Accessibility in the News — 5/27/2022.

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New laws by Villivalam, Peters help improve accessibility to Illinoisans with disabilities

May 23, 2022 | Source: Illinois Senate Democrats & RiverBender.com& HOIABC& MyRadioLink.com & The Telegraph

State Senators Ram Villivalam and Robert Peters celebrated the signing of two new laws Monday that will protect Illinoisans with disabilities from housing discrimination and make state government more accessible to the community. House Bill 2775, sponsored by Villivalam (D-Chicago), adds “source of income” to the Illinois Human Rights Act’s protections against discrimination in real estate transactions, making it a civil rights violation to refuse to consider an individual for housing solely based on their source of income…

National News (U.S.)

Hollywood Disability Rights Groups Call on Cannes to Increase Accessibility

May 19, 2022 | Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Filmmaker disability rights organizations are calling out the Cannes Film Festival for its inaccessibility, including the lack of a way to clearly access the Grand Lumiere theater without using the iconic red steps. 1in4 and FWD-Doc, which count Management 360’s Eryn Brown and Crip Camp director Jim LeBrecht among the co-founders, work to increase equity in Hollywood for filmmakers with disabilities. The groups have outlined a list of accessibility issues faced by disabled attendees of the French festival, as well as changes that they are demanding be made prior to the 2023 edition of the fest…

Accessibility and the Intangibles: How 2 Students With Disabilities Chose a College

May 19, 2022 | Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Luna Fera felt something pulling her across the Atlantic. Growing up, she pictured herself attending college in Europe. She had relatives over there, and her mind lit up with images of places she hoped to visit while studying abroad. But Fera, a high-school senior in Chevy Chase, Md., had to let go of that dream. “I had to make things as doable as possible,” she says. Doable would mean enrolling at a domestic college where she could get around easily and open doors by pushing a big button…

EEOC Report Analyzes Situation of Workers with Disabilities in the Federal Workforce

May 19, 2022 | Source: EEOC & Investopedia

In a newly issued report, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) shows that opportunities for persons with disabilities in the federal workforce are improving, but that further progress is needed on retention and representation in leadership positions. The study examined federal workers with disabilities’ demographics, their hiring, advancement, and separation from employment at federal agencies, discrimination complaints based on disability, and ways that federal agencies are improving accessibility for persons with disabilities…

District Attorney Chesa Boudin Announces 18 Felony Charges Against Beverly Hills Lawyer Who Defrauded San Francisco Businesses and Nonprofit Organizations

May 19, 2022 | Source: San Francisco District Attorney

Today, District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced a grand jury indictment on 18 felony charges, including one charge of grand theft from an elder and 14 charges of grand theft by false pretense, against Beverly Hills attorney Kousha Berokim. It is alleged that Mr. Berokim sent 17 San Francisco businesses and nonprofit organizations emails and letters in which he purported to represent a blind Californian, threatening those businesses with federal lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) for alleged website-accessibility violations if they did not enter into settlements and pay him sums of money to resolve the claims…

Murray, Duckworth, Colleagues Call for GAO Study into the Barriers Americans with Disabilities Face Accessing Healthcare

May 20, 2022 | Source: Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, joined a letter led by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting that the agency conduct a comprehensive, wide-ranging study into the persisting barriers that Americans with disabilities of all backgrounds experience in accessing healthcare, including access to medical treatment, services, equipment and more. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Chair of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) also joined the letter…

South Berkeley elder, business owner wants an accessible home to ‘start over with new beginnings’

May 20, 2022 | Source: Berkeleyside

After suffering serious falls, Betty Gray hasn’t been able to leave her second-floor apartment to run Alice’s Relaxing Bath and Gift Shop. Betty Gray’s home, tucked away on Sacramento Street near the busy Alcatraz Avenue business corridor, is stuffed to the brim with artifacts of her influence in the South Berkeley community. On an unseasonably hot May afternoon, 73-year-old Gray sits by the door and retrieves something from one of the many boxes in her living room…

Bill Passed in the State Assembly Establishes More Accessible Housing for the Disabled

May 20, 2022 | Source: BK Reader

The New York State Assembly approved a bill on May 4 that will create a tax credit and establish more accessible housing for the disabled. The bill, A3409A, is now in the State Senate Budget and Revenue Committee awaiting final passage. Local disability organizations and advocates have expressed support for the bill, although they say more could be done. Scott Karolidis, director of governmental affairs at YAI, a service provider for the the intellectual and/or developmental disabled, said that the greatest barrier with housing for people with disabilities is the overall lack of affordable housing available…

New bill could save seniors money on home upgrades for aging in place

May 21, 2022 | Source: Seniors Matter

A bill introduced in Congress earlier this month could help seniors pay for improvements to make their homes more accessible and livable as they age. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Charlie Crist and Rep. Thomas Suozzi, is called the Home Modification for Accessibility Act and is currently in the House Ways and Means Committee. If passed, it would allow seniors who want to make changes necessary for aging in their homes to deduct the costs of those renovations on income taxes or pay for the improvements out of retirement savings without penalty…

Kansas City woman launches interpreting agency to increase accessibility for deaf people

May 22, 2022 | Source: KSHB

A Kansas City woman has dedicated her life to serving the Deaf community. Peige Turner launched an agency called NERDterpreter in January 2022 that aims to provide live interpreting services at community events. “Deaf people have the right to do everything that hearing people have to do as well,” Turner said. “We have so many deaf people in the community that just need interpreting services for basic, simple things, doctor’s appointments. Everything that we take for granted deaf people also need.”…

Judge dismisses ADA lawsuit against Napa realtor’s website

May 23, 2022 | Source: CBS San Francisco

A disabled litigant who relied on “dreams and window shopping” to prove that he had legal standing to sue a Napa County realtor under the Americans with Disabilities Act had those dreams dashed last week when a federal judge dismissed his suit. Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California found that Andres Gomez, a Florida resident, had not demonstrated that the alleged problems with the realtor’s website prevented him from accessing goods or services at an actual physical location and therefore he had no standing to bring his claim…

Philly Streets is creating a new unit to speed fixing potholes and make sidewalks more accessible

May 23, 2022 | Source: BillyPenn

Philadelphia residents are used to bemoaning potholes on the city’s streets. So here’s potential cause for celebration: the Streets Department is adding a unit that should make paving happen more efficiently. The new 13-person team will focus entirely on upgrading curb cuts and ramps to be ADA-compliant, which is essentially a prerequisite for resurfacing roadways. The dedicated crew will also help the city speed up the process of making more sidewalks accessible, Streets officials said…

Reebok launches accessible sneaker collection

May 23, 2022 | Source: The Verge

Nike isn’t the only sneaker company thinking about accessible shoe design. Reebok announced it’s partnering with Zappos to launch its first adaptive footwear collection, called Fit to Fit. The collection features two sneakers that are designed for easy entry and exit for people with disabilities. The shoes were designed in collaboration with Zappos Adaptive — the e-commerce site’s vertical that acts as a shopping hub for accessible shoes, clothing, and accessories…

Government’s Role in Including Accessibility in Procurement

May 23, 2022 | Source: Government Technology

Experts discussed the barriers and opportunities for procuring government technology at the 2022 Code for America Summit, placing the greatest focus on accessibility. As the government tech market continues to heat up, government agencies are looking for ways to improve the way they purchase products. And while government aims to become more accessible overall, procurement processes may need to be refined. During the virtual session titled “Procuring accessibility technology: Why it’s so hard and how we fix it,” Justen Proctor, contracting officer for the General Services Administration (GSA), spoke optimistically…

Ed Department Ramps Up Disability Related Compliance Reviews

May 24, 2022 | Source: Disability Scoop & Department of Education

With a slew of new actions and additional resources, federal education officials are taking steps to ensure that students with disabilities and their families can access school services. The U.S. Department of Education said that its Office for Civil Rights will “soon launch” 100 compliance reviews focused on digital accessibility. The reviews will target K-12 schools and districts, postsecondary institutions, state departments of education, libraries and vocational rehabilitation services, the agency said…

Making movies more accessible: Delaware cinemas now offer films with open captions

May 24, 2022 | Source: WHYY

A number of movie theaters throughout the state of Delaware have banded together to make movies more accessible to patrons who are hard of hearing, by collectively agreeing to add open captioning to all first-run movies. Most movie theaters already offer closed captioning on demand, meaning patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing can ask for a personal device that will show the dialogue as text. In the pilot program that began April 1, Delaware theaters have added open captioning wherein dialogue subtitles are shown directly on the screen where everyone can see it…

Pekin settles class action lawsuit for non-accessible sidewalks, promising improvements

May 24, 2022 | Source: Pekin Daily Times

The Pekin City Council unanimously approved a class action consent decree during Monday’s meeting. Council member Karen Hohimer was absent. According to Pekin City Manager Mark Rothert, a class action lawsuit was filed against the city in 2018 for failure to maintain accessible pedestrian rights-of-way. It’s settling all claims asserted through the consent decree. “In this consent decree, the city agrees to hire an engineering consultant to survey all sidewalks within the city of Pekin and then to create a transition plan to prioritize repair and improvement of all inaccessible sidewalks,” Rothert said…

Russell Stover Class Action Claims Website Not Accessible To Blind, Visually Impaired

May 24, 2022 | Source: Top Class Actions

Mrs. Fields Class Action Alleges Website Not Accessible to Blind, Visually Impaired

May 20, 2022 | Source: Top Class Actions

HSN Class Action Alleges Website Inaccessible To Blind, Visually Impaired

May 25, 2022 | Source: Top Class Actions

Four Seasons ADA Class Action Claims Website Not Accessible To Blind, Visually Impaired Individuals

May 25, 2022 | Source: Top Class Actions

Etsy Class Action Alleges Website Inaccessible To Blind, Visually Impaired

May 26, 2022 | Source: Top Class Actions

Electronic Arts’ Website Not Independently Usable For Blind, Visually Impaired, Says Class Action

May 26, 2022 | Source: Top Class Actions

Russell Stover fails to make its website fully accessible to legally blind and visually impaired individuals, a new class action alleges. Plaintiff Ana Chalas claims Russell Stover’s website is not designed in a way that makes it fully compatible with screen-reading software used by the legally blind and visually impaired to browse online. Chalas claims Russell Stover’s website contains a number of accessibility issues for legally blind and visually impaired individuals that keep the screen-reading software from being able to work properly…

Ensuring access for all

May 25, 2022 | Source: Adirondack Explorer

About 61 million adults in the United States have a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In New York, that number is about 3 million, according to state health department figures. “It cuts across age, race and gender,” said Janet Zeller, an accessibility expert and the former National Accessibility Program Manager for the U.S. Forest Service. “My focus is integrating accessibility into the programs and facilities of sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities so people of all ages and abilities can recreate together.”…

Polling places aren’t handicapped-accessible and need to be, Newark says in lawsuit

May 25, 2022 | Source: NJ.com

The City of Newark is suing local and county election officials, demanding that all polling places be made handicapped accessible for next month’s Congressional primaries and city council runoffs, after the mayor and others said some frail or elderly voters could not cast ballots in the May 10 non-partisan municipal election. The suit, which was filed in state Superior Court in Newark on Friday, charges that the Essex County Board of Elections and other officials violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and a state statute requiring accessibility of polling places…

Parents of deaf children can more easily learn sign language thanks to powerful tech collaboration

May 25, 2022 | Source: EurekAlert!

A powerful collaboration among two universities and a tech giant is working to develop a mobile app that will enable parents of deaf children to more easily learn American Sign Language. The Center on Access Technology at Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, in partnership with Google and Georgia Institute of Technology, is creating PopSign, which provides an extensive, interactive learning experience that parents can use anytime, anyplace…

‘Play is for everyone’: A mom on a mission to make playgrounds accessible for kids of all abilities

May 26, 2022 | Source: WGBH

Julie Kenerson loved taking her two sons to the Charlestown playground in Mayor Thomas M. Menino Park. Its accessible design allowed Lukas to play side-by-side with his brother Jake, who had a rare metabolic disorder and used a wheelchair. The playground has plenty of ramps and wheelchair-accessible swings. Lukas and Jake could spin on the carousel together and glide down slides at the same time. They also loved Martin’s Park in the Seaport district, where they could go on adventures in the wooden fishing boat, which had a ramp at its entrance. But not all playgrounds were accessible for Jake…

Audit report finds city making slow progress on website accessibility, usability

May 26, 2022 | Source: Austin Monitor

The city has moved slowly in making its website as accessible and useful as possible for residents and falls short of federal principles to ensure usability for people of all abilities, according to a recent report from the Office of the City Auditor. At Wednesday’s meeting of City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee, staff presented a follow-up report on a pair of audits conducted in 2013 and 2017 that found the city needed to develop a comprehensive planning process, assign responsibilities related to the website, and increase the services offered while also improving accessibility across the site…

Jack Fact — According to a governmental-led joint report released in October 2021, over 1.5 million people with physical, visual, hearing, intellectual and mental disabilities lived in Israel by 2019, accounting for 17 percent of the total population.

Hit The Road Jack — Majorca is committed to accessible tourism & “I had to start a travel company to travel.” How one agency is making tourism more inclusive and accessible.

International News

What Can We Do to Improve Digital Accessibility for Those Living With a Disability?

May 20, 2022 | Source: Gizmodo- Australia

When people hear the term “accessibility” in the context of disability, most will see images of ramps, automatic doors, elevators, or tactile paving (textured ground which helps vision impaired people navigate public spaces). These are physical examples of inclusive practice that most people understand. You may even use these features yourself, for convenience, as you go about your day. However, such efforts to create an inclusive physical world aren’t being translated into designing the digital world…

Stratford woman raises concerns with lack of accessibility at police HQ

May 20, 2022 | Source: The Stratford Beacon Herald- Canada

When Stratford resident Diane Sims rolled up to the Stratford Police Service Headquarters in her electric wheelchair last month to turn in some documents police needed to complete a background check, she was shocked to discover she couldn’t get to the front entrance. There was no accessibility ramp in sight and she couldn’t see any signage directing people with mobility issues to another entrance. Unsure what to do, Sims found her way around back to the entrance for the Stratford Ontario Court of Justice…

Edmonton temporary off-leash dog parks not accessible, disability advocates say

May 21, 2022 | Source: CBC- Canada

Some Edmonton community leagues have turned their outdoor rinks into off-leash dog parks for the summer; but some disability advocates said they aren’t available for everyone. Marla Smith uses a wheelchair to get around. She and her service dog, Kuno, love going outdoors. She said she was excited to take Kuno to the Kenilworth Community League’s off-leash dog park this week, but the problem is her wheelchair can’t get inside. “When you see it [listed] on the city’s website and you see that it’s supposed to be accessible, you believe it,” she said…

Petition calls for more accessible playgrounds

May 21, 2022 | Source: Guelph News- Canada

All children deserve a safe and accessible place to play, and one might think a playground is one of them. With only three out of 84 parks in Guelph having accessible features, options are few and far between. That’s what upsets Erin Caton, a member of the city’s Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) and chair of the Environmental Sensitivities Coalition of Canada, about recently release design options for five city parks – none of them are accessible, she says. In response, she set up a petition online for people to sign to increase accessible playgrounds in Guelph…

New Gippsland Performing Arts Centre promises accessible ticket pricing and inclusive space

May 22, 2022 | Source: ABC- Australia

A new outdoor performing arts and gathering space has officially opened as part of Latrobe City’s new $42 million Gippsland Performing Arts Centre precinct. The partly-canopied area, equipped with power, lighting and sound capabilities, was designed to host events such as farmers’ markets, kids’ and group activities, buskers and roving performers. Another section of the outdoor area channels a relaxed Federation Square set up, complete with beanbags and a big screen…

Disabilities law: A major achievement for Israel

May 23, 2022 | Source: The Jerusalem Post- Israel

These have not been easy days for the government. Bouncing from one coalition crisis to another, it appears that opposing interests of the various parties have paralyzed Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s hobbling team from being able to pass bills, enact change or implement the programs needed to keep the country move forward. Yair Lapid: “The legislation will provide opportunities and rights for people with disabilities and will change their lives and the lives of their families.” …

‘I felt humiliated’: Blind man hits out after security guard at M&S asked him to take his guide dog out of store

May 24, 2022 | Source: Daily Mail- England

A blind executive at the charity Guide Dogs said he felt ‘publicly humiliated’ after he was told to leave a Marks & Spencer shop with his dog. Dave Kent said a security guard ‘curtly’ told him to take his golden retriever, Faldo, out of the shop in Mortlake, west London, last Friday. The 62-year-old, who has been blind since he was 18, said the manager simply offered him a cup of tea when made aware of the discrimination. As Mr Kent neared the till, the guard insisted his dog must leave…

Microsoft and Peel school board collaborate to launch Minecraft world focused on accessibility

May 24, 2022 | Source: Toronto Star- Canada

For students who love to play Minecraft, there’s a new world in the video game’s education edition, BuildAbility, focused on accessibility, building inclusive spaces and recognizing and removing barriers that are visible or invisible. It was launched on May 10 after a five-month collaboration between Microsoft and the Peel District School Board (PDSB) and is available worldwide. Through BuildAbility, students will learn about five types of accessibility barriers: attitudinal; information or communication; organizational or systemic; physical; and technological…

New agreement aims to co-ordinate building accessibility codes in Canada and U.S.

May 24, 2022 | Source: Canadian Consulting Engineer- Canada

The International Code Council (ICC) and Accessibility Standards Canada have signed an agreement to facilitate the sharing of best practices related to building accessibility, with the aim of improving and co-ordinating requirements in codes and standards between Canada and the U.S. The agreement, which officially took effect on Feb. 21, 2022, will allow Accessibility Standards Canada to reference the standard ICC A117.1-2017, Accessible and Usable Building and Facilities, and share its own model standard for the built environment with ICC, so as to lay a foundation for more consistent accessibility across North America…

Missing: 20 Centimetres – Raising Rails for Accessibility

May 24, 2022 | Source: Railway-News- Switzerland

In Switzerland, we are used to climbing one or more steps between the platform and the train at some stations. Although the Disability Equality Act (DDA) has been a done deal for years, not all stations have been converted by far—much to the chagrin of people in wheelchairs, with prams or luggage. These stations are relics of times long past. Only since the DDA (and comparable laws in other countries and at EU level) have there been uniform specifications as to how high the platform edge should be in relation to the upper edge of the rails. In Switzerland it is 55 centimetres…

What is the future of work for persons with disabilities?

May 25, 2022 | Source: World Economic Forum- India

What do a quality analyst, digital marketer, service manager, full-stack developer, tech founder, cyber cafe owner, grocery store owner, YouTuber, artist, accessibility tester and caregiver have in common? They all represent mainstream, entrepreneurial, creative and “purple sector” jobs, already being done by individuals with different types of disabilities, including severe and multiple disabilities. They also represent the areas of work unfolding for persons with disability (PwDs) in the future…

10 disabled scientists you should explore and discover

May 25, 2022 | Source: Disability Horizon- UK

The representation of disabled people across various fields is on the increase except for one – science. The physical layout of a lab, or field site, and the design of its instruments can render science literally inaccessible to some disabled scientists. While the representation of disabled scientists has increased, many still choose not to disclose a disability due to exclusionary practices and entrenched ableism at institutions. Nonetheless, there are many disabled scientists whose impact is of huge importance to our daily life…

Saskatchewan optometrist’s remote clinics helping bring eye care to First Nations communities

May 25, 2022 | Source: CTV News Regina- Canada

A Saskatchewan optometrist is helping improve accessibility to optical care in rural areas by offering remote clinics. Dr. Shannon Gatrell travels around the province visiting rural First Nations communities to perform eye exams in schools. “In any rural community, sometimes it’s just hard to get into the city and get this stuff done so anything we can do to get this stuff done and improve access in schools is good,” said Gatrell. Dr. Gatrell is excited to be back doing remote clinics after the COVID-19 pandemic halted them for the past two years. She said more accessibility is needed in rural communities…

Africa Health Check S2 EP3: Access to health care for persons with disability in Africa

May 26, 2022 | Source: CNBC- Africa

In this episode of Africa Health Check, we discuss access to health care for persons with disability in Africa. Studies show, especially in the rural areas, that persons with disabilities have a higher rate of unmet health needs as compared to non-disabled. Persons with disabilities faced significantly more barriers to accessing health care, barriers which increased with disability severity and was reduced with increasing level of education, living in a household without disabled members and with age…

Crip Rave Is the Revolutionary Collective Prioritising Accessibility

May 26, 2022 | Source: Resident Advisor- Canada

In the winter of 2015, Renee Dumaresque left their body on the dance floor during a Jeff Mills set in Toronto. Ravers like to talk about being reborn on a particularly good night, but for Dumaresque, who lives with chronic pain, the moment of transcendence was also physically transformative. “There was the disorientation of the music, but also the vibrations, which left me sensing my pain in a different way,” they say. “I left that night with a new relationship to my body.” Dumaresque was 18 when they started raving, and 23 when their pain became unbearable, a change that revealed most raves don’t accommodate most disabilities…

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