Accessibility in the News — 11/19/2021.

NOTE: To get news like this every week in your inbox, before it hits our website, subscribe to our Accessibility in the News e-newsletter. There are no ads or graphics, and we never send spam. Just use the sign-up form on this page to subscribe and stay up to date!

Feature Story

Skip to National News (U.S.) | Skip to International News

More Accessibility Resources on this Page

Accessibility Blogs and Information | Accessibility Announcements and Products
Accessibility Fourms, Tips and Gaming | Accessibility Statement Pages
Microassist Accessibility Services

AITN Quote of the Week

“No one has ever become poor by giving.” ― Ann Frank

Feature Stories

Lift the MTA’s elevator plan: Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s bill can fund New York’s subway accessibility

November 15, 2021 | Source: NY Daily News

New infrastructure funding will help expand access to transit for people with disabilities

November 15, 2021 | Source: CBS News

It’s not quite the very end of the 1,039-page bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Biden will be signing today, but a short passage on pages 1,011 and 1,012 enacts the All Stations Accessibility Program approving $1.75 billion for the secretary of transportation to send to local transit agencies to upgrade their stations with elevators and other means to provide for people with disabilities. The MTA, with 80% of America’s inaccessible subway stations, should be lining up today to get the vast majority of that money, which is being spread out over five years at $350 million annually…

$13M makeover will make Metra Electric 147th/Sibley station ADA accessible

November 16, 2021 | Source: Streetsblog Chicago

Efforts to make the regional transit system fully accessible has been a long, molasses-like process. Thankfully things should be speeding up in the future thanks to the new All Stations Accessibility Program in the recently-passed federal infrastructure bill, which earmarks $1.75 billion for retrofitting older stations.Meanwhile there was a bit of good news yesterday as Metra announced that a project is moving forward to rehab the Metra Electric District line’s 147th Street/Sibley Boulevard in south-suburban Harvey…

National News (U.S.)

Woman fights for disabled vets through Portland office of Disabled American Veterans

November 10, 2021 | Source: KATU2

The Portland office of Disabled American Veterans or DAV provides services for vets and staff, and they are making a big difference in the lives of our service men and women. Amber Niemi has been a National Services Officer in Portland since 2013. She joined the Air Force after high school in 1992. Her father Dennis was her inspiration. He served in Vietnam and introduced her to the DAV. After several tours of duty, Niemi began working for the DAV in 2006. One of her first clients, Neil Shankle, came to her for help processing his benefits claims with the VA. Shankle had been severely injured in Vietnam…

Teen created an app to help deaf kids enjoy children’s films

November 11, 2021 | Source: Upworthy

Subtitles and closed captions make it possible for deaf people to enjoy films and television shows—but what about little kids who can’t read yet, or whose reading isn’t fast enough to keep up with the captions? How does a deaf child fully appreciate a children’s movie if they can’t understand what any of the characters are saying and can’t read the captions? Mariella Satow ran into that question when she was teaching herself American Sign Language…

How to Hire People with Disabilities (and Why It’s Smart!)

November 11, 2021 | Source: Kiplinger

We’ve all heard about labor shortages these days, but companies looking to hire good people should make sure they’re not overlooking an untapped source of qualified workers: People with disabilities. The theme of this fall’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) was “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.” Whether related to such issues as mobility, cognition, hearing or vision, 61 million adults in the U.S. have a disability, and many of them are having difficulties finding work…

Perfecting the New York Street- An achievable, replicable plan for a city that’s embracing public space as never before.

November 11, 2021 | Source: Curbed

When automobiles first appeared on the streets of New York, quickly and decisively transforming the city into an early center of car culture, those streets bent to their needs. Sidewalks were narrowed to add lanes of traffic. Crossing the street, once an improvised sport of dodge-the-wagon played anywhere, was confined to corners and governed by lights. In the 1950s, the city converted miles of curbside into free overnight storage space for private vehicles. The result was that virtually every street and avenue became a river of moving steel, flanked by banks of immobile steel…

CVS Drops Supreme Court Case Over Disability Community Concerns

November 12, 2021 | Source: Disability Scoop

CVS is backing off a U.S. Supreme Court case amid concerns from disability advocates that a ruling in the company’s favor could undermine fundamental tenets of the nation’s disability rights laws. The case CVS Pharmacy Inc. v. Doe was set to be heard by the high court Dec. 7. At issue was a prescription drug plan managed by CVS that required people needing specialty medications to get them by mail rather than at a local pharmacy. Five people with HIV sued the company arguing that the plan rule prevented them from getting appropriate care and discriminated against them based on their disability…

‘Week Without Driving’ Challenges Leaders to Reimagine Transit and Accessibility

November 12, 2021 | Source: South Seattle Emerald

Rebecca Saldaña and her kids had a choice. It was Wednesday. One of the children had a dance class in Burien. The other had a taekwondo class in the Mt. Baker neighborhood. That’s a lot of back and forth. Without a car, it was pretty difficult to get to both. Fortunately, the kids took pity on Saldaña. Rather than take the bus from the South End to Burien and back to Mt. Baker, her daughter chose to forgo a dance class. “We are simplifying our day,” Saldaña said. Not so simple for an elected official, of course. Saldaña still needed to make it home for a community meeting…

Mindset Matters: How Accessibility Is A Wake Up Call For The Progress Of Business Evolution

November 12, 2021 | Source: Forbes

Over the last several years there has been a litany of information around the business case of persons with disabilities. Organizations from The World Economic Forum to Accenture have demonstrated that the thinking around disability is gradually becoming part of the larger conversation of diversity and inclusion and a critical aspect to engaging a corporate culture amid a transformation and an emerging consumer market eager to connect with brands that understand their needs and wants. Central to this conversation is the knowledge of the value of accessibility…

American Sign Language should be taught in more schools

November 12, 2021 | Source: Northern Star

Learning American Sign Language has benefits that extend far beyond the individual taking the class. Because learning how to sign can have such a tremendous impact, more high schools should offer ASL classes. “ASL is its own very beautiful, expressive language with its own distinct rules for pronunciation, word formation, and sentence structures,” said Logan Arvigo, president of Signing Huskies ASL club. In 2010, the Illinois General Assembly recognized American Sign Language as the official language of the American Deaf Community and authorized schools to offer ASL and accept it as credit toward foreign language requirements…

Tech companies eye Detroit as mobility sector with accessible streets

November 14, 2021 | Source: ClickOnDetroit

Tech start ups from around the world are testing their prototypes in the Motor City. “So I think Detroit is learning there’s more to mobility than just the automotive sector,” said Peter Deppe of Flint-based KUHMUTE. KUHMUTE is a company that wants to revolutionize micro mobility with single three-point charging hubs for e-scooters, e-bikes, wheelchairs and delivery robots. “We want to see Detroit as a holistic mobility ecosystem as opposed to just one mode or the other,” Deppe said…

Suit challenging Rehoboth’s accessibility headed to mediation

November 16, 2021 | Source: Cape Gazette

A lawsuit filed against Rehoboth Beach claiming the city doesn’t provide adequate accessible parking in the commercial district has been referred to mandatory mediation. In April, plaintiffs Brigitte Hancharick, Ilse Payne and Robert Payne filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court claiming the city does not provide sufficient accessible public street parking on Rehoboth Avenue and the blocks abutting it. The lawsuit argues the plaintiffs, and other people with disabilities, are harmed by denying and excluding them from a public service in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act…

MavPODs’ accessibility issues result in Education Department complaint

November 16, 2021 | Source: MSU Reporter

A Minnesota State University, Mankato professor has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education alleging the university’s new $1 million MavPOD project offers unequal access to students with disabilities. Nancy Fitzsimons, professor of social work, said she and nine students conducted research on the accessibility level of the MavPODs. The research found students with physical disabilities would need to travel further, requiring more time, to find MavPods with the same ease of students without disabilities…

FDA Issues Proposed Rule For OTC Hearing Aids

November 16, 2021 | Source: Verywell Health

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently proposed a rule to create a new hearing aid category: over-the-counter (OTC) devices. The new rule is expected to be made final after the period of public comment, which could be as soon as early 2022. The rule would officially permit the purchase of hearing aids in retail stores and online without a prescription. According to the National Institute of Deafness and Communications Disorders, about 28.8 million adults in the United States could benefit from using hearing aids, but fewer than 1 in 3 (or 30%) have ever used them…

‘I am not my blindness’: What the blind community wishes you knew

November 17, 2021 | Source: USA Today

If you’re a sighted person, you likely have misconceptions about blind people. That you can close your eyes and suddenly understand what it’s like to be blind. That a blind person you see about to cross the street needs your help doing so. That a blind person knows nothing but darkness. Spoiler alert: None of the above are true for all people with blindness. “Rather than making assumptions, engage with blind people like you would anybody else,” says Mark Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind. “Show curiosity about them. And if you want to know if there’s something they need, ask them and don’t assume.”…

Domino’s, Blind Patron Settle ADA, Website Accessibility Suit

November 17, 2021 | Source: Mealey’s

More than four months after a California federal judge ordered Domino’s Pizza LLC to make its website fully accessible to blind and visually impaired patrons, the pizza chain and a blind man who sued it for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) announced on Nov. 5 that they had reached a settlement in the five-year-old lawsuit. In the joint notice of settlement, no details of the agreement were disclosed. The parties asked the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to vacate all upcoming dates and deadlines, including a jury trial, which was scheduled to begin Nov. 16…

A New Solution for Disability Access at Theme Parks?

November 17, 2021 | Source: Theme Park Insider

IAPA: Peppa Pig Theme Park will be certified autism center when it opens next year

November 16, 2021 | Source: Spectrum News & You Tube

35,000+ Families Enroll in IBCCES’ Accessibility Card Program That Helps Streamline Accommodations at Attractions

November 17, 2021 | Source: PR Underground

Theme parks have developed a wide range of accommodations for their visitors with disabilities. But getting access to special accommodations can be a hassle. A new online Accessibility Card may eliminate the need to wait in long lines as guest services by allowing people to preregister for access at home. The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) introduced the card today the IAAPA Expo in Orlando. The card had been tested this past season at 27 parks, including all Six Flags parks in the United States as well as SeaWorld’s Sesame Place park in Pennsylvania. More than 35,000 families enrolled in the pilot program…

Shoe Retailer, Designer Brands, Hit With Website Accessibility Suit

November 17, 2021 | Source: The Legal Intelligencer

Designer Brands, the parent company of Designer Shoe Warehouse, was hit with a website accessibility lawsuit Tuesday in Pennsylvania Western District Court. The lawsuit, brought by Carlson Brown and Lynch Carpenter on behalf of Jordan Gallacher, contends that the defendant’s website denies full access to blind and visually impaired individuals. Counsel have not yet appeared for the defendant. The case is 2:21-cv-01645, Gallacher v. Designer Brands Inc…

Creating an Accessible Warehouse for Workers with Disabilities

November 17, 2021 | Source: Global Trade Magazine

The warehousing industry faces a growing labor shortage, yet many facilities are overlooking a ready and willing workforce. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, just 19.3% of people with disabilities are currently employed. At the same time, 877,400 people with disabilities are actively looking for work. These workers could help warehouses become far more productive, but the facilities need to become more accessible first. Accessibility issues are common in the industry, and they stand in the way of hiring these eager employers. With that in mind, here are seven ways warehouses can become more accessible for those with disabilities…

East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind buys more than 600 toys for holiday drive

November 18, 2021 | Source: Tyler Paper

Shopping carts full of toys lined the aisles Thursday at Walmart in Tyler as staff members from East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind shopped for items to donate to the Toys for Tots holiday drive. Every year, staff members of the Tyler nonprofit organization who are selected as employees of the year get to take a trip to Walmart and shop for toys, said Alicia Lansford, vice president and chief mission officer for East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind. The organization has supported Toys for Tots for about 10 years, she said…

How One Blind Penn Stater Is Changing Lives By Changing Minds

November 18, 2021 | Source: Onward State

Life presents countless challenges, yet one Penn State alumnus is constantly seeking out his own. For Dan Berlin, changing the world is as simple as changing your running shoes. We recently sat down with Berlin, a Penn State alumnus tackling a wide variety of epic pursuits with extreme athleticism and nonexistent fear. From climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in two and a half days to running the Grand Canyon “rim to rim” and back, Berlin is achieving unbelievable feats that challenge the perception of limitation and create a boundless world for every person brave enough to pursue the impossible…

A Deaf Football Team Sees a Way to Victory!

November 18, 2021 | Source: Psychiatric Times & The New York Times & Men’s Health

If it seems that good news is hard to come by nowadays, a deaf high school football team recently provided some. On Friday night, November 12, the Cubs—which is the name of the varsity football team of the California School of the Deaf in Riverside, California—soundly defeated the Desert Christian Knights, 84 to 12, in the second round of the playoffs. As is often the case, sports are a haven in which those from minority backgrounds can shine. This time it was so for those with deafness…

Some horror movies take a new approach to disability: Fetishizing deafness

November 16, 2021 | Source: The Washington Post

When I was a child in the 1980s, on weekends my dad would rent a VCR — we didn’t own one for years — and bring home rentals from the video store. I’m not sure which was the first scary movie I saw on fuzzy VHS — “Jaws,” maybe, or Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” My parents hoped to introduce us to the classics. Soon, I became hooked on the entire horror genre. When I couldn’t sleep, I would sneak downstairs and crouch by the TV. I caught the original “Dawn of the Dead” that way, in the middle of the night, my face inches from the screen as zombies overran the mall…

Jack Fact — By 2030, all baby boomers will be older than age 65 — meaning one in five U.S. residents will be retirement age. U.S. Census numbers show that by 2034, there will be 77 million people over 65, compared to 76.5 million under 18.

Hit The Road Jack —Wiltshire among top 10 places for most accessible walks in the UK & Our Park Ranger’s 7 Favorite Accessible Experiences In U.S. National Parks

International News

Indian Government Proposes Mandating Subtitles, Sign Language For TV Channels

November 12, 2021 | Source: The Swaddle- India

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has drafted a set of rules to make watching television content more accessible to people living with hearing impairments. Titled Accessibility Standards for Television Programmes for Hearing Impaired, the draft rules would be notified under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, once they’re implemented. According to the rules, the service providers will have the right to choose between using either open or closed captions, subtitles, or sign language to accompany the content they’re broadcasting…

Madras HC Satisfied With Stakeholder Consultation Process For Draft Universal Accessibility Guidelines

November 12, 2021 | Source: Live Law- India

The Madras High Court on Wednesday disposed of a PIL seeking wide publicity of the draft ‘Harmonized Guidelines and Standards For Universal Accessibility in India, 2021’, while simultaneously noting that the respondent authorities have substantially complied with the prescribed procedure. The Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice PD Audikesavalu, while pronouncing the order, also made a suggestion regarding the consultative

procedure that could be adopted in future…

EU court ruling fails to remove obstacles for voters with disabilities

November 12, 2021 | Source: Euractiv- EU

In theory, all Europeans have the right to vote in local and national elections. But in practice, people with disabilities often face significant hurdles to exercising their voting rights. Those are set to remain after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on 26 October that polling places in Europe must be accessible for persons with disabilities but said that persons with disabilities are not required to use the same entrances as non-disabled voters.

The court also ruled that voters with disabilities do not have to cast secret ballots…

“Semantics”: They give voice to sign language

November 12, 2021 | Source: Athina984- Greece

An innovative program is presented by three ladies who joined forces with a common point of reference, sign language, but also their willingness to offer bridges of communication. These are three young ladies, scientists, who created the group “Semantics” and try to make the Greek Sign Language known, young and old. Our initial goal is the dissemination of the Greek sign language. The main goal of this program is an acquaintance with this language and not with the sign language…

‘I Mattered’: Deaf Guest Cries at Wedding When She Sees Thoughtful Gesture of the Bride and Groom

November 13, 2021 | Source: AmoMama- England

Many individuals perceive the road to accessibility as arduous and complex. However, in one case, a bride challenged this assumption. One conversation—that’s all it took for this wife-to-be to make her friend with hearing loss feel like she genuinely belonged. Thirty-one-year-old Laura Driver was born profoundly deaf. The communications and marketing officer for a national regulator in the deaf sector, as her friend 32-year-old Sian Tigwell said, is used to not being accommodated when it comes to her deafness…

Sign Language Accessibility: Cultivating linguistic diversity amongst workforce

November 14, 2021 | Source: People Matters- India

With the workforce of today largely being dominated by millennials, organisations are working towards building a culture that is inclusive. Organizations are actively fostering a culture wherein people are employed solely based on their skills and merit and not on any other parameter. This ambit now requires including people from various backgrounds and abilities, irrespective of their protected characteristics. Many organizations are committed to the culture of inclusion and are passionate to work with people from diverse backgrounds including people with disabilities (PwD)…

Avani Lekhara, Bhavina Patel Travel For Award Ceremony in Specially-Designed Accessible Vehicles

November 14, 2021 | Source: India.com

Para-shooter Avani Lekhara has made the country proud by winning two medals at the recently concluded Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. For this, she was nominated for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, the country’s highest athletic award. But one thing that has always bothered her is that she was unable to access inaccessible places and environments. Wheelchairs are not easy to travel and Avani has been facing this since her childhood…

Children’s Day: Does your child have special needs? Here are signs to look out for

November 14, 2021 | Source: India Today

Sometimes it will be evident that your child has special needs. Other times it won’t be so clear. This will depend partly on the type of special need or disability your child might have, as well as its intensity. For instance, a physical disability, such as blindness or deafness, may become clear quickly. Meanwhile, a mild form of a learning disability, such as dyslexia or dysgraphia, may be harder to detect. If you suspect your child may have a special need, you’ll want to find out as early as possible. Early detection can allow you to understand challenges your child may have to encounter in the future.

Public back subtitles to make arts more accessible for deaf people – survey

November 15, 2021 | Source: Belfast Telegraph- UK & Irish News

The British public are overwhelmingly in favour of having “priceless” subtitles and captions to make the arts more accessible for deaf people, according to research. Just 1% of live performances were captioned before the national lockdown, with fears that millions of people in the UK suffering deafness or hearing loss were excluded from plays, musicals and exhibitions. However, the rise of captioned live performances during lockdown has caused a shift in public opinion, with 77% of the public in favour of venues offering more captioned performances, according to research from the charity Stagetext…

This piece of gym equipment is pushing accessible fitness forward in St. John’s

November 15, 2021 | Source: CBC- Canada

Heading to the gym with her friends in her wheelchair, Danielle Arbour says a lack of accessible options can defeat the purpose of going with a group. “There would be instances where my friends could go off and do one thing, and I’d have to go off and do a completely other thing,” Arbour said in an interview. “That leads to feeling like I’m not kind of accepted where I’m going. But it’s completely different here at Verso.” Studio Verso is a new gym in St. John’s. Centered around spin and rowing classes, the O’Leary Avenue gym houses a special piece of equipment that makes a wheelchair workout more accessible than ever…

Accessibility reforms: “If you’ve got builders having to do one thing in NSW and another thing in Queensland it’s going to drive them nuts”

November 16, 2021 | Source: The Fifth Estate- Australia

It’s been more than 10 years since Australian government ministers agreed to pursue making homes more accessible for elderly and disabled people through provisions in the national building codes. In April of this year, measures including wider door frames and corridors, stepless entryways and showers, and reinforced bathroom walls finally found their way into the updated 2022 National Construction Code (NCC). However, with individual states and territories having the option to opt out of the changes the country is split, largely along political lines, as to who will step in to avoid them becoming state law…

Memorial University has an accessibility problem, say students

November 16, 2021 | Source: CBC- Canada

As tuition rises and government cuts continue, Memorial University students with disabilities say accessibility is being left out of the equation. CBC News talked to multiple current and former students who say Newfoundland and Labrador’s only university has significant barriers that hinder the learning experiences of students with disabilities. Those barriers include infrastructure issues like broken elevators and doors that don’t open automatically, and broader issues like an overextended disability resource centre and difficulties getting accommodations…

Culture ministry plans disabled-friendly infrastructure in tourist spots

November 16, 2021 | Source: The New Indian Express- India

A slew of measures have been recommended in the draft of ‘general accessibility standards’ prepared by the culture ministry for harmonised and barrier-free environment for persons with disability (PwD) and elderly visitors coming to protected sites, monuments, libraries and museums. This includes provision of ‘well-demarcated’ common parking space at entry points, information handouts in Braille, trained staff or guides, wheelchairs or palanquins, among others. The guidelines, released earlier this month, are available on the ministry’s portal to receive feedback…

More than an inconvenience: why accessible packaging matters

November 16, 2021 | Source: Packaging Europe

Struggling to open a jar or a vacuum sealed packet of meat or fish is something that everyone deals with from time to time. And sure, it can be frustrating, but usually we manage to get to the product inside without it being too much of an issue. Worst case scenario, we hand it over to someone else to do it for us. But when everything from your medicine to your food is in packaging that you cannot access, this becomes more than just a minor inconvenience. Having a condition such as arthritis that weakens your grip and reduces your dexterity can make navigating packaging independently impossible…

Accessibility Committee likes Jumpstart proposal

November 16, 2021 | Source: CKPGToday- Canada

The City’s Accessibility Committee has had a chance to look over what is being proposed for a multi-sport, fully-accessible facility adjacent to the new Fire Hall #1 on Massey Drive. And the Committee members are overjoyed with what’s proposed. Chair Chris Gobbi expects it will be used a lot. “The hope, I think, it will be used a lot. Spinal Cord Injury BC, who does a lot of adaptive sports already in town. But their limited in what they can do, obviously, with the facilities and the equipment. We have a member on the [Accessibility] Committee who works for them.”…

Most teachers ‘don’t know how to teach deaf children’, says charity

November 16, 2021 | Source: ITV- UK

A charity has criticised a “shocking” lack of support for deaf pupils in schools, after a survey of teachers found two thirds don’t feel confident teaching them. The findings, given exclusively to ITV News, also found a third of teachers are not receiving the expert support they need. Deaf children, on average, achieve lower grades in their GCSEs than hearing children. The National Deaf Children’s Society, which commissioned the research, is now calling for more investment in specialist staff, such as Teachers of the Deaf to support pupils and teachers…

As Strictly’s Rose Ayling-Ellis wows with tribute to deaf, learn key sign language phrases

November 16, 2021 | Source: The Sun- UK

It has been hailed as the television moment of the year – and a triumph for the deaf community. Strictly viewers were moved to tears as Rose Ayling-Ellis, 26, and pro partner Giovanni Pernice danced in silence on Saturday night during their Couple’s Choice routine, which scored 39 out of 40. Now campaigners hope it could lead to greater equality for disabled people — as well as better under-standing of deafness. Former Strictly contestant and Invictus Games medallist JJ Chal-mers said EastEnders star Rose’s dance would help “get us to where we want to be” with regards to attitudes around disability”…

Ilunion: the Spanish group leading by example on disability

November 16, 2021 | Source: Financial Times- Spain

It seems at times as if Rebeca González Mancebo has a superpower. Answering telephone calls to the Madrid government’s citizen information helpline, she can follow what two voices are saying at the same time — the caller, and an ultra-speeded-up spoken-word version of the information on her computer screen. The reason for this juggling act is simple: González Mancebo is wholly blind and this is how she works. Ana Patricia Espejo, the woman working next to her in the call centre, is also completely blind and is accompanied by her guide dog, Camila…

Activist who helped make voting accessible to differently abled hails change

November 17, 2021 | Source: Hindustan Times- India

Dr Niru Kumar, who has been working with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to increase the accessibility to voting booths for the marginalised and the differently abled, says it has been a continuous process and facilities such as ramps for wheelchairs at booths are now getting institutionalised. “I remember, five years ago my voting experience was vastly different from what it is now. Back then, even a wheelchair could not go inside because there was no ramp. However, now ramps are non-negotiable,” Dr. Kumar, who was awarded Padma Shri last week, said…

Voicrill initiative seeks to make books accessible for students with visual impairments

November 18, 2021 | Source: Jordan Times- Jordan

Voicrill, a rights-based initiative launched in 2017 at the University of Jordan (UJ), converts books into audio recordings to give blind students and students with visual impairments access to studying materials, according to its founder Heba Abbadi. Students send Voicrill the material they need. Then, a team of distributors divides it into parts and sends it to volunteers to record on their phones. Once the Voicrill’s team receives the recordings, they redact, filter and combine them into one, Abbadi told The Jordan Times…

COVID-19 Resources and Information

Accessibility Blogs and Information

Accessibility Announcements and Products

Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming

Accessibility Statements

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:

Icons representing government and technology, with caption "What is a VPAT?"

Subscribe to Accessibility in the News

Stay informed! Get your weekly update on digital accessibility standards, private and public sector trends, litigation, events, and more.

Name(Required)

First Last

Work Email(Required)

Job Title(Required)

Organization(Required)

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.