Accessibility in the News — 8/20/2021.

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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Discrimination in Residential Rental Properties in North Dakota

August 16, 2021 | Source: Department of Justice

The Department of Justice announced today that Hampton Corporation Inc. and several related individuals and entities have agreed to settle a federal lawsuit alleging that they violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to design and construct apartment complexes and a rental office in North Dakota so they are accessible to people with disabilities. The Department of Justice previously resolved claims against the architect and engineer involved in the design of one of the four apartment complexes at issue in the lawsuit…

ADA Title III Federal Mid-Year Lawsuit Numbers at an All-Time High

August 18, 2021 | Source: Seyfarth Shaw

Midyear Report – Accessibility Lawsuits On Track For Record- UsableNet

Regular readers will doubtless recall that 2020 was a down year (but just barely) for lawsuits filed in federal court alleging violations of Title III of the ADA. Our mid-year total was 4,751, due to lockdowns in April and May. That was the lowest mid-year number we’d seen since 2017. But filings picked up in the second half of 2020, and they’ve continued to rise in 2021. In March 2021, we saw 1,240 filings—the most ever in one month. Our total for January 2021 through June 2021 is 6,304, which puts us on track to see 12,000 filings this year…

11th Circuit upholds sanctions for frivolous disability rights lawsuits

August 18, 2021 | Source: Courthouse News Service

A Florida man who filed more than 130 disability discrimination lawsuits will have to pay fines and serve community service for his role in an unethical fee-sharing arrangement with the now-suspended attorney who represented him. In a unanimous opinion issued Tuesday, an 11th Circuit panel upheld a federal judge’s ruling subjecting Alexander Johnson and his attorney Scott Dinin to sanctions for running an “illicit joint enterprise” to profit from inflated legal fees in federal lawsuits over disability access…

Lawsuit alleges SU’s website fails to meet federal accessibility standards

August 19, 2021 | Source: The Daily Orange

A prospective Syracuse University student has filed a class-action lawsuit against the university alleging its website fails to meet federal accessibility standards. The lawsuit, filed in New York Southern District Court on July 19, claims that SU has failed to make its website compatible with computer screen reader programs, depriving individuals who are blind or visually-impaired from accessing the site. The plaintiff is requesting an injunction that would require SU to take all the steps necessary to make its website accessible…

National News (U.S.)

Twitter’s web redesign isn’t as accessible as it should be, experts say

August 13, 2021 | Source: Tech Crunch & Yahoo & Interesting Engineering & iPhone in Canada & The Hindu & Sky News & TechSpot & Silicon Republic & The Hindu

After teasing its new font in January, Twitter made some major changes to its website and app design this week. But while Twitter framed these updates as making the platform “more accessible,” some accessibility experts say that these changes missed the mark. Most noticeably, tweets now appear in “Chirp,” Twitter’s proprietary typeface, and the display has even more visual contrast between the background and text. Other updates made the interface less cluttered, removing unnecessary divider lines…

How one local man is opening the door for accessibility in New Orleans

August 13, 2021 | Source: Very Local New Orleans

If he had it his way, nothing would keep Jesse Bascle from rolling. Bascle, 36, was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when he was in the seventh grade. He was able to keep walking until he was 18 and just starting college. He’s been in a wheelchair since, but he’s also an intrepid traveler around town, taking New Orleans Regional Transit Authority as well as rolling down bike lanes from his Uptown home. He’s traveled around the U.S. and in Europe, especially impressed by the EU’s train system that is so accommodating to travelers with disabilities…

Why are disabled women so underrepresented in American politics?

August 14, 2021 | Source: Press Herald

Today, 25 percent of American adults experience some type of disability, and the disabled community continues to grow. Research has shown the number of eligible disabled voters increased by more than 10 percent between 2008 and 2016. Over the past few decades, the United States has passed many legislative bills supporting equitable voter access and signed the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Despite this, the number of disabled politicians is a staggeringly low 10 percent of sampled U.S. elected officials…

How should sign language interpreters handle rap songs like WAP?

August 15, 2021 | Source: The Straits Times

Raven Sutton, a dancer and American Sign Language (ASL) performer, stayed up for the midnight release of WAP, the raunchy hit by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion last year. Sutton, who is deaf, then spent several hours translating the English into ASL, figuring out what signs to use and practising her flow to match that of the artistes. “The song is very hype,” said Sutton, 26, from Riverdale, Maryland. “Women empowerment, being proud of your body, all of that. So I’m trying to figure out in my interpretation, how do I want to express that?…

Long-haul COVID offers a reminder to the church of the need to be more accessible to those living with disabilities

August 16, 2021 | Source: Baptist News Global

In the wake of COVID-19, some individuals who are diagnosed with “long COVID” are experiencing the reality of disability as they face symptoms that restrict their ability to move through life without limitations. President Joe Biden announced that many of these individuals, sometimes referred to as “long-haulers,” will be protected under the Americans with Disability Act. This new ADA qualification will grant people with long COVID access to federal disability services and accommodations on a case-by-case basis…

Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities Praised for Hosting Seven Online Regional Consultations as it Opens Twenty-Fifth

August 17, 2021 | Source: Mirage News

The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities opened its twenty-fifth session online, hearing from the Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who was grateful to the Committee for its devotion to avoiding a human rights protection gap during this difficult period and for hosting seven online regional consultations. In his opening statement, Mahamane Cissé-Gouro, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, welcomed the most recent ratifications of the Convention by Botswana and Uzbekistan last month, as well as the ratifications of the Optional Protocol by Georgia and Sao Tome and Principe, for a total ratification of 184 and 99 States parties respectively…

‘The World Disables Me, Not The Chair’: Access Mob Pittsburgh Aims To Make City More Accessible For Everyone

August 16, 2021 | Source: CBS Pittsburgh

There’s a group of Pittsburghers trying to make it easier to get around. They are a “friendly mob” hoping to improve our community, one dangerous sidewalk at a time. They call themselves the Access Mob Pittsburgh and their mission is to make the city safer. Alisa Grishman keeps her eyes glued to the sidewalk. She’s taking notes and snapping pictures, using the “My Burgh” app to report unsafe hazards like gravel ditches and tree roots lifting up cement to the city…

Creating More Accessible, Inclusive Buildings

August 17, 2021 | Source: Bloomberg

Sweetwater Spectrum sits on almost three acres, four blocks west of downtown Sonoma, in California’s wine country. It is a zen-like campus, with an organic garden, pool and wide pathways connecting a series of low-rise buildings decorated in neutral colors and sporting acoustical ceilings, motion detectors for lighting and soundproof walls. Floors have both heating and cooling. The design minimizes noise and sensory stimulation for the 16 adults with autism who call Sweetwater home. The residential buildings have individual bedrooms to foster independence and communal kitchens and living rooms to support community engagement…

MTA Looks to Ramp Up Subway Accessibility Without Costly Elevators

August 17, 2021 | Source: THE CITY

As the MTA looks to increase accessibility in the subway system, top transit officials say pricey elevators are not the only way to open more stations to riders with disabilities. Many are inclined toward a simpler solution. “Ramps are failproof,” Quemuel Arroyo, the MTA’s chief accessibility officer, said last month when the Avenue H stop in Brooklyn became fully accessible via a ramp leading to the station’s northbound platform. “I hope to see more of them throughout our entire network.”…

Disabilities law broke barriers, opened doors, but 2 lament that it’s no cure-all

August 17, 2021 | Source: Wrangler News

Susan Deaton was a doctoral candidate at Arizona State University in 1994, out riding her bike with her husband one evening when tragedy struck. In the aftermath of a horrific accident, her left leg was amputated. She’s been in a wheelchair since. Deaton recently moved into a home in Tempe modified to be accessible for her. A ramp to the front door, a microwave oven in a lower cabinet and a kitchen island she can reach while seated in her wheelchair make life a little easier…

Special Ed’s Ardent Advocate: Marcie Lipsitt Fights for the Rights of Impaired and Disabled Students

August 19, 2021 | Source: Detroit Jewish News

When parents hire Marcie Lipsitt, it means their child is not succeeding or reaching their potential in school. For most people “back to school” might mean new pencils and new books. For one Franklin woman, it also means new state special education and civil rights complaints. Marcie Lipsitt, 62, is a special education advocate who spends her time fighting for students’ rights. Every child in the United States is entitled to a free appropriate public education (FAPE), regardless of race, ethnic background, religion, sex, economic status and disability…

What is ableism? Here’s what you need to know about this form of discrimination

August 19, 2021 | Source: Prestige

Merriam-Webster defines ableism as “discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities.” This discrimination — which can be based on physical or mental abilities — happens in digital and in-person spaces and can occur on an individual or a systematic level. Designing a building or website without accessibility in mind, making fun of people with disabilities, not making reasonable accommodations so disabled people can access public spaces, and assuming that people with disabilities want or need to be “fixed” are a few examples of ableism…

Williamsport settles contempt claim over agreement to make City Hall ADA compliant

August 19, 2021 | Source: Penn Live

The city of Williamsport has settled out of court a claim it violated terms of a consent decree to make modifications to City Hall so it complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. An amended consent decree was filed Wednesday in U.S. Middle District Court signed by attorneys for the city and the Center for Independent Living of North Central Pennsylvania, the local chapter of ADAPT, and four individuals. A March 11 consent decree, along with a $55,000 payment, had settled the suit brought by the center, which serves people with disabilities, ADAPT, an activist self-advocacy group, and the four individuals…

A Pittsburgh-based expert in helping children with neurological blindness seeks new home for progressive practice

August 19, 2021 | Source: Public Source

Christine Roman-Lantzy welcomed the Johnson family into her office at West Penn Hospital. Kelsey, Todd and their 22-month-old daughter Seda had traveled five hours from Virginia to have Seda assessed for cortical visual impairment [CVI]. At four and a half months, an ophthalmologist said Seda couldn’t see much more than shadows and lights, implying there was nothing to be done. “That was really hard,” Kelsey said at their July appointment in Pittsburgh, “and we didn’t really agree.”…

How a director patiently fought for deaf actors in ‘CODA’ – and won

August 19, 2021 | Source: Christian Science Monitor & Decider

Apple’s movie CODA lets you into an inner world of sign language

August 19, 2021 | Source: CNET

When Siân Heder first pitched “CODA,” a movie featuring several deaf characters, she struggled to be truly heard. Her movie is about Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones), a teenager who is the only hearing member in a deaf household. (CODA is an acronym for “child of deaf adult.”) Ruby’s torn between her desire to pursue a singing career and her guilt about leaving her family, who make a living fishing in a Massachusetts coastal town. They’ve come to depend on her as their translator. Ms. Heder, the writer and director, felt a strong need to cast deaf actors to play the Rossis. But film financiers balked at the idea…

SignStage theatrical program brings deaf, hearing actors together

August 19, 2021 | Source: Canvas

Ask William Morgan to interpret his spoken words into American Sign Language, and there’s a hesitation. While ASL and English are related, they don’t share a common sentence structure. A direct translation of either language won’t quite make sense. “In English you say, ‘What’s your name?’ In ASL, you say, ‘Your name what?’” explains Morgan, artistic manager of SignStage, a program of the Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland that engages deaf, hard of hearing and hearing students in acting as a form of communication and expression. “It becomes a little more signed English.”…

Jack Fact — According to Statista, by 2050, it is estimated that over a fifth of the population in the United States will be 65 years or older, compared to only 15.6 percent today.

Hit The Road Jack — Plans to make Cork beaches more accessible to wheelchair users & Traveling to Disney World: An Accessible Ground Transportation Failure

International News

Nova Scotia election candidates need to step up and make province more accessible

August 12, 2021 | Source: Globalnews- Canada

In Nova Scotia, we are famous for dragging our feet. Change comes, but only after so much wasted time and lives sacrificed while waiting to embrace it. I would like to offer a couple of thoughts on how I would like the deaf and disabled communities to be treated by the provincial government. Traditionally, my community has been treated as children or patients by the government of Nova Scotia. Please call us citizens. Stop looking at the disabled and deaf communities as being on the outside looking in, as government folks do the “hard work” on our behalf…

Standing tall despite their disability

August 15, 2021 | Source: The Nation- Nigeria

For many, COVID-19 and its attending lockdown remain one dreadful combo they’d wish never happened again. But for these women with different forms of disabilities, who share their life stories with Yetunde Oladeinde, it holds both positive and negative memories. It the moment the economy is harsh and biting, and it is tough to put food on the table for many families due to high cost of foodstuff. Also there are no jobs, despite huge sundry bills waiting to be paid. What’s more? Small businesses are crashing, and women, mainly, are on the receiving end…

Assisting disabled passengers: South Western Rail’s new assistance scheme

August 16, 2021 | Source: Railway Technology- UK

Travelling as a disabled passenger can be a stressful, anxiety inducing experience which involves booking railway assistance hours or even days in advance to ensure help will be available on arrival. South Western Rail’s (SWR) launch of a new assistance scheme sees disabled passengers being able to turn up and receive assistance ten minutes before travelling, rather than pre-planning. With over 14 million disabled individuals in the UK, the importance of railway assistance in the form of staff members on hand, ramps and other accessibility solutions, is imperative to ensure these passengers receive all the help they require for their journey…

Elections Bill risks the disenfranchisement of people with a learning disability

August 16, 2021 | Source: Open Access Government- UK

Dr Mark Brookes MBE, Advocacy Lead at Dimensions UK, discusses the implications of the Elections Bill and measures to introduce voter ID on voter participation for people with a learning disability

As part of the government’s proposed Elections Bill, new laws would require voters to show photo ID at polling stations. Worryingly, this new requirement has the potential to exclude the 1.3 million adults in the UK with a learning disability, myself included, from our basic democratic right to vote…

Are you part of a Paralympic team? What happens when wheelchair-users travel together

August 17, 2021 | Source: Stuff- New Zealand

As someone who’s travelled solo in a wheelchair within New Zealand and abroad, I knew travelling with two other friends who also use wheelchairs would be possible, but it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew there would be some unexpected bumps along the way, like one lady at the airport who asked us if we were travelling as part of a Paralympic team – because why else would three wheelchair-users be travelling together? The trickiest part of the trip actually happened before we even boarded the plane…

Is a Game of Thrones adventure accessible to wheelchair users?

August 16, 2021 | Source: RTE- Ireland

Go Outside and Play is back this summer for a brand-new series, Famous Locations, and this time Carl Mullan isn’t alone. With a summer of exciting staycation ideas ahead of us, we are thrilled to introduce Carl’s new co-presenter, Karl Doyle! Born with arthrofibrosis, which led to osteoporosis and scoliosis, Karl has been using a wheelchair for all of his life. His need for accessible routes (along with his cracking sense of humour) will bring a whole new element to the travel show as the two navigate travelling around the country’s most scenic spots…

Interabled couple aims to overcome accessibility barriers in travel

August 16, 2021 | Source: HalifaxToday- Canada

Interabled couple Kevin Penny and Dee Osmond are inspiring others to break down perceived barriers and get out to explore the province. Through their YouTube channel, the Halifax-based Accessible Adventurers have been gaining a lot of attention for their videos featuring the pair participating in everything from glamping at Natura Wilderness Resort to sailing off the coast of Lunenburg. “What’s cool is, we are in a small city like Halifax and we’ve really developed a bit of a presence to showcase accessibility and to showcase that what we do is really no different from anyone else,” says Penny. “And we have a lot of fun doing it!”…

‘A significant challenge’: Unclear when public transport will be fully accessible

August 17, 2021 | Source: thejournal- Ireland

“I can’t pin a date to it, as it’s not my Department.” That was Minister of State with responsibility for Disability Anne Rabbitte’s response to Noteworthy when asked when public transport would be fully accessible. It’s a question that the Minister herself has asked, she explained, but added that her “role is to ensure to advocate” for this during budgetary decisions. A lack of timeline or target date for full accessibility was a common theme across responses to Noteworthy by Government Departments, State bodies and transport providers…

Eye strain to behavioural change: The cascading effect of online classes

August 16, 2021 | Source: The Kashmir Monitor- Kashmir

For the last two years, the definition of education has changed across the globe. Classrooms have been replaced by mobile phones and discipline has been replaced by chaos, all thanks to the pandemic. Students are becoming fidgets and couch potatoes. No morning drill, no sports, and no extra circular activities, students are experiencing mental health difficulties and loss of concentration. Most of the time children are hooked to smartphones that have created a cascading effect on their health…

‘Artist of the Silence’ uses his deafness as a superpower

August 16, 2021 | Source: Newsbook- Malta

Robert Zammit was born with a hearing disability in Birkirkara 39 years ago. He calls his childhood “very normal”; he attended mainstream schools and was helped along with assistance of peripatetic teachers whose duty was to assure that despite his hearing disability, he did not fall behind in school and other extra curriculum activities. “I have never had any communication problems with my friends or teachers,” Robert told Newsbook.com.mt, “because I use total communication – that is, sign language, finger spelling, cued speech and normal speech – as best I can. I am also all out for the help today’s technology offers for people like me.”…

Venice plans wheelchair-accessible route

August 17, 2021 | Source: CNN Travel- Italy & WLFI

Its 403 bridges, myriad canals and pretty cobbled streets have made Venice one of the world’s most beautiful cities. But what’s one person’s Instagram dream is another’s mobility nightmare. The lagoon city has long been near impossible for wheelchair users to navigate, with only a limited number of areas of the city step-free, and the waterbus service (which is accessible) running limited routes. Now though, all that might be set to change. Venice authorities have vowed to make the city’s main sights accessible to all, with a wheelchair-friendly route from the city’s main entry point to the iconic St. Mark’s Square…

Dutch museum fills ‘Blind Spot’ with exhibit for visually impaired

August 17, 2021 | Source: KFGO- Netherlands

Visitors to a Dutch exhibition titled “The Blind Spot” may call it a little cheesy – but they mean that as a compliment. Utrecht Central Museum launched the unusual project this month in a push to make its offerings more accessible and enjoyable for the visually impaired. The exhibit recreates existing paintings but with extra dimensions, such as sound and smell – including the aroma of ripe cheese. And for once, museum-goers are allowed to touch. Sighted visitors are encouraged to wear a blindfold as they experience works including a version of the 1610 “Still Life with Fruit, Nuts and Cheese” by Floris van Dyck…

A Lot of the “Accessible” Bathrooms Around Now Aren’t Really Accessible to Everyone

August 18, 2021 | Source: Dublin Inquirer- Ireland

Aaron Daly often has trouble squeezing into standard accessible bathrooms with his daughter and her wheelchair, he says. Even when there is enough room, there is no adult-sized changing table, he says. With no other option, he has to change his daughter’s nappy on the floor of his car. “We started looking around, and, thankfully, there is a group in Ireland called Changing Places, and I was lucky to get involved with them,” says Daly, commenting on the appetite for change to accessible bathrooms…

Accessible tourism: Why this braille railing in Naples has gone viral

August 18, 2021 | Source: Euronews- Italy

This week, a picture of a railing at Castel Sant’Elmo (St Elmo Castle) in Naples went viral. While traditionally those visiting the hill-top castle have preferred to take photos of the stunning view of Mount Vesuvius and surrounding coast, one visitor noticed something special about the 92 foot long steel rail running along one of the castle’s walls. The railing, etched with braille in both Italian and English, describes the beautiful view to the visually impaired…

Swimming superstar Ellie Cole on diversity, accessibility and bringing people joy

August 18, 2021 | Source: The Guardian- Australia

Ellie Cole is a bonafide Australian sporting champion. Yet as other women athletes, or sportspeople of colour, or other minorities can attest, success is no shield sometimes. “You know, six years ago, I was working at a place and I was told that I was a ‘diversity hire,’” she tells Guardian Australia from a training camp in Cairns. The star swimmer believes the comment was made in jest. But she was disappointed. “And I think that’s when I really started asking myself questions about what’s happening outside of the sporting space,” she says…

Disabled accessibility to transportation

August 19, 2021 | Source: The Fiji Times- Fiji

The inclusion of disabled persons’ accessibility in legislation and policies governing sea and air transportation is yet to be formulated despite the 2013 Constitution capturing the rights of persons with disabilities to reasonable access on all public transportation. This was stated in the Review of the Performance Audit on the Access for Persons with Disabilities to Public Offices and Public Transport by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) tabled in Parliament on Monday…

Global disability rights campaign launched before Tokyo Paralympics

August 19, 2021 | Source: Mint Lounge- Japan

A global campaign aimed at ending discrimination towards the world’s 1.2 billion people with disabilities kicked off Thursday spearheaded by Paralympic chiefs and backed by a broad group of international organisations. The campaign, called WeThe15, aims to “be the biggest ever human rights movement”, representing the 15 per cent of the world’s population estimated by the UN to have a disability. Backed by corporate muscle and bringing together organisations from the worlds of sport, human rights, policy, and arts and entertainment, the launch comes less than a week before the Tokyo Paralympics open on August 24…

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