Accessibility in the News — 6/21/19.

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“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

― Aristotle

National News (U.S.)

Maryland Settles Discrimination Case by Blind Inmates for $1.4 Million

June 5, 2019 | Source: Brown Goldstein Levy |

Nine current and former Maryland prison inmates have settled their discrimination lawsuit, Brown v. Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, for $1.4 million in damages and attorneys’ fees. The Maryland Board of Public Works has just approved the settlement payment. Under the settlement, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) will modify prison procedures and provide assistive technology for the blind to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws…

Owners of non-ADA compliant websites could face lawsuits

June 6, 2019 | Source: FOX 13 News |

If you’re a small business owner and have a website, your website may not be accessible for people with disabilities and you don’t even know it. A number of small business owners are finding out by getting sued. This week, a Bay Area business owner reached out to FOX 13 saying a law firm is targeting them for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act on their website, and it’s a growing trend across the country. “Winn Dixie was sued for website violations, and it’s the only case that I know of that’s gone to trial. They lost,” said attorney Dan Anderson of Anderson Law Group in Clearwater…

A ray of hope for ADA website defendants? N.Y. judge tosses case for mootness

June 6, 2019 | Source: Reuters |

In 2018, disabled plaintiffs filed more than 2,250 suits in federal court alleging that corporate websites were insufficiently accessible to them, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to Seyfarth Shaw, which tallied the cases, the growth of ADA website accessibility litigation has been nothing short of staggering. Fewer than 240 federal court suits claiming website inaccessibility were filed in 2015 and 2016, according to a 2016 Wall Street Journal report. In 2017, the number of filings was up to 814 – and it increased by nearly 200% last year…

How Did Tim Berners-Lee Change the World With the World Wide Web?

June 8, 2019 | Source: Interesting Engineering |

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, a name that will be remembered down the ages as one of the greatest inventors of all time. He, almost single-handily, developed one of the greatest tools for mankind since the invention of the printing press.

Today the world has never been so interconnected, and it has never been easier to access and share information. The World Wide Web has revolutionized the way we communicate, work, and play to even a few decades ago…

Apple dials accessibility as Indian developers begin to empower all

June 9, 2019 | Source: Live Mint |

Helping people with disabilities to enjoy technology the way most of us do is a new challenge for the tech companies and Apple Inc. has stepped up efforts to make its devices accessible to more than one billion people living with some kind of disability. For the visually-challenged, the company last week introduced ‘Voice Control’ — a new experience that enables users to operate their iPhone, iPad or Mac entirely by their voice. Using the latest Siri speech recognition technology, Voice Control gets even more accurate text transcription and editing…

Backpacks that redefine accessibility for disabled individuals now for sale by North Davidson graduate

June 10, 2019 | Source: Greensboro News & Record |

When it comes to redefining limits for people with disabilities, Kevan Chandler is ahead of the pack. His revolutionary backpack has allowed him to be carried across the world and partake in handicapped-inaccessible experiences, like walking the Great Wall of China, dancing in the streets of Paris and scaling 600 stairs to see an Irish monastery. Now Chandler is hoping the specially-designed backpack that has changed his life can help others with disabilities embark on both grand and daily adventures…

Website Accessibility Alert: Court Addresses Mootness Argument in Website Accessibility Case

June 10, 2019 | Source: Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner |

SDNY Dismisses Website Accessibility Lawsuit Based On Mootness And Lack Of Personal Jurisdiction

June 11, 2019 | Source: Seyfarth Shaw |

In ADA Website Accessibility Cases, Remediation May Be a Successful Defense

June 13, 2019 | Source: Pepper Hamilton |

As businesses continue to face lawsuits and demand letters alleging that their websites are inaccessible to blind and deaf patrons in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), courts across the country continue to weigh in on the issue. On Tuesday, June 4, 2019, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a decision in Diaz v. The Kroger Co. – holding that the Court lacked both subject matter and personal jurisdiction over the case because the complaint had been rendered moot by modifications defendant made to the website…

Disability community wins ruling in fight for subway access

June 10, 2019 | Source: Workers World |

In the hallways of the court at 60 Centre St. on June 5, lawyers for disability rights activists declared an accessibility hearing “an unqualified success.” Disability activists had brought an anti-discrimination lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to require it to install elevators in every New York City subway station. Currently, only about 20 percent of the city’s subway stations have at least one elevator. Even fewer if you consider that many subway stations have multiple subway lines, all of which are not accessible by elevator and a high percentage of MTA elevators are out of order at any one time…

UWO Accessibility Center helps student see past his disability to success

June 11, 2019 | Source: UW Oshkosh Today |

Tom Shambeau, of Waupaca, enrolled at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh with the desire to learn more about what it takes to run the family business, but his educational path wasn’t linear when he was faced with a medical condition that affected his sight. “Coming into UWO I had a good idea that I wanted to continue building on the foundation of business courses I had taken in high school. My father has been in sales my entire life, and I think that interest also rubbed off on me. I love working with people and look forward to a future career in sales,” he said…

What Should Be The Criteria For A Fully Accessible Smart City? Ask The Disabled!

June 11, 2019 | Source: Smart City Press |

Smart cities are failing to satisfy the basic public needs of the disabled – say 60% of the global experts as per a new survey conducted by ‘Smart Cities for All’. Although activists and startups are working to provide a better urban environment for the disabled. They are looking for the comfort and convenience they need, which is missing in the cities. As discussed in one of our previous blogs, ‘Smart Cities for All’, reveals that only 18% of the experts confirm that the smart city initiatives they are familiar with go as per the international standards for all-inclusive ICT accessibility…

Uber sued over wheelchair accessibility in Pittsburgh

June 12, 2019 | Source: Smart Cities Dive & The Legal Intelligence |

Uber is facing a class action lawsuit brought by individuals in the Pittsburgh area for not providing wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs) in that city. Plaintiffs say Uber is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and denying wheelchair users equal access to ride-hailing services. The lawsuit, brought by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) and Carlson Lynch LLP, does not seek monetary damages. It instead asks that Uber modify its policies and practices to make WAVs more available on its platform…

When adopting ed tech tools, keep accessibility a top priority

June 12, 2019 | Source: Education Dive |

Diane Brauner, manager of the Paths to Technology website at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts, is excited about new educational apps designed for visually impaired students, such as braille displays that work with touchscreens to support reading and writing skills, she wrote recently in eSchoolNews. Other tools also take advantage of technology to bring more accessibility to learning materials. These include earcons, which translate visual information into specific, audio cues transmitted through a digital device such as a computer…

Shining a Light on Accessibility

June 12, 2019 | Source: The Source Weekly |

Bend is growing exponentially in population, and while Deschutes County may be more urban than surrounding areas, Central Oregon is still predominantly rural—and lacking in some of the services afforded to bigger metro areas. While some may lament the lack of dependable public transit, or lack of affordable housing in relation to the job market, another service is sorely lacking in Central Oregon, and directly affecting the deaf community: qualified and certified American Sign Language interpreters…

Domino’s Files Petition for US Supreme Court Review of Unfavorable Website Access Decision

June 13, 2019 | Source: Seyfarth Shaw & Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner |

Domino’s filed its petition for writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court today, June 13, 2019, asking the Court to review and overturn the Ninth Circuit’s decision which allowed a website accessibility lawsuit to proceed against Domino’s. Domino’s styled the question presented as “Whether Title III of the ADA requires a website or mobile phone application that offers goods or services to the public to satisfy discrete accessibility requirements with respect to individuals with disabilities.” …

Uber And Lyft Overhaul Their Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicle Programs

June 13, 2019 | Source: Grit Daily |

New legislation in New York will require ride-share giants like Uber and Lyft to overhaul their Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAV) fleets to be able to fulfill a majority of their WAV requests much faster. Uber and Lyft provide a somewhat seamless experience for drivers and most riders — as long as there isn’t a need for wheelchair accessibility. Unfortunately, for millions of people with limited mobility, relying on wheelchairs and accessibility programs, hailing ride share vehicles can mean an unusually long wait time…

Accessibility could bring new visitor market to Homer

June 13, 2019 | Source: Peninsula Clarion & KBBI |

“Accessible Homer” has a nice ring to it. For Homer, it could have a nice monetary ring to it too. A 2015 national survey by Chicago’s Open Doors Organization showed that 71% of adults who identify themselves as having a disability — over 26 million people — took 73 million trips for pleasure and/or business and spent $17.3 billion annually on travel during the period surveyed. This doesn’t include baby boomers who don’t identify as having a disability…

7 Seattle hotels sued for alleged violations of Americans With Disabilities Act

June 13, 2019 | Source: KIRO-TV |

A local battle is being waged in Seattle on behalf of disabled tourists with worldwide access to hotel websites. Federal complaints have recently been filed in the United States District Court for Western Washington against seven Seattle hotels alleging they don’t comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, in effect since 1992. However, a general manager for one of those hotels told KIRO 7 the lawsuits are simply a: “shakedown” for money. Mike Meagher has worked at The Moore Hotel for more than 30 years…

Madison Village Hall situation raises questions about ADA compliance

June 14, 2019 | Source: The News Herald |

Madison Village became aware almost 30 years ago that its government office building didn’t comply with access requirements stipulated by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Yet in 2019, as leaders intensified efforts to relocate their governmental home base, the Village Hall at 126 W. Main St. still did not conform with ADA accessibility standards. Madison Village’s situation raised questions about what is expected of communities occupying old government buildings that are not ADA accessible…

One man, 18 months, 124 ADA lawsuits over websites

June 14, 2019 | Source: WHEC |

On Monday, one of the most exclusive wineries in the Finger Lakes got sued because of its website. The person suing Belhurst Estate Winery in Geneva is also suing 124 other places, and it’s all because of their websites. The plaintiff’s name is Thomas Olsen. He is blind and lives in Brooklyn. The lawsuit says the winery’s website isn’t set up to let Olsen use his technology and read the website and therefore it stops him “from visiting defendants’ hotel.”…

Visually impaired non-English speakers face accessibility language barrier at the movies

June 17, 2019 | Source: PRI |

The accessibility service, which has been available for decades on VHS, DVD and on some television networks, is an embedded voice track that briefly explains visual imagery and action. It also reads out text or subtitles during dialogue breaks. But it has only been since 2017 that all US movie theaters became legally required to offer audio description to guests who are blind or have low vision. Many cinemas now provide this feature via a pair of headphones and a small transmitter box that receives the descriptive narration that’s in sync with the film…

Plaintiffs File Lawsuit Against Seattle Mariners for Allegedly Providing Inadequate Accommodations for Those With Disabilities

June 17, 2019 | Source: Goldberg Segalla |

A nonprofit disabilities-rights law firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of four disabled Seattle Mariners fans in October 2018 against the Mariners and the Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District, which owns the team’s ballpark, T-Mobile Park. The four plaintiffs claim that the ballpark violated state and federal law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991 (ADA). These plaintiffs are Washington residents who claim they encountered issues with seating, food service, or access to certain parts of the stadium and endured “second-class treatment” when they attended games at the ballpark…

Wendy’s served with class action over drive thru accessibility for the blind; McDonald’s battling similar cases

June 18, 2019 | Source: Cook County Record |

As McDonald’s battles similar legal actions, Wendy’s has become the latest fast-food chain served with a class action lawsuit over late-night drive-through accessibility for people with impaired vision. In a complaint filed June 14 in federal court in Chicago, Nicole Davis, of Chicago, and Jesse Zamora, of California, alleged Wendy’s committed “systematic civil rights violations” by keeping its drive-through windows open later than walk-in dining rooms, meaning there are certain hours each day during which only people who can drive a car or who are riding in a vehicle can place an order…

Colleges improve website accessibility as they are defendants in lawsuits

June 19, 2019 | Source: Ithaca Journal |

Several New York universities and colleges are improving the accessibility of their websites to individuals with disabilities while facing lawsuits alleging their websites do not comply with standards from the Americans With Disabilities Act. About 50 institutions are being sued, and 11 of them are from upstate New York, including Cornell University, Ithaca College, Rochester Institute of Technology and Nazareth College. The lawsuits state that the plaintiff, Jason Camacho, a legally blind man who requires screen-reading software to read website content…

Is Accessibility Just the ‘Cause du Jour’ at This Year’s Cannes Lions, or Is Real Change Ahead?

June 19, 2019 | Source: Adweek |

Perhaps the biggest discernible trend at this year’s Cannes Lions is accessibility. Take a look at the short list for this year’s Innovation award and you’ll see that nearly half (12, to be exact) of the 25 campaigns in the category address the issue in some capacity. The nominees span the globe, each attempting to solve a problem or address a particular need for people with disabilities, a community that is large and diverse. According to the World Health Organization, more than a billion people—about 15 percent of the world’s population—have some form of disability…

How The iPhone Found Its Voice

June 19, 2019 | Source: Texas Standard |

At about this time in 2007, Apple released what some have called the most successful single product in tech history: the iPhone. The tech world swooned and people lined up to get one. But if you had a disability – especially if you were blind – the iPhone’s touch screen was just a cold, unresponsive piece of glass. A lot of people felt locked out of the iPhone tech revolution. But two years after the first iPhones hit the streets – 10 years ago this week – everything changed because the iPhone learned to talk; that’s when it first became “accessible.”…

CBS Pledges To Increase Auditions For Actors With Disabilities

June 20, 2019 | Source: Forbes & Yahoo & Yahoo Lifestyle |

Just a little more than a week ago, Ali Stroker made headlines as the first person in a wheelchair to win a Tony Award. “This award is for every kid watching tonight who has a disability, who has a limitation or a challenge, who has been waiting to see themselves represented in this arena,” she said in her acceptance speech. Now, thanks to CBS Entertainment and the Ruderman Family Foundation, those kids may soon see themselves represented in popular entertainment more frequently…

Jack Fact — According to Statistics Canada’s 2017 Survey on Disability, some 22 percent of Canadians over the age of 15 have at least one disability that limits their everyday activities.

Hit The Road Jack — Accessible beaches on the Orihuela Costa

International News

Dealerships accessible to those with disabilities opens door to new business

June 7, 2019 | Source: Automotive News- Canada & Collision Repair Magazine |

The leaders of two of Canada’s new-vehicle dealer associations have pledged to work with automakers to make showrooms more accommodating to people with disabilities after Paralympian Rick Hansen delivered an impassioned appeal to do what’s right, and in the process, take advantage of “an opportunity.” “The opportunity can be serving their customer base the next time they’re looking for someone to work with them,” Hansen said at a roundtable discussion at the recent Automotive Conference and Expo, which attracted retailers from across Ontario…

Access all areas: How to create an accessible, welcoming eating environment for all

June 7, 2019 | Source: The List- UK |

Every year, The List’s reviewers visit around a thousand cafés, bars and restaurants across Edinburgh and Glasgow for our Eating & Drinking Guide. Checking disability access is just one of the areas they look at, but it’s a critical issue for many. Accessibility is complex, and often the conversations we need to have about it are sidestepped for fear of saying the wrong thing. We generally associate ‘access’ with the wheelchair symbol: in the restaurant world that might mean adding a wheelchair ramp or accessible toilet…

Dublin is Europe’s most accessible city for people with reduced mobility

June 7, 2019 | Source: Irish Central- Ireland & Access and Mobility Professional |

Planning a trip abroad can be stressful, frustrating and at times painfully time-consuming. But spare a thought for people with mobility restrictions which brings on a whole new set of challenges. Hotels, tourist attractions as well as public transport has to be carefully examined requiring plenty of planning to ensure the destination is as wheelchair friendly as possible. There are a lot of things to find out and consider beforehand. However, we’ve some great news for those planning on visiting Dublin!!…

The Future of Work: Why an accessible workplace is good for business

June 7, 2019 | Source: BCBusiness- Canada |

Boring, sweaty, repetitive, thankless work—that’s dishwashing in a bakery. Turnover tends to be high. But not at Gabi & Jules Handmade Pies and Baked Goodness in Port Moody. “One of our dishwashers shows up an hour and a half early, every day,” says owner Lisa Beecroft. Beecroft’s daughter is on the autism spectrum. When she opened the bakery in 2016, she made it part of the mission to provide opportunities to autistic people. Ten of her 30 staff are autistic, including the three dishwashers…

‘Inclusive education is not working’

June 9, 2019 | Source: Times of Malta |

Although society is slowly recognising the potential of people with different abilities, segregation in everyday life remains a reality for a lot of people with disabilities. Disabilities Commissioner Oliver Scicluna tells Ramona Depares that education, accessibility and employment remain the top priorities. The dynamics of society when relating to people with disabilities has changed. Today, expectations are higher. People with disabilities want more – they want more inclusion, more education and employment opportunities, more leisure options, more potential for relationships and intimacy, more autonomy…

Israel launches 7th annual disability inclusion conference

June 10, 2019 | Source: The Jerusalem Post- Israel |

When paralyzed former helicopter pilot Yuval Wenger wrote in 1998 to a fellow former pilot, President Ezer Weizman, to complain about lack of access in Israel for people with disabilities, he didn’t expect a prompt reply – and a demand. Wenger followed Weizman’s terse response to do something about it and start an NGO. He called it Access Israel, and six months later met Weizman at the President’s Residence. Twenty years later, Access Israel’s impact on access and inclusion of people with disabilities is now felt worldwide…

Wheelchair-accessible hotel rooms still an issue ahead of Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and Olympics

June 10, 2019 | Source: The Japan Times & Access and Mobility Professional |

A shortage of wheelchair-accessible hotel rooms remains an issue for Tokyo 2020 organizers, who say they are committed to using the Paralympic Games to make Japan a more inclusive place. As the clock ticks down to the Aug. 25, 2020, opening ceremony for the games, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government admits that by its own estimations it is still about 300 rooms short of the projected 850 accessible rooms needed each night during the two-weeklong sporting festival…

He Learnt Swimming In Floods. Today, This Paraplegic Champion Owns a World Record!

June 10, 2019 | Source: The Better India |

He took a deep breath and held it, only to fling himself into the water. Splash! The cold water touched his face, and memories of the past came flooding in. Drowning in the cheers above the surface, he swam hard, reminding himself of the carefree dives of his childhood, the struggles, his fights, and ultimately, his goal—to reach the finish line and win, no matter what. Meet Shams Aalam, a 33-year-old paraplegic athlete, who overcame all odds to swim seas and create a new narrative on accessibility…

Barbados Tourism Minister Looking to Improve Island’s Accessibility for Disabled Tourists, Locals

June 10, 2019 | Source: BBG Architecture Life- Barbados |

Kerrie D. Symmonds, Barbados’ minister of tourism and international transport, told TravelPulse on Thursday that the island is looking into several initiatives to make disabled tourists more comfortable on vacations, while also improving the quality of life for its disabled locals. As part of Caribbean Week New York, which was organized by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), we sat down with Symmonds to learn more about what Barbados is doing to tap into the accessible travel market and help their own people at the same time…

A warrior in the cause of digital accessibility

June 11, 2019 | Source: Newz Hook- India |

I was an average student in school, with all the usual dreams typical to most middle-class Indians. As I had blue eyes, I would get a lot of comments, positive and negative. I started facing severe problems with my vision in Class 10. By this time, I was using magnifiers to read and after consulting a few doctors, I found I had glaucoma in both eyes. I was told my sight would deteriorate eventually. After cracking the Class 12 exam, I joined the National Association for the Blind (NAB) for a course in telephone operating…

Disabled woman awarded compensation by Council over accessibility failures

June 11, 2019 | Source: Access and Mobility Professional- UK |

A woman in Norfolk has been awarded £3,600 in compensation and had an apology issued after being unable to get upstairs in her own home for two years. The Eastern Daily Press reports that the woman, referred to as Ms X, was ruled to have suffered “significant injustice” by a watchdog. This was due to delays and mistakes made by Norfolk County Council in assessing the woman’s need for modifications and a grant to allow for the installation of a stairlift…

P.E.I. woman ‘honoured’ to speak on UN disability panel in NYC

June 11, 2019 | Source: CBC- Canada |

A P.E.I. woman will speak on a United Nations panel on disabilities this week as part of a larger conference. Hannah MacLellan, 20, is a former Easter Seals ambassador and will be attending the three-day conference in New York City along with delegates from across the globe. “I feel honoured to have the opportunity,” said MacLellan. “I’m very excited to meet new people and the other youth delegates from Canada. It’s going to be a great experience.”…

Increased Accessibility to Public Buildings and Spaces for Disabled

June 11, 2019 | Source: Jamaican Medium |

There is a universal trend to make provisions for the disabled to access public places. These include public transport facilities such as airports, railway stations, and bus stations as well as public buildings like schools, libraries, etc. There are also separate toilets with the appropriate modifications in all these facilities to suit the needs of the disabled. There is now a call made by a Senator from the opposition, Dr. Floyd Morris, who is himself visually impaired, to improve that culture in Jamaican…

App for the blind is the latest in Jerusalem’s effort to make holy sites accessible

June 11, 2019 | Source: Religion News Service- Israel |

Refuit Golan had visited the Old City of Jerusalem before, but it wasn’t until she toured the ancient site while listening to a voice-guided tour for the visually impaired that she fully began to appreciate its history and significance.

“When you can’t see well, one stone is just like any other stone,” said Golan as she and two dozen other visually impaired Israelis meandered through the Old City’s warrenlike alleyways alongside several sighted companions with the help of a new app…

The Accessible Festival Revolution

June 12, 2019 | Source: Stereoboard- UK |

Accessibility is a word that has been bubbling under in music for years but now, hand in hand with equality, independence and inclusivity, major measures are being embraced by increasing numbers of forward-thinking festival organisers after years of ground-level work. In fact, the move to improve accessibility for deaf and disabled music fans is becoming something of a revolution. As part of the most recent Department for Work and Pensions-sponsored Family Resources Survey, 21% of respondents reported a disability…

PC MLA ordered to comply with accessibility rules by June 20

June 12, 2019 | Source: CBC- Canada |

When it comes to accessibility, a committee of Nova Scotia’s House of Assembly is taking a hard line on the need for a hard surface at the constituency office of PC MLA Alana Paon. The House of Assembly management commission, which includes representatives from all three parties in the legislature, unanimously agreed Wednesday that Speaker Kevin Murphy write an order to the MLA for Cape Breton Richmond. The document will state that the gravel driveway at Paon’s constituency office needs to be at least partially paved or have a concrete pad installed to make it compliant with the House’s rules…

Over half of culture spaces do not comply with accessibility law

June 13, 2019 | Source: The Portugal News- Spain |

The complaint was made at a six-year balance press conference of the association that aims to promote good practices of physical, social and intellectual access to cultural activities in the country. “There are many, too many, cultural spaces in Portugal that still do not comply with the accessibility law,” said Rita Pires dos Santos, the vice-chairperson for the board of the association ‘Acesso Cultura’. “A lot of us are responsible for this.”…

Govt websites make magnifying moves for visually challenged

June 14, 2019 | Source: The Tribune- India |

The Haryana Government is revamping its websites for visually challenged persons with the facility to magnify text up to 200 per cent, screen readers, text alternative of images and colour contrast for colour blind. So far, 41 out of 61 state government websites have been equipped to support the visually challenged. “It is part of Accessible India Campaign. Within days, all the remaining websites will be revamped,” said Neerja Sekhar, Principal Secretary, Social Justice and Empowerment, Haryana…

Disabled campers leave Download Festival due to ‘unacceptable’ accessibility issues

June 16, 2019 | Source: Metro- UK |

David Smith, 52, is visually impaired and paid extra to stay with partner and personal assistant Jo in a caravan on the Disabled Access Campsite. But he was shocked to find the area marred with accessibility issues – to the extent that the couple almost decided to turn around and go home. David, who works as an equality officer, told Metro.co.uk that the festival’s organisers had made some ‘fundamental mistakes’ which made the experience ‘frustrating’ for disabled campers…

How to make B.C. active transportation accessible for all

June 16, 2019 | Source: Vancouver Sun- Canada |

Active transportation includes non-motorized ways of going places like walking, cycling and other types of wheeling. Making it accessible for everyone is a key message at the B.C. Cycling Coalition’s active transportation summit in New Westminster this week, where these five experts will be speaking during the two days of the conference (Monday and Tuesday): Active transportation has to be inclusive and equitable, says Yasin, co-chair of the Canadian Institute of Planners Social Equity Committee…

IATA resolution aims to set service standards for disabled passengers

June 16, 2019 | Source: Runway Girl Network- South Korea |

Member airlines of IATA have unanimously signed a resolution to make travel more accessible to passengers with disabilities. The resolution, agreed during this year’s IATA Annual General Meeting in Seoul, also calls on governments to work with IATA when establishing rules and laws that govern accommodations for passengers with disabilities. And it asks the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to adopt IATA’s core principles on accessibility as the basis for its own multilateral accessibility initiatives…

Digital Accessibility Improving, but People with Disabilities Still Seek More Inclusive Access

June 18, 2019 | Source: BroadbandBreakfast.com |

Comprehensive legislation addressing accessibility is necessary to ensure that information technology is available to a wider group of people, particularly to people with disabilities, said panelists speaking at the M-Enabling Summit here on Tuesday. Innovations involving wireless 5G technologies, for example, use multiple bandwidths including mid-band and low-band, which are more available in rural areas. But some of 5G’s functions will be more available than others, as the gaps in rural coverage present a “real problem” for which a “massive funding effort will be necessary,” said Paul Schroeder, vice president of public policy at Aira…

Spain slammed after new report finds 100000 people with disabilities are trapped at home

June 18, 2019 | Source: Olive Press- Spain |

People with disabilities, including older people, in Spain have been trapped at home due to lack of support, according to a shocking charity study. Researchers for the Spanish Confederation of People with Physical and Organic Disability (COCEMFE) examined the living situation of 2.5 million people with physical disabilities. They found that more than 1.8 million of those surveyed needed help to be able to leave their home, with those without support condemned to stay inside…

Kent to share digital accessibility guidance

June 19, 2019 | Source: UKAuthority- UK |

A partnership of Kent County Council and the University of Kent is planning to share the work it has done to support digital accessibility for their service users. The move comes with the approach of the Government’s requirement for all public sector bodies to publish an accessibility statement on their new websites – created since September of last year – by September of this year and for older sites by 2020. George Rhodes, digital accessibility compliance lead for the council, outlined the effort at last week’s conference of the UK Association of Accessible Formats…

How to create an office that’s accessible to all

June 19, 2019 | Source: Canadian Business |

Having completed his bachelor’s degree in political science and post-graduate degree from the University of Windsor law school, David Onley considered himself “more than well qualified” for a job at a local financial institution. But minutes into the interview, it was clear he wasn’t going to get the position. The familiar mix of awkward body language and a look in the hiring manager’s eyes that said, “I think I can wrap this up in ten minutes” hinted at discriminatory hiring policies…

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