Accessibility in the News — 12/4/2020.

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Justice Department Settles with Amtrak to Resolve Disability Discrimination Across its Intercity Rail System

December 2, 2020 | Source: DOJ & ADA Agreement & ADA Complaint & Washington Post

The Justice Department today announced that it reached an agreement with Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, to resolve the department’s findings of disability discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under the agreement Amtrak will fix inaccessible stations and pay $2.25 million to victims hurt by its inaccessible stations. The accompanying complaint filed by the department alleges that Amtrak has violated and continues to violate the ADA by failing to make existing stations in its intercity rail transportation system readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs. The ADA gave Amtrak 20 years from the law’s 1990 enactment to make its stations accessible, requiring Amtrak to comply by July 26, 2010…

New DOT rule paves the way for airlines to ban emotional support animals on flights

December 2, 2020 | Source: USA Today & CNN & WAAY & WXII & Service Animal Final Rule- DOT

The Department of Transportation announced Wednesday it will revise rules around flying with emotional support animals and will no longer consider them to be service animals, which are required by law to be allowed to fly with passengers on commercial airlines. The revised Air Carrier Access Act rules define a service animal as “a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability,” according to a release from the U.S. DOT. The DOT notes it no longer considers an emotional support animal to be a service animal, paving the way for airlines to ban them if they don’t fit established rules about pets…

National News (U.S.)

North Texas Businesses Struggling To Survive Pandemic Face Lawsuits By Out-Of-State Lawyer

November 18, 2020 | Source: CBSDFW.COM

The coronavirus has ravaged the restaurant industry. Now many small businesses struggling to survive the pandemic are also fighting an unexpected legal battle from a Florida attorney. Douglas Schapiro says he’s on a crusade for people with disabilities. He lives in the Boca Raton area but has spent years suing Texas businesses for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. “I love making our country more accessible for the disabled population,” he told CBS 11 News. Under Title III of the federal law, people with disabilities can sue a business if it presents a physical barrier. It could be a lack of handicap parking spaces, handrails or ramps. But the issues could also be much smaller, like chipped paint on a curb or a bathroom mirror hung an inch too high…

Lyft Again Defeats Class Status in Wheelchair Accessibility Suit

November 20, 2020 | Source: Bloomberg Law

Plaintiffs suing Lyft Inc. over an alleged lack of wheelchair accessible vehicles have been denied class status a second time, after the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California concluded they failed to establish, among other things, that the class would be sufficiently numerous under Rule 23. When the court eventually decides the case, “only the named plaintiffs will be bound by the outcome,” which is a risk that Lyft told the court it was willing to take, according to Judge William Alsup’s Thursday order. Plaintiffs attempted to craft a class definition that would avoid implicating a class…

For Bloomington-Normal disabled people, progress and challenges with accessibility

November 22, 2020 | Source: Bloomington Pantagraph

As a wheelchair user, Netia Carey, 57, knows what sidewalks and streets can be trouble for those with mobility issues. Carey has cerebral palsy and takes public transportation to get from the nursing home where she lives to a volunteer position at Life Center for Independent Living. “I wouldn’t rate Bloomington-Normal as being a totally accessible place,” said Carey, an area resident for most of her life. “. Crossing streets can be hard because of high curbs. Cars are also not always willing to let us have the right of way — and it’s scary. The year marks three decades since President George H.W. Bush signed into law the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, a sweeping piece of legislation that mandated virtually all public facilities be accessible for people with disabilities..

How blind engineers are fixing the online job hunt

November 24, 2020 | Source: CNET

Searching for a job during a pandemic is a difficult task, especially as joblessness claims rise to over 740,000 in the US and many people have found themselves unemployed in recent months. If you’re living with a disability such as blindness or visual impairment, it can be even more difficult. But a team at the American Foundation for the Blind is making the online job hunt more accessible for everyone, from the initial search to interviewing, getting hired and starting work…

Does the Gimlet Media Lawsuit Present a New Angle to Digital Accessibility?

November 24, 2020 | Source: IMC Grupo

Web accessibility lawsuits have been growing in numbers since 2018. In the past two years, we have seen quite a few large business houses being dragged to court because their online presence denied accessibility to people with disabilities. One of the recent lawsuits filed in July 2020 was against a leading digital media company called Gimlet Media. The lawsuit came into the limelight since it attracted a lot of attention from within and outside the disability communities. The media company based in New York is owned by the streaming giant Spotify and attracts millions of downloads every month…

Smart Home Automation Technology Company Sued for Website ADA Violations

November 24, 2020 | Source: Law Street Media

On Monday in the Southern District of New York, the plaintiff, a visually impaired and legally blind individual, filed a class-action complaint against Brilliant Home Technology, a smart home automation company, for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) for its website, which the plaintiff and putative class were unable to fully access with their screen-reading software. The complaint stated that “Congress enacted the ADA as a way of banning discrimination based on a disability…

The Election of A War Veteran in Colorado Puts Wheelchair Access Front And Center At The Capitol

November 25, 2020 | Source: CPR News

Soon Colorado will get its first state lawmaker known to use a wheelchair. Democrat David Ortiz was elected by voters in south Metro Denver and will be sworn into office in January. But the Capitol building, where he’ll work and where he’s supposed to interact with his colleagues and the people he serves, is not fully accessible to him. His election has jumpstarted some changes to the 130-year-old building that some say are long overdue. “Obviously the most urgent thing was to make sure I could at least do my job,” Ortiz said…

Making a home accessible after a severe injury can be overwhelming — but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s one mom’s advice.

November 25, 2020 | Source: Chicago Tribune

When Laura Sickel Baumann got the phone call in 2018, she first knew she needed to get her son back to Chicago. He’d been injured in an accident in New Orleans. She eventually arranged a flight back to Chicago, where after surgery, he was taken directly to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab to begin rehabilitation. It was the first of many logistical puzzles in caring for her adult son, who suffered a spinal cord injury. Where would he live? How do they get a wheelchair? And how would he wheel it into their Evanston house? When he was finally home, how could they make their house’s interior meet his new needs?…

Utah Schools for Deaf and Blind launches foundation to aid students, their families

November 25, 2020 | Source: Standard-Examiner

Nearly 5,000 sensory-impaired students throughout the state are educated by the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind, headquartered in Ogden. One week before Giving Tuesday, the schools launched a foundation to benefit students at its Salt Lake City location. Foundation director Amy Zaharis said dollars raised won’t fund school operations but will instead go toward purchasing accessibility equipment, like white canes and hearing aids, as well as other needs the school doesn’t provide…

A Teen Influencer Who’s Deaf Says Social Media Has A Ways To Go When It Comes To Accessibility

November 27, 2020 | Source: BuzzFeed News

Scarlet Waters is 19 and has 3.6 million followers on TikTok. She posts comedy sketches, dances, front-facing camera rants — all the things Gen Z’ers are doing to build a loyal following. Except Scarlet is deaf in both ears and uses a cochlear device to help her hear. The disability shapes her experience as an internet personality and consumer. She’s not the only person who’s deaf who is having trouble with social media, but she’s one of the few people openly talking about it. Like a lot of young influencers on the app, many of Scarlet’s most popular TikToks hop on trends and reimagine popular sounds…

Companies Pry Open the Web for People With Intellectual Disabilities

November 30, 2020 | Source: Wall Street Journal

Communication capabilities range widely among people with IDD, who include those with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. Some find it difficult to speak but are able to read, while many can communicate easily in person but struggle to read, according to Margaret Nygren, the executive director and chief executive of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, or AAIDD. “It’s a lot easier, and fairly enough, for web developers and the tech community to focus on a one-off, one-size-fits-all solution for, say, people who are blind or low vision…

8 Ways To Make Elections Better For People With Disabilities

November 30, 2020 | Source: Forbes

How (not) to make accessible data visualizations, illustrated by the US presidential election.

November 30, 2020 | Source: Sarah L. Fossheim

The U.S. election is essentially over, and the Presidential transition is more or less underway. Despite dire but entirely reasonable predictions about Covid-19 and voter suppression, it looks like people with disabilities and chronic illnesses were not disenfranchised wholesale — at least no more and maybe even less than usual. It will take awhile to get a clear picture of what happened with disabled voters. But it’s probably not too early to brainstorm a bit about what would make the whole election experience better for disabled people next time around and going forward…

Education Department Starts Addressing Discrimination Cases Related To COVID-19

December 1, 2020 | Source: HuffPost

After spending months failing to make meaningful progress on complaints of coronavirus-related discrimination in schools, the Education Department has started opening investigations into some of these allegations, HuffPost has learned, even though the department denies it has changed gears. In November, HuffPost first reported that attorneys in the department’s Office for Civil Rights said they had not been able to move forward on these complaints. But at that time, a spokesperson for the Department of Education denied it had failed to make progress on the investigations…

Millions of children with disabilities are missing out on education. Like me, they deserve to fulfill their potential

December 2, 2020 | Source: CNN

When I was 9 years old, a psychologist told my parents I had a low IQ because I was born with Down syndrome. Seven years later, I graduated high school as class valedictorian. At the age of 20, I received a bachelor’s degree in arts with a major in history. Today, I am a pre-school assistant teacher, a Special Olympics Global Youth Ambassador and Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger. I am also the 2020 UNESCO Global Champion for Inclusion in Education. I don’t think about what that psychologist said when I was a child, but I wonder how many children with disabilities are not fulfilling their potential because someone once said they couldn’t…

Blind Hoosiers File Lawsuit Against the Indiana Election Commission and the Secretary of State

December 3, 2020 | Source: Disability Rights Advocates

The ability to vote privately and independently is a fundamental right and an essential component of democracy in the United States. However, in Indiana, these rights are not guaranteed to all voters. In fact, Indiana has one of the most restrictive absentee voting systems in the country for blind voters because it only permits them to vote at home by appointment with a “traveling board” of elections officials. Hoosier voters who are blind or have low vision could easily vote privately and independently at home using electronic tools. Instead, they are being forced to choose between giving up their right to vote privately and independently, risk exposing themselves to COVID-19 at the polls, or not voting at all…

Workplace Struggles For Deaf Employees

December 3, 2020 | Source: Forbes

In one of my recent Forbes.com articles, I discussed the term “ableism” — a lesser-known but widely systematic and negative bias affecting persons with disabilities. Sadly, there are other disability-specific discriminations hanging under ableism. Today, I want to share the term “audism.” Audism is the discrimination or prejudice against individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. The topic of deaf people in the workplace is a topic most people do not consider in their day-to-day work lives, perhaps because many of us have never worked with a deaf person before. Data from the National Deaf Center show that in 2014 only 48% of deaf people were employed, versus 72% of hearing people…

How To Qualify For Life Insurance With A Disability

December 3, 2020 | Source: Martinsville Bulletin

About 40.6 million Americans have a disability, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For those Americans who have a disability, qualifying for life insurance often poses a challenge. Because insurers view applicants with disabilities as a greater risk, it can be harder to find suitable coverage options. But there are coverage options within reach. So if you have a disability, here’s how to qualify for life insurance—and some alternative options if you find you can’t qualify. Even if you have a disability, you can still qualify for life insurance as long as your disability doesn’t impact your life expectancy. And the nature of your disability will affect the available policy choices…

International Day of Persons with Disabilities: how are disabilities presented in film and TV?

December 3, 2020 | Source: Epigram

Casting choices in Hollywood have become the hot topic in recent years. And, while we seem to be making progress, sometimes it feels like a one step forward, two steps back conversation – especially when it comes for the representation of those with special needs. Imagine, one day, we all woke up to discover that everyone could fly, apart from you. Soon, everyone would begin flying everywhere as part of their daily routine: the commute to work, out for fun. But they could still walk. When you can fly, who cares? But you, the reader, would remain firmly planted to the ground. Soon, it factors into town planning – buildings with no stairs, because we wouldn’t need them. Right? Wrong…

Jack Fact — Nearly 40 million people in the world are blind, according to the World Health Organisation. A further 217 million have moderate to severe vision impairment.

Hit The Road Jack — Accessing Paradise – Visiting Okinawa with a Disability

International News

Accessibility in our homes isn’t a privilege — it’s a right

November 21, 2020 | Source: Vancouver Sun- Canada

I was feeling excited. Looking at the impressive highrise buildings and crowded streets, I could feel the palpable energy of the downtown core. Having just found out that I had landed an internship at one of Canada’s largest financial services firms, I was ready to launch my career. But I started getting anxious: Where am I going to live? Having been in a wheelchair since age five, I was more than used to navigating around these sorts of obstacles. This was different. At the time, I was living with my parents in a small rural community. Now, I was taking one of the biggest “steps” of all: moving to a new city on my own…

Closing the digital accessibility gap with innovative technology

November 23, 2020 | Source: Hindustan Times- India

From a very young age, her parents, extended family and soon teachers observed that Sukriti Chadha had a brilliant acumen, equally matched by her heartfelt passion for life, knowledge, and servant leadership. She excelled in academics through high school in her native Delhi, India, which further unleashed opportunities and a delightful path of higher learning for Sukriti. There were already many signs that she was destined for making an impact on a global scale…

CTA Releases “What We Heard” report on Phase II of its Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities

November 27, 2020 | Source: Mirage- Canada

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) today released its “What We Heard” report summarizing the input received during its consultations on Phase II of its Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR). On June 25, 2020, the CTA’s new ATPDR came into force. They establish modern legally binding requirements for accessible services, technical standards for equipment, communications, training, and security and border screening…

First European accessibility standard on built environment approved

November 26, 2020 | Source: European Disability Forum

The European Standardization Organizations CEN and CENELEC approved the first European standard on the accessibility and usability of the built environment. This much awaited technical document will be published at the very beginning of 2021, and it will help Member States, and more particularly architects, to guarantee accessibility for persons with disabilities, and many other people with functional limitations, to the physical environment. It was drafted in response to a European Commission standardisation request, known as Mandate 420, and counted with the participation and consensus of European organisations representing all the relevant stakeholders…

Including persons with disabilities in surfing

November 27, 2020 | Source: Sportanddev.org- Brazil

Denise de Siqueira is an adaptive surfing athlete and a member of the Surf and Sustainability Research Group (SandS), a multidisciplinary research group founded by Marcos Bosquetti at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis Island, in southern Brazil. Denise defended her MSc thesis of Architecture & Urbanization on accessible beaches and adaptive surfing in Brazil under the research co-supervision of Professor Bosquetti. This is the first research on this topic conducted in Brazil…

AI learned to translate speech into video with sign language

November 28, 2020 | Source: Free News- UK

In the UK, an AI-based model was introduced that listens to speech and translates it into sign language. For this, the system creates a digital avatar of the sign language interpreter. An artificial intelligence (AI) model has learned to create photorealistic videos of sign language interpreters. These avatars translate speech into the language in real-time and can improve user access to dozens of sources. Ben Sanders of the University of Surrey (UK) and his colleagues used a neural network that converts spoken language into sign language…

Seeing the ability in disability: Telling our own stories

November 28, 2020 | Source: Central Western Daily- Australia

In 2020, the community is being urged to start ‘seeing the ability in disability’. Part of that push is celebrating and supporting people with a disability in telling their own stories. The ABC’s disability affairs reporter Nas Campanella said she always aimed to elevate the voices of everyday Australians living with disability who were often not heard. Nas is dedicated to promoting the interests of people with a disability, and advocates in that role as the chairperson of ABC Inclusive, ABC’s internal staff network for people with disability…

The future is only bright if it’s inclusive

November 30, 2020 | Source: Inside Housing- UK

In the not-too-distant future, I want to get to a place where I don’t have to scope out where I’m going to ensure my mum will be able to join me in the venue. I don’t want to have to check whether a restaurant has disabled access or ground-floor facilities. It should be a given. Since my mum’s multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, she’s had to move four times to get accommodation that suits her changing needs. From a house, to a bungalow, to sheltered accommodation. I don’t want my mum to have to go through the upheaval and stress of being forced to move again (nor any other disabled or older person, for that matter) because her physical needs change…

Leeds agency urges businesses to consider accessibility

November 30, 2020 | Source: Business Up North- UK

Thursday 3rd December marks International Day of People with Disability (IDPD), originally created by the United Nations and designed to bring awareness and celebrate the diversity of the global community. This years’ theme is ‘not all disabilities are visible’, something Leeds-based behavioural research and UX consultancy, SimpleUsability, is keen to encourage businesses to consider when interacting with their customers. After SimpleUsability’s research moved to become 100% remote this year, the team reconsidered how they could improve the way the firm recruits and researches with participants with a variety of needs and digital skill sets…

Accessibility Still Challenging for MENA Countries as World Marks Disability Day

November 30, 2020 | Source: The Media Line- Israel

Morocco, Israel two examples of how further action is needed to ensure integration and inclusion for people with special needs. From tiled steps in Fez to blue-painted stairs in Chefchaouen, visitors to Morocco can expect to get some exercise while sightseeing. But what about wheelchair-bound tourists? Fez was founded in 789, approximately 1,203 years before the International Day of Persons with Disabilities was proclaimed by United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. The annual event recognizing the dignity and rights of individuals with disabilities and promoting their integration and inclusion in society is held on December 3…

Deaf and Disabled workers call for accessibility and equality

December 3, 2020 | Source: Mirage- New Zealand

Today is the International Day of People with Disabilities. Almost one in four New Zealanders have a disability, and the Public Service Association says more must be done to enable Disabled people to lead good lives. The PSA’s Deaf and Disabled Network wants to see consistent accessibility standards implemented across the public service for both staff and clients. The Network argues employers and the government should commit to a shared goal of making all New Zealand workplaces accessible to all New Zealanders. Many disabilities are invisible, but as Disabled New Zealanders and trade union members we refuse to be treated like we’re invisible people. We want to see the barriers that keep Disabled people out of jobs and civic activities torn down,” says Glenn Walker…

‘Milestone’ Anti-Aging Treatment Restores Sight in Mice

December 2, 2020 | Source: Courthouse News Service- Japan

Scientists said Wednesday they have restored sight in mice using a “milestone” treatment that returns cells to a more youthful state and could one day help treat glaucoma and other age-related diseases. The process offers the tantalizing possibility of effectively turning back time at the cellular level, helping cells recover the ability to heal damage caused by injury, disease and age. “I’m excited about being able to rejuvenate organs and tissues that fail due to ageing and disease, especially where there are no effective treatments, such as dementia,” senior author of the study David Sinclair told AFP…

When live music starts up again, it’ll be more accessible

December 2, 2020 | Source: ABC News- Australia

In some rare good news to come out of COVID, the pandemic has helped make accessibility a priority when it comes to planning upcoming festivals and events. The new accessibility protocols will be wrapped up in the COVIDSafe guidelines put out by the Live Entertainment Industry Forum (LEIF). “I think a lot of businesses have had the time … [to review] what they’re doing and are actually thinking, ‘Oh hold on, we can potentially do this better,” Zack Alcott, from Get Skilled Access, told Hack. “For organisations to consider people with disabilities, it’s actually a really great opportunity to bounce forward and be better than what they were in the past.”…

International disabilities awareness day (3 December): Ensure your workplace is universally accessible for visitors and staff

December 2, 2020 | Source: Cape Business News- South Africa

Each year, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and the National Disability Rights Awareness Day is commemorated on 3 December. The aim of this annual event is to promote an understanding of disability issues, the rights of persons with disabilities and gains that companies can derive from integrating disabled persons into their day-to-day operations by actively removing barriers to entry. The global theme for 2020 is: “Not all Disabilities are Visible”, and this year the focus falls on spreading awareness and understanding of disabilities that are not immediately apparent, such as mental illness, chronic pain or fatigue, sight or hearing impairments, diabetes, brain injuries, neurological disorders, learning differences and cognitive dysfunctions to mention but a few…

PM calls for ensuring opportunity, improving accessibility for persons with disabilities

December 3, 2020 | Source: Outlook- India

Law promises people with disabilities equality of opportunity and accessibility, but our practices deny them that

December 3, 2020 | Source: The Indian Express

Disability Day: Modi says resilience of persons with disabilities inspire us

December 3, 2020 | Source: Livemint- India

New Delhi, Dec 3 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that India has taken numerous measures to ensure a positive change in the lives of persons with disabilities, as he gave a call for collectively working towards ensuring opportunity and improving accessibility for them. Modi”s comments were in the context of the UN choosing the theme of “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World” to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is annually observed on December 3…

eftpos to improve ID process for people living with disability

December 3, 2020 | Source: Technology Decisions- Australia

A joint initiative between eftpos and Scope Global aims to strengthen and simplify digital identification processes for people living with a disability. With services and interactions increasingly moving online in a post-COVID-19 world, one in five Australians identifying as having a disability are encountering significant challenges in identifying themselves in a digital environment. The joint initiative aims to shape eftpos’ digital identity technology to enable people living with a disability to identify themselves more easily online. This, in turn, is designed to give people with a disability the power to connect and transact with businesses and government service providers with increased independence and control…

How Tech Companies Are Championing the Cause of People with Disabilities

December 3, 2020 | Source: CXO Today- India

Organizations across the world are waking up to the potential of hiring the differently-abled. In India, the trend gathered steam some half a decade ago, and several companies started by hiring visually and speech and hearing impaired. Today, 25-30% of their employees with disability are in managerial roles. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 that makes it mandatory for private companies to be an equal opportunity employer has been a big driver to this trend. Besides, studies have shown that companies embracing best practices for hiring and supporting more persons with disabilities in their workforce have outperformed their peers…

These scientists set out to end blindness. Their innovations just won them £2.2 million.

December 3, 2020 | Source: National Geographic- UK

Thirteen doctors and researchers have won the Sanford and Sue Greenberg Prize to End Blindness and will share the reward of three million dollars (£2.2 million) in gold. The winners were chosen based on the strength of their contributions to eliminate blindness, the ambitious aim set out by the prize organisers in 2012. “I believe that we are so much closer to achieving that goal,” says co-organiser Sanford Greenberg, chair of the board of governors for the Johns Hopkins University’s Wilmer Eye Institute. “It’s quite extraordinary.” The prize is part of Greenberg’s life-long mission to prevent people from losing their sight…

‘I can work at night too’: Award-winning photographer teaches photography to blind kids

December 3, 2020 | Source: Yahoo- India

Today, Richa Maheshwari is an award-winning photographer, TEDx speaker, filmmaker, entrepreneur, and traveler. But it was not always this way. “I never thought I would take up photography professionally; it just happened. I used to pick up smarter ways of presenting my assignments and used photography as a medium of expression,” she said. The youngster’s talent was luckily spotted by a professor who encouraged her to take it up seriously. Always “self-taught”, she started her practice professionally from the 4th year of her college stint. In 2014, Richa got associated with National Association for the Blind while working on a blindness awareness project…

What the media gets wrong when it covers disabled people merely as sources of inspiration

December 3, 2020 | Source: Scroll- India

I am a professional who happens to have a visual impairment. On a recent air trip from Nagpur to Mumbai, I was fortunate to find myself seated beside a leading industrialist. I looked forward to have an hour-long conversation with him because, for any young professional, these are rare golden opportunities to learn, grow and network. Sadly, the experience was a huge disappointment. Far from having an enriching discussion on business, the Indian economy or capital markets, my visual disability seemed to be the only focal point of our conversation. Though I initially felt flattered by his concern, I was soon put off. It was evident to me that my co-passenger was only doling out false sympathy and praise without actually attempting to understand my challenges.

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