And You Should, Too!)- Braille Works
- 8 Elements Modern Learners Expect in Online Training- ATD
- What smart city conferences are coming up?- Information Age
- Accessibility: Start with the foundations- Susan Jean Robertson
- W3C Finalizes Updates to Accessibility Guidance- Jesse Brody
- How Blind People Use Ride Sharing Services- Eyes on Success (Podcast)
- Remote Work to Accommodate Workers with a Disability- AODA
- Are you ready for WCAG 2.1 Accessibility Guidelines?- Jack Niland
- Why Airbnb’s disability filters are a move in the right direction- iNews
- Disabled people check out how accessible is collectorate- Times of India
- WCAG 2.1 and What the New Criteria Really Mean for Your Website- Siteimprove
- Website Accessibility Lawsuit Calls Foul on the Miami Heat- Klein Moynihan Turco
- 7 Citizen Engagement Tips to Help Build Sustainable and Inclusive Smart Cities- Darren Bates
- Judy Brewer recognized for her contributions to improving the accessibility of the web- SD Times
- Eleventh Circuit Dunks on Businesses With Websites: Haynes v. Dunkin’ Donuts LLC- Ogletree Deakins
- 11th Circuit Determines Informational Websites for Places of Public Accommodation Are Subject to ADA- Greenberg Traurig
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- Aira Back to School program
- ABLE Award for Carnegie Library rehab
- New Technology Teaches Braille with Fun
- AI for Accessibility Grant Application Form
- C-PP district launches new, improved website
- DoD Shoring Up Website and Email Defenses
- AudioEye Announces Execution of Reverse Stock Split
- Cayuga County movie theater adds accessibility devices
- South Carolina named one of the worst states for health care
- Central Polling Location Available At Missouri State University
- Organizers close to dream of accessible baseball field in Antigonish
- New York just capped the number of Uber, Lyft vehicles in the city
- AudioEye Announces Closing of $6.5 Million Growth Equity Financing
- Amazon is hinting it has a new plan to make boatloads of money from Alexa
- Ontarians Will Be Able To Use Their Phones As Official ID Beginning This Fall
- Lack of Access, Cost and Stigma Continue to Prevent Veterans & Families from Receiving Mental Health Care
- PlatformQ Education Develops First-of-Its-Kind Student Engagement Software that Meets VPAT Accessibility Guidance
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Q&A
- Contrast Ratio
- 1.3.4 Orientation
- Toggle-Switch Guidelines
- aria-colindex(property)_part1
- 15 Metrics For UX Benchmarking
- Understanding SC 1.4.2 Audio Control
- Ten things to know about tactile graphics
- Can WordPress Support Enterprise Needs?
- Nutrition Cards for Accessible Components
- Envision AI 4+- Enabling vision for the blind
- 5 Ways To Lower Your Site’s Barrier To Entry
- Fixing Variable Scope Issues with ECMAScript 6
- UserInfo Keys for Posting Accessibility Notifications
- One simple hack to (maybe!) cure your phone addiction
- Designing a complex table for mobile consumption (nom)
- TTML Profiles for Internet Media Subtitles and Captions 1.1
- Comprehensive reference of accessibility features in Chrome DevTools
- Shadow Of The Tomb Raider’s Difficulty And Accessibility Options Detailed
- Chrome OS 68 rolling out w/ Display Size setting, accessibility tweaks, and more ‘Material 2.0’
Accessibility Statements and VPATs®
Accessibility Statements
- NCVER
- AudioEye
- Knewton
- ShareLife
- CommonLook
- Ernst & Young
- Harvard Law School
- Bird Studies Canada
- Cambridge City Council
- Eastern Kentucky University
VPATs®
- Avaya
- Canvas
- Articulate
- SolarWinds
- Forcepoint
- GFI Software
- VoiceThread
- LabArchives
- CommonLook
- American Mathematical Society
Microassist Digital Accessibility Services
Our digital and web accessibility services cover
- Accessibility Audit Services — Our comprehensive audit will map all findings to internationally recognized WCAG 2.0 AA standards and equip you and your technical and content teams to know what areas need to be brought into compliance.
- Accessible Elearning Development — Does your online training reach all learners, whether they’re your employees, resellers, students? Let us help you design effective, engaging training that works for everyone.
- Accessible Website and Application Development — An inaccessible website or application is increasingly seen as violating the ADA. Let’s talk about creating an online presence that reaches all your customers and reduces your litigation risk.
- Audit and Testing Services — A thorough accessibility audit against recognized accessibility standards will show you where you may be under-serving your customers and putting your organization at risk.
- Accessible Document Services — Digital assets such as Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, and audio and video files need to be accessible to individuals with disabilities, too. We can help you establish creation processes or remediate historical documents so that they meet accessibility standards and are usable by people with disabilities.
- Remediation Services — Whether for a time-sensitive response to a legal action, or for proactive remediation, we can fix what doesn’t meet accessibility standards.
- Accessibility Training — Contact us to get your teams introduced and informed about accessibility best practices.
Please contact us for any questions you have about our accessibility services and how we might support your organization.
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