Accessibility in the News — 4/5/19\.
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― Mark Twain
National News (U.S.)
Twitter Goes Dark. Or At Least The App Interface Does
March 28, 2019 | Source: Wired
Darkness Has Descended on Twitter—but not the kind of darkness it’s most famous for. The social media platform is rolling out a new version of Dark Mode, the color palette for its interface designed to relieve your eye strain by replacing the bright white background with a darkened one. A new “dim” setting changes the theme to dark gray, and “lights out” turns the background to true black. Twitter is also rolling out a new way to view the platform in high contrast, aimed at users with low vision…
Old Town Group Sues Family Over Plan To Add Garage To Historic Home For Daughter In Wheelchair
March 29, 2019 | Source: Block Club Chicago
In a bitter dispute that pits an Old Town family seeking accessibility for their daughter who uses a wheelchair against their preservation-minded neighbors, a neighborhood group is now suing the family and the city board that ruled the family could add a garage to their historic home. The Deakin family aims to build a two-car attached garage at their home, built in 1891, in the 1800 block of Lincoln Avenue — a garage they say will accommodate the needs of their daughter Ava Deakin, who uses a wheelchair…
APPS Sensory friendly films create accessible movie-going experience
March 29, 2019 | Source: The Appalachian Online
The modern movie theater experience is typically defined by a blacked-out theater with the sounds of people munching on popcorn, scattered whispers and the movie filling your ears. At IG Greer theater at 2 p.m. every Saturday, this is not the movie-going experience to expect. Appalachian Popular Programming Society’s Films council implemented sensory friendly showings. Established about eight years ago, APPS shows movies with different sensory adaptations that accommodate a wider audience, including those who may have different abilities or disabilities that hinder their normal movie-going experience…
Here’s how to add captions to your Instagram Stories to make them more accessible
March 29, 2019 | Source: Mashable
Social media can be a fun and informative way to stay up-to-date with friends, co-workers, celebrities, and politicians. But it’s important to remember that the photos and videos you share aren’t always accessible to everyone. Over the years, teams working for platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have taken steps to help make the sites more inclusive for people with disabilities. Facial recognition technology has been introduced, alt-text tools that work with screen readers have been added, and custom alternative text features allow users to describe their photos in greater detail…
Elaine Luria legislation would make VA websites accessible, user-friendly for disabled veterans
March 29, 2019 | Source: Augusta Free Press& PDF
Congresswoman Elaine Luria (VA-02) has introduced a bill that would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study and submit a plan to Congress that would make VA websites accessible for disabled veterans. “Disabled veterans sacrificed for America,” Congresswoman Luria said. “They deserve equal access to the benefits they have earned, and I am honored to champion their cause.” A 20-year Navy veteran who took office in January, Congresswoman Luria has met with groups such as the Blinded Veterans Association to better understand the unique challenges they face in accessing the benefits they have earned…
I Use A Wheelchair & Dating Involves Way More Planning Than It Should
March 29, 2019 | Source: Bustle
Last weekend was my boyfriend’s birthday. We went to the same restaurant we always go to. It’s not particularly expensive nor particularly cheap, and while the food is good, it’s not amazing enough to warrant going back as often as we do. Every couple has their favorite restaurants to hit up for date night. That’s not unique. But our favorite restaurants haven’t been determined by the menu, price, atmosphere, or even the food itself. The main determinants of what becomes one of our regular spots is how wheelchair-accessible it is…
Could Driverless Cars Pick Up Passengers In Wheelchairs?
March 29, 2019 | Source: Forbes
Last week, the Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) filed a lawsuit against Lyft in California for not having any wheelchair-accessible vehicles in the San Francisco Bay Area. By not having the adequately equipped vehicles to accommodate passengers in wheelchairs, Lyft is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, this is far from being the only case that transportation has been made inaccessible to people with disabilities, nor is California the only state with this problem…
Gross keeps Monticello ADA compliant
March 29, 2019 | Source: Monticello Herald Journal
As Cathy Gross begins her seventh year as Monticello’s American’s with Disabilities Act coordinator, she has worked hard to provide a user-friendly community for everyone. The ADA came into law in 1990 and 1992 Title II came into effect for government entities. If communities didn’t have an ADA coordinator, it couldn’t receive state or federal monies. In six years, the budget for ADA compliance has grown from $12,500 to more than $2 million as a result of grants and a community match…
How do Students Feel About Accessibility Awareness on Campus?
March 29, 2019 | Source: Symplicity
In 2018, EDUCAUSE and its Center for Analysis and Research released their 5th annual study of undergraduate students and information technology. More than 64,000 students from 130 U.S. and international institutions were surveyed. Using the results they were able to make generalized statements relating to technology, activities, and access to resources. Accessibility is a large part of the survey and is not only an ethical issue but a legal one thanks to The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. One major problem colleges and universities face is awareness of the accessibility needs of their students…
ADA Transition Plan: City Evaluates Accessibility of Public Facilities
March 30, 2019 | Source: The Silicon Valley Voice
To ensure that public facilities and programs are fully accessible to all residents and visitors, the City of Santa Clara is embarking on a comprehensive evaluation of its portfolio of existing public facilities and right-of-way areas for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Additionally, the evaluation covers all public programs, policies and services, such as access to the City’s website, to make sure that these common goods are user-friendly for everyone…
Lakeland pulls pages from website over ADA compliance
March 31, 2019 | Source: The Ledger
Last month, Flagler County agreed to pay more than $15,000 to settle a lawsuit filed in October that its website violated the ADA because it was inaccessible to people who are visually impaired. Lakeland officials have removed sections of the city’s website after receiving a complaint it’s not fully accessible to individuals with handicaps. Timothy McCausland, city attorney, informed commissioners that pages have been temporarily taken down from the city’s website, as well as the sites for some of the city’s departments, over concerns the information as presented may not be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act…
Making Your Website Accessible is Vital to Your Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Efforts
March 31, 2019 | Source: HowlRound
When we were working on redesigning the HowlRound website, one of our main goals was to be compliant with web accessibility standards for people with disabilities. The reason for this was twofold: it was an expression of our mission and core values, and it was a continuation of the learning, growth, and advocacy our staff has been doing for several years around how to think about and implement accessibility services such as live captions, closed captions, and sign language interpretation for livestreaming events on HowlRound TV…
‘We’re So Lucky’
April 1, 2019 | Source: Jamestown Post Journal
Today, wheelchair-friendly ramps, push-button doors and accessible restrooms are fixtures in nearly all public places, thanks to the Americans With Disabilities Act, which requires businesses and public facilities to provide reasonable access and accommodations for everyone. But what is one to do when public accommodations that are practically taken for granted are not available where they are needed most? The home — the place where families spend most of their time and where they should feel the most comfortable — can often be the least wheelchair-friendly environment…
An hour of activity may keep disability away, new research shows
April 1, 2019 | Source: CNN
Losing the ability to move and perform the activities of daily life can lead to a loss of independence and even be deadly, so researchers are focusing on preventing conditions that can lead to disability. Being physically active can help prevent disability in those who have or who are at risk of joint conditions. According to a new study, adults with lower-extremity joint symptoms like aching, pain or stiffness who get at least one hour of moderate to vigorous exercise every week are more likely to be free of disability after four years than those who do not meet this exercise goal…
Federal Credit Unions Are Being Targeted For Alleged Americans With Disability Act Violations
April 1, 2019 | Source: Greenville Business Magazine
Since 2017, federal credit unions across the nation have been on the receiving end of a rush of lawsuits and complaints regarding an issue that many businesses aren’t even aware of: website accessibility in relation to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In fact, there have been so many of these complaints that the National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU) has named ADA website litigation as one of their top legislative and advocacy issues…
Student’s obstacle course opens accessibility dialogue
April 1, 2019 | Source: The Crow’s Nest
Whether you’ve had the pleasure of speaking with him or you’ve simply noticed him around campus, Robert Beasey is a familiar student to most people at USF St. Petersburg. To some, he is the “tenacious young man” who never misses a class. Others refer to him as “the campus’ mayor.” Beasey, 46, is also physically challenged and uses a wheelchair to navigate campus. Most days, he arrives on campus by 9:30 a.m. and spends 10 to 12 hours there. His favorite place to spend downtime is The Tavern at Bayboro, where he regularly orders the Social Chair with a side of fries and a Coke…
LA continues to discriminate against disabled renters, federal officials say
April 1, 2019 | Source: Los Angeles Times
A Los Angeles program for developing affordable housing continues to discriminate against people with disabilities, producing kitchens, bathrooms, balconies and other living spaces that aren’t safely accessible to wheelchair users, federal officials said Monday. In a 19-page letter, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said city officials failed to provide adequate oversight of the developers who built low-income apartments with federal funds…
Many MBTA stops still inaccessible to disabled
April 1, 2019 | Source: Wicked Local & WBUR
MassDOT and the MBTA to Partner with Transportation Network Companies to Support More Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicles
April 1, 2019 | Source: Framingham Source
Advocates Say MBTA Riders Need Accessibility Now, Not Later
April 3, 2019 | Source: WBUR
Many of the MBTA’s bus and rail stops still present obstacles for disabled people or are altogether inaccessible, according to the latest update from the authority. A systemwide survey as part of the MBTA’s Plan for Accessible Transit Infrastructure found that an average of four out of five bus stops across the MBTA network have at least one “significant barrier,” such as a missing curb ramp or a pickup area too narrow for a vehicle ramp. Five subway stations and 31 street-level Green Line stops are inaccessible, as are 32 commuter rail stations…
After lawsuit, Wrigley includes more wheelchair seating in latest renovations
April 1, 2019 | Source: Chicago Sun-Times & Charlotte Observer & San Francisco Chronicle
Following an American Disabilities Act lawsuit filed last year, recent renovations to Wrigley Field will include more wheelchair accessible seats, said Cubs spokesman Julian Green. Green declined to comment on the suit, but said as renovations wrap up, “Wrigley Field is expected to have more than the number of accessible wheelchair spaces located in many more locations in the ballpark than before the renovation.” There are also more elevators and more accessible bathrooms…
Lyft, Uber face class-action lawsuits for disability discrimination
April 1, 2019 | Source: Daily Californian
Disability Rights Advocates, or DRA, filed a class-action lawsuit against Lyft on March 20, alleging that the popular ride-sharing service violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, by not providing a wheelchair accessible vehicle, or WAV, service for Bay Area residents. DRA, a nonprofit disability rights organization based in California and New York, alleged in the suit that Lyft’s failure to provide WAVs constitutes unequal service for its riders with disabilities…
ADA Compliance for Your Restaurant’s Website and Mobile Apps: What You Need to Know
April 2, 2019 | Source: Modern Restaurant Management
What does the ADA say about websites? The ADA does not specifically mention that websites or mobile applications need to be accessible. The interpretation of the ADA to require website compatibility has stemmed from section 36.303 of the ADA Title III regulations, which covers Auxiliary Aids. The regulation states: “A public accommodation shall take those steps that may be necessary to ensure that no individual with a disability is excluded, denied services, segregated or otherwise treated differently than other individuals because of the absence of auxiliary aids and services”…
Blind man suing Central Florida cities, counties over accessibility to records
April 2, 2019 | Source: WFTV Orlando
City and county leaders across the state are being forced to make major changes to the way public records are posted online after one local man filed dozens of lawsuits. The Daytona Beach man is legally blind, and his lawsuits claim a device he uses to access content on the internet is unable to read certain public documents. Investigative reporter Karla Ray found out that man and his attorneys have been paid thousands of dollars in settlements, just from here in Central Florida, over the last year…
Uber, Lyft state fees will help expand wheelchair-accessible vehicles for disabled riders
April 2, 2019 | Source: Boston Globe& Transportation Today
The state’s first use of the money raised from fees on Uber and Lyft rides will be spent on public transit services . . . and, ultimately, goes back to Uber and Lyft. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority on Monday announced a new program to increase the number of wheelchair-accessible vehicles that ride-hail companies have for passengers with disabilities who are eligible for the T’s door-to-door service, the Ride…
ITS America report says AVs should cater for people with disabilities
April 2, 2019 | Source: Traffic Technology Today
The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) has published a new report that examines how the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles (AVs) could improve the mobility options for people with disabilities. The new ITS America report, Driverless Cars and Accessibility: Designing the Future of Transportation for People with Disabilities, concludes that at a time when major auto makers are planning to deploy greater numbers of AVs, they have a unique opportunity to ensure that people with disabilities have widespread access to this transformational technology…
Ultra-accessible theme park for disabled and special needs people
April 2, 2019 | Source: The American Genius
Morgan’s Wonderland, Valero to build ultra-accessible camp
April 4, 2019 | Source: KSAT & News4
Morgan’s Wonderland, open in San Antonio since 2010, is the world’s first “ultra-accessible” park for disabled and special needs individuals. The $36 million park, located in the former Longhorn Quarry, features numerous attractions including splash pads, a river boat ride, and more. It features the park’s custom built Pneu-chair™ allowing wheelchair bound individuals unrivaled access to activities and fun within the park. Inclusion and accessibility are key features that drove the building of the park…
Blindness & Beauty: How Visually Impaired Women Are Changing an Industry That Ignored Them
April 2, 2019 | Source: Allure
Christine Ha swirls her foundation on with a brush, feeling precisely where its bristles kiss her skin. She presses an eyelash curler to her face, sensing its two pressure points on her cheekbone, and closes her eyes, trusting that her lashes are hovering between the hinges of its convex jaw. She clamps it shut. Next, she positions a mascara wand near her lashes, inching it closer until the gentle tension of its stiff bristles lifts the tiny hairs. Finally, she carefully traces the outline of her lips with a pencil and fills in the fleshy part with a creamy lipstick as one would smear on ChapStick…
Students With Disabilities say Campus Accessibility Still Needs Work
April 3, 2019 | Source: Loyola Phoenix
Swatha Nandhakumar lives with blindness, a walking disability and mitochondrial disease. She is registered at Loyola’s Student Accessibility Center (SAC) — which provides on-campus support and accommodations for students with disabilities — but she said she’s still struggled at Loyola. Nandhakumar, a 21-year-old junior majoring in political science, said one of the many issues she faces on campus is how the campus cafes — unlike dining halls — don’t have online menus…
ADA lawsuit filed against Longboat Key over website
April 3, 2019 | Source: YourObserver.com
A lawsuit filed in federal court against Longboat Key by a blind Daytona Beach man claims the town’s website is “deliberately indifferent” to provisions of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and seeks fixes and damages. The lawsuit, filed March 8 in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, specifies the town must “update all electronic documents made available to the public to remove barriers in order that individuals with visual disabilities can access the electronic documents to the full extent” of federal law…
Website accessibility becomes focus of new effort from Center for Disability Rights, Chamber of Commerce
April 3, 2019 | Source: 13WHAM-TV
The Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce and the Center for Disability Rights are working together to educate area businesses on making their websites accessible to all. This comes amid a rash of lawsuits across the country targeting businesses which have websites that may not meet accessibility requirements related to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Their mission is two-fold: To help local businesses get up to compliance with the ADA, but also to inform them about lawsuits that may not be rooted in increasing accessibility…
How America’s individualistic streak shaped design for disability
April 3, 2019 | Source: Curbed
It’s perhaps predictable, in a country subscribed to a mythos of rugged individualism, frontier spirit, and all manner of bootstrap-pulling, that the United States’ approach to disability rights is focused on the individual. But as art historian Bess Williamson argues in Accessible America: A History of Disability and Design, her new book examining the evolution of accessible product design, regulations, and public spaces, that focus on the individual is in many ways detrimental to the social safety net…
Business leaders warning of potential ADA lawsuits
April 3, 2019 | Source: Rochester First & WXXI News& Innovation Trail
New York state has the most lawsuits filed against businesses for having inaccessible websites in the entire country. The focus of these lawsuits has recently been on small businesses and wineries. Scott Osborn, co-owner of Fox-Run Vineyards in the Finger Lakes, said he was working on revamping his company’s website to be more accessible when he was thrust into a lawsuit. “All of a sudden I had a number of phone calls and emails from attorneys down in New York city,” Osborn said…
Jack Fact — According to the CDC, one in four Americans lives with a disability that has a major effect on their life. Additionally, one in seven adults lives with a mobility disability.
Hit The Road Jack — Osaka Castle
International News
How this Durham clothing firm is helping people with disabilities
March 24, 2019 | Source: CBC News- Canada
Ten years ago, John Cook and Jennifer Gallienne had a vision — to create a company that sells outerwear for people with disabilities that suits their individual needs. With help from the George Brown Fashion Exchange in Toronto, they have built a successful business that competes worldwide. Koolway Sports, based in Durham Region, sells Canadian-made, customized clothing for thousands of children and adults in wheelchairs. Their products include coats, capes, hats, mittens and boots that are water-resistant, warm and adjustable…
Kerala government are torchbearers when it comes to accessibility in education
March 29, 2019 | Source: NewzHook- India
In 2017, participants of the event National Convention of Youth with Disabilities (NCYD) identified that not even one percent of educational institutions are disabled friendly or accessible. Now, in 2019, the situation is not any different in most educational campuses across India. Disabled students still struggle to get special quotas and scholarships. The government of Kerala, however, has always been progressive when it comes to providing accessibility features in colleges…
All Saskatoon Transit buses now fully accessible for those with reduced mobility
March 29, 2019 | Source: Globalnews- Canada & CTV News- Canada
Saskatoon Transit announced on March 28 that it has finished transitioning to provide a fully accessible public transit system to its customers. The network’s entire fleet of buses can now accommodate people with reduced mobility to help them get to where they’re going in the city. The City of Saskatoon encourages Access Transit customers to use Saskatoon Transit’s conventional service for all or part of their trips. “Accessible transportation is a building block for a fair, inclusive and equitable society,” said David Arnot, commissioner of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission…
New bill may help make city more accessible for people with disabilities
March 29, 2019 | Source: My Grande Prairie Now- Canada
A Grande Prairie woman wants to help make the city and province more accessible for all people with disabilities. Spinal Cord Injury Alberta Regional Program Coordinator Mieke de Groot has been working with locals and accessibility groups to help create a federal bill for a barrier-free Canada. “By creating accessible legislation that’s countrywide, we will have standards to go by that will allow us to enforce the standards and that will encourage people to normalize barrier-free design.”…
Kindness doesn’t cost anything’: Kelowna man with cerebral palsy helps organizations improve customer service
March 29, 2019 | Source:Globalnews- Canada
Learning to overcome challenges is something that Michael Haines knows a thing or two about. The Kelowna resident has cerebral palsy, a movement disorder that appears in early childhood and limits mobility and speech. But Haines isn’t limited when it comes to his passion. He has been teaching organizations how to better serve customers with disabilities for decades. It all started with a bad customer service experience over 40 years ago. “I was ignored by a waiter in a pub,” Haines said…
Acessibility for PwD a far cry in Arunachal
March 30, 2019 | Source: The Arunachal Times- India
Rojot Gaduk is the general secretary of the Arunachal Pradesh Paralympics Association (APPA). The 40-year-old stays in Itanagar but will go back to his village in Siang district to vote on 11 April to elect his parliamentary and legislative representatives. His village, Gasheng, in Payum circle under Rumgong assembly constituency, requires two days of foot march from Molo, the nearest motorable point. Gaduk, who is a persons with disability (PwD) advocate has mobility impairment, and therefore relies on a walking aid…
Breaking barriers: accessibility at home a costly process
March 30, 2019 | Source: Ottawa Citizen- Canada
It’s just a few centimetres high, but the sill of the sliding glass door that leads to the back deck of her Barrhaven home is a mountain to Jennifer Glanz. “It’s little, but I can’t get over it,” said Glanz, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair. Glanz and her husband, Eli, have already installed a $4,000 electric lift in their garage so that Jennifer can get out of the house, and recently completed a renovation to make their bathroom barrier free…
Building better homes is good for everyone – not just older people
March 30, 2019 | Source: Estate Agent Today- UK
It’s no secret that the UK’s housing sector is in crisis. Headlines scream about the shortage of new-build homes. TV pundits talk constantly about the need for more affordable homes. The crisis fewer people mention is the accessible housing crisis – and the woeful condition of Britain’s housing stock. Britain has the oldest housing stock in the EU. Millions of homes are cold, damp and in a poor state of repair. These poor-quality homes are disproportionately lived in by older people, with 1.3 million people aged 55 and over living in a home with at least one ‘category 1 hazard’…
Wheelchair users neglected by public transport & hotel facilities
March 30, 2019 | Source: The Clare Echo- Ireland
Public transport and hotels in Ireland are neglecting wheelchair users through their lack of accessibility, a Clare man has said. On Saturday last, Shane King completed a 32km cycle on his motomed at The Galleon Inn. The 38 year old has lived with cerebral palsy since the third week he was born. “I would say some places have improved but some places could do with improving,” he remarked of wheelchair accessibility in Kilrush. “When we came back here 15 years ago there were three steps into the post office, no bank, Shane couldn’t access any public building so he got onto a local TD and councillors,” his mother Mary recalled…
Making tourism in KZN universally accessible to everyone
March 31, 2019 | Source: Independent Online- South Africa
Making tourism universally accessible to everyone-particularly those with disabilities – is more than just putting in a ramp at the entrance to a hotel, a B&B or an attraction. Part of this is ensuring that venues have wider corridors to cater for wheelchairs, putting in toilet facilities for the disabled, having handrails in bathrooms, putting braille in lifts, installing visual flashing fire alarms for the deaf, providing hydraulic lifts in big tour buses, even lowering reception desks so that the receptionists are eye to eye with their disabled wheelchair-bound guests…
How one local fashion site became a world first in accessibility
April 1, 2019 | Source: The Spinoff- New Zealand
It all began last July with an uninvited tie. Grace Stratton – fashion enthusiast, uni student and wheelchair user – had bought a pair of pants online from a New Zealand designer, and was eagerly awaiting their arrival on her doorstep. She unwrapped them to find an extra tie on the garment that hadn’t been visible on the website. “I was pretty bummed out because now, if I wanted to wear them, I would need a parent or caregiver to help me. It just felt like a part of my independence has been taken away from me.”…
Province lays out new goals to get to full accessibility by 2030
April 1, 2019 | Source: CBC- Canada & BBG Architecture Life- Canada
As Nova Scotia strikes two committees to develop the first provincial accessibility standards, some advocates say there is still an enormous amount of work to be done to keep the province on track toward its goal of becoming fully accessible by 2030. On Thursday, the province released the names of 20 people who are tasked with coming up with standards for making education more accessible, and 19 people who will concentrate on making buildings and public spaces more accessible. In Clayton Dauphinee’s opinion, the number of inaccessible public spaces is a major barrier…
Toronto’s only operating cannabis retail store not wheelchair accessible on opening day
April 1, 2019 | Source: Globalnews- Canada & The GrowthOp- Canada
As Toronto’s only operating cannabis retail store opened to the public on Monday – the first day marijuana stores are legally allowed to do so in Ontario – a few customers who use wheelchairs and mobility devices weren’t easily able to access the Hunny Pot Cannabis Co. Jordan Dragiz went to Queen Street West business, near University Avenue, Monday afternoon to buy assorted cannabis products. After waiting in a lengthy line, Dragiz discovered there wasn’t a ramp at the front door…
How Might We Re-Imagine Accessibility For Older Adults
April 2, 2019 | Source: Irish Tech News- Ireland
There is a growing epidemic of loneliness affecting our society today, and the effects are particularly harmful for older adults: loneliness and social isolation can cause mental and physical health problems, and may contribute to cognitive decline. While technology alone cannot and should not replace human connection, it can help reduce isolation and facilitate connectivity between seniors and their friends and family…
This Student Project Uses Available Resources to Make Lower-Limb Prosthetics Accessible in Developing Countries
April 2, 2019 | Source:Core77- Australia
This project is dedicated to reclaiming prosthetic care for amputee’s that live in rural communities within developing countries. Amputees in these communities often cannot afford professional prosthetic care or live too far away from existing services. While new technologies and services are currently being integrated into prosthetic services in developing countries, these developments often don’t reach those most in need, with up to 95% of amputees going without access to care…
British Always first UK airline to receive National Autism Society award
April 2, 2019 | Source: Prolific- UK
The UK carrier received the award today (2 April), which is World Autism Awareness Day. BA was recognised for the work it is doing to raise awareness of autism among its staff and for creating a personalised, seamless travel experience for autistic customers, allowing them to fly independently and with ease. As British Airways celebrates its centenary year, the airline has been working closely with a number of specialist charities, including the National Autistic Society, and has implemented numerous enhancements to improve the experience for all customers requiring additional assistance…
Egan: Hello 911? Disabled man down, wheelchair trapped in sidewalk pothole
April 2, 2019 | Source: Ottawa Citizen- Canada
It’s been a lousy winter on the city’s sidewalks, but downright dangerous for anyone in a wheelchair. No need to remind Stephen St. Denis, 55, who has cerebral palsy and uses an electric chair to get around — or not — on paths layered for weeks with ice and packed snow. For starters, there was the evening of Feb. 5 when, leaving the National Arts Centre, his chair caught an ice patch, spun and flipped over in the middle of the bus lane on Albert Street. As March came to an end, surely the worst was over? Oh no…
Move over, millennials — baby boomers are the ultimate untapped market
April 3, 2019 | Source: Financial Post- Canada
While businesses have been busy marketing their products and services to millennials, a new report from Environics Analytics says that they are missing out on a huge, mostly untapped market: the baby boomers. Boomers outnumber any other generation in Canada. The number of Canadians over age 55 increased by 87 per cent between 1996 and 2006, according to an Environics report. In the next ten years, there will be another 16 per cent surge in the number of people aged 55 and over. In comparison, Canadians aged between 16 and 54 only rose 14 per cent between 1996 and 2016…
Exercise Shines Light On Accessibility Needs In Altona
April 3, 2019 | Source: Pembina Valley- Canada (VIDEO)
Members of Altona’s newly formed accessibility committee took to the streets Tuesday in an effort to gain some firsthand experience into some of the barriers faced every day by those with physical disabilities. With the use of wheelchairs, and ear and sight restrictions, the group navigated downtown sidewalks and intersections to see just how accommodating that area of town really is. Among the group was Mayor Al Friesen who operated a motorized wheelchair for a portion of the exercise before donning a pair of vision impairment goggles for the last half of the route…
Bombardier signs $343-million train contract in Australia to fix accessibility issues
April 3, 2019 | Source: City News- Australia
Bombardier Inc. has signed a $342.6-million contract with an Australian state government to upgrade a regional train fleet by correcting for a design flaw that saw wheelchairs unable to fit properly into onboard washrooms. The contract aims to redesign the washrooms for better disability access and to install an additional lavatory on each six-car train. It is tacked on to a problem-plagued $4.18-billion project to design, deliver and maintain 75 new passenger trains under a public-private partnership between the Queensland government and a Bombardier-led consortium…
Disabled access improvements at 73 railway stations
April 4, 2019 | Source: BBC News- UK & GOV.UK & GOV.UK
Lifts and adjustable ticket counters will be among the new measures brought in over the next five years. The changes, part of an “inclusive transport strategy”, will help disabled passengers as well as those travelling with children or luggage. Liverpool Central and Luton in England, Barry Town in Wales, and Dumfries in Scotland are among the stations chosen. The Department for Transport says the sites were selected based on criteria which included their usage, level of local disability and value for money of the work…
NGOs partner with government to make accessible election a reality in Puducherry
April 4, 2019 | Source: NewzHook- India
Elections have never been accessible for people with disabilities in Puducherry. But not anymore because government officials at this union territory are tying up with local NGOs to ensure that people of various disability types can participate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Officials are looking out into various facilities that can be offered. Disability rights activists here are happy with these initiatives that are finally enabling the community to exercise their rights as citizens of India…
How can PEI’s election be as accessible as possible?
April 4, 2019 | Source: CBC- Canada
Walking into a candidate’s office, or understanding campaign material, isn’t the same for everyone, says Marcia Carroll, executive director of The P.E.I. Council of People with Disabilities. She said an estimated 20,000 Islanders have some form of disability and she hopes each political party does what it can to make this provincial election accessible to all Islanders. “We recommend all parties adopt a disability lens,” said Carroll. She said ideally, that would mean someone who uses a wheelchair can enter and navigate campaign offices…
Accessibility Blogs and Information
- City feels handicapped- Times of India
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day- May 16, 2019
- Mommy Mondays – Accessibility Mornings- KUSI (Video)
- Accessible Information in Customer Service- AODA
- Toledo: Stop institutionalizing ableism- The Observer
- The European Web Accessibility Directive- 3Play Media
- 6 Simple Ways to Improve Web Accessibility- G2 Crowd
- Tackling the Website Accessibility Challenge- Total Retail
- 2019 Global Accessibility Awareness Fair- UCSD Libraries
- Smart law: The new wave and surf-by lawsuits- Greg Ballew
- Practical Solutions for Accessible Web Design- Kevin Kryah
- Empower every person: reimagining accessibility- Microsoft (Video)
- Turnstone reminds us we’re all on the same team- FW Business
- We want a private, independent vote too- Williamsport Sun-Gazette
- Sharing our learnings on World Autism Awareness Day- Microsoft
- One Day In at AWP 2019, a Focus On Reassurance- Publishers Weekly
- 5 ways to get fit and stay healthy if you’re disabled- Disability Horizons
- Is Your Website Accessible to Disabled Online Job Seeker?- Verrill Dana
- CSI’s Student Accessibility Issues Brought to Light- The Banner Newspaper
- What Is Web Accessibility? (And Why It Matters for Your Business)- G2 Crowd
- Accessibility for All- Academic Technology and Outreach – Montana State University
- “ADApt your Website”: Key Takeaways from the Domino’s Website Litigation- Proskauer Rose
- Center for Accessibility Services Celebrates a Week of Inclusion and Diversity on the Radford Campus- Rutartan
- SXSW 2019: Michael Espinoza, Talks Accessibility in Gaming and Shares his Story- But Why Tho? A Geek Community
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- MoovMo is looking for drivers
- AIX19: ATR leads… in accessibility
- Brown University launches new website
- ‘Accessibility for All’ to Launch April 2
- Stark offers grants for disability home repairs
- Sasol and Vodafone Qatar promote accessibility
- TIM Brasil top first accessibility ranings in Brazil
- Council to celebrate local accessibility champions
- Etihad confirms accessible upgrade of its Bluebox Ai
- Accessible tourism conference comes to South Yorkshire
- Newtown Museum, 10 Area Institutions Collaborate On Portal
- Audiology Service Accessibility and the Health Policy Landscape
- Helperbird V2- A tool to help people with dyslexia & accessibility
- Second oldest University of Michigan building getting $10-million upgrade
- Paralympic champions open new changing facilities at Yorkshire Event Centre
- Clay Center woman named Ms. Wheelchair Nebraska, hopes to make positive impact
- $12M in Grants Awarded to Increase Accessibility for Campers & Staff with Disabilities
- AccessAbility Decal Program recognizes Vanderburgh Co. restaurants more ADA friendly
- Enable Travel & Ezy Mov partner with Goa Miles to provide complete travel solutions in Goa
- Chrome Accessibility Update: Automatic Image Descriptions to Come to Chrome Later this Year
- Bank al Etihad Moves Towards Disabled-Friendly Facilities by Partnering with Accessible Jordan
- Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation To Break Ground on Universally Accessible Dreamfield on World Autism Awareness Day
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- Putting phones in their place
- Inbound marketing tips for 2019
- Using AIRA Access at the airport
- How to enable ‘dark mode’ everywhere
- 10 Ways to Make a Handicap Accessible Home
- Designing for accessibility by using Apple VoiceOver
- How to get MacBook like scrolling on Windows laptop
- Real-time Continuous Transcription with Live Transcribe
- What’s Hot? 5 Latest Trends in Website Design You Can’t Ignore
- Think like an accessible UX researcher part 2: How many participants?
- Google I/O 2019 schedule goes live, covers Android Q, Stadia, Google Assistant
- How to use Apple’s Accessibility features to set up an iPad for the elderly or disabled
- Eurogamer Writer Vikki Blake Compares Wheel Chair Accessibility to Video Game Difficulty
- Learning With: ‘Adaptive Video Game Controllers Open Worlds for Gamers With Disabilities’
Accessibility Statements
- TVO
- MPSA
- Entergy
- Elsevier
- Tangerine
- Ascend Learning
- 511NY Rideshare
- Chanticleer Garden
- Socialist International
- Department of Communication – UC Santa Barbara
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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