Accessibility in the News — 10/29 /2021.
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AITN Quote of the Week
“There is no greater disability in society, than the inability to see a person as more.”
― Robert M. Hensel
The 2nd Edition of Structured Negotiation:
A Winning Alternative to Lawsuits
Feature Stories
It’s Time For Businesses To Wake Up To The Normality Of Disability
October 28, 2021 | Source: Forbes
This month marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month in the USA (NDEAM). Whilst I strongly believe that it is outdated to have a month dedicated to discussing something that the case has already been made for, it is helpful in driving forward the much-needed conversation. This year, for example, President Biden’s opening statement to mark the launch of NDEAM, highlighted his administration’s commitment to creating a more inclusive society as we work through the changes the last eighteen months has brought us…
National News (U.S.)
All Wheels Up Brings Wheelchair-accessible Planes One Step Closer
October 22, 2021 | Source: SMA News Today
Flying can be an ordeal for many people with disabilities who rely on wheelchairs to get from point A to point B. Sometimes disabled travelers get to their destination only to realize their wheelchair or scooter is broken or missing.
In 2019, the year after airlines were required to release statistics on mishandled wheelchairs following the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2018, the Department of Transportation (DOT) reported that more than 10,000 mobility devices were mishandled…
Students can learn with their mouths as well as with their eyes and hands
October 24, 2021 Source: Salon
The first time that I met a blind scientist, I was in an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Delaware, a program geared toward disabled students interested in pursuing STEM research. Until that point, it hadnever occurred to me how science education excludes blind students. My daily experience in classrooms consisted of professors drawing molecules on the board or writing out an equation with the assumption that students in the class could see what was being written, very rarely even stating what they were writing. But what about the blind and low-vision students in the classroom?…
Reluctant localities are being dragged into court to fix sidewalks for people with disabilities
October 23, 2021 | Source: Sentinel Source
From her Baltimore dining room, Susan Goodlaxson can see her neighbor gardening across the street. But while other neighbors stop to chat, Goodlaxson just watches from the window. She uses a wheelchair, and there isn’t a single curb ramp on her block. If the 66-year-old wanted to join, she’d have to jump her wheelchair down the 7½-inch curb and risk a fall. Ditto if she wanted to wheel over to the library, a trip that would require riding in the street to avoid rampless curbs and broken sidewalks…
Mass. lags badly in workplace accessibility for disability community
October 23, 2021 | Source: CommonWealth Magazine
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. NDEAM’s roots go back to 1945. It is held each October to “commemorate the many and varied contributions of people with disabilities to America’s workplaces and economy.” Seventy-six years later, however, many people with disabilities in Massachusetts are unable to “contribute” to “America’s workplaces and economy” because Massachusetts law does not require workplaces that aren’t open to the public to be accessible—even if they are in new or substantially renovated buildings…
Meet the 15-year-old blind quarterback hoping to reach the NFL
October 23, 2021 | Source: CNN
Jasen Bracy is unstoppable when he’s on the football field. The 15-year-old Modesto Raiders starting quarterback is completely blind — and a merciless athlete, passing the ball, running touchdowns and breaking tackles.
“I never used even once that I can’t see as an excuse. Never have, never will,” Jasen, who lives in Modesto, California, told CNN. “I told my team that the only difference between me and the other quarterback is that he has a different number, and that’s it.”…
Florida educators tied mask to disabled student’s face for 6 weeks without parents’ consent, father says
October 23, 2021 | Source: Fox
A Florida father is accusing educators at his daughter’s elementary school of forcing his daughter with Down syndrome to wear a mask by tying it to her head for about six weeks. Jeffery Steele’s daughter, Sofia Steele, is nonverbal and has an enlarged tongue. On Oct. 7, Sofia stepped off of the school bus with a mask, wet from her saliva, tied to her head with a thin, nylon string, Steele told Fox News Digital, but she did not leave for school with a mask on that day or any day prior…
National Blindness Awareness Month: Legally blind man spreads positivity, advocates for others
October 25, 2021 | Source: Spectrum News
A good bowler usually scores around 200 in a single game. Wilbert Turner has a world record of 207 and he’s been blind since birth. “I love competition,” said Turner. “I am a competitive person, whether it be sports, whether it’s life, whatever it is. I put my best foot forward.” Turner was born with nystagmus, weak optic nerves, among other disorders and his eyes never fully developed. “I’m in a fog. I’m not in the dark. I’m in kind of maybe gray,” said Turner. “I’m very fortunate in some ways that I was born blind. And by being born blind, it was not an adaptation for me. It was a way of life for me.”…
Accessibility in Columbia: ‘Sidewalks are not just for people with disabilities, they impact everyone.’
October 26, 2021 | Source: KBIA- Missouri Health Talks (Podcast)
Critics say 34th Ave Open Street blocks off disabled and elderly
October 26, 2021 | Source: Queens Daily Eagle
Lydia Olmstead and Dr. Jacque Sample work together on the Columbia Disabilities Commission. Lydia is a person who happens to be deaf/blind, and Dr. Sample has a son with a disability. They spoke about Columbia’s sidewalks and about improvements that would make the community more inclusive – and perhaps even more environmentally friendly. Lydia Olmstead: For me, personally, I rely very heavily on the truncated domes. That’s basically bumpy dots on the curb cut at street crossings that indicate to someone like me who’s blind that I’m approaching a street…
One school still uses electric shock devices on its students. Seven senators are leaning on the FDA to get them banned
October 26, 2021 | Source: The 19th
Multiple senators are pushing for an end to the use of electric shock devices on people with disabilities, a tool that is now used by only one school in the United States, where most of the students are Black and Latino boys and men. At Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton, Massachusetts, some students at the school wear devices at all times, while staff members monitor them for infractions. Students who engage in an undesirable behavior may receive a painful shock. Students can also be put in four-point restraint and shocked repeatedly for transgressions ranging from self-harm to failing to pick up a jacket when told…
Bride surprises fiancé with tactile wedding dress
October 27, 2021 | Source: Yahoo & News18
When Kelly Ann Ferraro set out to find her wedding dress, . her top priority wasn’t whether it would look good in pictures but whether it would feel good to her future husband. As she met the groom, Anthony Ferraro, at the altar, she put his hands on her dress. Anthony, who is blind, started to cry. “It was the most amazing experience,” he told In The Know. “There’s silk, a velvet strip around the back and cotton, woven-in flowers. Every texture was an experience, and put this painting of Kelly in my head”…
I am currently deaf. Is this it from now on, I wonder, one thing failing after another?
October 27, 2021 | Source: The New Statesman
I have had, all things considered, a fairly good run health-wise, when you think about what I put into my body, and at my age, too. There are friends of mine whose backs are going, whose sight is going, whose digestion is going. One friend about my age is suffering from rosacea, whose effect on his complexion he describes, rather wonderfully, as “like cherries jostling up in a clafoutis”. The condition comes with many grievous Thou Shalt Nots: drink neither alcohol nor hot drinks, especially anything containing caffeine; eat neither cheese nor spicy food; do no vigorous exercise…
Blind People Won the Right to Break Ebook DRM. In 3 Years, They’ll Have to Do It Again
October 27, 2021 | Source: Wired
It’s a cliché of digital life that “information wants to be free.” The internet was supposed to make the dream a reality, breaking down barriers and connecting anyone to any bit of data, anywhere. But 32 years after the invention of the World Wide Web, people with print disabilities—the inability to read printed text due to blindness or other impairments—are still waiting for the promise to be fulfilled. Advocates for the blind are fighting an endless battle to access ebooks that sighted people take for granted, working against copyright law that gives significant protections to corporate powers and publishers who don’t cater to their needs…
IPTC Updates Metadata Standards To Help the Blind ‘See’ Photos Online
October 27, 2021 | Source: PetaPixal
The International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) has released a new version of its Photo Metadata standard that includes two new properties aimed at making photos more accessible to those with disabilities, such as the blind. The IPTC says that web accessibility is extremely important in the current digital age, and as the number of images added online increases daily, the gap widens for people who use assistive technologies to access information, especially those that are blind…
To baby brains, language is language, signed or spoken
October 27, 2021 | Source: New Kerala
Parents of deaf babies are often encouraged to give them cochlear implant surgery to prevent cognitive delays. Researchers have shown that it’s the early exposure to language, not sound, that helps with normal brain development.
The findings of the study were published in the journal ‘Child Development’. “We find early exposure to language, whether signed or spoken, supports the development of typical cognitive skills,” said Corina Goodwin, a psycholinguist at UConn…
40 million Americans need to understand this news about hearing aids
October 28, 2021 | Source: SF Gate
I am a unicorn of hearing loss. I lost over 50% of my hearing three years ago thanks to a very sudden and very rude brain hemorrhage. But then, in what counts as a miracle within our health care system, my insurer paid for new hearing aids. And then — and this is the really wild part — I actually WORE them. Neither of these occurrences is common. Most insurers, including Medicare, don’t cover the cost of hearing aids, despite the fact that they require a prescription and despite the fact that they retail for as much as $4,000 to $5,000 a pair…
For parents of children with Down Syndrome, respite is elusive but joy is not
October 28, 2021 | Source: Sun Journal
Families raising children and caring for adults with Down Syndrome find themselves in a never-ending cycle of red tape for resources but also with children who enrich their lives with love and joy. The Advertiser Democrat recently held a round table interview with parents and guardians of people with Down Syndrome as part of October’s Down Syndrome Awareness Month to learn more about the everyday challenges and joys their families experience. Life for a caregiver is a continuous bureaucratic battle but also filled with love and celebrations of personal achievements…
Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Vermont Department of Corrections to Improve Access for Inmates with Disabilities
October 28, 2021 | Source: Department of Justice
The Civil Rights Division and U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont today announced a settlement agreement with the Vermont Department of Corrections (VDOC) to ensure that inmates with disabilities have equal access to Vermont’s correctional facilities, programs, services and activities. The agreement resolves the department’s investigation into complaints that VDOC does not provide accessible facilities for inmates with mobility disabilities, and does not ensure effective communication for inmates with hearing disabilities, as required under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)…
What Parents Need to Know About Learning Disability Tests
October 28, 2021 | Source: U.S. News & World Report
Learning new concepts and behaviors is challenging for many children. But when difficulty persists despite extra support at home and in school, education experts start looking to see if a learning disability is at play. It may be that a child is struggling to learn to read, or that an inability to sit still and focus is impeding academic progress. Whatever the signs, learning disabilities are more common than many may think. One in five U.S. children have learning and attention issues such as dyslexia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities…
3 Qualities People With Disabilities Want From Non-Disabled People
October 28, 2021 | Source: Forbes
If as we so often say, people with disabilities don’t want pity, then what do we want? The most obvious answer may be something like “justice” or “equality.” But those are structural issues that are in the reams of economics, law, and politics. What do disabled people want, personally, from other people? Compassion? Not really. Compassion isn’t a bad thing. Compassion can be an important motivation for doing right by disabled people. But both pity and compassion suggest a similar kind of softness that’s nice on the surface and in the short term, but tends to be thin, weak, and temporary…
Jack Fact — Although about 40 million adults in the United States report hearing loss, few have tried the devices. Among adults over 70 with hearing loss, only one in three have ever worn one, according to data collected in the National Health Interview Survey.
Hit The Road Jack —Lancashire one of the best UK counties accessible walks & West Virginia State Parks
International News
Ade Adepitan backs campaign to make electric cars accessible for all
October 22, 2021 | Source: Auto Express- UK
TV presenter and paralympic gold-medalist Ade Adepitan has backed Auto Express’s call for action on accessibility to electric cars for disabled drivers, after we shone the spotlight on a woeful lack of accessible public charge points in the UK’s near-30,000-strong network. “It’s a great campaign, and Auto Express is to be congratulated for taking it on board,” Adepitan says, “Am I surprised by your findings? Absolutely not. As someone with a disability, and like most people in the disability world, I’m just used to it.”…
‘Appalling’: Whitehorse man calls out city for inaccessible polling station
October 22, 2021 | Source: CBC News- Canada
Ramesh Ferris said he hit a “tipping point” of frustration on Thursday, when he had trouble trying to vote in the Whitehorse city election. “It’s very emotionally draining, it’s exhausting and it’s disheartening,” Ferris said, referring a polling station that was not easily accessible for people with mobility issues. Ferris, a polio survivor, uses crutches to walk. He and his wife went to the polling station at Porter Creek Secondary School on Thursday. They arrived to find a woman pushing her kids in a stroller and trying to figure out how she’d get up the stairs to the door…
Dublin Girl, 11, Demands More Accessibility After Being Denied Park Entry
October 23, 2021 | Source: Extra- Ireland
A wheelchair-bound Dublin girl is using her voice to demand more accessibility across the country after she wasn’t able to enter a park one day. Sophia Mulvany and her dad Bernard Mulvany were enjoying a Sunday stroll one day with their dog Millie when they decided to stop by a park. However, when they approached the park they found there were unusual barriers that prevented the 11-year-old from being able to enter. ‘It didn’t feel very good — it felt like we were being ignored and it felt very discriminatory,’ Sophia told Extra.ie about the experience…
Mada Center approves 11 ATMs accessible to people with disabilities, elderly
October 25, 2021 | Source: I Love Qatar
Qatar Assistive Technology Center (Mada), in partnership with the Qatar Central Bank, has approved 11 ATMs for various banks in the State of Qatar as usable devices for people with disabilities and the elderly. The approved ATMs provide a screen reader that allows blind people to access all services independently and enables them to read currencies and arrange and collect cash denominations, taking into account screen dimming if the reader is activated in consideration of privacy, and providing a screen with colors with great contrast that enables visually impaired and elderly people to access content easily…
India must build, re-build its courts for disabled. Judicial infra key to justice delivery
October 25, 2021 | Source: The Print- India
Since he took oath as the Chief Justice of India, Justice N. V. Ramana has been vocal about the crippling court infrastructure being a stumbling block in access to justice. Judicial infrastructure is a necessary component of justice delivery and its inadequacy adversely affects not just litigants and advocates, but also the judges, judicial officers, and staff. Recognising this gap, the CJI has conceptualised the National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation or the NJIC with the intention to build modern and self-sufficient courts in India…
The five-minute test that warns of dementia – years before symptoms start
October 25, 2021 | Source: The Daily Mail- UK
Developing Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia is many Britons’ worst fear when it comes to ageing, according to a recent survey by YouGov. And it’s easy to see why. Outside the pandemic years, when Covid deaths slightly outnumbered dementia deaths (by 0.6 per cent), dementia and Alzheimer’s disease have been the leading cause of mortality in the UK. In care homes it’s to blame for more than 65 per cent of deaths, data from the Office for National Statistics show…
Putting out Halloween treats this year? Consider accessibility, says Toronto dad
October 25, 2021 | Source: CTV News- Canada & RE/Max & TV6
Toronto dad Rich Padulo has a piece of advice to add to the typical Halloween admonishments to make sure children are dressed warmly and wearing bright clothing: try to remove stairs from the scenario. Doing so will make trick-or-treating much more accessible for children with disabilities, says the Toronto father and founder of the Treat Accessibly campaign. “Take your station to the end your driveway and really hang out with people and chat with them,” Padulo told CTV’s Your Morning on Monday…
New accessibility legislation announced in Newfoundland and Labrador
October 26, 2021 | Source: SaltWire- Canada
New legislation before the House of Assembly aims to kickstart the process of improving accessibility in communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador by removing barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully participating in society. John Abbott, minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development, announced the proposed new accessibility legislation on Monday, Oct. 25. “When we, as a province, improve accessibility and inclusion, all persons in Newfoundland and Labrador benefit. This ultimately leads to everyone being able to fully participate in society,” Abbott said…
Every Human Is Bringing Accessibility To Fashion With The Launch Of Unpaired
October 26, 2021 | Source: Men’s Health- Australia
For those who have unique footwear needs, the world of fashion can seem inaccessible at the best of times. We’ve long known that how we present ourselves and the styles we wear speak volumes about our identity, but for many people around the world, fashion remains a barrier to such freedom of expression. Thankfully, Every Human is making significant leaps in the world of fashion to ensure there is representation for all. Through the launch of Unpaired, the adaptive fashion and lifestyle brand offers a revolutionary e-commerce shoe program that will offer customers the opportunity to purchase one or two shoes…
Sudha Chandran ‘harassment’ fallout: Govt issues draft guidelines for ensuring accessibility to flyers with disabilities
October 26, 2021 | Source: Times of India
Days after actor Sudha Chandran shared her ordeal at an airport after being asked to remove her prosthetic limb at security check and appealed for Prime Minister Modi’s intervention, the Union aviation ministry on Tuesday issued “draft accessibility standards and guidelines for persons with disabilities” — laying out dos and dents for both airlines and airport operators. The ministry has invited suggestions and comments on the same within three weeks, and then after studying them the final guidelines will be issued, as envisaged in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017…
ECHR ruling ‘has Europe-wide implications’ on disability
October 27, 2021 | Source: Law Society- Ireland
Lawyers have said that a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on the accessibility of polling places could trigger legislative changes all over the continent. The court ruled today (26 October) that Slovenia had discriminated against two wheelchair users with muscular dystrophy in a 2015 referendum on gay marriage, because the country’s courts had not allowed them to request accessible polling places ahead of the vote. The ECHR stopped short, however, of saying that polling places in Europe should be fully accessible in the future…
First-ever ICT accessibility standard unveiled for Persons With Disabilities
October 27, 2021 | Source: Capital News- Africa
Kenya Bureau of Standards in partnership with inAble has launched the National ICT Accessibility Standard, which will bridge the existing digital divide and exclusion of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs). KEBS, Chief Manager in charge of standards Zachariah Lukorito said the standard will promote digital inclusion by making public and private sector digital products and services including websites, mobile applications among others more accessible…
Now, tablets with study material for visually impaired UP children
October 28, 2021 | Source: Hindustan Times- India
To enable visually impaired students in government-run primary and upper primary schools learn better, the Uttar Pradesh education department has teamed up with UNICEF to provide them tablets with pre-loaded audio learning content. First, the initiative will be rolled out in 14 districts of the state on a pilot basis, catering to 1206 visually impaired children. According to state advisor of Samagra Shiksha RN Singh, as per education department records, there were over 8,000 blind students in the state last year…
Learning to Listen from Deaf Communities (Casting Light #6)
October 27, 2021 | Source: I Care If You Listen- UK
In late 2019, or 1BC (before coronavirus) as I like to call it, the United Strings of Europe got in touch to commission a piece from me (Jasmin Kent Rodgman) for their 2020 concert series, which was to include — like many others — a celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday anniversary. Whilst I admire Beethoven’s music and enjoy it greatly, there were small alarm bells ringing about joining in the celebrations, mostly due to the symbolism of Beethoven and its relationship with the conservative Eurocentric face of classical music that I find problematic…
Deaf Aldi customer shares worker’s incredible act: ‘Massive thank you’
October 27, 2021 | Source: Yahoo- England
A deaf Aldi customer has praised the incredible act of a staff member at his local store after she helped him to communicate with her. The customer, Simon Houghton, gave a heartfelt shout-out to the kind Aldi staffer from Basingstoke in south-central England, who removed her face mask at checkout so he could lipread. “A massive thank you to the checkout operator (checkout seven) this morning who removed her mask from behind the perspex screen so that I could lipread, and therefore, hear her,” Mr Houghton wrote in his post…
Government Accelerates Efforts To Support Disabled Peoples Vaccination Experiences
October 28, 2021 | Source: Scoop- New Zealand
A new tool that supports disabled people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 was launched today as the country gets closer to reaching the 90 percent vaccination milestone, Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni announced. The Manaakitanga Journey is a graphic online tool that packages up key information on the Unite Against COVID-19 website such as how to book New Zealand Sign Language interpreters at clinics, and how to arrange transport to and from your vaccination appointment…
South Algonquin businesses benefit from Enabling Accessibility Fund
October 27, 2021 | Source: Toronto Star- Canada
Angela Pollak, the secretary with the South Algonquin Business Alliance and the owner and manager at Four Corners Algonquin (which provides camping, glamping and tiny house accommodations), informed The Bancroft Times that seven businesses in South Algonquin had been approved for Enabling Accessibility Fund grants totalling nearly $500,000 for projects to improve accessibility at those organizations going forward, including her own…
Losing my eyesight helped me overcome my body confidence issues
October 28, 2021 | Source: Metro- UK
At the age of 21, while working as a cocktail waitress in a bar (name that song..!), I was trying to get several dirty martinis onto a table for the members of a raucous hen do. Normally, this would have been second nature to me but this time, I couldn’t see the table or the napkin – or even the penis straws – in front of me. In fact, everything was getting darker. It came on suddenly, with no warning and almost resulted in the unsuspecting bride getting a lap full of vodka and olives…
The bionic eye that could help blind people navigate the world
October 29, 2021 | Source: The University of Sydney- Australia
New AI-Based Rapid Screening Test for Glaucoma Could Enable Early Detection
October 28, 2021 | Source: AZoRobotics- Australia
For people with impaired eyesight or no sight at all, the world is an enormous obstacle course. Professor Gregg Suaning is pushing vision capture and nerve stimulation technologies beyond their limits to help clear a path.
As research goals go, it is bold with perhaps a touch of the miraculous. For more than twenty years, Professor Suaning has been working to bring sight to the blind. Though in the early days, the idea was almost all he had.
“We were dismantling radios and car electricals to make the equipment we needed,” Suaning says, obviously enjoying the memory…
Adopting a Disabled Lens in Art History
October 29, 2021 | Source: Honi Soit- Australia
Frida Kahlo and Vincent Van Gogh are two of the world’s most well-known and beloved artists in the western art history canon, yet neither of them is often associated with the term ‘disabled’ in popular culture. Whilst Kahlo is best known for her iconic eyebrows and traditional Mexican attire, many wouldn’t know that her signature long skirts were chosen partly to disguise a thinner and slightly shorter right leg due to childhood polio. Even her choice to become an artist was influenced by disability following a bus accident at 18…
COVID-19 Resources and Information
- A tale of two retailers — a disability inclusion story- Sheri Byrne-Haber
- COVID-19 vaccine workplace accommodation requests- Sheri Byrne-Haber
- Digital learning must be accessible to all in today’s inclusive classrooms- Irish Times
- WGA’s latest webinar, ‘Disability-Inclusive Policy in COVID-19 Economic Recovery’
- Memory loss and ‘brain fog’ may be side effects of COVID-19, new study shows- USA TODAY
- Tech’s Role In Making Reskilling Accessible And Equitable For Every Worker- International Business Times
- Employment First Community of Practice webinar – Lessons Learned from COVID-19’s Impact on Competitive Integrated Employment (Zoom Video)
- COVID-19 Disability Advisory Committee Communique – Advisory Committee on the Health Emergency Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19) for People with Disability
Accessibility Blogs and Information
- What Does It Mean to Be Colorblind?- Now
- Nihonbashi, Inclusion and Technology- Accessible Japan
- Neurodiversity and Accessibility in the Workplace- Recite Me
- To baby brains, language is language, signed or spoken- ANI News
- Virginia Tech students speak out about ADA accessibility issues- WDBJ7
- Iceland: The land of Empathy and Accessibility- Food and Beverage Magazine
- Lessons from the Field: Virginia’s State Accessibility Taskforce- LEAD Center
- SU celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness month- Daily Orange
- 10 disability horror stories that will shock you this Halloween- Disability Horizons
- Becoming More Accessible on Twitter: Avoid These Accessibility Barriers- BOIA
- Opinion | UX design is the most important tool to retain users – Northwest Missourian
- Achieving accessibility with turnstiles without sacrificing security- Security Magazine
- Natural Language Interface Accessibility User Requirements – Call For Review- W3C
- Tips by Blue Angels Hearing to Keep Your Ears Safe from Damage- Big News Network
- EBU’s Contribution To The EC Consultation On The Accessibility Of Public Websites- EBU
- Can Web Developers Be Sued For The Inaccessible Sites They Create For Clients?- Ken Nakata
- Letter to the Editor: LSU fails to accommodate visually disabled faculty members- LSU Reveille
- LEVEL’s D.A.D. Allows Students to Discuss Accessibility Concerns on Campus- The Villanovan
- How Virtual Reality Makes It Possible to Experience Different Vision Conditions- Kenji Yanagawa
- ‘I’m not a priority here’: Students express concerns about campus accessibility – The Daily Tar Heel
- eLearning Accessibility: How To Design Virtual Training Programs For Learners With Disabilities- News AKMI
- Social Security Disability: Ticket to Work Helped Some Participants, but Overpayments Increased Program Costs- GAO
- Cadillac Fairview Achieves Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ Across 10 Office Buildings in Toronto
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- Introducing, Selma Blair
- Miami Wins Airport Accessibility Award 2021
- Hendrix Alum Named EDUCAUSE Rising Star
- Accessible Amtrak train station opens in Chester County
- $2.9M NIH Award Could Lead to Tunable Hearing Devices
- Canadian Government Debates New Accessibility Legislation
- Parsippany Mayor’s Committee on Accessibility Seeks New Members
- Eisenhower Kicks Off Fundraising Campaign For Inclusive Playground
- Latin American Declaration on Accessible Tourism to be signed in Cuba
- Western Australia’s nominees for the 2022 Australian of the Year Awards
- Access Ready Looks at National Disability Employment Awareness Month
- Microsoft Read Aloud Feature Improves both Accessibility and Productivity
- Mastercard Introduces Accessible Card for Blind and Partially Sighted People
- Accessible luxury home in Alberta encouraging builders to consider accessibility
- G3ict, World Economic Forum, and Microsoft Launch New Inclusive Cities Project
- City of Boston Announces Increased Accessibility of Voting Ahead of Nov. 2 Election
- “Forever Home” designed in Claremore as an accessible home for people with disabilities (Video)
- Toronto Cadillac Fairview office buildings achieve Rick Hansen accessibility certification
- Missouri Governor’s Council on Disability seeks nominations for annual recognition awards
- Harvard Law School Library Book Talk- Accessible Technology and the Developing World (YouTube)
- Western’s Wellbeing and Accessibility Department gets revamped space to better serve students
- Zoom Live Transcription Feature Now Available to All Free Users; New Accessibility Features Introduced
- Study Finds Overwhelming Evidence That Color Blindness Hinders Learning in School, Reports EnChroma
- Progress Releases MOVEit 2021.1 with Improved Levels of Accessibility, Resilience, Scalability and Usability
- National Seating & Mobility Deepens Presence in Texas, Expands Mobility and Access Solutions with Acquisition
- NaviBlind leverages u‑blox ZED-F9P high precision GNSS technology to empower the blind and visually impaired
- XR Association Launches A New Accessibility Focused Site, XRACCESSABILITY.GITHUB.IO, In Collaboration With XR Access
- San Antonio International Airport and Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative Celebrate Industry Leading Inclusion Initiatives with a Proclamation from Mayor Ron Nirenberg
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- Top 10 Tips for Digital Accessibility
- Making an Accessible Excel Workbook
- Reference: SRs and Extended Characters
- How the latest big tech accessibility features work
- How to Turn On and Use Live Caption on Android
- Functional testing as an adjunct to automated testing
- How to Set Up Accessibility Options on Windows 11
- Twitch streamer beats Dark Souls 3 with a single button
- 5 changes social-audio apps should consider making now
- House Of Ashes Praised For Making Horror More Accessible
- All accessibility options in The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes
- Change Keyboard Viewer preferences for accessibility on Mac
- ‘Dark Souls 3’ morse code run prompts accessibility discussion
- 10 useful tips and tricks hiding in your phone’s accessibility settings
- 11 Ways to Improve Website UX/UI (Using IP Geolocation & Other Tactics)
- This Is The Way: A Phased Approach to Accessibility in the Development Lifecycle
Accessibility Statements
- GMMB
- GivePulse
- Macmillan Learning
- ERA-NET NEURON
- Congressman Andy Biggs
- University of Toronto Press
- Belgian Foreign Trade Agency
- Southeast Missouri State University
- National Evaluation of E-Scooter Trials Survey
- Biodiversity And Ecosystem Services In A Changing Climate
- Accessibility in the News: Accessibility Statement Pages
Microassist Digital Accessibility Services
Have you received an accessibility demand letter because of your website or application? Please contact us for any questions you have about our accessibility services and how we might support your organization.
Services include:
- Accessible Website and Application Development— We rely heavily on accessibility best practices and using HTML5 and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) standards to build WCAG-compliant and human-tested accessible environments. Our teams are proficient in open source technologies such as WordPress, Drupal and Moodle, as well as custom frameworks in .NET, PHP, AngularJS, and other frameworks. Our Learning and Development team can also help you create accessible custom training.
- Accessible Document Services— Whether you’re dealing with a few or a warehouse of Microsoft Office documents, PDFs, or other files, there are several ways Microassist can enable your team to offer documents and materials that meet stringent accessibility standards.
- Accessibility Remediation— Our accessibility remediation services help you fix existing materials so that they conform to WCAG, Section 504 and 508, Department of Education OCR, and ADA Title II/III requirements. We remediate websites, applications, documents, and elearning, recommending re-creation when that is more efficient and economical. Especially for website and applications, to find out what is in need of remediation, we’ll start with an Accessibility Audit.
- Accessibility Training— With several courses available for developers, testers, and content creators, your team can become equipped to consistently and expertly produce accessible digital products and online environments.
- VPAT®Evaluation Services— Primarily used by government purchasers and government vendors during the procurement and sale of ICT products and services under Section 508, a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® (VPAT) attests to the accessibility of a given product or service. Contact us to make sure the VPAT you write or review is accurate and meaningful.
Learn More About Digital Accessibility
Our Digital Accessibility Digest blog covers our Accessibility in the News archives as well as expert commentaries on digital accessibility issues.
Our most popular commentaries include:
- The WCAG 2.1 Update: A Brief Look at What’s Changed
- Introducing VPAT®0, the More Stringent Accessibility Reporting Tool Required for Government IT Procurement
- Accessibility in the News, Legal Edition: Updates on ADA Title III News and More
- What Lawyers Need to Know: A Primer on Digital Accessibility Terms and Today’s Legal Landscape
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