Accessibility in the News — 11/11/2022.

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Feature Stories

Elon Musk just axed key Twitter teams like human rights, accessibility, AI ethics and curation

November 4, 2022 | Source: TechCrunch and Gearrice and Telangana Today and Women’s Agenda

Lamenting Twitter’s and WCAG’s potential

November 6, 2022 | Source: Eric Eggert

Things Sure Don’t Seem To Be Going Well At Twitter

November 10, 2022 | Source: HUFFPOST

Elon Musk is wasting no time making extremely deep cuts at Twitter, calving off many teams doing essential work at the company in the process. News of layoffs swept the platform on Friday, showing that Twitter’s billionaire owner is painting in broad strokes when it comes to trimming down the team by half. The same day that Musk complained about supposed activists impacting Twitter’s ad revenue, he cut some departments outright — actions that are sure to make advertisers all the more skittish about Musk’s ability to steer a ship with a skeleton crew…

National News (U.S.)

POV: You’re Flying With a Disability

October 28, 2022 | Source: Condé Nast Traveler

Tío shook me awake, and kissed me goodbye as he left for work before my flight. Once the door shut, I crashed back onto his living room couch, dreading the daylong reunion with my ultimate adversary: flying. I’d spent the month in Ecuador, my home country, a trip I do once a year. Packing for my return to New York was a process of checking and re-checking my list of accessibility aids and personal apothecary of pain-relieving products that I would need for the flight…

ASU d/Deaf students, faculty, push for greater accessibility on campus

November 3, 2022 | Source: The State Press

Christian Blanco, a senior majoring in industrial engineering who identifies as Deaf, and Eryk Mejia, a senior majoring in psychology who identifies as deaf, are both officers of the ASU club deaf Devils — started to increase the presence of Deaf culture on campus and for students to get to know one another. Two percent of students registered through ASU Student Accessibility and Inclusive Learning Services are d/Deaf or hard of hearing, said Chad Price, director of SAILS…

Adding Accessibility Features to Digital Health Technologies: Enhancing Inclusion and the Patient Experience

November 4, 2022 | Source: MedCity News

A clinical trial population should mimic the patient population that will ultimately use the therapy that is being studied. Sounds logical, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, this has not always been the case and there have been negative consequences, such as instances where people with disabilities or of certain racial groups experienced adverse effects to approved drugs that were not tested on “people like them.” Just one of the many challenges of ensuring that the clinical trial population accurately reflects the patient population, so is the challenge of the Digital Health Technologies (DHTs), such as electronic patient reported outcomes (ePRO)…

It’s every manager’s job to support employees with disabilities

November 4, 2022 | Source: Fast Company

If you’re a manager, there’s no reason why you can’t fully support employees with disabilities. Hopefully, you already do. But proper work accommodations are not always a reality. Just ahead of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed that reassignment to a new manager is not an approved disability accommodation. This decision reinforces guidelines found in the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, under which a manager’s poor behavior or lack of understanding about a disability is not reason enough for workers to request a change in supervision…

Voting Accessibility: why residents say language services, absentee ballots, and more make all the difference

November 6, 2022 | Source: Fox 17

Voting With a Disability: Breaking Down Barriers to the Ballot

October 26, 2022 Source: ACLU

Voting accessibility available at Evansville polls

November 4, 2022 | Source: KWCH (YouTube)

Justice Department to Monitor Polls in 24 States for Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws

November 7, 2022 | Source: Department of Justice

Heading Out To Vote Tuesday? Here’s What You Need To Know About Finding Accessible Polling Places

November 7, 2022 | Source: Block Club Chicago

Texas voters with disabilities have options to help cast ballots

November 8, 2022 | Source: Beaumont Enterprise

For Patrick Parkes, who was born with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, getting around looks different than it does for most people. Voting also looks a little different for Parkes. He says electronic voting systems have helped to ensure that his voice is heard, but he still has a lot of questions. “Are the polling stations even accessible to be able to access those stations to be able to fill out your ballot? Right? Are there curb cuts? Are there ramps? Are there accessible polling stations for folks who need to use the electronic entry points to be able to fill out their ballot?” asked Parkes…

Supreme Court rebuffs U.S. veteran’s disability case, one conservative justice dissenting

November 7, 2022 | Source: Reuters

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a dispute involving an Air Force veteran’s bid to reinstate certain disability benefits denied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, prompting a sharp dissent by conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch. In declining to take up Thomas Buffington’s appeal of a lower court’s decision upholding the VA’s actions denying him several years of benefits, the justices passed up a chance to restrict the power of federal agencies…

NYPD vehicles park on sidewalks, violating city law and impeding accessibility

November 7, 2022 | Source: Washington Square News

Late last month, a Honda SUV and what appears to be a yellow cab could be seen blocking a sidewalk near the New York City Police Department 6th Precinct in Greenwich Village. The cars are parked crookedly jutting out of a driveway, making the sidewalk impassable. A sign behind them, on the door of a garage they obstruct, reads “Active Driveway / Do Not Block / Towed at Owner’s Expense.” These were NYPD vehicles. The NYPD has been criticized by disability rights organizations and city residents for violating parking guidelines, hindering the accessibility of city streets…

How Para Skier Kyle Taulman Is Making His College More Accessible To All

November 7, 2022 | Source: Team USA

Kyle Taulman wanted to go to a college that could provide him with a good education and was close enough to a mountain for him to continue alpine skiing. He decided to attend the University of Colorado, which is a three-hour drive from his hometown of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Shortly after arriving on CU’s campus, though, Taulman noticed that the school didn’t offer a lot of opportunities for disabled students like himself to be physically active. He didn’t think it made much sense since CU is located in Boulder, which is considered one of the healthiest and most active cities in the U.S…

For People with Disabilities on Parole and Probation, Accessible Communication is Essential

November 7, 2022 | Source: ACLU

At a meeting with her parole officer in Georgia this summer, “Jill” — who is deaf — was arrested for violating the conditions of her parole. She was accused of failing to attend a drug treatment program. In reality, Jill had contacted multiple programs and was turned away from each one as they refused to provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters. Federal law requires the parole system to make required programs accessible to people with disabilities, but instead this failure led, in part, to Jill being reincarcerated…

NHL team yanks contract of a player who bullied a Black classmate with disabilities

November 7, 2022 | Source: NPR

The Boston Bruins have canceled plans to add defenseman Mitchell Miller to their organization, after current players and NHL officials spoke out against Miller — who was convicted of bullying a Black classmate with developmental disabilities when he was 14. Miller has said he apologized and has portrayed his actions as a single incident. But critics of Miller, who is now 20, say he hasn’t done enough to show remorse for his actions or to prove he’s now a changed person. His victim has described systemic abuse that went on for years…

Disabled flyers often have lavatory options they don’t know about

November 8, 2022 | Source: Travel Weekly

Lack of onboard lavatory accessibility is a primary impediment to travel for persons with disabilities. And while U.S. airlines don’t have to provide accessible lavs on single-aisle aircraft, some carriers already offer semi-accessible facilities on portions of their narrowbody fleets. Unfortunately, they do little to let people know about it. “The fact that something exists that some people can use is just kind of a big secret,” said Ken Shiotani, senior staff attorney for the National Disability Rights Network, adding that those who can use those lavs “really should know that they’re there.”…

‘You don’t have to be like everyone else,’ I tell my daughter. I hope she can believe me

November 8, 2022 | Source: WBUR

Let me tell you what it’s like to have an adorable white, blonde, green-eyed girl in a pink walker or wheelchair. How people — even doctors — assume she will grow out of it, how they admire her ability to maneuver her wheelchair, congratulate her ability to take hesitant steps with her walker, leg braces, adaptive shoes and deep breaths. Or they whisper about how serious her diagnosis is, clucking at us as we walk past, murmuring about us, calling her a warrior or a hero, but not inviting her for a playdate…

J.G. Wentworth class action alleges website inaccessible to blind, visually impaired users

November 8, 2022 | Source: Top Class Actions

A legally blind man filed a class action lawsuit against the financial services company J.G. Wentworth, alleging the company does not make its website accessible to blind people using a screen reader. Plaintiff Frank Senior filed the class action lawsuit against The J.G. Wentworth Co. on Nov. 4 in a New York federal court, alleging violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Senior is a visually impaired and legally blind person who requires screen-reading software to read website content using his computer…

Disabled Activists Are Building a More Inclusive Food Justice Future

November 9, 2022 | Source: Civil Eats

After her brother was murdered, the only place Gerldine Wilson found healing was her neighborhood community garden in Buffalo, New York—a space she founded a decade ago with help from a group of gardeners and activists called Grassroots Gardens of Western New York (GGWNY). So when she encountered changes to her mobility, Wilson says, “I had to find a different way to function in my garden. Giving it up wasn’t an option for me, because it was tied not only to my nutritional health, but also to my mental health.”…

People with disabilities rate the top 10 cities that are easiest for them to travel around

November 9, 2022 | Source: CNBC and CMW

The Valuable 500, a business coalition, released its list of the top 10 most accessible cities in the world. The report cited a survey conducted among 3,500 individuals with disabilities, who rated cities based on “transport links, proximity of accommodation to attractions, shops, and restaurants, and the availability of information about accessibility.” The survey was conducted in August and September, and involved participants from five countries — the U.K., United States, Japan, China and Australia…

Epileptic seizures can occur like clockwork. But what sets the clock?

November 10, 2022 | Source: ZME Science

One in 26 people in the United States will develop epilepsy at some point in their lives and that list is growing with 150,000 new cases of the disease reported every year. An estimated 3.4 million Americans and 65 million people worldwide currently live with epilepsy. The condition impacts people of all ages and races. It can result from a number of underlying conditions, such as head trauma, or occasionally a person may simply be a victim of hereditary coincidence. Sometimes there is absolutely no explanation for it…

Are you using an accessibility overlay to help disabled users? Don’t!

November 10, 2022 | Source: Search Engine Land

It is estimated that around 61 million Americans live with a disability. This represents about 18% of the total population of the United States as of the 2022 Census. Viewed another way, that 61 million figure would represent the entire population of the countries of South Africa or Italy. This number is usually broken down into four distinct groups, with most groups sharing overlapping disabilities: Visual Impairments, Hearing Impairments, Intellectual Impairments, and Physical Impairments. Inclusivity for users with disabilities should always be of paramount concern…

Advocates For People With Disabilities Ask City of Chicago to Plow Sidewalks

November 10, 2022 | Source: NBC Chicago

Mobility advocacy groups are calling for the city to take on the responsibility of clearing sidewalks of snow. Advocates say it would help those with disabilities navigate sidewalks during winter months. The issue has now gained support from a Northwest Side alderman, who is preparing to introduce an ordinance this month that would establish a pilot program. “There is a huge mobility issue here where people with disabilities can slip and fall, or motorized wheelchairs can get stuck, or they have to go onto the street with cars driving by,” said Kyle Lucas, co-founder of Better Streets Chicago, a transit advocacy group promoting safe streets…

Jack Fact — According to the US Census Bureau, nearly 2.4 million working-age Hispanic adults (ages 16 to 64) in the United States have a disability.

Hit The Road Jack —Accessible Portland and Experts Reveal The Best And Worst US National Parks In Terms Of Accessibility

International News

Group faces barriers hosting Accessible Sport Expo before CFL Western Final game

November 3, 2022 | Source: CTV News Winnipeg- Canada

The CFL’s Western Final is still 10 days away but concerns are already growing about how game day traffic will impact people attending a different event on the University of Manitoba campus. An upcoming expo showcasing multiple accessible sports for people living with a disability will end at nearby Investors Group Athletic Centre just 90 minutes before kickoff, as thousands of football fans descend on IG Field to watch the Blue Bombers try to secure another appearance in the Grey Cup…

QF’s accessibility volunteers to play key role during World Cup

November 6, 2022 | Source: The Peninsula- Qatar and Gulf Times and The Global Herald and FIFA and Egypt Today and Euronews

Qatar Foundation’s (QF) accessibility volunteers are set to play a key role in ensuring a memorable fan experience during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The volunteers have received FIFA core training and additional training on accessibility and inclusivity to create a welcoming environment for differently-abled football fans, according to Progam Manager, World Cup Project at Qatar Foundation, Brooke Reid. “Qatar Foundation has recruited and trained specialist accessible volunteers to support the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Volunteer Programme in the delivery of the most accessible FIFA World Cup to date,” Reid told The Peninsula…

Discrimination the dark side of accessibility debate, says DFNZ

November 8, 2022 | Source: New Zealand Doctor

Tougher accessibility legislation is needed to prevent discrimination against neurodiverse schoolchildren, says Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand (DFNZ). Submissions on the Government’s new Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill closed yesterday, with critics saying it lacks teeth. More than 35 organisations and 200 individuals made submissions seeking changes to the Bill via submission forms produced by Access Matters Aotearoa, representing a range of organisations and individuals from the disability and neurodiversity sectors…

Deaf children have a higher risk of developing emotional well-being issues, study suggests

November 9, 2022 | Source: News Medical- Ireland

Research from Queen’s University Belfast suggests that deaf children are more at risk of developing mental health and emotional wellbeing issues compared to children who can hear. The research report ‘The Emotional Wellbeing of Deaf Children and Young’ by Dr Bronagh Byrne and Dr Catherine McNamee, from the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s was recently launched at the University. The research, which was commissioned by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, sought to identify current and future service needs relating to the mental health and emotional wellbeing of deaf children…

Speakers Welcome More Accessibility for Disabled People, but Voice Concern Over Virtual Meetings, as Fifth Committee Charts Progress in Improving Conference Management

November 9, 2022 | Source: United Nations

Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today considered the progress and challenges facing the Secretariat as it manages the United Nations conference services at its four headquarter duty stations around the globe. The representative of Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said the Organization’s liquidity crunch had led to a hiring freeze, particularly in language services, and he urged the Secretariat to recruit language professionals as a priority…

Sydney has been voted one of the world’s top ten accessible cities

November 9, 2022 | Source: TimeOut- Australia

With an estimated one billion people living with a disability around the globe, accessible tourism is rightfully becoming a growing area of priority. While there is still a long way to go before we exist in a truly disability-friendly world, the good news is that Sydney has joined cities such as Amsterdam, London and Singapore on Valuable 500’s list of the Top 10 Most Accessible Cities in the World – as voted by 3,500 disabled tourists. Sydney was highly rated for its wheelchair accessibility, with many of the Emerald City’s main landmarks, restaurants and entertainment venues catering for wheelchair users…

Attitude Is Everything encourages festivals to improve disabled access in 2023

November 9, 2022 | Source: Complete Music Update- UK

Attitude Is Everything has announced a new campaign called #FestivalsWithoutBarriers in partnership with the Association Of Independent Festivals, the Association Of Festival Organisers and the British Arts Festival Association. The link up will see the three festival trade bodies encourage their members to improve accessibility at their events. The campaign has issued three calls to action: First, plan to provide quality access information to disabled audiences at the point of tickets going on sale by implementing Attitude Is Everything’s Access Starts Online guidance…

Is there a link between obesity and eye problems?

November 10, 2022 | Source: Indian Express- India

The eyes are two of the most important organs that need caring. But often, people neglect their eyes, ignore routine checkups, and regular care such as washing, staying away from electronic gadgets, etc. The other thing threatening the health of the eyes is obesity. According to Dr Neeraj Sanduja, MBBS, MS, ophthalmologist, and eye surgeon, the primary impact obesity has on the body is the increased risk of peripheral artery disease and diabetes, and when it comes to the eyes, obesity can cause serious “sight-threatening retinal diseases”…

How Witch Hat Atelier Sheds an Important Light on Disability

November 10, 2022 | Source: CBR- Canada

Though the fantasy genre spans a pretty wide array of characters and stories, it is not known for spotlighting disabled characters. Of course, there are fantasy anime and manga out there with disabled characters, but it isn’t the most common experience for fans. Witch Hat Atelier is an exceptional fantasy manga created by Kamome Shirahama, featuring a young witch-in-training named Coco. While Coco isn’t disabled herself, a few characters throughout the series are shown to have various disabilities. Here’s how Witch Hat Atelier sheds an interesting and important light on characters with disabilities…

How Lucy Lunt brought sunshine into lives of blind children

November 10, 2022 | Source: Shropshire Star- England

In her elderly, open-topped car, headmistress Lucy Lunt would take her young charges out for rides in the Shropshire countryside, delighting them as, with the hood down, 25mph seemed fast and exciting. They enjoyed many happy hours riding around the country lanes, and although the children could not enjoy the sights, they could enjoy the sounds, smells, and sensations. One day David was in a serious mood, and asked her: “Will I be able to do this myself? Drive, I mean?” Only a truthful answer would do. “No David.” “Not ever?” “No David.”…

Rose Ayling-Ellis says ‘deafness was forgotten about’ on screen but insists it’s not EastEnders’ fault

November 10, 2022 | Source: Metro- UK

Rose Ayling-Ellis has opened up about deaf representation on screen, saying that during her time at EastEnders, she found her deafness was sometimes ‘forgotten about’ – but she doesn’t blame the soap. The Frankie Lewis actress, who went on to win Strictly Come Dancing last year, has become an incredible ambassador for the deaf community, and has now opened up about what more needs to be done. Chatting to Metro.co.uk after being announced as part of this year’s Bafta Breakthrough cohort, Rose explained: ‘The thing is, I wasn’t well known, I didn’t have that much experience, but EastEnders took me on and made me a regular…

Palace vows support for deaf community

November 11, 2022 | Source: Phil Star- Philippines

Malacañang assured the deaf community of continuous support as the country started observance of Deaf Awareness Week yesterday. “The Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) joins the commemoration of the Deaf Awareness Week this year from Nov. 10 to Nov. 16, in line with Proclamation No. 829,” the government’s lead communication arm tweeted in Filipino. “We continue to provide support to the deaf community in the country, especially in the field of education with the help of the Department of Education (DepEd),” it added…

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