Accessibility in the News — 5/7/2021.
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AITN Quote of the Week
“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” ― Nido Qubein
Feature Stories
EEOC Sues Walmart for Disability Discrimination
April 29, 2021 | Source: EEOC
Walmart violated federal law by failing to provide an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter for an applicant and failing to hire the qualified applicant because he is deaf, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed yesterday. According to Julianne Bowman, the EEOC’s district director in Chicago, the EEOC’s pre-suit administrative investigation revealed that after the applicant applied for a position at Walmart Store #2728 in Decatur, Ill., through Walmart’s website, he was contacted by Walmart for an interview…
Fifth Circuit to determine whether Fondren disability rights activist can bring suit against Hinds Co.
April 29, 2021 | Source: WLBT
It’s been nine years since Dr. Scott Crawford first notified Hinds County officials that the courthouse was out of ADA compliance. Yesterday, his case was presented before the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to determine whether he has standing to force the county to bring its courthouse up to standard. Crawford, a Fondren resident and disabilities rights activist, filed suit against the county in 2017, claiming it had done nothing to make its Pascagoula Street courthouse more accessible to individuals with disabilities. The case was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi…
Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Two Community Colleges to Improve Access for Students with Disabilities
May 6, 2021 | Source: DOJ & ADA-CTC & ADA-TCC
The Justice Department announced today the signing of two agreements with community colleges to remove barriers experienced by students with disabilities, including veterans. The agreements, reached with Central Texas College of Killeen (CTC), located in Killeen, Texas, and Tidewater Community College (TCC), located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, are part of the department’s commitment to ensure that educational institutions comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Both colleges have high populations of servicemembers who have returned from active duty…
National News (U.S.)
Makerspace program will help provide resources and opportunities to people with disabilities, and the community
April 29, 2021 | Source: Wyoming News Now
A network of five brand new or renovated makerspaces are slated to open later this spring throughout Wyoming, offering exciting opportunities for anyone around Casper, Cheyenne, Evanston, Pinedale, and Rock Springs to gain access to best-in-class tech tools that can take their creative projects to the next level. Defined simply, a makerspace is a collaborative workspace for hands-on making, learning and exploring. These spaces are often creative community centers where people of all experience levels can learn how to tap into emergent technologies that they might not have at home…
Degree Launches Accessible Deodorant To Serve People With Disabilities
April 30, 2021 | Source: Forbes
Inclusive marketing is all about being intentional about which consumers you will serve. Many brands engage in exclusion marketing, simply because they don’t take the time to think about all the different types of customers who have the problem their brand solves, and thus fail to consider what specific needs some of them may have to use their product successfully. Degree Deodorant realized that people who are visually impaired, and people with upper limb mobile disabilities are also people who need to use deodorant…
How a New Era of Volunteer Programs Is Embracing Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion
April 30, 2021 | Source: American Alliance of Museums
One of the most powerful ways for the public to engage with museums is not as visitors. It’s as volunteers. Here’s why: the volunteer experience is direct and immediate. Volunteers spend extensive time within their chosen museums, getting to know staff and visitors and seeing the positive impact of their efforts firsthand. They experience the satisfaction of being part of that success and feel invested in the museum’s mission. When you engage a volunteer, you engage a community member who feels like they belong…
In search of smoother ground: District clears its trails of barriers in push to make parks ADA accessible
April 30, 2021 | Source: Palo Alto Weekly
When Santa Clara County resident Sean Simonson explores trails and open spaces in the Santa Cruz Mountains, he faces accessibility challenges that other bikers and hikers take for granted. Trail impediments might be easy to hop over or maneuver around, but not so on a recumbent tricycle or in a wheelchair, he said. Simonson, 47, an athlete and newly retired emergency services manager, sustained a mountain biking injury in 2006 that caused him to become quadriplegic…
4 Ways The “American Jobs Plan” Could Rebuild The Infrastructure Of Disabled People’s Lives
April 30, 2021 | Source: Forbes
Huge bundles of federal legislation are in the works that are designed to help all Americans, but could also address some of disabled Americans most important and neglected priorities. Wednesday night, April 28, 2021, President Joe Biden addressed a joint session of Congress, outlining plans for a stronger American economy and a more just society. Early in fleshing out the problems his proposals would address, Biden noted that, “800,000 families are on the Medicare waiting list right now to get home care for their aging parent or loved one with disability.”…
Oscars Rejecting Anthony Hopkins’ Zoom Was a Slap in the Face to This Viewer with Chronic Illness
May 1, 2021 | Source: IndieWire
The Oscars Ceremony May Have Accidentally Broken Federal Law
May 1, 2021 | Source: The Things
“For anybody who’s on the downside of advantage and relying purely on courage… it’s possible.” On that closing line of Russell Crowe’s 2001 Best Actor acceptance speech for “Gladiator,” I fell in love with the Oscars. I was also too sick to leave the house; at 14 years old, I was recovering from double pneumonia. It was the latest in a string of lung-related health issues that eventually led to a lupus diagnosis. When I heard these words from an actor I barely knew, it made me feel like I could be a part of Hollywood…
TSA To Improve Screenings for Disabled Travelers
May 1, 2021 | Source: The Mighty
As more and more people get vaccinated against COVID-19, it seems likely that more people will travel this summer for work, to see loved ones and to go on vacation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends that vaccinated people can resume traveling domestically and internationally without getting tested for COVID-19 or self-quarantine before or after travel. For disabled people who will be traveling by plane, the process of getting through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at the airport may be easier too…
From Apple to Domino’s Pizza, U.S. Companies Scramble to Meet Surge in Demand
May 2, 2021 | Source: The Wall Street Journal
Consumers are splurging on cars and furniture—and facing extended waits for delivery. Restaurants and gyms are reopening—and struggling to find workers. Factories and home builders are trying to ramp up—but are short on semiconductors or raw materials. Federal Reserve officials and most economists largely play down supply and cost problems as transitory, saying they aren’t widespread enough to threaten corporate profits or the broader U.S. economy for long, especially amid strong sales…
Tackling the MTA’s accessibility problems
May 2, 2021 | Source: City & State
Quemuel Arroyo is attracted by transportation’s ability to close social inequities. That is a big part of what led him down the path he has taken, he said on an April morning in Battery Park, now serving as the first chief accessibility officer at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “I honestly believe that transportation has the power to drastically enhance a community and individuals’ lives,” he said, wearing a mask declaring “New York Tough,” “or if not done the right way, really create barriers that preclude someone from living their best life.”…
How Microsoft’s Chief Accessibility Officer Does Her Job
May 3, 2021 | Source: The Wall Street Journal & Windows Central
Microsoft Corp. last week announced steps it plans to take in the next five years to improve accessibility to people with disabilities, promising to ramp up its development of related technology, create opportunities for more of them to enter the workforce and make its own workplace more inclusive for them. The company declined to disclose financial figures or targets related to the initiative, but said it aims to improve on previous efforts that focused separately on products and the employee experience with a more systematic approach…
These deaf best friends created a podcast to help the hearing world understand
May 3, 2021 | Source: The San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Best friends Carly Weyers and Sarah Tubert were in Ireland on vacation together when they stumbled onto an unusual idea: The two deaf women would make a podcast for a hearing audience. “We were sitting down at a bar and just talking,” Tubert says. “Like, there are so many interesting questions that we have had. How many times we’d get approached by people, hearing people, just asking questions. “So it was her idea,” Tubert says of Weyers. “She was like, ‘What if we break the glass ceiling and do a podcast?’ And really get through to a hearing audience with no understanding of deaf culture and identity?…
Nike upsets disabled community with limited supply of its ‘Go FlyEase’ shoe
May 3, 2021 | Source: Input
When Nike crafted its Go FlyEase silhouette — the first 100 percent hands-free sneaker ever made — the brand was praised for its accessibility efforts. But like many other Nike models, the hands-free shoe was scheduled as a limited release initially, prompting resellers to snatch up the $120 model and list it online for up to $2,000. Exclusivity and hype are two factors pushing such capitalistic behavior — but the real question is, how can Nike market something as accessible and then limit it?…
ReelAbilities raises questions of access, stark truths about Denver arts scene
May 4, 2021 | Source: The Know
Producing festivals and other live events over the last 12 months minus big screens, stages or in-person attendance has left many organizers feeling deflated. But the turn toward digital streaming also has led to accessibility for new audiences — particularly disabled people, for whom attendance to many past, in-person events was either difficult or impossible. “We have been trying to bring this to Colorado since 2019,” said Amy Weiner Weiss, director of festivals at the JCC Mizel Arts and Culture Center, of the ReelAbilities Film Festival…
Accessibility And The Great Outdoors: In Congressional Hearings, Disability Advocates Call Attention To ‘Barriers’ In National Parks
May 5, 2021 | Source: Forbes
In late April, Ambika Rajyagor’s younger sister Devika underwent a risky and frightening procedure: a vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) was surgically replaced, and implanted above her heart. The goal was to stop the more than 100 seizures she experiences any given day. The outpatient surgery was a success, and while on their way to the pharmacy afterward, Rajyagor and her family took a slight detour to Chino Hills State Park, a family favorite just a few miles away from their home in Chino Hills, California. The family sat, listened to the birds, and observed the incredible views. It was the perfect end to a stressful day…
A frightening fire drill forced a teen to see her school through a disabled friend’s eyes. Then, she couldn’t look away.
May 5, 2021 | Source: The Washington Post
As Catherine Contreras tells it, a fire drill changed how she saw her school. The teenager doesn’t have a disability, but some of her closest friends do, and she was with two of them in a theater class at her Maryland high school when the fire alarm started blaring. As a paraeducator led a student in a wheelchair outside, Contreras followed, walking next to one of her best friends, a student who lacks depth perception. “All of a sudden, I heard screams and cries from my best friend,” Contreras recalls. “My heart shattered. This was a terrifying sound that I will never forget.”…
Alice Wong Wants To Make Space For More Disabled Asian Americans Like Her
May 5, 2021 | Source: Huff Post
Alice Wong doesn’t want to take up a whole lot of space. Instead, she wants to create it. And for the better part of the last decade, she has. “I’m very mindful of making sure that I don’t take up that much space — that it’s not just about me, me, me,” the 47-year-old disability activist told HuffPost. “I really want to ensure that other people have the spotlight and amplify the work of other people. That’s what gives me joy.” Wong, who is based in San Francisco, is perhaps best known for launching the Disability Visibility Project, an online community that amplifies disability media and culture…
The Fascinating Science And Miracle Of Cochlear Implants: How They Work And How To Know If You Need One (Part 1 Of 2)
May 5, 2021 | Source: Discover Magazine
It’s hard to imagine what Count Alessandro Volta was thinking in the late 1700s when he inserted two metal rods into his ears and flipped on the electricity. But he certainly didn’t know that the “crackling and popping sounds” he heard would later help to cure the deaf and hard of hearing – it was just a wild supposition. In Count Volta’s words: “I received a shock in the head and some moments after… I began to hear a sound… It was a kind of crackling with shocks as if some paste or tenacious matter had been boiling.”…
Something worth keeping an eye on
May 6, 2021 | Source: Cape Cod Times
What an Eye Test Can Reveal About Your Health
May 5, 2021 | Source: Southeast Missourian
I have the best eye doctor in the world. I thought my eyeglass prescription was just out of date, and went to get new ones. After doing the scans that are part of the exam, he told me that my fuzzy vision was actually a cataract and booked the appointment for the surgery that same day. I knew it was laser surgery now, not a scalpel like it used to be, but it was still a shock. I don’t have eyeglass coverage now, and won’t be eligible until July, so I asked if it could safely be postponed. No worries, he answered, since it is surgery it will be covered. But the exam might not have been…
Jack Fact — According to global data on visual impairment from the World Health Organization (WHO), around 285 million people worldwide have visual difficulties, 39 million of whom are blind. It is also estimated that 82 percent of people 50 years or older are blind.
Hit The Road Jack — UNWTO focused on delivering accessible tourism for all &Accessible Travel News
International News
£17k to make Peterborough council offices accessible for disabled staff after flaws revealed
May 1, 2021 | Source: Peterborough Telegraph- UK
The council moved into Sand Martin House at Fletton Quays in September 2018 where it became the anchor tenant of the multi-million pound regeneration of Peterborough’s South Bank. But despite insisting that the premises were “built to current standards at the time,” 11 months later it carried out an access audit which recommended 89 remedial actions. In total 10 “high risk” issues which needed to be addressed “as a matter of priority” were highlighted in the audit…
ACT Government secures national mandatory accessible standards
May 1, 2021 | Source: Mirage News- Australia & Illawarra Mercury& Architecture AU
Building regulator welcomes accessible housing reforms
May 2, 2021 | Source: Mirage News- Australia
MBA warns new accessibility rules will add to home costs
May 3, 2021 | Source: The RiotACT- Australia
National Construction Code accessibility standards changes endorsed by VBA
May 5, 2021 | Source: Architecture and Design- Australia
The ACT Government has secured national reform to the National Construction Code, with all new homes built across Australia to include minimum accessibility standards. At the national meeting of Building Ministers on Friday afternoon (30 April), the majority agreed to include minimum accessibility standards for residential housing and apartments in the National Construction Code 2022 based on the Livable Housing Design Guidelines silver standards. Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction Rebecca Vassarotti said she was delighted to have secured this national reform…
Re-imagine learning for students with disabilities
May 1, 2021 | Source: The Hindu- India
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year drastically disrupted the overall education system across the globe. Closer home, as schools and colleges swiftly moved to online classes, there was a disproportionate impact on education of students with disabilities. During the initial phase of the nationwide lockdown, many were not able to attend online classes due to lack of guidelines and absence of tools to facilitate students with visual, hearing or specific learning disabilities…
‘You’ve got to keep pushing’: CTA rules in woman’s favour over Regina bus accessibility
May 1, 2021 | Source: Globalnews- Canada
After waiting over two years, a Regina woman who uses a wheelchair is happy the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) ruled in her favour against a bus company. In October 2018, Terri Sleeva called Rider Express Transportation to book a ride from Regina to Saskatoon for a date in November. Sleeva told the operator that she uses a wheelchair and was told that the bus was not wheelchair accessible. The operator told Sleeva the company would be receiving wheelchair-accessible buses in the future but was not told a specific date…
Fish fun becomes accessible thanks to volunteers in Cape Breton
May 1, 2021 | Source: CBC- Canada
The new walkway and fishing stations at Cape Breton’s John Bernard Croak Memorial Park might look like a simple collection of asphalt and concrete to a passerby. But they are actually a sign of equality and accessibility built from the ground up by volunteers. The Glace Bay park is where children take part in a program that releases trout into the lake and helps the children learn how to fish. But the ground leading to the lake was rough and uneven, making it hard for children who use wheelchairs to get to the water’s edge…
JICA undertakes study to understand Covid impact on persons with disabilities
May 3, 2021 | Source: Daijiworld- Japan
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and V-shesh Learning Services Private Limited have undertaken a pan-India study to comprehend the “Impact of Covid-19 on people with disabilities” in India in the first quarter of the current year 2021. The focus of this study was to determine and assess the medium to long term effects of Covid-19 on the lives of Persons with Disabilities. The pandemic has put immense burden on the government delivery system, as governments, DPOs and NGOs have encountered significant challenges to provide aid, relief materials, and assistance to Persons with Disabilities across India…
Lobe Raising Awareness Among Workers on Effects of Workplace Noise and the Importance of Preventive Hearing Screening
May 3, 2021 | Source: Yahoo- Canada
Each year, hearing loss significantly impacts quality of life for a number of workers and their loved ones. Lobe, which is one of the largest networks of multidisciplinary hearing health clinics, wants to heighten popular awareness about the importance of preventive hearing screenings. As part of Speech and Hearing Month, the company seeks specifically to draw workers’ attention to the importance of having their hearing preventively assessed, thus benefitting their long-term health…
Retail sector missing out on nearly £1bn in monthly sales due to lack of accessibility
May 4, 2021 | Source: Scottish Daily Record- UK
As the retail industry begins to recover after a year of disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, experts are now calling on shopping centres to consider improving accessibility, and accessibility information as part of their reopening strategy. New Global research by Handiscover indicates that almost two thirds (64%) of disabled people in the UK say that shopping centres are either not accessible enough, or not giving customers enough accessibility information…
JICA undertakes study to understand Covid impact on persons with disabilities
May 4, 2021 | Source: Sify News- India
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and V-shesh Learning Services Private Limited have undertaken a pan-India study to comprehend the “Impact of Covid-19 on people with disabilities” in India in the first quarter of the current year 2021. The focus of this study was to determine and assess the medium to long term effects of Covid-19 on the lives of Persons with Disabilities. The pandemic has put immense burden on the government delivery system, as governments, DPOs and NGOs have encountered significant challenges to provide aid, relief materials, and assistance to Persons with Disabilities across India…
Making public transport fully wheelchair accessible will cost €328m
May 4, 2021 | Source: Irish Examiner- Ireland
The projected cost for making all public transport in Ireland entirely wheelchair accessible is €328m. That is according to the body with direct responsibility, the National Transport Authority (NTA), which said that in order to make all elements of transport infrastructure fully accessible, a minimum budget of €327.5m would be required. That figure does not include money spent to that end under the Public Transport Accessibility Programme, a four-year retrofitting project which commenced in 2018 with a capital budget of €28m…
With Accessibility Act introduced at legislature, Simons wants standards in place by end of 2022
May 4, 2021 | Source: Coast Reporter- Canada
Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons says he hopes his first bill introduced at the B.C. legislature as minister of social development and poverty reduction will lead to accessibility standards in the province in about 18 months. “By end of 2022 [it] would be good to see some standards established,” Simons told Coast Reporter after the bill was tabled on April 28. Described as an enabling act, Bill 6 or the Accessible British Columbia Act – if adopted – would support the “the identification, removal and prevention of barriers to the full and equal participation in society of persons with disabilities.”…
‘I’m beyond frustrated: A true story about hearing loss’
May 4, 2021 | Source: Starts At 60- Australia
I have an old friend living at the back end of my house. He’s an old friend because I’ve known him a long time, and because he’s 69 years of age going on 99. He has lots of heath issues including respiratory problems, which limit his ability to move much; numerous skin cancers currently being attended too; and he’s still suffering the affects of a stroke 15 years ago. Luckily, he is still independent enough to have a reasonable quality of life. He enjoys the horses and having small wagers as well as going to the shops…
The web should be more accessible for visually-impaired
May 5, 2021 | Source: The Daily Star- Bangladesh& The Financial Express
Speakers at a webinar yesterday demanded special technologies and methods to make websites of different organisations more accessible to people with visual impairment. They also said that although there are active web portals in 353 upazilas of 57 ministries of the country, most of the government web portals and company web pages in the country are not usable for persons with disabilities. The webinar, titled “Web Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities” was organised by Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF)…
An Innovative Project Helps Canada’s Banking Community to Be More Inclusive
May 5, 2021 | Source: Yahoo Finance- Canada
The Regroupement des aveugles et amblyopes du Québec (RAAQ) is asking banking institutions for their collaboration in a research project which launched in January 2021 and is aimed at developing a recommendation guide to help these institutions offer more accessible online services. Disabled people can navigate the Internet without much difficulty with appropriate adaptive technologies and if websites meet certain accessibility standards. “The current health crisis put a spot light on how important it is to develop accessible websites…
Are retailers making it too tough for seniors to shop online?
May 5, 2021 | Source: RetailWire-UK
Many older consumers have discovered and embraced digital communications and online shopping during the pandemic as the higher-risk group avoided stores. The onboarding experience for many, however, hasn’t been a walk in the park. A survey commissioned last fall from Beyond Consultancy, found only 42 percent of U.K. consumers aged 65 and over found their online experience to be straightforward, with 13 percent labeling it as frustrating…
‘This is completely unacceptable’: This Morning slammed after deaf awareness clip has no captions or interpreter
May 5, 2021 | Source: Metro- UK
This Morning faced a fierce backlash after a clip of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield marking Deaf Awareness Week didn’t feature an interpreter or subtitles. The presenters began Tuesday’s show with some sign language in acknowledgment of the annual hearing loss week, which seeks to put a spotlight on inclusivity and being more deaf-friendly. However, viewers were left raging that there wasn’t an interpreter involved with the episode and that there were no captions on the video, which was shared online, to help deaf people understand the rest of the segment. This Twitter clip has since been amended with subtitles…
Deaf Awareness Week: 5 celebrities you may not have known are deaf or hard of hearing
May 6, 2021 | Source: Hello Magazine- UK
With over 12 million people living with hearing loss in the UK alone, the annual Deaf Awareness Week remains incredibly important. This year, the campaign runs from 3 May to 9 May, with the theme of ‘Coming Through it Together’. To mark this week and the campaign, we’ve looked into five celebrities who are deaf or who have some form of hearing loss. Most famous for her role as Eleven in Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown shot to fame as a teenager and is now a renowned actor, model and producer…
COVID-19 Resources and Information
- They Want You Back at the Office – The New York Times
- Coronavirus: The impact on the deaf community- BBC News
- Benefits Of Virtual Learning For Disabled Students- Kashmir Observer
- Webinar Recap: Higher Ed Accessibility and the Road Ahead- Symplicity
- Pandemic restrictions increased accessibility for people with disabilities- KOB4
- COVID-19 Workforce Recovery: State & Local Disability-Inclusive Policies & Practices- SEED
- Accessibility specialist Elisabeth Ward on disability in digital and the impact of the pandemic- Econsultancy
- ‘Mask-wearing has made me feel vulnerable and anxious’: how the pandemic is affecting the deaf community- Hello Magazine
Accessibility Blogs and Information
- Accessibility at Google I/O ’21
- LEGAL UPDATE: APRIL 2021- Ken Nakata
- GAAD: Individual Challenges- University of Iowa
- Expanding accessibility in virtual reality- Dailyuw
- Events Accessibility Guidelines- Princeton University
- Making VR More Accessible for the Hearing Impaired- Freethink
- Parallel #48: The Trouble with Accessibility Overlays – Relay FM
- Accessibility and Inclusion: You have to be aware to care- Arkadin
- What are WCAG, and why do they matter: On This Day- AbilityNet
- Petition pushes university on accessibility in sorority- The Rider News
- Raising awareness of accessibility in May, and all year round- Amazon
- Accessibility isn’t sexy… and other myths- UX Collective Hope Turner
- Students with disabilities face housing challenges- The Daily Barometer
- Inclusion, Equity, and Accessibility- On Common Ground- Steve Wright
- Mobile site accessibility: the good, the bad and the ugly – AccessibilityOz
- Trustee committee hears update on Student Disability Resources- Penn State News
- 13 Inclusive Design Changes to Increase Your Marketing Engagement- SmarterCX
- ODEP at 20: Driving Change Through Employer Engagement- Department of Labor
- How companies (and you) can make social media accessible for everyone- Mashable (Video)
- Opinion: ADA website accessibility lawsuits on the rise- Springfield Business Journal
- Divergent Learners Collective advocates for academic accessibility- Middlebury Campus
- Winn-Dixie Wins ADA Lawsuit But Chooses Web Accessibility- UsableNet- Jason Taylor
- People with Disabilities to Candidates: Make Your Campaigns Accessible- Public News Service
- How one entrepreneur’s startup was inspired by his dad’s disability- Washington Business Journal
- House Six’s Inaccessibility is a Historical Wrong. College Must Listen to Students- The University Times
- How The Music Industry Must Work To Close The Accessibility Gap: 4 Eye-Opening Takeaways- Grammy
- How to maximise your email campaigns: Accessibility opens the doors to new customers- Elite Business Magazine
- Website Compliance with the ADA: Gil v. Winn-Dixie Stores and a Web of Confusion for Businesses and Nonprofits- Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- Rosie lowers accessibility barriers to online grocery ordering
- Only 3% of city websites meet industry standards, study finds
- Microsoft and DWP work to make technology more accessible
- ‘Travel for All’ arrives in Greece with accessibility certificates
- Gilbert honored as accessibility champion- NC State University
- Vt. Trail Honoring Famous Poet Opens New Accessible Features
- Instagram Goes Accessible With New Captions Feature For Stories
- Salt Lake Acting Company Announces New Accessibility Campaign
- Avanti West Coast launches social media forum for disabled customers
- Microsoft releases new Office Insider Preview Build for Windows users
- Rosenworcel Unveils Proposed Rules for Emergency Connectivity Fund
- New Wheelchair Charging Stations Inaugurated at Miami National Airport
- Advisory committees agree with need for OKC convention center wheelchair ramps
- Check out these accessible beauty products for people with limited upper limb mobility
- Accessibility statements missing from a third of the UK’s top 50 apprenticeship providers
- TPGi takes a big step towards providing affordable accessibility to organizations worldwide
- AudioEye Sets First Quarter 2021 Earnings Call for Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 4:30 pm ET
- Wix Launches First of Its Kind Accessibility Tool to Help Make The Web Accessible for Everyone
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 2021 – Technology Accessibility – Syracuse University
- HapYak Launches Video L10N To Make Learning Interactive & Accessible For All Students Through Video
- Missouri S&T earns second place finish in Solar Decathlon with accessible housing design for disabled veterans
- What Institutions and Publishers Need to Know About Accessibility and Content – Webinar Recording- VitalSource
- Bruce Cook showcases imaginative thinking about accessibility in By Hook or By Cook, debuting June 3 on AMI-tv
- Manitoba Province Launches Online Engagement To Gather Feedback On Accessibility Standard For Customer Service
- Access Ready Covers Conflict Between Federal Circuit Courts Over Whether Websites are Bound by ADA Accessibility Rules
- The American Council of the Blind’s Audio Description Project Announces the 2021 Nominations for the Thirteenth Annual ADP Awards-2021- The deadline for nominations is May 23, 2021. (PDF)
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- Making great accessible mobile apps
- RNIB encourages gamers to fundraise
- Auditing Design Systems for Accessibility
- What Does Accessibility Mean in Game Design
- Google My Business Wheelchair Accessibility Attributes
- 10 web accessibility improvements you can make right now
- Turn the Apple logo on the back of your iPhone into a button
- Live Caption for Chrome web browser helps HoH community
- Designing Accessible Documents Doesn’t Need to be Daunting
- Ratchet & Clank’s Focus On Accessibility Should Be The Standard
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart Offers Extensive Accessibility Options
- Why Unlocking Your iPhone with Apple Watch Matters For Accessibility
- PS5’s ‘Returnal’ Sparks Yet Another Debate About Video Game Difficulty
- We asked an expert to redesign Wikipedia – here’s what they came up with- TechRadar
- Gamers With Disabilities Praise Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart’s Accessibility Features
- Accessibility is part of the beauty of battle royales like ‘Warzone,’ ‘Fortnite’ and ‘PUBG’
- Call Of Duty: Warzone Developer Needs Your Help To Make The Game More Accessible
- Before Your Eyes Devs Reveal How They Created 2021’s Most Unforgettable Video Game
- Highland gamers urged to back sight loss charity RNIB bid to increase access ahead of world awareness day
Accessibility Statements
- TPGi
- NaturalMotion
- Alterna Savings
- A11Y Collective
- Hunger Solutions
- Andra AP-fonden
- George Mason University
- Australian Copyright Council
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- 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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