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Companies Take Notice as Domino’s Case Continues to Reverberate Through the Digital Accessibility Landscape

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Department of Justice building. Microassist Accessibility in the News photo.Accessibility in the News – October 18, 2019

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AITN Quote of the Week

“I was in special ed, but I felt like I was a caged bird. I felt like I could do better. I made sure I mastered my special ed lessons. I made sure I listened to my teacher. I made sure I did my homework, but I had to do a little extra.” — Elijah Cummings

 

headshot of Elijah Cummings

Elijah Cummings

January 18, 1951- October 17, 2019

Feature Story

The SCOTUS Decision On Robles v. Domino’s Case Could Have a Domino Effect For Other Corporations

Ongoing Coverage  |  Source: Microassist

The widely anticipated decision from the US Supreme Court regarding the Ninth Circuit’s Robles v. Domino’s case was announced on October 7, 2019. The Supreme Court denied a petition from pizza giant Domino’s on Monday to hear whether its website is required to be accessible to the disabled, leaving in place a lower court decision against the company.  The case was originally brought by a blind man named Guillermo Robles, who sued the pizza chain after he was unable to order food on Domino’s website and mobile app despite using screen-reading software…

National News (U.S.)

 

P&G’s Herbal Essences unveils Alexa skill for vision-impaired people

October 10, 2019  |  Source: Mobile Marketer & Cincinnati Business Courier

By creating a voice-powered app, or “skill,” for Amazon’s Alexa, P&G’s Herbal Essences aims to help consumers learn more about its products and get personalized hair-care advice. The activation is especially poignant for World Sight Day, a global event coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness to focus attention on blindness and vision impairment. Sumaira “Sam” Latif, P&G’s accessibility leader who is blind, has spearheaded the company’s effort to adopt a universal tactile marking for products…

Online bookstores can be sued if they are not accessible for blind people

October 10, 2019  |  Source: Good E-Reader

The US supreme court has passed a ruling that online retailers can be sued if their websites are not optimized for blind people. This is due to a lawsuit filed by a blind user against Domino’s Pizza and the justices turned down an appeal from Domino’s and let stand a U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling holding that the Americans With Disabilities Act protects access not just to restaurants and stores but also to the websites and apps of those businesses. If an online bookstore has both a physical location and a online website, and are based in the United States, they can now be sued…

Berkeley blasted for tweet telling medically disabled to use ‘own resources’ during power outage

October 11, 2019  |  Source: The Mercury News

Really, Berkeley does have more compassion than a tweet it sent out Wednesday might suggest. Take it from Mayor Jesse Arreguin, whose city got harangued in a social media firestorm for asking people who have “accessibility needs” or use life saving medical equipment to “please use your own resources” to get to an an area unaffected by PG&E’s power shutoff. “Clearly the way it was written could have been done much more clearly and with greater sensitivity,” Arreguin told this news organization Thursday afternoon. “The messaging didn’t accurately reflect the efforts the city has undertaken.”…

Living with hidden disabilities provides a challenge

October 11, 2019  |  Source: East Oregonian

When people meet Vera Burres, they don’t always know she has a disability. Burres fell down the stairs at a friend’s home in 2004 and spent four months in a coma after striking her head. Now she said, her entire left side occasionally goes numb, putting her at risk of falling if it happens while she’s walking. She can’t drive because she’s at a high risk for seizures. She said she also experiences other side effects off and on, such as short-term memory loss, favoring one side while walking and or jumbling her words if she speaks too quickly. “People don’t believe me,” she said. “They say, ‘You’re just drunk.’”…

Why is subway accessibility so expensive?

October 8, 2019  |  Source: City & State

Seventy-eight million dollars can buy more than 2,000 wheelchair-accessible buses, a mile of new subway line in Madrid or 240 Andy Byfords for one year. Or, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, $78 million will build new elevators in a single subway station. The MTA’s 2020-2024 Capital Plan includes a $5.5 billion investment in building new elevators at 70 subway stations. As The New York Times pointed out this week, that averages out to an estimated cost of around $78 million per subway station…

People With Disabilities in New York City Have Higher Unemployment Rates and Lower Incomes

October 10, 2019  |  Source: New York State Comptroller & NY Post & PDF

People with disabilities in New York City face the same challenges as those elsewhere in the nation, including obstacles to employment, higher rates of poverty and lower earnings than those without disabilities, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The Comptroller released the report at an event marking National Disability Employment Awareness Month with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. “There is a stark disparity in employment rates and wages for people with disabilities,” said DiNapoli…

Disability offerings: A guide to Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and Legoland

October 11, 2019  |  Source: Orlando Sentinel

SeaWorld Orlando annual pass member Jennifer Montes said her autistic, 19-year-old son Ben gets “violent meltdowns” and waiting in ride lines at the theme park isn’t ideal, as it could trigger him. “An autistic person has trouble not only standing in long lines but the crowd of people surrounding/pushing into them is another struggle,” she said. Montes also has a mildly autistic son named Jacob, 10, and a 14-year-old daughter, Lita, with complex regional pain syndrome. “The park has many wonderful things to offer families with special needs,” she said…

How a Documentary About Deafness Is Making Film More Accessible for Neurodiverse People

October 11, 2019  |  Source: Yahoo- Lifestyle

Filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky first considered making a documentary featuring her son, Jonas, when he began losing his hearing as a toddler. It wasn’t until he was 11 years old, however, that the perfect opportunity presented itself thanks to Jonas, Beethoven and Brodsky’s deaf father, Paul. The resulting film — “Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements” — is also a lesson in how to make movies more accessible to the neurodiversity and disability communities…

Is your careers site accessible?

October 11, 2019  |  Source: Human Resource Executive

Web Accessibility: Why It Matters to Your HR Department

October 14, 2019  |  Source: Business 2 Community

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear Robles v. Domino’s Pizza, a closely watched website accessibility case, companies may want to brace for the possibility of more lawsuits over websites that can’t be used by people with disabilities. The SCOTUS decision to decline to review the Ninth Circuit’s decision on Robles means the case will likely go to trial early next year. Guillermo Robles, a blind man, sued Domino’s after he was unable to order food on the pizza-chain’s website and mobile app despite using screen-reading software…

How Technology Can Enable Restaurant Accessibility And Inclusiveness

October 11, 2019  |  Source: Restaurant Technology News

Digitization primes restaurants for growth — and ADA lawsuits

October 14, 2019  |  Source: Restaurant Dive

According to figures from the CDC, 26% of the United States population identifies with having a disability. That’s 61 million people who may need additional accommodations to enjoy a nice meal out. As a restauranteur, you hope to provide a great experience for everyone who patronizes your establishment. But then the question arises, how does one accomplish this? There are, of course, physical requirements for the building exterior and interior to be wheelchair accessible…

Students utilize accessibility services during Learning Disability Awareness Month

October 13, 2019  |  Source: The Post

OU sees increase of emotional support animals on campus

October 13, 2019  |  Source: The Post

October is full of fun and spooky fall activities as well as homework and midterms, but it’s also Learning Disability Awareness Month. Learning disabilities are neurological conditions that affect a person’s ability to process information. Anyone can have a learning disability. It’s especially important for students to do their best around this critical period, so one resource on campus for students with learning disabilities is Ohio University’s Student Accessibility Services (SAS). To Christina Jenkins, associate director for SAS, it’s better to get a start early on with accessibility needs…

Disabled Students Collective pushes for ‘quiet spaces’ at campus events

October 13, 2019  |  Source: GW Hatchet

A student-led organization that advocates for students with disabilities is pushing for more classroom and event accessibility and enhanced digital communication. Members of the Disabled Students Collective are advocating for quiet spaces at all career networking events and improved communications accessibility, like adding alternative text captions to videos on University websites and in classrooms. Student leaders said instituting the changes will make campus more accessible for all students, which will help disabled students feel more included on campus…

Students with disabilities speak on accessibility and inclusion on campus

October 13, 2019  |  Source: Iowa State Daily

Iowa State’s campus strives for accessibility, and students with disabilities on campus have spoken up about whether the university is reaching that goal. Emma Hill, sophomore in pre-architecture, has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a connective tissue disorder that affects every part of the body, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a malfunction of the autonomic nerve in which her blood vessels and heart cannot adjust to position changes. Her symptoms include pain, fatigue, double vision and frequent subluxations/dislocations of multiple joints…

Blind people have increased opportunities, but employers’ perceptions are still a barrier

October 14, 2019  |  Source: The Conversation

International White Cane Safety Day

October 15, 2019  |  Source: Scoop

Communities across the world observe White Cane Day on Oct. 15 to recognize the contributions of people with blindness and low vision and to promote equal opportunities. The day was first observed in the U.S. in 1964, when Congress passed a law to increase awareness about the white cane’s role in promoting independent, safe travel for people with blindness or low vision. More than 7.5 million Americans, or 2.4% of the population, are blind or have low vision…

Museums Are Finally Taking Accessibility for Visitors with Disabilities Seriously

October 14, 2019  |  Source: Artsy

This summer, while the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) closed its doors to complete its $450-million overhaul, its frontline staff received some crucial training. In three-hour workshops, employees from the divisions of visitor engagement, security, retail, and other public-facing sectors learned how to better serve museumgoers with disabilities. Their educators included nearly 10 individuals with diverse impairments whom MoMA had invited to share their experiences at cultural institutions…

NYCC ’19: Normalizing accessibility & diversity at cons with Magic Wheelchair

October 14, 2019  |  Source: Comics Beat

Remember “Pusheen” stickers on Facebook representing our favorite moods throughout the day? At New York Comic Con, Magic Wheelchair — a nonprofit that builds costumes for children who use wheelchairs — revealed its month-long creation for eight year-old New York City resident: a Pusheen costume with a motorized tail that swayed like a real one. This was the NYC team’s first attempt at animatronics and by the audience’s reaction, it’s safe to say the reveal was beyond successful…

Publix grocery chain debuts new wheelchair-accessible shopping carts in Florida

October 14, 2019  |  Source: FOX 61 & Bay News 9

Publix is slowly rolling out wheelchair-friendly shopping carts at some of its stores. Tiffani Borders excitedly shared a video of her daughter using one of the new shopping carts at a Publix store in Lutz. “Publix gave my daughter the chance to grab just a little more independence,” Borders said on Facebook. “These attachable wheelchair accessible shopping carts are the best. Thanks Publix for including her and everyone else that this will help!” The shopping carts can attach to parts of the wheelchair and allow people to more easily push a cart full of groceries while also using their wheelchair…

Egregious ADA-Litigation Scheme Highlights Need For Clarity On Law’s Application Online

October 15, 2019  |  Source: Forbes

On the first day of the October Term 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a Domino’s Pizza petition asking it resolve a split among the federal circuits over whether websites are “places of public accommodation” under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Even though the statute predates the Internet and contemplates only physical structures when prescribing private entities’ duties, the Ninth Circuit held that Domino’s failure to make its website “accessible” to a visually-impaired Californian violated the ADA…

New Poll: Majority of Voters Have Disability Connections

October 15, 2019  |  Source: Yahoo Finance & Jewish Week & PRNewswire

A new poll reveals that 85 percent of registered voters say it is very or somewhat important to them that presidential candidates have campaign events and websites that are open and accessible to people with disabilities, just like everyone else. Voters with disabilities themselves are more enthusiastic about participating in the 2020 elections (52 percent), four points higher than the national average. Despite both of these data points, none of the presidential candidates on either side have made their websites and social media fully accessible to voters with disabilities, as has been documented and reported on in www.TheRespectAbilityReport.org…

10 Disability Policy Questions Every Presidential Candidate Should Answer

October 15, 2019  |  Source: Center For American Progress

The 2020 election has already seen an unprecedented level of engagement of the disability community by candidates. Differing approaches—from integrating disability as a lens across issues that include, but are not limited to, housing, democracy, and children’s issues, to stand-alone platforms that address parts of the communities and cover various intersections of race, gender, immigration, and LGBTQ identities—show that the issues facing people with disabilities are becoming a greater priority on the campaign trail than ever before…

Michigan House OKs update to state’s accessibility signs

October 15, 2019  |  Source: MLive

An effort to give accessibility signs in Michigan a more modern, active look earned unanimous support in the state House Tuesday. Under House Bill 4516, the Civil Rights Commission would be tasked with adopting a variation of the International Symbol of Access, the well-known symbol of a figure in a wheelchair that designates parking spots for people with disabilities, as well as accessible bathrooms, building entrances and more. A companion bill, House Bill 4517, requires a gradual phase out of the old symbol, requiring any new sign placements or replacement signs to carry the updated symbol…

Concord settlement could nudge other cities, towns to purchase accessible ballot machines

October 15, 2019  |  Source: Concord Monitor

When the city of Concord and the U.S. Department of Justice forged an agreement in February, it was supposed to help people in Concord with disabilities vote at the polls. Now, it might become the template for cities and towns across the state. The agreement required Concord to provide accessible voting machines at local or municipal elections – four years after a resident filed a federal complaint. That meant providing machines that could read aloud selections for those who are blind and allow the use of keyboards or tablet screens to make choices…

House passes Congresswoman Elaine Luria bill to help disabled veterans

October 16, 2019  |  Source: Augusta Free Press & 13NewsNow & WTKR

Bill to give homeless veterans aid to care for kids passes House unanimously

October 15, 2019  |  Source: Connecting Vets

The House on Tuesday passed Congresswoman Elaine Luria’s (VA-02) bill to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study and submit a plan to Congress that would make VA websites accessible for veterans affected by blindness or hearing loss. A 20-year Navy veteran who took office in January, Congresswoman Luria has experienced great success with her legislative portfolio during her first term. With today’s passage of the VA Website Accessibility Act (H.R. 1199), Congresswoman Luria now has three House-passed bills, including two signed into law…

How accessible is the beauty world to those with disabilities?

October 16, 2019  |  Source: Dazed

For Sam Renke, who has osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bones disease, make-up is not a mask but a way to express herself. “Fashion and beauty have given me confidence when, from a very young age, I felt like I was discriminated against,” Renke says. “Growing up, I struggled with not being able to do much aesthetically about how I looked. I’ve got scars on my body and during my teenage years felt very different from everybody else – at one point, I found it quite difficult to look in the mirror.”…

App lets visually impaired explore wonders of Woonsocket museum

October 15, 2019  |  Source: The Providence Journal

People with white canes sat in the front row, facing a small stage. It was the inauguration of an app that answered, for the Museum of Work and Culture, the question of how to make the museum more accessible to people with blindness or limited vision. Arouney “Allie” Sithtaphone, 14, and Andreas Lopez, 15, were at the inauguration because they’d raised their hands on their eighth-grade field trip last year. They ended up using a 3-D printer to make buildings for the big Blackstone River Valley map in the lobby…

MTA unveils new ‘accessibility laboratory’ testing commuter ideas for disabled riders

October 16, 2019  |  Source: WABC & New York Daily News & Patch & 6Sqft & MTA

A transit hub in Brooklyn is being used by the M There will be 11 different accessibility features tested in the one station, including features that help riders with hearing disabilities, decreased eyesight, wayfinder signs, signs in braille, stripes on the ground and other ideas to be tested to help commuters. TA as a so-called “test kitchen” to see which ideas work best for disabled riders. The MTA unveiled Wednesday an “accessibility laboratory” — the first of its kind in the world — at the Jay St.-MetroTech station in Downtown Brooklyn…

Fast Food Restaurants Face Lawsuits Over Drive-Thru Accessibility

October 16, 2019  |  Source: Food & Wine

Last month, James Privette and Shaunte Jones filed a class action lawsuit against Taco Bell, alleging that the fast food chain violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when its restaurants close their lobbies and only allow late-night orders to be placed through the drive-thru windows. In their complaint, which was filed in a California federal district court, the two plaintiffs state that Taco Bell’s drive-thrus “lack any meaningful accommodation” for visually impaired customers who cannot drive…

Engineering a better life

October 16, 2019  |  Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office (Audio Story)

Rory Cooper has always enjoyed tinkering and competition. As a kid growing up in Southern California, he ran track and cross country, and he often worked in his parents’ garage, making improvements to skateboards and bicycles. He brought these skills to his work in the U.S. Army, but then an accident changed his life forever and set him on a path to become an inventor, engineer, and bronze medalist…

National Deaf Therapy Wants to Make Mental Health Treatment More Accessible

October 16, 2019  |  Source: Yahoo Lifestyle

Finding mental health therapy is already hard, but when you add in a disability, trying to find someone who really understands what you’re going through just gets more difficult. For those in the deaf community, there’s another major barrier — hearing therapists rarely know American Sign Language (ASL). One company has a plan, however, to make therapy more accessible to the deaf community. Friends, licensed therapists and business partners Amanda Sortwell Crane and Megan Erasmus are deaf, and saw a need in the deaf community for better access to mental health services…

She’s filed over 2400 civil rights complaints, including one at UO. We asked her why.

October 17, 2019  |  Source: Oregon Daily Emerald

In 2017, disability rights activist Marcie Lipsitt filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education against the University of Oregon, alleging that several of UO’s webpages are not accessible to people with disabilities. She estimates that she’s filed around 2,400 civil rights complaints to the department’s Office for Civil Rights, some from her couch on her iPad. (In one instance, she crashed the Notes app on her iPad and had to get it fixed at an Apple store.) Sometimes, the websites of these schools might not have pictures with alt-text that describes what’s in the image, Lipsitt tells the Emerald…

O’Rourke plan aims to make air travel more accessible for disabled people

October 17, 2019  |  Source: The Hill

Ways travel is becoming more accessible to disabled travelers

October 17, 2019  |  Source: Kiwi

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), a 2020 presidential contender, on Tuesday announced a plan to address barriers disabled people face during air travel. O’Rourke’s plan would direct the Department of Transportation to “diligently enforce” the Air Carrier Access Act (ACCA), which bans discrimination on the basis of disability. It would also direct the department to ensure airlines sufficiently train staff on handling disability issues, including creating standards and procedures for ACCA compliance…

Jack Fact — A recent study from Accenture, in partnership with Disability:IN and the American Association of People With Disabilities, found that companies that make efforts to hire those with disabilities performed better and saw, on average, 23 percent higher revenue.

Hit The Road Jack — Here are the most wheelchair-friendly beaches in the U.S.

International News

The ‘ludicrous’ lavatories that disabled people cannot use named alongside the most accessible hotels

October 8, 2019  |  Source:  iNews- UK

“Ludicrous Loo of the Year” is an award likely to flush few establishments with pride, but is nonetheless a title that has been handed to the Beachside Grill in Saunton, Devon. This title was bestowed on the restaurant at the inaugural Blue Badge Access Awards on Monday night, after the disabled facility was found to double as a store room, making it impossible for a wheelchair user to navigate. The Artist Residence Hotel in Victoria, central London, came a close second after a disabled user was kept waiting by a drag queen who was using it as a changing room…

World Road Congress participants explore disabled-inclusive road transport

October 8, 2019  |  Source: WAM- Abu Dhabi

For the first time in the Congress’ 111-year history, World Road Association, PIARC, members and global experts addressed the important topic on how countries can help change the everyday lives for persons with disabilities when it comes to travelling. During the Foresight Session ‘Disabled-inclusive road transport’, Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, Global Disability Advisor of the World Bank Group who chaired the discussion said, “We are really excited today to be able to have this discussion as it is an important topic that typically hasn’t been discussed in forums such as these.”…

DJ launches crowdfund to create landmark club night for disabled ravers

October 10, 2019  |  Source: iNews- UK

A disabled DJ has launched a crowdfunder to create a landmark club night that will cater to ravers with disabilities. DJ Tony Gurney is hoping to get Daylight, a drum and bass and jungle event for clubbers with accessibility issues, off the ground in London. Tony, who DJs under the name Groover The Barbarian and is currently studying electronic music production, lives with both Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid illness fibromyalgia. Having also been a child carer to his older brother who had both spina bifida and hydrocephalus…

Disabled candidate key in council accessibility drive

October 11, 2019  |  Source: Stuff- New Zealand

As a would-be councillor Tim Young’s fate is in the hands of voters. But he’s already made a difference at Hamilton City council as the catalyst for upgrades to accessibility for those with disabilities. Young, 31, was left a tetraplegic in 2009 after a snowboarding accident at Whistler, Canada where he fractured his C5 and C6 vertebrae. He is running in the Hamilton East ward for city council in this year’s local body elections. If he’s elected, immediate adjustments will be made to make the space functional, but council said accessibility upgrades were in the works before Young put his hand up…

An airline is testing technology to make travel easier for people with disabilities

October 11, 2019  |  Source: MSN- Japan

For a number of months now, All Nippon Airways has been testing personal mobility, self-driving electric wheelchairs at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT). The test is part of the airline’s larger plan to help increase accessibility options at the busy hub. Developed through a partnership between Panasonic and WHILL, a Japanese tech startup, the robotic chairs operate in a follow-the-leader fashion to reach a destination. The chairs are also capable of detecting and avoiding obstacles, though airline employees serve as guides…

Anger as police confiscate Extinction Rebellion accessible toilets, ramps and wheelchairs

October 10, 2019  |  Source: Disability News Service- UK

A police force has been accused of discrimination and “abusive” behaviour after confiscating ramps, wheelchairs and even accessible toilets that were intended to make this week’s Extinction Rebellion climate change protests in London more inclusive – and safer – for disabled activists. Members of the Disabled Rebels group had spent months working with the organisers of Extinction Rebellion (XR) to ensure that the protests taking place this week and next would be accessible and inclusive…

Accessible Act push urged

October 13, 2019  |  Source: Otago Daily Times- New Zealand

The campaign for the Government to commit to an Accessible Aotearoa Act is about to heat up, as grassroots support grows. That was the message Access Alliance NZ co-ordinator and Blind and Low Vision NZ general manager policy and advocacy Dianne Rogers had for Dunedin disability advocates during a visit last Friday. Ms Rogers met Blind and Low Vision NZ staff and Dunedin members of The Access Alliance to discuss the ongoing push for legislation to greatly improve accessibility in all aspects of life for people with disabilities…

‘If there’s a fire I’m dead’: Quadruple amputee battles condo board for access to her own building

October 13, 2019  |  Source: CBC- Canada

Verna Marzo says she’ll never forget the embarrassment of being stuck outside her Calgary condo building — in the cold for almost two hours, waiting for someone to let her in — because as a quadruple amputee she can’t open the doors on her own and her condo board has refused to install automatic doors she can use. “Someone helped me [get] out, but when I wanted to go back in, there was no one to open the door,” said Marzo, 46. “It was cold. I called my sister but my sister was at work … so I waited until my caregiver arrived.” She says none of the other doors in the building is an option…

Making Movies Accessible for Everyone

October 14, 2019  |  Source: Human Rights Watch- South Africa

For the first time, people who are deaf or hard of hearing will be able to enjoy the Nairobi leg of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, opening on October 15. Rehad Desai’s documentary Everything Must Fall, a deep-dive into South Africa’s student activist movement, will open the festival. The film will have open captions, meaning written dialog and descriptions of sound effects will appear onscreen. The screening venue, Alliance Française de Nairobi, is wheelchair accessible, and there will be a sign language interpreter for the panel discussion following the screening…

Half of print marketing in the UK ignores accessibility issues

October 14, 2019  |  Source: Bdaily- UK & Printweek- UK

More than half (56%) of print marketing materials designed by UK businesses overlook common accessibility issues according to new research. The study bringing these findings to light was conducted by print experts Solopress, in support of Dyslexia Awareness Week. It has revealed that material produced by more than 600 businesses* who rely on print marketing may include fonts, layouts and colours that are harder to read for an estimated 21 million* people in the UK who experience dyslexia, colour blindness, significant visual impairments, dementia or poor basic literacy…

All schools, colleges, varsities must be disabled-friendly, Odisha education departments told

October 15, 2019  |  Source: The New Indian Express- India

After missing the deadline of making all government buildings accessible to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), the State Government has asked the School and Mass Education and Higher Education departments to ensure that all educational institutions are disabled-friendly by end of December. At a recent high-level meeting of all departments, Development Commissioner Suresh Chandra Mohapatra has directed the districts to complete retrofitting works in all school and college buildings along with the offices within the time frame…

Firms urged to publish photos of offices to help disabled clients

October 15, 2019  |  Source: Law Gazette- UK & PDF

Law firms should publish images of the inside and outside of their offices to show how they can be accessed by disabled people, a report commissioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority has recommended. YouGov was asked to do research with disabled people to explore the reasonable adjustments that firms can make to be more accessible for disabled people. More than 3,500 disabled people informed the report, published yesterday. Nearly three-quarters said they are rarely or never proactively asked if they need adjustments when accessing professional services…

The climate revolution must be accessible – this fight belongs to disabled people too

October 15, 2019  |  Source: The Guardian- UK

Last week, the Paralympian James Brown tried to glue himself to the top of a plane as part of Extinction Rebellion’s protest at London City airport. Watching the epic performance unfold, I realised I hadn’t seen a single person with a disability who was also a climate protester. Brown is visually impaired, so while he has no direct mobility impairment I don’t imagine straddling an Embraer 190 is an easy manoeuvre. But it was a testament to democracy – and made me think about the place that people with disabilities have within the growing climate movement…

Confusion over accessibility at polling stations could deter those with mobility issues, voter says

October 15, 2019  |  Source: CBC- Canada

Calgary voter files complaint with Elections Canada about accessibility at advance poll

October 15, 2019  |  Source: Global News- Canada

Some disabled Canadians feeling left out of discussion during election campaign

October 15, 2019  |  Source: National Post- Canada

Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte candidates to face accessibility questions

October 17, 2019  |  Source: Simcoe- Canada

A confusing trip to the advance polls has a Vancouver Island woman worried that others with mobility issues could be discouraged from voting. Margo Bok ‘s voter card said she could cast her ballot at a local church in the advance polls, or at a middle school on election day. But Bok, who lives in the riding of Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke, spotted a problem: the ballot card said both sites had no wheelchair access and provided a number to discuss other options…

How accessible is technology?

October 15, 2019  |  Source: The Naked Scientists- UK (Podcast)

Today, we’re analysing the inclusivity of tech. How easy to use are the apps and websites that modern life demands that many of us use every day? We’ll be seeing what’s fit for purpose, what needs to change, and how science can help. With us is Adi Latif who works for AbilityNet, a charity that supports people living with disability to use technology. Adi is blind, and he came here today by train and had to book a ticket online. First up, Chris Smith asked Adi, how do you go about booking a train ticket online if you’re blind?…

Vancouver ramps up for more accessible city, but much more needed

October 15, 2019  |  Source: Vancouver Sun- Canada

The City of Vancouver is planning to install up to 600 more curb ramps over the next few years to help make the municipality more accessible. The initiative comes after the city’s engineering department identified about 5,000 locations “where curb ramps are missing” from Vancouver’s infrastructure, according to a recent request for proposal. The city plans to award a one-year contract to install 150-200 curb ramps, and may extend that contract at its discretion, according to the proposal…

New wheelchair-accessible electric minibus to operate on a public route

October 16, 2019  |  Source: TODAY- Singapore

A new wheelchair-accessible electric mini bus will hit the roads on Thursday (Oct 17), plying the route of service 825 which operates between Yio Chu Kang interchange and Lentor Avenue. With this new addition, all public bus services in Singapore will be wheelchair-accessible, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Wednesday (Oct 16) at a media preview of the newly expanded Yio Chu Kang bus interchange. For a public bus service to be considered wheelchair accessible, half of the buses plying the route and 80 per cent of the bus stops along that route must be wheelchair-accessible…

SEC sets gold standard for disabled access

October 16, 2019  |  Source: Exhibition News- Scotland

The Scottish Event Campus (SEC) has been recognised with the Gold Charter of Best Practice by Attitude is Everything, a charity which improves accessibility for deaf and disabled people at events. The venue, which comprises The SSE Hydro, SEC Armadillo and the SEC Centre, is the first in Scotland to be accredited with the award. The presentation of the award follows the SEC’s introduction of accessible online ticketing for disabled fans via the venue’s ticketing partner, Ticketmaster…

London’s first accessible rave for adults with disabilities is coming to Omeara

October 16, 2019  |  Source: Mixmag- UK

A London-based DJ is starting up the capital’s first accessible club event for adults with disabilities and their carers. DJ Tony Gurney, aka Groover The Barbarian, is set to run his d’n’b and jungle special from Omeara in London Bridge on November 16. As someone who lives with Crohn’s Disease and Fibromyalgia and having been a child carer, Tony hopes to eliminate the barriers standard nightclubbing creates. Tony said: “Anyone who has tried to get a taxi or a night bus at 3-4am knows how difficult that is…

Province asking for public input on how to better support people with disabilities

October 16, 2019  |  Source: CBC- Canada

There are almost one million British Columbians over the age of 15 living with some form of disability, and the provincial government is planning to develop new laws to better support their needs by 2020. Shane Simpson, the minister of social development and poverty reduction, said the legislation will complement the Accessible Canada Act that passed in Ottawa in June and is designed to identify and remove barriers to accessibility. Simpson is asking for public feedback until Nov. 29 to help inform similar provincial legislation…

Choose Art improves access for people with disability

October 17, 2019  |  Source: Mirage News- Australia

Access to cultural experiences and arts programs across the country are now available to people with disability at the click of a mouse. The online platform called Choose Art is a national arts directory for inclusive and accessible programs, opportunities and events. Recently launched by Arts Access Victoria, who developed the platform, Choose Art maps regional and metropolitan arts programs and experiences. Users can search by accessibility, location and art form…

Delhi Court issues landmark ‘ORDER’ to ensure accessibility at religious places for persons with disabilities

October 17, 2019  |  Source: The Policy Times- India

The Supreme Court completed the hearings on the Ram Janmabhoomi- Babri Masjid Case and reserved its verdict, another landmark Order on access to religious places for persons with disabilities issue was passed by the Court of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD) Delhi, on the same day. The Court ordered all religious places in Delhi to incorporate accessibility in a time-bound manner, to ensure inclusive worship for all, including devotees with disabilities and the elderly…

Call for campaign to improve theatres’ accessible offering as report reveals gaps in provision

October 17, 2019  |  Source: The Stage- UK

The head of arts accessibility charity VocalEyes has called for an in-depth campaign to improve support for disabled audience members, after its latest report revealed that a quarter of theatres still display no access information online. Matthew Cock, chief executive of the charity, which assists blind and partially sighted people engage with the arts, said more needs to be done to encourage the venues that fail to publish accessibility information on their websites to do so. This includes details of step-free access, accessible facilities and hearing loops, a well as guidance on arriving at the theatre and who to contact about access requirements…

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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.

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