Accessibility in the News — 1/20/2023.

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Feature Stories

Women with disabilities sue Detroit, county, Michigan for government building violations

January 17, 2023 | Source: Detroit Free Press

Commonwealth Court Strikes Down 2021 Accessibility Regulations as Unconstitutional- Pennsylvania

January 9, 2023 | Source: Babst Calland

After years of pushing for disability rights and easier access to restrooms in Detroit’s Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, several women have taken their fight to court. Jill Babcock and Ashley Jacobson, each with physical disabilities, said they have made multiple attempts to get local and state government officials to renovate their buildings with disability-friendly features, such as accessible restrooms open to the public, larger stalls and wider doorways and paths. But the two say they have been largely ignored…

CALIBRI CRISIS: Biden State Department focuses on ‘accessible’ font choices amid world instability

January 18, 2023 | Source: Fox News and TechCrunch and The New York Times

Amid a number of ongoing global crises and instability across the world, the State Department under President Biden is working on ensuring “accessible” font choices in its documents. According to an internal directive sent from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the agency’s staff are no longer to send him any documents using Times New Roman font, but will instead be forced to use Calibri in an effort to be “more accessible.” The directive, first obtained by Washington Post reporter John Hudson, comes as the war between Russia and Ukraine, which the Biden administration says has contributed to rising energy costs and historic inflation for Americans…

National News (U.S.)

More people than ever buy insurance on Healthcare.gov

January 13, 2023 | Source: NPR

The Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplaces just hit a record: Nearly 16 million people signed up for the insurance also known as Obamacare. That is about a million more people than signed up for ACA health insurance last year, and enrollment is still open on Healthcare.gov and in most state marketplaces until Sunday, January 15. (Enrollment is open until January 31 in California, Washington, D.C., New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. In Massachusetts, it is open until January 23.)…

Sandwich Commission On Disabilities Maps Accessible Parking Via The Web

January 13, 2023 | Source: The Enterprise Sandwich News

The Sandwich Commission on Disabilities will be turning to Google Earth this winter as the commission works to survey the town for existing accessible parking spaces. The commission has been taking stock of the number of disabled-accessible parking spaces in town for roughly a year. The goal is not only to determine if Sandwich needs more accessible parking, but to identify areas where people might be parking illegally in these accessible spaces. “It’s just like a review, like a baseline for us to know…

TIA to work with charity to provide broker jobs for visually impaired

January 13, 2023 | Source: Freight Waves

The Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI) and freight brokerage trade group Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) have implemented a workforce development program to train blind and visually impaired individuals to work as brokers. The course, TIA’s New Employee Orientation (NEO), will allow students to learn the fundamentals of supply chain and freight management, such as logistics, sales and customer retention skills that will help them find employment in the brokerage industry, the groups said…

Why Remote Working Isn’t Always The Answer For Employees With Disabilities

January 15, 2023 | Source: Forbes

The legacy of a more widespread acceptance of remote working practices initially triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic represents an undoubted boon for employees with disabilities. In fact, research published late last year by the Economic Innovation Group suggested a clear correlation between increased trends towards remote working and people with disabilities being 3.5% more likely to be employed in Q2 2022 than pre-pandemic. Many of the potential factors driving this are self-evident…

Dominick Petrillo: Diabetes took my sight, but it left me with vision

January 15, 2023 | Source: Philadelphia Eagles

Like you, some of my greatest memories are of sports. Watching Mike Schmidt hit home run No. 500 against the Pittsburgh Pirates was something I will never forget … being at the Phillies game on May 2, 2011, and chanting USA with the rest of the crowd … and, of course, the football memories. Watching the Fog Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears and watching Randall Cunningham make the most incredible touchdown throw ever after doing a one-handed pushup to avoid being tackled.

The tech industry still has a long way to go when it comes to accessibility

January 16, 2023 | Source: Engadget

As many in the accessibility community will tell you, inclusive design isn’t an endeavor that’s “one and done.” It’s a continuous, ongoing effort to ensure that as new products and services are made, people with different needs or disabilities aren’t left out. Over the last three years, Engadget has produced a report, in addition to our regular coverage, that looks back on the developments in the tech industry that impact the accessibility community, focusing on the largest companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta…

USPS agrees to install handicap accessible door at Adel Post Office

January 17, 2023 | Source: KCCI

Access is something we all want and what most of us easily get in public spaces. Robert Fisher says he can’t get the access he needs to his local post office in Adel. Fisher’s motorized wheelchair takes him virtually everywhere, up and down the sidewalks in Adel and to and from home. But they stop at the front door of the post office. Normally, he calls the post office, and someone opens the door to let him in, but when he called while KCCI Investigates was there with him, no one answered…

Captioning isn’t just for those with hearing loss anymore: Why Gen Z loves subtitles

January 17, 2023 | Source: NorthJersey.com

Are captions just for those with hearing loss? Gen Zers and millennials don’t think so. The two generations “overwhelmingly prefer to watch content with subtitles on,” according to a survey of 1,265 Americans last year by Preply, a language-learning app. That’s no shock to Ringwood’s Liam Fahey, 17. The St. Joseph Regional High School junior “always” has captions on. From soccer games to documentaries, subtitles enrich his content, the teenager said…

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Eye Surgery Practices Agree to Pay $1 Million and End Discriminatory Policies Towards People with Disabilities

January 17, 2023 | Source: Department of Justice

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a proposed consent decree with Barnet Dulaney Perkins Eye Centers (BDP) and American Vision Partners (AVP), to resolve its lawsuit alleging that the eye care practices violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit alleged that BDP and AVP refused to operate on certain patients who needed assistance transferring from their wheelchairs for surgery and required other such patients to pay for third-party medical transport and transfer assistance…

Surge In Remote Working Fuels Record Employment For People With Disabilities

January 17, 2023 | Source: Disability Scoop

After generations of being overlooked and sidelined in the job market, Americans with disabilities are enjoying an unprecedented employment boom — thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Widespread acceptance of remote working and an overall labor shortage have opened up historic opportunities for some of the nation’s most skilled and underutilized workers. “I’m proud to be able to go out and earn a living now, especially teleworking, and do it as a blind man,” said Bobby Pellechia, 39, a data analyst in Central Texas who has had three remote jobs since the pandemic began, each time moving up in position and pay…

Leveraging Federal Funding for Transit Accessibility

January 17, 2023 | Source: Planetizen News

The Urban Institute’s Yonah Freemark assesses the potential of transit funding allocated in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which could help agencies bring public transit to more than the 8 percent of U.S. households that currently live near “high-quality transit.” Freemark’s research on transit accessibility found that this percentage grew from a low of 5 percent in the 1990s, but that U.S. accessibility is far below that of other countries such as Canada, England, or France…

In South Burlington, a Collaboratively Built House Marries Accessibility With Style

January 17, 2023 | Source: Seven Days

Building and Designing Eco-Friendly Homes for People With Disabilities- December 5, 2022 | Source: EcoWatch

On a snowy winter evening, a large pot of water boiled away on a Bertazzoni range — the Steinway of stoves — in Edie Perkins’ kitchen. A saucier pan heated on another burner, prepped with ingredients for a classic linguine con vongole. The extra-low soapstone countertops gleamed; appliances were carefully spaced and also lowered. Perkins moved easily around the island-less rectangle of space in her wheelchair. With the pantry’s open shelves, everything was within reach…

ADA committee eyes new projects, seeks to make Pueblo ‘most accessible city’ in Colorado

January 17, 2023 | Source: The Pueblo Chieftain

The Pueblo ADA advisory committee has its sights set on several areas and buildings where it would like to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. Some areas at two locations — the Colorado State Fairgrounds and Pueblo Ice Arena — are in need of improved accessibility, said Sharon Campbell, co-chair of the advisory committee, which advises city and county leaders on what they can do to make Pueblo more accessible. “Our mission is to help Pueblo become the most accessible city in the state,” Campbell said…

How Accessible Typography Makes Classrooms More Inclusive

January 17, 2023 | Source: PRINT Magazine

While User Experience Designers and User Interface Designers are discussed often in the design world, Learning Experience Designers (LXD) tend to fall under the radar. These designers use research, theory, and design techniques to influence classroom presentation and curriculums and create resources for teachers to present information to students in accessible ways. Lauren Heil began her career as an Art Director and Graphic Designer before switching to the world of education….

Woman wins $180K settlement against Minnesota hospital she said denied her a job because she’s deaf

January 18, 2023 | Source: NBC

A Minnesota hospital agreed to pay $180,000 to a woman who said the hospital refused to hire her because she is deaf. Kaylah Vogt filed a federal lawsuit last year against North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale, saying she was discriminated against after the hospital learned about her disability. Vogt said that in July 2020 she applied for a role as a greeter at North Memorial Health. The job required welcoming visitors, providing directions, ensuring the mask requirement was being followed and reading from a script to check for Covid symptoms, according to the suit…

Supreme Court mulls questions about students’ accessibility rights

January 18, 2023 | Source: UPI

Miguel Perez, a 23-year-old deaf student from Michigan, petitioned the Supreme Court today to decide if he was entitled to financial compensation for Perez’s lack of proper accessibility support in his public school. The case brings to light how students with disabilities could be harmed by possibly negligent school systems for the lack of disability support. And the ruling could influence the way education navigates civil pursuits in the future. “In the real world, the way these cases tend to be litigated, parents do not typically have a lot of resources…

Couple had hoped to build accessible home with settlement

January 18, 2023 | Source: CBS Chicago

A suburban man was left severely disabled after an infection, followed by medical malpractice. He also won a large settlement, and the plan was to use part of it to build an accessible home – so he could at least be more comfortable. But all sorts of things went wrong with that effort – and now, the family feels victimized all over again. Tom Reynolds has been sleeping in his living room for 12 years. A 2010 brain injury prevents him from reaching his real bed upstairs…

New York’s First Cannabis Retailer Sued over Website Accessibility

January 18, 2023 | Source: Green Market Report

The nonprofit that launched recreational cannabis sales in New York City last month is now facing a legal fight over its website, in a suit filed by a blind woman, claiming it’s in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Housing Works, the nonprofit that became the first operational retailer in New York on Dec. 29, has a website that displays its product menu and other features, but according to the lawsuit, it’s not “fully accessible to” those who are visually impaired, Law360 reported…

Ms. Wheelchair Oregon woman advocates for accessibility across United States

January 19, 2023 | Source: KOIN

A traumatic event in January 2021 altered an Oregon woman’s life forever, but she’s taking what happened to her and using it as a way to advocate for others. Melinda Preciado is the reigning Ms. Wheelchair Oregon — a pageant she was unfamiliar with until she lost one of her legs two years ago. “I did almost lose my right arm and both legs, luckily just above my knee, on the right,” Preciado explained. As an amputee, Preciado says it was a struggle to lose that bit of independence and have to rely on a wheelchair. Then, a friend told her about the Ms. Wheelchair pageant…

Jack Fact — According to UNESCO, child disability statistics show that over 90% of children in developing countries with disabilities do not go to school. Another critical point is that students with disabilities are more likely to become victims of violence.

Hit The Road Jack — Tokyo named among the world’s best destinations for disabled travelers and Disney Park Continues to Improve Accommodations for Guests With Disabilities

International News

The long fight for accessible buses in Chennai

January 13, 2023 | Source: Citizen Matters- India

Accessible public transport has been a long-pending demand from disability activists across the country. Our repeated efforts have resulted in some progress but there’s still a long way to go for affordable public transport to be inclusive. In the case of Chennai, the long struggle to ensure the procurement of low-floor, accessible buses has been an issue that has reflected the treatment of those with disabilities in the public sphere. My own experience attempting to use buses in Chennai as a person with disabilities has been harrowing…

Resolution remains elusive for Seoul’s disabled accessibility issues

January 14, 2023 | Source: The Korea Times- South Korea

Following some 75 protests on Seoul’s subway network since December 2021, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon declared a zero-tolerance approach in the last week of 2022. And sure enough, 2023 began with The Korea Times reporting that police were referring 24 protesters to the prosecution: criminal charges were to be pressed. At the same time came news that metro workers had physically blocked the activists from boarding a train and that up to 640 riot police had been deployed to stop protesters from accessing stations…

Veneto region setting up accessibility and inclusiveness study to enrich Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics

January 14, 2023 | Source: Inside The Games- Italy

Officials in Veneto, which will co-host the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, have prepared a study on accessibility and inclusiveness with the forthcoming event in mind. Luca Zaia, the President of the region – which includes the resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo – has announced the establishment of a working group made up of qualified technicians and support officials, as reported by ansa.it It will have the task, together with a specialised company, of developing and analysing universal accessibility and inclusion in the Venetian cities that will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games…

Swindon mum’s campaign makes parks accessible for the disabled

January 14, 2023 | Source: BBC- UK

Becky Maddern, 42, from Swindon, is the mother of eight-year-old Benjamin, who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and blindness. She pushed for parks to be changed after she said they were “isolating” her son from playing. Swindon Borough Council has now redesigned them to include high-back swings and wheelchair roundabouts. “When Benjamin plays on parks, he laughs, squeals and giggles,” Ms Maddern said. She started holding talks with her local parish council around four years ago, after her son got stuck in a swing, and struggled to help him out…

Don’t let a wheelchair stop you from exploring: Wheelie accessible UK breaks, from York to Belfast

January 14, 2023 | Source: Daily Mail- UK

City breaks and wheelchairs used to make for pretty appalling bedfellows — especially in the UK. Not so long ago, ‘accessible’ used to mean little more than an annexe hotel room with no view, access to just the ground floor of historic buildings and eating outside at restaurants and pubs which don’t have ramps. While there’s still a huge amount of work to be done before British cities can claim to be the equal of European leader (and multi-accessibility award winner) Barcelona when it comes to being wheelchair-friendly, things are improving…

David Onley, former lieutenant-governor of Ontario, dead at 72

January 15, 2023 | Source: CBC- Canada and The Star and FM96

David C. Onley, who served as Ontario’s 28th lieutenant-governor, has died at the age of 72, the lieutenant-governor’s office said Saturday evening. Serving from 2007 to 2014, Onley was the first person with a physical disability to hold the post, a statement from Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell reads. “Whenever Mr. Onley entered a room, those present saw beyond physical limitations. They saw a person they liked and admired,” she said. “There is no doubt that his legacy has positively impacted the lives of people across Ontario.”…

Delhi HC directs YRF to make movie accessible for persons with disabilities

January 16, 2023 | Source: Hindustan Times- India

Noting that persons with disabilities could not be denied the experience of watching a movie in theatres, the Delhi high court on Monday directed Yash Raj Films (YRF) to prepare an “audio description, close captioning and subtitles” in the Hindi language for the OTT release of their film Pathan for accessibility to hearing and visually impaired persons. “In the context of films, special measures should be taken for the hearing and visually impaired persons since the experience of watching a film in a movie theatre cannot be denied to them,” the court said…

TGA Mobility and Northern partner up to deliver better train travel accessibility

January 16, 2023 | Source: THIIS Magazine- UK and RailAdvent- UK

Warwick station accessibility improvements nearing lift-off – January 16, 2023 | Source: Travel And Tour World- UK and RailAdvent-UK

Mobility scooter provider TGA Mobility and Northern have launched a new partnership aimed at making train travel easier with a mobility scooter or wheelchair. The Northern network provides local and commuter services in Humberside, the Northeast, the Northwest and Yorkshire. Through its commitment to inclusivity, Northern is currently making more stations and trains accessible to passengers who use a mobility product or find it hard to walk. People can now travel from over 160 stations, on 28 routes, using their scooter or wheelchair…

Australia misses 20-year public transport accessibility target as many train and tram networks fail people with disabilities

January 16, 2023 | Source: ABC- Australia

Sarah-Jane Staszak’s public transport experience is filled with small tricks and workarounds. One trick is using the footplates of her wheelchair to prop open train doors — a strategy she now always employs, after a guard forgot to help her get off the train a few years ago. “When you have a disability, you get quite creative and you come up with your own little workarounds,” Ms Staszak told 7.30. “You end up having to take deep breaths and get very good at acceptance.”…

‘I love the sense of freedom’: an accessible adventure in North Yorkshire

January 16, 2023 | Source: The Guardian- UK

It’s a bright autumn morning in Dalby Forest and the light is casting dappled patterns on the leaf-covered ground as my sister Lisa whizzes past on her bike. I catch her up and we stop to take in the view and debate which way to head next. Nothing particularly unusual in this, perhaps, except Lisa has been a wheelchair user for almost 10 years after a spinal cord injury left her paralysed from the waist down, and this is the first time we’ve properly been out and about in nature since…

Belgian initiative helps retailers to warmly welcome disabled and neurodivergent people

January 16, 2023 | Source: Fashion United- Belgium

Anyone thinking of accessibility in retail may well think of physical accessibility. For example, making a small ramp instead of stairs so that the premises are easily accessible for wheelchair users as well as people with walkers or prams. But a service for people with a visual, auditory or mental disability or neurodivergent people (such as people with ADHD, on the autism spectrum or those who are highly sensitive) might not be something people think of right away…

Shanghai Codifies Accessible Infrastructure for the Old, Disabled

January 16, 2023 | Source: Sixth Tone- China

Shanghai has ramped up its efforts to build a barrier-free environment as part of a countrywide initiative to make life more convenient for the elderly and disabled groups. The Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress on Friday approved a new law for creating an accessible or barrier-free environment for residents. The ordinance, likely to come into effect in March, gives detailed directions for the construction, maintenance, and monitoring of accessible facilities in the city…

Pavement café licensing requirements published to support city centre accessibility

January 16, 2023 | Source: City of York Council- UK

New guidance has been published to help hospitality businesses ensure their pavement cafés are properly licensed and accessible. Under the new rules, fast-track licenses can be applied for if the businesses are able to show they can allow a minimum 1.5 metres passing space on the pavement – unless located on a street with level access and no kerb, for example, Coney Street. Businesses which don’t qualify for this, can use the pre-pandemic route to apply for a pavement café area through a planning application, where changes to the street layout may be considered where possible…

Blind news audiences are being left behind in the data visualisation revolution: here’s how we fix that

January 17, 2023 | Source: Reuters Institute – University of Oxford- UK

As the use of visual data journalism becomes more embedded in day-to-day newsroom operations, there’s a very real danger that those who can’t decipher visual information in the usual way will be left behind. During the COVID-19 pandemic there was no shortage of news about the spread of the virus, but it was the graphs and illustrations that made the severity of the situation plain to see. Consider this simple chart produced early on in the pandemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions, reproduced in The Economist, the New York Times, and elsewhere…

Looking back at the last decade on digital accessibility in online learning

January 18, 2023 | Source: Open Access Government- UK

There is no doubt that online learning has grown over recent times; the pandemic pushed forward digital learning, so it is now commonplace. However, alongside this growth, a need arose to secure equal opportunities for students who face challenges in interacting with digital content – from those with learning differences, mobility issues, sensory or social impairments, and long-term health conditions to offering an alternative learning format for students commuting or engaging with content whether on the bus or in the lecture theatre…

First of its kind audio guide to improve accessibility in Bristol Temple Meads

January 18, 2023 | Source: Railway Technology- UK

Network Rail and The British Sight Loss Council (BSLC) have collaborated on an audio guide to assist blind and partially sighted people navigate various sections of the station. The guide consists of 12 audio files, on the Network Rail site, each dedicated to different a section of the station to guide the listener through the space. Renovations have altered certain areas of the station as they have become one-way routes or temporarily closed in order to complete works on the station’s train shed roof, which involves the use of various scaffolding towers…

IPC welcomes adoption of EU resolution to create accessible sports infrastructure

January 19, 2023 | Source: International Paralympic Committee- Czech Republic

With support from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), national governments from all European Union members states have adopted a resolution that calls to increase the number of barrier-free accessible sports facilities and give more persons with disabilities the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of sports. The Council Conclusions on Sustainable and Accessible Sports Infrastructure was one of the final acts of the Czech Republic holding the Presidency of the Council in the second half of 2022…

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