Accessibility in the News — 8/16/2024.

The Department of Justice has issued a final rule that revises the regulations implementing Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This new rule sets specific technical standards and scoping requirements aimed at ensuring that Medical Diagnostic Equipment (MDE) provided by state and local governments is accessible to individuals with disabilities. The rule is part of the broader effort to make public services, programs, and activities more inclusive and accessible to all members of the community.

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Justice Department Rule To Improve Medical Care Access For Disabled People Is Finalized

August 9, 2024 | Source: HuffPost and DOJ Final Rule (PDF) and Fact Sheet and Epstein Becker and Green

The Department of Justice finalized a rule on Friday that will significantly improve medical care access for disabled people in the U.S. The new rule will set specific technical standards for accessible medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) ― such as weight scales, examination tables, dental chairs and radiology devices ― at all health care services that state and local governments offer. It also calls for there to be at least one accessible examination table and weight scale at all state and local medical facilities by Aug. 9, 2026, as well as for these spaces to have staff qualified to operate the diagnostic equipment…

National News (U.S.)

From Tennessee to Oregon: How lawyers turned the ADA into a ‘shakedown business model’

August 8, 2024 | Source: KGW

Conner Slevin got an unexpected message on Facebook in June of 2022. A man in Texas, who shares mutual friends, reached out with an offer. He encouraged Slevin to help with a project aimed at making businesses more accessible for people with disabilities. “This seemed like an opportunity to do something good,” said Slevin, 34, who was paralyzed from the shoulders down in a beach accident in 2020. The Facebook message explained that each month, a lawyer would provide Slevin with a list of two or three businesses in the Portland-area…

Senators urge better access to disability payments for Long COVID patients

August 9, 2024 | Source: New Jersey Monitor

Several U.S. senators have called on the Social Security Administration to take steps to make it easier for people with long COVID to access disability benefits, actions that disability rights advocates and patients say are desperately needed. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Angus King (I-ME), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) signed the letter released on Monday…

Wheelchair users’ wait for elevator at some CTA stations could take awhile

August 10, 2024 | Source: WBEZ Chicago

Mike Ervin uses a wheelchair to get to and from his Printers Row home, but he always gives himself more time to take public transit because his closest L stop at Harrison Street doesn’t have an elevator. He is disappointed that the Chicago Transit Authority doesn’t plan to add an elevator to that station until nearly 2038, the CTA’s own deadline for upgrading the remaining 30% of its stations that are not accessible for people with disabilities…

Adaptive athletes cycling cross country raising funds for accessibility cabins make pit stop in Omaha

August 9, 2024 | Source: KETV

Cycling cross country is the goal for a handful of athletes. It’s through an event called Adapt Across America. “Thirty-five hundred miles from the West Coast to the East Coast,” Edwin Munoz said. “Portland, Oregon, to D.C. We’ve been on the road for 35 days, and the Omaha area is probably the halfway point. We reached about 1,800 miles yesterday.” A pit stop in Omaha to rest and re-up for the second leg of their cross-country trek. Munoz has big goals for himself…

This new trail network is the first in Vermont that’s fully accessible to adaptive mountain bikes

August 12, 2024 | Source: WBUR

One recent summery evening, as the sun turns gold and the flies grow more persistent, a bunch of people park their cars in a field in Bolton, and pull out their mountain bikes. Above this field is a hill covered in tall trees. And winding between those trees is a new trail network called the Driving Range. Tonight, volunteers are putting the final touches on the trails. For that work, Greg Durso gets on his adaptive mountain bike. It looks like a trike, with three wheels…

Federal officials chide Michigan Department of Education for its response to civil rights complaint

August 13, 2024 | Source: Chalkbeat

Federal officials accused the Michigan Department of Education of seeking to “shield itself from any scrutiny” in its violation of the rights of students with disabilities during COVID-era school closures, according to a recent court filing. In the court filing last week, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights claimed the state wants to “brush aside” the way it ignored federal anti-discrimination laws during the pandemic. Federal officials also said the state has not yet given proof that the violations have been resolved…

Your Vote Matters: Disability Advocates Can Help Change Legislation for the Better

August 13, 2024 | Source: | Source: Muscular Dystrophy Association

When you think about great legislation for people with disabilities, you probably think of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). This important law prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in many areas of public life, including jobs, schools, businesses, and transportation. It is designed to ensure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. “The disability community came together to make this landmark law, showing the collective power we have,” says Deborah McFadden…

New Colorado law will increase accessibility to medication for the visually impaired

August 13, 2024 | Source: KKTV

A new Colorado law was passed that now requires pharmacies in the state to offer prescription drug labels in braille, audio devices, or other requested formats. Many who are visually impaired have had to rely on other people or special phone apps to read their medication. A braille teacher at the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind said that she often worries she could be given the wrong medication, as someone who is blind herself. Braille Instructor Marty Rahn said,” I have a friend who overdosed actually a couple of years ago and it wasn’t even her fault…

Disability Advocates Fear New York Will Gut a Key Home Care Program

August 13, 2024 | Source: Mother Jones

In late April, New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers finalized a $233 billion budget for the next fiscal year. One item in its 144-page official summary has sparked fear among disability advocates: dramatic changes to a vital home health aid program that may push more people into nursing homes. A quarter of a million New Yorkers currently use CDPAP, a widely popular program launched in 1995, which facilitates Medicaid funding for home carers chosen by patients themselves at hours they arrange…

How the DNC is prioritizing accessibility for all at this year’s convention

August 14, 2024 | Source: The 19th News

How Chicago is hosting the most accessible Democratic National Convention in history

August 15, 2024 | Source: Choose Chicago

This year in Chicago the Democratic National Convention is making changes big and small to better accommodate its 850 disabled attendees, including 560 disabled delegates, who made accessibility requests to the event’s organizers. “We made a commitment this year for accessibility and inclusion to be an important part of the convention in all aspects, in everything we do,” said Robin Jones, accessibility adviser to the Democratic National Convention Committee…

A visionary approach: How an Argonne team developed accessible maps for colorblind scientists

August 15, 2024 | Source: Argonne National Laboratory

Imagine having to do your job, but not being able to visually process the data right in front of you. Nearly eight percent of genetic males and half a percent of genetic females have some form of Color Vision Deficiency (CVD), or the decreased ability to discern between particular colors. CVD is commonly referred to as color blindness. Scientists use colors to convey information. Many scientists in the weather radar community have CVD and the use and interpretation of color is an important aspect of their work…

Justice Department Secures Agreement with Nebraska School District to End Discriminatory Treatment of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

August 15, 2024 | Source: DOJ and Complaint and Proposed Consent Decree

The Justice Department announced today that it filed a complaint and proposed consent decree to resolve allegations that Lincoln Public Schools (LPS), in Lincoln, Nebraska, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by denying some deaf and hard of hearing students an equal opportunity to attend their neighborhood schools or participate in the high school choice program. Under LPS’ cluster school policy, deaf and hard of hearing students believed to need American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation had to attend cluster schools serving deaf and hard of hearing students…

Utah man’s initiative leads to better care for autistic patients

August 15, 2024 | Source: KMYU

Jeff Wilson has a 7-year-old son on the autism spectrum, for the most part he is non-verbal until he started learning sign language. “When John started learning sign language, he took off with it and started teaching himself with his tablet and so he knows over 700 signs or words,” Jeff said. Jeff worked for Gold Cross Ambulance and he started thinking about making autism kits so first responders could better communicate with autistic patients. What’s in an autism kit?…

Matthew Whitaker Talks Making Technology Accessible, Making Music, More In Recent Interview

August 15, 2024 | Source: Forbes

Matthew Whitaker and I share something in common. Like me, the renowned pianist—who’s performed at esteemed venues like Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater—was born three months premature and weighed less than 2 pounds. Moreover, because of his premie status, doctors gave Whitaker a survival rate of less than 50% and diagnosed him with retinopathy of prematurity. It was the latter diagnosis that caused his blindness. He started playing music at 3, teaching himself to play nursery rhymes on a keyboard given to him by his grandfather…

Clinical trials exclude disabled Americans because federal agencies failed them, new report finds

August 15, 2024 | Source: STAT

People with disabilities are largely excluded from clinical trials that could benefit them because federal agencies have failed to update rules that govern how trials are conducted or neglected to enforce existing laws that protect disabled Americans against discrimination, a new report has found. The National Council on Disability, an independent federal agency, released the report this week detailing how several federal agencies implicitly and explicitly exclude people with disabilities from clinical trials…

What Is a Non-verbal Learning Disability?- Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz opens up about his son’s neurodivergence

August 15, 2024 | Source: Psychology Today

Recently, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and his wife Gwen shared with People magazine that their son has a non-verbal learning disability (NVLD). What does that mean? From the name, you’d think kids were non-speaking and had learning disabilities, but this is a misconception. Children with NVLD have strong verbal skills and relatively weak skills when it comes to non-verbal or visual information. NVLD is not a medical diagnosis, so most healthcare professionals have never heard of it…

Jack Fact — According to Lending Standards Board’s (LSB’s), research showed that the availability of remote-access British Sign Language (BSL) is now offered by 73% of firms, up from 55% in 2023. Access to lip speaker services, meanwhile, has increased from being available at 36% of firms to 45%.

Hit The Road Jack — Inclusive summer fun: Jersey Shore makes waves in wheelchair accessibility efforts and Arbroath cliff trail showed me the importance of accessible adventure

and 10 accessible trails to explore this summer in Snohomish County

International News

Like my mother, I am hard of hearing. Decades on, I face the same problems she did

August 7, 2024 | Source: Tharā Gabriel- The Guardian- Trinidad and Tobago

“Trinidad and Tobago has many notable attributes but, sadly, deaf awareness and public sensitisation to deaf culture is not one of them. The last 50 years of family experiences, added to my personal observations, show we still face the same problems, with deaf and hard-of-hearing people still being novelties. It’s simply not our society. It may be a harsh assessment but this is my reality.” Three years on from writing that, I am still lip reading and winging it…

Paris has become more accessible for disabled. Will it last after the Olympics and Paralympics?

August 9, 2024 | Source: AP News- France

A Paralympic Paris

August 9, 2024 | Source: Slate- France

Paris Olympics embrace accessibility technology for visually impaired fans

August 10, 2024 | Source: AP- France

Paris Olympics Setting New Standards For Accessibility Technology

August 11, 2024 | Source: Evrim Ağacı- France

Change Starts with Sport: 10 Paralympic legacies of Paris 2024

August 15, 2024 | Source: IPC – International Paralympics Committee

Since the start of the Olympics, Ndieme Lame has been commuting every day to the Stade de France where she works as a volunteer helping visitors find their way. The 57-year-old wheelchair user is in awe at how easy it’s been to cross the city on public transit to reach the Olympic stadium. “I never would have believed I could make it here almost on my own,” she said Wednesday after her 1 1/2-hour commute from her home in southern Paris. Her daily journey highlights the city’s efforts to improve accessibility for people with disabilities ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics…

Woman who uses wheelchair praises Eisteddfod accessibility but wants more to be done

August 9, 2024 | Source: ITVX- UK

A wheelchair user has praised the accessibility of the National Eisteddfod 2024 but calls for more to be done in future. Emily Nicole Roberts, 26, lives with cerebral palsy, is calling for more stewards to help, more signs on the Maes, and less pathways made of gravel at the event in future. With the field in Ynys Angharad Park in Pontypridd, the National Eisteddfod festival site looks a bit different than usual his year. Emily, who works in a bridal shop, also has her own Youtube series…

Barred from screen: How Nepal’s films are failing blind, deaf viewers

August 9, 2024 | Source: The Kathmandu Post- Nepal

On May 10, 2024, 22-year-old Sita Maya Shrestha, a visually impaired student from Kathmandu now studying in New Delhi, found herself in a rare situation: fully immersed in a movie theatre. Why rare, one might question? For Shrestha, this moment wasn’t just about watching a biopic of a visually impaired industrialist; it was about experiencing cinema in a way that she had never been able to in her home, in Nepal. The key difference? The film featured audio descriptions and closed captions—technologies still largely absent in Nepali movies, leaving visually impaired and deaf audiences isolated from mainstream entertainment…

CBFC Headquarters, Mumbai Conducts Workshop On Guidelines Of Accessibility Standards

August 9, 2024 | Source: Tripura Star News- India

In this regard, a workshop was conducted on 09.08.2024 in CBFC Headquarters, Mumbai with the stakeholders to sensitize them about the provisions of the guidelines along with the changes that are mandated as per the guidelines. The workshop was attended by Shri Prasoon Joshi, Chairperson, CBFC, Ms Vrunda Manohar Desai, Joint Secretary (Films), Shri Rajendra Singh, CEO, CBFC along with officers of the CBFC, representatives of producers associations, activists working for hearing and visually impaired and cinema theatres associations…

Disability complaints account for majority of human rights claims in NWT: report

August 10, 2024 | Source: NNSL Media- Canada

Advocates for disability rights are renewing their calls for a NWT Accessibility Act to overhaul the territorial building code. It comes after the 2023 NWT Human Rights Commission annual report revealed almost three-quarters of all of human rights complaints in 2023-24 were related to concerns with discrimination against persons living with disabilities. The report, released by legislative assembly Speaker Shane Thompson, on July 25, notes the commission has been calling for an accessibility act for years…

Election 2024: Federation of Disability calls for increased accessibility, inclusivity in electoral processes

August 10, 2024 | Source: MyJoyOnline- Ghana

The Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to increase the inclusion and accessibility of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) to the voting process of the 2024 General Election. It noted that there were unresolved problems in member accessibility during voter registration and said such issues must be addressed ahead of the December polls. The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of GFD, Richmond E. Dadzie made the call during the presentation of the Monitoring Report of the Limited Voter’s Registration Exercise, at the GFD National Advocacy Committee’s engagement with the EC in Accra.

Ontario’s new billion-dollar courthouse is already facing major complaints

August 11, 2024 | Source: CBC- Canada and City News (Video)

A fancy new outpost of the Ontario Court of Justice — which cost the provincial government some $1 billion to build — is already having some massive issues that have made it the centre of an array of complaints for months. The new Ontario Court of Justice building, located at University and Armory in the downtown core, has been experiencing all sorts of staff shortages that have impacted countless court cases and generally prevented the institution from carrying out its function…

Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) launches Singapore’s first accessible beach track and inclusive tours: What you need to know?

August 11, 2024 | Source: Travel And Tour World- Singapore and Singapore Business Review

Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) today launched Singapore’s first accessible beach track and a series of inclusive tours led by persons with disabilities (PwDs), marking a significant milestone in its commitment to becoming a more inclusive tourist destination. These innovative initiatives are designed to enhance the visitor experience for everyone, regardless of physical ability or mobility challenges, and to set a new standard for accessibility in tourism…

Madrid enhances accessibility with major upgrades at Avenida de América Metro Station

August 12, 2024 | Source: Global Railway Review- Spain

The Community of Madrid has announced that it is progressing with significant improvements to the Avenida de América Metro station, including the construction of a new access point and the installation of 10 additional lifts. Regional Minister of Housing, Transport and Infrastructure, Jorge Rodrigo, provided an update on the project during a visit. The works are currently 50% complete and are expected to be finalised by early 2026. The upgrade will allow users to enter the station directly from Calle María de Molina via two new lifts, connecting them to the four Madrid Metro lines that service Avenida de América…

Disability rights campaigners welcome new facility that will improve accessibility for Northern customers

August 13, 2024 | Source: Rail Business Daily- UK

Two disability-rights campaigners have praised a new facility that is designed to improve accessibility for passengers at Sunderland Station. Jimmy Simpson and Lauryn Bell both use the station’s passenger assist meeting point – a designated space in which customers can wait and request assistance from staff to board a train. The duo, who run the Adventures of Jimmy and Lauryn Facebook page, said it will give more disabled people the confidence to travel by train…

Southeastern expands accessible travel offer with new British Sign Language service

August 13, 2024 | Source: Southeastern Media Centre- UK

Southeastern has enhanced its accessible travel service with new technology making it easier for customers to communicate with colleagues using British Sign Language. Staff at stations across south-east London, Kent and East Sussex are using the SignLive app to speak with a live interpreter who can sign back to customers. Customer service teams are also using the technology to make it easier for British Sign Language users to book tickets, check train times and arrange passenger assistance…

Accessibility advocates urge NSW Government to opt in to improved standards

August 14, 2024 | Source: News Of The Area- Australia

Two years ago, the NCC established Livable Housing Australia’s ‘Silver Level’ Livable Housing Design standards as mandatory. The standards require developers to include basic accessibility requirements in new builds. To comply with the silver standard, a home must have a level step-free entrance from the street, wider internal doors and corridors, a hobless shower recess, reinforced walls around the toilet, shower and bath, and an easy-access toilet on the entry level…

Your call for accessible voting is delivered to Downing Street

August 14, 2024 | Source: RNIB- UK

RNIB staff and volunteers, including Chair Anna Tylor, went to Downing Street this week to hand in an open letter signed by 2,443 of you, calling on the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to finally make accessible voting a reality for people with sight loss. 2,443 of you signed the open letter in the run up to polling day. Throughout the 2024 election campaign, your support was fantastic. You spoke up about the injustice of inaccessible voting, bringing this issue to elections officials, decision makers and members of the public…

‘We plan our lives around barriers’: number of disability access complaints made to Transport for Greater Manchester level for past three years

August 15, 2024 | Source: Mancunian Matters- UK

The number of complaints made to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) relating to disability access has stayed almost level for the past three years. A Freedom of Information request revealed there were 50 such complaints in 2021, 45 in 2022 and 49 in 2023. The figures have risen since the pandemic, with 17 complaints in 2019 and 14 in 2020. Rick Burgess, outreach and development lead for the Greater Manchester Disabled People’s Panel (GMDPP), said: “I’m not surprised but I think it’s slightly deceptive…

UN committee probes disabled accessibility of Dutch society

August 15, 2024 | Source: Dutch News- Netherlands

A United Nations human rights committee has started an investigation to see if the Netherlands is doing enough to promote the inclusion of the disabled in society, eight years after signing up to the UN treaty for the rights of disabled people. The investigation, which consists of several hearings, also covers reports on Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Denmark, Ghana, Mauritius, and Ukraine. Disabled rights are anchored in the constitution and the UN treaty but, according to disabled organisation Iederin, which will be present at the hearings, the result of the investigation will show inclusion in the Netherlands still has a long way to go…

More Work To Do: Examining The Current State Of Accessibility At UK Airports

August 15, 2024 | Source: Simple Flying- UK

The accessibility of airports across the United Kingdom has been a focal point for the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) since the launch of its Airport Accessibility Framework in 2014. This framework was designed to ensure that passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility receive the support and services they need to travel with dignity and ease. Over the past decade, substantial improvements have been made, with millions of pounds invested in enhancing services and facilities…

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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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Accessible Website and Application Development— We rely heavily on accessibility best practices and using HTML5 and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) standards to build WCAG-compliant and human-tested accessible environments. Our teams are proficient in open source technologies such as WordPress, Drupal and Moodle, as well as custom frameworks in .NET, PHP, AngularJS, and other frameworks. Our Learning and Development team can also help you create accessible custom training.
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Accessibility Training— With several courses available for developers, testers, and content creators, your team can become equipped to consistently and expertly produce accessible digital products and online environments.
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