Accessibility in the News — 10/8/2021.

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“I am thankful to all those who said no. It’s because of them, I did it myself.” ― Albert Einstein

The Global Conference: How Businesses Empower Accessibility and Why They Should

October 12-14, 2021

Feature Stories

People with disabilities face more barriers accessing COVID-19 vaccine, CDC data shows

October 2, 2021 | Source: FOX 5 DC

American adults with disabilities have lower COVID-19 vaccination rates than people without a disability and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it’s not because people with disabilities don’t want the jabs. Data shows people with disabilities, such as difficulty seeing, hearing or walking, are more likely to want a COVID-19 vaccine than not. But it also reveals a troubling statistic: This demographic has a harder time accessing the vaccines…

United States Reaches Agreements with New York State and Local Government Agencies to Improve Accessibility to Covid-19 Vaccination Websites for People with Vision Impairments

October 5, 2021 | Source: DOJ & Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, today announced agreements pursuant to Title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (the “ADA”), with five New York State and local government agencies to fix accessibility barriers for people with visual impairments on their COVID-19 vaccination websites. Pursuant to Title II of the ADA, the United States Attorney’s Office investigated the vaccination websites for New York State’s Department of Health, the City of New York’s Department of Health, New York City Health + Hospitals, Nassau County, and Suffolk County…

National News (U.S.)

A Gene-Editing Experiment Let These Patients With Vision Loss See Color Again

September 29, 2021 | Source: NPR

Carlene Knight’s vision was so bad that she couldn’t even maneuver around the call center where she works using her cane. “I was bumping into the cubicles and really scaring people that were sitting at them,” says Knight, who was born with a rare genetic eye disease. But that’s changed as a result of volunteering for a landmark medical experiment. Her vision has improved enough for her to make out doorways, navigate hallways, spot objects and even see colors…

Justice Department eyes Texas mask mandate ban in lawsuit from disabled students

October 1, 2021 | Source: ABC News & The New York Times

The Justice Department filed a new statement of interest in a case involving disabled students in Texas who say they are at a heightened risk of catching COVID-19 because of the state’s ban on mask mandates in public schools. “The serious adverse consequences on students with certain disabilities is readily foreseeable. Some parents of children at heightened COVID-19 risk will likely keep their children at home—even though the children could safely attend school if mask protocols could be put in place,” the department said in the filing…

30 Years After the ADA, We’re Still Fighting for Disability Justice

October 1, 2021 | Source: In These Times

“Oh, we don’t have closed captions for this.” I felt the disappointment in my stomach. Later that same week, I went to another online poetry event — for the first few minutes. I left once it became apparent closed captions weren’t available there either. I have visual and auditory disabilities, making closed captions the easiest accommodation for me to participate in live Zoom events. When the pandemic began in 2020, I remember nondisabled people saying how “inconvenient” it was to adjust to living in a socially distant world where virtual events replaced in-person events…

Deaf Man Arrested, Jailed For 4 Months After He Couldn’t Hear Police Commands: Lawsuit

October 1, 2021 | Source: Huff Post

Two years ago, Brady Mistic of Colorado was approached by a pair of police officers, who’d followed him into a parking lot after he allegedly ran a stop sign. Mistic, then 24, did not comply with the officers’ demands. He had no idea what they were saying to him, according to his attorney, because he is deaf in both ears and does not lip-read, communicating primarily through American Sign Language. The subsequent encounter would lead to Mistic suing the officers, the city of Idaho Springs and the Clear Creek County Board of Commissioners…

A closer look: Springfield woman tells about living with blindness

October 2, 2021 | Source: KSNF/KODE

According to the CDC, 61 million adults in the United States – or 26% – live with a disability. Of those individuals, 4.6% are vision impaired. So what’s it like navigating the world without the gift of proper sight? Springfield local, 28-year-old Carolyn McGhee is partially sighted. She has some vision but cannot see the details of someone’s face sitting right across from her, for example, and the vision in each eye is different. “My left eye is like looking through a pair of binoculars backwards and basically only covers what’s missing on the right eye,” said McGhee…

‘You get everything back’: Adaptive hunting organization makes hunting accessible to all

October 2, 2021 | Source: WZZM 13

Sitting at a whiteboard, Carson Nyenhuis and Searra Inman discuss the plan for the evening. After ending their morning hunt empty-handed, they’re hoping to come back with a deer to show for the night. Both Inman and Nyenhuis are wheelchair bound. Having each survived motorcycle accidents, they share a bond over their paralysis, but also their love for hunting and the outdoors. In the recovery after his accident, Nyenhuis became depressed, unsure how he would carry on and missing his old life…

Parents: Capital Region needs more inclusive playgrounds

October 3, 2021 | Source: Yahoo News

An international company that tests the accesibility and safety of surface materials under playgrounds is expected to release new guidelines this week. The measures that the American Society for Testing and Materials come up with are then referenced by the Access Board, which in turn sets the standards for Americans With Disability Act compliance, said Bill Botten, the training coordinator at the U.S. Access Board. Botten’s specialty is looking at issues surrounding recreational facilities and outdoor spaces…

Equality Act Could Undermine Business Defendants In Web Access Suits

October 4, 2021 | Source: Cato Institute

There’s probably no issue of regulation on which I’ve been sounding the alarm for a longer time than on web accessibility, as it’s called. Many disabled‐rights advocates believe it should be, or already is, a violation of federal law for a business or a professional practice to post content online that is not fully accessible. That means, fitted out with video captions and action descriptions, alternative text, or alternative navigation methods for the benefit of potential users who are blind, deaf, or lacking in the fine motor skills needed to control a mouse, to name but three user groups…

Beauty For All Bodies

October 5, 2021 | Source: Woman’s Health

POV: You’ve just left (insert favorite beauty retailer) with a fresh new lipstick in your go-to shade, and you swipe it on in the rearview mirror before even leaving the parking lot. It’s a simple indulgence that many people take for granted, but being able to see the packaging, open the cap, grasp the tube, and even successfully make your way through the store (or navigate the e-commerce site) is a privilege. While beauty as a whole has undergone a revolution in recent years (expansions of shade ranges, more shelf space for brands owned by people of color, and better representation in marketing), people with disabilities have been largely left out of the conversation…

Creating Opportunities For People With Disabilities In STEM Careers

October 5, 2021 | Source: Forbes

Professionals with disabilities often face considerable difficulties in the workforce, specifically in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In my view as the founder of a firm that helps companies strategically include people with disabilities, some of the reasons for this are a lack of confidence on the part of technology companies in embracing people with disabilities, in addition to a lack of awareness and belief in the ability of these people in the domain of STEM…

What’s house-hunting in Oakland like when you have a disability?

October 5, 2021 | Source: The Oaklandside

When Stephen Beard was looking to buy a home in the Bay Area about 20 years ago, he worked with a real estate agent who was generally good at her job but didn’t know how to find him a house that met his particular needs. Beard has cerebral palsy and uses a cane for balance, so living somewhere without features that get in the way of his mobility—like high thresholds at the bottom of doorways, which are easy to stumble over—is critical. The house-hunting experience was frustrating but also inspiring for Beard, who figured that his own background could put him in a good position to help others like him find accessible places to live…

Don’t forget people with disabilities in inclusive language efforts, report says

October 6, 2021 | Source: HR Dive

Even companies committed to diversity, equity and inclusion may be getting accessibility wrong for people with disabilities. The missing piece? Inclusive language. In a September 2021 audit, B2B research firm Forrester found that many companies shy away from DEI conversations for fear of “othering” people. While the report mostly talks about front-facing DEI commitments, employers also can apply Forrester’s accessibility tips to internal communications…

New York City Adopts Zoning Rules to Advance Transit Accessibility

October 7, 2021 | Source: NYC.gov

Mayor Bill de Blasio, the New York City Council, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced the approval of Elevate Transit: Zoning for Accessibility, a collaboration between the MTA, City Council, the Department of City Planning (DCP) and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) to boost New York City’s push to make its transit system fully accessible. The initiative will allow the MTA to leverage planned private development to achieve a fully accessible transit system faster, while saving taxpayer dollars as the MTA faces financial challenges caused by the ongoing pandemic…

Judge Approves ADA Class Action Settlement Against Eyewear Company Over Website’s Lack of Visibility

October 7, 2021 | Source: The Legal Intelligencer

A federal judge has approved a class action settlement between visually impaired plaintiffs and an eyewear company under the Americans with Disabilities Act over claims that its website was not accessible to those with poor vision. U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Lanzillo of the Western District of Pennsylvania granted lead plaintiff Anthony Murphy’s unopposed motion to certify class for settlement purposes and for preliminary approval of class action settlement. The suit was brought by Murphy on behalf of similarly situated class members against online eyewear retailer Eyebobs…

Colorado Edition: Accessibility in the great outdoors; rebuilding Grand Lake; the role of identity in food journalism

October 7, 2021 | Source: KUNC (Podcast)

When the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, the legislation didn’t necessarily address making recreation areas more accessible for people with disabilities. KUNC’s Henry Zimmerman spoke with the director of the Rocky Mountain ADA Center, Emily Shuman, to learn about progress over the last 31 years. He also took us to a camp in Park County that has been working to address accessibility in the environment since the mid-1980s. 5280 Magazine, based in Denver, is known for its coverage of Colorado’s culture and food scene…

Kansas student with disabilities fighting for better accessibility on Washburn’s campus

October 7, 2021 | Source: KSNT

A Kansas student with physical disabilities is calling for more accessibility on campus. Daija Coleman is a senior education major at Washburn University. She spends a lot of time in the Carnegie education building, Washburn’s oldest existing building. However, because she uses a wheelchair to get around, it can be a difficult process. So, she created a petition, pushing for a new home for education majors in a building that’s accessible to every student.

“I believe that everyone should have access and to an education and as a teacher myself, I will do everything in my power to make sure that everyone has equal and accessible education,” Coleman said…

CRISPR partially restores vision in colorblind people

October 7, 2021 | Source: Freethink

For the first time, scientists have used CRISPR to edit the DNA inside a person’s eye. CRISPR has been lauded for its ability to change DNA sequences in cells. But, until recently, those cells needed to be removed from the body and edited in a lab, then reinfused somehow. But editing an otherwise healthy cell while still in the human body allows scientists to cure diseases caused by genetic mutations in organs they couldn’t otherwise access — including eye problems…

Study finds that adults who stutter don’t stutter when they’re alone

October 7, 2021 | Source: NYU

The “talk-alone-effect”—the phenomenon in which people who stutter don’t stutter when they are alone—has been noted in anecdotal reports but until now, has not been supported by evidence. A new study in the Journal of Fluency Disorders, led by NYU Steinhardt Professor Eric S. Jackson explores the talk-alone-effect among people who stutter, and how social pressure and the perception of a listener may influence speech. In the article, “Adults who stutter do not stutter during private speech,” the authors conclude that the talk-alone-effect is real and that the perception of being heard by a listener plays a key role in whether a person stutters…

Jack Fact — The Disability Living Foundation estimates there are now 11.8 million people aged 65 or over in the UK. The number of people aged 65+ is projected to rise by over 40 per cent (40.77%) in the next 17 years to over 16 million. By 2033 the number of people aged 85 and over is projected to more than double again to reach 3.2 million, and to account for 5 per cent of the total population.

Hit The Road Jack — Wheelchair accessible destinations to visit this fall & The best accessible beaches in New Zealand & Accessible Travel Press

International News

Campaign gives children with disabilities chance to trick-or-treat without barriers

October 2, 2021 | Source: CBC News- Canada

For nine-year-old Gabriel Nikolakakis, Halloween has not always been a holiday he could participate in easily because of his limited mobility, but one organization is helping to change that by creating accessible trick-or-treating neighbourhoods, one home at a time. Treat Accessibly hosted an accessible trick-or-treat event Saturday for children with disabilities to offer a unique, barrier-free Halloween village. Children from the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital joined others from Weston Village in on Queens Drive for the inclusive experience…

Blind banker makes food apps serve inclusion

October 3, 2021 | Source: Times of India

The Covid-induced lockdown made most of us a little more dependent on our apps, but Aziz Minat faced a challenge that went beyond the pandemic. The 29-year-old blind banker, who stays alone in Ahmedabad, found it difficult to manoeuvre through the interface of food delivery apps, making life tougher. However, refusing to give up, he took up the cause and ensured that at least two of the main food delivery apps in the country change their apps to make it easily accessible for disabled people…

Beyond the blind spot

October 3, 2021 | Source: The New Indian Express- India

Try this. Cook an omelette using an egg in seven minutes. Easy, right? Now, cook an omelette in seven minutes, with your eyes closed. Stumped? Well, that’s what Payal Kapoor is trying to teach the visually impaired through her podcasts and YouTube tutorials. “Cooking without looking,” is what she works on. Kapoor, who is completely blind, has bagged the NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Awards 2021 for creating an impact in accessibility and universal design. The award received last week in a virtual event honours individuals and organisations who work for persons with disabilities…

After 18 trying months, blind Nova Scotians say their pandemic needs haven’t been met

October 3, 2021 | Source: CBC- Canada

Constantly changing pandemic restrictions and requirements have proven to be an increasing source of frustration for people who are blind or visually impaired. Physical distancing instructions and directional signs are of little use to people who can’t see them, and calls for clearer online guidance from individual businesses don’t always get a response. Louise Gillis, president of the Canadian Council of the Blind, said people who are blind often have to give up their independence to arrange for COVID-19 testing and vaccinations…

Digital access for senior citizens should be a priority

October 3, 2021 | Source: Citizen- South Africa

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu says access to digital and virtual infrastructure by older persons is government’s priority. Zulu was speaking at the launch of Social Development Month. The month-long campaign was launched under the theme, “Delivering DSD Services during COVID-19 in the Year of Charlotte Maxeke”. “Indeed, the meaningful accessibility of today’s digital and virtual infrastructure by older persons is our government’s priority, as our broadcasting platforms are well on course migrating from analogue to digital,” Zulu said…

Wheelchair user worries she won’t be able to bathe in emergency housing

October 4, 2021 | Source: Stuff- New Zealand

A wheelchair user says she might not be able to bathe if she ends up in emergency housing, after being given 63 days’ notice at a private rental. Dawn Eyles and her husband must leave their home of two years in Ōtaki, on the Kāpiti Coast, because the landlord decided to move in himself. The bathroom at that property was modified into a wet room – an accessible shower with a large, open floor area – giving them “a false sense of security that we would be here for a long time”…

Reviewing sports inclusivity at U of T for students with disabilities

October 3, 2021 | Source: The Varsity- Canada

In early September this year, the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games concluded with Canada winning 21 medals. Despite COVID-19 having led to the postponement of the games and making training nearly impossible, a record-breaking 4,403 athletes participated in the Paralympics. The president of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons, said that the Paralympics are needed now more than ever to place disability at the forefront of the inclusion discourse, and it seems that, with the Paralympics’ astonishing 4.25 billion viewers, such inclusion may be very possible…

Why must we fight for basic accessibility?

October 3, 2021 | Source: The Hamilton Spectator- Canada

People with disabilities have to fight for basic accessibility every day – and it’s exhausting! I live with a disability that requires me to use crutches to get around. I work as a dance educator with students that have various disabilities. I’ve learned first-hand that ‘accessibility’ is a word that is thrown around plenty but largely ignored in practice. It’s time this changed. We live in a society with so much abundance of knowledge and experience to create accessible spaces for all, yet we are still so far behind…

How online education worked in favour of people with disabilities

October 4, 2021 | Source: The Week- India

When we talk about equity and inclusion in education, there are few stories on how students with disabilities faced up to learning challenges in a pandemic. The ones that are there rightly point to how COVID-19 adversely impacted the education of children with special needs, especially students from rural areas. According to survey results released last year in December by a community-based organisation called Swabhiman, about 43 per cent of students with disabilities are planning to drop out of schools because of impediments caused by online education…

Pandemic challenges for the deaf

October 4, 2021 | Source: Newsday- Trinidad & Tobago

Life for the deaf and hard of hearing has changed significantly in the past half-century. However, living with deafness or being hard of hearing still comes with its challenges. New technologies, therapies, advocacy and support provide solutions for many individuals. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports more than five per cent of the world’s population has disabling hearing loss, which requires rehabilitation, support and/or advocacy. It is estimated that more than 700 million people, or one in ten people, will have disabling hearing loss by 2050…

Ensuring All Iraqis with Disabilities Are Able to Vote

October 5, 2021 | Source: Relief Web- Iraq

Next week, Iraq will hold parliamentary elections, but many people with disabilities are effectively denied their right to vote due to discriminatory legislation and inaccessible polling places. Iraq, plagued by decades of violence and war, has one of the world’s largest populations of people with disabilities. Ahead of the elections, Human Rights Watch is urging Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to improve access to polling places for people with disabilities, and IHEC is one of the very few institutions in Iraq that has engaged seriously with our concerns and research…

Deaf Community Seeks Inclusion In Society

October 5, 2021 | Source: New Telegraph- Nigeria

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed September 23 -24 as the International Day of Sign Languages, to raise public awareness of sign languages and their vital importance to fundamental rights. This is a symbolic victory for deaf communities worldwide, according to the World Federation of the Deaf and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Deafness is not a disability and the people who are deaf can also contribute to the society and economic growth of the country in a great measure. Deaf people are often seen as disabled or physically challenged people where the only difference is the medium of communication…

First Independent Review of Accessibility Act

October 6, 2021 | Source: Government of Nova Scotia- Canada

The Province has appointed Dr. Katie Aubrecht, a disability and seniors care scholar, to conduct an independent review of the Accessibility Act. The review, required by the Act, will focus on identifying possible changes to the legislation, the standard development processes and Access by Design 2030 – the plan to make Nova Scotia accessible by 2030. “Accessibility is a human right, one that will benefit all Nova Scotians and make the province a better place…

Don’t leave disabled drivers behind in the switch to electric cars

October 6, 2021 | Source: Auto Express- UK & TNW

According to the UK Equality Act 2010, it’s illegal to discriminate against individuals with disabilities. Why then, do so many companies and organisations involved in the installation of new EV infrastructure seem oblivious to that responsibility? Whether you look at facilities provided by national charging networks, retailers, car park providers or local authorities, the picture is the same. There’s been a systematic failure to anticipate disabled needs when installing charging infrastructure, and there’s no Government regulation as a back-stop to ensure disabled needs are met…

Virtual reality simulation to contribute to more accessible rail travel

October 6, 2021 | Source: Global Railway Review- UK

A new ‘Serious Game’ Virtual Reality Simulation is being developed to support disabled people to better access travel on Northern’s services. As the first of its kind, the technology will allow passengers to explore their journey and the support they require in advance, from the comfort of their own home. Users will be able to experience trains, stations, and interact with station and on-board staff in a realistic simulated environment on their own phones, tablets and PCs or even in low cost VR headsets for a fully immersive experience…

Wheelchair user Carl Martin appointed as new Accessibility Lead for Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express

October 7, 2021 | Source: RailAdvent- UK

Carl who is recently disabled, strongly believes “access to transport is access to life”. Over recent years, the rail industry has been on a mission to improve the railway, ensuring that it becomes more accessible, with as many barriers as possible removed allowing everyone to travel more independently. Carl is determined to get more people to take advantage of the assistance and support the railway has to offer. From Three Bridges in Sussex, Carl is 41 and was a surveyor when he lost the use of his legs in a motorcycle racing accident five years ago…

Disability rights: A European Disability Card to harmonize status across the EU

October 7, 2021 | Source: EU Reporter- Europe

Mobility, education, housing and active inclusion in public life are key areas where Europeans living with disabilities would benefit from reform, say MEPs. The EU should have a common definition of disability and introduce a European Disability Card to mutually recognise disability status across the EU, argue MEPs in a resolution approved with 579 votes in favour, 12 against and 92 abstaining. Other recommendations approved by MEPs include more flexible assistance with rail travel and removing physical and administrative barriers to travel…

Researcher calls for laws to benefit the disabled

October 7, 2021 | Source: Barbados Today

One disability and accessibility specialist is calling on lawmakers in Barbados and the rest of the region to consider setting up an “accessibility standard board” or hiring “accessibility officers” as they ensure compliance and enforcement with accessibility legislation within organisations. Gwladys Feler, Researcher at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Centre for Disabilities Studies, put forward the suggestion as she called for greater governance when it came to ensuring full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society…

Legally blind Toronto home chef has new, inclusive cooking show

October 7, 2021 | Source: Global News- Canada

Try rubbing your eyes with your hands vigorously for a few seconds, then opening your eyes and look through two straws. That’s what home cook and food blogger Mary Mammoliti said she sees all the time. Her condition is called retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disorder that causes progressive vision loss. Legally blind, Mammoliti was a financial analyst, but became a cook after losing more sight. “Cooking was part of my therapy. It was how I learned to regain my trust in myself, my independence,” said Mammoliti…

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