Accessibility in the News — Knowledge is Power 6/23/2023.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has vetoed a bipartisan bill, House Bill 3159, that aimed to expand vote-by-mail access for individuals with disabilities, particularly those who are blind or paralyzed and require assistance marking their ballots. Advocates argue that the veto is a setback for voters with disabilities who have long advocated for the ability to mark their mail-in ballots independently. The bill, co-authored by state Rep. Jeff Leach and state Rep. John H. Bucy III, would have allowed such voters to request an electronic ballot and use a computer to mark their choices before printing, signing, and returning the ballot by mail. Despite passing both legislative chambers with strong bipartisan support, the bill was vetoed by Abbott, sparking disappointment among advocates.
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AITN Quote of the Week
“We’re talking about basic access, not convenience. Access that everybody else that’s able-bodied takes for granted. This should be a priority.” ― Representative David Ortiz
Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism
Feature Stories
Gov. Abbott vetoes bill to improve mail voting for disabled voters
June 20, 2023 | Source Votebeat Texas
Texas Legislature passes bills to increase voting accessibility
June 19, 2023 | Source The Daily Texan
Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have expanded vote-by-mail access for people with disabilities — specifically people who are blind or paralyzed and need assistance marking their ballot. Advocates say Abbott’s veto of House Bill 3159 is a blow for voters with disabilities who have for years called for the Legislature to grant them a way to mark their mail-in ballots without having to rely on anyone else. Co-authored by state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, and state Rep. John H. Bucy III, D-Austin, the bill would have allowed voters who need help casting a ballot, such as people who are visually impaired or are paralyzed…
National News (U.S.)
Cannes is upping its accessibility accommodations — but there’s more to be done
June 16, 2023 | Source PR Week
Why Brands Need to Open Up to Accessible Design
June 20, 2023 | Source LBBOnline
It’s safe to say that many industry professionals who plan to attend Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity next week are dreading the busy schedules, sweaty crowds and endless back-to-back meetings, not to mention, the need to bustle around satellite events ever-expanding around the Palais. For attendees with disabilities, that dread is likely multiplied significantly, as large-scale events such as Cannes are host to unique challenges often overlooked by event planners and the general public…
How Estée Lauder builds technology to foster inclusivity
June 16, 2023 | Source CIO Dive
When Estée Lauder Companies decided to focus on making technology more inclusive for employees and consumers, the IT team adopted it as a big part of its agenda, according to Michael Smith, CIO at Estée Lauder Companies. “This was really spurred from what I believed for a long time to be a completely untapped kind of opportunity around inclusive tech,” Smith told CIO Dive. With innovation as a core part of the company’s DNA, Smith said, he wanted to amplify what already existed. The company held hackathons and ideathons, meant to serve as cultural touchstones…
Pride will only be truly inclusive when it is accessible to disabled LGBTQ+ people
June 17, 2023 | Source LGBTQ Nation
This Pride Month holds particular significance due to ever-increasing hostility towards LGBTQ+ people nationwide. But while the protests and celebrations champion justice and inclusion, disabled people are often inadvertently excluded. I’m one of them. Inaccessibility has meant I haven’t been able to attend Pride since 2019, and I’ve never felt further from the queer community. While around 1 in 4 LGB Americans and 2 in 5 transgender Americans are disabled, accessibility at Pride events often falls short…
Ford Patent Filed For Accessible Scooter
June 17, 2023 | Source Ford Authority
Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for an accessible scooter, Ford Authority has learned. The patent was filed on December 6th, 2021, published on June 8th, 2023, and assigned serial number 0172777. In spite of a rapid expansion that has occurred over the past few years, Ford ultimately decided to merge Spin – a micro mobility company that rents out scooters – with Tier, Europe’s leading shared micromobility provider, back in March 2022. FoMoCo retained a stake in the company following this move, and Spin continues to operate in North America as it did before, while in Europe, it has since transitioned to the Tier brand…
Deaf advocates say learning sign language early is crucial
June 17, 2023 | Source PBS
More than 90 percent of deaf children in the U.S. are born to hearing parents. For them, the path forward can be difficult and also controversial. The advent of cochlear implant technology has the opportunity to change lives, yet many deaf advocates say not teaching sign language is a risky proposition. Rhode Island PBS Weekly’s Pamela Watts reports on the stark choices some parents face…
Twitter – Microassist
Pay it Forward: Bikers band together to battle Alzheimer’s and dementia
June 18, 2023 | Source CBS Iowa
An Iowa woman is using her personal experience with dementia to raise thousands of dollars to try and put an end to the disease. “9 years ago we started Bikes Behind Brains, said Amanda Pins. “My mom had younger onset Alzheimer’s. She was in her early 50’s when she started to show symptoms. She was unable to walk talk or feed herself for 4 years, and she died at the young age of 65.” The money raised from ‘Bike Behind Brains’ goes to the Iowa chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, an organization committed to ending Alzheimer’s and dementia through accelerating research…
Our Son Was Born With Down Syndrome. This Is The Line I Wish We Weren’t Told Repeatedly
June 19, 2023 | Source HUFFPOST
Our youngest son, John, was born in the middle of the night in a community hospital. Moments after his birth, I held our newborn in my arms as I had his two older brothers, bent over him and wept with tears of joy. He was so tiny, yet immense, as if he contained the whole universe. Forget exhaustion; my wife and I floated on the joy our son’s birth gifted us. A short while later, the covering OB-GYN came to speak with us. “I am so sorry. I have bad news. It appears that your son may have a slight case of Down syndrome,” she told us, and then left the room without saying anything else…
How sounds can turn us on to the wonders of the universe
June 19, 2023 | Source MIT Technology Review
In the cavernous grand ballroom of the Seattle Convention Center, Sarah Kane stood in front of an oversize computer monitor, methodically reconstructing the life history of the Milky Way. Waving her shock of long white hair as she talked (“I’m easy to spot from a distance,” she joked), she outlined the “Hunt for Galactic Fossils,” an ambitious research project she’d recently led as an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania. By measuring the composition, temperature, and surface gravity of a huge number of stars, she’d been able to pick out 689 of them that don’t look like the others…
Accessible Nature: A Trail Guide for Disabled Hikers
June 19, 2023 | Source The New York Times
I was well into adulthood when I realized that hiking was an activity that I could participate in. I grew up with multiple disabilities and chronic illnesses and thought being “outdoorsy” was only for able-bodied people. I couldn’t find information about hiking as a disabled person, so I spent a lot of time trying to figure it out for myself. Accessibility is improving, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Different disabilities — and even people with the same disability — have different needs…
What We Learned From Autism’s First Child
June 20, 2023 | Source The Atlantic
Donald Triplett was 89 when he died, and for most of his life he was anonymous outside the small town of Forest, Mississippi. But when he was laid to rest this week, the news of his death traveled around the world. In 1943, he was the boy identified only as “Case 1, Donald T” in the set of case histories that formed the foundation for the diagnosis of autism. He was, effectively, the first child diagnosed with autism. We first wrote about Donald in The Atlantic in 2010 and explored his story in depth in our book and recent PBS documentary, both called In a Different Key…
Wheelchair users fight for easier air travel
June 20, 2023 | Source Axios
Accessibility advocates are fighting for new rules that would ease air travel for passengers needing extra assistance — especially those requiring wheelchairs, who currently aren’t allowed to sit in their own chair during flights. Why it matters: While airlines are banned from discriminating against disabled travelers, the reality for many involves broken wheelchairs, degrading treatment and ruined plans. If passengers could sit in their own wheelchairs on flights, the thinking goes, the devices would be less likely to be damaged during travel…
Feds Seek To Revamp Rules Related To Disability Housing
June 20, 2023 | Source Disability Scoop
For the first time in decades, federal officials are planning to update rules prohibiting disability discrimination in housing and they’re looking for input. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is seeking public comment as it considers revising regulations related to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 bars discrimination on the basis of disability in many circumstances including in any program receiving funding from the federal housing agency. But, HUD said that significant changes in the housing industry have occurred since rules were originally issued in 1988…
The iPad was meant to revolutionize accessibility. What happened?
June 21, 2023 | Source MIT Technology Review
In December 2022, a few months after learning that he’d won an Iowa Arts Fellowship to attend the MFA program at the University of Iowa, David James “DJ” Savarese sat for a televised interview with a local news station. But in order to answer the anchorman’s questions, Savarese, a 30-year-old poet with autism who uses alternative communication methods, needed to devise a communication hack. He’d been coming up with them since early in his childhood…
Advancing Access and Equity with DeafBlind Inclusion
June 21, 2023 | Source Mentera- Marc Safman
The first thing a human resource (HR) professional should do is be prepared for awesomeness! Companies lucky enough to encounter a DeafBlind, Blind or Deaf applicant have an opportunity to work with an extremely resourceful, confident individual. We are walking problem solvers that focus on creating effective solutions. In 2023, DeafBlind, Blind, Deaf applicants expect competent handling of perfunctory requests by potential employers. Deafblindness means a person has combined dual sensory challenges. We do not have hearing and vision challenges. We are DeafBlind (without a hyphen!)…
How GM is moving its autos into an accessible and inclusive future
June 20, 2023 | Source Popular Science
The cruise control function has been around since the late 1950s, allowing drivers to keep a constant speed. Today, this often-standard feature is not just for rolling along while resting your right foot; drivers have learned over time that maintaining speed saves gas, too, and it smooths out the start-and-stop motion of average highway driving. What’s most remarkable about cruise control is not the system itself, which represented a breakout innovation at the time. This brilliant tech was invented by an engineer who was blind named Ralph Teetor, and it was his tenacity that led to a patent that changed driving as we know it…
What you should know about muscle memory to help you stay fit
June 21, 2023 | Source CNN
When you hear the term “muscle memory,” it conjures up images of your muscles being able to memorize certain movements, such as dribbling a soccer ball or playing “Happy Birthday” on the piano. But while muscle memory is real, that’s not what is actually going on in your body. What’s more, science says there are two different kinds of muscle memory. One type, neurological, is tied to the recall of learned activity, while the other form, physiological, is related to the regrowth of actual muscle tissue…
WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife expands accessibility, rules for people with disabilities
June 21, 2023 | Source The News Tribune
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has amended existing rules and clarified others regarding special use permits. The new guidelines are intended to broaden accessibility for Washington state residents, including those with disabilities, and increase the efficiency of the application process. The department stated in a news release on June 16 that they want to make the process for disability accommodations for WDFW services and activities easier…
Disability advocates are asking a court to halt a Mississippi law on ballot assistance
June 22, 2023 | Source NPR
Disability and voting rights advocates are asking a federal court to block a measure in Mississippi, set to go into effect next week, that creates new restrictions for people who need assistance voting by mail. Senate Bill 2358 limits who can collect and transmit a ballot that was mailed to someone else. In Mississippi, the state’s absentee-by-mail voting program is for limited groups of voters — people out of town on Election Day, people 65 or older and people with a temporary or permanent physical disability…
Wayfair class action alleges website not accessible to blind, visually impaired users
June 22, 2023 | Source Top Class Actions
Wayfair LLC violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by operating a website that is inaccessible to blind and visually-impaired individuals, according to a class action lawsuit filed June 18 in New York federal court. Plaintiff Seana Cromitie is a visually-impaired and legally blind person who utilizes screen-reading software to read website content on her computer. She notes that a 2010 U.S. Census Bureau report found that there are more than 8 million visually-impaired Americans, about 2 million of whom are blind…
Muscular dystrophy patients get first gene therapy
June 22, 2023 | Source NPR
In an eagerly anticipated decision, the Food and Drug Administration Thursday approved the first gene therapy for muscular dystrophy. “Today’s approval addresses an urgent unmet medical need and is an important advancement in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a devastating condition with limited treatment options, that leads to a progressive deterioration of an individual’s health over time,” said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a statement…
Jack Fact — According to Statista, the three US states with the highest number of people with disabilities are West Virginia, Kentucky, and Arkansas. As many as 19.8% of those living in West Virginia are people with disabilities. In comparison, the number stands at 17.8% in Kentucky and 17.5% in Arkansas.
Hit The Road Jack — Are Disney Theme Park Accessible Efforts Sufficient? and Enjoying the Trails Safely
International News
City to explore in-house dispatch for accessible taxis
June 16, 2023 | Source CBC- Canada
Councillors are urging the City of Ottawa to consider running its own dispatch service as part of efforts to increase the number of accessible taxis on the road, as a perennial lack of vehicles leaves many waiting hours. Members of the emergency preparedness and protective services committee carried a motion to include the feasibility study for the dispatch within the pilot of a new incentive program. Only about 80 wheelchair-accessible cabs are currently on the road, but city staff says 20 of those are not available for on-demand service because they are being used for the pre-scheduled Para Transpo service…
Accessibility plans on tap for towns
June 16, 2013 | Source Columbia Valley Pioneer- Canada
All three Columbia Valley municipalities are quickly putting together accessibility committees, each with the aim of creating an official accessibility plan for its community. Canal Flats is currently searching for members to make up its accessibility committee, Invermere has appointed its corporate officer Kindry Luyendyk to lead its efforts to form a committee, and Radium Hot Springs was, as the Pioneer went to press, poised to appoint three Radium residents to its accessibility committee…
Loyalist Township partners with KATC for accessible transportation pilot program
June 16, 2023 | Source Kingstonist News- Canada
An accessibility issue that Loyalist Township has been attempting to remedy since 2018 has now resulted in a partnership with the Kingston and Area Taxi Commission (KATC). At their meeting on Tuesday, Jun. 12, 2023, Loyalist Township Council voted unanimously in favour of a recommendation that will see the Township enter into an agreement with the KATC to offer accessible taxi service to residents of Amherstview. The move comes after years of back and forth with Kingston Access Services (KAS), followed by some confusion around how a program employing taxis as opposed to access buses could be created…
Brighton: Southern trials app to help blind train travellers
June 16, 2023 | Source The Argus- UK
Blind people taking the train from Brighton will benefit from a new app which will help them navigate the station in a UK first. Passengers who are blind or partially sighted will be able to use their phone camera to make their way around the station or to a member of staff. The app will connect them to a remote adviser who sees the station through their lens to help tailor the guidance. The free app called Airam, which can be downloaded on the Apple App and Google Play stores, was selected by Govia Thameslink Railway, which runs Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink…
‘They are locked at home’: Brakes slammed on tram accessibility
June 17, 2023 | Source The Age- Australia
Not a single stop on Melbourne’s tram network has been made more accessible in the past 12 months and only four were delivered over the past three years, as work grinds to a halt on upgrades to meet the needs of people with disabilities or limited mobility. The delay comes almost six months after Victoria sailed past the legally binding deadline to make all tram stops in the network accessible as required by the Disability Discrimination Act after delivering just 458 – leaving close to 1200 non-compliant stops across the city…
Chief Secy underscores need for accessible infra for PwD
June 17, 2023 | Source The Goan- India
Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel has highlighted the need for accessible infrastructure in the State while drawing attention to the practices followed by other nations in designing inclusive roads and footpaths. Speaking at a sensitization workshop for engineers and architects of the Public Works Department (PWD), Goel stressed the department’s crucial role in creating smooth mobility for people with disabilities and all pedestrians. “Other countries have designed their roads and footpaths to be accessible and friendly for people with disabilities…
UN conference lauds Qatar’s efforts in accessibility for persons with disabilities
June 18, 2023 | Source Doha News- Qatar
The United Nations hosted a mandated Conference of State Parties (COSP 16) to discuss the implementation of rights stipulated for persons with disabilities. The five-day conference held last week saw Qatar lauded for its efforts in the accessibility sector. Various themes were discussed during the sixteenth session of COSP 16, including: ensuring equal access to reproductive health services, digital accessibility, and reaching under-represented groups with disability…
Download festival: Disabled woman who paid £1.2k to be there forced to leave as accessible camping was full
June 18, 2023 | Source Edinburgh News- UK and Metro UK
A disabled woman who paid £1,200 to attend Download festival had to leave after just three hours – because the accessible camping site was full. Frances Simmonds-Mead booked tickets to the rock event for her and her partner Oliver Marchant, 26, last November. Frances, who is a full-time wheelchair user and has Oliver as her carer, says she contacted the festival to tell them about the facilities she would need. But the 24-year-old was left devastated when they arrived at the site in Donnington Park, Leicestershire to find the accessible camping area rammed…
Queer, disabled men tackle issues of intimacy, accessibility and ableism on stage
June 18, 2023 | Source CBC- Canada (Video)
A new play called Access Me, which explores the intimate lives of three queer disabled men, debuted this weekend in Toronto as part of Pride celebrations. The play was created from frustration the actors experienced on issues of inaccessibility, ableism and the public’s perception of disabled intimacy, even among their own queer community — something they say is an experience that is rarely, if ever, seen on stage. Performers say the goal of the play is to gently nudge an audience to think about some of the issues and barriers queer, disabled men face daily…
Most magistrates courts in England and Wales have accessibility failings
June 19, 2023 | Source The Guardian- UK and The Law Society Gazette
‘I became Billy No-Mates’: a disabled magistrate in an inaccessible court
June 19, 2023 | Source The Guardian- UK
Three-quarters of magistrates courts in England and Wales are inadequately accessible for people with disabilities, with a lack of ramps, inaccessible toilets and non-functioning hearing loops all featuring as failings. An on-the-ground survey carried out by the Magistrates’ Association assessed the accessibility of 57 buildings – more than a third of magistrates courts – and found a plethora of problems. Only one building was found to be “good” across all areas assessed, which included magistrate entrances, car parks and public areas…
Making society accessible for everyone
June 19, 2023 | Source Third Force News- Scotland
The magnitude of emerging technology to empower individuals within society is immense, and its potential to remove barriers for people with sight loss presents a real opportunity. An increasing focus within the technology sector is also to integrate with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring accessible technology and inclusive design are embedded in service delivery. Inclusive Design for Sustainability –will bring together global technology companies, SMEs, academics, government, third sector and blind and partially sighted people to bring focus to the opportunity for technology to increase equity in society…
Accessibility projects earn federal grant funding
June 19, 2023 | Source St. Albert Gazette- Canada
A local optometrist and a Morinville-based non-profit organization are two of some 900 recent recipients of a federal grant to support projects to improve accessibility, the Canadian government announced in early June. The grant program, called the Enabling Accessibility Fund (EAF), “contributes to the Government of Canada’s ongoing commitment toward its Disability Inclusion Action Plan by promoting the creation of a fully inclusive Canada free of physical, societal, and attitudinal barriers,” according to a May 30 news release…
Snow-clearing plans could ‘trap’ Edmontonians with disabilities, advocate says
June 19, 2023 | Source Global News- Canada
An advocate for Edmontonians with disabilities said current snow-clearing plans could effectively “trap” some people in their homes following major snowfalls. Starting this winter, because of budget cuts, residents will wait longer than last season for roads, sidewalks, ramps and bus stops to be cleared of snow and ice. Roads will take an extra one or two days, while city-owned sidewalks, ramps, staircases and some bus stops will take six days instead of four, according to the city…
Greece is making beaches accessible. Why isn’t Australia?
June 20, 2023 | Source Sydney Morning Herald- Australia
Greece makes beaches more accessible to wheelchair users
June 19, 2023 | Source Mashable- Greece (Video) and Neos Kosmos- Greece
Have you ever considered that people in wheelchairs can’t easily access the beach? In Greece, they’ve solved the problem for many by installing solar-powered Seatrac Bathing Chairs in 200 beaches. A Greek invention, they allow people who are unable to walk unassisted to “drive” to the sea using remote control. The chairs glide into the water and allow the user to sit in the water or swim before manoeuvring back into the chair and gliding up the beach. It’s both dignified and fun…
Govia Thameslink trials app to help blind and visually impaired passengers
June 20, 2023 | Source BBC- UK
An app to help blind or partially sighted rail passengers is being trialled at Stevenage station. The Aira wayfinding app guides passengers via a remote operator who looks through their smartphone camera. Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which is trialling the third party app at four stations, believes it is the first train company in the UK to do so. The company said it was “always looking for innovative ways of enabling everyone to travel”. Accessibility engagement manager, Antony Merlyn, said: “Giving people the confidence to travel is really important to us.”…
33 accessible playgrounds to be built across Israel
June 20 2023 | Source The Jerusalem Post- Israel
The construction of 33 playgrounds that are going to be accessible for children with disabilities was announced by the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Ministry on Monday. The move by the ministry, in cooperation with local authorities, will invest NIS 22 million into the project as part of an overall plan to improve the quality of life and promote equality for the residents of Israel’s peripheral areas. The playgrounds will both enable disabled children to play in them, as well as make it possible for parents in wheelchairs to accompany their children on the facilities, for example, to go with their children to the top of a slide…
London’s paratransit system is so bad, it’s breaking the law, disability advocates say
June 21, 2023 | Source CBC- Canada and CTV News
A London woman calling on London Transit to improve its troubled paratransit service is asking the province to audit the system to highlight what she says are failures to meet provincial accessibility rules. Jacqueline Madden, whose son Chris has spina bifida and relies on the service, filed the audit request today with Ontario’s Accessibility Directorate. London Transit isn’t meeting provincial requirements to provide accessible service under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Madden said…
Making websites more accessible could boost donations by £65m, charities told
June 22, 2023 | Source Civil Society- UK
The charity sector is potentially missing millions in online donations because of “poor website accessibility”, according to new research. A recent OnePoll survey of 600 neurodivergent and physically disabled adults in the UK shows that nearly half of the respondents have been put off making online donations due to their needs not being met online. Giant Digital, a web development agency that commissioned the research, estimated that charities could be missing out on up to £65m a year in online donations as a result…
Accessible to all: measures that benefit all museumgoers
June 22, 2023 | Source International Council of Museums- Japan
Diverse groups of people visit Miraikan, a national science museum in Japan, and see the latest scientific breakthroughs and cutting-edge technologies. Miraikan – which means “house of futures” in Japanese – aims to be an open platform where everyone can contribute to creating a brighter future. Improving museum accessibility is essential to truly include everyone in this process, no matter the nationality, no matter cultural background, no matter the physical features and more…
Bristol traveller demands dignity and respect from airlines
June 22, 2023 | Source BBC- UK
A woman with limited mobility has claimed that airlines and airports are routinely failing to treat disabled people with dignity and respect. Sarah Cox, 36, from Bristol, said she always has issues “everywhere I go, every airport (and) every airline”. She said she was left stranded in Dubai earlier this month after her wheelchair was broken in transit. The UK Civil Aviation Authority said it was working with airlines to improve accessibility. Ms Cox said the incident is not unusual and is campaigning for something to be done to improve the travelling experience for disabled passengers…
Accessibility Blogs, Information, and Videos
- Insights: AI and Accessibility- Fable
- Accessibility and Equality- Braille Works
- How big tech embraced disabled users- France 24
- New tools for accessibility and engagement – inewsource
- How to Build an Equitable and Accessible Classroom – Bookshare
- Web Accessibility for Restaurants: 3 Best Practices- Michael Taylor
- Here’s How to Ensure Accessible Access at Bus Stops- Streetsblog LA
- How To Set Up a Home for In-Home Care (2023 Guide)- This Old House
- This Is Wheel Life | Episode 4: The Mystery of Accessible Fashion- RNZ (Video)
- Start with digital documents to make your workplace more accessible- CIO
- Cvent Digital Accessibility: 1200 Improvements and Counting – MeetingsNet
- When Accessibility Is Truly Prioritized, We All Benefit- DeShaun Wise Porter
- Security, Privacy, And Compliance Undercurrents Of Web Accessibility- Forbes
- IT Accessibility Policy Framework – Real Property Management – Section508.gov
- Designing for Accessibility: A Digital Product Designer’s Guide- RS Web Solutions
- AMP And Accessibility: Ensuring Equal Access For All – Business Connect Magazine
- What Would Digital Inclusion and Equity for the Deaf Look Like? – Benton Foundation
- How AI-Driven User Experience Testing Enhances Digital Health Accessibility- CSRwire
- Making a space accessible should involve more than a checklist- Charcot-Marie-Tooth News
- Design, Test, Repeat: Building Accessibility in Digital Government- Government Technology
- Answering Your Questions About Delta’s Wheelchair Space for Airplanes- Wheelchair Travel
- How Theater Can Become a More Inclusive Space for People with Disabilities- New Jersey Digest
- Marketing to Everyone: Why Accessibility Matters for Your Digital Marketing Strategy?- ReadWrite
- How You Can Improve Accessibility Within Your Remote Business- The European Business Review
- The Effect of User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Design on Sports Brand Websites- GIS User
- Creating an Exceptional User Experience: Best Practices and Strategies for Designers- Big News Network
- Employers And Workers With Disabilities Both Benefit From Technology Accessibility- Diane Winiarski
- 3 tips for building an accessibility program from accessibility research experts at Duo Security and Visa- Fable
- Open source and accessibility: How we can make government digital services available to everyone- Mike Gifford
- “How to Save the Sight of Patients with Glaucoma While Minimizing Adverse Reaction from Eye Drops”- The Glaucoma Foundation (Video)
- HB23-1308- Access To Government By Persons With Disabilities- Concerning access to government by persons with disabilities- Colorado General Assembly
- A Capitol Recap: Disability Policy in the 88th Legislature- Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities (YouTube) and A Capitol Recap: Disability Policy Academy Presentation_06.14.2023 (Slideshow)
Higher Education Blogs and Information
- Why more and more colleges are closing down across the U.S.- CNBC
- Breaking Accessibility Out of the Silo- Annie Heckel- Cornell University
- Academic Success Tip: Train Professors to Make Content Accessible- Inside Higher Ed
- Abbott signs bill to bar diversity, equity and inclusion offices from Texas colleges- The Hill
- Laurentian University Partners with Rick Hansen Foundation to Deliver Accessibility Certification Training- My Espanola Now
- Graduate student Linda Hood plays role in passing of new accessibility bill- St. Cloud State TODAY – St. Cloud State University
Legal Blogs and Information
- NYC is no place for small businesses- NY Post
- Can Web Developers Be Held Liable?- Ken Nakata
- Law Office of Lainey Feingold- Structured Negotiation | Disability Rights
- Agency’s 508 program embraces law, fosters inclusive environment- DVIDS
- Chicago Cubs Defeat Wrigley Field Wheelchair Accessibility Suit- Bloomberg Law
- ADA And HIPAA For Healthcare Websites: The Benefits And How To Comply- Forbes
- FCC Updates Rules to “Ensure that Video Conferencing is Accessible to All”- Covington
- Mid-Year Digital Accessibility Legal Landscape: Trends, Tips, and Predictions- Level Access
- New California Assembly Bill on Website Accessibility Could Result in a Lawsuit Tsunami- Seyfarth Shaw
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- Web Accessibility Global Usage Survey
- Accessibility Enhancement Fund Recipients
- Tourism Industry Commits To Accessible Future
- Vimeo and Rev Partner to Make Video Accessible
- Boating center’s new building inclusive, accessible
- GAAD Foundation- Gaadys Nomination Guidelines
- Nantou subsidizes accessibility equipment for elderly
- Samsung AR Emoji update adds new accessibility feature
- How to make celebrations accessible for all the family- RNIB
- Call for Nominations for 2023 Lex Frieden Employment Awards
- Ajloun Cable Car ensures accessibility for visitors with disabilities
- Lighthouse Theatre ramps up accessibility with relaxed performances
- Apple goes big on accessibility with new features that give you a voice
- Caretech startup’s app brings added accessibility to this year’s Bluesfest
- Parsippany Company Gifts $20K To Nonprofits Supporting Accessibility
- Accessibility enhancement fund to assist 14 tourism operators in the north
- Sir Alok: Accessibility improvements at Theale Station “coming to fruition”
- NCW Libraries receives $20,000 national grant for accessibility improvements
- EAC event details how to make voting more accessible to people with disabilities
- Product Diversity Office Impact: Making Lenovo’s Commercial Vantage Accessible
- Meta Announces Voicebox Generative AI Model, Touting Accessibility Implications
- Morgantown community comes together for the production of all-accessible playground
- Microsoft App, Seeing AI, Empowers the Visually Impaired with AI-Powered Accessibility
- Ontario International Airport adopts Sunflower programme to support those accessibility needs
- Studio 24 launch a modern, inclusive website for Tim Berners-Lee’s web standards organisation
- NCBR to launch call for research projects on improving accessibility for people with special needs
- St. Clair Catholic’s Annual Accessibility Plan for 2023-2024 was presented to the Board of Trustees
- Colorado Springs partners with online travel site focused on helping travelers with mobility disabilities
- When it comes to inclusiveness, these 10 LGBTQ+ Denver bars are leading the way for people with disabilities
- Burlington County Implements Technology To Enhance Accessibility For Residents With Hearing Impairments
- Apple’s Support For Passkeys On iCloud And Related Websites Is As Big For Accessibility As It Is Privacy And Convenience
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- Highlight part of page you’re focused on
- Use a text cursor to navigate and select text
- Accessibility issues to consider in gaming
- Final Fantasy XVI – Accessibility Options
- Todd Howard Talks Starfield Accessibility
- 4 Myths About Live Captions for Accessibility
- How to turn on accessibility features on MacOS
- 8 great iPhone accessibility tips to make life easier
- The five types of people who produce inaccessible code
- 6 Quick tests you can do to test your forms for accessibility
- The Director of Street Fighter 6 Uncovers Its ‘Modern’ Updates
- How to Enable Mac-Like Startup and Shutdown Chimes on Your iPhone
- Enhancing User Experiences: Leveraging React.js Agency for Interactive Web Development
- F1 23 Has An Accessibility Feature For Tinnitus Sufferers, And It Changed My Relationship With The Game
Accessibility Statements
- gov
- Employers for Carers
- Western Governors University
- Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund
- Standard Accessibility Reporting
- Global Wildfire Information System
- Teachers College, Columbia University
- University of North Carolina Wilmington
- San Mateo County Community College District
- King’s College London Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership
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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