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Are Companies Required to Provide Gift Cards With Braille? New ADA Lawsuits Look to Find Out.

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Closeup of finger on braille textAccessibility in the News — 10/31/19.

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“When you focus on someone’s disability you’ll overlook their abilities, beauty and uniqueness. Once you learn to accept and love them for who they are, you subconsciously learn to love yourself unconditionally.”

— Yvonne Pierre

Feature Story

Several First-Of-Their-Kind Lawsuits Filed Alleging That Merchants’ Failure to Sell Gift Cards with Braille Violates the ADA

October 28, 2019   |  Source: Blank Rome & Top Class Action Suits & Womble Bond Dickinson & Bryan Cave & Barnes & Thornburg & Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz

An enterprising plaintiffs’ lawyer has recently advanced a new theory of claim against retailers, restaurants, and other merchants for alleged violations of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Eight novel lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York allege the businesses’ failure to emboss gift cards with Braille is a barrier to blind and visually impaired individuals’ enjoyment of the services and privileges of the establishments…

National News (U.S.)

Gartner Unveils Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users in 2020 and Beyond

October 22, 2019   |  Source: Gartner & CIO Dive  |  

Gartner, Inc. today revealed its top strategic predictions for 2020 and beyond. Gartner’s top predictions examine how the human condition is being challenged as technology creates varied and ever-changing expectations of humans. “Technology is changing the notion of what it means to be human,” said Daryl Plummer, distinguished vice president and Gartner Fellow. “As workers and citizens see technology as an enhancement of their abilities, the human condition changes as well. CIOs in end-user organizations must understand the effects of the change and reset expectations for what technology means.”…

LaFave’s accessibility icon bills approved by Michigan House

October 24, 2019   |  Source: Iron Mountain Daily News  |  

State Rep. Beau LaFave’s plan to update the accessibility icon used on signs and in parking lots and buildings in Michigan, better reflecting the lifestyles of people with disabilities, has been unanimously approved by the state House. The legislation requires any new placement or replacement of signs displaying the international symbol of access to utilize the updated logo, which portrays active independence rather than stationary helplessness. The legislation would only require newly placed or replaced signs to portray the updated icon, and would not force business owners to replace existing signs…

Alaska Airlines provides flight training for guide dogs, a step toward further accessibility

October 24, 2019   |  Source: Seattle PI & KOMO News  |  

Alaska Airlines and Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) teamed up for an event this week, which allowed guide dogs-in-training, their handlers and people with a range of disabilities, including visually impaired, hearing impaired and those reliant on wheelchairs, to explore mock airplanes and learn to navigate them in a controlled environment. The program, now in its sixth year, is free and can make flying a less daunting experience for travelers and their guide dogs…

Pitt suspends delivery robots after wheelchair user reports safety hazard

October 24, 2019   |  Source: TribLIVE  |  

Robotics company Starship Technologies has taken its fleet of automated food delivery robots off Oakland’s streets and back to the drawing board after a University of Pittsburgh student this week flagged issues with the robots blocking access to sidewalks. The company will meet in November with the Oakland Transportation Management Association, which runs the accessibility advocacy program Oakland for All, along with representatives from the City of Pittsburgh and Pitt…

More ADA Lawsuits Targeting Mobile Apps Are Likely Ahead

October 24, 2019   |  Source: Rumberger Kirk & Caldwell  |  

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit earlier this year in Robles v. Domino’s Pizza LLC, became the first circuit to expressly extend Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act to mobile applications.[1] Among other things, Robles alleged in his complaint that, in addition to the website, he tried multiple times to order customized pizzas on the company’s mobile app, but that he “was unable to place his order due to accessibility barriers of unlabeled buttons that do not conform to Apple Inc.’s iOS accessibility guidelines.”…

Wounded warrior helps fellow veterans live with prosthetics

October 25, 2019   |  Source: NBC Today (Video)  |  

In a new installment of Honoring Our Military TODAY, Natalie Morales catches up with an inspiring wounded warrior. After losing a leg in Afghanistan, Redmond Ramos competed in the Invictus Games and on “The Amazing Race” – and now he’s helping fellow veterans learn to live with prosthetics…

Meet The Company Making Travel Accessible for Everyone!

October 25, 2019   |  Source: Ever Widening Circles  |  

Can a person in a wheelchair climb a mountain? With this organization, that’s no longer a question! Wheel the World is empowering people with disabilities to experience the world without limits. And their story is one that can show us the real possibilities in all of our biggest dreams. From Oaxaca, Mexico to Chile’s Easter Island to the vast Serengeti in Africa, Wheel the World is creating accessible trips for individuals with different abilities to places all around the world…

From Collector: Accessibility From Every Angle

October 25, 2019   |  Source: ACA International  |  

Teresa is legally blind. She has limited sight and requires the assistance of a screen reader that translates online text content to audio when she uses the internet. James is deaf. Using a webcam, he often connects online with a sign language interpreter who helps him communicate by telephone. Congress and President George H.W. Bush enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 to ensure Teresa, James and the millions of other Americans with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as others…

 

My Family Cared for My Sick Aunt. Who’s Caring for Us?

October 25, 2019   |  Source: The New York Times  |  

When I was 12, my mother’s 32-year-old sister Emily experienced a berry-aneurysm rupture, which caused a stroke. One day she had a headache that she said felt like being hit with a two-by-four. She went on with life, and then collapsed the next week. The executive assistant whose fingers typed so fast that they blurred like the spokes of a bicycle wheel found her clenched right hand no longer at her command. She could not swallow without choking and had trouble focusing her eyes…

Website accessibility for people with disabilities is still an issue. Here’s why.

October 27, 2019   |  Source: Mashable  |  

It may seem that people with disabilities have made a lot of progress accessing the same resources as people without disabilities. But there’s always more ground to cover. Right now there’s an important battle playing out online and in the courts IRL, where many businesses are questioning whether they have to make their websites and mobile apps accessible — and disabilities rights advocates are vehemently insisting they do.  Recently, the Supreme Court passed on reviewing a case from Domino’s, in which the pizza chain argued that the Americans with Disabilities Act, doesn’t apply to online spaces…

Austin residents with disabilities struggle to find downtown parking

October 28, 2019   |  Source: KVUE  |  

We all know the struggle of circling the block to find a parking spot downtown. This problem can be even worse for anyone who has a disability. Clifton Bean, a Travis County resident who has multiple health issues that contribute to his disability, said he sees the problem every time he tries to go downtown to spend an evening with his family. “Every time we go, we can’t find a parking spot, and wind up going home. After a while, you just get disappointed,” Bean said…

Governor’s office gives ‘the runaround to people who can’t run’

October 28, 2019   |  Source: The Boston Globe  |  

Around the same time Governor Charlie Baker was delivering a speech about the need for age-friendly, accessible housing, a small band of residents in wheelchairs gathered at the entrance to his State House office suite to draw attention to their own accessibility issues. A velvet rope and two staff aides blocked them from entering the reception area. In the Baker administration, accessibility is more relative theory than absolute gospel. “The governor is not available at this time,” declared Kelly Govoni, director of constituent services…

What challenges voters with disabilities face and what needs to be done to fix them

October 28, 2019   |  Source: LoHud  |  

At this point, Carole Conklin knows that accessibility issues and being at the polling site for at least 45 minutes are a part of her voting process. Conklin – who is blind – can easily recall instances of being frustrated and distracted while attempting to vote. “I was only able to vote independently and privately three times in the past four years,” said Conklin, chair of the Yonkers mayor’s Disability Advisory Board. Other times she has waited for a ballot-marking device that is most often used by those with disabilities to be repaired or prepared…

Advocating for accessibility

October 28, 2019   |  Source: The Standard  |  

Jackie Newman, a senior natural resources major, proposed several projects to the agriculture department to improve wheelchair accessibility in three different campus facilities on Friday. Newman, who turns 29 in November, was born with a dislocated right hip, severe scoliosis and was diagnosed with central core disease, a neuromuscular disease which affects all the muscles in his body. Newman has had two back fusions and six hip surgeries, all of which failed due to his lack of muscle structure…

‘If you interpret it, they will come’: Advocates see more sign language translation on campaign trail

October 29, 2019   |  Source: Des Moines Register  |  

While the people wanting to be president take center stage, look to the side of the stage for someone equally important to many in the audience. There’s often an American Sign Language interpreter working to match the candidate’s cadence, emphasis, jokes and speeches for attendees who are deaf or hard of hearing. “If you interpret it, they will come,” said Joan Locke, an American Sign Language interpreter with Cedar Rapids-based Hands Up Communication. “… You provide access, you open that door to the deaf community, and they will be there. They want to be a part of this process.”…

Online-Accessibility Law Moves Many Agency Documents Offline

October 29, 2019   |  Source: TechWire & Government Technology  |  

Documents are disappearing from public view as state departments work to comply with a 2017 law aimed at improving compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The law was meant to ensure all Californians could apply for jobs and find vital information on the state sites. Some departments are choosing to permanently take down documents rather than pay to make them machine-readable or otherwise accessible…

NYU Program Seeks to Improve Museums’ Audiovisual Accessibility

October 30, 2019   |  Source: NYU Washington Square News  |  

The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space museum is an American military and maritime history museum which houses its exhibits inside the USS Intrepid, a WWII-era aircraft carrier that was once used by the U.S. army. It also has narrow doorways and high steps. NYU Clinical Associate Professor Anita Perr, the principal investigator of a project to increase accessibility in the Intrepid, said implementing improvements are particularly difficult in historic sites, where there are rules against alterations that could compromise historic value…

Touch-based display boosts 3D modeling accessibility

October 30, 2019   |  Source: Futurity: Research News  |  

Creating a 3D object with computer software is often the first step in producing it physically, but that can be burdensome for people who are blind or visually impaired. Even with 3D modeling software that has more accessible ways of inputting designs, blind or visually impaired designers still have to evaluate their work by either creating a physical version they can touch or by listening to a description a sighted person provides. “Design tools empower users to create and contribute to society but, with every design choice, they also limit who can and cannot participate,” says Alexa Siu…

If You Rest, You Rust? Study Finds Early Retirement May Speed Up Cognitive Decline

October 30, 2019   |  Source: Study Finds  |  

It’s hard to think of an early retirement as anything other than a positive. Who wouldn’t want to trade in their suit and tie for a pair of beach shorts? While retiring ahead of schedule may be easier on the body, a new set of research has found that it may not be so beneficial for the mind. The study, conducted at Binghamton University, finds that an early retirement can accelerate the usual rate of cognitive decline among the elderly…

Las Vegas’ Angela’s House helps vision-impaired live independently

October 30, 2019   |  Source: Las Vegas Review Journal  |  

Seven years ago, Regina Mitchell developed a complication from an autoimmune disease that caused her to lose her eyesight. The Henderson resident was trying to navigate how to do things around her house, such as turn on the television, adjust the thermostat and use a microwave, washer and dryer. At Angela’s House — an offering through Las Vegas nonprofit Blindconnect — “they taught me all of that,” Mitchell said. It allowed her to live safely in her home. “I learned that I don’t have to be afraid of myself in a situation or another environment,” she said…

Feds Working To Expand Transportation For Those With Special Needs

October 31, 2019   |  Source: Disability Scoop  |  

Government officials say they’re dramatically increasing their investment in improving transportation options for people with disabilities and other underserved groups with a new multimillion-dollar initiative. The U.S. Department of Transportation said this week that it’s committing nearly $50 million to expand access to transportation for individuals with disabilities, older adults and low-income Americans. “The purpose of this $50 million new initiative is to identify ways to provide more efficient, affordable and accessible transportation services for people with disabilities…

This sign language interpreter makes Coachella accessible (and awesome) for deaf concertgoers

October 31, 2019   |  Source: Fast Company  |  

As an interpreter manager at Rise Interpreting, Sara Groves makes sure people who are deaf or hard of hearing can still rock out at music festivals like Stagecoach and Coachella. She and a team of more than a dozen nationally certified American Sign Language interpreters spend months preparing for concert season, studying performers’ mannerisms, predicting set lists, and memorizing lyrics while figuring out how to translate them into ASL…

Read This Before Wearing Coloured Contacts For Halloween

October 31, 2019   |  Source: Refinery29  |  

Certain aspects of a Halloween costume, like a wig, can make or break your look. What’s a clown without red curls or Dora The Explorer without her chin-length bob? Makeup is just as important, but one costume puzzle piece that often goes overlooked is contact lenses. A set of temporary grey or green contacts can elevate a basic cat costume, while novelty lenses (like red or white) can be the thing that makes you actually look like something ghoulish, like a vampire or skeleton. However, before you temporarily upgrade your eyes, know that you should proceed with caution…

Exploring the globe in a wheelchair with Wheel the World

October 31, 2019   |  Source: TTG  |  

A car accident left Alvero Silverstein quadriplegic at the age of 18, unable to walk or use his arms. Determined not to let this stand in the way of his dream of travelling the world, Silverstein (now 34) joined forces with his best friend Camilo Navarro in 2017 to organise the first expedition along the W Circuit route in Torres del Paine national park using a wheelchair. However, the Chilean duo soon realised there was a serious lack of resources or products for people with accessibility needs…

Haro Bicycle faces class-action lawsuit over its website

October 31, 2019   |  Source: Bicycle Retailer  |  

Haro Bicycle Corp. is one of thousands of companies dealing with lawsuits over their websites’ compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. A Brooklyn, New York-man who is legally blind is the lead plaintiff in a class action lawsuit filed last week against Haro in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The man, Valentin Reid, says Haro is violating the ADA because one of its websites, ridedelsol.com, is not accessible to the blind. Reid is the lead plaintiff on at least four other similar suits filed in the court last week, and legal experts say thousands of such suits have been filed in recent years…

Jack Fact — Per the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more Americans age 65 and older than in any time in history. In 2016, they represented 23% of the total U.S. population and are sometimes referred to as the “Silver Tsunami.” The Northeast is home to the largest percentage of people over the age of 65.

Hit The Road Jack — Athens Acropolis to Get Disabled-friendly Lift, New Lights

International News

On a roll: Accessible Jerusalem

October 24, 2019   |  Source: The Jerusalem Post- Israel  |  

Jerusalem is a city of hills and stone. At first thought, this combination might spook some wheelchair users, but it shouldn’t. Today, many of Jerusalem’s amazing sites are accessible to those using wheelchair mobility. Since the spring of 2019, several kilometers of streets in the Old City’s Christian, Muslim and Armenian Quarters have been made accessible to wheelchair users. Admittedly, some ramps had been built even earlier, but the good news is that the project appears to be continuing…

In England, history gets more accessible

October 24, 2019   |  Source: The Telegraph- England  |  

The thought of visiting Tintagel Castle is enough to send shivers down any Arthurian legend-lover’s spine. But as my family prepared to visit England this past summer, we discovered two problems with a potential visit there.

Steps were the first issue. As many as 242 steps up and down, in fact, depending on the route visitors take to access the medieval cliff-top fortification on the rugged Cornwall coast. My 10-year-old daughter, Chloe, has a walking disability and gets around using forearm crutches and a lightweight transport chair…

How this woman entrepreneur’s app is making healthcare more accessible for India’s elderly

October 25, 2019   |  Source: Your Story- India  |  

It’s frustrating to wait in a room for hours on end just to receive a few reports or make an appointment with a doctor. It can also be a struggle to quickly retrieve specific reports or prescriptions from files that have been tucked away. When it comes to the elderly, it can be even more challenging. To make it easier for both the elderly and their loved ones, Neiharika Rajiv launched SuvidaCare in January this year. Through the Suvida app, users can book appointments and have access to all medical reports and prescriptions without any hassle…

New Halloween sign shows support for trick-or-treaters living with a disability

October 25, 2019   |  Source: Guelph Today- Canada  |  

How to make Halloween more accessible to everyone

October 27, 2019   |  Source: CBC- Canada  |  

Placing a ‘Treat Accessibility’ sign outside your house this Halloween will allow children with physical disabilities to enjoy a little more Halloween this year, says the father of a local boy living with cerebral palsy. When Bentley Mitchell was born over seven years ago, doctors believed he may never be able to walk, but the community raised enough funds to send the boy to the United States for surgery, said his father, Chad Mitchell. “He’s fully independent now,” said Chad. “It’s quite life changing as he hardly even uses a cane anymore.”…

Manchester Opera House gives visually impaired and their guide dogs a night at the theatre

October 25, 2019   |  Source: About Manchester- UK  |  

Registered blind individuals were given the opportunity to experience the new musical & Juliet wearing new smart glasses that allowed them to see the entire performance. Participants with ‘tunnel vision’ also known as ‘peripheral vision loss’ entered a competition to experience the show using new smart glasses technology which allowed them to see the entire musical & Juliet before its West End debut. In addition, a further 10 registered blind winners were given an exclusive touch tour which allowed them to feel the props, costumes and meet the cast…

Oxford University bans loud clapping in favor of jazz hands

October 25, 2019   |  Source: Hot Air- UK  |  

It is not difficult these days to come across a story about how institutions of higher learning are coddling their students. Today’s college students are apparently too delicate even to handle a very normal expression of approval – clapping. So, true to form, there must be a ban issued against clapping. I wish I was kidding. The oldest university in the English-speaking world, the University of Oxford, a collegiate research university in Oxford, England, is believed to have been founded in 1096…

Increasing accessibility for the disabled: Not just a moral obligation

October 27, 2019   |  Source: The Daily Star- Bangladesh  |  

Recently, I was travelling from Dhaka Sadarghat Terminal to Barishal by one of the three-storied vessels that are available on this route. Before the journey started, I was waiting on the deck and saw a young woman in a wheelchair being boarded on the vessel. At first, three people tried to lift the wheelchair along with her, and were unsuccessful. Then one of them lifted her and took her into his arms and entered the vessel. Anyone who was around could understand the young woman’s discomfiture in being lifted by a stranger but there was simply no other way!…

Officials inspect Pretoria public transport accessibility

October 26, 2019   |  Source: Centurion Rekord- South Africa  |  

Officials from the department of transport and the Tshwane metro accompanied Pretoria residents living with disabilities on an inspection of the city’s public transport system. The inspection started at the Centurion Gautrain station on Friday morning. From the station, visually impaired and disabled residents accompanied by transport minister Fikile Mbalula and Tshwane roads and transport MMC Shiela Lynn Senkubuge made their way to the Pretoria CBD via an A Re Yeng bus and minibus taxis…

Protesters demand more wheelchair access in Verdun: ‘It’s like we’re second-class citizens’

October 26, 2019   |  Source: Globalnews- Canada  |  

A few dozen people came together in Verdun on Saturday to denounce local politicians and businesses for not doing enough to make the area accessible to people in wheelchairs. “They ignore us. It’s like we’re second-class citizens,” said protester Anne D’Amico, a wheelchair user. The protesters gathered at the corner of Wellington and de L’Eglise on Saturday. Wellington has become one of Montreal’s most vibrant commercial streets, but the demonstrators made it clear they often don’t feel welcome there…

Barriers at Surrey polling place expose accessibility issues for voters with disabilities

October 26, 2019   |  Source: City News Vancouver- Canada  |  

Despite two trips to the polls and assurances of accessibility, a woman with disabilities in Surrey was unable to cast a ballot in Monday’s election. Elections Canada has accessibility standards and accommodations for people with disabilities are available, but the experiences of people trying to vote can vastly vary depending on polling place. Carrie Bercic’s mother lives in the Surrey-Newton riding. Her first attempt to vote was at Newton Elementary School was on the last day of advance polls…

CDA, MCI buildings inaccessible to special persons

October 27, 2019   |  Source: DAWN- Pakistan  |  

The Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) main offices are inaccessible to special persons as they do not offer any special lift or ramp to them, but the authority wants owners of buildings in Islamabad to ensure such facilities.

The CDA’s building directorate had asked the commercial and public building operators to provide facilities to special persons, including accessibility to designated toilets. However, Dawn noticed that there was no accessibility facility for special persons in both CDA and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) buildings…

Accessible Sunday: church turns down the volume

October 27, 2019   |  Source: CHVN Radio- Canada  |  

A church has reduced its worship set to increase accessibility for those with sensory sensitivities. In March of 2019, Coast Hills Community Church in Surrey, B.C. conducted a survey of their congregation by speaking with each of their small groups about what could be improved in Sunday services. They truly were not expecting the feedback they received. “We met with life group leaders, with individuals, families and well over 50% of the church. One thing that came out of that was that some members have sensory issues and Sundays can be quite loud for them,” Lead Pastor Kevin Snyder says…

Do museums and galleries do enough for disabled visitors?

October 28, 2019   |  Source: Apollo Magazine- UK  |  

Museums routinely discriminate against disabled people. Although anti-discrimination laws in the UK have generally proved effective in ensuring that disabled people can, in one way or another, gain entry to cultural institutions, the experiences that await them are often sorely lacking. Newly built museums and large-scale refurbishment projects continue to open with displays that betray the lack of attention paid to disabled people, especially those with learning and sensory impairments…

“It’s like being inside a drawing”: improving exhibition accessibility

October 28, 2019   |  Source: Design Week- UK  |  

“All humans are different, so being conscientious of visitors’ needs helps us to pre-empt our designs,” Pentagram’s Marina Willer says of exhibition design. “Being aware of what can restrict people helps inform design decisions along the way.” This year, Willer designed the Design Museum’s most popular exhibition to date, a retrospective of film director Stanley Kubrick, covering his career from Full Metal Jacket to A Clockwork Orange. The exhibition content — a mix of props, visual media and audio content — spanned several decades, and was evocatively spread out with colours and graphics, contributing to a “filmic quality”…

A prescription for inclusion: ‘Prescription: Murder’ cast features actors with disabilities

October 28, 2019   |  Source: The Western Star- Canada  |  

For many years, Paul David Power felt like he was the only person who identifies with a disability performing onstage. Rarer still was to land a role that didn’t call for a disability. “I wanted to do a play that was just fun — that wasn’t all about disability issues,” Power says of his latest production. “We wanted to demonstrate that you could have a diverse cast from any background, and any physical circumstance in any play, and it doesn’t have to wait for a character or a storyline to call for that.”…

How to be disabled and eco-friendly

October 29, 2019   |  Source: BBC News- UK  |  

Sam Little, a disabled green enthusiast from Aberdeenshire, shares how she builds eco-friendliness into her life even though it is often a less accessible option. I have low vision and a hearing impairment and I’m passionate about doing my bit for the environment. It’s true that change needs to happen on a massive scale, and that being green as a disabled person can be harder to accomplish, but I believe that every little helps and I try to lead by example. I have tips to pass on. Here are some of the things I incorporate into my everyday life, and some of the hurdles I face when trying to be a disabled eco-warrior…

Man to walk 13 000kms across Africa in a crusade for wheelchair accessibility

October 29, 2019   |  Source: Rosebank Killarney Gazette- Africa  |  

Brazilian José Castro (62) is walking 13 000kms through Africa, pushing a wheelchair, to raise awareness about the architectural barriers for people with disabilities. Castro, who is a member of the Lions Clubs International, began raising awareness about the cause in Rosebank before setting off for Jagersrust in KwaZulu-Natal, where his journey will begin on 3 November. He expects the trip to take a maximum of one year and four months to complete…

Williams: We don’t know true accessibility levels in rail

October 29, 2019   |  Source: Transport Network- UK  |  

The Government has no idea of the true level of accessibility throughout Britain’s 2,500 train stations, the chair of the independent rail review has revealed to MPs. Keith Williams, former chief executive of British Airways, has been tasked with a root and branch review of Britain’s railway and was speaking to the Transport Select Committee as the review prepares to make its final recommendations in a White Paper this autumn. He told MPs: ‘We have been looking at accessibility. It has been a learning exercise for me.’…

£2m investment to make buses more accessible for disabled passengers

October 29, 2019   |  Source: Public Sector Executive- UK & GOV.UK & Intelligent Transport  |  

Today it was announced that buses across Great Britain are set to be made more accessible for disabled passengers following a new partnership with the Real Time Information Group (RTIG). The group, which is set to work alongside the Department for Transport, supports good practice in the use of communications technology on public transport. £2 million will be allocated to small bus operators for audible and visible on-board information. With around 50% of public transport journeys made on buses, this funding will help to ensure that passengers can board more buses with greater confidence, knowing there they are and when to get off…

Mexico: Risks at Border for Those With Disabilities

October 29, 2019   |  Source: Human Rights Watch- Mexico  |  

Asylum seekers with disabilities waiting in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico for their United States asylum applications to be processed face obstacles to getting basic services, Human Rights Watch said today. Mexico’s government should identify and ensure services for people with disabilities and chronic health conditions. Human Rights Watch research in Ciudad Juárez – a city across the border from El Paso, Texas – found that the Mexican government does not have a proper system in place there to screen and identify asylum seekers with disabilities and chronic health conditions…

This Advocate Redesigned The Disability Royal Commission Website So People With Disabilities Can Actually Use It

October 30, 2019   |  Source: SBS- Australia  |  

When disability advocate Sam Connor first saw the official website for The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, she noticed a glaring issue — it wasn’t designed well for the very people it was built to help. The site was quite difficult for many people with disabilities to understand and use. For one, the first sentence on the homepage has more information about “His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retired)” than it does about the purpose of the royal commission…

Parliament’s step forward to a barrier-free Canada: federal accessibility legislation comes into force

October 30, 2019   |  Source: Norton Rose Fulbright- Canada  |  

The latest Canada Labour Code amendments are not the only recent legislative changes that federally regulated employers must contend with. In July 2019, the federal Accessible Canada Act (the Act) came into force. The Act requires federally regulated employers to take further steps to remove physical and non-physical barriers that employees with disabilities face. The Act’s purpose is to identify and remove barriers, and prevent new barriers, for persons with disabilities in a variety of areas, including employment…

Exclusive: Addressing the social challenges of accessibility in Abu Dhabi

October 31, 2019   |  Source: AMEinfo- Abu Dhabi  |  

In September, the Authority of Social Contribution – Ma’an announced ten winning teams in the first cycle of the Ma’an Social Incubator program. One of them is Accessible Ad: A Platform for information, expertise, training and support to ensure effective accessibility for People of Determination in Abu Dhabi. We wanted to know more and the following is an exclusive with the company in what will be a series of interviews to come with the other social entrepreneurs and winners of the Ma’an Social Incubator program…

Ticketmaster makes ‘huge step forward’ for disabled music fans

October 31, 2019   |  Source: BBC- UK & Pollstar  |  

For years, deaf and disabled music fans have faced huge barriers when it comes to booking concert tickets. Whether it’s the requirement to call premium rate help lines, or having to provide evidence of their disabilities, the experience has put many fans off. Now Ticketmaster is introducing a new system that allows gig-goers to book tickets online “like anyone else”. BBC reporter Alex Taylor, a wheelchair user who regularly attends concerts, called the move a “huge step forward”…

University of Ghana scientists identify a causative gene for deafness in the country

October 31, 2019   |  Source: Pules- West Africa  |  

The scientists were part of a team of researchers at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) at UG. The researchers collected samples from children in the 11 schools for the deaf across the country. The scientists randomly screened 145 Ghanaians and found out that there was a 1.4% carrier frequency rate among them. This means that out of every 145 Ghanaians two are likely to carry the defective gene that can be passed on to their children. The gene is known as the Gap junction beta 2 (GJB2) or Connexin 26. It directs the production of proteins that make up part of the inner ear…

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  • 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:


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