Accessibility in the News—4/20/18.
In this week’s news, several articles focused on employment and hiring, covering everything from accessible online job applications to inclusive hiring practices. With the employment rate among people with disabilities disproportionately high compared to other populations, efforts in both these areas are sorely needed.
The Deaf community was highlighted in several areas: One town celebrates its first Deaf pastor. Tech giants Amazon and Microsoft entered partnerships for transcription services, and one college campus hosts and ASL club to bring awareness and celebration of Deaf culture.
The Department of Education’s change in handling disability complaints is also making headlines this week.
Speaking of disability complaints, as well as creating accessible job applications—Microassist’s accessibility audit and accessibility remediation services can help your organization develop an online environment that is usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. Just use our Contact Our Accessibility Team form to let us know about your situation and how we can support your accessibility efforts.
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AITN Quote of the Week
What would it be like if you lived each day, each breath, as a work of art in progress? Imagine that you are a masterpiece unfolding, every second of every day, a work of art taking form with every breath.
― Thomas Crum
National News (U.S.)
Connecting industry and consumers to solutions for technology accessibility, and the benefits of organization-wide approaches to accessibility. The Accessibility Switchboard is a project of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute.
What’s Next after WCAG? Project Silver to Broaden Future Accessibility Guidelines beyond the Web, Content
April 13, 2018 | Source: Microassist
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) was published in 2008. That makes it 10 years oldpastor and in need of a major update! But information and communications technologies are exploding beyond the web—is even the name outdated? What comes after WCAG 2.0 if not WCAG 3? Jeanne Spellman, web accessibility engineer for the The Paciello Group and a W3C representative, talks to Microassist’s Vivian Cullipher about “Project Silver” and its very first design sprint…
On disability, Twitter is better late than never
April 13, 2018 | Source: CNN
The next time you report a Twitter troll for polluting your timeline, you might notice an additional word on the reporting form. Disability. It’s just one word. One we’ve seen thousands of times before. In fact, if you weren’t looking closely at the form in the frenetic moments of reporting a tweet, you might not even notice it. But make no mistake: This change is no small feat. It’s a long overdue win in what seemed like a never-ending battle, one that people with disabilities like myself have been fighting online for years…
Transcription and Accessibility—New Partnerships from Microsoft and Amazon
April 13, 2018 | Source: EdSurge
On the heels of one another, two tech titans recently announced higher-education partnerships that leverage transcription technology to make educational materials more accessible to a broader swath of learners. On April 5, Microsoft announced a partnership with the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. Via Microsoft Translator, a translation service, students in classes and lectures can get automated transcriptions on their mobile and desktop devices. Professors can also choose to show the transcriptions on a big screen behind them…
Driverless cars give hope to blind – are automakers onboard?
April 13, 2018 | Source: WBAL Radio
In 2012, Steve Mahan, who is blind, climbed into the driver’s seat of a self-driving car and rolled up to the drive-thru of a Taco Bell in a video that’s been viewed more than 8 million times online. The piece, produced by Google, captured the potential of autonomous-car technology to change the lives of the visually impaired. “It was my first time behind the steering wheel in seven years and was absolutely amazing,” Mahan said. Self-driving-car advocates say that in addition to helping the disabled, the vehicles will allow people to do other tasks while driving and make roadways safer by removing human error…
Google Maps Makes a Modest Attempt at Wheelchair Accessibility
April 13, 2018 | Source: Hyperallergic
Recently, Google Maps rolled out a “Wheelchair Accessible” travel feature, which sends users on alternate routes that account for necessities like ramps and elevators. (Google started collecting location-specific information from wheelchair users last year.) I use a wheelchair, which means that I often reroute my travel to avoid stairs and find accessible entrances. Any piece of new navigational technology immediately elicits equal parts joy and skepticism: will this actually work? Could it change the way I experience architecture that, too often, isn’t designed for me?…
Disabled People Don’t Belong In Music Venues, Apparently
April 13, 2018 | Source: HuffPost
I used to see live music at least once a week, where I’d bathe in the colorful glow of stage lights while bass rattled my heart inside my rib cage. There is something transformative and healing about music ― you can almost reach out and touch it. As a music lover, I scan Coachella’s lineup every year. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is held every spring in Indio, California. The list of musicians gets more and more incredible each year. Music isn’t so easy to see live anymore. Five years ago, I was diagnosed with an incurable degenerative disease called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome…
U.S. Attorney Reaches Settlement With Westchester Developer To Increase Accessibility For People With Disabilities At Two Apartment Complexes In Rockland County
April 13, 2018 | Source: Department of Justice
Ginsburg will pay $50K penalty to settle handicap suit at Haverstraw complex
April 16, 2018 | Source: LoHud.com
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that the United States has settled a federal Fair Housing Act lawsuit against Ginsburg Development which was filed in September 2016. Under the settlement, Ginsburg Development has agreed to make retrofits to two apartment complexes in Haverstraw, New York, the Riverside and the Parkside, which together contain more than 200 rental units, in order to make them more accessible to individuals with disabilities…
Ellensburg builder penalized in ‘alleged’ disability discriminatory case
April 13, 2018 | Source: iFIBER One News
An Ellensburg contractor accused of disability-based discrimination is being penalized by a federal agency. On Friday, Joseph Harrington, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced settlement of a federal civil rights lawsuit against the owners, builder and designer of the Ashlynn Estates, a three-building dormitory style property near Central Washington University in Ellensburg. The settlement resolves allegations that Riexinger Enterprises failed to design and construct the buildings to make them accessible to persons with disabilities in compliance with the Fair Housing Act’s (FHA) accessibility requirements…
Accessibility at Tufts: For students with physical disabilities, the Hill is far from an ideal campus
April 13, 2018 | Source: Tufts Daily
When senior computer science (CS) major Sam Slate hurt his leg playing basketball the summer of his sophomore year, he thought he’d be back to normal in no time. But what seemed like a simple injury turned into chronic pain that makes it hard for him to walk or stand. As his injury developed into a disability, he’s had to relearn how to get around campus safely, and asking for help from Tufts administration was harder than he’d hoped. From a handicap parking pass to access to academic buildings, Slate has struggled to get what he needs to succeed here…
Technology Guides Blind Transit Riders Right to the Bus Door
April 13, 2018 | Source: Government Technology
Bluetooth technology, crowdsourcing, and connected devices are making mobility easier for blind, visually impaired or disabled transit riders. In Boston, transit officials, through a partnership with Perkins School for the Blind, have been contributing data to the app BlindWays, which combines GPS data with special clues to get users to the exact location of a bus stop. The clues are important because the average sighted person doesn’t need them when they use a trip planning or map app. “If you want to have a stop location that indicates a stop is on the corner of Block A and Block B, if you can see, that’s not a problem…
“Sign: A Silent Film” Speaks to Experiences of Deaf Community
April 13, 2018 | Source: The Oberlin Review
A love story without spoken dialogue, Adam Wachter’s Sign: A Silent Film follows two men named Aaron and Ben as they navigate their relationship through fights and celebrations. The film has a particular focus on their communication, since Aaron is deaf and Ben is hearing. The film is punctuated by several jarring scenes — for example, Ben sitting in a chair at a party with Aaron’s friends before he knows how to sign, watching them communicate while holding a bowl of popcorn in his lap; another, a fight during which Ben violently grabs Aaron’s hands in the middle of speech, effectively silencing him…
Uber, Lyft and Via sue to block wheelchair-accessibility mandate
April 13, 2018 | Source: Crain’s New York Business & Courthouse News Service
The city’s three biggest ride-hail companies have banded together to undo the recently passed Taxi and Limousine Commission mandate requiring them to make wheelchair accessible service a growing part of their operations. Uber, Lyft, and Via filed a petition in state Supreme Court in Manhattan on Friday asking that the TLC mandate be vacated and annulled. The rules are set to go into effect in July, and will require that within 12 months 5% of all trips dispatched by the operators be in wheelchair accessible vehicles…
St. Paul parks to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act, 26 years after deadline
April 13, 2018 | Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
More than 20 years after a deadline to make St. Paul parks accessible to people with disabilities, the city of St. Paul has put together a multimillion-dollar plan to rebuild a recreation center, replace entry doors and otherwise bring its parks system into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Though the department has made accessibility improvements to buildings and facilities for years, an ADA transition plan to identify all the modifications needed for compliance wasn’t approved until this year…
7 Ways to Make Your Hiring Process More Inclusive and Accessible
April 13, 2018 | Source: SHRM
We are operating in one of the hottest economies with some of the lowest unemployment levels in recorded history and yet, over 34 percent of people with disabilities are unemployed and looking for work. Companies who are committed to hiring the best talent and improving the candidate experience should be committed to being inclusive and accessible to all candidates, including those with disabilities. According to a user survey conducted by The Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT), 37 percent of survey respondents reported that they experienced accessibility or usability issues when using social media.
MTA Transit president Andy Byford takes the train with disability rights advocates
April 16, 2018 | Source: amNY
The MTA’s transit president Andy Byford went on a ride-along with advocates Friday, as the authority faces pressure to make more subway stations wheelchair-accessible. Byford grabbed coffee and took the Lexington Avenue line with advocates from the political action group Rise and Resist. They discussed issues that make the subways notoriously inaccessible, including a lack of working elevators, the gaps between platforms and trains and poor signage and communication, members of Rise and Resist told amNewYork…
GalaPro App Provides All-Access Experience for Theatregoers
April 16, 2018 | Source: American Theatre
Cell phones in theatres may no longer be taboo. Well, at least in this case, where 12 Broadway theatres now offer GalaPro, a new app that expands accessibility services by providing audio description, captioning, and dubbing to audiences at every performance. “It actually started when our cofounder wanted to follow foreign languages at the opera,” says GalaPro CEO Yonat Burlin. A globe-trotting connoisseur of the performing arts, Elena Litsyn found herself “unable to follow opera that lacked translation. So we started the research to see if there was a need for a solution.”…
Alexa Is a Revelation for the Blind
May 2018 | Source: The Atlantic
Is it ‘Electra?’” my father asks, leaning in close to the Amazon Echo my mother has just installed. Leaning in close is his trademark maneuver: Dad has been legally blind since age 18, the result of a horrible car crash in 1954. He has lived, mostly successfully, with limited vision for the 64 years since. “Call it the right name!” my mom shouts as Dad tries to get the device’s attention. In response, he adopts an awkward familiarity, nicknaming the Echo “Lexi.” Hearing this, I groan. There goes Dad again, trying to be clever, getting it wrong, and relishing the ensuing chaos…
NAFCU applauds another win for credit unions over ADA
April 17, 2018 | Source: CU Insight
National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU) President and CEO Dan Berger issued the following statement in response to another win for credit unions facing litigation over unclear website requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For the second time, a federal district court in Virginia dismissed a lawsuit against Northwest Federal Credit Union. “NAFCU is pleased to see this court continue to recognize that this plaintiff has no standing to sue Northwest Federal Credit Union, similar to the numerous other cases we’ve seen dismissed in recent months,” said Berger…
5 easy edits to make your org’s website more accessible right now
April 17, 2018 | Source: Generocity
Led by Senator Tammy Duckworth, 43 senators recently filibustered the House-passed ADA Education and Reform Act (HR 620). With power to undermine enforcement provisions that safeguard accessibility in public accommodations, the bill could significantly harm people within the disability community. The likely defeat of HR 620 is cause for celebration in the disability community — and was met with applause by attendees of art and accessibility nonprofit Art-Reach’s “The Digital Welcome Mat,” a marketing accessibility forum that convened the day after the announcement…
How to Write Great Sci-Fi About Disability Law
April 17, 2018 | Source: Pacific Standard
John Scalzi’s latest novel conjures a fantastical world where the plot revolves around the Americans With Disabilities Act—and it’s gripping. About halfway through Head On, the new novel by John Scalzi, Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Chris Shane is being chewed out by the head of the Philadelphia office for wrecking a $50,000 piece of durable medical equipment while trying to save a cat from a fire. Shane’s partner comes to his defense with the argument—unusual for a tense scene in a sci-fi cop drama—that, if he penalizes Shane, the chief will be “hauled up for violating the ADA [Americans With Disabilities Act].”…
Deaf pastor is first to lead an East Valley congregation
April 15, 2018 | Source: Ahwatukee Foothills News
As Pastor Jeremy Fass preaches the Gospel, the only sound he makes is tiny wisps of breath and the occasional smack of hands coming together. His congregation’s eyes lock on him as he does it. Fass leads Silent Hope Church in Mesa, the first congregation in the East Valley headed by a deaf person. Fass was born hearing but became profoundly deaf as a toddler due to complications from spinal meningitis. At age 4, he began attending the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind in Tucson, where he lived until graduation in 1995…
Students Work to Disable the Label
April 17, 2018 | Source: The Charger Bulletin
Disable the Label, held Tuesday at the University of New Haven, gives students who have disabilities a chance to show they are people, too. At the event, co-sponsored by the Accessibility Resources Center, Delta Alpha Pi, and ASD Network, students and staff participated in obstacle courses and activities, and listened to students speak out about their lives. Disable the Label was created to show that a diagnosis does not mean people are incapable of doing normal things students without a disability is able to do…
Techwear Market and Adaptive Clothing Are the Future of Clothes
April 17, 2018 | Source: Edgy Labs
Techwear goes beyond smartwatches and other Bluetooth enabled devices. Adaptive clothing is one part of the techwear trend that ups the inclusivity. While Edgy Labs has previously covered how to 3D print clothing, this is something new. This new line of adaptive clothing aims to make clothes more accessible. Not just for those who want to be faster at getting ready in the morning, but for people with disabilities, too. This may also have implications for the future of techwear…
Not expected to survive at birth, 19-year-old now known for his determination; ‘the kid is still fighting’
April 18, 2018 | Source: Live Well Nebraska
Thomas Rinabarger Jr. was born a fighter. That’s been clear since he arrived three months premature on Oct. 31, 1998, weighing only 1 pound, 11 ounces. Small enough to fit in the palm of an adult hand, Thomas was so thin and underdeveloped that when his arm was held up, his father said he could see through his son’s translucent skin. “We didn’t take pictures,” his father said, “because we all know what went on.” Thomas is now a student in the 4PLUS post-high school learning program housed at Iowa School for the Deaf and a member of a wrestling team for blind and visually impaired athletes…
6 Ways to Make Your Careers Site More Accessible
April 18, 2018 | Source: SHRM
Employers committed to diversifying their applicant pools and improving their candidate experience need to be aware of problems that applicants with disabilities may have when they try to access careers sites, job portals and electronic applications. People with disabilities need to be able to use these technologies as easily as other applicants, especially now that the job search and application processes are now almost completely online. “We talk a lot about veterans recruiting programs, or how to recruit Millennials, but there is a real gap in HR on the subject of accessibility for people with disabilities,” said Jessica Miller-Merrell…
Civil Rights Activist Filed Thousands of Disability Complaints, now the Education Department is Trying to Shut Her Down
April 18, 2018 | Source: The 74
Marcie Lipsitt used to enjoy checking the mail. But these days, not so much. Over the course of several years, the disability rights activist has filed thousands of federal civil rights complaints against school districts and universities across the country — all part of a personal crusade to make websites accessible for people with disabilities. Lipsitt said state education departments, prestigious universities, and large school districts — even specialty schools geared toward students who are blind or deaf — often provide sprawling websites that fail to comply with federal accessibility laws…
Metropolitan Museum Aims for Accessibility with Sign Language Tours on Facebook Live
April 18, 2018 | Source: Hyperallergic
In the past couple of years, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has made an effort to reach new audiences on the internet. In February 2017, the museum launched its Open Access initiative, making hundreds of thousands of high-resolution images of works in its collections available for free and unrestricted use online. Last fall, the Met’s Access and Community Programs Education Department tapped into social media, presenting its first American Sign Language (ASL) tour on Facebook Live…
Lack of Guidance Leads to Web Access Lawsuits
April 18, 2018 | Source: WBHM
Almost three decades ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act required public places to accommodate people with disabilities — anything from installing ramps and elevators at schools to putting chair lifts in swimming pools. But back then, long before the Internet grew into what it is now, the law didn’t address the accessibility of websites. Now, with a proliferation of lawsuits, many companies are racing to bring their sites into compliance with industry standards. These changes will almost certainly affect Joseph Walter. He’s a 23-year-old college student who takes classes online…
Gaming visionaries- Sacramento startup builds digital games for the visually impaired
April 19, 2018 | Source: Sacramento News & Review
Seeing a void in mobile gaming accessibility, a Sacramento company has unveiled an app paving the way for a seamless experience between sighted and visually impaired individuals. Plenty of mobile apps are designed to make life easier for the blind in terms of navigation, reading books and other basic life functions. When it comes to mobile gaming, however, that’s an area that hasn’t fully utilized digital technology. Independent gaming studio AppA11y was founded in 2016 by three lifelong friends—Nick Barbato, Lee Hobbs and Mitch Dobbins…
ASL Club: Opening up doors to communication and helping people understand Deaf culture
April 19, 2018 | Source: UConn Daily Campus
Despite the Deaf population standing at one million people in the U.S., the American Sign Language (ASL) department at Uconn is small. ASL club is a group of students committed to learning about Deaf culture and studying ASL. Most members of the ASL club joined for the extra support while they took ASL courses, so the club is largely built out of people with a common interest in ASL. This doesn’t mean that only students with a knowledge of ASL or who are enrolled in ASL classes are allowed in, the club stresses accessibility for everyone…
Accepted But Not Assisted: Disabled Students Address how to Improve Accessibility on Campus
April 19, 2018 | Source: The Montclarion
For most students at Montclair State University, walking across campus is a simple task. However, walking is much harder for Marion Petite. The junior marketing major has arthritis, which makes some tasks more difficult. Although Petite enjoys Montclair State, she feels the campus does not accommodate her disability. “I love this school, that’s why I haven’t transferred, no matter what,” Petite said. “But they also don’t take into consideration that I have arthritis, so I don’t get a lot of help. I’m just out here on my own, already kind of in last place.”…
Business owners being hit with lawsuits being forced to pay thousands or even close down
April 19, 2018 | Source: KFSN-TV
Valley businesses are being hit with lawsuits for not being accessible. The Central Valley region ranks number three in the state with the number of lawsuits filed stemming from the Americans with Disabilities Act. Fresno business Senor Aji Peruvian Bistro opened its doors two years ago, but the owners have learned a lot about being accessible. They’re compliant with the law. “That was a good thing for us to learn. We need, or have, all these kind of things especially with the door and or the access for them from the parking lot,” said Lilian Arizola of Senor Aji Peruvian Bistro…
Jack Fact — According to Australian Network on Disability, one in five Australians are living with a disability. This includes 357,000 individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Like most Australians, they rely on the internet to find information, goods, services, and employment.
International News
Clarity: employing visually impaired and other people with disabilities
April 13, 2018 | Source: Disability Horizons- UK
We all know that finding a job when you’re disabled can be a hard slog, made harder by unaccepting attitudes and accessibility issues. But not every company is close-minded, and there are more and more accommodating employers out there. We hear from one such company, Clarity, which provides employment for blind and disabled people. Working as both a company and charity, Clarity was established in 1854 as The Association for Promoting the General Welfare of the Blind (GWB) to provide employment for blind people…
Forum makes books accessible to visually impaired, awarded
April 14, 2018 | Source: Hindustan Times- India
A forum consisting of 174 organisations from across the country was recently awarded the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) award at the London Book Fair for working for those, who are blind, have a slow vision and are print disabled. The Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC), Fort, is also a part of DAISY Forum of India (DFI), which received the ABC international excellence award for accessible publishing. Among their initiatives, which were recognised, is an online accessible library called Sugamya Pustakalaya…
PWDs’ feat inspires others
April 15, 2018 | Source: The Shillong Times- India
“Hope is the thing with feathers/ That perches in the soul, / And sings the tune without the words,/And never stops at all,” said Emily Dickinson in her poem, Hope is the thing with feathers. The success stories of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) as revealed in the Annual Report on the Implementation of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 in the state of Meghalaya 2016-17 speaks volumes of people who battled all odds sparking hope and inspiration to others. A person with hearing impairment, Banjoplang Nongsiej…
‘Internet marketplace for mobility retailers’ readies for launch
April 16, 2018 | Source: Access and Mobility Professional-UK
A new website is set to launch during Naidex next week which is designed to be a marketplace for mobility retailers and can be used as a sales channel for dealers to reach end-users. Mysokoni.co.uk hopes to be the ‘go-to’ place for customers looking for accessibility products and told AMP it will be “the first dedicated marketplace” for the sector. It will work by gathering multiple mobility retailers in one place who can sell their products via the e-commerce channel, aiming to make shopping online easier and more focused for end-users…
AIIMS gave incorrect info on accessibility for people with disabilities: Physically challenged teacher tells HRD Ministry
April 16, 2018 | Source: The Indian Express- India
A physically challenged teacher has written to the Ministry for Human Resource and Development (MHRD), alleging that the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) submitted incorrect information to the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) on accessibility for the disabled at the institute. Satendra Singh, a teacher at University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), said he has been fighting cases to make library and toilet facilities accessible in AIIMS. The premier hospital has been ranked the number 1 medical institution in the country…
Opening doors: Increasing accessibility to business is a win-win for organizations and customers
April 17, 2018 | Source: The Chronicle Herald- Canada
Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Act was announced with much fanfare in April 2017, but it’s only now getting its teeth. Gerry Post was named executive director of the Accessibility Directorate in June 2017, putting the long-time advocate for people with disabilities at the head of the 12-member board, which will tell the government what it should do in terms of legislating standards and advancing broader disability-related issues. The act itself contains no standards and no rules or laws businesses must follow. Post calls it an “enabling piece of legislation” that starts the process for establishing new laws on accessibility standards…
Most jobseekers think online job applications should be more accessible and inclusive
April 17, 2018 | Source: Onrec- UK
Nearly seven out of ten jobseekers (69%) think that employers and recruiters should make online job applications more accessible for disabled people, according to the results of a new survey by Recite Me and VERCIDA.The survey of 112 jobseekers was run in collaboration between web accessibility company Recite Me and online diversity and inclusion recruitment platform VERCIDA in March 2018. The results also show that just one in three jobseekers (33%) think that employers and recruiters currently do a good job of making online job applications accessible for disabled people…
The Commonwealth has put vision for everyone on the world’s agenda— now we must act
April 17, 2018 | Source: Prospect- UK
London plays host to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting this month—bringing 53 national leaders to the UK’s capital. As Britain works to recalibrate its international ties in the wake of Brexit and the Queen’s tenure as head of the Commonwealth nears its end, the event will certainly draw the globe’s attention. But as those 53 global leaders gather for their ceremonial photographs, it’s not those headline-grabbing stories I am struck by. It’s that 39 of those 53 heads of government wear glasses…
A UK charity has created a way to play Minecraft using just your eyes
April 17, 2018 | Source: Microsoft News- UK & PCGamesN- UK
Free software that lets people play Minecraft using just their eyes has been released by a UK charity. SpecialEffect, which creates and loans customised control set-ups to help gamers with physical disabilities, has made EyeMine available for anyone with a Windows computer, a Minecraft account and a suitable eye-tracking device. The block-building title is one of the most popular computer games of all time, with 122 million copies sold to date. Around 55 million fans play the game every month, and it is hoped that more people with physical disabilities will now be able to join them…
Australia ready to ride Gold Coast 2018 momentum
April 17, 2018 | Source: International Paralympic Committee- Australia
The Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) plans to take full advantage of the momentum generated by the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games which finished on Sunday (15 April). “Gold Coast 2018 has only reinforced what we already know about Australians having a deep respect and admiration for our incredible Para athletes,” APC Chief Executive Lynne Anderson said. “As always, it is now about converting what has been achieved into success on a broader scale…
Code changes for functionality and accessibility
April 17, 2018 | Source: Construction- Canada
People with disabilities encounter accessibility challenges on a daily basis. Often there are unintended barriers because of how the features are designed and constructed. However, knowledge on accessibility-related issues is growing rapidly to better serve Canadians with various disabilities. The National Building Code of Canada’s (NBC’s) 2015 edition was amended with low- and no-cost impact requirements, enhancing the usability and functionality of the built environment for all occupants without creating additional financial burdens for owners…
NPSC website not disabled-friendly: Nakhro
April 18, 2018 | Source: Nagaland Post- India & Morung Express-India
Disability rights activist and National Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities & National Disability Network member Diethono Nakhro has alleged that Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) website did not comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and hence completely inaccessible to persons with disability. In a letter to NPSC secretary, Nakhro said as per the 51st Annual Report of the commission tabled in Legislative Assembly last year and as reported in The Morung Express on December 19, 2017…
A visionary developer
April 18, 2018 | Source: Deccan Chronicle- India
Born with an incurable vision impairment, Hyderabad’s Venkatesh Potluri has had a brilliant academic career. “Throughout my childhood, I tried to devise ways to use regular objects as assistive materials. I understood geometry by touching figures, constructed by sticking matchsticks and thread on paper. Later, I operated computers with the help of screen readers, a software that converts text-to-speech,” he reveals. Even though Venkatesh passed his Intermediate with 85 per cent, he was barred from taking the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE)…
Increasing participation of the disabled in tourism
April 18, 2018 | Source: VietNam News & VietNamNet Bridge
When planning trips for business or pleasure, able-bodied people take certain things for granted — they assume that they’ll be able to easily and safely get around their destination, no matter where it is. For disabled people, tourism can require a bit more thinking ahead. Accessible tourism, which attempts to guarantee access to all tourist destinations and services for all people regardless of their disabilities or age, according to the World Tourism Organisation under the United Nations (UNWTO), remains a fairly new concept in Việt Nam but is gradually gaining momentum…
Rights activist seeks accessibility of websites to PwDs
April 17, 2018 | Source: Eastern Mirror- India
To remove digital barriers that are discriminatory against People with Disabilities (PwDs) and ensuring equal accessibility to technology in the state, disability rights activist and member of National Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities & National Disability Network, Diethono Nakhro, has sought the support and action from the Information Technology and Community department towards web accessibility and digital inclusion of People with Disabilities in the state…
Download Festival improves disabled access and goes greener
April 18, 2018 | Source: Event Industry News- UK & Leicester Mercury
Download Festival, the world’s premier rock event, has announced major improvement plans for this year’s festival, pushing to make it the most accessible and greenest Download ever. Viewing platforms across all stages and British Sign Language interpreters lead the way for accessibility improvements to better meet the needs of Download fans, and after receiving a 4-star Creative Green Certification from Julie’s Bicycle, Download continues to raise the bar with its commitment to environmental protection with the introduction of its first-ever Eco Campsite…
Activists push for independent enforcement of Ontario’s accessibility law
April 18, 2018 | Source: Toronto Star- Canada
After five years of lax enforcement of Ontario’s groundbreaking accessibility legislation, disability activists want Queen’s Park to hand over enforcement responsibilities to an independent public agency. The call comes in the wake of a new report that shows a 2015 government crackdown on accessibility scofflaws never really happened and that the government has imposed just six monetary penalties despite thousands of known violations. “We need enforcement taken out of the government’s belly and assigned to an independent, arms-length public agency,” said lawyer David Lepofsky, chair of the AODA Alliance…
Golden Temple Is Not a Friendly Place for Disabled People
April 18, 2018 | Source: The Quint- India
I am a non-Sikh doctor with disability at University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital in Delhi, and a disability rights activist. On my daughter’s birthday on 28 March 2018, I visited Golden Temple (Sri Darbar Sahib) to pay obeisance at Sri Harmandir Sahib in their Ardas. I was quite impressed to see Amritsar Railway Station having lifts connecting the platforms on both sides of the station. Despite being the capital of India, none of the six railway stations in Delhi have this luxury…
Monger joins Formula E drivers in charity karting race
April 18, 2018 | Source: Crash- France
ABB Formula E drivers and Billy Monger will race in an charity electric karting event in Paris to raise awareness of the newly-formed FIA Disability and Accessibility Commission. Current championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne has organised a karting event ahead of the Paris E-Prix on the 25th April, alongside some of the drivers from the Formula E series and Billy Monger to raise awareness for disabled aspiring racing drivers. Having recovered from his life-threatening injuries suffered in a horrific British Formula 3 crash at Donington Park…
Access all areas? Using data to help the disabled navigate cities
April 19, 2018 | Source: Reuters & Thomson Reuters Foundation- Spain & Devdiscourse- Spain
Entrepreneur Josep Esteba became so frustrated trying to get around his native Spain in a wheelchair for more than 20 years that he embarked on a mission to map cities for disabled people all over the world. “Many years ago I traveled a lot for work, and would arrive in cities that I didn’t know very well,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “That’s when I realized that there just wasn’t information for those that needed it.” Fast-forward several years and Esteba, a paraplegic since a car accident in his early twenties, set out on another journey – this time a virtual one to digitalize information on accessibility…
Accessibility Blogs and Information
Accessibility Resources
- Eva Westerhoff- TEDx
- Braille Neue | Characters with braille
- Example Policies in Higher Education
- Computer accessibility (e-Accessibility)
- Why We Need Universal Design- TEDx
- When Disability Is A Design Opportunity
- Moodle Accessibility And Your Bottom Line
- Teach Access Curriculum Development Awards– June 4, 2018 – Submissions due at 5pm ET
- The Business Case for Accessibility and Inclusive Design
- History and Impact of MBTA/BCIL Settlement Agreement
- Editorial: Viewing disability as identity, rather than tragedy
- Where is Disability in Amherst’s Commitment to Diversity?
- 6 ways your tech is making it harder on people with disabilities
- Make Sure You Don’t Get Sued for Website ADA Compliance
- COMMENT: Accessible transit lets me continue my volunteer work
- Having a Disability Prevents Me From Using the Bathroom in Public
- Lack of wheelchair accessibility on campus sparks concern for students
- Good planning results in accessible campus events, ADA coordinator says
- Discipline Disparities for Black Students, Boys, and Students with Disabilities
- Student Ability Alliance pushes for creation of Disabilities Community Center
- VIDEO: disability-rights activist Judith Heumann’s story on making change happen
- 4 Accessibility Advantages of Digitization Spurring the Growth of Online Gaming Industry
- The Role of Social Factors in the Accessibility of Urban Areas for People with Motor Disabilities
- The Accessibility Switchboard is a project of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute
- “A Quiet Place” interview in sign language at the New York Premiere including Millicent Simmonds! (Video)
- Electronic Code Of Federal Regulations- Part 1194—Information And Communication Technology Standards And Guidelines
- Texas Partners in Policymaking offers innovative and intensive advocate training for Families with children with developmental disabilities and Self-Advocates with developmental disabilities.
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- PyeongChang 2018: The legacy
- Wheelchair-accessible houses constructed in Inverness
- Universal Design Features Top Kitchen and Bath Trends
- BYU students open doors in Utah Entrepreneur Challenge
- Apple unveils ‘Daisy’ iPhone recycling robot for Earth Day
- Middletown center offers free eye care to low-income adults
- Ferries in Croatia to Become More Accessible to Disabled Passengers
- Bluebox Aviation Systems Announces Customer and Advances Accessibility
- 6Connex Announces Industry-Leading Accessibility Features for Virtual Events
- Formula E drivers and Billy Monger to raise funds for charity in electric kart race
- Windows 10 Preview Build 17643 Introduces Office Sets and Accessibility Improvements
- Autism-certified Sesame Place leads accessibility push among amusement parks, other sites
- 101 Mobility of Greater Philadelphia Offers Stairlift, Wheelchair Ramp, and Patient Lift Rentals
- WhereverTV & APP Mastery Release Mobile Apps for Android, IOS and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick
- Wheeling-Based Company Manufactures Award-Winning Product to Assist People with Disabilities
- Colorado Department of Public Safety’s Division of Criminal Justice Website Honored with Award
- Applitools closes $31 million funding round, will build out AI platform for visual testing, monitoring
- Communicating for America Study Finds Americans Acutely Concerned About Their Health Insurance
- Website Builders Market Development by 2023: Web, Jimdo, Weebly, Yola, Godaddy, Yahoo and eHost
- Passion Connected, a profound original documentary covering the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, to air on AMI-tv
- The 12th Annual Hockomock Area YMCA Triathlon for Paratriathletes and all ages and categories- Wrentham, MA, July 22, 2018
- Accessible eLearning- Though often thought of in relation to people with physical disabilities, web accessibility can actually benefit all users (Free PDF download)
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Q&A
- Accessibility Guidelines
- Accessibility Issues Running Axe
- How to make iPhone buttons easier to use
- 8 hidden secrets in your Android smartphones
- Use ‘alt text’ for images to improve web accessibility
- Short note on accommodating the users display preferences on iOS
- 10 Features That Every Great Elearning Authoring Tool Should Have
- Experts Warn ‘Trust This Computer’ Is a Massive iPhone Security Risk
- Some Android Phones Are Missing Security Patches They Claim to Have
- Amazon rolls out Alexa ‘Announcements’ to make your Echo a PA system
- The best free website-building software 2018: accessible tools for everyone
- Moodle Accessibility Collaboration Group: Teleconference Details- May 7, 2018
- How Skyscanner built a design system that makes designers and developers lives easier
- Amazon’s new ‘Alexa Blueprints’ let anyone create custom Alexa skills and responses
Accessibility Pages
- MOD
- Queen’s University
- CAST
- McMaster University
- Collision
- University of Ottawa
- SVA Features
- Old Sturbridge Village
- Virgin Atlantic
- University of Washington
- The Great Courses
- Hong Kong Travel Health Service
- Williams Sonoma
- Letterkenny Institute of Technology
- OCAD University
- University of Ottawa – Saint Paul University
- Nuclear Institute
- Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities
- Nipissing University
- Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Microassist Digital Accessibility Services
Our digital and web accessibility services cover
- Accessibility Audit Services — Our comprehensive audit will map all findings to internationally recognized WCAG 2.0 AA standards and equip you and your technical and content teams to know what areas need to be brought into compliance.
- Accessible Elearning Development — Does your online training reach all learners, whether they’re your employees, resellers, students? Let us help you design effective, engaging training that works for everyone.
- Accessible Website and Application Development — An inaccessible website or application is increasingly seen as violating the ADA. Let’s talk about creating an online presence that reaches all your customers and reduces your litigation risk.
- Audit and Testing Services — A thorough accessibility audit against recognized accessibility standards will show you where you may be under-serving your customers and putting your organization at risk.
- Accessible Document Services — Digital assets such as Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, and audio and video files need to be accessible to individuals with disabilities, too. We can help you establish creation processes or remediate historical documents so that they meet accessibility standards and are usable by people with disabilities.
- Remediation Services — Whether for a time-sensitive response to a legal action, or for proactive remediation, we can fix what doesn’t meet accessibility standards.
- Accessibility Training — Contact us to get your teams introduced and informed about accessibility best practices.
Please contact us for any questions you have about our accessibility services and how we might support your organization.
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