Accessibility in the News — 8/27/2021.
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AITN Quote of the Week
“My ideal role would be a baddie in a James Bond film. I think the wheelchair and the computer voice would fit the part.”
― Stephen Hawking
The Digital Accessibility Legal Summit 2021
Feature Stories
When Did The Paralympics Start? Here’s A Brief History Of The Games
August 25, 2021 | Source: NPR
Sports for athletes with an impairment have existed for more than a century, the International Paralympic Committee points out. But it wasn’t until after World War II that the official Paralympics began to take shape, out of an effort to help the many veterans and civilians who were injured during that time. German-British neurologist Dr. Ludwig Guttmann (who actually escaped from the Nazis) opened a spinal injuries center at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 1944 at the request of the British government…
National News (U.S.)
More Than 125 Landmarks Around The World Will Be Bathed In Purple For A Night
August 19, 2021 | Source: NPR
Rome’s Colosseum, the London Eye, the Empire State Building and Tokyo’s Skytree tower are among more than 125 landmarks around the world that are being bathed in purple light Thursday night, recognizing the world’s 1.2 billion people with disabilities. The event, a call for inclusion and equal treatment, comes as the Paralympics are set to begin in Tokyo next week. The idea to light the Élysée Palace, Niagara Falls and other iconic places in purple stems from the WeThe15 campaign — named for the 15% of the world’s population who live with disabilities, according to the International Paralympic Committee…
Anastasia Pagonis is battling for her first gold at the Paralympics. On TikTok, she fights to normalize blindness
August 23, 2021 | Source: The Washington Post
Twelve-year-old Anastasia Pagonis’s soccer career had begun to stall. As she put it, “I was getting kicked in the face with the soccer ball too much.” The problem was as simple as it was devastating: Pagonis was losing her vision. Her doctor suggested swimming would be a safer sport, and, after some initial stumbles, she dove in. Now, years after becoming blind, Pagonis is a world record holder and preparing to compete in the Paralympics this week in Tokyo — where more than 4,000 disabled athletes will represent their nations just weeks after the Summer Olympics concluded…
It’s a New Day? EDNY District Court Deviates from Peers Holding That Newspaper’s Website Is Not a Place of Public Accommodation Under Title III of the ADA
August 23, 2021 | Source: Epstein Becker & Green
Last week, in Winegard v. Newsday LLC, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued a decision that may finally tee up the issue of website accessibility to be directly addressed by the Second Circuit and provided businesses without a brick and mortar presence with unexpected relief by dismissing a serial plaintiff’s putative class action lawsuit alleging that a newspaper’s failure to provide closed captions of online videos for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“Title III” or “ADA”)…
Nielsen study: People with disabilities are largely absent from TV advertising
August 23, 2021 | Source: Marketing Brew
There are plenty of examples out there of brands making progress on disability inclusion in their products and marketing. Degree recently created a deodorant stick for the visually impaired and people with upper limb disabilities, and Microsoft wowed Super Bowl audiences in 2019 with its Xbox Adaptive Controller. Many other brands will be eager to tell you about what they’ve done, too. But a Nielsen study released last week suggests there’s a lot of room for improvement…
U.S. Discharges Student Debt for Disability; Broad $10K Lags
August 23, 2021 | Source: Nerd Wallet
The Department of Education announced Aug. 19 that it would automatically discharge federal student loans for 323,000 borrowers who qualify as totally and permanently disabled. Their debt totals $5.8 billion. Those who qualify for the loan discharge have been identified through a data match with the Social Security Administration. Previously, individuals with federal student loans had to apply for a loan discharge by sending in documentation of their disability from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the SSA or a physician…
Global Movement Aims To Improve Lives Of People With Disabilities
August 23, 2021 | Source: Disability Scoop
An ambitious campaign involving groups ranging from the Paralympics to the United Nations is kicking off with a goal of ending discrimination and promoting inclusion of the world’s 1.2 billion people with disabilities. The effort known as WeThe15 — named to honor the estimated 15% of the world’s population living with disabilities — plans to work with governments, businesses and the public to increase disability visibility and acceptance. The launch of the initiative is timed to coincide with the start of the Paralympic Games Tuesday in Tokyo…
Justice Department Enters Agreement to Ensure Public Transportation for Passengers with Disabilities in the County of Hawaii
August 24, 2021 | Source: Department of Justice
The Justice Department entered into a settlement agreement with the County of Hawaii and the County’s Mass Transit Agency (MTA) to resolve an investigation conducted under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under the agreement, the County and MTA must make their transit services, including Hele-On, the buses used by the majority of riders, accessible to passengers with disabilities. The agreement requires the County and MTA to ensure that passengers with disabilities have lifts to board buses; paratransit users are provided timely pick-ups and drop-offs; and bus stops are accessible…
New York Theater Leaders Agree on a New Deal for Broadway
August 24, 2021 | Source: ABC News
A wide Broadway coalition of theater owners, producers, union leaders, creators and casting directors have hammered out a series of reforms and commitments for the theater industry to ensure equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. The New Deal for Broadway emerged following a summit of industry leaders organized by Black Theatre United earlier this year. It outlines reforms that are short-term — to be implemented prior to Broadway’s reopening this fall — and long-term over the next few years…
Agencies’ online forms lack required interactive features
August 24, 2021 | Source: GCN & FCW
Although the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA), passed in 2018, required executive agencies to create online versions for any paper-based forms “related to serving the public” by December 2020, many still aren’t fully compliant. In a new report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank for science and tech policy, a random sample of 1,348 forms from 15 executive agencies found that only 2% were fully compliant with IDEA. One fifth of the forms were completely noncompliant…
5 Disability Bills In Congress To Watch
August 14, 2021 | Source: Forbes
It’s usually easier to advocate for disability rights and justice when the issue at hand is close and personal. It’s harder to maintain the same optimism, commitment, and focus when it comes to large-scale disability policy and legislation. It seems like Congress should be the ideal place to bring about real, substantial change affecting the whole American disability community. Something is always happening on disability issues in Washington. But it’s surprisingly hard for most people with disabilities to keep up with it all, much less maintain a clear set of workable priorities…
Marlee Matlin and her unyielding fight against ableist Hollywood
August 24, 2021 | Source: Far Out Magazine
Marlee Matlin is an American actress who is the youngest and only deaf performer to have received an Academy Award for Best Actress due to her brilliant performance in the 1986 film Children of a Lesser God. An author of her autobiography I’ll Scream Later and dedicated deaf activist, Matlin paved the way for performers who had the same condition and has repeatedly lashed out against discrimination and ableism to create a safer space for her community. She refuses to be treated with pity or sympathy or considered handicapped and communicates via the American Sign Language, aided by her longtime collaborator and interpreter, Jack Jason…
“Autism is not a disease — it’s a disability”: Journalist Eric Garcia debunks autism myths
August 22, 2021 | Source: Salon
2021 has, in its own strange way, brought autism issues front and center. First there was the ongoing debate about COVID-19 vaccines, which partially drew on the vaccine skepticism that has existed for years because of the myth that certain inoculations cause autism. Then there was the February release of “Music,” a film by international pop star Sia that aroused outrage from many autistic commentators for its stereotypical and offensive depictions. In March, Alek Minassian, a terrorist who killed 10 people with a van in Toronto, tried to use autism as an excuse for his actions…
An Inaccessible Government Means Nothing
August 25, 2021 | Source: The Daily Utah Chronicle
This August, a biennial report from the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights highlighted the U.S. Capitol’s inaccessibility. It identified 1,996 barriers within the Capitol complex, excluding the Hart Senate Office Building. The report also deemed eight barriers as “whole facility” barriers because they appear throughout the entire complex. Unfortunately, not many people have discussed this astounding report. The current rhetoric and action around accessible government buildings must be improved. Democracy and accessibility go hand in hand, and we can’t let accessibility issues remain invisible…
The Era of Easier Voting for Disabled People Is Over
August 25, 2021 | Source: The Atlantic
It’s long been difficult for Americans with disabilities to vote. Inaccessible paths are an obstacle to people who use wheelchairs. Long lines are a huge hurdle to people with chronic pain. Voting machines without audio or large-print ballots are an impediment to those who are blind or who have low vision. But last year, something different happened: As states passed pandemic-driven reforms to make voting easier for everyone, they inadvertently made voting a lot easier for most people with disabilities…
Broadening the Right to Sue
August 25, 2021 | Source: Inside Higher Ed
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that two blind students have the right to use disparate impact theory — which requires plaintiffs only to show that a policy has a disparate impact on them, not that it was intentional — in a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Community College District. If the ruling is upheld, a lawyer for the National Federation of the Blind, which joined the case, said it would be much easier to win discrimination cases based on disability. Joseph B. Espo, the lawyer, said, “People won’t need to prove there was an intent to cause harm,” and that will make cases much easier to win…
Hoodies and zippers make life harder for people with disabilities. Social Surge’s adaptive, gender-neutral clothing looks to ‘flip the script’.
August 25, 2021 | Source: Chicago Tribune
You may think nothing about putting on a hoodie when you need or want to, but for some people its design may still prove difficult to manage. Zippers that are hard to grab, pockets that don’t sit in the right spot, pieces of clothing that, if you’re blind, you can’t tell what color they are. Meredith Wells, a singer/dancer/writer and Lincoln Park resident is one of four co-founders of Social Surge, a new clothing brand centered on accessibility for everybody — specifically people with disabilities and the gender nonconforming community…
It’s Time to Include Disability in All Corporate Diversity Requirement
August 25, 2021 | Source: Newsweek
When the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission gave the green light to Nasdaq for its new board diversity reporting initiative, it rightfully included women, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals. But people with disabilities were left out. As a childhood bone cancer survivor, amputee and disability rights lawyer, I view this decision as the latest snub for the 33 million working-age people with disabilities in corporate America. Several states, including California, Maryland, Illinois and New York, also failed to include disability from board diversity-related requirements for companies headquartered in those states…
I Have Multiple Sclerosis. It Takes Courage To Disclose It To The World
August 26, 2021 | Source: HuffPost
“Have you heard of Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?” The question lingered in the room like an uninvited guest. For years I had dealt with interludes of peripheral numbness and tingling up my body to chronic fatigue and leg spasms. Even though I finally had answers, at the time receiving an MS diagnosis at 32 felt like a part of me had died. My perceptions were based on misconceptions and fear. MS is a progressive neurological disease affecting the central nervous system. Our immune systems are slowly destroying the protective layer of the nerves, causing irreparable damage in the form of “lesions” or scar tissue…
How the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) helps older adults
August 26, 2021 | Source: Pioneer
On July 26, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) celebrated its 31st year. This civil rights law was designed to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to work, education, and their community. As we age our needs likely change. For many this could lead to a decrease in mobility, vision, and/or their hearing. From the ADA National Network, “More than 30% of Americans over age 65 have some kind of disability, and over 50% of those over age 75. These may range from difficulties seeing and hearing to walking and thinking…
Growing Up Is Hard, Especially For Young People With Disabilities
August 26, 2021 | Source: Disability Scoop
The way 25-year-old Essence Guss of Pomona describes growing up captures the way many young people feel about the transition. “Being an adult is hard,” she said. But along with the typical challenges of “adulting,” as millennials often call it, like working and paying rent, Guss has cerebral palsy and related conditions including an intellectual delay, seizures and deafness in her left ear. She also has PTSD and severe anxiety. Through it all, she’s held onto her job at a 99 Cents Only Store near the home she shares with her family and pays her mother $100 per week to cover rent…
Celebrating Differences: Success and supports for children with hearing loss
August 26, 2021 | Source: Metro Family
When Alex Hernandez’s newborn baby failed her hearing screening 15 years ago, he wasn’t overly concerned and neither were doctors. Alex received a pamphlet from Lily’s pediatrician who encouraged the family to visit a specialist. Initially, Alex thought it was a situation they could wait out to see how Lily’s hearing developed before considering the next steps. Now, he’s incredibly grateful the professionals with Hearts for Hearing, then called Hearing Enrichment Language Program (HELP), encouraged him to seek a solution immediately…
Jack Fact — According to AARP, over 61% of employees in America over 45 have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace. 38% of people believe it’s common to see ageism.
Hit The Road Jack — Making NJ beaches more accessible to people in wheelchairs & The best cruise lines for wheelchair users and passengers with limited mobility
International News
Paralympians say 1964 Tokyo Games changed perceptions of disability
August 22, 2021 | Source: Kyodo News- Japan
Tokyo’s first Paralympics, in 1964, helped change societal perspectives on people with disabilities in Japan, driving a paradigm shift from pity to empowerment, according to two para athletes who took part in Asia’s first Summer Games. Hideo Kondo, who competed in archery and wheelchair basketball among other sports in 1964, said the event was a life-changing experience. He was exposed to the chasm between what it meant to be a Japanese para athlete at the time and how overseas athletes viewed themselves and were viewed by others…
10 Paralympic athletes from Team GB to watch out for at Tokyo 2020
August 23, 2021 | Source: Disability Horizons- Japan
Tokyo Paralympics 2020: Will Games result in better accessibility and inclusion in Japan?
August 24, 2021 | Source: Firstpost- Japan
The World Games 2022 is the most accessible sporting event ever—why it matters
August 24, 2021 | Source: Bham Now
Tokyo Paralympics: The lowdown on being disabled in Japan
August 24, 2021 | Source: BBC- Japan
The rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are finally here, and we are all very excited here at Disability Horizons HQ. Almost 230 Paralympic athletes from 19 sports are expected to make up the British team that will compete in Japan. Ahead of the opening ceremony, we wanted to share our pick of Paralympic athletes from Team GB that you should watch out for and support over the next two weeks. Plus, check out our exclusive interviews with Paralympic athletes from Team GB that we’ve published during the lead up to Tokyo 2020…
People with disabilities encouraged to join the JCPD
August 24, 2021 | Source: Jamaica Observer- Jamaica
Individuals with physical and mental impairments are being encouraged to register with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) to access several available benefits. Speaking recently on ‘Get the Facts’, a JIS television programme, Executive Director, Dr Christine Hendricks, informed that the Council can facilitate members with grant aid of up to $250,000 to acquire assistive devices and implements, if and where these cannot be provided directly from the entity’s supplies…
How not-for-profits need to overcome the digital divide
August 25, 2021 | Source: Fundraising & Philanthropy Magazine- Australia
It’s 25 August 2021 and it would be fair to say the current COVID-19 situation feels… precarious. When the current lockdowns will end, no one knows (the numbers are certainly headed in the wrong direction at this moment). Irrespective of which state or territory you live in, the chances that you’re working from home, or navigating a child’s remote learning, or both, is far greater than 18 months ago. Now, more than ever in history, we are reliant on access to technology, the internet and digital communications to help us work, learn, connect and manage almost every aspect of our lives…
Neuron Trials ‘Warning Noise’ On E-scooters In Canadian-First Initiative to Reassure the Accessibility Community
August 25, 2021 | Source: Yahoo- Canada
Safety-leading e-scooter operator, Neuron Mobility, announced today the launch of a trial in Ottawa — the first of its kind in Canada — to test the impact of an always-on ‘warning noise’ on its e-scooters to help alert pedestrians, particularly those with vision loss, that an e-scooter is approaching. The trial, which begins this week, will see 30 of Neuron’s distinctive “safety orange” e-scooters being updated with an Audio Vehicle Alert System. Following extensive consultation with Ottawa’s vision loss community, the company will test a number of different variations, starting with intermittent beeps, which will be evaluated over the coming weeks and months…
InsideJapan Tours to up focus on accessible trips
August 26, 2021 | Source: Travel Trade Gazette- Japan
The specialist has been working with Tokyo resident Josh Grisdale, founder of Accessible Travel, to develop and finesse its offering for travellers with disabilities. Earlier this year, it launched its self-guided 10-night wheelchair accessible Golden Route trip, which leads in from £3,330pp. It includes 10 nights’ accommodation in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, as well as transport, private guiding and wheelchair accessible transport around Mt Fuji, Kyoto and Nara national park…
City considering app to help visually impaired people with everyday tasks
August 26, 2021 | Source: CBC- Canada
London, Ont., could become the first to adopt an app that would almost instantly match people who are visually impaired with specialists to assist them with everyday tasks. During Thursday’s accessibility advisory committee meeting, specialists are presenting a proposal for the city to pilot the Be My Eyes app. The free app connects people who are visually impaired with sighted volunteers and specialists for visual assistance through a live video call…
Cinemas, autism and accessibility
August 26, 2021 | Source: The Guardian- UK
Peter Bradshaw is quite right that many people still love the “democracy and equality” of going to the cinema together (After the intermission: films are back in cinemas – but will the crowds return too?, 24 August). However, this only applies if screenings are actually accessible to all. People with autism or other sensory issues can be put off trips to the cinema if the foyer environment and ticket-purchasing experience (including issues such as lighting) are too overwhelming and stressful, or if staff are not trained in autism awareness…
HSBC UK uses new card designs in bid for greater accessibility
August 26, 2021 | Source: Tearsheet- UK
HSBC UK has announced a new range of redesigned credit and debit cards. The new designs are intended to make banking more accessible to people with dementia, visual impairments, color blindness, learning difficulties and dyslexia. HSBC worked with The Alzheimer’s Society to design and develop the new cards. These cards boast three key new features: an arrow printed on the top of the card and a carved notch at the bottom, to indicate which way the card is to be inserted; tactile dots to tell apart different kinds of cards; and, flat printed cards with bigger font and high-contrast colors, for ease of readability and preventing the details from fading…
What are the 6 disability groups in the Paralympics and what do the C1-C5 classifications mean?
August 26, 2021 | Source: Metro- UK
With the Paralympic Games underway, fans can pick up right where the Tokyo Olympics left off. Expect to witness huge sporting achievements and people smashing world records across a myriad of events, including archery, athletics, judo, powerlifting and more as Team GB hope to recreate the impressive performance had at the Olympic Games. Determining whether an athlete is eligible to compete in certain events, each sport has its own set of classifications, usually focusing on at least one of the following 10 eligible impairments…
‘Why Nigerians neglect auditory health, stigmatise deaf people’
August 26, 2021 | Source: Guardian- Nigeria
You emphasised the need to enhance the drive for the implementation of auditory health in Nigeria and Africa and you want policymakers to change the narrative of hearing loss and deafness, can you tell us more?
Definitely, Nigeria is a very noisy place. I believe Africa as a whole is very noisy and we do not take good care of our hearing health, let alone our health in general. People do not understand the effect and impact of hearing loss and noise pollution to our hearing…
COVID-19 Resources and Information
- Paying for Their Own Safety- Inside Higher Ed
- FDA Paves Way for College Vaccine Mandates- Inside Higher Ed
- Surging Delta Cases Reverse the World’s March Back to the Office- Bloomberg
- Education in a Pandemic- The Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 on America’s Students – DOE (PDF)
- These Older Workers Hadn’t Planned To Retire So Soon. The Pandemic Sped Things Up- NPR
- Stitch Fix Took Away Flexible Scheduling For Employees. Hundreds Of Them Just Quit.- BuzzFeed
- Facebook Confirms Its Horizon Workrooms VR App Works With Recent Oculus Accessibility Features- Forbes
- Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says vaccine requirements at businesses and universities are ‘a very reasonable thing to do’- Yahoo
Accessibility Blogs and Information
- Captioning Videos FAQ- Meryl Evans
- Podcast: AI and Workplace Inclusion- PEAT
- Accessibility Internet Rally (AIR)- Knowbility
- Why Web Design Has Gotten So Complicated- Forbes
- Resources For Building Accessible Tables- Digital A11Y
- Choosing The Right Disabled Users For Testing- Ken Nakata
- Reviewing a design for accessibility- The Accessibility Project
- Mariella Paulino (CAS ‘12), Founder of Project Hearing- NYU
- UX = Accessibility & Accessibility = UX- Gareth Ford Williams
- Labor Force – Employing the Disabled- Cristina Silingardi- VCFO
- Easy steps to make digital content accessible- Charity Digital News
- Ad Audris Adds Accessibility to the Quaker Campus- Whittier College
- How to avoid Twitter’s latest accessibility mistakes- Sheri Byrne-Haber
- Your Questions on Designing for Digital Accessibility Answered- UsableNet
- U.S. Federal Appeals Court Slams Unethical ADA Practice- Lainey Feingold
- 3 Major Disability-Focused Changes Coming Soon That We Love- The Mighty
- New resource focuses on accessibility, universal design for learning – Nebraska Today
- Tax Credit Available to Small Businesses for Making Websites ADA Compliant- Spencer Fane
- How to Keep Calm and Carry on When Captions Disappear During a Live Webinar- Meryl Evans
- 5 Easy Ways To Make Your Social Media Content More Accessible- European Broadcasting Union
- Feeding the soul and the mind: How KDL serves lifelong learners in the aging population- Rapid Growth
- Keep moving to avoid having your feet held to the fire | Public Sector Executive- Public Sector Executive
- After mixed experiences with distance learning, disabled California college students want flexibility- EdSource
- NCDJ releases updated disability language style guide- Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
- P.A. 102-0238 takes effect August 1, 2022, and requires that any third-party online curriculum that is made available to enrolled students by a school district through the internet is readily accessible to persons with disabilities.
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- Google Announces Seismic Change to Docs
- The Zero Project 2022 Shortlist Is Announced!
- Taryn Williams Confirmed as ODEP Assistant Secretary
- Twitter tones down new buttons after complaints of eye strain
- ‘Accessible’ and ‘inclusive’ music festival coming to Oxfordshire
- 3 Major Disability-Focused Changes Coming Soon That We Love
- Disability And Neurodiversity Read In Color Recommended Reads
- Updated district homepage improves visitor experience, accessibility
- Access Ready Speaks Out at Maryland Election Officials Conference
- More Than Half of U.S. Counties Were Smaller in 2020 Than in 2010
- Google Exploring Use of Facial Expressions to Control Android Phones
- iFit Announces a New Closed-Captioning Feature: Here’s Why It’s Important
- Jabra’s new true wireless earphones are designed to help you deal with deafness
- Charleston Airport to receive $84K federal grant to improve disability accommodations
- ‘Designed for accessibility:’ new Meridian library layout is centered around accessibility
- U.S. Access Board Launches New Site for the ICT Testing Baseline for Web Accessibility
- Disability Action Hall candidate forum tackles accessibility, affordability issues in Calgary
- Robot uses Tactile Sign Language to Help Deaf-Blind People Communicate Independently
- Kajeet Strengthens Sentinel Platform with New Accessibility Features, Furthering Digital Inclusion
- These Smart Home Devices Can Enhance Independence for People With Disabilities and Mobility Needs
- Crawford Technologies Introduces AccessibilityNow® Validator Tool Quickly Validates Document Accessibility Compliance
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- How to Get Twitter’s Old Design Back
- Tips for Making HTML Lists Accessible
- Just what is a good Alternative Description?
- 5 often overlooked videogame accessibility features
- How AI is Changing the Face of Modern Web Design for Retailers
- Most games today still hide common, avoidable accessibility issues
- Xbox Adaptive Controller inventor says gaming accessibility has hit “a plateau”
- Can EA Opening Up Its Accessibility Patents Herald A New Era In Inclusive Gaming?
- EA’s Patent Pledge will give competitors free access to accessibility technology & EA is opening the patents for some of its accessibility tech
Accessibility Statements
- QILT
- Insider Inc.
- Tenably Labs
- British Geological Survey
- Mount Allison University
- Adult First Check Service
- Australia Council for the Arts
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles
- The University of Maryland Engineering for US All
- UK’s National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI)
- Accessibility in the News: Accessibility Statement Pages
Microassist Digital Accessibility Services
Have you received an accessibility demand letter because of your website or application? Please contact us for any questions you have about our accessibility services and how we might support your organization.
Services include:
- Accessible Website and Application Development— We rely heavily on accessibility best practices and using HTML5 and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) standards to build WCAG-compliant and human-tested accessible environments. Our teams are proficient in open source technologies such as WordPress, Drupal and Moodle, as well as custom frameworks in .NET, PHP, AngularJS, and other frameworks. Our Learning and Development team can also help you create accessible custom training.
- Accessible Document Services— Whether you’re dealing with a few or a warehouse of Microsoft Office documents, PDFs, or other files, there are several ways Microassist can enable your team to offer documents and materials that meet stringent accessibility standards.
- Accessibility Remediation— Our accessibility remediation services help you fix existing materials so that they conform to WCAG, Section 504 and 508, Department of Education OCR, and ADA Title II/III requirements. We remediate websites, applications, documents, and elearning, recommending re-creation when that is more efficient and economical. Especially for website and applications, to find out what is in need of remediation, we’ll start with an Accessibility Audit.
- Accessibility Training— With several courses available for developers, testers, and content creators, your team can become equipped to consistently and expertly produce accessible digital products and online environments.
- VPAT®Evaluation Services— Primarily used by government purchasers and government vendors during the procurement and sale of ICT products and services under Section 508, a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® (VPAT) attests to the accessibility of a given product or service. Contact us to make sure the VPAT you write or review is accurate and meaningful.
Learn More About Digital Accessibility
Our Digital Accessibility Digest blog covers our Accessibility in the News archives as well as expert commentaries on digital accessibility issues.
Our most popular commentaries include:
- The WCAG 2.1 Update: A Brief Look at What’s Changed
- Introducing VPAT®0, the More Stringent Accessibility Reporting Tool Required for Government IT Procurement
- Accessibility in the News, Legal Edition: Updates on ADA Title III News and More
- What Lawyers Need to Know: A Primer on Digital Accessibility Terms and Today’s Legal Landscape
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