Accessibility in the News — 2/23/2024.

In a trend of companies taking accessibility more seriously, Starbucks has introduced a new store design emphasizing accessibility and inclusivity, debuting the concept in its Union Market location in Washington, D.C. The design, developed over a two-year period with input from Starbucks baristas, features power-operated doors, lower counters for wheelchair accessibility, and a point-of-sale system with adjustable stands, voice assist, screen magnification, and images of menu items. The store also incorporates digital status boards, improved lighting, and enhanced insulation to reduce noise. This initiative aligns with Starbucks’ plan to implement similar designs in all future company-owned locations, aiming to open over 600 new stores in the U.S. this year, increasing its footprint by 4%. The company emphasizes that the cost of creating more accessible stores will not be significantly higher than current designs and sees it as an investment in customer connection and employee engagement.

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Starbucks has a new accessible store design. Take a look inside

February 16, 2024 | Source: CNBC and Starbucks and Axios and Business Wire and Nation’s Restaurant News and HR Brew and Retail Insight Network and RetailWire and Restaurant Dive and Kiplinger and NBC and Disability Scoop and Specialty Food Association and CNN

Starbucks has unveiled a new store design focused on accessibility and inclusion, with fresh light fixtures and open floor plans. The coffee giant opened the first location with the new design on Friday in Washington, D.C.’s Union Market. “Designing for disabilities is just good design for everybody,” said Sara Trilling, president of Starbucks North America. She added that designing a more accessible cafe took about two years and that the company solicited input from Starbucks baristas…

National News (U.S.)

Congestion Pricing Disability Exemption Better Not Rely on License Plates: Advocates

February 16, 2024 | Source: Streets Blog NYC

Disable this fraud! The plan to provide a full exemption from congestion pricing for disabled drivers is rife with fraud opportunities and doesn’t serve the population it’s meant to cover, according to longtime tolling advocates as well as advocates for the disabled. The Traffic Mobility Review Board, which set the pricing and exemption parameters for congestion pricing, decided that the disability exemption would apply to any car that had a government-issue disability license plate…

Accessible travel market gets one-stop shop

February 17, 2024 | Source: The Columbian

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans with disabilities made up an active, rapidly growing segment of the travel industry. In 2018 and 2019, at least 70 percent of them (28 million people) collectively spent $58.7 billion on trips, according to a 2020 nationwide study conducted by the Harris Poll. The report, commissioned by Open Doors Organization, an accessible-travel advocacy group, shows that such spending has skyrocketed — up 339 percent, from $17.3 billion, in 2015…

Chicago Union Station: A Beacon of Accessibility and Inclusivity

February 19, 2024 | Source: BNN Breaking

Imagine stepping into a world where every door opens for you, not as a courtesy, but as a seamless part of your journey through the spaces we inhabit. In 2024, the concept of accessibility takes a significant leap forward, with Chicago Union Station leading by example, showcasing full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This development is not just about facilitating movement; it’s a narrative of empowerment, inclusivity, and the evolving relationship between humans and the spaces they occupy…

New Michigan voter education videos feature ASL to reach voters with disabilities

February 19, 2024 | Source: Michigan Advance

Voters with disabilities can access new voter education videos featuring American Sign Language on MichiganVoting.org. As early voting for the Feb. 27 presidential primary is underway, four videos on the website explain in American Sign Language (ASL) how to register to vote for the primary, how to vote early and how to sign up to vote by mail in future elections. The videos were made from a collaboration with Disability Rights Michigan and Promote the Vote, the group that spearheaded several changes added to the state constitution this year aimed to increase voting accessibility…

Disability Rights Activist Brooke Ellison Remembered as a Friend and Leader

February 19, 2024 | Source: Harvard Crimson & Today (YouTube)

During a Harvard webinar in 2022, Brooke M. Ellison ’00 spoke about the need to change the narrative on disabilities. Disabilities should not be a source of “shame or inadequacy,” Ellison said. “Though many people with a disability might prefer to live without it, it is the social narrative regarding disability that needs to change,” she continued. “This part is entirely socially constructed, and it needs to be deconstructed and then reconstructed.” Ellison, a disability rights activist and one of the first quadriplegic students at Harvard, died on Feb. 4 at the Stony Brook University Hospital in New York. She was 45…

Valrico rapper explores his disability, life experiences through his lyrics

February 19, 2024 | Source: ABC Action News

We all know just how powerful music can be. For Tres Whitlock, his music gave him a voice to get out all of the things he had bottled up for 19 years. The minute you meet Tres Whitlock, his smile and laughter immediately radiates. He has cerebral palsy. He’s non-verbal, and communicates through his iPad. “As a family, Tres’ nickname was Smiley. He smiles all the time. He seemed very, very happy. We thought he was very, very happy,” said his mother Tonya.

‘We try to accommodate’, Early voters facing accessibility issues at Macon Mall polling place

February 20, 2024 | Source: 13WMAZ

This week kicks off early voting for Georgia’s Presidential Primary election. One of Macon-Bibb’s three polling locations, the Macon Mall, has a few accessibility problems for handicapped voters. Now, the Bibb County Board of Elections said they’ve made changes and accommodations, but some voters say they have to drive elsewhere just to vote. Although early voter turnout hasn’t been too high yet, there was a total of 245 people who have already cast their ballots since early voting started Monday…

Ed Department Needs More Funding To Investigate Disability Complaints, Advocates Say

February 20, 2024 | Source: Disability Scoop

Federal education officials need twice as much money to keep up with a flood of complaints alleging discrimination against students with disabilities and others in the nation’s schools, advocates say. In letters to President Joe Biden and key leaders in Congress, 91 disability and civil rights organizations say that funding for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights should be doubled next year. The civil rights office is charged with investigating discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability and age in programs funded by the Education Department…

TLC breaks promise to make NYC yellow taxis wheelchair accessible, say advocates

February 21, 2024 | Source: New York Daily News and The New York Times

Advocates for disabled people want a federal judge to enforce an agreement by the Taxi and Limousine Commission to make half of New York City’s yellow taxicabs wheelchair accessible. The filing in Manhattan Federal Court on Wednesday by Taxis For All and several other advocates alleges that the TLC is in breach of a 2013 agreement reached to settle a lawsuit over taxi accessibility. The agreement, approved by Manhattan Federal Judge George Daniels in 2014, required the TLC to make certain 50% of the city’s 13,587 yellow cabs were wheelchair accessible by 2020…

Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Taxi Driver Awards Given for Exemplary Service to People With Disabilities

February 21, 2024 | Source: City of Chicago

The Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP), along with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), presented the Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) Taxi Driver Award to 8 taxi drivers in recognition of their premier customer service and dedication to riders with disabilities, each recipient received a free taxi medallion. “The WAV Taxi Driver Award highlights our dedication to enhancing accessibility in Chicago, encouraging more drivers to provide crucial services to individuals living with disabilities,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson…

3 Lessons For Employers On Disability Inclusion In A Post-Pandemic Workplace

February 21, 2024 | Source: Forbes

One out of every four adults in the U.S. have some type of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Covid-19 pandemic added millions to this legally protected group, which significantly expanded employers’ responsibilities. At the same time, the pandemic’s remote work experiment opened doors for many individuals with disabilities, which can’t be ignored in return-to-office (RTO) debates. In short, employers are facing both new obligations and new opportunities involving post-pandemic disability inclusion…

Man, 27, with severe bipolar disorder shares how a keto diet helped him: ‘It’s all worth it’

February 21, 2024 | Source: Today

In 2016, Matt Baszucki was a freshman in college and taking engineering classes when he began experiencing manic symptoms. “It was like sleeping less and less, having grandiose thoughts, rapid speech,” Matt Baszucki, 27, told NBC’s Kate Snow in a segment aired Feb. 21. “Going, going, going, spending, talking fast, not sleeping, doing all this wild impulsive behavior.” Soon after, doctors diagnosed Baszucki with bipolar disorder, and he was hospitalized. Over the next eight years, he took 29 different medications, visited 40 doctors and was eventually told his condition was treatment-resistant…

Good Life Ambassadors teach others to understand, approach people with disabilities

February 21, 2024 | Source: Spectrum News

To raise awareness for the disability community and teach those outside of it how to approach and interact with them, the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities put together a team of four people, called Good Life Ambassadors (GLAs), who travel to schools or other events to show that, in many ways, people with disabilities really aren’t that different from everyone else. “I love being able to serve the disability community,” Breanna Sprenger, 22-year-old GLA, said. “And I love being able to educate others on disability awareness and disability etiquette.”…

Montana State University under investigation for discrimination on basis of disability

February 21, 2024 | Source: Daily Montanan

Montana State University has received a fourth notice it is under investigation by the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education. This notice, sent Feb. 2 to MSU President Waded Cruzado and first reported by the Bozeman Chronicle, said federal officials will investigate whether the Bozeman flagship failed to protect people from discrimination based on a disability. The Office for Civil Rights has the authority to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act…

February SSDI Payment 2024: Here’s When Your Check Will Arrive

February 21, 2024 | Source: CNET

If you’re waiting to get your February Social Security Disability Insurance check, it could arrive this week. The Social Security Administration is sending out the third round of payments for this month on Wednesday. Whether your payment comes with today’s round depends on when you started receiving SSDI, as well as your birth date. If you don’t get your payment this week, it’ll likely arrive next week. Below, we’ve listed the dates for when your SSDI money could arrive. Note that SSDI is paid on the same day as Social Security payments…

Disney denies disability pass to double amputee, then reverses decision. Here’s her story

February 21, 2024 | Source: Click Orlando

A double amputee was denied a Disability Access Pass, or DAS, during a live video chat with Disney a few days before her trip to Orlando, only to have a Disney supervisor reverse that decision when she arrived in person this past weekend. Chrissy O’Neal told News 6 she has been an amputee for four years and never thought she would “have to fight” to prove her case. “I just thought if I told them I’m a double amputee that would be enough,” she told News 6. “I can walk fine, I just cannot stand still for long periods of time.”…

Disabilities Beat: Understanding family court for people with disabilities

February 21, 2024 | Source: WBFO/NPR

Family Court can be nerve racking for any family, but for families with disabilities, they may worry about how the court will view their disabilities. The American Bar Association reports that “disabled parents are at a much higher risk of losing custody of their children than abled parents.” On this episode of the Disabilities Beat, Emyle Watkins speaks with Erie County’s newest Family Court Judge, the honorable Shannon Filbert, about her perspective as a judge with a disability on what people with disabilities should know about family court…

New Jersey Makes Progress On Disability Access: 8 Encouraging Stories

February 21, 2024 | Source: Patch

There are still many problems that New Jersey needs to work on when it comes to disability access. But communities and agencies across the state have been making progress over the past year – and awareness continues to grow.

Patch took a moment to round up some recent good news stories involving disability access in New Jersey. Far too many people with disabilities continue to be “unemployed and under-employed” – even though the nation continues to struggle with a hiring crisis, according to Easterseals New Jersey, the largest disability services nonprofit in the state…

Disabled Workers Saw Record Employment Gains in 2023, But Gaps Remain

February 22, 2024 | Source: American Progress

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual review of people with disabilities in the labor market. The review illustrates the workforce advancements that people with disabilities made in 2023 and highlights the gaps they still face. This column describes notable findings from the data release to provide insight into disabled workers’ labor market experiences. During the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, a tight labor market has emerged, alongside increased telework options…

A hospital is suing to move a quadriplegic 18-year-old to a nursing home. She says no

February 22, 2024 | Source: NPR

From her hospital bed, Alexis Ratcliff asks a question: “What 18-year-old gets sued?” Ratcliff is that 18-year-old, sued by the hospital in Winston-Salem, N.C., that wants her to leave. Ratcliff, a quadriplegic who uses a ventilator, has lived at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist since she was 13. She wants to leave, too. But not to the nursing home the hospital found for her in another state. She wants to live in a home nearby, close to her family and school. When she refused to move to the distant nursing home, the hospital sued her for trespass…

Voting and Disability Rights Advocates Take Legal Action to Protect Mississippi Absentee Ballot Law

February 22, 2024 | Source: League of Women Voters

Voting and disability rights advocates are asking to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the Mississippi Republican Party and Republican National Committee that seeks to overturn a Mississippi law that allows for people voting absentee to mail ballots up until Election Day, and to have those ballots counted if they’re postmarked by Election Day and received within five business days after. The League of Women Voters of Mississippi and Disability Rights Mississippi are plaintiffs on the motion with representation from attorneys at the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Mississippi, Dechert LLP, and Disability Rights Mississippi…

Jack Fact — In March 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 1.3 billion people – 1-in-6 – have a disability.

Hit The Road Jack — Wheel the World launches program to accelerate, promote accessibility and Exploring Seattle with a Vision Impairment

International News

Accessibility holds a mirror up to an inclusive society

February 16, 2024 | Source: The Record- Canada

Someone in your life — you, a family member, friend, co-worker, bus driver, store clerk — is living with a disability. About one quarter of Ontario’s population is living with some form of disability. They live, love and are loved, work, purchase goods and services, vote and otherwise contribute to an inclusive and thriving community. Regardless of whether a disability is visible, people with disabilities have the right to equal treatment when accessing services in public spaces…

Fondazione LIA’s ‘APACE’ Prepares for EU’s Accessibility Act

February 16, 2024 | Source: Publishing Perspectives- EU

As many of our international readers know, the “European Accessibility Act,” as it’s called, will apply to new products and services on the market beginning on June 28, 2025. As EU explanatory material for the initiative specifies, the legislation requires accessibility in “products and services that have been identified as being most important for persons with disabilities while being most likely to have diverging accessibility requirements across EU countries.”…

Opposition Wants Greater Accessibility For The Disabled

February 17, 2024 | Source: Radio Jamaica News- Jamaica

Shadow Minister on Gender Affairs, Persons with Disabilities and Inclusion Denise Daley is concerned that there is still a lack of accessibility for persons with disabilities at public and private institutions. Ms Daley has noted that the two-year window for public entities, private businesses and institutions to retrofit their buildings for enhanced accessibility for persons with disabilities, as mandated by the Disabilities Act, ended on Wednesday. Ms Daley says many facilities, including Gordon House, the building in which the law was passed, remain inaccessible to wheelchair users and those with permanent or temporary disabilities…

Inclusivity and Accessibility: Malaysia’s Path to the SDGs

February 17, 2024 | Source: BNN Breaking- Malaysia

In the heart of Malaysia, a transformative movement is unfolding as the nation sets its sights on the ambitious goal of achieving the 16 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Spearheading this pivotal journey, the Malaysian CSO SDG Alliance is championing the essence of public participation, underscoring the vital role of inclusivity and accessibility in shaping a sustainable future. Amidst this progressive backdrop, a particular emphasis has been placed on empowering those often left on the sidelines of decision-making processes, notably individuals with disabilities, to ensure that Malaysia’s stride towards sustainability leaves no one behind…

Toronto’s Winter Stations are a sight to behold, but disability advocates say they’re far from accessible

February 18, 2024 | Source: CBC- Canada

Every year, Beate Hundert says she tries to view the art exhibits part of Winter Stations along Woodbine Beach. And each time, she says she’s robbed of the experience. Instead of getting to view each station up close, Hundert says she can only go as far as the boardwalk allows. Hundert uses a walker to get around because of a condition called hereditary spastic paraplegia, which affects how her muscles function. That, coupled with the snowy and often icy terrain, means she can’t experience the exhibit the way it’s intended…

What Coldplay concerts in Singapore tell us about music accessibility

February 18, 2024 | Source: Channel News Asia- Singapore

How do deaf people listen to music? Is it possible for them to do so? If you were at Coldplay’s concert in Singapore recently, you’d have seen them dance and groove to the beat alongside their hearing counterparts. In what has been touted as a “game-changing” standard for concerts in Singapore, a team of sign language interpreters at Coldplay’s concerts gained much attention for their enthusiastic gestures and expressive movements, making music accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing…

Zahedan to enhance accessible tourism

February 19, 2024 | Source: Tehran Times- Iran

Reza Ganjali, the deputy chief of tourism in the province, revealed during an interview with ISNA on Monday that Zahedan has been selected as a national candidate for accessible tourism initiatives. The official highlighted that emphasis was placed on establishing Zahedan as an accessible tourism hub during the national meeting on accessible tourism held in Tehran with the participation of officials from the provincial authority…

This Startup Enhances STEM Accessibility for Visually Impaired Using AI

February 19, 2024 | Source: Analytics India Magazine- India

Growing up in Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi, visually impaired Kartik Sawhney did not have the option to study science for Classes 11 and 12 in CBSE. He had to advocate for his right to study the subject he desired and even when the opportunity was finally available to him, he encountered difficulties in accessing the necessary resources. “Over 96% of the content available today is incompatible with various assistive technologies that people with disabilities use. So, chances that a PDF you’re going to find online is going to be accessible is only 4%,” Sawhney told AIM…

‘More determined than ever’: Ontario accessibility law, 1 year from deadline, falls short of goals

February 19, 2024 | Source: York Region News- Canada and Kenora and REMI Network

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act isn’t what Andrew Fisher expected it to be. “I thought there would be a little more behind it, a little more authority,” Fisher, chief development officer for the Canadian Spinal Research Foundation, said this month. “It’s really just a glorified change in the building code.” The province’s Liberal government promised a barrier-free Ontario by Jan. 1, 2025 before the legislation went into effect 19 years ago…

Businesses urged to speed up access improvements

February 19, 2024 | Source: BBC- Guernsey

There are growing calls for businesses to “speed up” improvements to their accessibility in St Peter Port. Dania Lloyd has mobility issues and said she felt “forgotten” despite new anti-discrimination legislation. Under the law, businesses have until October 2028 to make “reasonable adjustments” to their properties for accessibility. Guernsey Disability Alliance’s (GDA) social policy officer Carol Le Page urged businesses to “change quickly”.

She said: “If someone is doing a big refurbishment we would expect they have their accessibility audit done and made the changes which are needed”…

NSW Boosts Disability Support Classes in Mainstream Schools

February 19, 2024 | Source: Mirage- Australia

The NSW Government is increasing support for students with disability through an expansion of support classes in mainstream schools. This is part of the NSW Government’s plan to improve equity and ensure every student has access to a high-quality public education. An extra 243 support classes have been approved to open in 2024, bringing the total to almost 4,500 support classes across all public education settings. It means more than 1,500 students with a disability will have a place in a NSW public school support class this year…

Accessibility of education: Challenges faced by people with disabilities in the pursuit of fundamental rights

February 20, 2024 | Source: United Nations Development Programme- Global

Despite the introduction of inclusive education, the Montenegrin educational system does not provide equal opportunities for education to everyone. Sofija Ivanović, a talented first-year student of the secondary school Gymnasium in Podgorica, and Nikola Zekić, who holds a master’s degree in ethnomusicology, emphasize that the right to education is a fundamental human right. However, their experience shows that realizing this right remains a challenge for numerous generations of people with disabilities…

Deadline expires for disability accessibility retrofits

February 19, 2024 | Source: Jamaica Gleaner- Jamaica

As the two-year window for public entities and private businesses to retrofit their buildings for better accessibility for the disabled community closes today, the seat of Jamaica’s legislature, Gordon House, falls short of compliance. Despite the passage of the Disabilities Act in 2014 and subsequent regulations approval in 2022, Gordon House lacks easy access for wheelchair users or individuals with disabilities. This situation draws criticism from opposition Senator Lambert Brown, who asserts that lawmakers are neglecting the very law they passed a decade ago…

New film honors life and legacy of disability pioneer Mark Bookman

February 19, 2024 | Source: The Japan Times- Japan

A documentary will premiere later this month in Tokyo about the life and activism of leading disability rights advocate Mark Bookman. Equal parts touching and grounded in political and ethical demands, “Mark – A Call to Action” illuminates the remarkable life of a relentless historian, educator and activist. The American-born Bookman, who was a full-time Tokyo resident, passed away in December 2022 at 31 years of age, shortly after the filming of the documentary took place…

Motiongate Dubai to provide deaf-accessible theme park experience

February 21, 2024 | Source: Blooloop- Dubai

Motiongate Dubai has teamed up with technology company Amsaan to provide a deaf-accessible theme park experience. Amsaan, a developer of accessible IT solutions, will supply on-demand Emirati sign language videos for ride instructions, safety instructions and other information about the park through “strategically placed QR codes”, per a press release. Vitalii Mykhalchuk, CEO of Amsaan, said: “This partnership is not just about making a theme park accessible; it’s about fostering a culture of inclusivity…

Inspirational athletes set to host fans in their accessible Airbnb homes for Paris 2024

February 21, 2024 | Source: International Olympic Committee- France

Allétru, a former motocross rider who became a European champion in Para swimming after being paralysed in a serious crash at the 2010 World Motocross Championships, will welcome up to two guests to his home in Lille Metropole on 10 August, before accompanying them to watch the men’s handball final on 11 August at Pierre Mauroy Stadium. French wheelchair basketball star Mehiaoui, meanwhile, will open his Paris home to guests on 6 September, with the lucky visitors also receiving two tickets to the men’s wheelchair basketball final at Arena Bercy for the following day…

Air Canada accelerates accessibility plan and enhances experience of travellers with hidden disabilities

February 21, 2024 | Source: Future Travel Experience- Canada

Air Canada has adopted the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower programme to better serve customers with non-visible disabilities. It has also confirmed the first appointments to its new Customer Accessibility Advisory Committee, which will guide the airline as it accelerates its three-year accessibility plan. “Air Canada is the first airline in North America to adopt the Sunflower programme, which will enable us to better assist and serve our customers with non-visible disabilities such as autism,” said Tom Stevens, Vice President, Customer Experience and Operations Strategy, Air Canada…

Accessible trail improvements on a path to approval despite neighbourhood resistance

February 21, 2024 | Source: CTV News London- Canada

Longstanding opposition to improving a trail that enters an expensive neighbourhood in northwest London, Ont. may have met its match— provincial accessibility laws. On Wednesday, the Planning and Environment Committee (PEC) discussed a staff report that recommends the pathway from Gloucester Road into the Medway Valley Heritage Environmentally Significant Area be upgraded from a Level 1 Trail to a Level 2 Trail. Redevelopment of the steep, narrow, and uneven pathway would require a firm gravel surface up to two metres wide…

Accessibility concerns: Wasserbillig resident refuses to pay communal tax in protest

February 22, 2024 | Source: RTL Today- Luxembourg

A Wasserbillig resident with mobility issues has said he is effectively barricaded in his house because of ongoing construction work outside his home. Ben Michaels said he has pleaded with the commune of Mertert to ensure safe and unobstructed access to his home during renovation works on his street and is refusing to pay his local taxes until satisfactory measures are put in place. Mr. Michaels describes himself as being “permanently disabled” and must use walking aids and wheelchairs to get around…

Adopting text-to-speech tools is making newsrooms more accessible

February 22, 2024 | Source: International Journalists’ Network- Brazil

Media outlets are increasingly adopting text-to-speech tools to make their content more widely available. Since 2015, Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo has been providing text-to-speech features on its website. This has made it a pioneer among mainstream media. “At the beginning, [the newspaper] was available only on desktop. Later, we also made it available on mobile,” said Camila Marques, who leads digital strategy for the outlet. The newspaper’s team took into account both usability and accessibility when implementing the tool, explained Marques…

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