Accessibility in the News – 8/28/2020.

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Feature Stories

Sign Language Interpreter Gets Arrested While Making Portland Protests More Accessible

August 25, 2020 | Source: The Portland Mercury

Since the ongoing Portland protests against police brutality began on May 29, Andrew Tolman has been a regular attendee. But Tolman isn’t just there as a protester—they also work to make the demonstrations accessible for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HOH) people who are participating in or observing the protests. Sometimes, that means interpreting police orders from English to American Sign Language (ASL) and guiding people who are physically present at the protests…

These volunteers are making Black Lives Matter videos accessible to deaf activists

August 27, 2020 | Source: Daily Dot

Charlotte Hyde, 22, needed to watch this video on Twitter, at least according to others who were tweeting about it. It wasn’t that Hyde didn’t want to; it was that she couldn’t. As protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd ensued across the nation in recent months, videos of protesters’ interactions with each other and with police flooded Twitter. Few had captions, making them inaccessible to deaf people like Hyde. For the Deaf community, partaking in larger conversations on social media is reliant on accessible content…

National News (U.S.)

Bangor woman with ALS hopes to bring accessibility awareness to others

August 20, 2020 | Source: WABI

It was about nine months ago when Tammy Michael’s eyes were opened to the accessibility struggles so many people face. “I’ve been into a business where it was a standard stall with a bar and I had to use the restroom with the door open and someone had to help me. And, that’s hard. There’s no privacy and all I did was get stuck.” That’s when she began using a wheelchair due to the loss of her legs from ALS and found going to a lot places she loved just weren’t an option anymore…

Webinar designed to help voters with disabilities know their rights, make a plan

August 21, 2020 | Source: The Columbus Dispatch

Susan Koller intends to heed the advice of voter advocates and make a plan for how she’ll cast her ballot this year because the potential for snags is always significant for people like her with disabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic could make voting even more challenging, she said. “I’m not 100% sure how it will work for me,” said Koller, 38, who has cerebral palsy and lives in a long-term care facility in the Cincinnati area. “What usually happens is I vote absentee.” Koller needs assistance and relies on family to make sure her ballot is properly completed…

Autonomous Vehicles Should Benefit People with Disabilities, But Progress Remains Slow

August 21, 2020 | Source: Venture Beat

An MIT report estimates truly autonomous vehicles might not hit the streets for a decade. And when they do, it’s difficult to say whether they will fully accommodate all riders, including those with disabilities. Driverless car technology promises to remove barriers to personal transportation, but few self-driving operators have made headway on solutions for customers with mobility, vision, and hearing impairments, including seniors and those with chronic health conditions…

Parents look back on struggle for accessibility

August 21, 2020 | Source: New Jersey Herald

Four years before the Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990, Anne and Art Horsham became members of the Mayor’s Council on Disability. They brought their daughter Katie, who was then 2 years old, to meetings as they helped shape the world she would navigate with the mobility limitations of spina bifida. The group created Handicap Awareness Day, when Port Jervis officials would spend the day in a wheelchair, on crutches or blindfolded to acquaint themselves with that experience of the city…

As restaurants take over sidewalks to provide pandemic-safe dining, people with disabilities encounter barriers

August 21, 2020 | Source: The Washington Post

When New York began allowing outdoor activities in June, Emily Ladau, 29, ventured out in her Long Island town of West Babylon after long months of staying inside because of COVID-19. But her moment in the sun was marred — as a wheelchair user, she found that restaurants spilling over onto the sidewalk blocked her path. “Throughout the whole main street,” of nearby Bay Shore, she says, “I couldn’t be on the sidewalk at all.” Many restaurants have added sidewalk seating during the pandemic to take advantage of the open air when indoor dining is considered risky…

Website accessibility response plan protects CUs

August 21, 2020 | Source: Credit Union National Association

Why ADA Compliance Is Important at Your Credit Union

August 24, 2020 | Source: Credit Union Times

Even when a credit union is in the middle of conducting a website audit to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, there is still the chance an unhappy member or website user could send a demand letter. While ADA website accessibility suits against credit unions have slowed significantly, credit unions should have a plan in place to make the response and redress process as smooth as possible, and to mitigate any damage to the credit union’s image…

Why do people stutter? Stuttering causes, how to stop and more

August 21, 2020 | Source: Yahoo

13-Year-Old Who Bonded With Biden Over Stutter Inspires With His Courage

August 21, 2020 | Source: Romper

Stuttering 101: A biological condition no one should make fun of

August 21, 2020 | Source: CNN

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has been outspoken about his stutter and last night at the Democratic National Convention, a young boy with a stutter shared a story about how Biden had boosted his confidence. Brayden Harrington, 13, explained in a video that he met Biden in New Hampshire earlier this year. “He told me that we were members of the same club,” he said. “We stutter. It was really amazing to hear that someone like me became vice president.”…

The Subtle Terror Of Slowly Going Blind

August 22, 2020 | Source: My Verona NJ

A healthy lifestyle for cardiovascular health may reduce odds of developing ocular diseases

August 20, 2020 | Source: News Medical Life Sciences

I have a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, commonly referred to as RP. It is a degenerative retina disease that leaves the lucky winners of this particular genetic lottery permanently and totally blind. RP is a rare(ish) genetic disorder where the light sensitive cells of the retina are destroyed or simply cease to function causing night blindness, then peripheral vision loss, and finally blindness. As with any disease that leaves its victim blind, it is a horrible thing to contend with…

Autonomous vehicles should benefit those with disabilities, but progress remains slow

August 23, 2020 | Source: Best Gaming Pro

An MIT report estimates really autonomous automobiles may not hit the streets for a decade. And after they do, it’s troublesome to say whether or not they’ll absolutely accommodate all riders, together with these with disabilities. Driverless automotive know-how guarantees to take away obstacles to private transportation, however few self-driving operators have made headway on options for patrons with mobility, imaginative and prescient, and listening to impairments, together with seniors and people with persistent well being circumstances…

Meeting The Needs Of New York’s Blind, Deaf And Physically Challenged Students Requires An Intense Focus On The Individual Academic Needs Of Each Student

August 23, 2020 | Source: Empire Report

As the classrooms of more than 700 school districts across New York State migrated to online learning this spring – 10 specialized schools from Erie to Suffolk County were also asked to adapt and teach their 1,500 children who are blind, deaf or have severe physical challenges. State law provides public funding of these schools under a special section of its Education Law – Section 4201 and are often collectively referred to as – the 4201 Schools. The issues these specialized, state-funded schools have confronted in recent months are similar to their mainstream colleagues – such as…

Disability, Work and Coronavirus: What Happens Now?

August 24, 2020 | Source: The New York Times & Chicago Tribune

This April, Maria Sotnikova attended her first Seder: a virtual dinner held over the videoconferencing app Webex. Though she has many Jewish friends, she had never been asked to share in the Passover ritual before. Ms. Sotnikova, a 33-year-old data scientist in Atlanta, uses a power wheelchair. For years, people have admitted to excluding her from parties, picnics and other gatherings that they assumed, often incorrectly and always patronizingly, she wouldn’t be able to attend…

Meet Sebnem, A Public Policy Specialist and Mobility Enthusiast from San Francisco

August 24, 2020 | Source: Urban Transport News

Sebnem Tugce Pala is a renowned Public Policy Professional and Entrepreneur for her work in sustainable transportation/mobility and for her significant contributions to the field through her articles and her policy initiatives and the conferences she has attended until now. In a recent conversation with Urban Transport News, she talked about the various challenges and solutions pertaining to the mobility industry. Here are excerpts: My professional journey in the transportation industry started with my work experience at Iris Automation…

COVID-19 Poses New Challenges for Disabled College Students

August 24, 2020 | Source: Study Breaks

Disabled college students have both benefitted and struggled because of the rise of virtual life in the time of COVID-19, depending on their access needs. Now, it is more important than ever to be a disability activist. Disabled college students have the same desires as their non-disabled peers; they want to study, work, have fun and find friends. Their disabilities mean they have to fulfill those needs in different ways. COVID-19 brings unique risks to college students with disabilities, both because of medical bias and the fact that some disabilities could put them at greater risk for COVID-19 complications…

Microsoft chief: How to treat employees with disabilities

August 24, 2020 | Source: Human Resources Director

Are you treating your employees with disabilities well? From experience, Jenny Lay-Flurrie, chief accessibility officer at Microsoft can attest to how “nervous” everyone gets around people with disabilities. At a recent Inclusive Business Forum organised by SG Enable, Lay-Flurrie shared her experience of being hearing impaired in a company that’s on a constant journey towards inclusivity. She also gave tips on how leaders and staff can take simple steps to treat their coworkers better…

Will special-needs students fall through the cracks as school resumes?

August 24, 2020 | Source: Daily Herald

As schools begin to navigate a return to remote — and in some cases hybrid or in-person — learning, some parents of special-needs students fear their children might fall through the cracks as they struggle to adjust to a new normal. Last spring’s remote learning experiment during the statewide COVID-19 lockdown was challenging at best for families of students with autism, learning disabilities, physical or developmental impairments and other diagnoses. With most suburban districts starting the academic year with remote instruction, many schools do not yet have a plan for serving these children…

Amazon’s JoAnna Hunt Talks Her Passion For Accessibility And How Kindle Makes Reading Accessible To Everyone

August 25, 2020 | Source: Forbes

When most people think of e-readers, they likely think of Amazon’s Kindle line. There certainly are competitors, but Kindle to the e-reader market holds the same cachet in terms of brand awareness as Kleenex does for facial tissues and Band-Aid does for bandaids. And not only is the Kindle a family of bespoke devices, it’s also an app that runs on third-party platforms such as iOS and Android. The synonymy is well deserved for the most part. As products, Kindles are pretty great: their e-ink screen technology is good, battery life is seemingly infinite, and Amazon’s trove of available titles is unparalleled…

Making Michigan’s outdoors accessible to all

August 25, 2020 | Source: Second Wave

The lakes, dunes, and forests of Michigan’s northwest lower peninsula offer a number of different opportunities for outdoor recreation, but these spaces are often inaccessible for people with disabilities or mobility issues. “In our region, there was absolutely nothing four years ago,” David Foote, director of stewardship for the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) says of accessible trails or other infrastructure for people with disabilities. “Now we’re looking at maybe 10 throughout the region,” he says…

61 Million: On Disability Justice

August 25, 2020 | Source: The Politic

Eugenic methods, institutionalization, electroshock therapy: less than 100 years ago, all of these horrific practices were weaponized against people with disabilities in the United States. Over one-fourth of all Americans—61 million—have a disability. Even further, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this number is likely to increase. Those that suffer from the disease are likely to face long-lasting effects that include high rates of blood clotting, heart damage, lung damage, and impairments of the central nervous system, all of which can be considered physical disabilities…

The Actors With Disabilities Redefining Representation

August 25, 2020 | Source: The New York Times

Ryan O’Connell would like you to know that he is tired and pissed off and horny. He is tired of waiting for what he calls “our ‘Transparent’ moment” (some of his fellow actors call it, instead, “our ‘Pose’ moment”), by which he means a single piece of breakthrough pop culture that makes people aware of a heretofore ignored and stereotyped minority, a prizewinning, noisemaking event that kicks open the door to mainstream omnipresence and ultimately to normalization. He is pissed off that it hasn’t happened yet. “I think about this a lot,” he says…

Accessible design has evolved to become user-friendly, safe — and beautiful

August 26, 2020 | Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

For Julia Dorsett, looking at properties for sale is a fun hobby. When she saw an 18th-century stone farmhouse listed in Chester County, she instantly fell in love with the 3½-acre wooded property. The home, situated on a hill, has large picturesque windows with stunning views of a big rolling lawn. Though she initially couldn’t imagine a three-story farmhouse giving her the accessibility needed to accommodate her wheelchair, she brought in an architect with the hope she could install an elevator…

Accessibility to voting for Idahoans with disabilities should be increased

August 26, 2020 | Source: Post Register

On Aug. 24, legislators from across the state gathered in Boise for a special legislative session to discuss the November election. On the agenda are proposed amendments to Idaho’s election laws, which include allowing counties to create voting centers to facilitate in-person voting on Election Day. While Disability Rights Idaho appreciates the state’s forethought in planning for the November election, we want to ensure the Legislature considers an absolutely vital component to this process: accessibility…

Growing older at home is possible with the right kind of remodeling

August 27, 2020 | Source: The Washington Post

In 2010, Vanessa Piala and her husband Jim Belikove modified their home near Chevy Chase, Md., by digging out the basement and adding an in-law suite in anticipation of moving her parents there from New Jersey. But after her mother had a stroke, Piala stayed with her parents in New Jersey for 18 months before moving them both to an assisted-living facility in Maryland. “My mother was in a wheelchair before she passed away in 2016 and my father was in a wheelchair part-time until he died at 97 years old in 2018,” says Piala…

Why a ‘vast majority’ of Americans are not getting the most out of Social Security

August 26, 2020 | Source: Yahoo & PDF

Americans moving into retirement can opt to start getting their Social Security checks anytime between the ages 62 and 70. But it’s a tradeoff. Claim early and you get extra years, but smaller checks for the rest of your life. Wait a few years and you’ll get more each month, but with fewer years to receive them. It’s not a small difference — the benefit received at age 70 can be over 75% higher than at 62 — most people aren’t getting this crucial decision right, according to a new report from the Bipartisan Policy Center…

Has the Great WFH Experiment Delivered for Workers with Disabilities?

August 27, 2020 | Source: Morning Brew

For many workers with mental or physical disabilities, being “last hired, first fired” is an all-too-familiar story—and that was before the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in the worst unemployment crisis in decades. But the pandemic also presented a unique opportunity: a tectonic shift to remote work. Have those opportunities been realized for people with disabilities or chronic illnesses? In 2019, even with record-low unemployment (3.5%!) that had companies scrambling for talent, disabled workers weren’t making meaningful gains…

Jack Fact — Almost 60% of respondents to the 2017 National Household Transportation Survey that reported a travel-limiting disability indicated they used one or more devices to aid their mobility, such as walking canes (36.7%), walkers (22.9%), wheelchairs (11.6%) and motorized scooters (4.4%), to name a few.

Hit The Road Jack — Gibraltar Beach Accessibility Continues During Social Distancing

International News

It Is Time For All Religious Places In India To Be Disabled-Friendly And Encourage Inclusivity

August 21, 2020 | Source: Youth Ki Awaaz- India

When I was a child, I used to frequent my neighborhood temple with my grandfather. Every time I’d see disabled people seeking alms outside that temple, I’d ask my grandfather why they do not pray like us, and he would always answer, “It is difficult for them to go inside the temple due to their disabilities and pray. And they beg because they have no job.” Despite the problems than people with disabilities face, no one would talk about barriers to accessibility in our environment, including steep stairs, uneven surfaces, lack of ramps, narrow aisles, and lack of parking space for wheelchairs…

Woman says deaf community are ‘left out’ by compulsory face mask rule

August 21, 2020 | Source: Lincolnshire Live- UK

A profoundly deaf woman is hoping to make a small change to her local community by teaching sign language – after she says the compulsory face mask rule has been ‘frustrating’ for the deaf community. Ruthy Fletcher moved to Retford from Bolton in Lanchashire just 12 months ago and has taught deaf awareness and basic sign language training for over ten years. The 57-year old relies on lipreading and sign language to communicate and says compulsory mask wearing during the pandemic has left many within the deaf community feeling isolated…

Researchers examine outdoor accessibility

August 22, 2020 | Source: Prince George Citizen- Canada

UNBC professors, with support from a $24,000 federal grant, are researching how to make outdoor destinations more accessible for people with mobility challenges. Spinal Cord Injury BC’s Access BC team, which includes Nancy Harris, is working with faculty members Mark Groulx, Shannon Freeman and Pamela Wright in their research to see more barrier-free destinations created in the province. “We live in a province, and a country, that has some of the most magnificent natural environments,” Groulx, an associate professor in UNBC’s school of environmental planning, said…

Chennai Metro stations not disabled-friendly, High Court bench issues notice

August 22, 2020 | Source: NewzHook- India

The Madras High Court has issued a notice to the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (Tamil Nadu) and Chennai Metro Rail Limited after a PIL filed by disability rights activist Vaishnavi Jayakumar’s highlighted that metro stations in the city have failed to meet the guidelines under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. Lack of adequate signage, inaccessible automatic ticketing systems and toilets – Chennai metro stations are far from disabled-friendly…

#SheLeads: ‘Take First Step, Many Will Join’ Says Face Of Wheelchair Basketball In India

August 22, 2020 | Source: The Logical Indian- India

If you look at my resume, you’ll find that I’m an Associate Vice President with a multinational corporation (MNC) Bank group, a former national Paralympic Swimming Champion, the founder General Secretary of the Paralympic Swimming Association of Tamil Nadu and founder President of the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India. But behind this impressive resume, is my story – a story of an ordinary woman who decided that I would not be defined or limited by society, by what was inaccessible to me, or even by my own disability…

“The word” deaf and dumb “looks inappropriate to me”

August 22, 2020 | Source: Pledge Times- Russia

They live next to us, but often we do not notice them – although they do not hear, due to the characteristics of their body, it is they. But hearing impaired and deaf people nevertheless actively participate in society. For example, Polina Sineva is a deaf teacher, screenwriter, playwright. The short film “Intercom” according to her script was shown in Cannes, and the play based on the play “An Alien Voice” was successfully staged at the “Stanislavsky Electrotheatre”. Polina told Izvestia about how a creative person who is deaf now lives in Russia…

‘Need creative solutions to tackle attitudes towards disabled people’, Harish Kotian, BGFI co-founder

August 23, 2020 | Source: NewzHook- India

Patience and tenacity helped Harish Kotian carve a way forward at a time when awareness about disability and disabled people was visually nonexistent in India. This month on the eve of his retirement from the Reserve Bank of India Kotian, who is also one of the founder members of the Blind Graduates Forum of India, talks about his learnings from the battles he fought every step of the way. A firecracker accident at the age of 14 left Harish Kotian totally blind. That put an end to his dreams of joining the Indian Air Force and fighting for the motherland…

Covid Reminds Us That Web Accessibility Helps All Users, Not Just The Disabled

August 23, 2020 | Source: Forbes- UK

Back in the early days of the internet, when having a computer at home usually meant a single room with a bulky desktop tower, web accessibility was barely a thought for those in the IT industry, let alone an afterthought. As the early 2000s wore on, third party software manufacturers began to develop bespoke desktop access solutions, often at a hefty mark-up. The “Mobile First” digital landscape, which was to emerge a decade or so later, changed the game forever. Suddenly, using their smartphones out and about, “ordinary” able-bodied folks found themselves plunged into situations that temporarily mirrored those routinely experienced by disabled people…

IPC President Parsons “positive but realistic” about Tokyo Paralympics staging next year

August 23, 2020 | Source: Inside the Games- Japan

When Andrew Parsons, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President, looked ahead to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics a year ago there was only one item on his list of “issues” – the lack of accessible hotel rooms for disabled people. He was “super-confident” that the Japanese capital would deliver “an incredible Games”. But then issue number two came along – and it involved rather a lot more than accessible hotel rooms… As this 43-year-old Brazilian takes stock once again coming up to a year to go to the re-arranged Paralympics, the reason for their postponement – the coronavirus pandemic – has edged above accommodation on the list of concerns…

The NGV has made a selection of works accessible for those who have low vision

August 24, 2020 | Source: Time Out Melbourne- Australia

The visual arts have long faced issues of accessibility when it comes to including those who are blind or have low vision. Yes, they’re called the “visual arts” – but it is entirely possible to make paintings, drawings, sculptures and textile works accessible to those who are blind. One way to do this is through detailed audio descriptions – which the NGV has added to six of its key artworks. The audio descriptions were produced in partnership with Description Victoria and are now available online for some of the NGV’s best-known works such as John Brack’s ‘Collins St, 5PM’, Katsushika Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa’ and…

The National Lottery supports Deaf Hub ( Wales ) & Pride Cymru Improving Accessibility For All

August 24, 2020 | Source: News from Wales

Building on the success of Pride Cymru 2019 ,two welsh charities are coming together again this August to bring an additional element to Wales’ largest celebration of Equality & Diversity. Whilst COVID 19 has impacted many outdoor events this year , Deaf Hub ( Wales ) previous known as Cardiff Deaf Centre and Pride Cymru are again working in partnership to ensure that the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community – are not excluded from this years online event. Pride Cymru’s Online Big Week is being hosted from Monday 24th August to 30th August…

Navigating the pandemic more difficult for deaf people

August 24, 2020 | Source: Saskatoon Star Phoenix- Canada

Gale Estell says it was already a struggle to navigate the world as a deaf woman. Now, during a pandemic, it’s become that much more difficult. Estell relies on reading the lips of people who cannot communicate through sign language. With masks covering the mouth, it’s been tough to communicate with people while in public. Even going to the grocery store is a source of anxiety. “Without the lips, I can’t understand anything that goes on around me,” Estell said…

It Took A Pandemic To Prove What Students With Disabilities Wanted For Years Is Possible

August 24, 2020 | Source: HuffPost- Canada

When universities moved online in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it marked the advancement of something students with disabilities have been requesting for years: more accommodations and support. Third-year York University computer science student Arnab Hossain has Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that can cause severe abdominal pain. He said once or twice a week he usually arrives to class late or has to leave in the middle of a lecture because of the pain. When his winter courses moved online, he was able to watch lectures from his bed, where he was more comfortable…

BWW Interview: Jonathan Suffolk Talks Smart Caption Glasses and Accessibility

August 25, 2020 | Source: Broadway World- UK

After training at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Stage Management and Technical Theatre, Jonathan Suffolk went on to work at a number of different theatres, before becoming the Technical Director at the National Theatre, and eventually moving on to focus on his work with the National Theatre Smart Caption Glasses. The glasses provide a revolutionary closed-captioning service for audience members with hearing loss, as the dialogue in performances is displayed on the lenses of the glasses…

Science educators launch online classes for visually impaired students of Varanasi blind school

August 25, 2020 | Source: NewzHook- India

This heart-warming initiative launched by Raka Ray Mandal and her husband Prof B.P. Mandal is our #StoryOfTheWeek. The couple, who are science educators in Varanasi, have started online classes for visually impaired students of a local residential boys’ school after many sections were closed due to the pandemic. It would be no exaggeration to call Raka Ray Mandal and husband Prof. B.P Mandal are true humanitarians. Mrs Mandal is a science teacher and her husband Prof. Mandal a faculty member in the Physics Department at Benaras Hindu University (BHU)…

Wheelchair-user’s interview ‘cancelled as office is not accessible’

August 26, 2020 | Source: Evening Standard- UK

A trainee barrister claims she had her job interview cancelled after the law firm found out she used a wheelchair and claimed the building was not accessible. Holly Girven, 23, from North Lincolnshire, applied for a litigation paralegal job in Sheffield on a recruitment website, which provides legal services for BT. She was contacted by the agency Paralaw, who said BT was keen to interview her. However, when Ms Girven mentioned she was a wheelchair user and enquired about access, she said she was told the office wasn’t accessible as it was an old telephone exchange…

Swinburne University’s Accessibility Careers Hub is first of its kind

August 26, 2020 | Source: Mirage News- Australia

Swinburne University’s Accessibility Careers Hub is the first of its kind in Australia.The Hub is a collaboration between the University’s Careers Services and Accessibility Services to provide targeted employment opportunities for students with disability. Career practitioner, David Eckstein from Swinburne University, says the University wants to change the employment landscape for people with disability and that the Australian Network on Disability (AND) is pivotal in making that happen…

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