Accessibility in the News — 9/17/2021.

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Feature Stories

COVID-19 Pandemic Presented Unique Challenges to Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Their Families

September 13, 2021 | Source: CU Anschutz

Of all the unexpected consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, one that parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing didn’t plan for was hearing aids getting tossed in the dog’s water dish. It happens sometimes and normally it would mean a trip to the audiologist’s office for a replacement. But during the pandemic, supply chains were interrupted and some companies couldn’t get ear molds for the hearing aids, so replacements were scarce. Plus, many audiology offices closed, either temporarily or more long-term…

How do mask mandate bans affect students with disabilities? 4 things to know

September 14, 2021 | Source: PBS

As if back-to-school season weren’t stressful enough already amid a U.S. surge in the delta variant, bitter wrangling over school mask mandates has added to the fear and confusion for many students and parents. Nine states – Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah – have passed laws or issued executive orders that restrict local school districts’ ability to enact mask requirements in public schools.

Supporters of such actions tend to frame school masking as a question of parents’ rights…

Disability rights group files lawsuit against Gov. Abbott and TEA over mask mandate, hearing set for Wednesday

September 14, 2021 | Source: WFAA

On Wednesday morning a federal court judge in Austin will hear a motion for a temporary restraining order against Governor Greg Abbott’s executive order banning mask mandates in schools. Disability Rights Texas, an advocacy group, filed the suit in late August saying the governor’s order “puts students with disabilities at risk.” Also named in the suit is the Texas Education Agency and Commissioner Mike Morath. “This lawsuit is not about making anyone do anything. This lawsuit is about giving school district the freedom to do what they deem appropriate in their locality,” said Dallas Attorney Tom Melsheimer…

National News (U.S.)

Construction Project Highlights Accessibility Issues for People With Disabilities

September 10, 2021 | Source: NECN

Claire Bergstresser took her first look at the stretch of sidewalk in Dedham and told us she felt a sense of anxiety. “All it takes is one little thing to go wrong … for catastrophic danger,” she said. Bergstresser, a wheelchair user, stared ahead at the obstacles in her path of travel. A maze of utility poles that accompanied MassDOT construction work on Bridge Street created some tough choices. We invited Bergstresser to the location to get her insight on the accessibility for people with disabilities…

Mariners Dodge Stadium Overhaul in Wheelchair Sightlines Case

September 10, 2021 | Source: Sportico

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently narrowed a trial court victory for the Seattle Mariners in a case involving the adequacy of sightlines for handicapped seating at T-Mobile Park. In a Sept. 3 opinion that other teams and facilities will likely study, Judge Danielle Forrest expressed uncertainty over whether two sections at the Mariners’ home park comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Washington’s Law Against Discrimination. The case has been remanded to the trial court for further deliberations…

Americans with disabilities less likely than those without to own some digital devices

September 10, 2021 | Source: Pew Research Center

More than 40 million people in the United States have a disability, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But even as majorities of these Americans report having certain technologies, the digital divide between those who have a disability and those who do not remains for some devices. Some 62% of adults with a disability say they own a desktop or laptop computer, compared with 81% of those without a disability, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 25-Feb. 8, 2021…

Considering Students With Disabilities in the Context of Remote and Hybrid Learning

September 10, 2021 | Source: Taft Stettinius & Hollister

Across the country, colleges and universities have been tasked with developing a system of learning that not only mitigates students’ risk of exposure to COVID-19, but also provides students with meaningful access to education. While online and remote learning have proven to be indispensable tools during a global pandemic, issues of accessibility have arisen for students with disabilities. More specifically, many institutions have failed to ensure that digital learning is compatible with the unique needs of students with physical and mental disabilities…

Atlanta philanthropist helps Israelis with disabilities experience Israel

September 11, 2021 | Source: The Jerusalem Post

For Atlanta philanthropist Sheryl Blechner, supporting her community is a way of life. A self-described “professional volunteer,” Blechner has donated her time, effort, and resources to support the causes that mean the most to her. She has proudly served four years as President of Temple Beth Tikvah, served on the Jewish Family and Career Services Board and the Breman Museum Board, and was Chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Israel and Overseas Board…

Disability advocates urge Jewish communal leaders not to overlook accessibility during High Holidays

September 13, 2021 | Source: Jewish News Syndicate

With the High Holidays in full swing, rabbis and synagogue leaders are hard at work addressing the changing and evolving needs triggered by the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Some have erected outdoor tents; others are using rooftops and other off-the-beaten track spaces to allay fears of illness transmission. Those using indoor spaces have updated ventilation systems, and are requiring masking and assuring social distancing by blocking off entire rows seats to help separate worshippers. And many congregations, of course, are again relying on Zoom and other online worship options…

Hearing loss coverage could get major boost in upcoming spending bill

September 13, 2021 | Source: The Denver Channel

Millions of Americans struggle with hearing problems each year, and it’s something that statistically gets worse as you age. For the most part, the government has stayed out of providing and funding hearing aids for minor hearing loss. That could soon change. “I was actually diagnosed with a hearing loss in my early twenties,” Hillary Cohen said. Cohen isn’t alone. One in eight people in this country over the age of 12 suffers from hearing loss in both ears.

Nearly 50% of those 75 and older have disabling hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication…

New bill could help Arkansas veterans get service dogs

September 14, 2021 | Source: THV11

September is Service Dog Awareness month, something that hits close to home for Fort Roots in North Little Rock where they’re responding to a new US law called the PAWS Act. That bill could make these dogs more accessible to veterans. Veterans like Amanda Pipkin, who after years of serving her country as an Army sergeant, went searching for Combat for help. Combat, in this case, taking the form of a German Shepard. “I knew that he was gonna be the one that took care of me,” Pipkin said about her first time meeting Combat…

Benefits of Using a Visual Timer for Autism

September 14, 2021 | Source: Autism Parenting Magazine

Time does not exist, it’s an illusion, a human construct existing only in our minds to conceptualize change intellectually. There is no past or future, that is if you subscribe to theories by scientists like Carlo Revelli. For many parents with neurodiverse children, time feels very real. Watching a ticking clock after you’ve sent your child upstairs to brush their teeth, school starting in mere minutes, bestows upon time a dose of ultra reality. This is something parents with kids on the spectrum bring up time and again, so why do many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) seem oblivious to time and what can be done about it?…

The best $34.32 I ever spent: My white cane

September 15, 2021 | Source: Vox

I touched down in Denver, made my way through the airport, and got an Uber to a restaurant a friend had recommended. I had made a reservation in advance, walked right in, and was seated at the bar. I enjoyed an entrée and a cocktail and caught up on podcasts while I ate my meal. Later, I paid my bill, then took another Uber to my hotel. This all sounds pretty mundane. As a 35-year-old professional, I had gone on a million business trips before, but as a newly minted openly blind person, it was a huge first for me…

Blind Lady Sees Her Grandkids For The First Time After Vision Is Restored

September 15, 2021 | Source: Intelligent Living

A 59-year-old woman named Connie, who was left blind 15 years ago, has finally regained her sight after a life-changing operation. Doctors initially believed the woman had glaucoma when she rapidly began to lose her eyesight. However, in 2018, an ophthalmologist diagnosed her with cataracts—one of the most common and treatable adult vision complications. In 2003 Connie, who lives in Colorado, began noticing prisms and halos on lights while driving and immediately went to a doctor who told her she had glaucoma…

“Accessibility is a Human Right”: Disability in Omaha

September 15, 2021 | Source: University of Omaha- The Gateway

Omahans with disabilities are speaking up about their accessibility needs. Nancy Berg runs the account @accessible402 on Instagram, where she posts about accessibility in Omaha. She was paralyzed in a car accident in 1995 when she was 16 years old. “I was riding in the backseat of a friend’s car that lost control and hit a tree,” she said. “I was wearing a lap belt, and at impact, I broke my back leaving me with a spinal cord injury. I lost my ability to walk independently, so I rely on a wheelchair to help me get around.”…

What It’s Like Using Dating Apps When You Have a Disability

September 15, 2021 | Source: Vice

I am once again on The Apps looking at profiles that read “let’s go hiking or a long walk” or affectionately say “NO PSYCHOS NO DRAMA”. The thing is, I can’t hike and, to the untrained eye, I am full of drama. I was diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder when I was five that I was told I would grow out of. By the time I reached my early twenties, the teenage growing pains became unbearable and I had fatigue and several other debilitating other symptoms…

Why We Need Astronauts With Disabilities

September 15, 2021 | Source: GIZMODO

This week, Baton Rouge native Hayley Arceneaux, 29, is poised to become the youngest American ever to go to space. Also a first is that Arceneaux is headed to orbit after having survived cancer at age 10—she’ll be the first person in space with a prosthetic, as her cancer treatment required bones in her left leg to be replaced with rods. Hopefully, she won’t be the last, as both government and private space missions begin to seek out astronauts with differing abilities…

No papers, no care: Disabled migrants seek help through lawsuit, activism

September 16, 2021 | Source: News Medical Life Sciences

Desperation led José Luis Hernández to ride atop a speeding train through northern Mexico with hopes of reaching the United States 13 years ago. But he didn’t make it. Slipping off a step above a train coupling, he slid under the steel wheels. In the aftermath, he lost his right arm and leg, and all but one finger on his left hand. He had left his home village in Honduras for the U.S. “to help my family, because there were no jobs, no opportunities,” he said. Instead, he ended up undergoing a series of surgeries in Mexico before heading home “to the same miserable conditions in my country, but worse off.”…

Colorado state park celebrates milestone of accessibility with track chairs

September 16, 2021 | Source: The Gazette

Staunton State Park is celebrating a milestone in its mission to send people with disabilities around the mountains southwest of Denver. This month, the park announced its 1,000th trip in a motorized wheelchair with tank-like treads built to navigate rough terrain. Since nonprofit Friends of Staunton State Park bought the preserve’s first tracked chair in 2016, people as young as 2 and old as 90 have explored trails they otherwise couldn’t, according to a news release. Visitors have reportedly come as far as London to take advantage of the technology affording them the spoils of Colorado nature…

Marvel’s Eternals Star Lauren Ridloff Wants Movie Theaters to Be More Accessible for Everyone

September 16, 2021 | Source: Gizmodo

As movie theaters continue to adapt to the effects of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, conversations about the accessibility of the theater experience—for audiences, critics, and creatives alike—have become an important factor in discussing the industry’s slow attempts to return to “normalcy.” But a star of one of Marvel’s theater-exclusive superhero projects wants to keep reminding people an accessible movie theater stretches beyond the needs of the current pandemic. One of the many stars of Chloe Zhao’s Eternals is deaf actress Lauren Ridloff who plays Makkari, a speedster that, in the comics, is a hearing, muscle-bound giant of a man…

Jack Fact — According to Return on Disability’s “The Global Economics of Disability”, Fortune 500 companies are finally starting to realize that people with disabilities make up 1 billion of the world’s market. That population and their families control more than $13 trillion in disposable income.

Hit The Road Jack — How the travel industry is still ignoring people with disabilities & Expanded Partnership Provides Beach Accessible Wheelchair For Every Coastal Florida State Park

International News

Stakeholders weigh in on accessibility for the differently abled in Mumbai

September 10, 2021 | Source: Mid-Day- India

WHO is Sumit Antil? Let’s make it easier for you if you don’t know the answer. Who’s Neeraj Chopra? If you know that he is the javelin gold medalist for India at the Tokyo Olympics, and didn’t know that Antil won the same honour at the Paralympics in the same city, then we are afraid to say that you might just be part of the problem when it comes to othering disabled people in our society. Because the fact is that despite our Paralympians outstripping able-bodied sportsmen at the two Games this year, the situation on the ground for disabled people in India is so woeful…

Venice has a game-changing plan to make the city more accessible

September 10, 2021 | Source: Lonely Planet- Italy

Under a new, game-changing plan, Venice’s best sites and public spaces will become more accessible to those who have difficulty climbing stairs and may use a cane or wheelchair. The city council recently approved plans to create five new access ramps in the historic center between Piazzale Roma (a square at the entrance of the city) and Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square). Francesca Zaccariotto, a city councillor for public works, told Lonely Planet the project “allows visitors to reach the city’s most frequented sites without [having to rely totally] on public transport along the Grand Canal”…

‘It helps calm us,’ YMCA sensory room helps people with disabilities

September 10, 2021 | Source: CTV News- India

Hali Douthwright, 28 has been helping the YMCA of Greater Moncton develop its very own sensory room, designed for people with disabilities. It’s a project that’s been near and dear to her heart. “The sensory room is kind of a big thing for people here because their lives are filled with a lot of emotions,” said Douthwright. The sensory room is filled with things people can feel, hear and touch including Hali’s personal favourite, a keyboard, gel-like floor tiles, a weighted blanket and led lights for those sensitive to bright lights…

On the long road to accessibility

September 11, 2021 | Source: The New Indian Express- India

A city’s heritage is the inheritance of all the people who constitute it. But is it really? For a section of people, access to certain heritage spaces has been elusive. With infrastructural barriers, a lapse in identifying solutions, failure of execution and lack of social inclusiveness limiting the disability diversity, heritage collective Nam Veedu, Nam Oor, Nam Kadhai (NVNONK) hosted its 20th inclusive heritage trail on the need for accessible heritage spaces in the city…

Disabled by fate, denied rights to mobility: Nigerians living with disabilities tell tales of anguish accessing public transportation

September 12, 2021 | Source: The Punch- Nigeria

Tessy Igomu, who toured the Lagos Bus Rapid Transit terminals and routes, reports how discriminatory attitudes and lack of assistive facilities deprive Persons Living With Disabilities access to public transportation

They are about 27 million, out of Nigeria’s estimated population of 206 million people. Ironically, they are, to a great extent, a neglected segment of the society, whose well-being only manages to slip into national discourse or consciousness…

New National Disability Strategy: what does it mean for disabled people at work?

September 12, 2021 | Source: Bectu- UK

In July, the UK Government published the new National Disability Strategy. The strategy covers education, travel, work, home and social life. While we welcome the move to the social model of disability, how much of a difference will the strategy make for disabled people in the workplace? Since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and, more recently, the Equality Act 2010, Prospect and disabled workers have been pushing for real equality in the workplace – something that previous legislation and strategies have failed to achieve. Accessibility has been at the heart of our work…

Blind, visually impaired parents hit hard by problems dogging online classes

September 12, 2021 | Source: Jamaica Observer- Jamaica

A number of blind and visually impaired parents say the move by schools to online classes, forced by the novel coronavirus pandemic, has been particularly difficult for them, even as they acknowledge improvements in technology that have allowed them to help their children. Now, with the return of face-to-face classes delayed because of increased cases of COVID-19, those parents are lamenting an extension of the Internet connection problems they faced in the last academic year…

Inquiry launched to make Southampton more accessible

September 12, 2021 | Source: Planet Radio Wave 105- UK

Civic chiefs have pledged to look into measures to improve the lives of disabled people in Southampton amid claims that “there are still barriers”. City leaders are set to team up with experts and local groups to look into how to make Southampton more accessible. The move could result in a number of measures including improved transport infrastructure and better access to venues. It comes as campaigners said “there is still an awful lot to be done”. An inquiry has now been launched in a bid to identify barriers across the city and come up with solutions…

Hunt for 22000 LEGO bricks to improve wheelchair accessibility in Munich

September 12, 2021 | Source: Brick Fanatics- Germany

Organisers of the 2022 multi-sport European Championships in Munich are searching for 22,000 LEGO bricks to create wheelchair ramps for next year’s competition. Called the Count & Last initiative, the organisers need a huge amount of LEGO pieces to raise awareness about the need to improve accessibility for wheelchair uses ahead of the championships. They have stressed that the brick-built ramps will not replace genuine wheelchair ramps, but instead aim to raise awareness about the issues that many disabled people face in the city…

Making e-commerce accessible to all | The Edge Markets

September 13, 2021 | Source: The Edge Markets- Malaysia

Digital accessibility is a topic widely discussed, as technology companies work towards becoming more inclusive by being conscious of accessibility elements that need to be incorporated into their tech. Web and app developers have been putting effort into ensuring their platforms are also accessible to those who may have hearing or seeing disabilities, for example. The World Bank estimates that 15% of the Malaysian population is disabled in some manner, but the number of persons with disabilities registered with the authorities is only 600,000…

‘I should just be able to go where I want to go’ Wheelchair user’s call for better disabled access

September 13, 2021 | Source: ITV- Wales

A man from Merthyr has said he wants businesses to do more for people with disabilities after he said he had to go home from a night out with friends due to lack of accessibility. Brad Cowell was planning a night out with friends in Swansea, but struggled to get into some bars because they were not accessible for his wheelchair. He said it was “time for premises to cater more for people like him.” “I shouldn’t have to plan everywhere I want to go. I should just be able to go where I want to go, when I want to go…

Why grocery businesses need to design packaging that works for everyone

September 13, 2021 | Source: The Grocer- UK

In a world where broad-based inclusion has become a right for consumers from all walks of life, grocery businesses still need to address ease of packaging use for those with sight loss – and braille is not the only solution, says Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). In the UK, it is a legal requirement for businesses to include ingredients and nutritional information on food products, meaning everyone has the right to know what they’re buying. But the reality is – as is the case in so many other walks of life – this right does not apply to people with sight loss…

The pandemic highlights the importance of walkable and wheelable neighbourhoods

September 13, 2021 | Source: The Conversation- Canada

‘Time is now for a fully accessible Ontario,’ Campaign aims for inclusion

September 16, 2021 | Source: CTV News- Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of neighbourhoods and how they fare in terms of walkability and wheelability. Neighbourhood walkability and wheelability are defined as the “measure of how well a neighbourhood fosters active forms of transportation.” Very walkable and wheelable neighbourhoods have built environments, or human-made surroundings, that support physical and social activity. Built environment design features that characterize walkable and wheelable neighbourhoods can include sidewalks, curb cuts and pedestrian traffic signals…

Blind lawyer says lack of accessible, private voting options violates Charter

September 13, 2021 | Source: rdnewsNow- Canada

How accessible is voting for people with disabilities?

September 15, 2021 | Source: CBC- Canada

David Lepofsky was not able to mark his choice independently on the mail-in ballot Elections Canada sent to him because he is blind. He opted to not vote in person with his wife because she has a serious immune limitation and they don’t want to risk being infected with COVID-19. Lepofsky, who is a lawyer advocating for accessibility for disabled people, says the voting options available for blind people don’t allow them to cast their ballots privately…

Drive to improve motorway journeys for disabled people in South West

September 14, 2021 | Source: Mirage News- UK

National Highways has partnered with AccessAble, the UK’s leading provider of detailed accessibility information, to help motorists plan where to stop for a break at any one of the 114 motorway service areas across England, including 15 services across the South West. Lifestyle and disability blogger, Ross Lannon visited the Moto services on the M5 at Exeter to test out the guides. Ross, from Truro in Cornwall, has a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy and is a fulltime wheelchair user…

Calls for accessible product design

September 14, 2021 | Source: Scoop News- New Zealand

The Accessible Product Design Alliance, a group of 11 not-for-profit health consumer organisations, has released a joint position statement to highlight the struggle with inaccessible products and packaging experienced by their 5 million consumers living with chronic conditions and disability across Australia and New Zealand. The Alliance is focused on raising up their consumers’ voices to industry and government for immediate change, as difficult to open products and packaging cause day-to-day frustration for people without disability…

Digital Transformation Ministry, with support of UNDP, starting to create digital accessibility standard

September 14, 2021 | Source: ReliefWeb- Ukraine

Digital services must be accessible and convenient for everyone. Today, the project “Digital, Inclusive, Accessible: Support to Digitalisation of Public Services in Ukraine,” implemented by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the financial support of Sweden, presented two studies on digital accessibility in Ukraine: “Inclusiveness and human rights at the forefront. Accessibility of e-government services and tools for citizens in Ukraine” and “International practices on the accessibility of mobile applications of public authorities”…

“No One Represents Us”: Lack of Access to Political Participation for People with Disabilities in Iraq

September 16, 2021 | Source: ReliefWeb- Iraq

People with disabilities in Iraq are facing significant obstacles to participating in upcoming parliamentary elections on October 10, 2021, due to discriminatory legislation and inaccessible polling places, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Without urgent changes, hundreds of thousands of people may not be able to vote. The 36-page report, “‘No One Represents Us’: Lack of Access to Political Participation for People with Disabilities in Iraq,” documents that Iraqi authorities have failed to secure electoral rights for Iraqis with disabilities…

Paralympian Outlines The Harsh Reality Of Flying With A Wheelchair

September 15, 2021 | Source: Simple Flying- Austria

Across most of society, from shops to theaters, sports venues to restaurants, accessibility is guaranteed. Legislation means the pathway for wheelchair users gets easier with every passing year – except in aviation. Nico Langmann, a Paralympic athlete who recently returned from Tokyo, has shed some light on just how difficult it remains for a wheelchair user to travel in 2021. At 24 years of age, he is the Austrian number one in men’s wheelchair tennis, and has recently returned from his second Olympic Games in Tokyo…

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