Accessibility in the News — Knowledge is Power – 7/21/2023.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida ruled that the State of Florida violates the rights of children with complex medical needs by needlessly institutionalizing some in nursing facilities and placing others at risk of unnecessary institutionalization. The court found that these children are capable of living in the community, and their parents overwhelmingly want them to live at home but lack meaningful alternatives to institutional placement. The decision comes after nearly a decade of litigation and is seen as a significant step forward in the treatment of children with disabilities in Florida, affirming their right to community integration. The court’s ruling requires Florida to ensure access to medical support and services for these children to live at home, develop transition plans for institutionalized children, and involve families in making informed choices about where their children live. Currently, around 140 children with disabilities are in pediatric nursing facilities in Florida, and more are at risk due to a lack of services. Florida is required to serve children with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Supreme Court’s Olmstead v. L.C. decision.
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Accessibility in the News Archives- 2016 to Current
Feature Stories
Court Finds State of Florida Violates the Americans with Disabilities Act By Institutionalizing Children with Disabilities
July 18, 2023 | Source: U.S. Department of Justice
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida ruled on Friday that the State of Florida violates the rights of children with complex medical needs by keeping some children unnecessarily institutionalized in nursing facilities, while placing other children at serious risk of unnecessary institutionalization. Following a two-week bench trial in May, the court found that the children in nursing facilities are capable of living in the community…
U.S. finds AZ prisons discriminate against blind and partially sighted inmates
July 20, 2023 Source: KJZZ
Federal investigators say Arizona’s prison system illegally discriminates against inmates who are blind or partially sighted. The state Corrections director said his administration first learned of the federal review that went on for more than two years about two weeks ago. The Justice Department found that people with blindness or low vision in Arizona prisons didn’t have access to materials in Braille. There’s no process for those inmates to request aid or file disability-related complaints. And the Department of Corrections over-relies on untrained prisoners to help their blind peers…
National News (U.S.)
Legislation threatens California businesses with big new risk from website, app accessibility lawsuits
July 14, 2023 | Source: Northern California Record
A new bill that could mean another record filing of California lawsuits on website accessibility is now under consideration by Sacramento lawmakers, following a “gut-and-amend” process that let it replace a different bill that had already been through required legislative channels. Gut-and-amend, defined by the California Legislative glossary as replacing a bill’s entire contents with different provisions, tends to happen toward the end of the legislative session…
New accessibility features added to Cobblestone Live Music and Arts Festival
July 14, 2023 | Source: WBFO
Concerts are supposed to be a fun space for everyone. However, for people with disabilities, accessibility of these events often isn’t well communicated or executed, leaving people out of the fun. That’s why local braille clothing company Aille Design got involved with this year’s Cobblestone Live Music and Arts Festival, happening on July 14th and 15th in Downtown Buffalo. This year’s festival includes several accessibility features, including a screen-reader friendly schedule, detailed descriptions of parking and accessibility features, sign language interpreters and a new accessibility hotline…
A Celebration Of Disabled Changemakers And Their Impact: Part 2
July 15, 2023 | Source: Forbes
Charisma Jamison was once aiming for a future as an Occupational Therapist and her life and business partner, Cole Sydnor, was pursuing a career in real estate, until they embarked on an unexpected path that has led them to become notable influencers. Despite their original career plans, they found their true calling within the realm of content creation, addressing the demand for knowledge and understanding about their unique relationship and how they navigate life with a disability…
New technology, same problems: We need to ensure accessibility for everyone
July 15, 2023 | Source: The Hill
It took decades of challenging systemic barriers and exclusion for disabled Americans to secure their right to exist and participate fully in our society. Thirty-three years ago, Congress passed the American with Disabilities Act to protect people with disabilities from ableist discrimination. At its core, the law was intended to facilitate access to transportation and public accommodations, like restaurants and workplaces. Yet, people with disabilities still face a myriad of challenges that infringe on their right to survive and thrive in our society, and mass surveillance technology is only making the problem worse…
Twitter – Microassist
How to Make Your Home Accessible
July 16, 2023 | Source: The New York Times
Tatiana Martinez needed an accessible home. Her then 7-year-old son, who uses a wheelchair, was too heavy to carry upstairs to his second-floor bedroom. “I constrained my home search to within a few towns from where I was already living because I wanted to remain with the same school services for my son,” said Ms. Martinez, a resident of Union County, N.J. After her three-year search, Ms. Martinez bought a one-story home near Summit, N.J., in 2019 for $900,000…
Alzheimer’s among seniors is most common in these parts of the US, first-of-its-kind data shows
July 17, 2023 | Source: CNN
Medicare coverage brings hope for Alzheimer’s patients seeking accessible yet expensive drug
July 13, 2023 | Source: KUTV
With new therapies that promise to slow Alzheimer’s disease, researchers race to reform how patients are diagnosed
July 16, 2023 | Source: CNN
Study finds these common devices slow cognitive decline for adults at dementia risk
July 18, 2023 | Source: SILIVE.com
Seniors living in the East and Southeast regions of the United States are most likely to have Alzheimer’s disease, according to new data shared at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference and published Monday in the organization’s journal. The report offers the first estimates of Alzheimer’s disease prevalence in the US at the county level. Researchers used data from thousands of individuals who participated in the Chicago Health and Aging Project to assess demographic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease — including age, gender and race — and mapped that against the makeup of US counties…
Vibrating haptic suits give deaf people a new way to feel live music
July 17, 2023 | Source: NPR
When Daniel Belquer was first asked to join a team to make a better live music experience for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, he was struck by how they had developed work-arounds to enjoy concerts. “What they were doing at the time was holding balloons to feel the vibrations through their fingers, or go barefoot and flip the speakers facing the floor,” Belquer said. He thought the team could make something to help hard-of-hearing people enjoy live music even more with the technology now available. “Like, it’s not cool. It’s kind of limiting. We could do better than that.”…
A new start after 60: I lost my hearing, found a community and began an adventure
July 17, 2023 | Source: The Guardian
When she was four, Barbara Earth injured herself in the basement of the family home. Imprinted on her memory, along with the hurt, is the understanding that she had to scream really loudly “because my mother wouldn’t hear”. Her mother’s hearing loss took place over many years, and Earth grew up knowing that the same might happen to her. “I saw my mother’s experience,” she says. “So much loss and pain. And I decided: I am not doing that.” In a sense, Earth, an academic, has prepared all her life for her own possible future deafness…
Top accessible brands 2023
July 19, 2032 | Source: Ad Age
Every year in July, the U.S. celebrates Disability Pride Month, celebrating the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, which gave Americans legal protections from disability-based discrimination. Today, 33 years later, there is still much work to be done to ensure representation, access and inclusion for people with disabilities. Part of that work can be helped by influential brands, putting their widespread audiences to use in furthering the collective goal of disability inclusion…
Diagnostic errors linked to nearly 800,000 deaths or cases of permanent disability in US each year
July 19, 2023 | Source: Kake
Misdiagnosis of disease or other medical conditions leads to hundreds of thousands of deaths and permanent disabilities each year in the United States, according to a report published this week. About 371,000 people die and 424,000 sustain permanent disabilities – such as brain damage, blindness, loss of limbs or organs or metastasized cancer – each year as a result. To make the estimate, researchers pulled from dozens of earlier studies to assess how often certain conditions were missed and how often that miss led to serious harms. That risk was then scaled by the incidence rate of new cases in the total US population…
More can be done to expand inclusive hiring practices for people with disabilities
July 19, 2023 | Source: The Desert Sun
Undeterred by the disabilities of deafness and blindness, Helen Keller rose to become a major 20th century humanitarian, educator and writer. One of her famous quotes is, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” Most are familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) signed into law by President George H.W. Bush July 26, 1990 and intended to affirm and protect the rights of those with disabilities regarding employment, government services and other aspects of public life…
Jack Fact — In a study by Adobe, 77% of workers with disabilities believe their employer has done a “better job” supporting them since the beginning of the pandemic. However, 84% of all surveyed, regardless of disability status, believe their coworkers would benefit from more workplace accessibility.
Hit The Road Jack — 10 Wheelchair-accessible Beaches in the U.S. and Videos highlight need for accessibility in tourism and How a local tour business conquers accessibility barriers
International News
Bridging the gap: Unlocking the power of accessible communications for an inclusive India
July 14, 2023 | Source: The Times of India
Diverse, dynamic, and technologically advanced, India has made significant progress in its development journey. Amidst these achievements, one segment of society that has been consistently overlooked and marginalized is the disabled community. Their limited access to public spaces, education, employment opportunities, and stigma have hindered their full potential, participation, and contribution to society. People with hidden disabilities face an even greater challenge…
Advocacy group launches campaign aimed at addressing accessibility
July 14, 2023 | Source: Winnipeg Sun- Canada
The Disability Matters Vote launched a campaign this week with top priorities ahead of the Manitoba election this fall. Supporters gathered at The Forks on Thursday to unveil the priorities of the group, which has campaigned in previous provincial elections. The first prioritiy is meeting basic needs. Disability Matters spokesperson David Kron says that Employment Income Assistance is too low for people with disabilities. With that, comes affordable, accessible housing…
Advocate calls for ATM accessibility for the blind
July 15, 2023 | Source: RJR News- Jamaica
The Jamaica Society for the Blind is appealing for a resumption of discussions with commercial banks about lack of accessibility at Automated Teller Machines. Chairman of the Society, Daemion McLean is pushing for voice activated ATMs to be installed to allow the blind to conduct their transactions in relative privacy. Speaking Friday on Radio Jamaica’s Beyond the Headlines, he said the conversation about accessibility was initiated with the Jamaica Bankers Association in 2021 but it has since stalled…
How Melbourne Transport Companies Prioritise Inclusivity to Enhance Accessibility?
July 15, 2023 | Source: TechBullion- Australia
Inclusivity and accessibility are fundamental aspects of a modern and thriving society. In Melbourne, transport companies have been leading the way in prioritising inclusivity, making public transportation accessible to people of all abilities. By implementing various measures and providing specialised services, Melbourne transport companies have created an inclusive environment that benefits everyone. We will explore the steps taken by Melbourne transport companies to ensure accessibility, the features available in public transportation, and how these initiatives have transformed the commuting experience for people with disabilities and the broader community…
Montreal stand-up making comedy inclusive for those with hearing loss
July 17, 2023 | Source: CTV News- Canada
Abby Stonehouse may not take herself too seriously but her cause is no joke. “When I started doing standup comedy I realized the arts is so inaccessible to so many people. With my work with Hear Quebec my passion for accessibility grew,” she said. The comedian was diagnosed with hearing loss eight years ago. Fast forward to 2019, and Abby was headlining the city’s first hearing-accessible comedy show, with an ASL interpreter and closed captioning…
Highland MSP talks education, accessibility and policy with autism rights group
July 17, 2023 | Source: Inverness Courier- UK
Highlands and Islands MSP Emma Roddick recently met with Autism Rights Group Highland (ARGH) to discuss the local campaigning group’s work in the area. The group, which is run by and for autistic adults, campaigns for better services for autistic people and works to challenge stigma and discrimination through education. A member of the European Council for Autistic People, the group is not only working locally in the Highlands but internationally as well…
Paralympian leads call for all UK sports venues to have fully accessible toilets
July 17, 2023 | Source: The Guardian- UK
Disabled athletes and sports fans are urging ministers to ensure that UK sporting venues have fully accessible toilets so they can enjoy sport in the same way as everybody else. At the moment fewer than 10% of venues have these facilities. The Paralympic athlete and campaigner Anne Wafula Strike has written to the sports minister, Lucy Frazer, and the disability minister, Tom Pursglove, saying that current facilities are leading to “serious injustice” and are preventing disabled fans and athletes from enjoying sport…
Persons with disabilities: Instructions on quota in promotions issued by govt
July 18, 2023 | Source: The Tribune- India
Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal issued detailed instructions regarding reservation for persons with disabilities in Group A, B, C and D posts. The instructions pertain to the grant of reservation in promotion to the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBDs) under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, came into effect on April 19, 2017. The instructions state that the reservation will be applicable to the PwBDs who have a disability of 40 per cent or more in the categories covered under the Act…
PwDs need accessibility at Dmu airport
July 18, 2023 | Source: Nagaland Post- India
Some existing issues at Dimapur Airport, such as the need for proper maintenance of accessible/priority washrooms as well as disability parking slots and disability drop-off and pick-up areas, were highlighted at the Disability Awareness and Sensitivity Workshop for Airport/Airlines Staff and Security Personnel at Dimapur Airport on July 14. A DIPR report informed that workshop was organised by office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Nagaland…
Heathrow rated poor over access for disabled passengers
July 20, 2023 | Source: BBC News
Heathrow Airport has failed to meet minimum standards for disabled passengers over the past 12 months, the aviation regulator says. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rated accessibility at the airport as “poor” for April-June 2022 and “needs improvement” for July 2022-March 2023. The disability charity Scope said passengers were being “let down”. Heathrow Airport said it had a “strong plan” in place to improve and that it is now meeting targets. Disability equality charity Scope is calling for tougher rules, meaning airports would be fined for failing disabled passengers…
South Africa welcomes Sign Language as one of its official languages
July 20, 2023 | Source: The Voice of the Cape- South Africa
South Africa now has 12 official languages. This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa officially signed into law the South African Sign Language Bill at the Union Building in Pretoria yesterday. According to Ramaphosa, recognising Sign Language as South Africa’s 12th official language is a milestone. He further added that the passing of this bill will resolve many barriers between citizens and the deaf community. As it currently stands, South Africa is the fourth country in Africa to recognise sign language as an official language. Other countries include Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Uganda…
NOA tasks govt on preventing vision loss in ‘1.7 billion persons by 2050’
July 21, 2023 | Source: The Guardian- Nigeria
Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA), yesterday, called on President Bola Tinubu to wage war against visual impairment and blindness to avoid a catastrophe. President of the association, Dr. Obinna Awiaka, gave the charge in an address he delivered at the 46th National Conference and Vision Expo, held in Asaba, Delta State. He said there was need for proper review of strategies towards combating visual challenges, as global statistics of people with vision loss continue to rise…
Accessibility Blogs, Information, and Videos
- DiverseAbility Magazine-Spring- 2023
- Considered a backup- Disability Debrief
- Moving to make travel more accessible- Travel Weekly
- Website Design For Enterprises In The Attention Economy- Forbes
- The Latest Trends in Web Design: A New Era Beckons- TechBullion
- Accessibility Audits: What they are, the benefits and steps- Kelly Chan
- Putting inclusion and accessibility at the heart of building design- FMJ
- Survey reveals what older people want to do with tech- Annie Mannion
- 5 Examples of a Diversity and Inclusion Plan Template- Joanne Derecho
- Disney Parade Rules for Wheelchair Users in Different Countries- TabiFolk
- Agents call for ‘one-stop shop’ for accessible travel information- Travel Weekly
- His search for the ’Inclusive City’- This week’s guest is Steve Wright- Headliner
- Effective Strategies For Optimizing PDFs For Online Publishing- Techie Expert
- Let’s make Santa Clara County a more accessible place for all- The Mercury News
- How Generative AI Will Enable More Inclusive Digital Experiences- Entrepreneur
- Three questions brand managers should ask throughout a website redesign.- August
- UI/UX Design Best Practices: Tips for Creating a User-Centered Design- PVP Live
- Day Trip to Rhode Island and Oppenheimer on 70mm IMAX- WheelchairTravel.org
- Banking Online while Blind: 3 Best Practices for Web Accessibility- Michael Taylor
- Web Design SEO: A Comprehensive Guide to Boost Your Website’s Visibility- NNN
- Playing field levelled: Accessibility advocate’s chuckwagon tarp debuts- Global News (Video)
- Universal Will Require Documentation For Skip-The-Line Disability Access. Is Disney Next?- World Of Walt
- Creating an Exceptional Users Experience: Best Practices and Strategies for Designers- Big News Network.com
- Making All Your Users Feel Welcome: Arkose Labs Challenges Are Now Certified WCAG Compliant- Security Boulevard
Higher Education Blogs and Information
- Digital Accessibility Connect- UC Berkely
- Mobile application against blindness- The GOA Spotlight
- Walking Accessibility Plan, Town of Richmond – Cornell CALS
- Blind Vermont State University student dreams of a career in audio- VT Digger
- PALNI awards Library Innovation Grants to three supported institutions- PALNI
- Web Publishing Guidelines Accessibility Resources- The University of Texas at Austin
- Shakespeare needs to be made accessible to deaf students in schools- University of Birmingham
- Digital Accessibility in Higher Education- Kevin Corcoran, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities
- How you can help make CWRU more inclusive through digital accessibility- The Daily- Case Western Reserve University
Legal Blogs and Information
- ADA Accessibility Lawsuit Tracker Final Numbers in Digital Lawsuits for June 2023- UsableNet
- California Investigates Employee/Hr Data Processing In Privacy Enforcement Actions- Thompson Hine
- Accessibility Expert Adrian Roselli Sued for Wanting Accessibility to be…Accessible- Michelle Frechette
- New California Assembly Bill On Website Accessibility May Expose Your Business to Liability Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and State Law But You Can Sue Your Web Developer- Butler and Mitchell
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- Gabby Giffords Joins AudioEye, Inc.’s Advisory Board
- New disability pass requirements at Universal theme parks
- CTA awards contract for Austin Green Line improvements
- Introducing AT Champions- NEAT’s AT Champions Program
- New manager and commission address accessibility, age issues
- Here Are the Best Earplugs to Help Protect Your Hearing at Concerts
- Disneyland Paris launches new Virtuoz tablet for visually-impaired guests`
- State of Colorado Call for Community Steering Committee (CSC) Members
- Colored Overlays and Lenses Make Reading More Accessible Across Mediums
- Adaptive playground opens at The Center for Individuals With Physical Challenges
- HubStar’s Workplace Scheduling Technology Achieves Full Accessibility Compliance
- Industry, Academic, and Civil Society Leaders Join PAI’s Global Task Force for Inclusive AI
- Enhancing Accessibility in Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Adaptive Programs Offer Inclusive Outdoor Adventures
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- Creating Accessible Slides
- Quickstarts | PDF Accessibility Auto-Tag API
- PlayStation’s Slick New Accessibility Controller Will Be Available by Christmas
- Friend Ahead: The Accessibility Of Elden Ring’s Most Underappreciated Feature
Accessibility Statements
- ICES
- Hays
- AGCAS
- Naspers
- CHOICE
- Inkstick Media
- City of Holland
- Gunnison County
- Westchester County
- Fredericksburg Standard
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:
- What is a VPAT®? A VPAT Primer
- Understanding Digital Accessibility in the Procurement Process
- 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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