Accessibility in the News — 10/2/2020.
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AITN Quote of the Week
Crafted while listening to: Pachelbel’s Canon
“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
― Christopher Reeve
The 2020 Interagency Accessibility Forum (IAAF)
Feature Stories
Millions of disabled voters could be sidelined in 12 battleground states because of their election websites, new report shows
September 24, 2020 | Source: Business Insider
Blind Voters Are Suing North Carolina and Texas, Arguing that Mail Ballots Are Discriminatory
September 24, 2020 | Source: Time
‘A Failed System’: What It’s Like to Vote With a Disability During a Pandemic
September 25, 2020 | Source: The New York Times
Voting Could Be More Difficult for People with Disabilities This Year
September 25, 2020 | Source: PR Web
Blind and disabled Iowans should not have to risk their lives to vote
September 27, 2020 | Source: Des Moines Register
Disability rights group targets East Texas elections websites
September 28, 2020 | Source: Longview News-Journal
Disability Rights Iowa partners with state secretary for poll accessibility
September 29, 2020 | Source: OurQuadCities
RI Board of Elections to make building accessibility changes
September 28, 2020 | Source: Times Union
Audit found 43 states’ mail-in ballot applications are not accessible for people with disabilities
September 30, 2020 | Source: The Hill & Time & Business Insider & TechCrunch
Accessible absentee ballot option for voters with print disabilities to launch Friday
October 1, 2020 | Source: News Center Maine
Digital vote-by-mail applications in most states are inaccessible to people with disabilities
October 1, 2020 | Source: Tech Crunch
A dozen state election websites are not accessible to millions of visually impaired voters, according to a report from a nonprofit released Thursday. Election websites for 12 battleground states (Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin), according to a report compiled by Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, do not follow accessibility guidelines recommended by the World-Wide Consortium, which sets standards for accessibility on the world wide web…
National News (U.S.)
Exceeding Legal Compliance is What Real Accessibility is All About
September 25, 2020 | Source: ChartAttack
Thankfully, we live in a time where inclusion is becoming mainstream. The public now hears messaging about diversity and tolerance from corporate advertising, a sign of how deeply these values have penetrated society. This is overdue and welcome! Likewise, it’s encouraging that many jurisdictions now have laws about making websites and digital products accessible for people with disabilities. It suggests that these ideas have achieved critical mass. However, the accessibility standards that the law compels companies to meet should be the baseline standard, not the end goal in and of itself…
With new liaison, Planning and Development Office aims for accessibility
September 26, 2020 | Source: Wyoming Tribune
Although the Americans with Disabilities Act requires new buildings and renovations to meet accessibility guidelines, problems still slip through the cracks during the planning and development process. Whether it’s a ramp with too steep of a slope or misplaced automatic door button, a number of developments in Cheyenne aren’t actually accessible for people with disabilities. The Mayor’s Council for People with Disabilities, headed by Patti Riesland, has been working on improving accessibility throughout the city…
Feds: R.I. Board of Elections will make new HQ accessible to people with disabilities
September 28, 2020 | Source: Providence Journal
An agreement announced Monday obligates the Rhode Island Board of Elections to make the new headquarters it rented in suburban Cranston – under a no-bid lease – more accessible to the handicapped within six months. Under the agreement announced by the U.S. Atty. Aaron L. Weisman, the elections board is required to engage the services of “a registered design professional” to “create a remediation plan” for the building at 2000 Plainfield Pike within 30 days. The plan must ensure “that individuals with disabilities can readily park, enter, and exit the building.”…
Supreme Court Nominee Wrote Opinion in Credit Union ADA Lawsuit
September 28, 2020 | Source: Credit Union Times
Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump’s nominee for Supreme Court justice, authored an opinion that threw out an Americans With Disabilities Act lawsuit filed by a blind man against an Illinois credit union. Trump, on Saturday, nominated Barrett to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett is a judge for the Circuit Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. During the past few years, credit unions and other businesses have faced lawsuits filed by defendants contending that their websites are inaccessible to them and thus, are in violation of the ADA…
Study finds university recreation programs severely lacking in disability-inclusive language, images
September 29, 2020 | Source: Medical Xpress
Thirty years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, universities still have a long way to go toward making their campus recreation programs accessible and inclusive to people with disabilities, a new Oregon State University study found. The study, published Thursday in the Journal of Kinesiology and Wellness, analyzed the language and official statements relating to disability access on university recreation program websites along with the photos used to promote those programs online…
Long-distance journey to highlight accessibility
September 29, 2020 | Source: Peninsula Daily News
Agnew’s internationally acclaimed advocate for wheelchair-accessible trails and roadways will embark Sunday on his third long-distance ride since 2016 — this time traversing California’s Redwood Coast. Nearly four years since he attracted international attention for riding his power wheelchair 300 miles over 10 days from Port Angeles to Portland, Ore., Ian Mackay’s goals remain the same: follow his personal passion for adventure, encourage people of all abilities to get outside and push for infrastructure that makes that not only possible but safe…
Pointing to Pandemic-Fueled ‘Surge,’ Research Company Says 70% of ADA Website-Accessibility Lawsuits Now Filed in NY
September 29, 2020 | Source: Law.com
Filings in New York’s federal courts now represent more than 70% of all federally brought American with Disabilities Act website-accessibility lawsuits, as the coronavirus pandemic has driven people to increasingly rely on digital services and “sparked a surge in the suits” in New York, according to information released by UsableNet Inc., a company that tracks “all digital related” ADA lawsuits nationwide…
Doug Ford Shows Off Accessible Face Mask That Allows Lip Reading
September 29, 2020 | Source: HuffPost
Sarah Veinot and Max Cucchiella needed to keep themselves — and their seven kids — occupied for two weeks. The COVID-19 pandemic had just hit and they were in Florida for their daughter’s cheerleading tournament. When they returned to Mississauga, Ont., they would have to stay home to quarantine. So they came back with suitcases full of fabric and put the family to work making face masks, Veinot told HuffPost Canada. A stranger in Barrie saw their posts on Facebook about making masks and got in touch. She needed something specific for a seniors’ home: 75 masks with a clear panel that would allow people who are deaf or hard of hearing to read lips…
CounterBalance brings accessibility to dance
September 30, 2020 | Source: Chicago Reader
I have been a dancer all my life,” says CounterBalance founder Ginger Lane. Trained primarily in ballet, Lane performed, taught, choreographed, and briefly owned a dance studio in Wilmette before a spinal cord injury in 1984 resulted in quadriplegia. Yet Lane did not allow her injury to sideline her. Instead, she channeled her creative energy into independent living and disability rights at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (now the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab), where she provided peer support services and disability awareness training, before joining the independent living center Access Living to coordinate its Arts and Culture Project in 2008…
Will America’s Police Finally Listen To Deaf People?
September 30, 2020 | Source: Ozy
“Have you been drinking?” asked the police officer who stopped me one evening as I drove home from a family dinner a few years ago. Allegedly, I had a broken taillight — though nothing was damaged that I could see. “No,” I told him, tensing up. “All I’ve had tonight is ginger ale. You can ask my parents, parked up there.” They had pulled over and were watching protectively from a distance. What the officer had construed as drunkenness was actually my deafness…
Georgia’s Deaf Community Seeks Accessibility In News And More Amid COVID-19
October 1, 2020 | Source: GPB
On Thursday, an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter was to appear in COVID-19 video briefings at the White House – a new first that was ordered by a federal judge. For Jimmy Peterson, executive director of the Georgia Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and Madison McNair, executive producer of Sign1News, this accessibility to news about a global pandemic means everything to the deaf and hard of hearing (HoH) community. All 50 states’ governors provide an in-frame interpreter during COVID-19 briefings and closed captioning is widely available for TV news networks…
When The Eyes Have Had It
October 1, 2020 | Source: Insurance News Net
So many aspects of our lives have moved to the virtual world over the past few months, and our eyes are paying the price for the increased time we are spending in front of our screens. Dr. Daniel Laroche, ophthalmologist and president of Advanced Eyecare of New York, told InsuranceNewsNet that spending more time in front of computers, smartphones and TV screens is damaging to our eyes as well as to our overall health. “Since we’ve been in this COVID-19 environment, people are spending more time online, doing more videoconferences, working virtually. This can cause eyestrain,” he said….
The U.S. Presidential Debate Excluded Deaf and Hard of Hearing People
October 1, 2020 | Source: The Mighty
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump and former U.S. Vice President and current Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden met for the first of three 2020 United States presidential debates. Many people — on the left and the right — are trying to make sense of what happened in the debate. Throughout the debate, President Trump interrupted and spoke over Biden when it was Biden’s turn to respond. Thanks to its chaotic and argumentative nature, the debate was hard to follow for many viewers. For people who are hard of hearing or deaf, many struggled to understand what was even said…
Joe Biden’s Stutter Has Put This Speech Disorder in the Spotlight—Here’s What to Know About It
October 1, 2020 | Source: MSN
A stutter can be an extremely debilitating and frustrating speech disorder, but it hasn’t held Joe Biden back. In December 2019, Biden revealed on Twitter that he had worked his whole life to overcome a stutter, and has mentored kids with the same speech disorder. During a presidential-primary debate in Atlanta in November 2019, Biden stuttered several times. Shortly afterward, he spoke to The Atlantic about living with a stutter since he was a young boy, telling writer John Hendrickson, who also has a stutter, that it “can’t define who you are.”…
Jack Fact — According to a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), one in four U.S. adults lives with a disability. That’s an estimated 61.4 million people in a single country. Separate CDC data from the National Health Interview Survey shows that 16.5% of U.S. adults report hearing trouble (even with hearing aids) and 12.9% report vision trouble (even with corrective lenses).
Hit The Road Jack — Tourism Accessible for People with Disability
International News
Nottinghamshire council’s one of the worst in the country for breaches of disability law
September 24, 2020 | Source: Nottinghamshire Live- England
A leading disability charity has said Nottinghamshire County Council’s website breaches laws designed to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. Five different breaches were found on the council’s main website, with others identified on its page to promote the controversial ‘super council’ plan. This makes it the third worst offender among county councils in England. Disability equality charity Scope says the council has had two years to make its website compliant, since the Government brought in new guidelines, and that the lack of accessibility amounts to disabled people ‘being forgotten about again’…
Digital accessibility: Transforming government
September 25, 2020 | Source: Open Access Government- UK
Alison Pritchard, Interim Director General, Government Digital Service comments that digital accessibility is transforming government to meet user needs. When GDS says accessibility is everyone’s responsibility, we mean it. Even royalty, as Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall found out when visiting the Cabinet Office: the duo seemed impressed by a demo of assistive technologies reading GOV.UK, so we like to think our approach to accessibility has the royal seal of approval…
Matter of shame when a non-disabled person disregards the disability sign – Tuimabu
September 26, 2020 | Source: Fiji Village- Fiji
The Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission is urging members of the public to respect all parking lots allocated for persons with disabilities either in public or private spaces. It says these accessible spaces specifically marked for persons with disabilities ensure they have safe, convenient and equal access to services such as supermarkets, health care facilities, banking, entertainment and public institutions and it should not be abused by non-disabled persons…
For barrier-free society
September 27, 2020 | Source: Korea Times- South Korea
My friends and I didn’t go into the restaurant. Because it had only stairs, one of my friends who uses a wheelchair couldn’t enter the building. We went to another restaurant instead; it had a ramp at the entrance. Many buildings don’t have a ramp at the entrance. Therefore, people who use a wheelchair can’t go to such restaurants, pharmacies, cafes, theaters and so on. If those places had a ramp and an elevator instead of just stairs, people with physical disabilities would be able to enter…
$500 million, new Accessible Transport Advisory Council to build a more accessible Queensland
September 28, 2020 | Source: Mirage News- Australia
An independent advisory council chaired by retired District Court Judge Michael Forde has been established to advise the Queensland Government on accessibility for transport and road projects across the state. Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the group would give a stronger voice to people with vision, hearing, physical or cognitive impairments as well as older people, parents and youth justice groups. Minister Bailey joined Mr Forde as well as Spinal Life Chief Advisor – Government John Mayo at Yeronga station, where construction on a full upgrade will commence in coming weeks, to make the announcement…
It’s Time To Escalate The Naming And Shaming Of Inaccessible Websites
September 28, 2020 | Source: Forbes- UK
Last week marked a watershed moment in the relatively short history of the drive for universal web accessibility. September 23 saw the passing of the deadline for public sector bodies across the EU to implement the Web Accessibility Directive. Despite the ongoing Brexit negotiations, this has also simultaneously been transposed into U.K. law via the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Apps) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (PSBAR). The requirements are relatively straightforward…
Making live music accessible
September 30, 2020 | Source: ArtsHub- Australia
At the recent Accessible All Areas music festival – curated by singer-songwriter Eliza Hull and produced by Isol-Aid – three out of the four disabled musicians who performed said that they had to be carried up onto a stage, due to venue access issues. This is just one example of the many barriers that disabled musicians can face when forging careers in the music industry. The recent Making Live Music Accessible event, hosted by Accessible Arts, brought together music industry experts to discuss how we can make our music industry more inclusive for disabled people…
Two Hyderabadis, working towards building a more accessible world, win design awards
September 30, 2020 | Source: The New Indian Express- India
Digital accessibility should be a part of company policies. Are you providing cab services and bathrooms for your disabled employees? Do your lifts have braille labels? These are not big changes. But unfortunately, most workplaces are yet to tap the potential of people with disabilities,” says Raghavendra Satish Peri from Secunderabad, who was one of the recipients of the NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Awards 2020. Accessibility is not limited to physical spaces but also applies to information, technology, transport, services, aids and appliances…
9 out of 10 of England’s biggest councils failing to meet website accessibility regulations
September 30, 2020 | Source: THIIS- England & AT Today & Eastern Daily Press
New research from national disability charity Scope has found that millions of disabled people could be missing out on vital online services and information due to website inaccessibility. After carrying out accessibility tests on council websites, the charity revealed that nine out of 10 of England’s biggest councils are failing to meet website regulations. 23 September 2020 marked the legal deadline for public sector websites to meet regulations. These set a legal duty for public sector bodies to make their websites accessible…
Two Hyderabadis, working towards building a more accessible world, win design awards-September 30, 2020 | Source: The New Indian Express- India
Digital accessibility should be a part of company policies. Are you providing cab services and bathrooms for your disabled employees? Do your lifts have braille labels? These are not big changes. But unfortunately, most workplaces are yet to tap the potential of people with disabilities,” says Raghavendra Satish Peri from Secunderabad, who was one of the recipients of the NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Awards 2020. Accessibility is not limited to physical spaces but also applies to information, technology, transport, services, aids and appliances…
Tech volunteers develop new online tool to help visually impaired access COVID-19 data
September 30, 2020 | Source: FutureScot- Scotland
Tech volunteers in Scotland have developed a new online tool to help visually impaired people access COVID-19 data in a useable format. In a ‘world first’, the Scottish Tech Army (STA) has deployed a ‘sonification’ technique to convert visual timeline data into notes of various pitches. The auditory graphs have been created from public sector data published by the Scottish Government and the NHS in Scotland; the project forms part of the new Scottish COVID-19 dashboard launched this month by the STA…
Lack of online access a barrier for athletes with disabilities, study finds
October 1, 2020 | Source: Medical Xpress- Canada & Folio – University of Alberta
Despite overtures to the contrary, para-athletes remain largely invisible within the vast majority of Canadian athletics websites, according to a University of Alberta study showing access to sport for people with disabilities is all but completely missing online. Danielle Peers, a professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation and Canada Research Chair in Disability and Movement Cultures, said the study arose out of frustration with how the conversation about historically low sport and fitness participation rates of people with disabilities—as low as three percent according to the Government of Canada…
Bias, accessibility issues among key barriers facing India’s deaf community in getting driving license, finds study
October 1, 2020 | Source: NewzHook- India
India’s deaf and hard of hearing community continue to face many barriers in getting driving licenses despite court orders and government notifications declaring that deaf people are fit to drive. A survey by Ola Mobility Institute and V-shesh across three cities underlines some of the main challenges faced as well as solutions. Vidya Menon, a Chennai resident, has been certified fit to drive by road transport authorities in Australia. Back in India her driving license applications are persistently rejected…
Closing the disability employment gap
October 1, 2020 | Source: NZ Business- New Zealand
Are New Zealand businesses accessible and inclusive of employees with disabilities? There is still a lot of work to do, and Covid-19 is not helping – as NZBusiness discovered after checking in with Accessibility Tick MD Phil Turner. According to Statistics NZ figures, in the June 2020 quarter New Zealanders with disabilities are three times less likely to be employed than their non-disabled peers. This persistent disparity in the employment rates is known as the ‘disability employment gap’. That gap is currently just under 48 percent, and it’s not just large organisations that have the power to close it. Smaller enterprises can too…
Malaysian blind football documentary Eye on the Ball gives a glimpse into a severely marginalised world, says director
October 1, 2020 | Source: Today- Malaysia
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” So said the fox in Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s infamous 1943 novella The Little Prince. Nearly 80 years on, the magnitude of these wise words is still being felt. Meet Malaysian director Yihwen Chen, whose maiden feature-length documentary Eye on the Ball follows a group of aspiring blind footballers in their journey to try to defend the Asean Para Games and also qualify for the World Blind Football Championships…
‘Little tweaks’ can make an organisation more inclusive and accessible
October 1, 2020 | Source: The Herald- Scotland
Companies should look beyond the “obvious” additional support and reasonable adjustments when they employ a person who identifies as disabled, according to Andrew Napier, an HR graduate intern at Skills Development Scotland (SDS). Mr Napier, who is registered blind, received support from Inclusion Scotland prior to his interview with SDS. “They put me through a mock interview prior to the real one so I could find out what to expect,” he told The Herald and GenAnalytics Diversity Scotland virtual conference..
COVID-19 Resources and Information
- Telework and Accessibility- PEAT
- No Covid considerations for disabled- Ahmedabad Mirror
- Editorial: Going virtual still leaves some people out- Vidette Online
- Importance of Online education in 2020 and beyond- PC Tech Magazine
- Accommodations and Accessibility Adapts for Fall 2020- Marist College
- Zoom introduces new features to make video meetings more interactive- CRN
- Commentary: SU should keep hybrid learning, increases access- The Slate Online
- Student Accessibility Services meeting new needs during time of COVID- UM Today
- Regina student hoping to make online learning more accessible for people in need- 620 CKRM
- Influential voices in the disability community reflect on Life After Lockdown- Disability Horizons
- The Positives of Virtual Learning That Nobody Is Talking About- The University of Texas at Austin
- Online learning during COVID-19: 8 ways universities can improve equity and access- The Conversation
- National survey supports Canadians living with disabilities during COVID-19- UBC Faculty of Medicine
- How Can Universities Help Disabled Students with Remote Learning?- EdTech Magazine: Focus on Higher Education
- The pandemic could be turning the gig economy white-collar, if this summer’s new freelancers are any indication- Business Insider
- American Foundation for the Blind Announces Flatten Inaccessibility Report, Illustrating Impact of COVID-19 on Blind or Visually Impaired Adults
- Professors restructure midterm examinations in effort to reduce stress, increase accessibility of online classes- University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily
Accessibility Blogs and Information
- Support Accessibility Internet Rally (AIR) 2020
- 2020 Top Online Elearning Library Companies
- Accessible Packaging + World Sight Day- Summit
- Accessibility Style Guide & Design Guidelines- Rev
- Accessibility In Authoring Tools – eLearning Industry
- Tips for Talking to Superiors About Accessibility- Rev
- ADA30: Increasing Access and Opportunity- Cities Speak
- Podcast: What is the Future of Autism Hiring Programs?- PEAT
- AI for Good Shows Promise to Enhance Work Accessibility- PEAT
- Accessibility on campus- Queen’s University Physical Plant Services
- Burden of silence often goes unnoticed and uncared for- Times of India
- Gutenberg Accessibility Costs WordPress the W3C Work- Adrian Roselli
- New Accessibility Requirements Fast Approaching under AODA- McMillan (PDF)
- How a Blind Person Uses a Website, a Demonstration and Live Q and A- UsableNet
- Why Businesses Can Be Sued Anywhere Under the ADA for their Websites- Ken Nakata
- Legal-Ease: Using the handicapped stall without a disability- Lee R. Schroeder- Lima Ohio
- Ableism is often overlooked in society, attention must be brought to it to prevent it- Lamron
- Unveiling the Truth about the Most Common Digital Accessibility Barriers- MarTech Series
- Websites still don’t provide equal access in 2020 — and lawsuits are increasing- VentureBeat
- Test Your Knowledge on Digital Accessibility with Our Online Self-assessment Tool- Epale
- Colleges and Universities Face Online Accessibility Challenges for ADA Compliance- Bradley
- Designing For Inclusion: Tips For An Accessible Website Design- MediaPost Communications
- W3C Drops WordPress from Consideration for Redesign, Narrows CMS Shortlist to Statamic and Craft- Word Press Tavern
- Work Matters: Making Progress in Employment for People With Disabilities- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
- State Approaches Foster Retention and Better Outcomes for Workers With Disabilities- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
- Tekashi 6ix9ine And Blind Man Yony Sosa Reach A Settlement After He Sued Him For ‘Accessibility Issues’ Over 6ix9ine’s Website Design- Celebrity Insider
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- Disability Vote IL
- 16,000 BBC Sound Effects
- NVDA 2020.3beta2 Available for Testing
- Two Chennaiites win universal design awards
- W3C Selects Craft CMS for Redesign Project
- Support Accessibility Internet Rally (AIR) 2020
- Mulan’s 2020 online release: Everything to know
- Houghton Mifflin lays off hundreds of employees
- Pedestrian sound signals installed throughout Winnipeg
- Krannert Center installing major accessibility upgrades
- Visual Accessibility App Helps Students Navigate Campus
- Making Chromebooks accessible for people with disabilities
- Virtual premiere debuts Disability Visibility for new Oaklash 2020!
- Digital Government and Web Accessibility Veteran Joins OpenCities
- Haryana launches video module in sign language on JJ & POCSO Acts
- Twitter will add transcriptions for voice tweets to promote accessibility
- Missouri State ranks among top universities for students with disabilities
- Voice Shopping is now available for over 4 million eCommerce websites
- Christ Lutheran Church Launches Updated Website to Increase Accessibility
- $750,000 grant helps San Juan County, N.M., make buildings ADA compliant
- UA CAPLA introduces new award with emphasis on universal design, inclusivity
- BarrierBreak announces launch of Assistive Technology Startup Mentorship Program
- Study of municipal buildings first step towards making Huercal-Over universally accessible
- Exhibition Of Alumnus’ Work Celebrates Anniversaries Of ADA, “King Gimp” Documentary
- Move speaker windows, add closed captioning: Zoom adds accessibility features for video meetings
- Canadian Accessibility Network, led by Carleton University, Kicks Off Inaugural Governing Council
- High Fives Foundation Announces “Access to My” Monthly Giving Campaign with New ADA-Accessible Website
- PowerToys v0.23.0 is out with a host of improvements including accessibility fixes, Video Conference utility coming next week
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- Libreoffice Writer Tutorials
- InDesignSecrets Podcast 279
- Color Contrast Ratio Calculator
- How to add widgets with iOS 14
- FastPass in Accessibility Insights for Web
- Everything is Beautiful, but I miss the Ugly
- How artificial intelligence can help your website
- Sony’s Digital Refund Policy is an Accessibility Issue
- 5 Marketing Techniques to Reach Disabled Customers
- How Do You Audio Transcribe an Entire Video Game?
- The Game Awards are introducing a new accessibility award this year
- How to theme iOS 14 with custom icons and widgets – featuring Ayeris
- All-Digital PS5 And Xbox Series S Pose Unique Accessibility Challenges
- Marvel’s Avengers Accessibility & Representation Approach Is Admirable
- “Accessibility provides disabled gamers the freedom to spread their wings”
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Trailer Debuts New YouTube Accessibility Tools
- The Future Of Web Development And 7 Trends To Keep An Eye On In 2020
- The Game Awards Gets New Accessibility Category – Here’s Why That Matters
- Overcooked! All You Can Eat Will Add Assist Mode And Accessibility Features
- New Twitterrific updates fix macOS Big Sur issues, improve iOS accessibility, and more
- Apple’s Removal Of Force Touch In WatchOS 7 Makes Apple Watch A Less Accessible Device
Accessibility Statements
- RBC
- Nebraska Today
- Berghahn Journals
- State of California
- North Ayrshire Council
- CalFresh Healthy Living
- NHS e-Referral Service
- The Natural History Museum
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
- School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh
- Accessibility in the News: Accessibility Statement Pages
Microassist Digital Accessibility Services
Have you received an accessibility demand letter because of your website or application? Please contact us for any questions you have about our accessibility services and how we might support your organization.
Services include:
- Accessible Website and Application Development— We rely heavily on accessibility best practices and using HTML5 and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) standards to build WCAG-compliant and human-tested accessible environments. Our teams are proficient in open source technologies such as WordPress, Drupal and Moodle, as well as custom frameworks in .NET, PHP, AngularJS, and other frameworks. Our Learning and Development team can also help you create accessible custom training.
- Accessible Document Services— Whether you’re dealing with a few or a warehouse of Microsoft Office documents, PDFs, or other files, there are several ways Microassist can enable your team to offer documents and materials that meet stringent accessibility standards.
- Accessibility Remediation— Our accessibility remediation services help you fix existing materials so that they conform to WCAG, Section 504 and 508, Department of Education OCR, and ADA Title II/III requirements. We remediate websites, applications, documents, and elearning, recommending re-creation when that is more efficient and economical. Especially for website and applications, to find out what is in need of remediation, we’ll start with an Accessibility Audit.
- Accessibility Training— With several courses available for developers, testers, and content creators, your team can become equipped to consistently and expertly produce accessible digital products and online environments.
- VPAT®Evaluation Services— Primarily used by government purchasers and government vendors during the procurement and sale of ICT products and services under Section 508, a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® (VPAT) attests to the accessibility of a given product or service. Contact us to make sure the VPAT you write or review is accurate and meaningful.
Learn More About Digital Accessibility
Our Digital Accessibility Digest blog covers our Accessibility in the News archives as well as expert commentaries on digital accessibility issues.
Our most popular commentaries include:
- The WCAG 2.1 Update: A Brief Look at What’s Changed
- Introducing VPAT®0, the More Stringent Accessibility Reporting Tool Required for Government IT Procurement
- Accessibility in the News, Legal Edition: Updates on ADA Title III News and More
- What Lawyers Need to Know: A Primer on Digital Accessibility Terms and Today’s Legal Landscape
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