Accessibility in the News — 1/31/2020.

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AITN Quote of the Week

“All policy issues are disability policy issues, which is why I’ve approached many of my previous plans with a disability rights lens, from criminal justice reform, to ensuring a high-quality public education for all, to strengthening our democracy.”

― Elizabeth Warren

Feature Stories

The Barriers Disabled Iowans Will Face In The Caucuses Next Week

January 28, 2020 | Source: Forbes

Disability Advocates Push to Make the Iowa Caucuses More Accessible

January 28, 2020 | Source: Time & WAMU 88.5 (Podcast)

While Minnesota accommodates disabled voters, new bill looks to break down barriers nationwide

January 29, 2020 | Source: The Neighbor

At the start of the 2020 Election year, the Iowa caucuses are shy of a week away: February 3. The Iowa caucuses have a history of setting off a chain reaction that can lead to the White House; hence these caucuses have an excellent chance of potentially predicting November’s winner. To further add pressure on this year’s Iowa caucuses, they are expected to be extremely close. Since the 2016 Election year, disabled voters and advocates have been louder than ever before for holding politicians and government officials accountable for ensuring voting polls are accessible, and candidates include disability issues in their platforms…

National News (U.S.)

Inclusivity for all: How to make your research group accessible

January 23, 2020 | Source: Science Magazine

Creating an inclusive culture in your research group requires installing mechanisms for your whole team to be successful. And when it comes to accessibility, by ensuring everyone has what they need to be their most creative and productive, you ensure a win for science AND your scientific workforce. Mona Minkara, an assistant professor at Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, is a bioengineer, a world traveler and adventurer, writer, and speaker. She also happens to be blind…

Changemaker: Woodinville man breaks down barriers for people with disabilities

January 23, 2020 | Source: Q13 FOX

Finding the perfect home can be challenging for any of us. For people with disabilities, getting a place that meets their specific needs is often overwhelming. Real Estate Broker Barry Long is on a bit of a crusade to help buyers with disabilities find an accessible home. “Around the country, it’s very difficult to find an accessible home,” Long said while showing off a home for sale in Mill Creek. “You can’t go to the big national websites and search accessibility and pull the homes that have accessibility features.”…

Why Andy Byford’s Departure Is So Distressing For NYC Subway & Bus Riders

January 24, 2020 | Source: Gothamist & Daily News

As news broke on Thursday that New York City Transit President Andy Byford had resigned for good, politicians and policy makers expressed shock and sadness. “DEVASTATED,” City Council Speaker Corey Johnson tweeted. “Jesus Christ” one MTA staffer muttered, while the agency’s scheduled board meeting ground on in a state of bureaucratic obliviousness. “It’s unbelievable,” said the MTA’s head of buses, Craig Ciprano. “This changes everything.”…

Disability-rights movement takes spotlight at Sundance

January 25, 2020 | Source: Washington Post

During the thunderous reception for the celebratory disability-rights documentary “Crip Camp” at the Sundance Film Festival, the loudest response came when disability advocate Judith Heumann, one of the film’s chief personalities, wheeled on stage. “It was as loud as a jet airplane taking off,” Jim LeBrecht, who co-directed the film with Nicole Newnham, said the morning after the film’s premiere. Even on a night when Taylor Swift’s “Miss Americana” also debuted, “Crip Camp” caused a stir at the Park City festival…

Secretary of State’s Office Opens its Doors to Accessibility Community

January 25, 2020 | Source: AllOnGeorgia

Senior members of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s staff hosted a roundtable discussion Friday with advocates for people with disabilities and senior citizens. “This is personal for me that we get out and serve people with differing abilities,” said State Elections Director Chris Harvey, who told the group his mother suffered disabilities as he was growing up. The groups represented included the National Federation of the Blind, AARP, the American Civil Liberties Union Georgia, the Georgia Council on Aging, the Georgia Tech Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation, the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency and the State ADA Coordinator…

Developing disability-inclusive higher education systems

January 25, 2020 | Source: University World News

It has been 25 years since the first issue of International Higher Education was published. By coincidence, it is also 25 years since the Salamanca Statement called on the international community to endorse the approach of inclusive education, including at the tertiary level. The past quarter century has witnessed the global massification of post-secondary education, yet this explosion of facilities and enrolment has largely entrenched and exacerbated the exclusion of people with disabilities from the sector…

For the deaf, tech has made access to health care worse

January 25, 2020 | Source: Herald Extra

Kim Smith knew from the start that video remote interpreting was going to become a problem. “I remember seeing that and thinking that is not going to work,” Smith, who is deaf, said in American Sign Language, according to a spoken English interpreter. Smith is the co-leader of Utah Deaf Hospital Rights, a Facebook group that has gained more than 700 supporters and held a town hall and protest. She is also the president of the Utah Association of the Deaf…

ADA changes needed in Salem

January 26, 2020 | Source: Salem News

Advocates for residents with disabilities are calling on City Hall to act on a list of issues they say shows the city is not in compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The City Council’s public health committee will hold a meeting later this year on the petition of Steve Kapantais, a Salem resident with visual impairment who sued the city last year over the accessibility of popup parklets. In a letter to the council, Kapantais called attention to recent audits of several of the city’s buildings, parks and schools by the Institute for Human Centered Design…

Protesters Call for Wheelchair Accessibility in Harvard IT Building

January 26, 2020 | Source: Harvard Crimson

A small group of protesters gathered in Harvard Square Friday afternoon to advocate for wheelchair accessibility in a Harvard University Information Technology building. The six protesters — led by Harvard Extension School student and former HUIT employee Raman G. Solanki — marched from the HUIT building at 65R Mount Auburn Street to the Smith Campus Center to raise awareness for people with disabilities. Solanki said he chose to resign from his job with HUIT because the University has “no plans” to make the building wheelchair accessible…

New online tool connects leaders of Deaf accessible churches

January 27, 2020 | Source: Mission Network News

Deaf Bible Society’s new online tool, Deaf Church Where, maps where people can find Deaf accessible churches. Ryan Sims, Deaf Church Where Project Coordinator with Deaf Bible Society, says Deaf Church Where is helpful for many reasons. Besides the obvious benefit of connecting Deaf believers to the Body of Christ, it can also be an invaluable connecting resource to pastors of Deaf churches. “You have to understand in the Deaf community, it’s very spread out so finding pastors can be very scarce.” Sims says…

311 Assailed As ‘Epic Failure’ For The Deaf Community

January 27, 2020 | Source: THE CITY

The city’s complaint and information hotline, 311, isn’t only frustrating for non-native English callers — it’s also an “epic failure” for deaf and hard-of-hearing users, a City Council member charged. “It was not designed for people who are hard of hearing, so we have some real Americans with Disabilities Act issues here,” Councilmember Fernando Cabrera (D-The Bronx) told THE CITY. He spoke after at a recent joint meeting of the Committees on Governmental Operations and Technology, where he raised concerns about the accessibility of 311 for those who are deaf or hard of hearing…

Democrats ask Amtrak to review policies after wheelchair users quoted $25K ticket price

January 27, 2020 | Source: The Hill & Progressive Rail Roading & USA TODAY

Illinois senators meet with Amtrak CEO over $25,000 price tag for wheelchair users

January 28, 2020 | Source: The Hill

After $25,000 fee, wheelchair users wait for better Amtrak stations, trains

January 29, 2020 | Source: AZCentral.com

Illinois Democratic Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Richard Durbin joined Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D) in calling on Amtrak to review its policies on disability accessibility after a group of wheelchair users was briefly told they would be charged $25,000 to travel from Chicago to Bloomington, Ill. In the letter, Duckworth, the top Democrat on the Senate Transportation Committee, joins Durbin and Garcia in calling the incident “particularly frustrating” after an earlier investigation by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division that found Amtrak has failed to make its intercity rail stations properly accessible…

‘I Wish We Could Connect on This Level.’ Memes Still Aren’t Accessible to People Who Are Blind. What’s Being Done About It?

January 27, 2020 | Source: Time

If you’ve spent a lot of time on the internet in the last decade, you might immediately recognize this description: a toddler clenches his fist in front of a determined-looking face. “Success kid” is one of the most popular online memes in history. But for the 2.2 billion people worldwide who report visual impairments or blindness, according to the World Health Organization, it is just one of thousands of images on the internet that are essentially illegible to anyone without full vision…

Nonprofit View: Lions working to help ‘hasten the day when there shall be no preventable blindness’

January 27, 2020 | Source: Baltimore Sun

A national survey that regularly collects data identifying persons with hearing loss or deafness in the American population, the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) estimates that fewer than 1 in 20 Americans are currently deaf or hard of hearing. In the U.S., nearly 10 million persons are hard of hearing, and close to one million are functionally deaf. More than half of all persons with hearing loss or deafness are 65 years or older, and less than 4% are younger than 18…

5 ways Fintech is making Banking more accessible

January 28, 2020 | Source: TechBullion

In 2018, people filed more than 10,000 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III complaints against businesses in the United States, including many financial institutions, like Bank of America, H&R Block, and Charles Schwab. The ADA prohibits businesses from discriminating against anyone with disabilities. For financial and banking institutions, this means, among other things, that their services must be equally accessible to people with and without disabilities…

Haro Bicycle and plaintiff agree to settle class-action lawsuit over website

January 28, 2020 | Source: Bicycle Retailer

Haro Bicycle and a New York man have agreed to settle the man’s lawsuit over the bike company’s website. Valentin Reid, who is legally blind, had charged that Haro violated the American Disabilities Act, saying one of its websites, ridedelsol.com, was not accessible to the blind. Reid was the lead plaintiff in the class action lawsuit filed in October against Haro in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Court filings show both sides have agreed to ask the court to dismiss the case permanently. The judge has not approved the dismissal request…

‘Burdens of discovery’ bog down NYC subway accessibility lawsuit

January 28, 2020 | Source: amNY

Advocates Rally to Make NYC Public Transit Accessible

January 28, 2020 | Source: NBC New York

For three years, the Center for the Independence of the Disabled (CIDNY) and the MTA have been going back and forth to court over a lawsuit regarding full accessibility at all New York City subway stations. The latest chapter of the battle was written in Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday, with a discovery hearing that demonstrated some of the intricate legal hurdles that have slowed the case’s progress. The MTA wants the CIDNY to provide emails based on 50 keywords from their clients about how the use the subway…

U.S. Attorney and NDSU reach settlement over complaints about seating for people with disabilities at the SHAC

January 29, 2020 | Source: Inforum

A settlement has been reached over violations of federal anti-discrimination law at North Dakota State University’s premiere multi-sport arena. U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley announced on Wednesday, Jan. 29, that his office had entered a settlement agreement with NDSU over accessibility complaints at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex, known as the SHAC. Complaints alleged the facility’s design features violate the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or ADA — landmark civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination based on disability…

Making Ontario County tourism more accessible

January 29, 2020 | Source: MPNnow

In an effort to tackle issues of accessibility in the local tourism industry, the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection has awarded more than $25,000 as part of the Ontario County tourism promotion agency’s Visitor Experience Fund. The grants will go to projects that improve accessibility for visitors to the county. “We need to continuously improve our visitor experience,” said David Hutchings, executive director of Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion and State Historic Park and a board member of the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection…

What is glaucoma?

January 29, 2020 | Source: Your Sun

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve, the part of the eye that carries the images to the brain for us to interpret. The optic nerve is made up of many nerve fibers, like an electric cable containing numerous wires. When damage to the optic nerve fibers occurs, blind spots in the vision develop. Typically, these blind spots initially occur in the peripheral vision and may go undetected until significant optic nerve damage occurs, resulting in permanent blindness. This is why glaucoma is known as the “silent thief of vision.”…

18 Inspiring Netflix Shows Committed to Representing People With Disabilities

January 29, 2020 | Source: POPSUGAR

According to a report published by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention in August 2018, one in four adults have a disability. Unfortunately, only 2.1 percent of regular characters on primetime TV in the 2018-2019 season actually had a disability, per a recent report from GLAAD. Disability representation includes characters with both visible and invisible disabilities — such as blindness, deafness, and genetic disorders, as well as those with mental challenges and illnesses — and we are far from having accurate representation in TV…

The Current State of Website Accessibility for Disabled Individuals – Zenyth Group CEO Daryn Harpaz

January 30, 2020 | Source: Forbes

The relationship between technology and autism services has been a focus of my thinking and writing lately. It’s an urgent topic that I feel deserves attention, but it’s also led me to a broader conversation about inclusivity (or lack thereof) of technology for the larger disabled community. As our lives become increasingly enmeshed with technology—phones at our fingertips, brick and mortar retail locations rapidly disappearing, the supremacy of social media and e-commerce—the need for technology that can accommodate the disabled community is at once something that must be a priority…

Pittsburgh school for the blind facing teacher shortage

January 30, 2020 | Source: Trib Live

While educators fear many of Pennsylvania’s K-12 schools may face a teacher shortage soon, one specialized school says it already has one. Rachelle Rectenwald is assistant superintendent at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, a multifaceted school serving individuals with blindness and visual impairment at its Oakland campus. She said the school is reaching out now with career fairs in an attempt to deal with a large number of pending retirements among teachers and paraeducators…

Jack Fact — According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), 25.5 million Americans age 5 and older have self-reported travel-limiting disabilities. 13.4 million are age 18 to 64 and 11.2 million are age 65 and older. 3.6 million Americans with travel-limiting disabilities do not leave their homes because they are disabled or housebound.

Hit The Road Jack — 20 Accessible Travel Predictions For 2020

International News

Schools are failing legal duties on accessibility plans, says report

January 23, 2020 | Source: Disability News Service- UK

Secondary schools across England are breaching their legal duty to publish plans showing how they will improve access for disabled pupils, according to new research published today (Thursday). The research, carried out on behalf of The Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE), says the government, the education watchdog Ofsted and local authorities are all failing to monitor how schools are meeting their legal duties to publish these accessibility plans…

Halifax’s accessibility adviser hopes for contract renewal

January 23, 2020 | Source: The Signal- Canada

With only a few weeks left in his one-year contract with the city, disability activist Paul Vienneau hopes it gets renewed because he has bigger accessibility plans he wants to pitch. In February 2019, Vienneau was appointed to work on a year-long contract as the accessibility adviser to Halifax’s chief administrative officer Jacques Dubé. Among the many accessibility plans Vienneau had for the city when he was first appointed, he said he wanted to see an accessible entrance to city hall…

Amazon’s smart assistant is trained to help blind and partially-sighted people as more than half claim to struggle with the internet

January 23, 2020 | Source: Daily Mail- UK & Evening Standard- UK

Amazon’s smart assistant, Alexa, has been trained to help blind and partially-sighted people as more than half claim to struggle with the internet. The Royal National Institute of Blind People has worked with the technology company to provide information on vision problems that is accessible by voice. People will be able to access the curated information from the RNIB’s Sight Loss Advice Service by using voice commands like ‘I’m losing my sight. Research commissioned by the charity found that 54 per cent of blind and partially sighted people see their vision as a barrier to using the internet…

Children’s charity incorporates assistive technology with new web accessibility software to promote inclusion online

January 24, 2020 | Source: AT Today- UK

National children’s charity Just4Children has added website accessibility software Recite Me to its website to help everyone use the website barrier-free and promote inclusion online, with helpful tools such as speech to text functionality and reading aids. Just4Children provides support for families to help their children with disabilities and sickness, and the organisation is now breaking down barriers online with the recent introduction of Recite Me to its website…

Be ambassadors of Accessible India Campaign: DEPwD secretary to officials

January 25, 2020 | Source: Outlook- India

Department of Empowerment of Persons With Disabilities Secretary (DEPwD) Shakuntala D Gamlin has urged the state commissioners of disabled welfare to become “ambassadors” of the Accessible India Campaign. Reviewing the progress of welfare measures of DEPwD with them here on Thursday, Shakuntala, who is also the chief commissioner for PwD, said they should ensure that the disabled people have easy access to places like hospitals, high courts, district courts, universities, colleges, public service commissions, museums, hotels, banks, municipal buildings and tourist places…

The hidden billion dollar opportunity in tourism industry knocking at India’s door

January 25, 2020 | Source: Financial Express- India

India offers a bouquet of varied travel experiences – religious and heritage destinations, medical tourism, wellness, adventure sports, rural tourism, etc., yet many of these experiences remain inaccessible for millions. Several families, such as Raj and Pooja’s (names changed) face challenges when planning their vacation. The couple’s twelve-year-old son lives with a visual disability and Raj’s mother recently underwent a hip replacement surgery. They struggled to find a destination, which would be both ‘accessible’ and enjoyable for the entire family…

Calls for Cork candidates to engage with deaf community

January 24, 2020 | Source: Echo Live- Ireland

Deaf campaigners in Cork have said that it’s difficult for people in the community to engage with the upcoming general election. They’ve said there are accessibility difficulties, such as multimedia material that is not subtitled, and live streams with no interpreter. Pointing to hustings and public meetings in Cork and around the country, Graham O’Shea, Cork Deaf Club chairperson said that “no consideration will be given to Deaf constituents who, as much as anyone else, want to find out their local candidates’ views and plans.”…

Why is there a lack of disability representation in the arts?

January 26, 2020 | Source: The Boar- UK

Tennessee Williams was one of the first playwrights to directly deal with disability. His characters, Blanche Dubois, in A Streetcar Named Desire and Laura in The Glass Menagerie, were based on the struggles of his sister, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia. These plays came at a time when the topic of disability remained taboo – so much so that Rose Williams tragically underwent a lobotomy as a result of her condition. Until the 1970s, the societal approach towards people with disabilities was rather discriminatory, but has since changed as a result of many movements and reforms that have altered attitudes…

‘Access is a human right’: how deaf and disabled people are transforming theatre

January 27, 2020 | Source: The Guardian- UK

More stories are being told on stage by artists with disabilities. But the biggest problem is the architecture of theatres. Even if you have the talent to perform in some of these venues, just getting in the building is impossible. Actors and writers are told they can earn their stripes at the fringe level. How do you do that when accessible rehearsal rooms are the most expensive and every pub theatre is up a flight of stairs? I ended up opening my own rehearsal space, run by my production company, Aegis Productions…

Ontario Establishes a New Framework to Continue Progress on Accessibility

January 28, 2020 | Source: Ontario- Canada

When a society is inclusive and barrier-free, people can fully participate in their communities. Making Ontario a province where communities and businesses are accessible for everyone benefits us all. The government continues to build momentum in creating a barrier-free Ontario, but a lot of work still needs to be done to make the province accessible for everyone. That is why Ontario has developed a new framework informed by the recommendations made by the Honourable David C. Onley in the third legislative review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), as well as input from key partners, organizations and people with disabilities…

Disability access woes highlighted as Panel go online

January 28, 2020 | Source: Peeblesshire News- Scotland

For able-bodied people, being able to stroll into a cafe or a shop is simple. In fact most of us don’t even think about it. But what about those with disabilities? Whilst most businesses and venues do their best in making their premises more accessible, there is still a lot of work to be done before people with a variety of disabilities can lead their lives without endless hurdles holding them back. That’s where the Tweeddale Access Panel steps in to help. Run by a group of volunteers both disabled and able-bodied, they work together to improve access and inclusion for people with disabilities in local communities…

Audio-descriptive commentary at Stade de Lyon, a legacy of the FIFA Women’s World Cup

January 28, 2020 | Source: FIFA- France

Every FIFA tournament endeavours leaving social legacies in each host country and the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™ was no different. At the end of 2019, Olympique Lyonnais officially completed the delivery of an audio descriptive commentary system for blind and visually-impaired supporters at the Stade de Lyon, the venue for the Women’s World Cup final in 2019. The device is free of charge and allows the supporters to follow all the action in the stadium thanks to a voiceover text which is provided by commentators who describe the match events in great detail and the atmosphere in the stadium…

Taxis threaten to scrap accessible vehicles over ride-hailing dispute, vulnerable people caught in middle

January 28, 2020 | Source: CityNews Vancouver

Disabled passengers left feeling like ‘pawns’ in BC taxi vs. ride-hailing war

January 29, 2020 | Source: Global News- Canada

B.C. taxi companies have threatened to stop subsidizing accessible vehicles as their dispute with ride-hailing companies heats up, which could leave some vulnerable people without a way to get around. Accessible taxis are more expensive to operate than standard vehicles, so companies typically offer some incentives to the people that drive them. Uber and Lyft, on the other hand, are not obligated to have accessible vehicles on the road. As a response, cab companies are calling it unfair and scrapping those incentives…

Upward Mobility: Self-Driving Wheelchairs at Tokyo’s Narita Airport

January 28, 2020 | Source: APEX Media- Japan

When it comes to demand for accessible air travel, all indicators point up. IATA forecasts that in less than two decades, airlines will carry upward of 8.2 billion passengers a year – nearly double the current amount. Over a shorter period, the 65-and-up demographic will grow by more than 50 percent. By 2030, one in every six people will count themselves a sexagenarian or older. By 2050, there will be more pensioners on the planet than adolescents. In other words, the increase in mobility also means an increase in travelers with mobility limitations…

Toronto Uber and Lyft Drivers Have New Rules to Follow

January 29, 2020 | Source: The News Wheel- Canada

As of Jan. 1, ride-share drivers in Toronto are now required to meet specific standards for training and experience behind the wheel — with the goal of making transportation safer and friendlier for customers. Narcity reports that Toronto Uber and Lyft drivers — along with taxi, limo, and other vehicle-for-hire operators — will now have to prove that they have at least three years of driving experience before they’re cleared for action. Before passage of the new city bylaw, these drivers only needed a single year of experience on the road…

Improved data can enhance disabled access around the globe, UN group says

January 29, 2020 | Source: Access and Mobility Professional- UK

As data analysis drives on, it is not necessarily helping places become more accessible and inclusive for people living with a disability. A Financial Times report has detailed how James Thurston, vice-president for global strategy and development at G3ict, a UN Group, thinks cities are unsure how to actually enhance their accessibility offering. Thurston explained: “Cities do not know how accessible they actually are and how to improve. We were seeing amazing new smart solutions and technology products being developed in incubators and deployed by cities — but without any real thought to how or whether they work for all people.”…

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