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School is Back in Session, but are Schools as Accessible as They Should Be?

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Accessibility in the News — August 30, 2019.

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Chicago wants to spend more on accommodations for students with disabilities. Advocates say the plan still falls short

August 28, 2019  |  Source: Chalkbeat

When Grace Pillsbury was 7 years old, a rare genetic condition that renders her bones brittle caused the Drummond Montessori Elementary School student to begin using a wheelchair. But only Drummond’s first floor is wheelchair-accessible, so Grace is carried upstairs to her class, or scoots up the stairs on her bottom on days she can find the strength, according to a lawsuit filed against the Chicago school district in 2017. The 11-year-old has resisted transferring to another school with an elevator, because the network that supported her through the trauma of her medical ordeal is at Drummond.

Students like Grace would get a boost from the $10.5 million budget Chicago has proposed for accessibility improvements this school year. However, a disabilities rights group is pushing the city to do more to allow students such as Grace to attend classes and events on any floor of any city school building.

National News (U.S.)

Fox Theatre must provide captions for performances on demand, appeals court says

August 7, 2019  |  Source: St. Louis Post- Dispatch

The Fox Theatre must provide captions for the deaf or hard-of-hearing at performances whenever a patron asks, not just one matinee performance per Broadway run, an appeals court said Wednesday. The 2-1 opinion from a panel of the 8th U.S. Court of Appeals found “that the Fox’s one-captioned-performance policy denies persons with hearing impairments an equal opportunity to gain the same benefit as persons without hearing impairments, and that deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals therefore do not have meaningful access to the benefits the Fox provides.”…

Federal Court Rules in Favor of Blind Students

August 21, 2019  |  Source: National Federation of the Blind

The National Federation of the Blind, its California affiliate, and two blind students, Roy Payan and Portia Mason, have won their disability discrimination lawsuit against the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD). The Federal District Court for the Central District of California Found that LACCD violated the students’ rights under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 by, among other things, failing to provide them with accessible documents and course materials, failing to provide equal access to library resources…

Oklahoma Burger King franchise to pay $30,000 to settle disability discrimination lawsuit

August 22, 2019  |  Source: Tulsa World

The operators of a Lawton Burger King restaurant have agreed to pay a job applicant with an intellectual disability $30,000 and furnish other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency announced Thursday. The EEOC filed suit in July 2018 alleging the defendants, Houston-based fuel retailer Northwest Petroleum LP and Burger King franchisee Travis County Investments, LP (collectively referred to as NWP) withdrew a job offer from an applicant who sought employment as a dining room and bathroom attendant…

DIA Aims To Reach Visitors With Disabilities

August 22, 2019  |  Source: Patch

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is partnering with the Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired (GDABVI) and the Deaf Community Advocacy Network (DEAF C.A.N.!) to explore ways to make the museum more accessible for visitors with disabilities. “Many people with disabilities are looking for accessible arts opportunities and events to attend with family and friends, and we want to put the DIA on their radar,” said Megan DiRienzo, an educator in the DIA’s Interpretation Department…

Austin ‘ADA’ attorney suspended from law practice in State of New York

August 22, 2019  |  Source: KXAN

Attorney Omar Rosales, who filed hundreds of Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuits against Austin businesses on behalf a single client and was suspended from practicing in the Federal Western District of Texas for three years, has been suspended in the State of New York as well, according to an August 21 order. The New York suspension will last three years. It is a “reciprocal” disciplinary measure resulting from misconduct in the Texas ADA cases, according to the New York order. This suspension is the latest of several measures, including sanctions and lawsuits, taken against Rosales since he began filing ADA cases in Central Texas in 2015…

Lawyer with Crohn’s disease goes public with Starbucks story to publicize bathroom-access laws

August 22, 2019  |  Source: ABA Journal

A lawyer with Crohn’s disease hopes to raise public awareness about bathroom-access laws with a personal story about his quest to use a bathroom at Starbucks. Stephen Marcus, 64, helped get a law passed in Massachusetts Want accessibility news more often? Follow us on Twitter! @A11yNewsrequiring retailers to open employee-only restrooms to people who have inflammatory bowel diseases in medical emergencies. He told the Boston Globe that he tried to invoke the law at a Boston Starbucks in May when he had an acute need to use the bathroom, only to be turned away…

Disability advocates urge San Diego to consider impact of North Park parking project on accessibility

August 22, 2019  |  Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

The final design of a project that could remove hundreds of parking spaces in North Park is still in development, but disability-rights advocates are voicing concerns about how it might affect handicapped-accessible parking. The “30th Street Protected Bikeways Mobility Project” calls for the replacement of more than 420 parking spaces with a protected bike lane along a 1.7-mile stretch of 30th Street between Howard Avenue and Juniper Street, with a possible extension to Adams Avenue…

Group helps make recreational activities accessible to those with physical disabilities

August 23, 2019  |  Source: Las Vegas Sun

Ashlee Kalina suffered a spinal cord injury when she was just 2 years old—the result of an auto-pedestrian accident. She has used a wheelchair ever since. But despite her injury, Kalina grew up hiking and camping with her family, and now, at age 39, she launched an adaptive recreation group to bring these activities to other Las Vegans with physical disabilities. “Having grown up here in the Valley, I have seen so many changes—things becoming more accessible, the Americans with Disabilities Act in the early ’90s. But over the years, I noticed there’s still limitations on what people with disabilities have access to,” Kalina says…

Venice reached agreement on ADA suit over website access

August 24, 2019  |  Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune

The city of Venice has reached a settlement agreement with Andres Gomez and Open Access for All, Inc. on a lawsuit filed by Gomez in April over the ADA accessibility of the city website. Gomez, who is legally blind, has been a plaintiff in a series of suits filed against municipalities in Florida and California. The Venice Council is slated to approve the agreement as part of its consent agenda Tuesday. The settlement, which was handled for the city by Randy Mora of Clearwater-based Trask Daigneault LLP attorneys, calls for the city to pay Gomez and his counsel $10,000…

Q&A: Democratic Disability Caucus head Adam Brabender highlights importance of access

August 25, 2019  |  Source: Madison

For Adam Brabender, the co-chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party’s new Disability Caucus, breaking down barriers that those with visible and invisible disabilities face is key. It’s the invisible ones that Brabender, 43, has personally faced. Brabender, who has autism, is looking to use his new position with the caucus to push for more accessibility statewide, bring individuals with disabilities to the table and call on others to run for public office…

Florida Judge Sanctions Serial ADA Plaintiff Alexander Johnson And Attorney Scott Dinin

August 26, 2019  |  Source: Seyfarth Shaw

US Judge Sanctions Miami ADA Lawyer, Client Over ‘Completely Selfish’ Frivolous Lawsuits

August 27, 2019  |  Source: Law.com

People often ask us why plaintiffs are filing hundreds of ADA Title III lawsuits when the law only allows for injunctive relief and attorneys’ fees and costs.  In the case of prolific plaintiff Alexander Johnson, it was a nice cash supplement to his disability income, apparently.  U.S. District Judge Paul Huck determined after a sanctions hearing that Attorney Scott Dinin had paid Johnson more than $84,500 over three years (2016-2018) for his participation in various ADA lawsuits…

10 Technologies for Accessible, Affordable Cities

August 26, 2019  |  Source: ArchDaily

Major cities are facing major crises. The United Nations estimates that by 2050, almost one billion people with disabilities will live in cities, representing 15% of total city dwellers. With urban landscapes awash with inaccessible subways, shops, and bathrooms, the UN has declared that poor accessibility represents a major challenge for cities. At the same time, most cities around the world are struggling to provide safe, respectable, affordable housing for their citizens, with rent accounting for more than 50% of some incomes…

I Loved Planning My Queer, Disability-Friendly Wedding — But It Wasn’t Easy

August 26, 2019  |  Source: Refinery29

One in four adults in the U.S. are living with a disability, but you wouldn’t know it given the lack of representation in media, Hollywood, and the workforce. We’re shedding light on the real stories — not the caricatures — of this dynamic and vibrant community of individuals. My fiancé Macey and I had already toured a couple of wedding venues on our list when we drove to Gloucester, Massachusetts in mid-November to see a historic castle museum. On the way there, we snaked through twisty roads covered with leaves that made the entire scene look like the burnt orange sun touching the horizon at sunset…

Ride-hails say they’re in compliance with TLC accessibility rules

August 26, 2019  |  Source: City and State

As Uber and other ride-hailing companies face pressure to better serve wheelchair users in New York City, there are early indications that the companies are moving in the right direction. Specifically, the three major ride-hailing companies – Uber, Lyft and Via – said they’re in compliance with the first benchmark of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission’s new accessibility rule, which requires ride-hailing companies to deploy more accessible vehicles and holds them to specific wait-time standards for wheelchair-accessible vehicles…

Senior Life: How Senior-Friendly Are Our Communities?

August 26, 2019  |  Source: The Delaware County Daily Times

With an ever-increasing senior citizen population, it makes sense to pay attention to what makes an area senior-friendly. Baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, began reaching the standard retirement age of 65 in 2011. There are about 76 million boomers in the United States, which represents about 29% of the population. A research report recently conducted by mobility specialist Stannah has ranked how senior-friendly states are by looking at health and safety, finance, environment and social life/accessibility…

Education can transform communities — if it’s accessible to all, U.N. panelists say

August 26, 2019  |  Source: Deseret News

After 90 minutes of discussing how education could help build more inclusive communities, Utah Valley University president Astrid Tuminez said the discussion made one thing clear — without access to all types of tools, inequities would persist. “To wrap it up, it’s really about working together to say that technology should not create another century of inequality,” she said, after moderating a panel discussion entitled “Building Inclusive Communities Through Education” at the United Nations Civil Society Conference on Monday afternoon…

When young disabled athletes get injured, Nationwide Children’s program helps them cope

August 27, 2019  |  Source: MSN

When a nerve injury in his left shoulder sidelined collegiate long-distance runner Michael Fenster in January, doctors and coaches offered what most people would view as a simple solution: rest it. Yet that was something the University of Illinois sophomore just could not do. Born without a tailbone, the New Albany native uses a wheelchair and relies on his arms to do the most basic of tasks. “I cannot rest my shoulder,” Fenster said. “To rest my shoulder means to stop my life.”…

US Department of Education investigating UO for possible violations of disability discrimination laws

August 27, 2019  |  Source: Oregon Daily Emerald

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating a 2017 complaint made against the University of Oregon that alleges university webpages, including its homepage, financial aid page and the UO Libraries Facebook page, are not accessible to people with disabilities. The investigation is assessing whether UO’s webpages violate federal civil rights laws by discriminating against people with disabilities. It is also assessing whether the university is failing to ensure that its communications with those who have disabilities are “as effective as its communications with others” …

Another appeals court rules in favor of CUs in frivolous ADA suit-

August 27, 2019  |  Source: CUNA News

CUNA, Leagues and credit unions achieved their third victory at the appellate level Tuesday as the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a frivolous lawsuit alleging website noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). CUNA and the Michigan Credit Union League (MCUL) filed an amicus brief in support of the two credit unions in the lawsuit, Aeroquip CU and Belle River Community CU. Credit unions around the country have been hit with similar suits alleging violations of the ADA, however the statute does not contain specific website accessibility guidelines…

Lego Launches Web Site With AI-Powered Text Instructions, Its Second Pilot For The Blind This Year

August 28, 2019  |  Source: Peter Slatin- Forbes and Z6MAG and Lego

Matthew Shifrin’s heavy-lift started when he was barely a toddler “just five or six,” he recalls, “He and a family friend, Lilya Finkel, were driving through a residential neighborhood in the Boston area where he grew up. “She suddenly pulls over by the side of the road and orders me out of the car. ‘Take that crate, and put it in the trunk’,” she told Matthew, leading him to a big crate someone had left by the roadside.  “It was really heavy – and it was filled to the brim with Lego Bricks.” …

Colleges Face Investigations Over Whether Their Use of Social Media Follows Accessibility Regulations

August 28, 2019  |  Source: EdSurge

Nearly 200 colleges face federal civil rights investigations opened in 2019 about whether they are accessible and communicate effectively to people with disabilities. Among the newer aspects of these kinds of complaints is whether college social media communication meets accessibility standards. While some institutions have tried to punt responsibility for the accessibility of digital tools to the companies that produce them, that reasoning hasn’t persuaded federal agencies or judges. It’s analogous to how colleges must ensure there are ramps and elevators even in rented classroom space, says Cyndi Rowland, executive director of WebAIM…

Accessibility: How soda bottles, the law and augmented reality are helping differently abled people

August 28, 2019  |  Source: CU Boulder Today (Podcast)

This week: the world of accessibility. On this episode of the Brainwaves podcast, we’ll talk to a CEO making prostheses from plastic bottles, a lawyer fighting international copyrights for disability accommodations and a PhD student working on augmented reality lenses for NASA’s astronauts that could one day help blind people…

Chicago wants to spend more on accommodations for students with disabilities. Advocates say the plan still falls short

August 28, 2019  |  Source: Chalkbeat

When Grace Pillsbury was 7 years old, a rare genetic condition that renders her bones brittle caused the Drummond Montessori Elementary School student to begin using a wheelchair. But only Drummond’s first floor is wheelchair-accessible, so Grace is carried upstairs to her class, or scoots up the stairs on her bottom on days she can find the strength, according to a lawsuit filed against the Chicago school district in 2017. The 10-year-old has resisted transferring to another school with an elevator, because the network that supported her through the trauma of her medical ordeal is at Drummond…

Why inclusive cities start with safe streets

August 28, 2019  |  Source: Curbed

The fight for more equitable cities is taking to the streets—literally. New street design guidelines from the American Society for Landscape Architecture (ASLA) articulate why. Last week, ASLA released universal design guidelines for neighborhoods, streets, parks and plazas, playgrounds, and gardens—a range of scales and projects for which landscape architects are regularly called upon to design. By creating this best-practices guide, ASLA is making it easier for designers from all disciplines, elected officials, and everyday people to understand what an inclusive and accessible public realm looks like…

A boy with autism wouldn’t sit still on a United Airlines flight. So crew and passengers stepped in to help.

August 28, 2019  |  Source: CNN

Braysen is a 4-year-old autistic boy who usually loves to fly. But he had a meltdown on a United Airlines flight from San Diego to Houston. That was when the aircraft’s crew and passengers came together to help him. The boy’s mother, Lori Gabriel of Cypress, Texas, told CNN that Braysen removed his seat belt just before takeoff, saying he wanted to sit on the floor. “It was impossible to restrain him. He was fighting both me and his father. It took the both of us to try to get him back to his chair and get his seat belt back on.”…

Harris unveils disability plan focusing on education and employment opportunities

August 29, 2019  |  Source: CNN and CNBC

Presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris unveiled her plan for Americans with disabilities on Thursday, with a focus on employment through access to education and social programs. “As President, Harris will expand access to health care, fight for integrated employment opportunities and fair wages, ensure our emergency preparedness and disaster programs are fully inclusive, fight to adequately fund classrooms to ensure equal access, build a diverse federal workforce that includes people with disabilities and fight for the civil rights of people with disabilities across the country,” Harris campaign wrote in a press release…

Two Blind Brothers fighting blindness one shirt at a time

August 29, 2019  |  Source: WFLA

Two Blind Brothers are grabbing the spotlight on a national level. From Ellen DeGeneres to NBC Nightly News it’s a story that revolves around a trendy fashion line, and curing blindness. “If you care about looking amazing, being as comfortable as humanly possible, and knowing that every purchase is going to cure 11 million Americans of blindness than this shirt is just for you.” said Bryan Bradford, who works alongside his brother Bradford running their company Two Blind Brothers…

‘Vision Portraits’ Chronicles The Journeys Of Visually Impaired Artists

August 29, 2019  |  Source: KALW (Video)

On this edition of Your Call, we’ll speak with award-winning filmmaker Rodney Evans about his new film, Vision Portraits. It follows the journeys of four blind and visually impaired artists, including Evans, who only has 20 percent of his focal vision left due to a rare genetic eye disorder called retinitis pigmentosa. He says losing his peripheral vision made him a better director. What is it like for people with visual impairments to navigate today’s world and what can we learn from visually impaired artists about the creative process?…

The Quiet Stories- Birth of a School for the Deaf

August 29, 2019  |  Source: The North Star Monthly

The U.S. Census of 1850 for Danville includes a column labeled “Condition” where very few markings were made. But for sisters Ellen and Mary Currier, born in 1844 and 1841 to parents John and Amy Currier, this column is marked “Deaf and dumb.” In 1852, the girls became boarders at a special school in Hartford, Conn., where their scholarship level was marked “respectable,” and here they remained while they learned communication skills and a way to get by. Ellen stayed there for seven years…

For Those With Autism And Other Disabilities, New Law Could Prevent Miscommunication With Police

August 29, 2019  |  Source: Texas Standard

Getting pulled over by a police officer can be unsettling for anyone. But it can be especially stressful for someone with a communication issue. Not being able to answer an officer’s question could put that person at risk if the officer misinterprets their behavior. But a new law going into effect Sept. 1, called the Samuel Allen Law, could help prevent that miscommunication. It’s named after a young man who lives with Asperger’s Syndrome – an autism spectrum disorder – and who has campaigned for special identification on state driver’s licenses…

Jack Fact — There are an estimated 291,000 people in the U.S. with spinal cord injuries, and their average age is 43 years old, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center.

Hit The Road Jack — Wheelchair accessible restaurants in Sydney

International News

Tokyo Paralympics 2020: Will Tokyo be accessible enough?

August 22, 2019  |  Source: BBC- Japan (Video)

Tokyo is set to host the next Paralympic Games in 2020 – but how accessible is the Japanese capital? BBC disability news correspondent Nikki Fox meets Josh Grisdale – the creator of Accessible Japan, a blog to help people locate disability-friendly and accessible spots in Japan…

The looming accessible homes crisis

August 23, 2019  |  Source: Planning, BIM and Construction Today- UK

Accessible homes are vital to enable older and disabled people to live safely and independently. Habinteg’s recent Insight Report: A Forecast for Accessible Homes revealed that less than half of all planning authorities have set requirements for new homes to meet higher accessibility standards. This is why Habinteg welcomes the government’s updated planning practice guidance, published last month, on housing for older and disabled people, which includes advice for councils in preparing their Local Plans…

Businesswoman Makes India’s Wonders Accessible For Those With Reduced Mobility

August 23, 2019  |  Source: The Better India

Can you imagine not being able to step out of your house for almost 10 years?” asks Sminu Jindal, one of the most prominent names in the steel, oil and gas industry of India. What might seem like a paradoxical statement here is indeed the truth and a compelling saga of a woman who fought all obstacles to rise to prominence. The Managing Director of Jindal SAW Ltd is not just the first woman in India to break into a highly male-dominated sector as a leader, but a roaring voice who has dedicated her entire life towards advocating the need for accessibility in India and beyond…

How Voting Has Become More Accessible to Canadians

August 23, 2019  |  Source: HuffPost- Canada

Disabled voters still feeling left out of Manitoba election: disability advocate

August 23, 2019  |  Source: CBC- Canada

There’s undeniable excitement in the air during an election year, and with the federal election coming up this fall, Canadians from coast to coast are getting ready to hit the polls and make their voices heard. Put simply, casting a ballot is our democratic right –– it’s one of the best ways for Canadians of all backgrounds to make a valuable contribution to our country. In recent decades, there have been ongoing improvements to meet the needs of eligible electors with varying abilities. In partnership with Elections Canada, here are the tools and services that are available to assist electors…

Does the Art World Have a Problem with Disabled People?

August 23, 2019  |  Source: Frieze- UK

Do the visual arts in the UK have a problem with disability? The recent experience of wheelchair user Ciara O’Connor during her visit to Tate Modern’s current Olafur Eliasson exhibition would seem to suggest so. Appalled by the lack of a simple access ramp in the place of the two steps required to enter Eliasson’s 2002 work Your Spiral View, her eloquently angry Twitter thread on the subject has been retweeted over 2,000 times. It includes a defiant cry for change: ‘I want a fucking ramp. I want elevators. I want wide doorways […] I don’t want to ask permission. I don’t want to be grateful for every reasonable adjustment.’…

Local body elections are vital in removing barriers for disability community

August 24, 2019  |  Source: Stuff- New Zealand

The contests for local board and council are often overlooked amongst parliamentary scandals and heated mayoral bouts. But local board members and councillors are in the best position to initiate meaningful change towards a more accessible New Zealand. Aside from wielding tremendous influence over housing and transport, these candidates provide the closest point of contact for people in the community wanting to have their voices heard. Auckland councillors exercised this power when lobbying the government to address flaws in the Building Act…

Disabled people push for need of accessible and disabled-friendly Indian Railways

August 23, 2019  |  Source: NewzHook- India

People with disabilities from across India demand for the need of accessible and disabled friendly railways stations and coaches. Though the Accessible India campaign was launched in 2015, nothing substantial has been done till date owing to which travel becomes a nightmare for disabled people. Sunitha Thripanikkara, a nationally acclaimed artist, has to travel extensively often on work. Flying so often is beyond her means and she depends on trains…

Rick Hansen awards Mosaic Stadium gold rating on accessibility

August 24, 2019  |  Source: Leader Post- Canada and CKRM and GlobeNewswire and northeastNOW

From its initial planning through to final construction, Mayor Michael Fougere said Mosaic Stadium was always intended to be an inclusive space for people with disabilities — a dedication that was rewarded when the stadium became the first in Canada to be rated Accessibility Certified Gold. On Saturday afternoon, Rick Hansen, longtime accessibility advocate and founder of the Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF), presented Mosaic Stadium and the City of Regina with the award…

Government of Canada invests in information technology to improve accessibility

August 25, 2019  |  Source: New Kerala- Canada

Qualtrough releases What We Learned report

August 26, 2019  |  Source: Delta-Optimist- Canada

Canadians with disabilities deserve the same opportunities to find good jobs, contribute to their communities, and build a better life for themselves and their families. Yet many Canadians with disabilities still face barriers to full participation in the digital economy. Today, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced that the Government of Canada will invest over $2.7 million in AccessNow…

Traveling Is Hard, Traveling With a Disability Is Harder, Says Accessible Tourism Startup CEO

August 25, 2019  |  Source: CTech- Israel

Traveling can be a hard and exhausting experience for anyone, but for those with disabilities, it is profoundly more difficult and expensive, according to Lioz Amar, founder and CEO of Israel-based startup Travaxy Ltd., which offers tourism services for people with disabilities or special needs. Amar, who founded Travaxy in 2016, became wheelchair-bound after sustaining an injury during his military service. Based in northern Israeli town Ramat Yishai, the company offers an online service that lets people with various disabilities book flights, hotels, and even wheelchairs, crutches, and other mobility aids…

Call for better accessibility in Wellington’s halls of power

August 26, 2019  |  Source: Stuff- New Zealand

The symbol of democracy and power in New Zealand – Parliament – is not up to snuff when it comes to accessibility for people with disabilities, advocates say. Parliament was “technically accessible” but posed barriers – physically and symbolically – to power, disability rights advocate Henrietta Bollinger said. Having accessed Parliament as a visitor and as a worker, Bollinger, a wheelchair user, said in practice the halls of power were a “real rigmarole” to traverse for people with mobility impairments…

Entrepreneur Prateeek Khandelwal’s accessibility campaign #RampMyCity spreads wings across India

August 26, 2019  |  Source: NewzHook- India

Two years ago, when Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Prateek Khandelwal got the idea of launching a campaign to make city restaurants accessible to disabled people, there were some skeptical reactions. “Many people told me it would never work”, he says but Prateek persisted, convinced that #RampMyCity would blow in winds of change. Prateek reached out to owners of high-end restaurants and found them open to the idea. From eight restaurants in the initial months, the number grew to 30 across Bengaluru in 18 months…

Does the fashion industry cater for disabled people?

August 26, 2019  |  Source: BBC- UK (Video)

Last year Chloe Ball-Hopkins made a jumpsuit with the clothing shop ASOS. It was designed with wheelchair users in mind, but anyone could wear it. It’s an example of accessible fashion and 12 months on from the launch of her jumpsuit, Chloe has been to find out if other brands have followed suit…

Entrepreneur and wheelchair user Grace Stratton opens NZ Fashion Week

August 26, 2019  |  Source: New Zealand Herald

New Zealand Fashion Week has been opened by a person with a physical disability for the first time tonight. Grace Stratton, an entrepreneur and accessibility advocate, spoke at the event’s official opening function at the Auckland Town Hall this evening. Stratton, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, said her high-profile role at Fashion Week was a great chance to show what diversity in the industry looked like in practice. “People talk about diversity and inclusion a lot, and the discussion is great, but that discussion has to follow through and turn into action,” she told the Herald…

Experiencing sight loss at the QE

August 26, 2019  |  Source: KLFM- UK

CEO Caroline Shaw was able to take a step in the shoes of patients who are blind or have limited vision thanks to the support of Helen Sismore from Guide Dogs. The QE has worked closely with Guide Dogs to introduce a number of improvements to help vision impaired patients navigate around the site and reach their appointments. During the guided tour Caroline wore an eye mask, which completely blocked out her sight, while receiving a guided walk from the outside of the hospital into the main entrance…

 For an enabling environment

August 27, 2019  |  Source: The New Indian Express- India

The ministry of road transport and highways recently issued an advisory on making public transport accessible for persons with disabilities. On the face of it, the advisory appears a welcome move. However, when looked at closely it raises some larger questions. For one, the advisory says that 25% of public and private transport should be made accessible. However, the progressive Rights of Persons With Disabilities Act (RPWD) of 2016 says all public transport and buildings and facilities must be made accessible to persons with disabilities…

10-year-old legally blind horse rider barred from equestrian competition

August 27, 2019  |  Source: Global News- Canada

Kyra Barrett loves horseback riding, especially jumping — even though she’s been legally blind since birth. The 10-year-old girl from Pritchard, a small community east of Kamloops, B.C., has always been thrilled by the sport and the sense of freedom it gives her, calling it the “funnest thing ever.” She’s been able to get around her disability thanks to her coach, who uses a guide horse and verbal commands to make sure she knows where to go and when to stop while jumping. “He’ll tell me to go left if the jump’s on the left, and he’ll block me off so I don’t go to the right,” Kyra said of the guide horse…

Publishers, universities struggle to provide timely access to accessible textbooks

August 27, 2019  |  Source: University Affairs- Canada

When Alycia Pottie was a teenager, she lost most of her sight to a combination of glaucoma and uveitis, a form of ocular inflammation. She’s been legally blind ever since, and for the past four years, as a psychology student at Mount Saint Vincent University, she’s relied on the accommodations that many visually impaired Canadian students use: large-print course materials, extra time on exams and, critically, accessible electronic textbooks. But in almost every class, she says, her semesters began with her waiting for most of her books – sometimes for a week, sometimes two, sometimes more…

Accessibility for PWDs

August 28, 2019  |  Source: Daily Times- Pakistan

Persons with disabilities (PWDs) have historically been, and continue to, remain a marginalised and underprivileged group, irrespective of the sympathies reserved for them. Until and unless we, the physically abled population of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, put ourselves in the shoes of PWDs, discrimination against PWDs will continue to persist. From using a public toilet to getting a BPS-05 scale job, persons with disabilities continue to get less than what they deserve. Perhaps, token sympathies don’t offer a concrete solution. What is required is a sustained empathy and recognition of their fundamental rights…

Interview: Paralympic games shows a friendly China for the disabled

August 28, 2019  |  Source: China.org.cn

China’s ongoing national Paralympic games highlights the country’s recent improvements in accessibility and accommodation for disabled people, according to Majed Rashed, President of the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC). “A national Paralympic games is not just about sports, metals and competitions, it is about a friendly country for people with disabilities,” Rashed told Xinhua in a recent interview during the 10th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 7th National Special Olympics Games…

Bombay High Court gaze on accessibility shortfalls puts civic authorities in a spot

August 28, 2019  |  Source: NewzHook- India

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is taking a close hard look at Mumbai’s accessibility shortcomings after the Bombay High Court ordered civic authorities to inspect 15 establishments in the city to check whether or not they are accessible to people with disabilities. From iconic buildings like the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Regal Cinema to major malls, some of Mumbai’s most popular and well-known establishments lack even wheelchair ramps. The few that exist are temporary…

Time to go live

August 28, 2019  |  Source: Cascadia Weekly- Canada

It used to be that when I thought about accessibility—when I thought of it at all—physical accommodations like ramps, rails and lifts were what came to mind. Then I was hired as a projectionist at the Pickford Film Center and took note of a consistently occurring phenomenon: Every time we showed a subtitled film, folks from the deaf and hearing-impaired community came to see it. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the reason for this had less to do with their collective love for foreign cinema and far more to do with the fact that these were the films they could watch in a movie theater and have an enjoyable experience…

UKinbound announces support of Government’s accessibility agenda

August 28, 2019  |  Source: Conference News- UK

In June 2019, the Government pledged to make the UK the most accessible destination in Europe by 2025 as part of the new Tourism Sector Deal. Today, 28 August, UKinbound signalled its commitment to supporting this undertaking by announcing a new partnership with Revitalise – the national charity that creates respite holidays for disabled people and carers. The collaboration will see both organisations work together on a number of projects that will help to inform and educate UK tourism businesses about how they can best support and accommodate disabled visitors, and the business case for doing so…

Why this advocate fights for disability justice — not just accessibility

August 28, 2019  |  Source: TVO- Canada

When Sarah Jama sought advice in Grade 12 about what she should do after high school, she was steered toward another year of high school and told to pursue college instead of university. “It happens to a lot of people — not just with disabilities, but also racialized people,” Jama tells Nam Kiwanuka on The Agenda in the Summer. She didn’t listen to that advice, instead opting to pursue a social-sciences degree at McMaster University, in Hamilton. While a student there, she co-founded the Disability Justice Network of Ontario, a group that works to create a world in which people with disabilities feel free to fit in anywhere and build community…

UK Government supports UK tourism businesses on Accessible Tourism

August 28, 2019  |  Source: FTN News- UK

As the demand for accessible holidays is increasing, the Government pledged to make the UK the most accessible destination in Europe by 2025 as part of the new Tourism Sector Deal.  Today, UKinbound signaled its commitment to supporting this undertaking by announcing a new partnership with Revitalise – the national charity that creates respite holidays for disabled people and carers. The collaboration will see both organizations work together on a number of projects that will help to inform and educate UK tourism businesses about how they can best support and accommodate disabled visitors, and the business case for doing so…

Is Technology Finally Making Life More Adaptable for Musicians with Disabilities?

August 28, 2019  |  Source: Highsnobiety- UK

Earlier this year, UK-based charity Attitude Is Everything released the results of its Next Stage Survey, which found that the music industry is severely failing deaf and disabled artists. The disability-led organization asked a total of 96 disabled musicians, who represent more than 15 different impairment groups, about everything from studio accessibility to industry attitudes more generally. The results were sobering: 38% of respondents were physically unable to access their nearest rehearsal space; 45% of artists who had used recording studios encountered barriers while doing so; one in five were even forced to cancel shows due to access issues…

A landscape architect graduate created a TTC map with only accessible stations

August 28, 2019  |  Source: Toronto Star- Canada

Getting around a city the size of Toronto can be difficult, especially for someone with a disability or mobility issues, and that includes navigating the subway system. That’s why Robin Hufgard, a landscape architecture graduate with a background in studio art, created a TTC subway map designed with accessibility in mind. Hufgard’s map, which is available online to download for free, looks similar to the official TTC subway map, but only lists stops deemed by the TTC to be “fully accessible.”…

New program aims to level the playing field for youth with disabilities

August 28, 2019  |  Source: Folio- Canada

Born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, Morgan Cathcart said taking part in active play as a part-time wheelchair user was discouraging. “Being outside with my friends was hard because they didn’t know how to adapt things for me,” she said. “They would be playing in the wood chips and go off towards the playground, and I couldn’t get there. It was too far for me so I would end up sitting on the sidelines.” She said doctors provided her and her parents with resources but most of it was information about motor function and basic life skills…

Blind Man’s Life-Threatening Fall Highlights Iran’s Lacking Safety Measures for People With Disabilities

August 28, 2019  |  Source: Center for Human Rights- Iran

News of severe injuries sustained by a blind man who fell from a pedestrian bridge in the southern Iranian city of Chabahar has sparked concerns over the city’s lack of accessible safety signs as well as renewed calls for urgent action by the government. While walking on his usual daily route on August 6, 2019, Soali Nokari fell from a bridge and was hospitalized in the intensive care unit with severe hip and rib injuries. If warning tape had been placed at the site of the accident to warn people with disabilities about ongoing construction on the bridge, Nokari would have been able to avoid the fall…

People with sight loss have avoid rail travel due to accessibility issues

August 29, 2019  |  Source: Global Railway Review- UK

A new survey by Guide Dogs has revealed how inaccessible train travel currently is for people in the UK with sight loss. With an ageing population and the number of people with sight loss set to double by 2050, the findings shine a light on the true scale of the challenges people are facing and demonstrate an urgent need for the Government to make improvements to train travel, as promised in last year’s Inclusive Transport Transport Strategy. The poll among people with sight loss showed problems begin at the station…

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