Accessibility in the News — 10/16/2020.
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AITN Quote of the Week
Crafted while listening to: The Blind Boys of Alabama: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert From The Archives
“Humor is the universal solvent against the abrasive elements of life.”
― Alan Simpson
Converge Accessibility – Narrowing the Digital Divide
Feature Stories
An accessible absentee ballot is crucial for blind and disabled Iowa voters, advocates say — especially in COVID-19 era
October 9, 2020 | Source: Ames Tribune
Count me in: A guide to voting with disabilities in San Diego County
October 9, 2020 | Source: CBS News 8
Minneapolis man creates Facebook page to inform others with disabilities about how to vote
October 9, 2020 | Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Voter collapses twice while waiting; advocates seek more help for elderly, disabled
October 11, 2020 | Source: Akron Beacon Journal
How to help people with learning disabilities cast their votes
October 11, 2020 | Source: CNN Politics
How SignVote is advocating for Deaf and hard of hearing voters
October 12, 2020 | Source: WDVM 25
Blind Iowans Ask State To Make Voting By Mail Accessible
October 12, 2020 | Source: Iowa Public Radio
Eliminating barriers that people with disabilities face at the polls
October 13, 2020 | Source: FOX43
Disabled, elderly may need help to vote in COVID pandemic
October 13, 2020 | Source: The Kansas City Star
Deaf Community Left Out of Presidential Debates
October 15, 2020 | Source: The Keystone News
Don Wirth has been legally blind for 25 years. At 70 years old, he’s at higher risk for COVID-19, so instead of going to the polls and using an accessible voting machine, he voted absentee during the primaries. His wife filled out the paper ballot for him. “I have great confidence that she’s going to fill it out the way I want her to,” Wirth, of Ames, said. But Wirth knows not all blind or otherwise disabled people have a loved one they can trust to help cast their vote. And, he believes, no Iowan should be forced to surrender their privacy to exercise their constitutional right…
National News (U.S.)
This 27-year-old American Sign Language interpreter and TikTok creator makes $60,000 a year
October 9, 2020 | Source: CNBC
Jon Urquhart’s childhood home wasn’t typical. It was modified to enhance accessibility for his deafblind father, including a doorbell with flashing lights, a video phone and a TTY, which is a telecommunication device for those who are deaf. As a small child growing up in Foxborough, Mass., just outside of Boston, Urquhart didn’t realize his house was different. “I thought that’s just how houses were built. I thought everyone had a deaf parent,” he tells CNBC Make It…
Living With Muscular Dystrophy & A Service Dog: Meet Corporate Accessibility Lawyer Kevin Fritz & His Dog, Piper
October 9, 2020 | Source: DogTime & Zoram Observer
We pet parents love our dogs, and we couldn’t imagine life without them. But some people rely on their animals for more than just love and companionship. Service dogs are different from pets, therapy animals, and even emotional support animals. They provide specific services to persons with disabilities or medical conditions, and they accompany their humans in their day-to-day activities. I had the pleasure of interviewing my friend and former neighbor, Kevin Fritz. Kevin is an associate for the international law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP and lives with two rescue dogs and his retired service dog, Piper…
Deaf Students Share How To Sign ‘Donald Trump’
October 9, 2020 | Source: Yahoo
On Friday, Netflix will premiere “Deaf U,” a coming-of-age documentary series that follows a tight-knit group of deaf students at Gallaudet University, the renowned private college for the deaf and hard of hearing located in Washington, D.C. The show — which is co-executive produced by Deaf model and activist Nyle DiMarco — promises an “unprecedented, unfiltered, and often unexpected look inside the Deaf community,” according to a press release. And a promo clip Netflix dropped for the show on Thursday seems to deliver on those goods…
Take a spin around the globe with an accessible travel expert
October 10, 2020 | Source: Lonely Planet Travel News
Even before the pandemic, Sylvia Longmire had a substantial social media following. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005, the Air Force veteran details her experiences traveling the world as a wheelchair user for her website, Spin the Globe, and the platform is a popular one. But this spring, she launched on TikTok, offering 30 to 60-second snippets of her life to a mainly millennial audience – and her new demographic can’t seem to get enough…
Woman files ADA lawsuits across US as ‘tester’ of compliance
October 10, 2020 | Source: Washington Post
A disabled Florida woman paid a virtual visit to Maine and left a trail of lawsuits in her wake. Six to be exact. Deborah Laufer is described in the federal lawsuits as a “tester” for the purpose of asserting her civil rights and ensuring that places of public accommodation comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Her six lawsuits in Maine are among hundreds she has filed in more than a dozen states. Her lawsuits contend lodging establishments and their online booking services failed to identify accessible rooms, provide an option for booking an accessible room, and provide sufficient information about accessible features…
Workers With Disabilities Still Face Federally Approved Wage Discrimination
October 12, 2020 | Source: The Legal Intelligencer
The 30th anniversary of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a good time to reflect on progress toward ending discrimination against people with disabilities. But it is also a moment to face the distance we have yet to go. While Title I of the ADA bans many employers from discriminating against qualified individuals on the basis of their disabilities, another federal statute allows employers to discriminate against employees with disabilities by paying them lower wages, including wages below the federal minimum wage…
US disability activist takes to runway to promote access for disabled people
October 13, 2020 | Source: The Star
As a teenager in the 1990s, Melissa Blake was interested in fashion. Unfortunately, fashion wasn’t much interested in her. Blake, who has a genetic bone and muscle disorder and stands a little under 4ft (1.2m) tall, couldn’t find jeans or dresses in her size. Paging through Glamour and Cosmopolitan magazines, she didn’t see a single person who looked like her. “That would have been a game-changer for me,” said Blake, a freelance writer and disability activist who lives in DeKalb, Illinois, the United States…
House Bill Introduced to Require Accessible Consumer Facing Websites and Mobile Apps
October 14, 2020 | Source: Seyfarth Shaw
Congressmen aim to help retailers avoid ADA website lawsuits
October 15, 2020 | Source: Home Furnishings Association
On October 2, 2020, Representatives Lou Correa (D-CA) and Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced a bill called the “Online Accessibility Act” (H.R. 8478) (the “OAA”) which would amend the ADA to add a new Title VI prohibiting discrimination by “any private owner or operator of a consumer facing website or mobile application” against individuals with disabilities. The OAA would also establish web accessibility compliance standards for consumer facing websites and mobile apps and create a mandatory administrative process that persons injured by allegedly inaccessible websites and mobile apps must use before they can file a lawsuit…
New Texas rule lets social workers turn away clients who are LGBTQ or PWD
October 14, 2020 | Source: CBS19 & Daily News & Dallas Morning News & Pink News & Texas Tribune
Texas social workers are criticizing a state regulatory board’s decision this week to remove protections for LGBTQ clients and clients with disabilities who seek social work services. The Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners voted unanimously Monday to change a section of its code of conduct that establishes when a social worker may refuse to serve someone. The code will no longer prohibit social workers from turning away clients on the basis of disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, The Texas Tribune reported…
Deaf people are being left out of the conversation during COVID-19 pandemic
October 14, 2020 | Source: TODAY
James and Amy Ferrell’s daughter was nine months old when they learned that she’d been born with bilateral sensory neural hearing loss. In other words, she was deaf in both ears. “She was the first deaf person we’d ever met,” Amy Ferrell told TODAY. Right away, they were determined to do whatever they could to help her. Their family began to learn American Sign Language. They found a deaf mentor and joined a deaf church, a place where their daughter, Charlee, who turns 3 years old later this month, gets to be around other native signers…
Disability Futures Fellows: 20 Artists Awarded $50,000 Grants
October 14, 2020 | Source: NPR & The New York Times
Riva Lehrer is a painter who reimagines “socially challenged” bodies with often fantastical imagery. John Lee Clark, a DeafBlind poet, is a leader in the Protactile movement, a language that communicates through touch. Tourmaline is a filmmaker whose work explores “the capacity” of Black queer/trans social life “to impact the world.” These are some of the artists in the inaugural class of Disability Futures Fellows, a new initiative funded by the Andrew W. Mellon and Ford Foundations (both donors to NPR). All 20 artists will each receive unrestricted grants of $50,000….
SSI, Social Security Benefits Will Increase In 2021
October 14, 2020 | Source: Disability Scoop
People with disabilities receiving Supplemental Security Income and other Social Security benefits will soon see their payments rise. The Social Security Administration said this week that benefits will increase 1.3 percent in 2021. The change comes as a result of an annual automatic cost-of-living adjustment, known as COLA, that’s tied to inflation. By law, Social Security benefits go up when there is an increase in the Consumer Price Index from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics…
Eight months into pandemic, blind Coloradans still cannot access some state and county COVID information
October 15, 2020 | Source: The Colorado Independent
County and state public health agencies in Colorado have posted coronavirus data, public health orders and testing locations on their websites. But many of those documents, forms and graphics are inaccessible for people with vision impairments. Curtis Chong, a blind person from Aurora who has worked with the National Federation of the Blind on computer accessibility issues, noted that his JAWS screen reader cannot interpret many of the data visualizations on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s website…
Local Culinary Businesses Hit with ADA-Compliance Lawsuits
October 15, 2020 | Source: 5280
In early August, James Blanchard, co-owner of Blanchard Family Wines, answered a knock at his door. On the other side was something very unexpected: a lawsuit. The complaint was that the winery’s website violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which extends to a business’ website. Blanchard was shocked. He’d hired a large corporation to create his company’s website and hadn’t received any prior complaints—not from customers, and not directly from the plaintiff, David Katt, a legally blind Douglas County man who alleges that Blanchard’s website cannot be fully read by his screen-reading software…
Instead Of These Ableist Words, Use Inclusive Language At Work
October 14, 2020 | Source: Huff Post
When you talk about something going poorly at work, how do you describe it? Think carefully. If you say “insane,” “psycho,” “lame,” “moronic,” or “crazy,” that’s ableist. People with disabilities make up a quarter of the U.S. population. You may work with someone who has a disability or have one yourself, so it behooves you to learn about the power everyday words hold and the pain you can inflict by using inconsiderate language at work. Ableism has multiple working definitions. It’s the discrimination and oppression of people with disabilities…
What are the Leading Causes of Blindness?
October 15, 2020 | Source: Nature World News
Thousands denied cure for blindness due to ban on tissue donation from gay men
October 9, 2020 | Source: Washington Blade
There are over 285 million people around the world who suffer from visual impairments and around 39 million of these people are blind. Blindness can affect anyone at any age but it is more common for people who are over 50 years old to develop a condition or disease like glaucoma that can lead to blindness. There are a lot of different causes of blindness but today we will discuss some of the common leading causes, so be sure to keep reading to find out more…
Jack Fact — New data from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) showed cases of moderate and severe visual impairment in India have almost doubled from 40.6 million in 1990 to 79 million in 2020 and cases of near vision loss have more than doubled from 57.7 million to 137.6 million during the same time period. According to the National Blindness & Visual Impairment Survey 2015-2019, in India, about 92.9 per cent of cases of blindness amongst people over the age of 50 years can be avoided.
Hit The Road Jack — “Your Rights as Well: Accessible Tourism”
International News
Construction underway on Alberta’s first fully accessible outdoor rink
October 9, 2020 | Source: CBC- Canada
Construction is now underway on Alberta’s first fully accessible outdoor rink. When the community rink in the northwest Calgary neighbourhood of Parkdale reached the end of its 30-year lifespan, about three years ago, the Parkdale Community Association began exploring options to replace it. At a meeting, said rink director John Butterwick, association members wondered if rink accessibility was an issue for seniors, persons with disabilities and sledge hockey players…
Attitude Awards 2020: Two dozen finalists in celebration of Kiwis living with disabilities
October 10, 2020 | Source: New Zealand Herald
An actress, a young author, athletes and a swag of advocates. A furniture restorer turned personal protective equipment-maker in a time of Covid-19. A dancer. These are some of the people who’ll be celebrated at this year’s Attitude Awards, which honour the achievements and successes of Kiwis living with disabilities. The awards – across eight categories with 24 finalists – will be announced at a black tie gala in Auckland on December 2…
Accessibility to be at the heart of new Melbourne developments: lord mayor hopeful
October 10, 2020 | Source: Brisbane Times- Australia
Mobility scooters and wheelchairs would have charging stations across Melbourne and accessibility would be a focus of all new council-funded projects under a policy put forward by lord mayor hopeful Arron Wood. Cr Wood said that, if elected this month, he would establish a disability access fund with seed funding from the City of Melbourne and philanthropic supporters. That fund would help pay for mobility charging stations, improving disability access for tourist attractions and accessibility in all council-funded projects…
“Don’t make assumptions about people not wearing masks”
October 11, 2020 | Source: The Press- UK
Helen Jones from the York Disability Forum discusses the wearing of face masks and how not everyone can cover up in public. This year we have had to get used to a lot, being in lockdown, learning new vocab and in the last couple of months, we’ve had to adjust to face coverings. Once limited to dentists and hospitals, they are now a staple of everyday life. For most people this just means remembering to grab one before leaving the house and putting up with it feeling uncomfortable on a hot day…
‘A form of betrayal’: Disability rights activists criticize ‘discriminatory’ jobs law
October 12, 2020 | Source: Jakarta Post- Indonesia
A coalition of disability rights activists and groups across the country raised their call on the government to repeal the newly passed Job Creation Law, arguing that it violates the rights of disabled workers. “Disability groups were never involved in the deliberation process. It’s a pity, considering the relevance of the Job Creation Law, which will affect the lives of disabled people, too,” said Fajri Nursyamsi from the Center for Indonesian Law and Policy Studies (PSHK), who represented the coalition in a webinar on Monday…
COVID-19 information accessibility lacking for blind and low vision Australians
October 12, 2020 | Source: Talking Disability- Australia
Researchers from Monash University’s Faculty of Information Technology (IT) found nearly half of BLV people surveyed wanted improved access to information about daily COVID-safe living practices. The dissemination of information has been a critical component of the world’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With much of this information presented as visual graphics, a team of researchers from the Faculty of IT examined the nature and accessibility of the information being shared through various media outlets…
Making museums accessible: a space for everyone
October 12, 2020 | Source: MarketScreener- Global
When excavations in Iraq in the 20s and 30s uncovered the palace and temple complex of Ur, the implications for museums around the world were incredible. This was not only due to a wealth of objects which would influence museums for decades to come, so much as the potential discovery of the world’s first museum. Now named in honour of its initial curator, the Neo-Babylonian princess Ennigaldi, this 2,500-year-old museum housed objects ranging hundreds of years in age. Each object was accompanied by clay cylinders inscribed in multiple languages which are now believed by some to be the earliest evidence of museums labels…
London city hall accessibility committee chair quits, alleges disability law violated
October 12, 2020 | Source: London Free Press- Canada
When London’s accessibility committee showed up in council chambers two years ago with resignation letters in hand, politicians promised change. But accessibility issues still aren’t taken seriously, advocates say, leading a longtime chairperson to resign her post and file complaints alleging city hall violated Ontario’s accessibility law. City hall’s accessibility advisory committee hasn’t met since the start of the pandemic — missing seven meetings so far — and members say there’s been no reasonable explanation for the gap…
What this digital shift means for people with disabilities in SEA
October 13, 2020 | Source: e27- Southeast Asian
The Southeast Asian region (SEA) can pride itself in being one of the most promising markets for technology in the world. To start, the region is home to over 650 million people or 8.5 per cent of the world’s population. A digital wave is also sweeping SEA led by tech-savvy millennials. Internet connectivity and mobile phone use are rapidly increasing. In 2019, SEA saw a double-digit growth in internet penetration, mobile connectivity, and social media penetration. It now has over 400 million internet users…
App to help ease accessibility issues differently abled face in buildings, transport system
October 13, 2020 | Source: Hindustan Times- India & The Logical Indian
The ministry of social justice and empowerment is set to launch a mobile application which will allow the differently abled, elderly and even Covid-19 patients to lodge accessibility-related problems in buildings or transport infrastructure by simply clicking and uploading pictures from their mobile phones. Sugamya Bharat app is part of the ministry’s efforts to ensure a barrier free environment in government and other buildings as well as transport systems…
Denbighshire council makes website more disability-friendly
October 13, 2020 | Source: Denbighshire Free Press- UK
A council has updated its website to make it more accessible to people with mental and physical disabilities. Denbighshire County Council made the changes to meet the requirements of the Equalities Act which states that public body websites must be usable by people with impaired vision, motor difficulties, learning disabilities, deafness or impaired hearing. Members of the public can use the council website find information on bin collections, libraries, make council tax payments, get benefits, grants and financial advice and keep updated on planning developments and roadworks…
Blindness in the elderly: Finally a treatment in the near future?
October 14, 2020 | Source: Medical Express- Belgium & News Medical Science
Blindness and sight impairment to affect 900m by 2050
October 12, 2020 | Source: Association of Optometrists- UK
New research finds the optimal age at which preserved senses can compensate for blindness
October 14, 2020 | Source: Medical Express- Scotland
The macula accounts for sharp vision and reading but it is affected in many elderly. Age related macular degeneration is the most important cause of blindness in persons over 65 years of age, and almost 30% of people over 75 years is affected. Unfortunately, no treatment has been proven effective for this blinding condition. Research at Ghent University is going on now for a treatment with eyedrops tackling the root of this blinding disease. Glycated proteins accumulate in the whole body when growing older. These glycated proteins cause a local inflammation, damaging vessels and neurons…
Face shields help hearing-impaired girl
October 14, 2020 | Source: St. Albert Today- Canada
“She’s the light of my life,” Maione, five-year-old Clara’s respite nurse, said. “Ever since I worked with her when she was little, I’ve seen so many progressions. She is thriving.” But an upcoming amendment to the city’s face covering bylaw requiring masks, not face shields, would change Clara’s ability to communicate. Five-year-old Clara Berezowksy lives in a quiet world in St. Albert. Diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome, a life-threatening genetic disorder causing hearing loss, Clara’s ability to read lips and facial expressions is essential for her to communicate with others…
Corona can also lead to deafness?
October 15, 2020 | Source: AlKhaleej Today- UK & Gent Side & Health & Gilmore Health
Doctors have warned that sudden and permanent hearing loss, although rare, may be related to the coronavirus epidemic in some people, as the UK’s “first case” reported in the medical journal BMG. And that possible side effect of Covid-19 infection has been added to the multiple symptoms of the epidemic, according to the magazine. “Despite the extensive literature on Covid-19 and the various symptoms associated with the virus, there is a lack of discussion about the relationship between Covid-19 and hearing,” the specialists said…
Will sign language become SA’s 12th official language?
October 16, 2020 | Source: New Frame- Africa
The South African National Deaf Association (Sanda) used September – International Deaf Awareness Month – to amplify their call for the recognition of South African Sign Language (SASL) as the 12th official language of the country. “The recognition of SASL will accelerate and deepen full inclusion of SASL as a linguistic and cultural right of deaf people through which they can participate on an equal basis with others,” said Jabulani Blose, chief executive of Sanda – an organisation that champions the rights of deaf people in the country…
COVID-19 Resources and Information
- California Courts Covid Update
- Remote Learning Isn’t Going Away- Inside Higher Ed
- COVID-19 Response: What DCMP is doing to support remote learning
- Disruption, Accessibility and Digital Generational Literacy- Inside Higher Ed
- New Students at U.S. Colleges Decline, Worsening Campus Crisis- Bloomberg
- Online Education: A Way Forward Into The Future Or Not?- BW Businessworld
- Students with disabilities are still facing obstacles in online classes- The Daily Orange
- Turkey’s Accessible Film Festival questions the ‘normal’ during pandemic- TRT World
- How one state is sending thousands of WiFi hotspots to keep students in school- KGBT-TV
- Creative COVID Captioning: Q&A with the Irish Classical Theatre Company- Buffalo Rising
- The Region of Waterloo is expanding and enhancing accessibility with virtual interpretation services
- Flatten Inaccessibility Report Illustrates Impact of COVID-19 on Blind and Visually Impaired Adults
- Guide offers best practices for meeting the needs of deaf students during COVID‐19 pandemic- Wiley
- Students combat widespread issue plaguing online schooling: ‘A lot of people don’t understand’- Yahoo
- How PBS Kids Is Making Remote Learning More Accessible To All Children In The Coronavirus Age- Forbes
- Online retailers risk alienating older generations amid a rush to digitise during COVID, research shows- Retail Times
- Ontario, Canada: Masks Must be Worn in Indoor Area of Business Premises and in Vehicles Operating as Part of Business
Accessibility Blogs and Information
- The Preservation of Disability- Columbia University
- Benefits of Audio Description in Education (BADIE)
- A Culture of Accessibility- California State University
- Podcast: Accessibility Solutions For Employees- PEAT
- Curb ramps allow accessibility for all- Coos Bay World
- Tips for Medical School Applicants With Disabilities- US News
- Law professors discuss the ADA, accessibility- Yale Daily News
- Download the GW Accessible Color Guide (PDF)- Accessibility at GW
- Just Ask! By Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor- Fun4thedisabled
- Proposed Online Accessibility Act – Three Key Takeaways- Jason Taylor
- OPINION: Accessibility versus accommodations in courses- The Silhouette
- How can Edtech Startups benefit from adopting Accessibility?- BarrierBreak
- ‘Absence of disabled people in panel led to draft NLEAP errors’- Times of India
- Diversity and Inclusion in Your Media Relations Program- Business 2 Community
- UT campus leaders focus on accessibility, creates Commission for Disability- WBIR
- The USA’s only complete listing of AUDIO DESCRIBED commercial videos on DVD/B-R!
- More lawsuits filed against companies using accessibility plugin/overlays- Sheri Byrne-Haber
- Disability Pride and Heritage Month celebrates virtually, highlights online accessibility- NAU News
- Streamlined support services for students after ARC, Student Accessibility Services merge- Tufts Daily
- Apple’s 2020 iPhone Event Had An Unmistakable Undercurrent That Was All About Accessibility- Forbes
- To mark National Disability Employment Awareness Month, meet the people making a difference at Microsoft
- Proposed ‘Online Accessibility Act’ Aims to Resolve Uncertainty Surrounding ADA Website Litigation- Ballard Spahr
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- Cerebral Palsy Guide
- NVDA 2020.3 Released
- Assistive technology is changing lives
- 2020 Disability Employment Awareness Month Poster
- WeWALK Joins Microsoft’s AI for Accessibility Programme
- Arts Accessibility Accolade Award For Te Papa’s Judith Jones
- AudioEye Names Bryan Rodrigues as Chief Marketing Officer
- Ugg Launches Boot Collection For People With Special Needs
- Whisper’s hearing aids use AI to boost speech and reduce noise
- Town site refreshes look, improves ADA compliance, navigation
- The latest Chrome OS update improves accessibility on Chromebooks
- Jeopardy! makes online test available to gameshow fans who are blind
- Vision-Aid Launches Digital Accessibility Testing & Training Center
- Microsoft’s New Image Captioning AI is More Accurate than Humans
- Affordable travel just a KickStart Cab away for people with disabilities in Mysuru
- Twitter PWA gets a new update with accessibility improvements, trends and more
- Anansi becomes first Canadian indie publisher to be certified for accessible ebooks
- Only 1 in 4 Top US Credit Unions Are on a Path to Web Accessibility Compliance
- Microsoft’s new image-captioning AI will help accessibility in Word, Outlook, and beyond
- ‘Sound Notifications’ Android accessibility app lets your phone notify you of important noises
- Buzzsprout Launches Transcript Distribution Toolset to Improve Podcast Accessibility And SEO
- Remarks Of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai At The Chairman’s Award For Advancement In Accessibility
- A year after launch, new UM website offers community-wide benefits, improved communications
- Sen. Markey Celebrates 10th Anniversary of 21st-Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act
- MobilityWorks Announces $1 Rental of Wheelchair Accessible Vans to Help Customers Get to the Polls
- Vizzle Revamps Special Education Learning Platform, Expands Accessibility Amid Continued COVID-19 School Disruptions
- Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors and National Partners Provide a Brand New, Accessible Home to Local Wounded War Veteran
- Crawford Technologies Launches CrawfordTech Accessibility Academy to Help Clients Better Navigate Document Accessibility Regulations
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- Create accessible forms
- Outcome: Use visually distinct headings
- Improving braille support in Google Docs
- Finding An Online Tool To Convert PDF To JPG
- A Beginner’s Guide to Using iOS with VoiceOver
- How to turn on and use Android’s Sound Notifications
- 5 Ways You’re Not Making Your Website Accessible
- Video: An accessibility Q&A with EA’s Karen Stevens
- FIFA 21 Accessibility Options Are Worth Kicking Around
- Embracing Cultural Design Differences: Advice for Designers
- Email Design Accessibility: Why It Is Important to Improve It
- Almost 50% Got This #a11y Question Wrong! — WCAG Explained
- ‘Among Us’ will be adding new game rules and accessibility options
- Xbox Series X Aims To Make Cabling More Accessible Than Ever Before
- iOS 14: How To Enable iPhone Sound Recognition Alerts (& Why You Should)
- Jeff Kaplan says Blizzard “wants to do a better job” in making Overwatch League more accessible
Accessibility Statements
- Acas
- OpenLearn
- Traffic Wales
- Skills Commons
- Equator Network
- Invest in Holland
- Prime Minister’s Office
- Courtauld Institute of Art
- The Crown Prosecution Service
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit
- Accessibility in the News: Accessibility Statement Pages
Microassist Digital Accessibility Services
Have you received an accessibility demand letter because of your website or application? Please contact us for any questions you have about our accessibility services and how we might support your organization.
Services include:
- Accessible Website and Application Development— We rely heavily on accessibility best practices and using HTML5 and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) standards to build WCAG-compliant and human-tested accessible environments. Our teams are proficient in open source technologies such as WordPress, Drupal and Moodle, as well as custom frameworks in .NET, PHP, AngularJS, and other frameworks. Our Learning and Development team can also help you create accessible custom training.
- Accessible Document Services— Whether you’re dealing with a few or a warehouse of Microsoft Office documents, PDFs, or other files, there are several ways Microassist can enable your team to offer documents and materials that meet stringent accessibility standards.
- Accessibility Remediation— Our accessibility remediation services help you fix existing materials so that they conform to WCAG, Section 504 and 508, Department of Education OCR, and ADA Title II/III requirements. We remediate websites, applications, documents, and elearning, recommending re-creation when that is more efficient and economical. Especially for website and applications, to find out what is in need of remediation, we’ll start with an Accessibility Audit.
- Accessibility Training— With several courses available for developers, testers, and content creators, your team can become equipped to consistently and expertly produce accessible digital products and online environments.
- VPAT®Evaluation Services— Primarily used by government purchasers and government vendors during the procurement and sale of ICT products and services under Section 508, a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® (VPAT) attests to the accessibility of a given product or service. Contact us to make sure the VPAT you write or review is accurate and meaningful.
Learn More About Digital Accessibility
Our Digital Accessibility Digest blog covers our Accessibility in the News archives as well as expert commentaries on digital accessibility issues.
Our most popular commentaries include:
- The WCAG 2.1 Update: A Brief Look at What’s Changed
- Introducing VPAT®0, the More Stringent Accessibility Reporting Tool Required for Government IT Procurement
- Accessibility in the News, Legal Edition: Updates on ADA Title III News and More
- What Lawyers Need to Know: A Primer on Digital Accessibility Terms and Today’s Legal Landscape
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