Accessibility in the News — 2/4/2022.
NOTE: To get news like this every week in your inbox, before it hits our website, subscribe to our Accessibility in the News e-newsletter. There are no ads or graphics, and we never send spam. Just use the sign-up form on this page to subscribe and stay up to date!
Skip to National News (U.S.) | Skip to International News
More Accessibility Resources on this Page
Accessibility Blogs and Information | Accessibility Announcements and Products
Accessibility Fourms, Tips and Gaming | Accessibility Statement Pages
Microassist Accessibility Services
AITN Quote of the Week
“Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.” ― Stevie Wonder
Billion Strong- A Global Disability Movement
Feature Stories
DOJ Secures Agreement to Make Online COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Accessible for People with Disabilities at Meijer Supermarket Chain
February 2, 2022 | Source: DOJ & Agreement & Becker’s Hospital Review & U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of Michigan & UpNorthLive
The Justice Department today announced that it has secured a settlement agreement with Meijer Inc., under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that will eliminate barriers preventing people with certain disabilities from getting information about COVID-19 vaccinations and booking vaccination appointments online. Meijer is a Michigan-based retailer that operates more than 250 stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Today’s resolution is the department’s fourth agreement on the critical issue of COVID-19 vaccination website accessibility…
National News (U.S.)
NBC Boosts Accessibility To Olympic, Paralympics
January 31, 2022 | Source: NY Sports Journalism & Cord Cutters News
NBCUniversal said today its coverage of both the Beijing Winter Games and Paralympics would be “more accessible to viewers of all abilities than ever” through closed captioning, audio description and digital content accessibility. NBCU plans to present a Winter Olympics-record 2,800+ hours of coverage across NBC, Peacock, USA Network, CNBC, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app Feb. 2-20, with the Opening Ceremony on Feb. 4. NBCUniversal said it would present more than 230 hours of Beijing Paralympic Winter Games programming, including a record 120 hours of TV coverage and the first prime time coverage on NBC…
I Hid My Disability At Work For 6 Years. When I Stopped, My Entire Life Changed
January 31, 2022 | Source: HuffPost
In 2002, I planned a monthlong solo trip to Australia. On my second day on the trail, while crossing an ankle-deep stream, I slipped and my body flipped 180 degrees. I hit my head and then rolled off the side of a waterfall. The waterfall was about 3 feet high and I landed in a reservoir pool. A German tourist, who happened to be there, dragged me out of the pool. After the fall, I sat on the riverbank — stunned, confused and very concussed — while my tour leader climbed down the bank to meet me…
Diabetes kills more than 100,000 Americans for second year in a row, raising public health alarm
January 31, 2022 | Source: NY Daily News
For the second straight year, more than 100,000 people have died of diabetes in the U.S., a new report has found. In both 2020 and 2021, the condition’s death toll surpassed the six-figure mark, a new analysis by Reuters has found. Moreover, the incidence is rising, Reuters noted, with diabetes-related deaths increasing by 17% in 2020 and 15% in 2021 over 2019′s pre-pandemic levels. In addition, Reuters and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said, the 2021 deaths are still being counted, so the total is not final…
Accessibility is a shared responsibility
February 2, 2022 | Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A chemical burn accident left Margaret Comin blind at two-and-a-half years old. Her mother, a progressive thinker for the mid-20th century, sent her to public school rather than a school for the blind. Comin was one of two blind children at the Duval County schools in Florida. Her mother reasoned that her daughter would eventually have to live in the sighted world, so she may as well learn to adapt at a young age. In school, Comin was taught braille and typing. By the time she graduated from a private high school where she was the only blind student, Comin had learned how to be resourceful…
Pennsylvania Housing Provider Ordered to Pay Damages and Redress Discrimination Based on Pregnancy and Disability Status
February 2, 2022 | Source: DOJ
The Justice Department announced today that the owner and former manager of rental properties in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, have agreed to resolve a federal lawsuit brought by the United States in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The United States alleged that the defendants violated the Fair Housing Act when they refused to let a tenant’s girlfriend move in with him because she was pregnant with his son and because the tenant was in recovery from an addiction to alcohol…
Blind people, disability advocates say, need more accessible at-home coronavirus tests
February 2, 2022 | Source: WGBH
In the coming weeks, millions of Americans will receive at-home coronavirus tests through the mail, thanks to a collaboration between President Joe Biden’s administration and the U.S. Postal Service. But while the distribution may help people who have struggled to acquire rapid tests, it’s not a solution for everyone. For some — those who are blind or low-vision, are elderly, have issues with physical dexterity or have cognitive disabilities — the tests are difficult or impossible to use independently…
Support for bill addressing building accessibility voiced at State House hearing
February 2, 2022 | Source: Boston University News Service
Proposed legislation to create more accessible buildings and facilities was discussed on Beacon Hill this week by the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. Among the topics tackled was the bill S. 1629, “An Act Building a More Accessible Massachusetts.” The bill seeks to increase access to workplaces and facilities as the current state building codes do not require buildings constructed before March 1991 to follow existing accessibility requirements..
New bill could make parking more accessible for wheelchair users if signed into law
February 2, 2022 | Source: ABC4
“I was shot as a teenager in the late 70’s. My friend accidentally shot me and I went from being on my feet, and all of the sudden I’m in a wheelchair,” says Mike Schlappi, a four time Paralympic Medalist and coach for the Wheelin’ Jazz, has been in a wheelchair for decades, and knows first hand how difficult it can be for wheelchair users to find wheelchair accessible parking spots. Especially when disabled parking spots are taken. “I would go out and try to park in a regular stall and I quickly realized I needed that extra few feet,” says Schlappi…
EEOC Sues Pneuline Supply for Disability Discrimination and Retaliation
February 2, 2022 | Source: EEOC
Colorado parts manufacturer Pneuline Supply, Inc., fired an employee who has a severe hearing impairment because of her disability and/or need for accommodation and in retaliation for requesting an accommodation and complaining about discrimination, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Pneuline Supply hired Lyubov Mezentseva in May 2017 as an assembler at its Greeley facility, knowing that she had a severe hearing impairment and was proficient in American Sign Language (ASL), but not English…
Faulty elevators, cracked sidewalks and lack of accessibility frustrate disabled LSU students
February 3, 2022 | Source: LSU Reveille
Linda Bui stood next to the opening of the elevator in the Dalrymple building, home to her office and lab. She measured the doorway, which was 27 inches wide – nine inches short of what the American Disability Association requires of openings so people in wheelchairs can enter and exit safely. If a wheelchair did fit in the elevator, there would not be enough room for the person to turn around and exit without blindly reversing out. Even then, they likely would not want to enter the elevator, which Bui, an environmental science professor, nicknamed the “Tower of Terror.”…
Polluted air can reduce cognitive abilities — but improvements in air quality can help
February 3, 2022 | Source: ZME Science
Exposure to pollution has been linked to a number of major health problems, including cardiovascular disease and lung disease. It’s also been linked to dementia before, and some studies have even found that it can even impair cognitive ability. When it comes to other conditions, pollution is a modifiable risk. When the pollution is eliminated, the risk also drops, but for dementia, this hadn’t yet been demonstrated. So a team of researchers led by Diana Younan, of the University of Southern California, carried out a study on 2,232 older women who were free of dementia when they entered the study…
Your brain may live up to 15 seconds in the past, study finds
February 3, 2022 | Source: FOX6 & Daily Mail
A new study shows that the human brain may actually live up to 15 seconds in the past. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Aberdeen discovered that the brain shows images from seconds in the past, instead of an updated real-time picture. According to the study, published in Science Advances, researchers analyzed the mechanism of “change blindness,” which is when people fail to notice small changes over time. “The brain automatically smooths our visual input over time. Instead of analyzing every single visual snapshot, we perceive in a given moment an average of what we saw in the past 15 seconds.”…
‘I Wanted That Self-Reliance Back’: Disabled Hikers Forge a New Path
February 3, 2022 | Source: The New York Times
Beneath the wooden boardwalk where Syren Nagakyrie, 40, was on a hike through Lettuce Lake Conservation Park in Tampa, Fla., dark shadows of fish moved in the vegetation-clogged waters, while red-eyed herons strode between the cypress roots that stuck out from the water like knobby, twisted knees. Mx. Nagakyrie, who is nonbinary, pointed out a turtle sunning itself on a log. But to see the wildlife, Mx. Nagakyrie’s mother, Vickie Boyer, 59, had to lean out of her wheelchair and peer through cracks between the wooden railings. The short wooden boardwalk loop, near Ms. Boyer’s home in Riverview, Fla., was supposedly on an accessible trail…
The Tricky Diagnosis Journey That Turned 17-Year-Old Derek Schmitz Into a Disability Advocate for Others
February 3, 2022 | Source: Creaky Joints
I was born premature and had a traumatic injury during my birth that resulted in cerebral palsy. I’ve never known life without my disability. Since I could speak, I’ve been an educator and advocate, sharing bits and pieces of my experiences as a disabled kid — now teenager — with my classmates and anyone else who would listen. I was diagnosed in November 2020 with spondyloarthropathy, which we broke down to be localized in my hips and sacroiliitis in my back. [The umbrella term “spondyloarthritis” refers to types of inflammatory arthritis that affect both the joints and the entheses (the points where ligaments and tendons attach to bones).]…
Jack Fact — More than 3.4 million Americans 40 years and older are blind or visually impaired, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As many as 21 million people have other vision problems and 80 million have diseases that could blind them, such as cataracts and glaucoma.
Hit The Road Jack — Three of New Zealand’s most accessible hotels& When Will Disney Update Classic Attractions for Accessibility?
International News
Alberta’s 1st fully accessible community rink to have grand opening on Saturday
January 28, 2022 | Source: CBC- Canada & LiveWire Calgary & Calgary Herald
Wheelchair-accessible skating rink opens at Parc Lafontaine
January 30, 2022 | Source: CTVMontreal
After five years of development, Alberta’s first fully accessible outdoor community rink is slated to have its grand opening Saturday in northwest Calgary. The Parkdale Community Association (PCA) began exploring options to replace its community rink when the facility reached the end of its 30-year lifespan a few years ago. But when association members asked if accessibility was an issue for seniors, persons with disabilities and sledge hockey players, the vision for the rink changed, director John Butterwick told the Calgary Eyeopener in October 2020…
Glaucoma can’t be cured. Check out these warning signs in children to prevent it
January 29, 2022 | Source: Hindustan Times- India
Here’s how we can provide better eye care for the world
January 31, 2022 | Source: European Sting- Europe
To spread the word about the sight-stealing disease, January is marked as National Glaucoma Awareness Month as it is the leading cause of irreversible blindness where as much as 40% of vision can be lost without a person noticing. Glaucoma can affect children even before 3 years of age but the clinical signs and symptoms are different. Dr Aparna Darawal, Senior Consultant and Head Ophthalmology at Asian Hospital explains, “Glaucoma is a disease of progressive Optic Nerve damage caused by increase in intraocular pressure. Congenital/Infantile glaucoma starts before 3 years of age and juvenile glaucoma is seen in more than 3 years of age.”…
Edmonton Airport expands accessibility services for passengers
January 31, 2022 | Source: International Airport Review- Canada
Edmonton International Airport (EIA) has teamed up with Aira, an online service that provides live, real-time assistance to people with visual impairments. EIA is now part of the Aira Airport Network and a designated facility within the Aira online app for users. When a passenger who is visually impaired arrives at EIA they can use this app to call up a live agent who will guide them through the airport by using the camera in a smartphone. The agent can assist in reading information for passengers as well as navigation through the airport and even support safety by encouraging physical distancing from other people where possible…
Right to leadership of persons with disabilities and issue of accessibility
February 2, 2022 | Source: myRepublica- Nepal
We call on members of society to rethink ways in which persons with disabilities and other members of the vulnerable groups can find a space to exercise their agency and be able to prove their skills and enjoy what we call their right to leadership. Two months have passed since the latest International Day of Persons with Disabilities that, as usual, was celebrated on the 3rd of December. Opinion pieces like the one you are reading won’t be enough to change the status quo and international days like the one observed in December come and go…
Council website is only 1% compliant with accessibility rules
February 2, 2022 | Source: Inside Croydon – UK
Croydon Council has failed to meet its legal obligations to make its website accessible to visually impaired residents, according to an independent survey. Regulations passed in 2018 gave Britain’s public organisations three years to ensure that all content published after a set date was fully accessible, allowing websites and mobile apps to be used by as many people as possible, including those with impaired vision, motor difficulties, cognitive impairments or learning disabilities, deafness or impaired hearing…
National prospects for accessibility standards
February 2, 2022 | Source: REMI Network- Canada
Accessibility Standards Canada is now formally under the umbrella of the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), putting it on a path to develop national standards. The federal agency was established in 2019 under the mandate of the Accessible Canada Act to develop accessibility standards for federally regulated entities and to promote accessibility and inclusiveness through research and public engagement. It signed an accreditation agreement with SCC late last year, joining 12 other recognized organizations with qualifications to develop standards for industry, government and/or consumers…
Inclusion: The final frontier
February 2, 2022 | Source: BCS- UK
Mickela Perera has been improving accessibility across the UK’s biggest brands for over a decade. She tells Johanna Hamilton AMBCS why good UX is key to unlocking truly inclusive design. ‘The end goal is having a world where everything is easy to use for everyone.’ As we forge forward into the 21st century, user-centric design feels like it should be a given; unfortunately, it’s not. Figures released by The World Health Organization report that two billion people in the world have some disability and in 20% of those cases, the impact on their lives is significant…
NRT onDemand app improves accessibility after previous concerns
February 2, 2022 | Source: St. Catharines Standard- Canada
For one Grimsby resident, taking transit is officially a go. Stephen Barker, chair of the joint accessibility advisory committee, lives with permanent blindness in both eyes and last year wrote a letter to several councils across Niagara, raising concerns about the lack of accessibility of the NRT onDemand app. He stated that the app was not accessible for those with vision impairments, as it did not allow users to input their address or location into the app, unless they could see the screen…
Ireland and Wales can’t change kit for Six Nations match despite World Rugby stance on colour-blind shirt clashes
February 2, 2022 | Source: Wales Online- UK & Joe & The Mirror
Ireland and Wales will play out their Six Nations opener in traditional green and red colours this weekend, just a few months after World Rugby released guidance on kit clashes which affect colour-blind supporters. The governing body published guidance on colour vision deficiency (CVD) last autumn – led by chairman Sir Bill Beaumont, who himself suffers from CVD – and warned that a clash of green and red kits can lead to fans with colour blindness “switching off” as they struggle to differentiate between teams…
Accessibility in the workplace: How can HR bridge the gap?
February 3, 2022 | Source: Human Resource Director- Canada
If anyone is well-positioned to champion people with disabilities, it’s Jewelles Smith. As a feminist disability activist, scholar, writer, with specific training in human rights monitoring and women’s human rights justice and communications and government relations coordinator of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, Smith is a voice for Canadians. “The first thing to always notice,” she told HRD when asked about particular challenges that people with disabilities might face at work, “is that disability is very diverse…
Wordle has a colour-blind mode: Here’s how to activate it
February 3, 2022 | Source: The Indian Express- India
We recently looked at the how to enable the Hard Mode on Wordle and how the new set of rules can actually benefit you, but there is yet another setting that’s offered by this relatively simply daily word puzzle phenomenon, and that’s a colour-blind mode. Wordle’s colour-blind mode replaces the iconic yellow and green colours with light blue and orange shades when you guess the right letters. Meanwhile, grey boxes remain grey. As most people who do suffer from some form of colour blindness would know, the blue/orange pallete is one of the most common colour schemes used to be recognisable for most people…
Saudi Public Calls for Eateries to Provide Braille Menus
February 3, 2022 | Source: About Her- Saudi Arabia
In every nation and every city across the globe, there are people with blindness and visual impairment, a 2021 report by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness putting the number of people with blindness at 43 million and those with visual impairment at 295 million. For centuries, these people unfortunately lived in societies that did not put their needs first with tools that enabled their lives. Fortunately, in 1824, a French inventor Louis Braille invented the braille writing system to help people with vision problems to read, a system of dots forming alphabets that can be felt using a finger, and a major step in creating more inclusive tools and societies…
Toddlers’ screen time linked to speech delay, therapy available
February 3, 2022 | Source: The Sun Daily- Malaysia
When babies become toddlers, they will crawl vigorously, starting to walk, even talking a little. They will be able to communicate with people around them long before they speak a single word. For normal toddlers between 15 to 18 months, the speech and language milestones are as follows: they can point to an object or picture when it is named for them, recognise names of familiar people, objects, and body parts, and also say several single words. But it is not the case for Muhammad Adwa Rizqi, the son of a government servant Mohd Khirul Mudarikah, when his child was not able to speak more than 10 words by the time he reached 18 months old…
COVID-19 Resources and Information
- Grant to help disabled people get vaccine – The Delaware Gazette
- UCLA students demand a permanent hybrid learning option- KCRW
- CHEBILI: Make the University more accessible – The Cavalier Daily
- Professors — Zoom’s Flexibility Leads to Accessibility – Loyola Phoenix
- Wearing masks is crucial — but this is what it has cost us- The Gardner News
- The Great Resignation has increased security risks, 71% of IT leaders say- SC Media
- Toronto holds ‘super supportive,’ accessible COVID-19 vaccine clinic – Global News
- Can You Work While on Disability? Yes — But Know the Rules- The Penny Hoarder
- Long Covid Disability Revives Push to End 24-Month Medicare Wait- Bloomberg Law
- Teachers Are Quitting, and Companies Are Hot to Hire Them- The Wall Street Journal
- How do free at-home COVID tests help if you’re blind and can’t see the results? – WHYY
- One Million Deaths: The Hole the Pandemic Made in U.S. Society- The Wall Street Journal
- New rules on lecture transcripts give academics an impossible choice- The Campus- Times Higher Education
- Record 14.5 million Americans signed up for 2022 health coverage under Affordable Care Act- NBC Montana
- ‘The pandemic has awakened them’: Disability advocate sounds off on web accessibility and remote work- Digiday
Accessibility Blogs and Information
- Weekly Travel Digest – Issue #6
- National Disability Mentoring Month
- Monthly Digital Accessibility Highlights- DisabilityIN
- Digital accessibility in the post-pandemic era – iTWire
- What does an accessible city look like?- Tenterfield Star
- Improving academic accessibility- Queen’s University Gazette
- Best Schools for Students with a Learning Disability- iReviews
- World Institute on Disability- Monthly Newsletter: January 2022
- What can the metaverse learn from accessibility leaders?- BetaKit (Podcast)
- Engineering Accessible Experiences from the Ground Up- Comcast
- 8 Key Elements for Creating a Culture of Accessibility- Microassist
- Fulfilling our commitment to accessibility and inclusion – Microsoft
- Students create their own inclusive, accommodating spaces – The Post
- Rethinking Tech Design with an Accessibility-First Approach- eWEEK
- The Importance of Mentoring: Experience, Practice and Policy- Lynne Fetter
- Universal Design: Demands for accessibility benefit all – The Maine Campus
- Digital Accessibility: The Billion-Customer Opportunity For Brands- Ad Age
- How to Make Your Insurance Company More Accessible- Live Insurance News
- Invest in complete and accessible sidewalks in every community- The Seattle Times
- SU CARE Lab provides accessible autism diagnoses, evaluations – The Daily Orange
- New tech prioritizes mobility, accessibility at Portland State- Portland State University
- Salesforce Launches Global Digital Skills Index: In-Depth Insights from 23,000 Workers
- Why We Founded the Harvard Undergraduate Disability Justice Club- The Harvard Crimson
- Users Design Their Own Journey in New Digital Exhibition Platform – Smithsonian Magazine
- InclusiveU plans to expand accessibility for students with disabilities at SU – The Daily Orange
- Stinson and Sherman Prioritize Inclusion, Accessibility- Scholastic – University of Notre Dame
- Adult ADHD and higher education: improving the student experience- Times Higher Education
- Artist Jessica Oddi Empowers the Disability Community Through Accessible Design- YouTube
- Evolving Tools and Emerging Tech Heighten Benefits of Accessible Design- StateTech Magazine
- Accessible Canada Regulations Mean New Obligations for Federally Regulated Employers- Fasken
- Auburn listened: New seating policy in The Jungle for students with disabilities- The Auburn Plainsman
- Voracious Lawyers Are Wildly Abusing Federal Disability Law To Run People Out Of Business- The Federalist
- Recent DOJ Settlements Show Step Up in Web Accessibility Enforcement by Biden Administration- Perkins Coie
- The American Rescue Plan Act: Utilization of Federal Funds to Bolster Employment Supports for Persons with Disabilities- Rachel Wright
- Providing Effective Workforce Development Services to Individuals with Disabilities in a Limited Resource Environment- U.S. Conference of Mayors
- Kent: Where A Lifetime Of Passionate Storytelling And Advocacy For People With Disabilities Was Born (And A Soulmate Was Discovered)- Steve Wright
- How Inclusive Apprenticeships Can Help Address the Clean Energy Sector’s Growing Talent Needs- Episode 11: Amanda Bybee, CEO of Amicus Cooperative- Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship (PIA)
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- Infosys and Tennis Australia collaborate
- Transit Accessibility Campaign Launches
- Meredith Lehman wins IDEA accessibility award
- ‘Kick Some ALS’ held to raise awareness for disease
- Approves nWise Access to TRS Numbering Directory
- UserWay (“UWAY”) Stock Jumps 50% on First Day of IPO
- Verizon Forward for Good Accelerator: Disability Innovation
- WP Engine Selects AudioEye as Digital Accessibility Partner
- Melrose Starts Process To Overhaul Accessibility, ADA Policies
- Windows 11 update brings two new natural voices: ‘Jenny’ and ‘Aria’
- Two firms team up to facilitate at-home screenings to prevent blindness
- Florida’s only fully wheelchair-accessible park reopens with a ribbon-cutting
- ZAG Interactive Partners With Monsido for More Digitally Inclusive Websites
- Comcast’s Java-based resource library expands accessibility features for Xfinity
- Edmonton Airport launches live online service to assist visually impaired travelers
- Theatre Accessibility Smartphone App GalaPro Acquired by The Shubert Organization
- Bausch + Lomb and Prevent Blindness Partner to Promote AMD Awareness, Education
- MBTA’s System-Wide Accessibility Department Launches Communication Online Survey
- AudioEye Acquires Square ADA, Brings Web Accessibility Technology to Squarespace Users
- What’s new in Microsoft 365: from empowering frontline workers to accessibility improvements
- 7 Amazon Original shows and films with disabled actors and characters on Amazon Prime Video
- Reviewed Launches Accessibility Category To Expand Representation for Consumers With Disabilities
- DreamWorks Spotlights Deaf Culture And Disability Representation In ‘Madagascar: A Little Wild’ Series
- Level Access Announces Expansion of Access Advisor Unlimited, Their Leading Accessibility Service Product
- Pritzker Administration Awards $55 Million to Improve Housing Accessibility and Stability for Vulnerable Residents
- Crawford Technologies Acquires Agilitech Solutions and Renames the Business CrawfordTech Government Solutions
- ServiceNow creates Centre of Excellence for Accessibility, advancing commitment to inclusive and accessible technology
- Applications Open for Texas Partners in Policymaking Graduating Class of 2023- The deadline to apply is Friday, March 25, 2022.
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- Creating Accessible PDF Forms
- Accessibility: Assistive technology support
- 5 ways to make your eCommerce site more accessible
- Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
- Resident Evil 4 VR update adds accessibility options for comfort
- Pokemon Legends: Arceus Players Criticize Lack of Accessibility Options
Accessibility Statements
- Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health
- Office of Diversity and Inclusion – University of Pittsburgh
- Genomics Education Programme – Health Education England
- 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
Subscribe to Accessibility in the News
Stay informed! Get your weekly update on digital accessibility standards, private and public sector trends, litigation, events, and more.