Disability Employment Awareness Month begins at state and national levels. Also, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) weighs in on website accessibility requirements for businesses. But did anything change?

Accessibility in the News—10/5/18.

This week kicked off National Disability Employment Month (NDEAM), which is observed every October (states also have their observances, including our home state of Texas). Throughout the month, initiatives celebrate the productivity and perspective that employees with disabilities bring to the workplace. Of course, this also means that employers need to be aware of the barriers that hamper an inclusive work environment. These can include architectural and facilities design, culture, inaccessible technology, and transportation hazards.

At long last, and in response to congressional request, the DOJ weighed in on the ADA and website accessibility for businesses classified as public accommodations. But many say clarity is still lacking on exactly what that means.

This issue, findings on government websites show there’s much room for improvement. Also, multiple stories tackle the accessibility of grounds and study materials on college campuses.

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AITN Quote of the Week

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
—Anne Frank

James Laurence Caldwell
January 23, 1937 September 21, 2018

National News (U.S.)

Lawsuit claims Madison Co. juvenile court building not ADA compliant

September 27, 2018 | Source: WBBJ | Lawsuits/Litigation, ADA, Government

A local lawyer has filed a lawsuit against Madison County, saying the juvenile court building is not compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. “It’s just a poorly designed situation and desperately needs to be fixed somehow,” said Russell Larson, a lawyer in Jackson. Larson uses an electric wheelchair after being involved in a car crash 16 years ago. He filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Madison County, claiming the Walter Baker Harris Juvenile Court Building has non-accessible parking spaces marked as handicap along with a non-compliant ramp and elevator…

UCLA must support students by providing more accessible options for textbooks

September 27, 2018 | Source: Daily Bruin | Higher Education, Accessible Design, Inclusion

There are many things to like about attending a university during the 21st century. Ask someone older, and they may share a horror story or two of lugging textbooks for miles, uphill both ways. But even today, Bruins don’t have an easy time getting ahold of textbooks, with long lines in the Ackerman Student Union bookstore and per-quarter price tags. Textbooks take up money and time in terms of hunting for used book deals or waiting in lines. In addition to better addressing general accessibility problems, digital textbooks have the potential to solve problems students with disabilities face…

Before Dining Out, We Do Our Research

September 28, 2018 | Source: Friedreich’s Ataxia News | Mobility, Food Service, Buildings/Facilities

Recently, I saw the following quote shared on social media. It stands out, particularly when I am making plans to go to various public places. “Ramps should be the standard. Automatic doors should be the standard. Elevators in multi-story buildings should be the standard. ASL interpreters should be the standard. Braille menus at restaurants should be the standard. Accessibility should be the standard.” All of these statements couldn’t be more accurate. These things should be taken into consideration without question…

It’s time to improve Arch accessibility

September 28, 2018 | Source: Red and Black | Education, Inclusion, Awareness

The accessibility of the Arch is no new conversation. In fact, The Red & Black published articles in 2014 and 2015 when the topic gained more attention. In 2014, three senior students, Carden Wyckoff, Marquise Lane and Khaled Alsafadi, led a campaign that caught the attention of multiple news sources. Though temporary ramps were added to the Arch for special occasions such as commencement, it is not enough for year round walking under the Arch. Like the students Wyckoff, Lane and Alsafadi, I believe the short-term solution should be a permanent one…

Students, Staff Chart New Course For Accessibility at Oberlin

September 28, 2018 | Source: The Oberlin Review | Education, Accessible Design, Technology

Disability Resources will start testing a new electronic management system in the coming months, according to Director Eric Wagenfeld, who took on the position in July after a 10-month hiring process. The Accessibility Information Management system — one of many new disability-oriented programs that have developed in the last year — will simplify the accommodations process. “There is a lot of superfluous paperwork right now. AIM will allow students to use their single sign-on to upload documentation, receive approval for accommodations, and access letters for faculty,” Wagenfeld said…

Tim Berners-Lee tells us his radical new plan to upend the World Wide Web

September 29, 2018 | Source: Fast Company | Technology, Inclusion, Awareness

Last week, Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, asked me to come and see a project he has been working on almost as long as the web itself. It’s a crisp autumn day in Boston, where Berners-Lee works out of an office above a boxing gym. After politely offering me a cup of coffee, he leads us into a sparse conference room. At one end of a long table is a battered laptop covered with stickers. Here, on this computer, he is working on a plan to radically alter how all of us live and work on the web…

Transforming Our Workforce By Making It More Accessible

September 29, 2018 | Source: Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce | Workforce, Inclusion, Businesses

Back in 2000, the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce surveyed our business community in order to understand what challenges they were facing. We heard overwhelmingly that organizations and businesses were struggling to find people with the correct skill sets to fill available jobs – skills that did not require a four-year degree, but rather technical, vocational skills. As the president and CEO of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, I felt it was mine and the Chamber’s job to better understand the issue, find solutions, and facilitate conversations to help create change for our business community…

Law firms embrace blind recruiting to promote diversity—but does it work?

September 30, 2018 | Source: ABA Law Journal | Blindness/Visual Impairment, Diversity, Government

Could the resumé become an anachronism? At some law firms, particularly in Canada and the United Kingdom, hiring partners have embraced “blind recruiting,” removing identification details from candidates’ resumés and applications as a means of eliminating potential bias and promoting diversity. Following the lead of accounting firms such as Deloitte and Ernst & Young, as well as governmental and financial institutions in Australia, some firms are even using programs specializing in removing information from resumés based on hiring goals…

Making business websites accessible for the disabled

September 30, 2018 | Source: Newsday | Digital Accessibility, Businesses, Lawsuits/Litigation

Hundreds of companies, including at least three on Long Island, are facing lawsuits claiming their websites are not accessible to the disabled. A person who is blind or deaf could not access the information on the sites, sometimes because the sites are not compatible with assistive technology such as software that reads text aloud, the suits claim. The lawsuits are based on an interpretation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires that public accommodations be accessible to disabled people…

Special Sunday service increases dementia awareness

September 30, 2018 | Source: WMTV & WKOW | Awareness, Mobility, Accessible Design

A local church held an Accessibility Service Sunday morning designed to raise awareness for how to become a dementia-friendly space. The First Congregational United Church of Christ’s Accessibility Committee selects a cause or focus each year to discuss with the church. While in 2017 the focus was making the building more easily physically accessible, this year, the focus was on dementia. The congregation has been participating in workshops to train their members on how to make their community more accessible to those with dementia, and are working to create dementia-friendly signs…

How One Blockchain Startup is Transforming Travel and Increasing Accessibility for the Disabled

September 30, 2018 Source:HackerNoon | Travel, Transportation, Accessible Design

We all know that social networks and digital content distribution is controlled by a small number of large companies. The strength of these companies lies in the content that millions of users create and share on a daily basis. In platforms like Facebook and Twitter, users are not only customers who consume advertising or pay to access certain features. They are also the “workers” whose free labor generates content and the big data that these companies control and profit from…

The No Forced Smile Approach to Special Needs Photography

September 30, 2018 Source: FStoppers | Inclusion, Awareness, Disability Rights

“Say cheese” might be one of the most common things you think of when it comes to standard portrait photography. In the days of mall studios or even class pictures, this phrase is something we can all attest to hearing at least once in our lives. With more modern day photography, there has become less and less forced smiles and bribery in order to get that perfect image. When I first started photography, I did what any mother might do and practiced on my own kids. Whether it was the multitude of pictures that set my son off or the sheer hatred of the idea of the camera, I could not get an image of him looking my way…

Wheelchair users file lawsuit over accessibility at Camden Yards

October 1, 2018 | Source: Baltimore Sun & WBAL & Carroll County Times | Mobility, Lawsuit/Litigation, Sports/Entertainment

Three wheelchair users have sued the Orioles and the owner of Oriole Park at Camden Yards over accessibility at the stadium, citing broken wheelchair lifts and frequently blocked views. Each said they have been trapped when a lift on the club level of the stadium has malfunctioned. And on the lower level of the stadium, they say the field isn’t visible from accessible seats anytime the crowd rises to its feet. Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum, an attorney at Baltimore law firm Brown Goldstein Levy who is representing the wheelchair users — said that violates the Americans with Disabilities Act…

Presumptive lawmaker ushers in accessibility at the House

October 1, 2018 | Source: Arizona Capitol Times | Housing, Lawsuits, Mobility

Being a member of the minority party of the state House of Representatives isn’t the only obstacle that may keep Jennifer Longdon away from the speaker’s desk. The presumptive Democratic member from Legislative District 24 made that observation at the foot of three steps leading up to the desk from the House floor. She uses a wheelchair, so those stairs render the dais inaccessible to her. But the House is already moving quickly to change that. Longdon, who was paralyzed in 2004 after a random, drive-by shooting, will presumably join the House in January…

Michigan’s special education efforts near bottom in nation: US report

October 2, 2018 | Source: WZZM13 | Cognitive, Education, Discrimination

If Laurie Kondek could fix what ails Michigan’s special education system, it would be this: She would ensure that children like her Samuel — who is severely autistic and has several other ailments — would have the same shot at success as kids with no special needs. “You have these special ed kids who have so much potential. Maybe they’re not going to fly as high academically … but my kid is just as valuable,” said Kondek, who lives in Northville and has one son who attends the local district there and another who attends a nearby charter school…

Designing Accessible Government Websites

October 2, 2018 | Source: Government Technology | Government, Digital Accessibility, Inclusion

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 56.7 million people — nearly one in five Americans — have a disability, such as vision loss, hearing loss or mobility impairments. People with disabilities face many challenges when websites are not accessible. For example, individuals who are blind may not be able to navigate a website using a screen reader if the website does not properly label graphics, and individuals who are deaf are not able to understand the narration in an online video if it is not properly captioned…

DOJ Weighs in on Website Accessibility: Says Failure to Comply With Web Accessibility Guidelines is Not Necessarily a Violation of the ADA

October 2, 2018 Source: Seyfarth Shaw | ADA, Digital Accessibility, Awareness

As we reported in June, 103 members of the House of Representatives from both parties asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to “state publicly that private legal action under the ADA with respect to websites is unfair and violates basic due process principles in the absence of clear statutory authority and issuance by the department of a final rule establishing website accessibility standards.” The letter urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to “provide guidance and clarity with regard to website accessibility under the ADA.”…

Syracuse University administrators are trying to make tech platforms more accessible

October 2, 2018 | Source: Daily Orange | Higher Education, Digital Accessibility, Inclusion

A campus-wide review of digital accessibility at Syracuse University will take place in the upcoming weeks, six months after SU announced its plans to review disability services on campus. The Information and Communication Technology Accessibility Policy, published on Jan. 1, aims to reduce digital barriers on platforms like MySlice, Blackboard and university webpages. Chancellor Kent Syverud announced in early August that the disability services audit was moving “slowly” because the external reviewers SU hired can’t work as fast as expected…

4 Ways To Stop Talking About Disability Awareness And Start Hiring

October 2, 2018 | Source: Forbes | Awareness, Businesses, Government

The headlines blazed with good news from the White House this week touting innovative policy solutions. This year, the U.S. government has helped 44 states adopt new disability employment and provided guidance to thousands of people on accommodations for the workplace. The proclamation also promoted good news about inclusive apprenticeships and new tools to help recruit and retain workers with disabilities. But when it comes to career advice about people with disabilities, this is the only statistic that really matters to me right now…

Keeping your website protected from lawsuits

October 3, 2018 | Source: Fast Casual | Lawsuits, Digital Accessibility, Awareness

A restaurant’s website can be an invaluable tool to attract new customers, hype menu offerings and retain loyal customers through valued rewards. But, does your website also put you at risk of a lawsuit? Over the past year, there has been a significant increase in the number of website disability access lawsuits filed against businesses with consumer-facing websites in virtually every industry. Just behind retail, the restaurant industry has been hit the hardest, and the fast casual segment is certainly not immune…

DOJ Finally Chimes In On State of the Website Accessibility Legal Landscape – But Did Anything Really Change?

October 3, 2018 Source:Epstein Becker & Green | Digital Accessibility, Government, Accessible Design

As those of you who have followed my thoughts on the state of the website accessibility legal landscape over the years are well aware, businesses in all industries continue to face an onslaught of demand letters and state and federal court lawsuits (often on multiple occasions, at times in the same jurisdiction) based on the concept that a business’ website is inaccessible to individuals with disabilities. One of the primary reasons for this unfortunate situation is the lack of regulations or other guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) which withdrew long-pending private sector website accessibility regulations late last year…

Eau Claire entrepreneur developing app to make traveling with a disability more accessible

October 3, 2018 | Source: Superior Telegram | Travel, Mobility, Mobile App

When Gabriel Schlieve made it to the top of the Great Wall of China he was not only marking off a personal goal to see the worlds’ most famous landmarks, he was also proving that a disability would not hold him back. “When I was younger I was told I couldn’t go to China by a family friend, she said it wouldn’t be accessible, and I and my family took that as a challenge,” he said. Now, the 23-year-old from Eau Claire who has cerebral palsy, is working on an app to make traveling more accessible to people with disabilities, both around their own communities and internationally…

Stronger, Truer, Accessibility: Sewanee’s need for an accessible campus

October 3, 2018 | Source: The Sewanee Purple | Higher Education, Government, Awareness

In recent years, Sewanee has been very intentional about re-examining itself from a variety of perspectives. Most visibly, the Project on Slavery, Race and Reconciliation began its work by digging deeper into Sewanee’s often mystified past and critiquing how we memorialize the University’s founding. We now have a full-time Title IX coordinator, Dr. Sylvia Gray, to give sexual misconduct on the Domain the attention it deserves. From an admissions perspective, efforts continue to bring more diversity to our student body, whether that’s in terms of race, socioeconomic status, or simply hometowns…

Notice new symbols on accessible parking signs on campus? You might see more soon.

October 3, 2018 | Source: Columbia Missourian | Accessible Parking, Higher Education, Inclusion

Parking signs on MU’s campus may soon no longer say “handicapped.” The move comes as MU commemorates its annual Celebrate Ability Week run by the Mizzou Unity Coalition, which advocates for accessibility and inclusivity on campus. The group announced Wednesday that it secured additional funding to continue its sign removal efforts. The Americans with Disabilities Act National Network website refers to the term as outdated, stating that it emphasizes the presence of a disability rather than the need for accessibility…

Court Says Website Access Case for Deaf May Proceed

October 3, 2018 | Source: National Association of the Deaf | Digital Accessibility, Deaf/Hearing Impaired, ADA

In a case of first impression and a major vindication for disability rights, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Court has ruled that deaf and hard of hearing people are not required to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) before they can sue under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Rehabilitation Act for a denial of web access. The case before the Appeals Court was Eddie Sierra v. City of Hallandale Beach, Florida. Sierra is deaf and a disability rights advocate…

GW pushes first federal deadline to improve online accessibility

October 4, 2018 | Source: GW Hatchet | Digital Accessibility, Education, Discrimination

The education department pushed back GW’s first federal deadline to ensure all new online content is accessible for individuals with disabilities. The University signed a resolution agreement in March requiring officials to implement a plan by Oct. 1 to improve online accessibility after an investigation found GW was inaccessible for individuals with visual impairments. GW and the Department of Education agreed to shift the deadline to Jan. 15 to establish a plan to make all new online content accessible – including developing training for staff members, officials said…

TD Ameritrade to Settle Blind Woman’s Website Accessibility Lawsuit

October 4, 2018 | Source: AdvisorHub | Digital Accessibility, Lawsuits/Litigation, Blindness/Visual Impairment

TD Ameritrade Inc. and a blind customer who claimed she could not access key pages of the broker-dealer’s website in an alleged violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act have reached an agreement in principle to settle her discrimination lawsuit. The discount brokerage firm will “ensure that all feasible components of its website are rendered accessible by certain deadlines, with key features being prioritized,” and will pay attorneys’, court and expert witness fees to Elizabeth Aldworth, the New York State resident who filed the class-action lawsuit in February…

Viral haircut sparks conversation about disabilities in the media

October 4, 2018 | Source: WXXI News | Innovation, Mobility, Inclusion

You may have seen pictures of two local men go viral: a barber giving a man a haircut on the sidewalk because the shop wasn’t accessible by wheelchair. But since the story went national, it’s raised questions about how people with disabilities are covered in the media. Devin Hamilton is 30 years old. He’s an engineer working in Webster, and he has cerebral palsy. He says one day, he decided to get a haircut at Joe’s Upscale Barbershop, a few blocks from where he works. But when he rode his wheelchair over there, he didn’t see a ramp…

Progress Builds Tools For The Accessible Web

October 4, 2018 | Source: Forbes | Digital Accessibility, WCAG, Inclusion

We need web accessibility if we are to truly respect Internet freedom in every sense of the term. It’s important to remember that not everybody is able to use the web in the same way. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 are set out and laid down by the World Wide Web Consortium (known to friends and family as W3C) to detail the functionality aspects of the web that should make us stop and consider how people with certain impairments or restrictions need Internet pages to work…

Jack Fact — 57 million Americans live with a disability. Some 3.5 million people in the US are visually impaired, a number that is predicted to double by 2050, and 37.5 million Americans have hearing difficulties, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).

International News

Study finds no e-commerce site in Bangladesh fully compliant with web standards

September 29, 2018 | Source: Dhaka Tribune- Bangladesh | Discrimination, Digital Accessibility, Awareness

There is no e-commerce site in Bangladesh that is fully compliant with internationally established web standards, according to a study by User Study & Experience Research Hub (Userhub). The group of researchers who conducted the study was led by Userhub co-founder and CXO Wahid bin Ahsan. The objective of the study was to find out if e-commerce sites in Bangladesh conform to web standards under the ISO/IEC 40500:2012 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)…

From Where I Sit: Five Traits of a Meaningfully Accessible Building

September 29, 2018 | Source: Rick Hansen Foundation- Canada | Buildings/Facilities Access, Accessible Design, Mobility

One of the most common misconceptions I encounter when discussing accessibility is ‘I’m already accessible, because my building meets code’. However, building code does not regulate emergency evacuation plans for people with disabilities, and it generally only accounts for wheelchair users. It does not account for disabilities in the areas of agility, hearing, vision and cognition, and people who use wheelchairs have dominated the conversation. Meeting code does not equal meaningful access for all users…

Accessibility isn’t enough – my disabled husband needs independence

September 30, 2018 | Source: iNews- UK | Mobility, Awareness, Disability Rights

I winced as I watched my husband Nick pilot his power chair up the ramp into the bungalow. “Left, left, LEFT. Stop! STOP!” He insists that there’s a delay on the controls of his wheelchair while I think there’s selective deafness in the ears of its operator. But despite a few hairy moments , he not only got himself into the conservatory by himself for the first time, but also into the lounge. We’ve bought some new ramps that make it easier for him to get into the rented house where we spend the weekend, and he is determined to use them…

Nova Scotia sets accessibility goals for buildings

October 1, 2018 | Source: Construction Canada | Buildings/Facilities Access, Education, Inclusion

Education, buildings, and shared spaces in Nova Scotia will soon be guided by accessibility standards. The Access by Design 2030 plan identifies priorities to achieve the goals set out in the Accessibility Act. Committees will be established to develop accessibility standards for education and the built environment, including buildings, streets, sidewalks, and shared spaces. These standards are expected to be rolled out starting in 2022…

Royal Alberta Museum designed with accessibility in mind, says executive director

October 1, 2018 | Source: Edmonton Journal- Canada | Arts/Entertainment, Advocacy, Accessible Design

The long-awaited Royal Alberta Museum will include several features to make exhibits accessible for people with disabilities, says executive director Chris Robinson. “There had been some news around that we were less accessible than maybe people had expected,” he said in an interview Monday. “Accessibility had been a commitment made at the very beginning.” Last week, the museum posted on Facebook after advocates raised concerns about accessible parking. There will be three parking spots for visitors with disabilities outside the main doors on the museum’s west side, said the post…

Statement by the Premier and the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility on International Day of Older Persons

October 1, 2018 Source: Government of Ontario News-Canada | Aging, Government, Inclusion

Today the Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, and the Honourable Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, issued the following joint statement on International Day of Older Persons: “We are proud here in Ontario to pay tribute to the women and men who helped build our province and our country. Today and every day we recognize the many valuable contributions that seniors continue to make in our society which enrich our families, our communities, our workplaces and our lives…

Call for more housing options for older people in the UK

October 1, 2018 | Source: Property Wire- UK | Housing, Aging, Awareness

Local authorities, planners and developers in the UK need to shift their focus to ‘right sizing’ by delivering better, diverse housing options that are accessible to everyone, regardless of age, a new report suggests. This is because most older home owners don’t want to downsize but those on low and middle incomes are finding themselves trapped in homes which are no longer appropriate for them as they age. The report, commissioned by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and funded by the Centre for Ageing Better, looks at the types of houses older people live in across the UK, the sort of house moves they make, and the reasons why…

Region improves accessibility

October 2, 2018 | Source: The Oshawa Express- Canada | Inclusion, Awareness, Digital Accessibility

Regional council has approved the Regional Municipality of Durham’s 2017 Accessibility Report. The region “has been reporting on accessibility and the identification, removal and prevention of barriers throughout its departments and services” since an accessibility plan was first implemented in 2003 according to a press release from the region. Several projects were completed in 2017, such as a new mobile website for Durham that was launched after extensive community consultation and development. It also features accessibility improvements that include clearer print, writing and accessible design standards…

In theatre, true accessibility is about far more than cheap tickets

October 3, 2018 | Source: The Stage- UK | Accessible Design, Aging, Awareness

One of theatre’s biggest preoccupations is accessibility; and it concerns both who gets to put shows on and who comes to see them. The issues are complementary – unless a greater range of voices is heard on our stages, why on earth would we expect a more diverse audience to turn out to hear them? Surveying the acres of white faces (and mostly greying or balding heads) in the West End, it is hardly surprising that theatres have traditionally deliberately catered to them. But what happens if you put on a show that doesn’t only speak to them? You might get a different sort of audience…

NPOs failing on access basics, say disabled artists

October 3, 2018 | Source: Arts Professional- UK | Mobility, Discrimination, Arts/Entertainment

The approach of some of Arts Council England’s (ACE) National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) to accessibility has been upbraided in a statement from a collective representing disabled artists, which criticises venues for failing to address “basic nuts and bolts issues”. Physical barriers to access, attitudes of staff and an over-reliance on text-based interpretation were the key issues highlighted in a consultation by Pyramid of Arts, a Leeds-based group of 150 artists with and without learning difficulties…

Students get to showcase their award-winning accessibility-related designs

October 3, 2018 | Source: University Affairs- Canada | Education, Innovation, Inclusion

A year ago, Memorial University student Emma Dornan was watching TV with her “after-school buddy” Matthew Squires, a 10-year-old who suffers from spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy, when she made what turned out to be an award-winning discovery. “I was sitting on the couch with Matthew on my lap, using my hands and fingers to stabilize his head to help him watch TV,” recalled Ms. Dornan, a fourth-year behavioral neuroscience student who works with children with disabilities at Easter Seals summer camps and during the school year in St. John’s…

MSVU students with disabilities set up to succeed

October 3, 2018 | Source: The Chronicle Herald- Canada | Education, Inclusion, Awareness

Every time Julie Fillmore sees a student she has worked with through Mount Saint Vincent University’s accessibility services cross the stage at graduation, she feels like a proud mom. “I genuinely do,” said MSVU’s disability resource facilitator. “I do kind of feel like they’re mine — my children — because I just like watching them succeed.” The accessibility services staff are at the school to support any students who have a disability and require academic accommodations, she said…

‘We live in an ableist society,’ Victoria candidates debate how to approach accessibility

October 3, 2018 | Source: Goldstream News Gazette- Canada | Government, Politics, Inclusion

The consensus of an all-candidates meeting hosted by the Victoria Disability Resource Centre was clear – the city is not an accessible place. Of the 40 candidates running for mayor and council in Victoria, 22 participated in the event transcribed by both an ASL interpreter and a typist, onto a large monitor for viewing, at the Church of Truth in James Bay. “We live in an ableist society,” said Laurel Collins, a council hopeful running on the Together Victoria slate with Sarah Potts and Sharmarke Dubow…

UITP Tackles Issue Of Social Inclusiveness And Accessibility In Public Transport

October 3, 2018 | Source: UITP- Belgium | Inclusion, Transportation, Mobility

On 1 October 2018, UITP had the pleasure of speaking at a session on public transport for people with reduced mobility at the World Summit for Accessible Tourism – Destinations for All. Held in Brussels, the Summit presented the innovations and best practices for the development of accessible destinations for all. UITP Secretary General Mohamed Mezghani moderated the session, which welcomed four speakers from public transport companies and authorities to share in which way they contribute to improving accessibility in public transport for people with reduced mobility…

30-cent surcharge may be placed on taxi, Uber trips to fund accessible cab service

October 4, 2018 | Source: Calgary Herald- Canada | Transit/Transportation, Accessible Design, Mobility

A plan to add up to 30 cents to every taxi or Uber fare to fund improvements to wheelchair-accessible cab service in Calgary has received tentative support from city council members. The surcharge could be rolled out as early as Jan. 1, if approved by a full vote of council. The proposal, which includes a two-year pilot of a centralized dispatch service for accessible taxis, was endorsed by a city committee in a 5-2 vote Wednesday. Calgarians who require accessible transport have complained previously to council that accessible taxi service too often arrives hours late or leaves fares entirely in the lurch…

Montreal to launch public consultations on accessibility for all

October 4, 2018 | Source: Montreal Gazette- Canada | Government, Inclusion, Accessible Design

Montreal city hall is inviting citizens to participate in public consultations on how to make their city more accessible to those with disabilities. Six public meetings are scheduled for November in the boroughs of St-Laurent, St-Léonard, Verdun, Villeray—Parc-Extension, Ville-Marie as well as at the Maison des sourds de Montréal. The consultations themselves will be rendered as accessible as possible, including sign language interpretation and hearing enhancement services. Two of the meetings will be streamed online…

National Report on Students With Disabilities Has Westman Input

October 4, 2018 | Source: Discover Westman | Education, Inclusion, Awareness

An academic leader at Assiniboine Community College and a graduate student from Brandon played key roles in developing a national report on students with disabilities released earlier this week. Deanna Rexe, Assiniboine’s vice-president academic, and Olivia Auriat, a graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan who was born and raised in Brandon, researched and wrote the section of the report dealing with the impact of academic accommodation policies on students with disabilities…

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