Accessibility in the News — 2/9/2024.

U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Amy Klobuchar have introduced a comprehensive legislative package aimed at dismantling barriers that impede the participation of individuals with disabilities in American democracy. The proposed measures include the Accessible Voting Act, which seeks to improve voter accessibility and expand ballot-casting options, the Removing Access Barriers to Running for Elected Office for People with Disabilities Act, which safeguards federal disability benefits for candidates engaging in campaigns, and the AID Local Government Leadership Act, providing funding for accommodations in local governments with limited budgets. Recognizing persistent challenges, such as transportation issues for older voters and the threat of benefit loss for low-income candidates, the legislators emphasize the need to ensure every American has the opportunity to participate fully in civic life. The legislative package addresses systemic inaccessibility across various facets of democracy, fostering inclusivity and representation for individuals with disabilities.

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 Fourms, Tips and Gaming

Accessibility Statement Pages | Higher Education Blogs and Information

Federally Speaking | Legal Blogs and Information | Microassist Accessibility Services

AITN Quote of the Week

Accessibility in the News- Knowledge is Power

“It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.” ― Confucius

NBCSL National Black Caucus of State Legislators | The Voice for the States

How to Increase Workforce Equity Through Disability Inclusion

Feature Stories

Bills would make American democracy more accessible to people with disabilities

February 7, 2024 | Source: The Bradford Era and U.S. Senator Bob Casey and Fox43

U.S. Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA), chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Rules Committee, introduced a package of legislation to make American democracy more accessible for people with disabilities. For many Americans with disabilities, certain barriers make it disproportionately difficult to vote, run for elected office, or serve in local government. The Accessible Voting Act would support state and local efforts to improve voter accessibility and remove barriers to voting…

National News (U.S.)

Reimagining inclusive cities: Five strategies to design accessibility for all

February 2, 2024 | Source: Fast Company

As a lifelong advocate for disability rights and inclusion, I’ve intimately observed how considerate urban design can forge vibrant cities where everyone belongs. While federal legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 has bolstered accessibility, U.S. cities continue to fail persons with disabilities and older persons. According to World Enabled, “By 2050, 6.25 billion people will live in urban centers. If these estimates hold true, that means that by 2050, nearly one billion urban dwellers will be persons with disabilities. The unprecedented scale of urban expansion demands a radical rethinking of what cities are, and who they are for.”…

Fort Wayne agencies work toward more accessibility

February 3, 2024 | Source: The Journal Gazette

Anne Palmer enjoys riding the Community Transportation Network from her Huntertown home to her job at The League on South Anthony Boulevard. The drivers on the mini buses greet her, ask how she’s doing and chat with Palmer while they drive. “That connection has been really good for me, and I’m not trapped at home,” she said. Palmer, who describes herself as “visually impaired/legally blind,” was relieved when she connected with the transportation service, for which she has a set schedule for rides, such as to work or the doctor…

Making space in STEM for people with disabilities

February 3, 2024 | Source: C&EN

“If anyone were to borrow a wheelchair for a day, I think they’d be pretty surprised about how little they could do in actual physical lab space,” says Paul Bracher, a chemistry professor at Saint Louis University. Bracher, who uses a wheelchair, says workbenches and fume hoods are usually too high off the ground for him to use from a seated position. Many laboratories also have narrow, cluttered walkways that can be impossible for him to navigate. By now, Bracher has come to expect that most labs he visits won’t be accessible to him, but nondisabled scientists are often taken aback…

Medical devices with screens aren’t accessible to the blind. Congress has chance to change that

February 5, 2024 | Source: STAT News and Medriva

Advancing Diabetes Care: A Push for Accessible Insulin Pumps for Visually Impaired Individuals

February 5, 2024 | Source: Medriva

Katie Keim was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1967 when she was eight, well before the era of insulin pumps or even reliable home testing. The condition started eating away at her vision 20 years later. By the time she was 36, her sight was completely gone. Keim had lived an independent life as a child despite her illness. Her summers were spent exploring oceans with her family, not at diabetic summer camps. Blindness, though, changed every aspect of her life — including her ability to manage her diabetes. Her first insulin pump had tactile buttons, but all the pumps that came to replace it had digital screens…

53 Accessible Alliance strives to expand accessibility in outdoor spaces

February 5, 2024 | Source: Spectrum News

The 53 Accessible Alliance is a charitable organization founded in honor of Chad McClung, a northeast Ohio man who died of ALS in August 2023. McClung, an avid outdoorsman, needed a wheelchair to get around at the end of his life and his family struggled to find accessible trails they could visit. “I think that really opened our eyes and kind of sparked the beginning of 53 Accessible Alliance and kind of, I think that really started our research into how we could make this the best, accessible place for people,” said Lizzy McClung, Chad’s daughter…

Disability advocates say air travel accessibility is not happening fast enough

February 5, 2024 | Source: KTVH

Navigating an airport and airplane looks different for Dave Stevens. He was born without legs and uses a skateboard to get through the narrow aisles to his seat. He’s found a way to adapt but wants airlines and the federal government to do more to make air travel accessible for everyone – especially for the more than 60 million Americans with disabilities. “There’s no consistency with what happens when you go to the airport. Everybody has their own way of handling things. And the problem for people with disabilities is they take our equipment, they ruin it, they destroy it. I personally have had 15 wheelchairs destroyed.”…

For Jonathan Marc Stein, Accessibility And Technology Help Move Fashion Forward

February 5, 2024 | Source: Forbes and BNN Breaking

Because it’s important to me that people understand something needn’t be digital or mechanical to be technological—and by extension, technology needn’t be digital or mechanical to be accessibility—I’ve dedicated a good bit of coverage over the years in this space to adaptive clothing and varying body types. The natural inclination is to think of assistive technologies as computer-based software features, and while it’s true such a view predominates, the fact is things like snap buttons, Velcro, and more are all pieces of analog technology that make dressing more accessible to disabled people…

Barriers to voting for people with disabilities: A research roundup

February 6, 2024 | Source: The Journalist’s Resource

Major public health and medical associations in the U.S., including the American College of Physicians, American Medical Association and the American Public Health Association have recognized voting as a social determinant of health and have called for equitable access to voting, including for people with disabilities. A growing body of research shows that voting and health are intertwined. People affected by poor health or disabilities are less likely to cast a ballot than the general population, and as a result, have less sway over who gets to be in power and what policies are made…

Kids of all abilities can play together at this new Green Bay-area play space

February 7, 2024 | Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette

When you visit You Belong, a nonprofit that serves people of all abilities and ages, you’ll likely be cheerfully greeted by 12-year-old Keith — and promptly asked to play. Keith has childhood apraxia of speech, which makes it difficult to employ the complex muscle movements needed for speech. Over the past three years, he went from being nonverbal to being able to communicate in almost full sentences. But one thing has always remained constant: his talent at forming fast friends…

Dunkin’ Facing Class Action Suit Over Non-Dairy Milk Pricing

February 7, 2023 | Source: Daily Coffee News

United States coffee giant Dunkin’ is facing a class action lawsuit alleging discrimination against people with lactose allergies or intolerances by up-charging for non-dairy milks. Lawyers representing a group of 10 plaintiffs are accusing the company of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as state laws in California, New York, Texas, Colorado, Massachusetts and Hawaii. In a lawsuit filed Dec. 26 in the Northern California U.S. District Court, the plaintiffs are seeking $5 million in damages…

Census Bureau Says It Will Not Revise Its Disability Questions In Annual Survey

February 7, 2024 | Source: HuffPost and NPR

The U.S. Census Bureau announced on Tuesday that it will not adopt its proposed revisions on how it collects data on disability in the American Community Survey (ACS), citing concerns raised in public comments. Last year, the Census Bureau proposed switching the survey’s questions used to assess disability to instead adopt six questions developed by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics as a means of aligning with international standards. It also proposed an additional question on communication difficulties and a new definition of disability for the 2025 survey…

Study on travel experience reveals flaws in transportation accessibility

February 7, 2024 | Source: The Badger Herald

Modern transportation systems are not always built with successful accommodations and continue to indirectly discriminate against populations with disabilities. This unintentional discrimination and the lack of research surrounding it is what inspired University of Wisconsin M.S. and Ph.D. candidate Michael Schlicting to study the public transit experience of individuals with disabilities for his dissertation. Making transit access equitable for all people is central to eliminating this discrimination…

Why disability remains the beauty industry’s next inclusivity frontier

February 8, 2024 | Source: Dazed

With the constant influx of new beauty products released every day, you would think shopping for products would be a breeze. However, for the 1.3 billion people diagnosed with various forms of disability, the experience is entirely different. From hard-to-open lids and brushes with no grip, to unidentifiable products in aisles, the design of a product holds a huge weight when it comes to usability and many products are inaccessible to those with disabilities. In the last few years, the concept of accessibility in beauty has come far in terms of getting the conversation started, but how much have these discussions actually translated into change?…

Why Digital Accessibility Needs To Be Top Of The Board Agenda In 2024: Five Actions To Take

February 8, 2024 | Source: Minutehack

We now rely on working, shopping, learning and being entertained in a digital environment. However, as more and more services find a permanent home online, the potential for locking out a significant proportion of potential customers and employees increases. Why is this? Because four in 10 people have digital accessibility needs, and yet, at most, just 20% of websites and mobile apps are accessible to everyone. This just doesn’t make good business sense, especially when the current cost of living crisis means that securing every customer is a hard-fought battle…

Justice Department Secures Agreement with Hotel in Austin to Ensure Access for People with Disabilities

February 8, 2024 | Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas and KVUE and BNN

The United States reached a letter agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the Hilton Garden Inn Austin University Capitol District, to resolve alleged violations of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The agreement requires the hotel to train its staff and provide equal service to customers with disabilities. The Department of Justice received an ADA complaint alleging that after reserving an accessible room, when an individual with a disability attempted to check-in, the Hilton Garden Inn provided a standard room that lacked bathroom grab bars or shower accommodations…

Jack Fact — According to data from the National Institute on Deafness, only about 20% of all people with hearing concerns get help for their condition. In fact, it takes about seven years on average for individuals to pursue intervention once they start having hearing difficulty.

Hit The Road Jack — These 3 Accessible Airbnbs Are the Most Wish-listed Adaptive-friendly Stays and A Guide To Accessible Travel for People with Disabilities (2023)

International News

TfL reveals plans to improve Tube and bus accessibility with mini ramps and wheelchair spaces

February 2, 2024 | Source: The Standard- England and Secret London and Intelligent Transport

A raft of more than 80 upgrades to make the capital’s Tube and bus network more accessible has been announced by Transport for London (TfL). The measures include installing mini ramps that cover the gap between a platform and train at some London Underground stations. Some stations are labelled “step-free from street to train” but still have the small gap. The improvements are set out in a new plan launched on Friday. One key goal is for TfL to increase the proportion of step-free Tube stations from a third to half…

Enhancing accessibility: National Art Museum presents project for visually impaired people

February 2, 2024 | Source: AzerNews- Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijan National Art Museum enhances accessibility and promotes awareness and inclusivity within the community. The museum has recently launched a new project specifically designed for visually impaired people, Azernews reports. The project “Art without Borders” provides an enriching and immersive experience for all visitors, regardless of their visual abilities. One of the key features of the museum’s new project is the inclusion of Braille descriptions for selected art pieces…

None of PU’s 99 buildings 100% disabled-friendly, finds accessibility audit

February 3, 2024 | Source: Tribune- India

The report of the accessibility audit conducted by Panjab University (PU) in December last year reveals that the campus lacks braille signage, tactile paving and footpaths for the disabled. Of the 99 buildings that were surveyed, no building was found to be 100 per cent accessible or disabled-friendly. The findings suggest ramps in all buildings will be required to be replaced as these do not meet the Universities and Harmonised Guidelines and Space Standards for Universal Accessibility in India 2021. The guidelines suggest for a wheelchair-confined person, the ramp gradient must not exceed 1:12…

Accessibility Is at the Heart of What Matters Most in Hospitality for This Intercontinental Wine Family

February 3, 2024 | Source: Men’s Journal- Spain

Back In 2018, Bodegas Valdemar based in Rioja, Spain became the first winery in Europe to offer a 100% inclusive wine tourism experience, an initiative that has earned numerous awards. Then enter their newest project Valdemar Estates, the first internationally owned winery to open in Washington state. This ambitious project was built from the ground up with extensive measures to ensure that guests of all ages—regardless of ability—can enjoy their visit to the Walla Walla AVE winery, tasting room, and restaurant…

Councillor says it is ‘vital’ accessibility is improved in village centre

February 4, 2024 | Source: South Wales Argus- Wales

A councillor for a village in Gwent has made a call for a significant improvement in the accessibility of the area. After the Argus spoke to Christopher Byrne, a wheelchair user who lives in the village of Magor, about his issues getting around, a councillor for the village has now spoken out in support of people like Mr Byrne. Independent County Councillor for Magor Cllr Frances Taylor believes it is “vital” that accessibility becomes a much more important issue within the community…

GWR recognised for making train travel more autism accessible

February 4, 2024 | Source: The Packet- UK

Great Western Railway (GWR) has been recognised by The National Autistic Society for making train travel more accessible for people with autism. The society applauded the train operator for introducing several autism-friendly changes, particularly at stations in the western region of its network. From June last year, GWR has rolled out a series of modifications specifically to aid autistic customers. These changes include over 700 staff members between Plymouth and Penzance undergoing autism awareness training…

Disabled man says Ontario Ombudsman discriminated against him during job hunt

February 5, 2024 | Source: CBC- Canada

The agency that fights for fairness in Ontario government and public sector offices is itself being accused of unfair hiring practices by a Toronto man with autism and ADHD. Liam Walshe says that in 2022 he was denied the chance to apply for a job as an early resolutions officer at the office of the Ontario Ombudsman. Walshe says the ombudsman’s office cut off communication with him soon after he asked for an extra 30 minutes to write an online, supervised screening test that ordinarily takes one hour, according to a complaint before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO)…

Ensuring Disabled Voices: Accessibility Challenges Loom Over Election Participation

February 5, 2024 | Source: Tribal News Network- Pakistan

Mushtaq Hussain, Information Secretary of the organization “Friends of Paraplegics” and Caretaker of the Paraplegic Center Peshawar, emphasizes the need for accessible voting facilities for disabled citizens. Despite being a taxpayer and having the right to vote, he laments the absence of provisions for their access to polling stations, stating, “There should not be elections at all if there is no provision for them.” Having experienced the challenges of living with a disability throughout his 60-year life, particularly during elections, Mushtaq Hussain notes the lack of special provisions such as ramps for wheelchair users in polling stations…

Is accessibility legislation coming to Alberta?

February 5, 2024 | Source: Penticton Herald- Canada

Improving accessibility for people with disabilities remains on the government’s radar, but confirmation hasn’t come yet that United Conservatives will introduce legislation in 2024 to align Alberta with much of the rest of Canada. Marie Renaud, the NDP critic for community and social services, told her legislature colleagues last month that accessibility legislation is long overdue in her province. “Alberta is one of the only jurisdictions in Canada without accessibility legislation, which means we have not even begun our journey to barrier-free,” she said Dec. 4.”…

‘Shocking’: Air Canada CEO blasted over accessibility services at House committee

February 5, 2024 | Source: CBC- Canada

Lawmakers took Air Canada’s CEO to task on Monday over “shocking” and “scandalous” failures to accommodate passengers living with disabilities. At a House of Commons committee hearing on services for Canadians with disabilities, chief executive Michael Rousseau faced a barrage of questions over reports of passenger mistreatment during the past year. Vice-chair Tracy Gray cited several “shocking” incidents from 2023: “An Air Canada passenger had a lift fall on her head and her ventilator was disconnected; Air Canada leaving Canada’s own chief accessibility officer’s wheelchair behind on a cross-Canada flight…

Gloucester: lack of accessible taxis raise concerns of equality

February 5, 2024 | Source: BBC- UK

A man who travelled to Gloucester by train from Bristol had to then get a Bristolian taxi to pick him up due to the lack of accessible vehicles at his destination. The shortage of wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) prompted a council meeting where others shared their experiences. Another wheelchair user, Luke Griffin, asked the council if they thought it was fair a young disabled man in Gloucester could not live an equal life. Councillor Alastair Chambers, who presented a petition signed by 2,700 people on behalf of Luke Griffin, said nine WAVs for a population of 162,000 is not enough…

Making Creative Spaces Across Victoria More Accessible

February 6, 2024 | Source: Mirage News- Australia

The Allan Labor Government is making sure more creative spaces in Victoria have infrastructure that makes them accessible for the whole community, with new grants to improve workplaces and community spaces across the state. Minister for Creative Industires Colin Brooks today announced the seven recipients of the Labor Government’s Making Space program, with an investment of $500,000 in these grants to support Deaf and Disabled artists and audiences…

Case study: Holiday lodges improve accessibility with rise and fall worktop installation

February 6, 2024 | Source: AT Today- UK

Two holiday lodges in Lincolnshire have enhanced their accessibility after getting Ropox rise and fall worktops installed within their respective kitchens. Sue Robinson and her husband, Phil, designed Meadow Lodges at Boothby Pagnell with the aim of offering accessible accommodation without it actually looking accessible. “We wanted to offer something a little different, we knew we had a lovely location and wanted the lodges to be suitable for both able bodied people and those with a disability so we set about researching the best adaptation equipment which would blend into the environment we were creating”, commented Sue…

CIOB calls on government to mandate accessible homes

February 6, 2024 | Source: Construction News- UK

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has called on the government to progress higher accessibility standards in new-build homes. In its written evidence for a Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) select committee inquiry into housing for people with disabilities, the body said the government “must prioritise” a technical consultation on the implementation of M4(2) standards as a minimum accessibility level. The M4(2) homes standard, introduced in changes to Part M of the Building Regulations made in 2015, requires a certain level of accessibility and adaptability…

How the govt wants to make movie theatres accessible for persons with visual and hearing disabilities

February 7, 2024 | Source: Indian Express- India

The deadline for sending public comments on the draft guidelines for accessibility for the hearing and visually impaired in movie halls expires next week. Once the guidelines are notified, film production houses and movie theatres will be mandated to either run dedicated shows of films for impaired, or else ensure that provisions are made for them in theatres to be able to enjoy the movie-going experience without any discrimination. Last month, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting came out with Accessibility Standards in the Public Exhibition of Feature Films in Cinema Theatres for Persons with Hearing and Visual Impairment…

Council launches survey on new Changing Places toilets draft policy to boost accessibility in Belfast

February 6, 2024 | Source: AT Today- Ireland

Belfast City Council is seeking feedback on its Changing Places toilets draft policy for the city. The proposed policy has been published on the council website with a survey on the ‘Your say Belfast’ platform, which is open for 12 weeks. The draft policy sets out a proposed approach to include a Changing Places toilet facility in every new large council building development with a capacity of 350 people or more, in accordance with building regulations. Changing Places are specialised toilet facilities that make public places and spaces accessible and inclusive for everyone, including children, adults, and older people with complex needs or mobility issues…

Visually impaired, advocates call for changes to improve online grocery shopping

February 7, 2024 | Source: Global News- Canada

Anne Jarry would like to see some major improvements made by Canada’s large grocery store chains to improve their websites and make online shopping a lot easier for the visually impaired. “Frustrated because you go online and you go, geez, why is this still not a law,” Jarry told Global News. The Montreal resident uses a voice-activated screen reader to help her navigate the web. The software is very useful with websites that offer descriptive texts to images, an area in which Jarry says Canadian grocers fall short…

Delhi HC seeks Rapido’s stand on plea over accessibility barriers for differently-abled

February 8, 2024 | Source: Take One- India

The Delhi High Court has sought the stand of bike-taxi aggregator Rapido on a plea moved by two differently-abled persons highlighting the issue of “accessibility barriers” on the platform’s mobile app. Justice Subramonium Prasad issued a notice on an application filed by disability rights activist Amar Jain and visually-impaired banker Dipto Ghosh Chaudhary, who have said in spite of six updates on the app, not a single issue flagged by them has been resolved, which shows Rapido’s “casual and insensitive attitude”…

Accessibility Blogs, Information, and Videos

Federally Speaking

Higher Education Blogs and Information

Legal Blogs and Information

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)

Name

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