Accessibility in the News — 5/22/2020.
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AITN Quote of the Week
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity to act despite our fears.” ― John McCain
Feature Stories
Stores That Reopen Face ADA Compliance Puzzles
May 14, 2020 | Source: Cato Institute & The National Interest
Around much of the country retail stores and small businesses are struggling with how to reopen, or carry on operations online, consistent with public health recommendations on social distancing and protection of customers and workers. And as they do they find their task complicated in many ways by the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and related state laws. So I conclude from an advice column by Minh Vu and John Egan of the law firm Seyfarth Shaw…
As America reopens, prepare for a flood of coronavirus workplace lawsuits
May 20, 2020 | Source: CNBC
Like many small business owners, Edgar Comellas, owner of Aces Wild Entertainment in Florida, has seen business grind to a halt since March. His company, which arranges casino games for corporate, fundraising and private events, has returned deposits and doesn’t have any new bookings on the horizon. Times are hard, but Comellas isn’t exactly rushing to get back out there. He’s been stocking up on protective gear such as masks, gloves and hand sanitizer while contemplating eye goggles, plexiglass dividers and new arrangements, like three blackjack tables for the price of two so as to allow for more space between patrons…
Will The Current Crisis Give Digital Accessibility An Awareness Boost?
May 21, 2020 | Source: Forbes
We’re living through a crisis where the lack of human contact makes digital options vital for connecting with loved ones, handling basic needs and doing business. For individuals with disabilities, however, those options are now more limited than ever. Having to use a digital equivalent is especially concerning for people with disabilities because many rely on assistive technology to use the web. A screen reader, for example, enables users who are blind to navigate a site or app as the screen reader software reads the content aloud…
National News (U.S.)
Ethics questions swirl around historic Parkinson’s experiment
May 14, 2020 | Source: STAT
A secretive experiment revealed this week, in which neurosurgeons transplanted brain cells into a patient with Parkinson’s disease, made medical history. It was the first time such “reprogrammed” cells, produced from stem cells that had been created in the lab from the man’s own skin cells, had been used to try to treat the degenerative brain disease. But it was also a bioethics iceberg, with some issues in plain sight and many more lurking. In 2013, the soon-to-be patient, George Lopez, gave $2 million to underwrite research on cells in lab dishes and rats that was required to show that the surgery might be safe and possibly even effective…
NYC Board of Elections is a mess, new audit claims
May 14, 2020 | Source: News Brig
The metropolis Board of Elections is riddled with “widespread mismanagement” and lax record-keeping that jeopardizes its capacity to conduct correct and truthful elections, a stinging new report launched Thursday by metropolis Comptroller Scott Stringer claims. The audit, which examined the election company’s dealing with of 2019 election, discovered that the BOE: 21 of 30 sampled ballot websites weren’t accessible to New Yorkers with disabilities or compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)…
Campus Life in the Fall? A Test With No Clear Answer
May 14, 2020 | Source: The New York Times
Fall will be quiet this year at San Diego State University. No big lecture classes. No parking lots packed with commuting students. No campus hubbub around Greek life, and perhaps no pep rallies for the Aztecs football team. As one of the 23 schools in the enormous California State University system, San Diego State will hold classes primarily online, a decision the system’s chancellor announced this week. But 20 minutes up the freeway at the University of California, San Diego, things could look very different, with tens of thousands of students streaming back to campus, if only to single dorm rooms and socially distanced classrooms…
Republic woman sews accessible masks with vinyl mouth ‘window’
May 17, 2020 | Source: KY3
The CDC still recommends wearing a mask out in public to slow the spread of COVID-19, but covering your face can cause communication problems for some people. “Having the mouth and the face available is very important because you know, just in communication,” said Stacie Amschler, an independent living specialist with SCIL Empower Abilities. Amschler said during a time where everyone is covering their faces with masks, it’s vital that individuals make it known how they prefer to communicate…
COVID-19 Pushes Commerce Online, Making ADA Website Compliance More Important Than Ever
May 19, 2020 | Source: Law.com
The COVID-19 pandemic has tilted the world of commerce decidedly—and perhaps irrevocably—toward a model where the fundamental point of contact between consumer and business is online. Put simply, a restaurant these days needs a website just as much as a kitchen, in order for customers to place pick-up or delivery orders consistent with physical distancing directives. An orchestra needs a way to deliver performances to audiences while concert halls are closed to crowds…
Serving Special Needs Students During COVID-19: A Rural Educator’s Story
May 18, 2020 | Source: Education Week
When schools in Owsley County, Ky., closed in early March, James Barrett hopped on his bus each morning to deliver meals to hundreds of students. Then the special education teacher, who is also a bus driver for the rural district, would head home and log in for Zoom meetings with his high school special education students—some of whom have 3rd- and 4th-grade level skills in reading, writing, and math. Across the country, widespread school closures have upended special education, which is administered through carefully constructed plans called Individualized Education Programs…
Now Is the Time for Hotel Owners to Make Their Websites ADA-Compliant
May 19, 2020 | Source: Hotel Business
While the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically reduced the number of guests staying at hotels, it has barely had any impact on the number of lawsuits being filed in which a hotel’s website is accused of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The majority of these cases are brought by visually impaired individuals who are not able to access certain content on the website because the site is not compatible with the assistive device or technology the plaintiff uses to navigate and obtain information from websites…
Blind Michigan Voters Win Groundbreaking Lawsuit
May 19, 2020 | Source: National Federation of the Blind
In a historic outcome, a Federal Court in Detroit has approved a consent decree that orders the State of Michigan to provide accessible absentee ballots to blind Michigan voters in all future elections. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of blind voters Michael Powell and Fred Wurtzel, along with the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan, alleged that Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Director of Elections Jonathan Brater violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide absentee ballots that can be completed by the blind…
It’s Time to Rethink the Language of Accessibility. And to Imagine a More Equal World
May 21, 2020 | Source: TIME
Accessibility is a slippery, deceptive word that belies its own emancipatory meaning. Let’s demonstrate this through a simple thought experiment. Imagine being a wheelchair-user. You are a twenty-something professional who fearlessly navigates the world, determined in your resolve to live a barrier-free life. You just want to get on with it. All that stands between you and the uninhibited life you crave is the seemingly impermeable reality of the inaccessible built environment you encounter on a daily basis…
For PBS Kids, Accessibility And Representation Are Top Of Mind
May 20, 2020 | Source: Forbes
In an interview last summer, Lesli Rotenberg, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager for Children’s Media and Education at PBS, told me the overarching goal for the ever-popular PBS Kids is to create television shows and other content that is as accessible and representative of children, of all abilities, as possible. “PBS Kids aims to reach all kids, but we have a special focus on supporting those kids that need it most,” she said. “As a public broadcaster, we’ve always felt a deep responsibility to uphold representation and inclusiveness in our content, including how that content is accessed and consumed…
Try surfing the web like someone who has no vision, then let’s talk about digital accessibility
May 21, 2020 | Source: WRAL Tech Wire
In this new digital era, ever wonder what it’s like to surf the web or navigate an i-Phone like someone who has low or no vision? Well, here’s your chance. To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Durham’s LCI Tech is challenging people to learn about tech access and inclusion by trying a series of activities — like going mouseless for an hour or surfing the web using a screen reader — that give a little glimpse of some of the obstacles faced by those who are blind or low vision…
Restoring vision to the blind
May 21, 2020 | Source: Science
Surveys consistently report that people fear total blindness more than any other disability, and currently the major cause of untreatable blindness is retinal disease. The retina, a part of the brain that extends into the eye during development, initiates vision by first detecting light with the rod and cone photoreceptors. Four classes of retinal neurons then begin the analysis of visual images. Defects in the optical media that transmit and focus light rays onto the retina (lens and cornea) can usually be dealt with surgically, although such treatments are not available in some parts of the world, resulting in as many as 20 to 30 million legally blind individuals worldwide…
The insights you’ll gain from hiring people who have struggled
May 21, 2020 | Source: Bankless Times
Every employer can attest that you learn something from each person you bring into your organization. But the insight you stand to gain from hiring people who have struggled is particularly unique and extraordinarily valuable. Although “people who have struggled” might sound like a small pool of candidates, it actually refers to a wide array of individuals. From people with disabilities such as mobility impairments and blindness to individuals who have battled addiction, you will quickly see that hardships and tough situations have affected many lives. It can even include hiring rehabilitated felons…
Deaf Community Faces Hurdles During The Pandemic
May 21, 2020 | Source: WVUA 23
Recently, clear face masks have been in the news as an aide for the Deaf community, but there are still issues the Deaf community face. Clear face masks are a step forward to helping the Deaf community interact, as facial expressions are one of five aspects of American Sign Language, according to Kent Schafer, a doctoral student in psychology at the University of Alabama. Without facial expressions, he said, it’s like missing every other word in a conversation…
Jack Fact — The National Institutes of Health predicts that by 2050, more than 2 million Americans will be legally blind and 6.95 million other people aged 40 or older will begin confronting restrictions that may limit their ability to drive.
International News
To build truly inclusive economies, disability needs to be part of the conversation
May 14, 2020 | Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation- Ireland
Inclusion is something that is talked about widely and is slowly becoming a priority in the business world, but disability is seldom included in the conversation. One reason for this is that 80% of disabilities are invisible, which can create an out of sight out of mind mentality. While there have been important accomplishments in relation to disability awareness, accessibility and inclusion, the issue is still seen by much of the business community as a niche or the domain of charity or welfare programmes, meaning many businesses fail to include disabled people at the most basic level…
Sense and sensitivity
May 17, 2020 | Source: Daijiworld- India
He remembers that it was in the year 2010, when his mother became partially sighted, that he started looking at spaces including art galleries, museums, monuments and events with a perspective whether they were conducive to people with special needs. After all, she always made it a point to check out new exhibitions in town and visit museums. For him, it suddenly became important that the visually impaired should be able to experience through tactile interventions what others could see through eyes…
National museum accessible online for hearing impaired
May 17, 2020 | Source: Tehran Times- Iran
A number of short videos have been produced to tell the story of the thousand years of human culture in Iran on the basis of the museum’s collections to the hearing-impaired visitors, with the presence of a tour guide and in sign language, public relations department of the museum announced on Sunday. During Persian New Year (Noruz) holidays in late March, the museum arranged online visits to make the best use of the museum during the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced authorities to shut doors of all museums and historical sites across the country…
Less than 1% of Brazilian sites are fully accessible, research points out
May 20, 2020 | Source: Explica- Brazil
A survey by Movimento Web para Todos and BigDataCorp indicated that only 0.74% of Brazilian websites passed all accessibility tests for people with some type of disability, such as visual, hearing or motor. The survey included 14.65 million active sites in the country. In estimation, the Movement Web for All states that currently, Brazil has more than 45 million people who need some adaptation on the sites to consume content on the internet. In times of coronavirus pandemic, where information is quickly updated on the networks, many of these people may be left without access, on the margins of the lack of vehicle adjustments on the network…
Coronavirus: Accessibility advocate calls on Ontario government for more support for special needs students
May 20 2020 | Source: Global News- Canada (Video)
A day after the Ontario government revealed schools will remain closed for in-person learning, an accessibility advocate is questioning the plan to support special needs students…
Ear infection plagued people in Israel 15,000 years ago, study finds
May 20, 2020 | Source: The Jerusalem Post- Israel
Once an extremely dangerous illness, ear infections have been plaguing humanity for at least fifteen millennia: A group of Tel Aviv University researchers found that the inhabitants of ancient Israel suffered from it already 15,000 years ago. Ear infections can be studied in a precise way because they leave very specific signs in the middle ear which can only be caused by it, Dr. Hila May of the Department of Anatomy and Anthropology at TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research explained to The Jerusalem Post…
D/deafness and solidarity in the covid-19 pandemic
May 20, 2020 | Source: The BMJ Opinion- UK
Covid-19 poses unique challenges to the 12 million people in the UK with hearing loss, many of whom rely on visual cues such as lip-reading and sign language, which leans heavily on facial cues and expressions for communication. In response to the covid-19 pandemic, not all UK government briefings were accompanied by British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters and this provoked appreciable concern among the 151,000 people who are BSL users. The Equality Act requires reasonable adjustments to be made to support disabled people, including providing information in an accessible format…
Technology bridging gap for DeafBlind Ontario clients
May 21, 2020 | Source: Bradford Today- Canada
During a time when we are physically separated from family, friends, and our peers, technology helps to bridge the gap and encourage social connection from afar. Although checking social media platforms, browsing the internet, and navigating video and audio streaming services are considered normal interactions, they also open doors of accessibility for others. For Steven, a man with deafblindness, Facebook and email connect him with the outside world. “I communicate online because I like to talk to people… it is faster and easier [for me] to communicate.”…
How technology helped build a learning haven for students with disabilities
May 21, 2020 | Source: The Hindu BusinessLine- India
Growing up with dyslexia and ADHD in a small industrial town, Senthilkumar Govindarajulu could never explain to his teachers why he couldn’t read and write like other students or retain lessons, as well as his classmates, did. Years later, with access to technology, Senthilkumar returned to his hometown to ensure that children like him do not get denied a future. Pursuing higher education with his learning disabilities, Senthilkumar did his doctorate in clinical and medical social work and volunteered with the United Nations and other agencies…
Artificial Eye That ‘Sees’ Like A Human Could Transform Robotics
May 21, 2020 | Source: Independent & Futurism & The Sun- China
Scientists have developed an artificial eye that could provide vision for humanoid robots, or even function as a bionic eye for visually impaired people in the future. Researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology built the ElectroChemical Eye – dubbed EC-Eye – to resemble the size and shape of a biological eye, but with vastly greater potential. The eye mimics the human iris and retina using a lens to focus light onto a dense arrays of light-sensitive nanowires. Information is then passed through the wires, which act like the brain’s visual cortex, to a computer for processing…
Visually Impaired Nigerians Struggle to Navigate Coronavirus Challenges
May 21, 2020 | Source: Reuters- Africa
Lawal Adebimpe knows she must remain a safe distance from people to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in Nigeria. But her blindness means she usually holds people to navigate her way around the heaving megacity of Lagos. Adebimpe, a baker who lives with her parents, lost her sight in 2018 after suffering retina detachment in a car accident. She said the need to remain 2 metres away from others hit her “like a bomb”. “I have to depend on people to go out. I have to cross the road, I have to walk around, get a bus,” said the 31-year-old…
Wearing a face mask, it turns out, can be a risk for many
May 21, 2020 | Source: RCI- Canada
When Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, officially recommended on Wednesday that Canadians wear non-medical face masks when maintaining a two-metre distance isn’t possible, few likely imagined Tam was proffering anything other than sound advice. But not everyone. For millions who face medical challenges that many of the rest may not–asthma, autism, deafness–wearing a mask can be problematic. Simply wearing a mask could create risk of an asthma attack, says Vanessa Foran, the president and CEO of Asthma Canada…
COVID-19 Resources and Information
- Latest Coronavirus News- Inside Higher Ed
- Google simplifies access to credible COVID-19 information
- COVID-19 Crisis is Driving Digital Accessibility Awareness- Yahoo
- Coursera offers unemployed workers thousands of free online courses
- Challenges Facing Nonprofits: AccesSurf- Hawaii Business Magazine
- Could e-learning represent the future of vocational training?- FE News
- Experts, students frame disability inclusive guidelines for educational institutions- Newz Hook
- The push to make websites accessible for people with disabilities as COVID-19 outbreak continues- WPIX 11
- In observance of GAAD, User1st CEO Amihai Miron shares his perspective on the impacts of COVID-19 and online accessibility
Accessibility Blogs and Information
- Does WCAG Apply to Kiosks? Matt Ater
- Got 60 seconds for GAAD today?- Alex Wyrick
- Building An Accessible Digital Workplace- PEAT
- PEAT Podcast: Making the Virtual Workplace Accessible
- Making collaboration accessible to all with Microsoft Teams
- Taking an Updated Look at the Data AudioEye, Inc. (AEYE)
- How access to tech remains the great equalizer- Inside Verizon
- Does Your Website Work for People with Disabilities? Find out.
- D&I Weekly News Round Up: Inclusion, Accessibility and more
- Adobe’s Accessibility Approach? Everyone’s Responsible- Built In
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day- Washington State University
- How accessible and compliant is your social media?- Nevada Today
- We Now Know What It Feels like to Have Hearing Loss- Insider NJ
- Accessible Design Thinking in the Enterprise World- Bo Campbell- IBM
- UO’s Accessible Education Center paves the way for students- AroundtheO
- Ensure accessibility during quick move to online instruction- Joan Hope Ph.D.
- How Center for Students with Disabilities has transitioned online- The Cougar
- Don’t Get Around Much Any More? In Memory of Bob Levine- River Journal
- Architect Maryann Thompson Talks Sustainable and Accessible Design- Boston
- Digital Accessibility Is An Ethos Not A Coding Competency- Gus Alexiou- Forbes
- UM Continues Commitment to Making Courses Accessible to All- Ole Miss News
- Announcing the Updated Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form- US DOL
- Cal Poly is finding new ways to improve physical accessibility on campus- Mustang News
- Clarity and accessibility: How subtitles can help you learn new languages- Daily Californian
- Another New York Judge Says the ADA Does Not Require Braille Gift Cards- Seyfarth Shaw
- He Worked It Out- Athlete Rob Balucas helped bring handcycling to Strava- App Store Preview
- Microsoft Accessibility Chief Jenny Lay-Flurrie Talks New Accessibility Evolution Model- Forbes
- Reopening Businesses Face Customer Pushback on Mask Requirements Under ADA- Seyfarth Shaw
- IBM launches Equal Access Toolkit to help developers build accessible websites and applications- Si McAleer- IBM
- Accessibility Information and Resources for Individuals with Disabilities- Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- Technology Helps Blind Users “See” Websites
- Here are all Alexa features you should know about
- AI for Everyone: Accessibility Meets Bixby Vision
- Tobii Dynavox Launches Suite of Accessible Apps
- Airbnb launches accessibility-focused online activities
- Will Apple’s AR glasses revolutionize accessibility tech?
- AccessBot: A chrome-based web accessibility evaluation tool
- The University of Iowa to launch new homepage website redesign
- Prevent Blindness Unveils New Brand Identity, Logo and Website
- First ever Hello A11Y virtual event on 21 May, get the details here!
- Google will make wheelchair accessibility info more prominent in Maps
- Samsung making TVs more accessible to the visually impaired – for free
- Apple spotlights artists with disabilities for Accessibility Awareness Month
- Microsoft talks accessibility improvements coming to Windows 10 and Edge
- Google launches accessibility updates to Maps, transcription and amplifier apps
- Turkcell Launches Video Call Center Service App for Disabled Persons: Face to Face
- OLC to Deliver Discounted PD on Online Instruction to Minority-Serving Institutions
- Echo360 Recognized as Best Video-Based Learning Solution for Second Year in a Row
- Student and Instructor Usage of Blackboard Ally Increase as Remote Learning Accelerates
- IBM launches Equal Access Toolkit to help developers build accessible websites and applications
- CampusPress Releases Accessible Content Plugin in Time for Global Accessibility Awareness Day
- Mediasite Announces New Video Tools to Help Schools, Businesses Navigate a Digital-First Reality
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day Minister calls on public sector to ensure digital services are accessible
- Afford (The Australian Foundation for Disability) Supports Inclusivity on Global Accessibility Awareness Day
- Terranova Security Releases Powerful Accessibility Features Across Entire Security Awareness Training Library
- Point Source Audio Reinvents Intercom Headsets for More Hygiene and Accessibility to Custom In-Ear Monitors
- New OutSystems Capabilities Give Enterprises the Dev Tools They Need to Meet the Strategic Mandate on Digital Accessibility
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- Gamer Choice- Xbox (YouTube)
- Evaluating Web Accessibility Overview
- How to use Apple’s iPad Magic Keyboard
- Research Note on Web Accessibility Metrics
- Accessible Images For When They Matter Most
- 5 Quick Tech Tips To Make Remote Working Easier
- Accessibility for iPhone and iPad: the definitive guide
- VS Code 1.45 brings UI accessibility updates and more
- Ubisoft Is Making Accessibility Part of the Company’s DNA
- Should you use a template or custom design for your website?
- AccessJam announced to support Global Accessibility Awareness Day
- Ghost of Tsushima’s Black-and-White Mode Helped Make the Game More Accessible
- Android gets new accessibility features, including Google Assistant-powered Action Blocks
- “Designed For Accessibility” feature on App Store Today shows off Apple’s push for equality
- Netflix tips and tricks: How to unlock full potential of streaming platform’s accessibility settings
- Google Live Transcribe gets updated to v3.0 with two new nifty accessibility features (APK download)
- Moving Out Dev On The Importance Of Inclusivity And Accessibility, And Launching A Game During COVID-19
Accessibility Statements
- SBE
- Digikey
- PayFlex
- Motherly
- Star Ferry
- Utah State University
- Women Writers Project (VPAT)
- Cass County Star Gazette
- University of Houston System
- The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
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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