Accessibility in the News — 6/19/2020.

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“By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.”

― Charles Wadsworth

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Feature Stories

Twitter’s audio tweets revealed an accessibility miss, and now the company wants to fix it

June 18, 2020 | Source: The Verge

Twitter doesn’t have a team dedicated to accessibility, instead relying on employees who volunteer their time above and beyond their usual duties, and the company may have already realized that’s a mistake — after taking flak for the lack of captions in Twitter’s brand-new audio tweet feature, the company tells The Verge that it’s exploring how to build a “more dedicated group” to focus on accessibility problems. The lack of a dedicated team was revealed by Twitter software engineer Andrew Hayward, following complaints from accessibility advocates…

National News (U.S.)

For Mothers Of Black Children With Disabilities, Living With Twice The Fear

June 9, 2020 | Source: Forbes

Kim Kaiser’s son was 10 years old when she first spoke with him about the challenges he’d face as a black man with disabilities. It’s a conversation they’ve continued every day since, and it covers a little bit of everything. How should he act in public? Where should he put his hands? How should he respond if police stop him? What type of people should he avoid? In the days following George Floyd’s death, Kaiser was careful to speak with her son about that, too. Her son, now 14, had questions of his own…

Musical Theatre Teens Convey A Heartfelt Message Of Hope Through American Sign Language

June 12, 2020 | Source: Broadway World

Lyceum Studio’s Musical Theatre Competition Troupe blends performance and accessibility, conveying raw emotion through American Sign Language (ASL) with a virtual performance of Steven Sondheim’s No One Is Alone from the musical Into the Woods. This spring, amidst the uncertainly of our world, students of Lyceum Studio’s Musical Theatre Competition Troupe share an inspired message of hope – No One is Alone. Performed with empathy through American Sign Language, Steven Sondheim’s music comes alive as though sign language were a dance; an expressive movement that heightens the emotional impact of the song…

Impact of Masks on the Deaf Community

June 12, 2020 | Source: WorkersCompensation.com

While everyone has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in one way or another, the deafblind community has been affected in a detrimental way that most people may not have considered. With the already existing communication challenges, wearing masks has added yet another complicated barrier to communication between hearing and hearing impaired, hard of hearing, deaf and deafblind people. The word “deaf” can have different meanings depending on whether or not the D is capitalized…

3 Ways Candidates Can Make A Real Difference On Disability Employment

June 14, 2020 | Source: Forbes

It’s not enough anymore for politicians to furrow their brows about the high rate of unemployment for people with disabilities. And “urging” employers “give disabled people a chance,” while all to the good, only goes so far. Government action alone can’t solve the problem. But there are specific policy changes that could help. If candidates want to earn disabled people’s votes, getting serious and creative about addressing structural barriers to disabled people’s employment goals would be a good start…

Blind Voters Fear Loss Of Privacy With Shift To Mail Voting

June 14, 2020 | Source: Huff Post

Not that long ago, Ann Byington had to squeeze into a voting booth with a Republican poll watcher on one side and a Democrat on the other reading her voting choices out loud so her ballot could be marked for her and the selections verified. Blind since birth, Byington welcomed the rise in recent years of electronic voting machines equipped with technology that empowered her and others with disabilities to cast their ballots privately and independently. But now, as election officials plan a major vote-by-mail expansion amid fears of voting in person during the coronavirus pandemic, Byington worries she is being left out…

Bronx teacher files discrimination complaint against NYC Education Dept. for leaving her without wheelchair-accessible bathroom for 12 years

June 15, 2020 | Source: NY Daily News

While most teachers look forward to meeting the mothers and fathers of their students, Bronx educator Dayniah Manderson dreads parent-teacher conferences. On those days when faculty are required to stay at school well into the evening, Manderson has to abstain from using the restroom for 12 hours or more because her school building doesn’t have facilities that can accommodate her electric wheelchair. “The basic human need to relieve yourself, [when] you are not able to do that, you put yourself at risk,” Manderson, who teaches English at Mott Hall Community School in Throgs Neck, told the Daily News…

Settlement: New London train station must be ADA-compliant

June 15, 2020 | Source: CT Post

Connecticut Department of Transportation reached a settlement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to resolve allegations that the New London Rail Station is not accessible to individuals with mobility disabilities. John H. Durham, U.S. attorney for Connecticut, announced the settlement on Monday. As part of the settlement agreement, the department must ensure that: there are routes to the station that are compliant Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; the station has at least one accessible entrance; accessible ramps; accessible doors to the station along the accessible routes;…

Centering the Disability and Aging Communities in Federal Emergency Response Efforts

June 16, 2020 | Source: Center For American Progress

As the United States continues to grapple with the ongoing devastation of the coronavirus pandemic, it will also soon face extreme seasonal weather. From fires in the Southwest and the West to weather vortexes and floods in the Midwest to hurricane season in the South and the Southeast, the United States must prepare for upcoming disasters within the context of a global pandemic. Powerful hurricanes, heavy downpours, flooding, intense heat waves, and other extreme weather emergencies can endanger public health and safety, cause widespread damage, and make social distancing and stay-at-home orders impossible to implement…

See How This Young Family Built an Accessible and Joyful Dream Home

June 16, 2020 | Source: Yahoo Lifestyle

Lauren and Don Fornes were living with their four children in Austin, Texas, when they were faced with a serious life event. Their infant son suffered a brain injury, resulting in a form of blindness called cortical visual impairment. Needing extra help, they moved back to the San Francisco Bay area, where the couple had first met and still had a strong group of old friends. The Forneses have always loved design, and in Austin they had hired ELLE Decor A-List designer Darryl Carter, who is known for his spare interiors, to decorate their home. But their son’s loss of vision was pushing them in a different direction…

Why Poetry Books Often Aren’t Accessible to People With Disabilities

June 16, 2020 | Source: Yahoo Lifestyle

A poem comes to my inbox or my podcast feed. Its images give me access to an unfamiliar experience. Its rhythm grips me. Words are the instruments that give sound to its message. The poet has a lesson to teach me, and a lesson isn’t often learned on the first try. I need to read more, so I type the poet’s name into a search bar and discover she’s published a collection. I go to Amazon to download a sample of its contents. There I find a metaphorically locked door. I knock, but the poet doesn’t answer. Chances are, she will never answer — because the collection isn’t available as an e-book, and I read only e-books and online material…

Franklin Square woman pens sign language book

June 16, 2020 | Source: LI Herald Franklin Square

When Kristy O’Connell was teaching preschool at a special education school in Port Washington about two years ago, she noticed that all of the books about being deaf were designed for upper-elementary and middle school students. So, she decided to take it upon herself to make a book about deaf culture for young students. “I think it’s important to cultivate empathy and community with children, so that they can appreciate the value of differences in their peers,” O’Connell, a Franklin Square resident, explained. “As an educator, I feel that teaching students about ASL and deaf culture promotes inclusivity and equal access for everyone.”…

Mandan considers changing accessibility ordinance to help businesses during pandemic

June 17, 2020 | Source: Bismarck Tribune

Mandan city commissioners have taken a step toward amending a voter-approved ordinance aimed at improving handicapped accessibility to enable the city to help businesses struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mandan voters nearly 12 years ago passed an initiated measure that “basically said that if a business received any tax incentives or money from the city, they were required to put in an electric door,” said Susan Beehler, a co-organizer of the measure. It was aimed at increasing accessibility for people with disabilities and providing some accountability for using public money, Beehler said…

Publix Scores High for Online Accessibility

June 17, 2020 | Source: Progressive Grocer & Chain Store Age

The Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, an advocacy group that performs what it calls “website auditing,” found good cause for optimism when it comes to grocery websites meeting the needs of consumers with eyesight problems. “In a world of social distancing coupled with the constant negativity surrounding the handling of the pandemic, there is a bright spot in the supermarket industry,” the group announced this week in announcing the results of its latest website audit project…

A New Landscape in Albuquerque Puts Accessibility Front and Center

June 17, 2020 | Source: Metropolis Magazine

As colleges and universities face uncertainties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a greater threat to the future of education—not to mention society—continues to loom. Despite a momentary pause in emissions, global climate change has not stopped; the climate curve has not been flattened. Cities across the United States are facing longer, hotter summers with more frequent and deadly heat waves. Thoughtful urban design that prioritizes shade, tree canopies, and human-scaled environments is needed now more than ever…

Improving Access for People with Disabilities, Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce Leads the Way

June 17, 2020 | Source: TAPinto.net & Parsippany Focus

Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce is leading the way to improve internet access for people with disabilities, and she invites fellow officials to join in with her. “Having children and adults with disabilities feel like they are included and can live a life as close to normal as possible is a cause near and dear to my heart”, stated Assemblywoman DeCroce when she kicked off the virtual meeting. The meeting was a Zoom one and was organized by Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (District 26NJ)…

Study sheds light on why retinal ganglion cells are vulnerable to glaucoma

June 18, 2020 | Source: Brinkwire

Millions of sufferers of glaucoma might someday benefit from a study released today in Stem Cells in which a ‘disease in a dish’ stem cell model was used to examine the mechanism in glaucoma that causes retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) to degenerate, resulting in loss of vision. The knowledge the study provides could result in new therapeutic approaches for this leading cause of blindness worldwide. RGCs are a group of nerve cells located in the retina that send images to the brain and enable you to see. Glaucoma attacks these cells and, once they die, they are not replaced…

You May Not See as Much Color as You Think You Do

June 18, 2020 | Source: Gizmodo

If everything in your peripheral vision suddenly changed from color to black and white, would you notice? There’s a good chance you wouldn’t—in a new study involving virtual reality, most people never realized that their surroundings had abruptly desaturated. The results add to a large body of research suggesting we often perceive much less of the world around us than we think we do. In the study, published last week in PNAS, 160 participants freely explored scenes in virtual reality…

Activists Amplify Message With Mobile Technology

June 18, 2020 | Source: SF Weekly

Back in April, organizers spoke out in support of No New SF Jail’s campaign to close the seismically unsafe 850 Bryant Street jail in San Francisco, a building that’s been marked for demolition since 1996. With sewage floods, noxious fumes, and overcrowding, the jail has posed severe dangers to the people kept within it — whose lives have been ever more threatened during COVID-19. As the date approached for SF’s Board of Supervisors to vote on the jail’s closure, supporters from across the country stepped in to put pressure on council members…

Complaint filed against Test Nebraska for lack of accessibility

June 18, 2020 | Source: NTV

An initiative focused on providing COVID-19 testing for all Nebraskans that need it is facing criticism after several groups have complained its not inclusive enough and doesn’t account for challenges faced by Nebraskans with disabilities. When Test Nebraska, a public-private partnership established to expand COVID-19 testing here in Nebraska, was put in place it was supposed to open access for all Nebraskans to get tested, but some are still feeling left out…

Jack Fact — According to a research report published by the British Council, there are about 27 million people with disabilities that are socially excluded.

Hit The Road Jack — Five of the UK’s most wheelchair accessible cities

International News

SFF’s online Screenability program highlights sustainable accessibility

June 11, 2020 | Source: ArtsHub- Australia

After formally cancelling the 2020 festival, SFF has since announced a lauded, smaller program over the same dates, 10-21 June. This is a common theme across the arts, nationally and internationally as the pandemic continues to decimate festivals, performances, and live events of all kinds. For SFF, the program looks quite different; but it still returns festival favourite, the Screenability program, now in its third year. With it, comes a host of new questions about accessibility in the digital age…

New Student Group Seeks Mandatory Accessibility Classes for Lecturers

June 11, 2020 | Source: The University Times- Ireland & University World News

Trinity students, alongside the Disability Service, have launched a new co-operative with the aim of introducing mandatory accessibility classes for lecturers and promoting awareness of students with disabilities on campus. The group, called the Trinity Ability Co_Op, hopes to introduce classes that would be developed by the group alongside the Disability Service, with the aim of educating lecturers on how to deal with students with disabilities. Members hope to ensure lectures understand College-approved accommodations for students with disabilities, and encourage them to make tutorial notes and subtitles for online lectures available…

Div One Rally champ Sachania savors FIA disability grant ahead of 2021 WRC Safari debut

June 12, 2020 | Source: Capital Digital Media- Africa

Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) Division One leader Nikhil Sachania has every reason to smile, thanks to the ‘safety equipment grant’ he has received from the FIA Disability and Accessibility Commission. The reigning three-time Kenyan SPV Champion now has a certified safety fuel tank from ATL which is one of the items that are needed for a car to be eligible for the World Championship Safari Rally. Sachania is also working on putting in an RS diff, a standard part available for the EVO…

Wheelchair accessible bus stops being considered

June 13, 2020 | Source: Southern Star Newspaper- Ireland

PLANS that suitable locations for disability accessible bus stops for towns in West Cork are to be identified have been welcomed by a local Senator. Senator Tim Lombard has been calling for disability accessible bus stops to be provided at a minimum in every major town in West Cork due to the fact that there are only three of these bus stops in the whole region. He said that the lack of these accessible bus stops is leaving many wheelchair users in the area unable to access public transport and are thus being neglected by the current public transport system…

Accessible Day Out library launched

June 14, 2020 | Source: SunLive- New Zealand

With New Zealand’s tourism industry set to thrive following COVID-19 restrictions, it’s never been more important for Bay of Plenty attractions, venues and activities to cater to people with disabilities. About a quarter of New Zealand’s population lives with a disability, and finding places to go that are accessible can be a challenge for this diverse group. Firstport has created the nationwide Accessible Day Out library to help people with disabilities find places that cater to their needs. This innovative online tool provides reviews of venues and activities around New Zealand with a focus on their accessibility features…

Coronavirus lockdown | In the pandemic, the disabled remain an invisible minority

June 15, 2020 | Source: The Hindu- India

In Delhi’s Wazirpur, two families are struggling each day to make it. Pulinder, 49, is paralysed due to an epileptic seizure. For the past two years, his wife, Asha Devi, has been supporting the family. They have a son, who has an undiagnosed ailment that leaves him weak now and then. Ms. Asha Devi wipes a tear and says, “Where should I go now? Should I buy food or medicines?” Ms. Asha Devi works in a steel line. Post the lockdown, the families have got absolutely no support from the government or from their employer…

Deaf In the IDF

June 15, 2020 | Source: Times of Israel

“If you will it, it is no dream” Theodore Herzl Deaf in the IDF? Is that even possible? I would like to tell you the story of a very brave and courageous young lady. Her name is Jenna. Jenna was born deaf and her deafness was largely undetected for about 15 months (they did not do newborn testing in NYC at the time). At 15 months, Jenna received hearing aids and she began to receive services through New York State’s early intervention program. Through early intervention, she attended a special auditory-verbal program designed to teach her to hear and speak…

PEI’s accessible transit service faces big shortfall

June 16, 2020 | Source: CBC- Canada

Pat and the Elephant, P.E.I.’s accessible transit service, delivered some bad news at its annual general meeting Monday night. The service, which has been operating since 1975, missed its budget target by $70,000 for the 2019-20 fiscal year, which ended March 31. That included only two weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. In April and May, ridership was down about 80 per cent. “When the nursing homes closed, and the churches closed, and the restaurants closed, that takes care of a lot of both business and social travelling for people, so it’s been down,” said manager Halbert Pratt…

Residents complain about lack of accessibility for those wheelchair-bound

June 16, 2020 | Source: CTV News- Canada

Llano Gorman has lived in his Glendale Meadows home for more than 30 years. He has had more than a dozen surgeries on his legs, which has made him rely on a wheelchair and electric scooter for mobility. He says accessing sidewalks, or even crossing the street, can be a real challenge. “We shouldn’t – as anybody that needs a ramp – (have to) fight the city for years to get it done,” said Gorman. “It’s ridiculous.” Gorman has wanted the access to wheelchair ramps at many of his neighbourhoods’ intersections, making progress on some, but not others…

Charities for deaf people call for more see-through face masks

June 16, 2020 | Source: The Guardian- UK

Face masks: Where to buy transparent coverings for people with hearing problems

June 18, 2020 | Source: Independent- UK

See-through face masks should be made widely available, leading deaf charities have said, warning that the growing use of face coverings is causing communication difficulties among the 12 million people in the UK who are deaf or have some form of hearing loss. Face coverings must be worn in England on public transport, and by hospital visitors and outpatients, while all hospital staff must wear surgical masks. Face coverings have also been recommended more widely, including in Scotland, in cases where social distancing is difficult…

MHRD digital learning guidelines not adequate for children with disabilities, say experts

June 17, 2020 | Source: Newz Hook- India

The Ministry of Human Resource Development has released Pragyata, a rulebook with guidelines for digital and online education for states. The guidelines, however, do not consider the varying needs and challenges of children with disabilities. That’s the focus on #StoryOfTheWeek. From guidelines for schools, teachers, parents and children, to health and wellness tips, Pragyata, the rulebook released by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has extensive guidelines for digital and online education…

Volunteer scheme that tackles loneliness amongst young disabled people thrives online during pandemic

June 17, 2020 | Source: Charity Today News- UK

A community volunteer scheme, which had to be stopped at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, is now thriving online, with the organiser encouraging more people to come forward to meet growing demand, as many disabled people continue to have to stay indoors. ‘Sense Buddying’, run by the national disability charity Sense, matches a young disabled person with a volunteer to spend time in the local community doing activities. With one in two (53%) disabled people experiencing loneliness, rising to three quarters (77%) of young disabled people, the scheme has been praised for its role in tackling social isolation in society…

Making fashion inclusive and accessible for all abilities

June 17, 2020 | Source: My Business- Australia (Podcast)

Historically, fashion options for the ageing and differently abled population have lacked style, trendiness and sophistication. Just six months ago, Matthew Skerritt established his adaptive clothing business EveryHuman with the goal of breaking down that stigma. In this episode of the MyBusiness Podcast, Matthew joins host Maja Garaca Djurdjevic to share why he decided to move from accounting into business ownership, what motivated him to enter the adaptive space, and how he has been getting the word out about his brand…

Camosun student receives prestigious honour for his work in making the school more accessible for all

June 17, 2020 | Source: Victoria News- Canada

A Greater Victoria student is being honoured for his dedication to helping others and making the world a more accessible place for all. Shane Baker’s work to engage students through sharing circles and his help in creating a citation guide for students with visual impairments, all while completing Camosun College’s Indigenous studies diploma program, has earned him this year’s B.C. Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Inclusion, Democracy and Reconciliation…

The problems social distancing guidelines pose to blind and partially sighted people

June 18, 2020 | Source: Llanelli Herald- UK

A Welsh woman is highlighting the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing guidelines are having on people with sight loss. A survey by eye research charity Fight for Sight has found that two in five respondents with significant sight loss reported finding it difficult to follow social distancing rules as a result, while more than half said their access to food and other products has gotten worse during the pandemic, including access to food deliveries. This has been made more difficult by the fact that blind and partially sighted people are not classed as a vulnerable group, and therefore are not given priority delivery slots…

Coronavirus: Disabled people have been excluded and marginalised, says report

June 18, 2020 | Source: Disability News Service: England

Disabled people have faced discrimination in every area of their lives from the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, new research by a user-led organisation has found. The research by Inclusion London reveals that the COVID-19 crisis is impacting disabled people across every part of their lives. Disability News Service has seen a draft version of an interim report based on the research, Abandoned, Forgotten and Ignored, which concludes: “Despite the government’s rhetoric about protecting and supporting Disabled people, the reality is that during the pandemic we have been treated less fairly and discriminated against across all areas of our lives.”…

First large-scale Irish study on deaf and hard of hearing children’s social and emotional development

June 18, 2020 | Source: DCU- Ireland

Charity highlights face covering issues for people with hearing loss

June 14, 2020 | Source: RTE- Ireland

A research team led by Dr. Elizabeth Mathews in the School of Inclusive and Special Education in DCU is embarking on a national study examining the social and emotional development of deaf and hard of hearing children in the Republic of Ireland. This study is being part-funded by Chime: the National Charity for Deafness and Hearing Loss. It will be the first large scale examination of this topic in Ireland. Much of the international evidence shows that deaf and hard of hearing children can experience more social and emotional difficulties compared with their hearing peers, but we do not know if this is the case in Ireland or not…

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