Accessibility in the News — January 18, 2019.

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“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” ―Epictetus

National News (U.S.)

The Justice Files: ADA lawsuits gain no traction in Utah

January 7, 2019 | Source: ABC4

Kat Nelson lost everything after her business was sued for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.”We just didn’t lose a business,” said Nelson. “We lost our home and we lost our means of making money.” Nelson and her husband are in bankruptcy after a year of financial ruin. They were once owners of Mystic Hobby Games, a video game store in Sandy that shut down after they were sued. “I was absolutely shocked,” said Nelson. “I could not believe someone was suing us over ADA compliance.”…

CES 2019: Toyota Finalists For $4 Million Challenge To Reinvent The Wheelchair

January 7, 2019 | Source: Forbes

A hybrid exoskeleton-on-wheels and an urban wheelchair share-scheme are among the five finalists of the latest Toyota global competition. Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas today, the three-year, $4 million “Mobility Unlimited Challenge” is asking engineers, innovators and designers from around the world to rethink the conventional wheelchair. Toyota Mobility Foundation, in partnership with the global innovation foundation Nesta, is asking participants to be truly inventive…

Digital Accessibility Concerns in Design Affordances

January 8, 2019 | Source: Medium

A design affordance is a clue about how an object should be used, typically provided by the object itself or its context. For example, anyone handling a kitchen utensil for the first time should be able to easily guess which end you hold and which end you use just based on how it looks and feels. There are five different types of affordances that apply to the digital world which have very specific accessibility implications. It is important for designers / developers to identify these and make implementation choices that are both accessible (i.e. WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliant) and usable…

Disabled video gamers find more options as EA, others expand choices

January 11, 2019 | Source: Orlando Sentinel

Aaron Cendan’s new video game controller features a subtle but significant design change. Instead of a joystick, four buttons on the left control the direction a player moves on the screen. Competitive gamers have embraced the change because of the milliseconds it can potentially save, which could mean the difference between a win and a loss in the high-stakes world of esports. Cendan created the controller initially for a friend whose wrist injury had limited his ability to compete…

Nassau County sued over claims that website violates ADA

January 11, 2019 | Source: WJXT News4JAX

Two Floridians who are considered legally blind are suing Nassau County over complaints that the county’s website does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The city of Fernandina Beach received a similar complaint about its website from one of the men. In response, officials said they are taking the steps necessary to make sure their websites follow the law. The city and county aren’t alone. As the Orlando Sentinel reports, one of the men has filed almost 200 lawsuits nationwide over the lack of access to government websites for those who require screen readers…

7 Ways Cities Should Improve Their Accessibility for Disabled Citizens

January 11, 2019 | Source: Rush PR News

Close your eyes and imagine how much of your life would change if you had a disability. How would you cook your meals every day if you broke an arm–or lost one of them entirely? What would you do to get around if you found yourself in a wheelchair for the rest of your life? These are scary things for able-bodied people to think about. But, for individuals who live with disabilities, it’s the norm to look at the world through creative eyes and find unique ways to perform everyday tasks…

Tim Tebow hosts prom for special needs students from various countries

January 12, 2019 | Source: CBS Sports

Former Heisman Trophy winner (and more when it comes to football) and current Mets minor leaguer Tim Tebow has long been a very charitable human being. He continued his exemplary work with special needs teens this past Friday. The event was called Night to Shine, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. The foundation said the event was “our unforgettable prom night experience, centered on God’s love, for people with special needs.” Now, Tebow himself could obviously only be in one place at a time, but this was a coordinated, worldwide event…

Historic architecture creates accessibility challenges for some Colonial Williamsburg visitors

January 12, 2019 | Source: Williamsburg Yorktown Daily

Colonial Williamsburg is one of the staples of the local community, but not everyone in the community has the same access to it. “We take so for granted when you’re able to get up and walk to wherever you want to go,” said Pam McGregor, executive director of The Arc of Greater Williamsburg. “But anyplace present a problem, even the cobblestones.” The Arc of Greater Williamsburg is an organization that works with people who have developmental disabilities…

Deaf And Unemployed: 1,000+ Applications But Still No Full-Time Job

January 12, 2019 | Source: NPR

Amanda Koller is getting her second master’s degree. She has applied for more than 1,100 jobs in the past year. She hasn’t gotten any full-time, permanent job offers. She is also profoundly deaf. The unemployment rate among the deaf is staggering. Fewer than 40 percent of those with a hearing disability work full time, according to the Yang-Tan Institute at Cornell University’s analysis of 2016 American Community Survey data. Despite improvements in technology and accommodations that are making it easier for deaf people to work and communicate, deaf job hunters say employers still don’t believe they can do the work…

Comcast aims to help customers with disabilities through call center, technology

January 13, 2019 | Source: The Spokesman-Review

While some Comcast call center agents focus on sales calls or assisting customers with billing issues, others dedicate themselves solely to helping customers with disabilities navigate technology. At the Comcast Accessibility Center of Excellence in Liberty Lake – the company’s largest accessibility support center in the country – a team of specially trained agents are helping elderly as well as physically and visually impaired customers use the company’s X1 television platform and troubleshoot connectivity issues…

Deaf And Unemployed: Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands

January 13, 2019 | Source: NPR

The clock was ticking when Angie Bedoya held up a pair of inside-out jeans to five judges, exposing the different sizes of each pocket. She pushed her phone deep into the left pocket — almost down to the knee — as her business partner, Emely Rodriguez, dramatized in American Sign Language, “Look at these big, glorious pockets!” At Gallaudet University’s recent Bison Tank contest in Washington, D.C. — a college version of the popular TV show Shark Tank — the two students pitched a pocket-tailoring company called “Super Pockets,” in hopes of joining the growing ranks of deaf business owners nationwide…

Accessibility at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Thank You, LA Rams

January 14, 2019 | Source: Friedreich’s Ataxia News

By the time you read this column, I hope to be celebrating a win for the Los Angeles Rams over the Dallas Cowboys — my favorite football team will move one step closer to the Super Bowl. Even if they lose the game, the team has had an amazing season thanks to head coach Sean McVay. You may have guessed that I am a sports fanatic, especially when it comes to the NBA and the NFL. You’re correct. Before the Rams returned home to LA, my family and I cheered them on while they were in St. Louis, Missouri…

Glasses give sight to the legally blind, opening eyes to the broader potential of making tech accessible

January 14, 2019 | Source: GeekWire

More than 180,000 people attended CES to see the latest in consumer technology. From autonomous suitcases to a laundry-folding robot, there were many wacky gadgets making headlines throughout the week. But some of the most cutting-edge products at the show were designed for people with disabilities, demonstrating how the tech industry is increasingly focusing on accessibility technology as a way to make better products for everyone. One example: a pair of glasses from eSight that helps people who are legally blind actually see — in some cases, even better than people with 20/20 vision…

Chick-fil-A store opens on Sunday so boy with special needs can fulfill his birthday wish

January 14, 2019 | Source: Yahoo

A 14-year-old boy who has autism got to celebrate his birthday by fulfilling one of his wishes at an Alabama Chick-fil-A. One store in Mobile, Ala., opened its doors on Sunday, when Chick-fil-A is typically closed, for Elijah Sprague so he could help run the drive-thru. Walt Gilstrap, the manager of the restaurant and Elijah’s uncle, along with the owner, Mr. Glen, let Elijah run the drive-thru window where he passed out cookies to about 40 cars. The participants then went inside the Chick-fil-A to finish celebrating Elijah’s day with a festive cookie cake, Mobile, Ala., news station WKRG reported…

Disabled San Diego residents sue over e-scooter ‘obstacle course’

January 14, 2019 | Source: Yahoo

A group of disabled Californians and their advocates are asking a judge to order shared ride scooter companies to remove their scooters from San Diego’s sidewalks and return money they earned by conducting business on taxpayer-funded walkways. A man born with with no arms and one leg, a blind man, a male amputee, and a man with progressed Parkinson’s disease are plaintiffs in a federal case seeking class action certification against startup companies Bird, Lime, Razor, and the city of San Diego. The plaintiffs say defendants are denying disabled people their right to travel freely and safely on public ways…

This Traveler Shows That Seeing The World In A Wheelchair Is Possible

January 15, 2019 | Source: Forbes

Cory Lee Woodard was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy at the age of 2, but that certainly has not diminished his desire to travel – wheelchair and all. Professionally known as Cory Lee, he has traversed six continents and blogs about his accessible – and sometimes not so accessible – travel adventures on his blog. Since starting his blog in December 2013, Cory has gained nearly 60,000 followers across social media and won the 2017 Lowell Thomas Award for Best Travel Blog. Most recently, he was named “Person of the Year” by New Mobility Magazine…

New Mobility Projects Increase Accessibility in Michigan

January 15, 2019 | Source: UPMatters

Pointing to the critical role transportation plays in improving access to services and public life in communities across the state, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the final round of pilot projects to receive funding under the $8 Million Michigan Mobility Challenge initiative today at the North American International Auto Show. The Michigan Mobility Challenge grants address core mobility gaps for seniors, persons with disabilities and veterans across the state, with projects in Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, the Central Upper Peninsula and Southeast Michigan receiving funding in this second round…

Court Says Domino’s Website Must Be Accessible to the Blind

January 15, 2019 | Sources: Courthouse News Service and LF Legal and Seyfarth Shaw and Epstein Becker and Green and BBC and MetNews and Business Insurance and Fast Company and Blank Rome and Steptoe and Drinker Biddle and Reath

Domino’s Pizza must make its website and mobile app accessible to blind people using screen-reading software, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday. Guillermo Robles, a blind man, filed a federal lawsuit against Domino’s in September 2016, claiming the company thwarted him twice when he attempted to order a customized pizza. Its website and mobile app didn’t work with screen-reading software, which vocalizes visual information on websites. The company also offered online-only discounts, which Robles said were effectively off-limits for him…

Editor’s Note: For background on mobile application accessibility, see our two-part series on “Mobile Applications and Litigation: Why Accessibility is Important and What to Consider before Launching” by Paul J. Adam and Sanjay Nasta:

Dear Restaurants, Your Inaccessibility Is the Opposite of Hospitality

January 16, 2019 | Source: Eater

Before I started using a wheelchair, the only time I ever had to call ahead at a restaurant was to confirm a reservation. It’s an easy call, and then you show up, enjoy your meal, and move on with your life. When I first started using a wheelchair, I started calling ahead to restaurants every time I wanted to go out. Calling a restaurant to figure out whether they’re actually wheelchair accessible is far more complicated than confirming a reservation. Sometimes the employee on the phone mumbles vaguely, so I decide to try my luck without pressing the issue…

NU sued over website accessibility by blind NY resident

January 16, 2019 | Source: The Huntington News

On Nov. 15, 2018, Jason Camacho filed a lawsuit against 50 universities across the country, including Northeastern. He alleged that the colleges are violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA. Camacho, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, is blind. In order to browse the internet, he uses a screen reader, which allows visually-impaired individuals to receive the text on the screen through speech synthesizers or braille displays. Camacho claims that he encountered barriers while trying to access university websites with his screen reader…

Online Hotel Reservation Systems Under Attack for Alleged ADA Violations

January 16, 2019 | Source: Neal Gerber Eisenberg

A new flavor of litigation has arisen under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its regulations, specifically those regulations pertaining to descriptions of the accessibility features of hotel rooms. As we have previously written, over the last several years, ADA litigation regarding claims for internet-based practices has primarily centered on the accessibility features of the websites themselves. However, numerous recent claims have arisen based on an alleged lack of online specificity concerning hotels’ physical accessibility features…

It’s designers who can make gaming more accessible for people living with disabilities

January 17, 2019 | Source: The Conversation

Anyone can play video games, right? If you’ve been following recent buzz in the gaming industry, you might be under the impression that video games are more accessible than they’ve ever been. Popular talking points include how video game audiences are increasingly large and diverse. This perception is due, in large part (as games researcher Jesper Juul identifies), to the rise of more user-friendly interfaces that bypass many of the roadblocks associated with controller “literacy”. But despite the celebratory discourse around gaming’s increased accessibility, serious efforts to make gaming accessible to people living with disability remain rare…

Closed Captioning on Gas Pump TVs — the New Frontier of Florida’s ADA Suits?

January 17, 2019 | Source: Daily Business Review

Serial plaintiff Alexander Johnson has brought a federal lawsuit against a Miami gas station because it doesn’t have closed captioning on the television screens beside its pumps — an issue his lawyer Scott R. Dinin said is causing dozens of callers to contact his law firm. As Johnson suffers from severe hearing loss, he’s not privy to the news and commercials streamed while consumers fill their tanks at the Chevron station on Northwest 42nd Avenue, owned by RSJ Investments. And that, Johnson’s lawsuit posits, is a violation of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act…

Jack Fact — According to WHO, more than 15% of the world population lives with some form of disability, of whom nearly 190 million people experience considerable difficulties in functioning.

Hit The Road Jack — Top 5 accessible cities for wheelchair users

International News

Twitter Is Praising a Bridal Shop For Its Lovely, Inclusive Window Display

January 9, 2019 | Source: Cosmopolitan- UK and NPR- UK

In a celebratory moment for inclusivity, a woman in the U.K. recently noticed and shared something she’s never seen before in a store window: a mannequin modeling a bridal gown, posed in a decorated wheelchair. The display was spotted by Beth Wilson, 36, who is disabled herself. Wilson saw the model in Portishead, Bristol and shared a photo of it on her Twitter so people all over the world could also see and celebrate the rare moment of disability inclusivity in fashion…

CBA to make Albert accessibility upgrades after lengthy battle

January 11, 2019 | Source: Computerworld- Australia and Which-50- Australia

Commonwealth Bank of Australia has agreed to make software upgrades to its Albert EFTPOS devices, following a lengthy legal challenge and campaign from vision-impaired Australians. A discrimination case was brought against the bank by former Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes and Nadia Mattiazzo whose complaint focused on the difficulty blind and vision-impaired people had in securely using the device. CBA’s Albert EFTPOS machine was launched in 2015, to much fanfare from the bank. There are currently 94,000 Alberts in use across Australia…

Lima 2019 Installs Accessibility Features at Athletes’ Village

January 11, 2019 | Source: Around the Rings- Peru

Lima 2019 has installed new accessibility features at the Athletes’ Village – known as the Pan American and Parapan American Villa, and located in the district of Villa El Salvador – that will ensure a comfortable and convenient experience for visually impaired athletes during the Games. The Pan American and Parapan American Villa will feature podotactile paving in pedestrian areas, with raised surfaces that alert people with visual impairments to crossroads or slopes..

New Eastern Caribbean bank notes to be accessible to the blind

January 11, 2019 | Source: Loop News- St. Lucia

Are paper banknotes soon to go out of circulation? It’s a question worth considering because as of May or June of this year, the twenty and fifty dollar paper bills will not be issued by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in their present format. The new banknotes will be made from a compound known as polymer. These polymer banknotes will be incorporated with many security features not available in paper banknotes. In fact, such notes are said to last significantly longer than paper notes, causing a decrease in environmental impact and a reduced cost of production and replacement…

University of Chittagong Inaugurated the First Accessible E-learning Center in Bangladesh

January 12, 2019 | Source: BBG Architecture Life- Bangladesh

Professor Dr. Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury, Vice-Chancellor of University of Chittagong, inaugurated a state of the art “Accessible E-learning Center” for the visually impaired students studying at the University. A.K. Khan Foundation, a2i programme of Bangladesh Government and YPSA (Young Power in Social Action) jointly established the Accessible E-learning Center which was formally inaugurated on 7th

January, 2019. Addressing the programme as chief guest, CU VC Prof. Iftekhar said the e-learning centre is a part of a plan to build CU as an inclusive university…

Helping to make the beach accessible for all

January 14, 2019 | Source: Port Lincoln Times- Australia

Most Australians love a day at the beach and love to have some aquatic fun in the ocean off of our beaches, but unfortunately for many people they have difficulty accessing either. As covered in the front page story of the Port Lincoln Times, this past Friday the Port Lincoln community welcomed the introduction of beach matting and a floating wheelchair to help people with disabilities access the beach freely. The project was spearheaded by Red Cross regional manager Kerry Schubert and volunteer Janet Whittaker, who said of the project “it was time Port Lincoln needed this.”…

Government seeks Disability Champions across a variety of sectors for 2019

January 16, 2019 | Source: THIIS- UK

The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) is looking for Disability Sector Champions across seven different sectors, including retail, product design and technology, for 2019. Disability Sector Champions use their influential status as leaders in their sectors to drive improvements to the accessibility, and quality, of services and facilities in their sector. There are currently 14 Disability Champions who have all made “great progress” in their sectors, but the Government stresses that more needs to be done to make sure disabled people are fully included across the whole of society…

Government seeks Disability Champions to drive accessibility and inclusivity across a variety of sectors

January 17, 2019 | Source: AT Today- UK

The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) is looking for Disability Sector Champions across seven different sectors, including retail, product design and technology, for 2019 to help improve the lives of disabled people. Disability Sector Champions use their influential status as leaders in their sectors to drive improvements to the accessibility, and quality, of services and facilities in their sector. There are currently 14 Disability Champions who have all made “great progress” in their sectors, but the Government stresses that more needs to be done to ensure disabled people are fully included across the whole of society…

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