Accessibility in the News — 6/25/2021.
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Feature Stories
If Restaurants Can Build a Sidewalk Shed, They Can Accommodate Disabled Diners
June 22, 2021 | Source: Eater
EverEver been to a restaurant that shares your name? No? Me either. I was pretty close, though. To celebrate my birthday one year, my mentor and I met up at Penelope, a cafe and wine bar in Manhattan. Despite a slight spelling difference, I was excited to eat there and update my mentor on life’s happenings. That excitement dissipated when I arrived to discover that my comfort food-centric namesake was not wheelchair accessible. Fortunately, we were quick on our feet (well, she was) and ended up at another restaurant nearby, and a mystery person even paid for our meal….
Sidewalk seating is good for restaurants. It’s a challenge for disabled people.
June 24, 2021 | Source: The Washington Post
Lucy Trieshmann, a law student at New York University, walks her dog about four times a day. Trieshmann uses an electric wheelchair, and those trips involve making her way around and through many of the sidewalk restaurants that have been set up near her home in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. “One of the really big problems is the tables are so close to the curb that there is often barely room for me to squeeze by,” Trieshmann said. “Certainly not me and my dog. And certainly not me and a person walking towards me.”…
National News (U.S.)
Utah yearbook photo excludes cheerleader with Down syndrome
June 17, 2021 | Source: The Hill
A junior high school in Utah has come under fire after a cheerleader who has Down syndrome was excluded from the team’s yearbook photo. Morgyn Arnold, the 14-year-old team manager of the Shoreline Junior High School’s cheerleading squad, was “devastated” to find she was left out of the team photo, according to her sister. “Those girls were so kind to her during the year,” her sister, Jordyn Poll, told KSTU. “Those girls on the squad were her friends … they are her friends … for her to not be included when all was said and done was devastating.”…
Firmer Accessibility Standards Sought For Health Care
June 18, 2021 | Source: Disability Scoop
Doctors’ offices are supposed to be accessible to people with disabilities, but rules outlining what that means are going unenforced. Now, an independent federal agency is calling for change. The National Council on Disability wants the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to issue new regulations outlining exact parameters for what constitutes accessible medical and diagnostic equipment. The standards already exist. They were published in 2017 by the Access Board, a federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities, in consultation with the Food and Drug Administration…
New emergency system aims to help make beaches accessible to deaf visitors
June 18, 2021 | Source: Los Angeles Times
Randy Dean’s passion project started three years ago out of a beat-up plastic suitcase. A strobe light screwed into a case, a 6-volt battery, a switch and Dean’s desire to help people who are deaf or hard of hearing evolved into the Beach Emergency Evacuation Lights System. On Friday, the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors launched a BEELS pilot program at Torrance Beach. County officials equipped two buildings and lifeguard towers with nine loudspeakers and 48 strobe lights…
Will AI Make Interpreters and Sign Language Obsolete?
June 18, 2021 | Source: Interesting Engineering
In the age of the internet, people are being drawn closer and closer— you can Snapchat your friend from Turkey, video call your parents on their fancy vacation, send a quick text to your old pen pal (now your new keyboard pal) in Japan. But as the world is drawn closer together, our attention spans are becoming more and more commodified. We spend hours scrolling through Instagram, while spending less time engaging with each other directly. Ironically, artificial intelligence is now changing that…
What Does It Mean to Call Helen Keller a Fraud?
June 19, 2021 | Source: JSTOR Daily
Earlier this year, TikTok was filled with young people arguing—with varying degrees of sincerity—that Helen Keller’s accomplishments, including writing many books, couldn’t have been possible for someone who was blind and deaf. It wasn’t the first time Helen Keller was accused of trickery. Back in 1892, when she was only eleven, Job Williams, principal of the American Asylum in Hartford, Connecticut, wrote an article for the American Annals of the Deaf entitled “Is Helen Keller a Fraud?”…
Justice Department Reaches Agreement With North Carolina Dental Offices Over HIV Discrimination
June 21, 2021 | Source: ADA
On Thursday, The Justice Department announced that it reached an agreement with Night and Day Dental, Inc. to resolve a claim that Night and Day Dental discriminated against a woman with HIV in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Night and Day Dental operates nine dental offices throughout North Carolina. This settlement is part of the department’s Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative, a partnership of the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney’s offices across the nation to ensure that people with disabilities, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing, who have HIV, and who have mobility disabilities, have equal access to medical services…
Judge Rules For Blind Voters In NC Accessibility Case
June 22, 2021 | Source: WFAE & Carolina Public Press & Franklin Press
A federal judge has ruled that the North Carolina State Board of Elections must give blind voters the opportunity to use an online voting system so they can vote absentee without assistance. Before U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle’s ruling on June 15, the state’s absentee by mail program required blind voters to fill out paper ballots and return them by mail. That meant that people who are visually impaired and wanted to vote absentee weren’t able to vote in private. They needed someone to read the ballot and mark their choices…
How can we redesign pill packaging to be accessible and sustainable?
June 22, 2021 | Source: Fast Company
When the blister pack was conceived in the 1960s, it revolutionized unit-dose drug administration by providing a cheap, light, tamper-proof barrier that preserved product integrity. But it was also a fine example of packaging design that facilitated user compliance. Through assigning the days of the week to each pill on the blister packs, a simple container became a handy memory aid for regular pill takers—a critical mechanism for those on the contraceptive pill where one missed day could result in an unplanned pregnancy…
Popular federal websites riddled with accessibility flaws
June 22, 2021 | Source: Federal News Network
Nearly half of the most popular federal agency websites — including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Marine Corps and Energy Information Administration — failed an accessibility test, indicating that their pages are difficult to navigate for disabled people. A report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation found that almost a third of the most popular federal websites failed an automated web accessibility test for their homepages, and almost half failed the test on at least one of their three most popular pages…
Can property rise to the accessibility challenge?
June 23, 2021 | Source: PlaceTech
Five years ago, James Campbell was hit by a van, breaking his back and paralysing his left leg. That moment fundamentally changed his perspective of the places around him – offices, public spaces, the London Underground. Now a wheelchair user, he saw a world that often didn’t feel like it considered his needs. Campbell is an international partner at Cushman & Wakefield working in office leasing, specialising in pre-leasing and design development. His first-hand experience has had an impact on not just his views of the built environment but also the advice he gives to those that design it…
An accessible subway, in reach
June 23, 2021 | Source: New York Daily News
The movement to make transit more inclusive and rider-friendly isn’t a new one. Organizations like ours have been fighting for decades to elevate the voices of all transit riders, especially those that too often go unheard — such as people with disabilities, seniors and parents with young children. We haven’t always agreed with the MTA’s approach to making the system more accessible, but today, and in the ongoing fight to make the system open and welcoming for all, we find ourselves allied strongly with them on a key issue…
Santa Clara County Creates Office of Disability Affairs to Improve Accessibility
June 23, 2021 | Source: San Jose Inside & California News Times
At the start of the pandemic, Michele Mashburn found herself maneuvering her pink power wheelchair around a Covid-19 testing site that was blocking the only wheelchair-accessible entrance at her medical care center. She worried about the heightened risks of getting sick as she weaved around the site crowded by people who suspected they might have the respiratory infection. Bereft of options, Mashburn, the director of the San Jose Peace and Justice Center and a Green Party of Santa Clara County council member, eventually filed a federal complaint about the issue…
Business Accommodations for Customers/Clients with Hearing Impairments, Vision Impairments, or Other Disabilities
June 23, 2021 | Source: Business.com
It’s good practice for businesses to ensure accommodations for customers and clients with disabilities. Often, it’s the law—specifically, the Americans with Disabilities Act. Accessibility can also result in more business through word-of-mouth recommendations. Last but not least, it’s just plain decent to give all customers the equal opportunity to benefit from your business. Of course, accommodations aren’t always intuitive to figure out. Plus, what is legally allowed or required? For example, can a business ask customers why they have service dogs? Long answer short: No…
Disability discrimination complaint leads Carroll College to work with OCR
June 23, 2021 | Source: Helena Independent Record
Carroll College will work with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to assess and correct accessibility issues across campus following a disability discrimination complaint against the college filed last year. The first date of compliance in an agreement between Carroll and OCR will come soon on July 1. According to the signed agreement, on this date the college will, in consultation with OCR, assess its processes for notifying interested people, including students, employees and visitors, of its program accessibility processes and accessible elements to determine whether more actions need be taken…
How The COVID Pandemic Let Me ‘Pass’ For Able-Bodied
June 23, 2021 | Source: Huff Post
“In your lifetime, science will make it possible for people in wheelchairs to be able to walk, since that’s what they all dream about.” Wait, what did he say? I can’t possibly have heard that right. My mind was full of white noise, running on autopilot as I rushed to check if I was muted in the Zoom meeting and frantically covered the camera with the pad of my finger. I started to count slowly backward from 20. The white noise in my head began to dissipate, replaced with the sting of knowing that he really did say that, and he really did hold the incorrect belief that all wheelchair users want to walk…
DOJ Reaches Agreement with San Luis Obispo County Jail to Ensure Safe and Equal Access to its Programs for Inmates with Mobility Disabilities
June 24, 2021 | Source: US DOJ
The Justice Department today reached a settlement under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with San Luis Obispo County, California, to ensure that inmates with mobility disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in San Luis Obispo Jail’s (SLO Jail) programs, services and activities. Based on its investigation, the United States determined that SLO Jail facilities were inaccessible to inmates with mobility disabilities and denied them equal access to the Jail’s programs, services and activities…
The quest for a world wide web as it was originally envisioned
June 24, 2021 | Source: Livemint
Three decades ago, I created something which, with the subsequent help of a huge number of collaborators across the world, has been a powerful tool for humanity. For me, the best bit about the Web has been the spirit of collaboration. While I do not make predictions about the future, I sincerely hope its use, knowledge and potential will remain open and available to us all to continue to innovate, create and initiate the next technological transformation, that we cannot yet imagine…
New law raising Medicaid reimbursement rate gives hope for better autism services in Nevada
June 24, 2021 | Source: The Nevada Independent
For years, lawmakers and autism advocates have been working to improve treatment and therapy services and their accessibility to people with autism, including trying to eliminate the long waiting lists to receive such treatment — especially because early intervention is key. This spring, the Legislature took a major step that advocates hope will bring big changes to the situation. Parents such as Las Vegas resident Yesenia Serrato Gonzales have spent months, even years, on waitlists so their children can receive Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, a customized one-on-one therapy focused on positive reinforcement of socially appropriate behaviors…
How can Columbia make meetings more accessible? The Disabilities Commission has an idea
June 24, 2021 | Source: Columbia Daily Tribune
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year, the City of Columbia and its advisory commissions had to find ways to continue operations. These groups faced decisions on a regular basis about whether to meet in person, virtually or cancel meetings altogether, pushing back progress. Entering the second half of 2021 and beyond, is there a viable and sustainable way to still conduct city business and meet quorum requirements in a virtual setting? The Columbia Disabilities Commission believes so…
Justice Department Files Statement Of Interest In Lawsuit Regarding School Resource Officers’ Arrest Of Child With Disabilities
June 24, 2021 | Source: ADA
Today, the Justice Department filed a Statement of Interest in the A.V. v. Douglas County School District et. al. lawsuit in the District of Colorado. In this lawsuit, the plaintiff alleges that the Douglas County School District, the Douglas County Sheriff, and their School Resource Officers violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Constitution, when School Resource Officers aggressively handcuffed and detained an eleven-year-old with autism spectrum disorder who scratched a classmate with a pencil after the classmate wrote on him with markers…
Blind individuals making an impact in the workplace acknowledged in the 36th annual Carroll Society award ceremony
June 24, 2021 | Source: Mass Live
The Carroll Center for the Blind and Massachusetts Commission for the Blind championed three blind and visually impaired employees “who have made significant contributions to their companies” on Wednesday, June 23. The 36th annual Carroll Society Award Ceremony will induct two individuals: Robert Dias, a Somerville resident and Massachusetts Office of Disability information specialist, and Cheryl Cummings, a Brighton resident who is the founder of “Our Space,” a nonprofit organization created to mentor and assist blind school-aged children…
Macular Degeneration Linked to Inability to Remove Damaged Photoreceptors
June 24, 2021 | Source: Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
The National Eye Institute reports that about 11 million older adults in the U.S. suffer from a condition that leads to progressive blindness—known as age-related macular degeneration. University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers say they are beginning to understand what goes wrong in the disease in order to develop new therapies to treat it. Using human tissue and mice in a new study (“CIB2 regulates mTORC1 signaling and is essential for autophagy and visual function”) in Nature Communications, they showed that the process which removes the eye’s old, damaged light sensors is disrupted in macular degeneration…
Legally blind woman starts business painting, arranging wooden flowers
June 24, 2021 | Source: The State Journal
Christie Smith was looking for something to fill her time. What she found was a new business. Smith, who has been legally blind since 2000, recently started her business of painting and arranging wooden flowers. “It got kind of boring just sitting around all the time,” she said, “and I make a little extra money.” Smith made several attempts at crafts before finding the wooden flowers. “I took up sewing, painting, paint by numbers, counted cross stitch,” she said. “I tried them all, but none of them was really a fit for me until I found this…
New Treatment For Tinnitus Found In 2021 Research
June 24, 2021 | Source: Parentology
Many of us have experienced an unwelcome ringing in our ears. While that noise can be temporarily unpleasant, for most people it usually passes. But, according to the Mayo Clinic, for 15-20% of people the condition called tinnitus is a constant and persistent problem. Now, a new treatment for tinnitus may finally bring some relief. The Mayo Clinic defines tinnitus as, “When you experience ringing or other noises in one or both of your ears. The noise you hear when you have tinnitus isn’t caused by an external sound, and other people usually can’t hear it.”…
National Convention Sponsorship Statement Regarding accessiBe
June 24, 2021 | Source: National Federation of the Blind
The National Federation of the Blind, America’s civil rights organization of blind people, carries out the will of blind Americans as expressed through the National Convention and, between conventions, through the decisions of its elected officers and directors. This week, the Board of Directors reviewed accessiBe’s business practices at the urging of members who have researched and interacted with the company, and the Board believes that accessiBe currently engages in behavior that is harmful to the advancement of blind people in society…
Jack Fact — About 430 million people, or more than 5% of the world’s population, require rehabilitation for disabling hearing loss with the majority of people living in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization. By 2050, about one in 10 people is projected to have disabling hearing loss.
Hit The Road Jack — Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort Accessibility Review & Accessible Travel News Service
International News
‘They want to make the Acropolis into Disneyland.’ Site renovations face backlash
June 17, 2021 | Source: PRI- Greece
Architect Tasos Tanoulas is intimately familiar with the ancient ruins of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. For decades, he led preservation and restoration work on the landmark’s monuments, and on his nearly daily visits, which he’s continued to do even after retiring, he’s encountered a site virtually unaltered. But on a recent trek to the ancient structure, Tanoulas was struck by a change that didn’t require a trained eye to spot: a new concrete walkway being paved around the ancient ruins…
Restaurant patios still need improving, say Calgarians with mobility issues
June 18, 2021 | Source: CBC- Canada & 660 News & Globalnews
Around a month ago, Calgarian Peter Quaiattini expressed hope that while the city’s extended patios were shut down due to COVID restrictions, they would be improved for people with mobility issues. Quaiattini is blind, and he wanted the patios altered to accommodate those struggling to navigate the obstructed sidewalks. But with the summer approaching, he said the problems aren’t going away. “I do know that there are people at the city who care and who are committed to accessibility,” he said. “So why hasn’t that commitment and awareness translated into tangible action?”…
Make Movies Accessible for All, Demand Disabilities Advocates
June 18, 2021 | Source: Sixth Tone- China
A woman appeared on the screen, dancing and laughing with her friends to disco music before the scene cut to a festive Lunar New Year celebration. Each transition was followed by audio narration, describing every movement and guiding the audiences through the scenes. The clip was a trailer of director Jia Zhangke’s 2015 drama “Mountains May Depart” shown Thursday at the Accessibility Film Forum event in the sidelines of the ongoing Shanghai International Film Festival. It was adapted for the visually impaired to demonstrate to industry insiders, as well as the public, how movies can be accessible for all audiences…
Disabled boy ‘told to walk’ at Legoland returns to park after policy change
June 19, 2021 | Source: WalesOnline- UK
A disabled boy who was told to prove he could walk before being allowed on a theme park ride has returned to Legoland after it changed its evacuation procedures. Sebby Brett, seven, was asked to prove he could walk three steps before being allowed on the park’s Ninjago ride in October 2019. Sebby, a Lego superfan, suffers from a medical condition similar to cerebral palsy which left him unable to walk short distances without help. After the “humiliating” ordeal his mother, Joanna Brett, pushed for a change, resulting in Legoland changing their policies and on Saturday the family returned to the park to see them in action…
Advocates calling on the city to enforce accessibility policies in construction zones
June 19, 2021 | Source: CTV News- Canada
Summer in Winnipeg is often paired with plenty of construction work, but some sites in the city are making it difficult for people with mobility challenges. Barricades and broken concrete are blocking a portion of the sidewalk along Portage Avenue in the St. James area. For Allen Mankewich, who uses a wheelchair, the barricades are nearly impossible to get around. “They have a ramp to get up to the bus stop over there I noticed, which is nice, but then half the sidewalks are blocked off by construction debris and signage, so it seems like they’re taking some steps, but completely missing the boat on other steps,” Mankewich told CTV News…
Online library with sign language launched to help kids with special needs
June 20, 2021 | Source: DTNext- India
They have created stories with illustrations and uploaded them to their website with some tips, which would help the parents. Over 30 books have been shared online in five languages, including the Indian sign language. “There are children who might not able to turn the page or unable to read the text. To overcome this, we started a physical library, but could not continue due to the pandemic lockdown. When the lockdown was imposed, we uploaded a few books online for our library members. We didn’t expect it would reach more people in such a short span…
Urgent educational plan that guarantees inclusive teaching
June 20, 2021 | Source: Explica- Mexico
Deputy Claudia Báez Ruiz (Social Encounter) promotes an initiative for educational authorities to establish a comprehensive accessibility plan for the education sector, which covers the built environment, transport and information and communication technologies and thereby guarantee a inclusive teaching. It proposes adding a fraction V to article 65 of the General Education Law, with the purpose that people with disabilities have the possibility of attending school to acquire basic literacy skills…
Financial aid now available to BC businesses to help hire people with disabilities
June 21, 2021 | Source: Victoria Buzz- Canada
BC small businesses will now have access to financial support to create environments for people with disabilities. According to the BC government, the new $4.8 million grant with the Accessible British Columbia Act from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction is designed to support small business employers hire people with disabilities, as well as procure the necessary tools to support them. It’ll provide direct financial assistance to improve physical environments, technology, communication, and access to information for employees with disabilities…
Accessibility advocates concerned by barriers posed by e-scooters in Ottawa as pandemic restrictions lift
June 21, 2021 | Source: Capital Current- Canada
As province-wide restrictions are lifted in Ottawa, accessibility advocates are concerned that barriers posed by electric scooters will increase during this year’s expanded pilot. The second season of Ottawa’s e-scooter pilot program, a five-year province-wide project to test the use of electric kick scooters in the city, runs until Nov. 30. This year, the number of available e-scooters has more than doubled, from 600 to 1,500, and the machines are spread out across a greater area….
Housebuilders Are Failing Disabled Homebuyers by Cutting Corners on Disabled Access
June 22, 2021 | Source: Yahoo- UK
The latest research from new build snagging company, HouseScan, has found that not only is the number of new build homes being delivered to market with disabled access expected to fall throughout the next decade, but the ones that are being delivered are also unfit for purpose has housebuilders cut corners to maximise profits. There are approximately 14.1m people living with a disability across the UK, around 21% of the total population. It’s thought that around 7.9m of these are working adults who face a tougher financial task when it comes to saving for a property…
Girl with disabilities forced to leave Playland over mask policy
June 22, 2021 | Source: CBC- Canada
What was meant to be a fun day at Playland for Bobbie Dube and her seven-year-old daughter, Mikayla, turned out to be a big disappointment when the pair was forced to leave the park because Mikayla can’t wear a mask. Mikayla is non-verbal, has autism, and her mother says she needs to use a wheelchair. Dube, who lives in Burnaby, B.C., had called ahead to book tickets and says when she asked about Playland’s mask mandate, she was told her daughter would not have to wear a mask given her disabilities…
Misconceptions, stigma and a lack of support: Expert weighs in on how children with hearing impairment can lead normal lives
June 23, 2021 | Source: Free Press Journal- India
In Inda, any kind of handicap is considered a curse, which is followed by a series of fallacies. Many kids with hearing impairment are perfectly capable of communicating with speech or spoken language but lack of right treatment and rehabilitation facilities keep them away from becoming part of the normal society and we label them as handicap and show sympathy towards them without realizing that they can be also part of the normal society. The fact remains that these kids are not dumb or mute; they are not able to communicate clearly because they have not heard the words correctly due to their hearing disability…
Tourism Industry Urged to Invest in Accessible Accommodation
June 24, 2021 | Source: Business News- Wales
The rules on holidaying in the UK have now been relaxed and the UK tourism industry is set to have another bumper year in 2021 but, what does a holiday in the UK look like for people with accessibility needs? There are 14.1 million disabled people in the UK and, for many, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find suitable accommodation that allows them to explore different holiday destinations across the UK. Omnipods & Cabins conducted an accessible tourism survey which reveals that 95% of disabled and mobility impaired people believe there are limited accessible accommodation options in the UK…
What Would an Accessible St. John’s Look Like?
June 24, 2021 | Source: The Independent- Canada
Up until four or five years ago I was a person who walked everywhere in St. John’s. I didn’t like to sit still very often, so whenever the sun was shining I would find myself walking towards the harbour to spend the day browsing local shops at the top of wooden staircases, sipping on lattes in downtown cafes, and exploring little side streets to take photos of colourful homes. I always did this spontaneously and on my own—just me and my music. I never had to think about where I was going or what I would do. I’d figure that out along the way…
What it’s like living with ADHD as an adult – and why its still largely undiagnosed
June 24, 2021 | Source: World Economic Forum- UK
Many of us think of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) as a childhood condition – which is typically when it’s diagnosed. But a growing number of people are sharing their experiences of being diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood. Social media has even played a role in this, with reports of people going to see their doctor after first learning about symptoms on TikTok. In fact, around 2.5% of adults are thought to live with ADHD – including us. Yet despite this growing awareness, many adults continue to struggle to get a diagnosis…
Recognising those living with deafness, blindness
June 23, 2021 | Source: IOL- New Zealand
This week, until June 27, is Deafblind International (DBI) Awareness Week which is recognised worldwide. What does it mean to be deafblind? Deaf-blindness is a rare condition in which a person’s hearing and vision are both impaired. Imagine being in a world where you can neither see nor hear. Of all the challenges the deafblind community face, persecution should never be one of them. Deafblind SA says 920 000 people in South Africa are deafblind. Some 0.2% of the world’s population is living with severe deafblindness. More than 70 causes of deaf-blindness were identified in the 2019 National Deaf-Blind Child Count…
COVID-19 Resources and Information
- How Do They Say Economic Recovery? ‘I Quit.’- Yahoo
- YouTube Rises Above All Else in Student Learning at Home- The Tech Edvocate
- Employers Seek Telework Policies That Embrace Needs of All Employees- NCLS
- For Disabled Users, the ‘Open Streets’ of the Pandemic Remain Closed- Bloomberg
- Upwork CEO Hayden Brown on the increased demand for freelance workers- CNBC
- E-content for children with special needs must be diverse and flexible- Times of India
- Accessible, Sensory-Friendly COVID-19 Vaccine Site Available in Dallas- News Nation USA
- It’s Personal: Zoom’d Out Workplace Ready For Face-To-Face Conversations To Return- NPR
- More than 50% of people happy to see Covid-19 restrictions lifted in June 2021- Disability Horizons
- Assembly Passes Bill to Improve Accessibility of Telehealth and Telemedicine Services- The Link News
- Online Instruction Did Not Make Things Easier for Disabled Students- Diverse: Issues in Higher Education
- For Apple And Others, Accessibility Makes The Return To Office Life Greater Than Culture Or Policy- Forbes
Accessibility Blogs and Information
- A Study on Website Accessibility- CXO Today
- VMware’s Journey to Make Work More Accessible- CSRwire
- Scribe for Meetings: 4-minute mini-webinar- Pneuma Solutions (YouTube)
- Watch Our Presentation on Winn-Dixie- Converge Accessibility
- Access Ready Seeks Justice Across Information Technology- Cision
- How to Make Your Vacation Rental Disability-Friendly- eTurboNews
- How can technology design be made more inclusive?- Information Age
- For the first time I was able to call my 23-year-old son- Matthew Johnston
- Digital transformation for the needs of the user- Open Access Government
- Coming Soon: Larger Aircraft Bathrooms – Better For All- Simple Flying
- AI for Accessibility Hackathon Kickoff and Orientation Event- Al-Bawaba
- Clubhouse Accessibility Issues: The Root of Its Decline- MarketingProfs.com
- EARN’s Mental Health Toolkit: Resources for Fostering a Mentally Healthy Workplace
- Legal Update: The Litigation Landscape for ADA Digital Lawsuits- UsableNet Webinar
- Adopting an Integrated Telework Policy for Employees With and Without Disabilities- EARN (PDF)
- Podcast: “How can I make a difference?” – Episode 9: With Luisa Neubauer- Raul Krauthausen
- AODA Reminder: June 30, 2021 Deadline for Accessibility Compliance Reports- Stikeman Elliott
- Website accessibility should be more than a ‘tick box’ exercise say agency founders- Prolific North
- NIST Seeks Public Input on Removing Barriers to Voting for People With Disabilities- HamletHub
- The Line Between Ignorance and Stupidity: My Experience with the Pit Boss 1150 PRO- Mike Calvo
- UC Berkeley’s Inclusive Recreation Committee works to make athletics accessible- Daily Californian
- How Google Makes Android Apps, And The World’s Information, Universally Accessible To Everyone- Forbes
- Ensure Learner Empowerment through Inclusive and Accessible Online Teaching Practices- Teachers College Press
- Applauding the Challenge that Made 108000 Course Files More Accessible in One Day- Bureau of Internet Accessibility
- Plan For Paved Wheelchair-Accessible Trail At Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary Has Some Feathers Ruffled- News Nation USA
- Accessible documents policy- This policy explains how accessible the documents Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) publishes on GOV.UK are.
- PIA- How Apprenticeships Support Diversity & Inclusion in the Tech Workplace- Episode 3: Jennifer Carlson, Executive Director of WTIA Workforce Institute
- PA Museums Accessibility Excellence Project Manager Jenny Angell discusses the efforts to improve facilities to accommodate those with disabilities on Disabilities: Issues and Updates- bctv.org (Video)
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- Deque review
- EqualWeb review
- 8 Accessible Hikes Near Denver
- An Access Award for a UMD Prof
- Aviation accessibility campaigner receives MBE
- LiveChat Adds Accessibility Features to Chat Widget
- Golf gadgets that keep the game accessible for seniors
- The Woolly Farm’s dream to create accessible space for all
- Tokyo Station Shinkansen now more wheelchair accessible
- New training partnership helps meet disabled people’s needs
- Kelly Georgevich Joins AudioEye as Chief Financial Officer
- Oculus Quest update adds accessibility and multitasking features
- Handiscover secures €1.65M to grow its B2B accessibility platform
- Chilliwack-Hope MP Mark Strahl touts Enabling Accessibility Fund
- Mary Free Bed clinic makes golf accessible for people of all abilities
- Amazon Prime Day 2021: All the best accessibility deals to shop now
- OIT Announces New Addition to Digital Accessibility Badging Program
- Usablenet To Receive ‘Access-Ability Award’ From Helen Keller Services
- TransLink makes HandyDART more accessible; adds age-based discounts
- City signs up to pilot aimed at increasing accessibility and inclusiveness in sport
- ShopMobility UK invests in ecommerce to launch new website as part of rebrand
- ‘The town is honoured’: Two Oakville facilities recognized by accessibility program
- Leeds accessibility agency creates new website for autism museum research project
- Mass at St Vincent de Paul Residence chapel made more accessible to the hard of hearing
- AKW launches accessible new showering collection aimed at users with reduced mobility
- Motionspot launches new website to help businesses create ‘beautiful and accessible’ spaces
- M & T Bank partners on free life-skills app to aid customers with autism, intellectual disabilities
- Supreme Court e-Committee wins Platinum Award for Excellence in Digital Governance for 2020
- Accessibility Standards Canada 2020-2021 annual report: Keeping our focus on an accessible Canada
- New Xbox Birthday celebration Chat replace provides text-to-speech and speech-to-text chat accessibility choices
- Samsung Electronics Becomes the First to Receive ONCE Foundation Accessibility Certification for TVs in Spain
- Making the Green Line more accessible: MBTA looks at complete reconfiguration of the E Line and a new type of station for the B Line
- United Spinal’s Virtual Roll on Capitol Hill Strengthens Disability Rights, Accessibility, and Inclusion for Future Generations of Wheelchair Users
- Microsoft, Academy Awards, others recipients of first annual ‘Access-Ability Awards’ from Helen Keller Services during DeafBlind Awareness Week
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- Accessible SVGs
- How to zoom in and out on a Mac
- Developer Resources: Accessibility
- Welcome To The Web Design Arms Race
- Building the Webflow accessibility checklist
- Elden Ring’s Approach to Difficulty is Ingenious
- WCAG 3.0 (Silver) Guidelines (Text alternatives)
- 3 Accessibility Testing Tools Small Websites Should Be Using
- Virtual Reality’s Surprising Accessibility For Disabled Gamers
- 3 Ways that AI-Powered Tech Helps with Website Accessibility
- Microsoft Flight Simulator’s New Console Accessibility Features
- iOS 15: Magnifier Accessibility Feature on Home Screen by Default
- Native vs Hybrid vs Web Mobile Applications: What’s the Difference
- How to use RTT on an iPhone to get real-time text messaging during calls
- What accessible gaming tournaments could mean for players with disabilities
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart shows Sony’s unrivaled commitment to accessibility
- It Appears This Mario Party Superstars Minigame Has Been Adapted For Accessibility
- Voice Access, Action Blocks and other useful features you didn’t know in your Android phone’s settings
Accessibility Statements
- Dispel
- Brown University
- Blaney McMurtry
- University of Turku
- SilverCloud Health
- Utah State University
- Morgan’s Wonderland
- Arizona State University
- University of Southern Mississippi
- Centre for Contemporary Art Derry~Londonderry
- 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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