Accessibility in the News — 11/5/2021.
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AITN Quote of the Week
“The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude.” — Jeff Miller
American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial – Their Courage Endures
Feature Stories
ADA complaint: Detroit voters with disabilities barred from accessing election info on city website
October 28, 2021 | Source: Michigan Advance
Access for Minnesota voters with disabilities generally good — but problems persist
October 29, 2021 | Source: MPR News & KNSI
‘Able to Vote’ organization aims to bridge the voter turnout gap for Minnesotans with disabilities
November 2, 2021 | Source: WEAU
Detroit voters with disabilities are unable to access crucial information about Tuesday’s election through the city Department of Elections website, according to an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complaint filed by Detroit Disability Power (DDP). DDP, a disability rights organization, said in a statement Thursday that it filed the complaint with the city of Detroit after repeatedly reaching out to Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey about accessibility issues on the city website and receiving no adequate response…
Story of blind former wrestler who fights to uphold voting rights for people with disabilities in Georgia
October 29, 2021 | Source: Southern Poverty Law Center
Growing up Black and blind in a small Georgia farming town in the 1960s, Gaylon and Stancil Tootle learned early: Rise up or the world will keep you down. The brothers, who have the same congenital cataracts that blinded their mother, could see little more than shadows. Their father, Greeley Tootle, was blind too, his sight lost to gunfire when he was 18. Their hometown, Glenville, was segregated, with a balcony in the movie theater for Black patrons and a back door rule for Black clients at businesses…
Voters with disabilities gain political clout in NJ as ballots become accessible
November 2, 2021 | Source: NorthJersey.com & Rutgers Fact Sheet (PDF)
Voters with disabilities are enjoying a new era of political relevance this Election Day thanks to the COVID pandemic — both the reforms it spurred and the inequities it laid bare. People with disabilities showed “large gains” in 2020’s voter turnout, said Steve Flamisch of Rutgers University’s Program for Disability Research, referring to a report by the university and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Turnout rose to 17.7 million, up from 16 million in 2016, thanks to mail-in ballots and other initiatives, according to the group, which looked at national data…
DOJ Files Lawsuit Against the State of Texas to Protect Voting Rights
November 4, 2021 | Source: Department of Justice & Austin American Statesman & The Guardian
The U.S. Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the State of Texas and the Texas Secretary of State over certain restrictive voting procedures imposed by Texas Senate Bill 1, which was signed into law in September 2021. The United States’ complaint challenges provisions of Senate Bill 1 under Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act and Section 101 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “Our democracy depends on the right of eligible voters to cast a ballot and to have that ballot counted,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland…
National News (U.S.)
Why Automated Tools Alone Can’t Make Your Website Accessible And Legally Compliant
October 28, 2021 | Source: Forbes
It has been posited for some time now that the industry around ensuring websites and other digital products remain accessible to users with disabilities is heading for an inevitable “market failure.” The problems across the sector are myriad but, in essence, boil down to one critical theme – making a website legally compliant and accessible, especially if large-scale revamping is needed, requires significant time, money and education for website owners.
For smaller businesses, in particular, such resources are not always readily available and hence the risk of excluding users and subsequent legal action looms large…
Wisconsin’s first accessible food truck is coming to Green Bay this spring
October 28, 2021 | Source: WPR & Fox 11
Wisconsin is getting its first accessible food truck for workers with disabilities. The Aging & Disability Resource Center of Brown County unveiled the project Thursday. The food truck should be ready to hit the road this spring. It’s being built by Caged Crow in St. Germain, and it’ll join just a handful of accessible food trucks across the country. The truck is currently being designed. It’ll be a bit larger than a traditional food truck, and will include a ramp for wheelchair users and counters of varying heights…
Recording Artist And Accessibility Advocate Lachi Talks Disability Empowerment And Celebrating Blindness Through Music And Beyond
October 29, 2021 | Source: Grammy
New York-based EDM singer/songwriter and disability inclusion advocate Lachi has been taking her activism to new heights in 2021. Recently meeting(opens in a new tab) with White House officials and working in tandem with the UK nonprofit SYNC Inspire(opens in a new tab), Lachi is striving to make a global impact on visibility accessibility and awareness in the entertainment industry and beyond. She also founded Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities (RAMPD), an organization aimed at unifying the voices and goals of music creators and professionals with disabilities and promoting inclusion in music industry…
Lesson of the Day: ‘A Future for People With Disabilities in Outer Space Takes Flight’
October 29, 2021 | Source: The New York Times
Recently, 12 passengers with disabilities traveled aboard a parabolic flight in an experiment testing how people with disabilities would fare in a zero-gravity environment. In this lesson, you will learn about their experience and the efforts being made to ensure that the future of spaceflight is more inclusive. Then, you will think about accessibility and universal design in your community. Do you want to travel to space? When we asked students this question in February, many of them were excited about, or at least interested in, this possibility…
Quadriplegic Woman Is on a Mission to Make Beaches Accessible for All: ‘This Is My Purpose’
October 29, 2021 | Source: People
A Florida woman who became paralyzed as a teen is using her injury as a force for good — and her efforts have since helped thousands of people. Sabrina Cohen was 14 and on her way to a party with friends when the car she was riding in crashed near her home in Miami Beach, leaving her paralyzed from the neck down. “Nothing was the same after that,” Cohen tells PEOPLE in this week’s Kindness Issue. “There is zero comprehension at 14 years old [about] what a spinal cord injury is.”…
Accessibility at CIA helps its mission of protecting our country
October 30, 2021 | Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch
Etched into the white marble walls in the CIA lobby reads the verse from John 8:32: “And Ye Shall Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Make You Free.” Directly across from the verse, there are 137 stars that honor CIA officers who lost their lives serving our country. Almost a decade after first joining the agency as an undergraduate intern, I still try to make time to walk through the lobby and take in its solemn beauty, reflecting on how honored I am to play some small part in what we do at CIA…
Simple changes make fashion accessible
October 30, 2021 | Source: Santa Fe New Mexican
It may have been the outdoor garment industry that first used the zipper pull extender. This was an adaptation that made zippers easier to move up or down with less energy. The zipper pull extender is so common today it is often unnoticed. Velcro is another common clothing fastener. The 1950s innovation was a great alternative to snaps, buttons, zippers and hooks. Astronauts have used it since the early 1960s to secure what they didn’t want to float away…
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Rite Aid Corporation to Make Its Online COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Portal Accessible to Individuals with Disabilities
November 1, 2021 | Source: U.S. Department of Justice & UrduPoint & The Hill & Sierra Sun Times & Fierce Healthcare & Healthcare IT News & G3ict
The Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania today announced a settlement agreement with Rite Aid Corporation that will help people with disabilities get information about COVID-19 vaccinations and book their vaccination appointments online. Rite Aid’s COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Portal was not accessible to some people with disabilities, including those who use screen reader software and those who have a hard time using a mouse…
The Disempowering Experience of Flying as a Disabled Person
November 1, 2021 | Source: Time
Iam the youngest daughter of a man who paid his way through college working 50 hours a week, replacing sleep with sheer grit. He raised six kids and still woke before dawn for his morning prayer walk. He’s tough and intentional and has a strong sense of personal responsibility. Our conversations on anything from health care reform to paid maternity leave rarely get far. “It would be wonderful if we could solve everyone’s problems, but life is hard,” he often says. “And hard doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”…
Alzheimer’s: Study reveals how disease progresses in the brain
November 2, 2021 | Source: Fox News
New research has tracked the replication and spread of the protein tau for the first time. Aggregates of tau and the protein beta-amyloid are involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The international study, published at the end of last month in the journal Science Advances, was led by scientists at the University of Cambridge. In it, the authors wrote that by bringing together chemical kinetics with measurements of the tau aggregates, or “seeds,” across brain regions, they could quantify the rate of their replication in human brains…
New York District Court Issues Important Opinion on the Inapplicability of Title III of the ADA to Consumer-Facing Websites
November 3, 2021 | Source: Blank Rome & PDF
In Winegard v. Newsday LLC, U.S. District Judge Eric R. Komitee held that a website does not constitute a “place of public accommodation” under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and granted Newsday’s motion to dismiss. The decision is a first of its kind by a New York federal court, and it goes against several district court decisions to the contrary. Nevertheless, the court’s well-reasoned and meticulous analysis could be adopted by other judges in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, which have been hotbeds for abusive website accessibility shakedown lawsuits…
How CODA and Sound of Metal Misrepresent Deaf Culture
November 3, 2021 | Source: Hyperallergic
Sian Heder’s CODA, a movie about a Deaf family and their musically-inclined hearing daughter, sold for a festival-record $25 million to Apple at the Sundance Film Festival. If investor appeal equals success, then CODA represents a high point for Deaf culture on screen. But it replays a stereotype many films about the deaf share: that a fundamental antagonism exists between deafness and music. I support the deaf talents that films like CODA employ. But this narrative is egregious when these films aim to impart messages of inclusion, only to reinforce misguided ideas about the relationship between disability and art…
I Am Living With Early Onset Dementia. This Is How My Life Has Changed.
November 4, 2021 | Source: HuffPost
I first noticed an issue in 2017. I was working as an analyst for a large consumer electronics company in their accounting department. I began noticing that I was having trouble with some of the regular tasks at my job, like forgetting how to use a computer program I used every week, or having trouble with numbers and sending the wrong totals to management. This was very unusual. My boss and I thought it was just the stress from a large project we were working on and that it would ease up. We were wrong!…
Blind and Asian, she felt ‘invisible.’ How this Sacramento woman is now breaking barriers
November 4, 2021 | Source: The Sacramento Bee
As a child visiting her extended family in Hong Kong, Priscilla Yeung recalls the harmful superstition her grandmother held about her blindness. “My grandma would leave me at home … and take all the cousins out and I couldn’t come out because she’d say if my cane touched another person’s cane, they’d become blind,” Yeung said, who has optic nerve atrophy that became more pronounced as a teenager. “I felt invisible a lot of times.” It’s an upbringing that created a specter of shame that haunted Yeung for years, even when she joined the Society for the Blind as a volunteer in college…
Study: Genetic links to smoking, alcohol use may raise eye disease risk
November 4, 2021 | Source: UPI
People genetically predisposed to developing a smoking habit who then become regular tobacco users increase their risk for age-related macular degeneration, a study published Thursday by JAMA Ophthalmology found. Those with genetic variations found among many lifetime smokers have about a 30% higher risk for the eye disease known as AMD, the data showed. People with inherited genetic traits linked with alcohol use — and higher alcohol intake — are nearly three times more likely to develop a rarer late-stage form of the disease called geographic atrophy…
The Truth Behind Common Myths About Hearing Loss
November 4, 2021 | Source: NewsCenter1
How to Cope With Hearing Loss in Social Settings
November 3, 2021 | Source: AARP
When it comes to hearing loss, a number of myths, misconceptions, and objections exist that may prevent people from getting the treatment they need to function at their best. In fact, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, only about one in five people who would benefit from a hearing aid actually use one. In this article, we’ll be addressing some of those hearing loss myths so you can feel confident in taking the next step on your journey to better hearing…
American actor Lauren Ridloff on playing Marvel’s first deaf superhero in Eternals
November 4, 2021 | Source: Images
Three years ago, Lauren Ridloff gave an interview that concluded with the actor contemplating what she wanted to do next. At that point, Ridloff only had one major role under her belt, albeit an acclaimed one. Ridloff was then starring in a Broadway revival of Children of a Lesser God, a performance that earned her a Tony nomination and turned the then 40-year-old former kindergarten teacher into a breakout star.Ridloff hadn’t set out to necessarily be an actor. She initially was just helping Children of a Lesser God director Kenny Leon as a sign language tutor…
Jack Fact — With an estimated population of 1.85 billion, people with disabilities (PWD) are an emerging market larger than China. Their friends and family add another 3.3 billion potential consumers who act on their emotional connection to PWD. Together, disability touches 73% of consumer and the disability market controls over $13 trillion in disposable income, according to The Return on Disability Group.
Hit The Road Jack —6 enjoyable play areas in Hertfordshire that are accessible for children with disabilities & Travelling with a disability? Here are some tips before you go
International News
Government announces new Ministry for Disabled People and accessibility law
October 28, 2021 | Source: NZ Herald- New Zealand
A new Ministry for Disabled People will be set up as the government rolls out a different approach to support services and brings in a new law to make Aotearoa more accessible. Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni and Health Minister Andrew Little announced the plans this afternoon, saying the government was delivering on its promise to reform disability systems. “The changes we’re announcing today complement the work under way with the health reforms to ensure all New Zealanders, including the disabled community, have equitable access to the care they need, no matter who they are or where they live.”…
Growing calls for EU to boost accessibility for deaf community
October 28, 2021 | Source: CGTN- Europe
Members of the European Parliament and the deaf community are calling on the European Commission to provide sign language interpreters for major events. The long-running debate was reignited last month when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave her annual State of the Union speech with no sign language interpretation provided in the live broadcast. She did, however, speak in English, German and French. The address was also translated live into more than twenty languages…
Creating an accessible veggie patch for gardening in a wheelchair
October 29, 2021 | Source: ABC Everyday- Australia
Like so many Aussies, Rhiannon Tracey felt compelled to take up gardening as the pandemic gained speed last year. She went searching for the best wheelchair-accessible garden bed. The Geelong 32-year-old became a quadriplegic in 2009 after a pool accident while on holidays in Bali. Since then, she’s become a model, motivational speaker, founder of a spinal cord injury recovery centre and is now a gardener too. We spoke with Rhiannon about her newfound passion, the physical and mental health benefits she’s found, plus the one thing that’s made her garden (mostly) puppy-proof…
Government survey wants feedback on how to make buildings more accessible
October 31, 2021 | Source: My Prince George Now- Canada
Public engagement about BC Building Code accessibility requirements started in the province, and residents will have until December 9th to give their opinion. The goal is to make new buildings accessible for all people in the province. The survey is available online, and the Ministry of Attorney General and Responsible for Housing will summarize the results in an online report. “Everyone should be able to enter, exit and move through buildings independently and with dignity, and we need to hear from British Columbians on how we can best support that,” said Dan Coulter, Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility…
Online businesses’ costly mistake – ignoring people with disabilities
October 31, 2021 | Source: Stuff- New Zealand
Businesses are leaving millions of dollars on the table as frustrated shoppers with disabilities give up on websites that are impossible to navigate. In the United Kingdom, businesses which ignored that slice of the market lost an estimated at £17 billion (NZ$32 billion) a year. Crowded webpages with too much content caused the biggest problems, followed by Captcha authentication tests. Poor link information and navigation, and filling in forms, were also a barrier, the 2019 Click-Away Pound Report found…
‘Ice Cube’ tested for accessibility for 2022 Winter Paralympics
October 31, 2021 | Source: CGTN- Japan
Beijing’s “Ice cube,” which hosted the World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2021 that concluded late on Saturday, will serve as a key venue for the upcoming Winter Olympics and Paralympics. That’s why it has been renovated for ice sports and accessibility for athletes with disabilities. Both the World Curling Federation (WCF) and athletes of the 12 attending teams of the World Championship are happy with the facilities and the services.
“So far, these worked very well. From the travel to Beijing and once we’ve arrived in Beijing, they’ve done an excellent job,” said Kate Caithness, president of WCF in a group interview earlier…
Coventry University’s bid to make transport more accessible for disabled people
October 31, 2021 | Source: Coventry Telegraph- England
Coventry University is working on making transport more accessible for those living with a disability. One in five people have a disability and struggle to use public transport despite thoroughly planning trips. A team at the university is now working alongside charity Motability to recruit people who have lived experience to make sure the work they do is beneficial. The research is being carried out at the National Transport Design Centre (NTDC) on campus and already has its first PhD student, Kay Atkin…
Visually Impaired Kenyans Narrate how They Cope with Blindness
October 31, 2021 | Source: Tuko- Kenya
For individuals who suffer visual impairment, fitting in a world that they see little is a daily struggle. Their woes are compounded tenfold when they have to partake in activities like attending schools where visual aids are not available. It is the urge to remain afloat despite being thrown in the murky waters that have given them the willpower to adapt and, somehow, fit in by fire by force. One such individual is Nice Macharia, a second-year student pursuing a degree in Special Needs at Mount Kenya University…
Prevention Of Common Eye Diseases In ‘Plain Sight’, Say Ophthalmologists
October 31, 2021 | Source: MENAFN- Abu Dhabi
Many people in the UAE are living with common eye diseases, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, yet aren’t aware that they have them. This lack of awareness leads to avoidable productivity loss at school and the workplace, and early retirement due to rapid eyesight deterioration as they age, say experts at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, an integral part of Mubadala Health. The misconception, says Dr. Scott D. Smith, Chair of the Eye Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, is that people avoid going for eye exams because they believe that they would already know if they had serious vision problems…
Can cognitive behavior therapy help with my tinnitus?
November 1, 2021 | Source: Health Hearing- UK
People with tinnitus know all too well the frustrations of this condition. While it’s commonly described as a ringing in the ears, tinnitus can sound like a buzz, hiss, or roar, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). This can occur in one ear or both, and the sound of tinnitus may be loud or soft, ever-present or occasional. What’s intriguing about tinnitus is that it seems like you’re hearing something in your ear—but no noise is occurring. Something happens in the brain to “create the illusion of sound when there is none,” explains the NIDCD…
Israel’s energy minister couldn’t enter COP26 because of wheelchair inaccessibility
November 1, 2021 | Source: NPR- Scotland & SBS & The Scottish Sun & Daily Express & The Independent & Sky News & WAMU & Star Tribune & The Guardian & Evening Standard & Las Vegas Sun & POLITICO
Israel’s energy minister Karine Elharrar says she was unable to participate in the first full day of the U.N.’s climate summit (known as COP26) in Glasgow due to the conference not being handicap accessible. Elharrar has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. In an interview with Israel’s TV broadcaster Channel 12, Elharrar says she was taken to several entrances at the conference but was unable to get inside given their lack of accessibility, according to Reuters…
‘My deafness is a super power’ The remarkable story of Jodie Master
November 2, 2021 | Source: The Global Herald- England (Video)
World Rugby published this video item, entitled “‘My deafness is a super power’ The remarkable story of Jodie Master”. In episode one of the Remarkables, we speak to England and Team GB Sevens International Jodie Master. Jodie is the first deaf female rugby player to have appeared for a senior England side, breaking down barriers and scoring incredible tries along the way…
London is failing to make itself more accessible for those with disabilities
November 2, 2021 | Source: City AM- England
Children with special education needs and disabilities were given a slice of Rishi Sunak’s spending spree last week, with £2.6bn set to be spent on things like more accessible classrooms. The current disability pay gap is 19.6 per cent. So focusing our energies where the cracks begin to emerge is a no brainer. But for decades, the issue of physical accessibility to our workplaces has been papered over with a light-touch approach. For some, the words “you’ll have to take the stairs” are a nuisance. For others, it means “go home”…
New Technique Could Enhance Films for Visually Impaired
November 2, 2021 | Source: Technology Networks- UK
Researchers at the University of York have developed a new way for visually impaired audiences to experience and enjoy films. Traditional Audio Description (AD) consists of an audio track in the third person that provides information on the visual layer of a film or television programme. The current use of traditional AD can sometimes overlap with other sound elements in the soundtrack, such as music and sound effects. Under the new format, verbal descriptions are minimised and sound design is used as the main vehicle for accessibility, through a combination of additional sound effects, 3D sound, and first-person narration…
Strictly’s Rose Ayling-Ellis announces game-changing deafness news
November 2, 2021 | Source: Hello Magazine- UK
Strictly Come Dancing star Rose Ayling-Ellis is the first deaf contestant to appear on the show, and her participation has already sparked big changes for the deaf community. Rose took to Twitter to share that there has been a huge surge in interest for sign language courses. “Hi everyone, thank you so much for all of your interest in learning BSL,” she wrote. “I cannot believe the Google search for learning sign-language has increased by 488 per cent. AMAZING…
Disabled people in Derbyshire struggling to access online services
November 3, 2021 | Source: Planet Radio- UK
New research shows some disabled people in Derbyshire have been struggling to access online services which don’t cater to their needs. A lot of people have struggled to even log on to businesses websites if they have poor eyesight or similar issues. Small font sizes, confusing language, light colours in text and convoluted animations are all features that make using a website harder for those with disabilities. It comes after retailers missed out on nearly £412m during the pandemic because their websites were inaccessible to disabled people…
A new ministry sets out to improve services and accessibility for New Zealanders living with disabilities
November 3, 2021 | Source: The Conversation- New Zealand
The recent announcement of a new Ministry for Disabled People is a watershed moment for people living with disabilities in Aotearoa New Zealand. It comes none too soon, as COVID-19 has affected disability communities badly. Lockdown, particularly at levels 3 and 4, has put many disabled people in a nefarious catch-22. The very measures put in place to protect them are also often responsible for exacerbating their health conditions. In our research we document the views of young New Zealanders with central nervous system disorders…
Six-month Experiment Restores Vision in Blind Woman
November 4, 2021 | Source: Legal Reader- Spain
A new technology shows promise as it restores basic sight to an individual who is blind. A team of researchers from Spain and Utah have been working together to repair vision to a 57-year-old Berna Gomez, who has been sightless for 16 years, by connecting a camera with an assortment of microchips to her brain. After undergoing the experiment, Gomez was able to identify letters and the edges of objects, as well as play basic video games. She played such a large role in furthering their research that Gomez was named one of the co-authors of their journal article…
COVID-19 Resources and Information
- Reimagining Inclusion: Building Accessible Events For Everyone– Today UK News
- Will Long Covid force businesses to take accessibility seriously?- Management Today
- New COVID-19 Danger Revealed: SARS-CoV-2 Virus Can Infect the Inner Ear- SciTechDaily
Accessibility Blogs and Information
- Self-Serve Kiosks and the ADA- Ken Nakata
- America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion- PEAT
- Accessibility Awareness month- City College Times
- Subtitles are the future. Sorry, caption haters- Mashable
- Four 2020 lawsuits over internet voting – Freedom to Tinker
- Disability and accessibility on Tuesday’s Access Utah- UPR (Podcast)
- OPINION: The need for improved accessibility – UNO Gateway
- Knowbility Accessibility Office Hour Episode 2 NDEAM Panel (YouTube)
- Tinnitus: The Causes And Tests For Diagnosis- Emergency Live
- White Paper- Designing for Accessibility- Digital Signage Today
- World Institute on Disability- Monthly Newsletter: October 2021
- Common Accessibility Issues for Higher Education Websites- BOIA
- Why CIOs should invest in an accessible government- Mike Gifford
- Discord Digital Accessibility Settlement Agreement- Lainey Feingold
- Website Strategies for Keeping Renters Engaged- MultiHousing News
- Five Glaring Accessibility Issues I Face When Shopping Online- Brielle Cayer
- Student fights for inclusion and accessibility on campus – The Washburn Review
- Accessibility First Resources- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- #OneUKforAll: Creating Accessibility on Campus- UKNow- University of Kentucky
- New Accessibility Director Hopes to Fulfill 2019 Audit Recommendations- The Sandspur
- New report reveals the 5 most important ways to make your site accessible – Palm Bay Herald
- U.S. Laws for Video Accessibility: ADA, Section 508, CVAA, and FCC Mandates- 3PlayMedia
- Why You Need To Do User Testing With Deaf And Hard Of Hearing People- Meryl K. Evans- Fable
- Nearly Half Of Cancer-Related Websites Analyzed Lack Accessibility, Affects Google Ranking- MediaPost
- Sculpting an Inclusive Learning Environment: Ensuring “Techquity” in Online Spaces- Teachers College Press
- Students, faculty with disabilities face physical, educational accessibility challenges at UofA- The Arkansas Traveler
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- Fire TV accessibility features
- UMPI completes accessibility mapping project
- Advocate for disability access receives Shinagel Award
- Ofqual seeks views on accessible assessments for students
- City of Greater Geraldton takes second accessibility award
- Accessibility improvement reports added to myCarmel App
- Macedonia couple aims to make community more accessible
- Help Make Children’s Books ALL Children Can See and Hear
- Isle of Man Transport adopts hidden disabilities assistance scheme
- FCC to Consider Text-to-988 to Expand Suicide Prevention Services
- New research on blindness risk from Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy
- TTC Australia Appoints Kylie Pollock as Principal Accessibility Consultant
- Accessible Solutions and CatMatt Provide Seniors with A New Way to Dine
- Some Vets Experiencing Accessibility Issues With New VA Clinic Location
- Richmond Hill highlights ongoing commitment to accessible, inclusive community
- ADA-accessible playground and adult exercise area to open at Encino Branch Library
- Neapolitan Labs Teams Up With Monsido for Better Web Governance for Their Clients
- Supplemental Special Education Services- Your Student May Be Eligible for a $1500 Grant!
- Vox Creative, Straight Talk Wireless launch accessible podcast for deaf and hard of hearing audiences
- Olympian Simone Biles Teams Up With Cerebral To Make Mental Health Care Accessible In Underserved Communities
- The Valuable 500 becomes first disability organisation to reach number one in the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list 2021
- LILEE Systems partners with Access Services and Sunset Vans to showcase a new accessible autonomous vehicle at APTA EXPO 2021
- Kessler Foundation and Microsoft’s AI for Accessibility jointly award planning grant to OCAD U for research of bias in current AI hiring systems against people with disabilities
- Chancellor Malatras Appoints Members of the SUNY Empowering Students with Disability Task Force to Improve Accessibility, Eliminate Stigma, and Create Academic Opportunities for Students with Disabilities
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- Alternative Text
- Enhancing the Manifest
- How To Build Accessible Tables
- Name, labels, ARIA, what to do?
- So, you want an accessibility score?
- The Simple Solutions To Better Games
- Lemnis Gate Update Adds Key Bindings To Improve Accessibility
- Turn on the Accessibility Menu on Pixel – Guidebooks with Google
- Guardians of the galaxy game’s biggest mistake isn’t just its combat
- What do the accessibility symbols in Apple TV and TV apps mean?
- Forza Horizon 5 Will Launch With a Suite of Accessibility Features
- Quadriplegic Apple user rates iOS 15 and watchOS 8 for accessibility
- For a legally blind player, Far Cry 6’s accessibility options are empowering
- Becoming More Accessible on YouTube: Adding Closed Captions and Other Tips
- Understanding Success Criterion 3.3.8: Accessible Authentication (No Exception)
- One of the console’s weirdest problems will finally be addressed by Xbox Series X
Accessibility Statements
- Supreme
- VoiceThread
- Royal College
- Harper College
- Boots to Business
- Irish Statute Book
- Universität Passau
- Bellarmine University
- Athabasca University
- Blessings in a Backpack
- 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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