Accessibility in the News — 3/26/2021.

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

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”

Jean Baptiste Poquelin (Molière)

Feature Stories

Court Denies Uber’s Motion to Dismiss ADA Discrimination Complaint

March 16, 2021 | Source: LawStreet Media & Case- PDF

On Monday, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the District of Columbia District Court issued an opinion denying Uber Technologies Inc.’s motion to dismiss a discrimination lawsuit brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the District of Columbia Human Rights Act (DCHRA). According to the opinion, “plaintiff Equal Rights Center (‘ERC’) allege(d) that defendant Uber – a company that maintains a ride-sharing application that connects users to drivers – systemically discriminates against those disabled individuals in the District of Columbia who use non-foldable wheelchairs…

MTA Refuses To Disclose Legal Cost Of Fighting Accessibility Lawsuits

March 17, 2021 | Source: Gothamist

MTA Looking for Private Business Help With Subway Accessibility Upgrades

March 17, 2021 | Source: THE CITY

The MTA has denied a request from a disability rights group to disclose how much it is spending in taxpayer dollars to fight several lawsuits claiming it discriminates against its disabled customers. The groups — which include the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID) — claim in their lawsuit that the transit agency has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by renovating stations without adding elevators and failing to maintain existing elevators. They also claim an overall lack of subway accessibility is a violation of New York City’s Human Rights laws…

Amtrak offers cash to compensate for accessibility issues

March 25, 2021 | Source: News Channel 20 & Times Republic

People with disabilities who traveled or wanted to travel from some Amtrak stations may receive financial compensation. On Dec. 2, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, entered into an agreement to resolve the DOJ’s reported findings of disability discrimination, which violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under this agreement, Amtrak must fix inaccessible stations and pay $2.25 million to those affected by inaccessibility at 78 of its stations nationwide…

National News (U.S.)

Paralyzed by a shooting, he now helps others with disabilities take control of their lives

March 11, 2021 | Source: CNN

Wesley Hamilton remembers the moment nine years ago when his life changed forever. On January 14, 2012, Hamilton got caught up in an altercation with a stranger outside an apartment complex. The man shot Hamilton twice in his abdomen. When the bullets pierced his body, he thought he was going to die. “I laid on that ground taking my last breaths, having regrets about life,” he said, “because it wasn’t until that moment that I realized I had never lived.”…

Legislators aim for better voter accessibility in Maryland

March 12, 2021 | Source: Maryland Reporter & U.S. News & World Report & Fairfield Citizen & CBS

Lawmakers in Maryland are working to enact legislation that would greatly improve accessibility for disabled voters. One of the more notable bills would change the state’s entire voting system. SB0271/HB0423, sponsored by Sen. Clarence Lam, D-Baltimore County and Howard, and Del. Jessica Feldmark, D-Baltimore County and Howard, respectively, would require that all Maryland voters use a uniformly accessible device to cast their votes…

Most Utah Vaccination Websites Not Compliant For Sight Impaired

March 12, 2021 | Source: KSLTV

Blind Americans face roadblocks booking online vaccine appointments

March 13, 2021 | Source: NBC

While Utah ramps up efforts to vaccinate every adult in the state, advocates are increasingly concerned that the websites used for scheduling appointments are less accessible to people who are sight-impaired. Most health departments in Utah have been asked to fix their websites. Researchers at the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University in Logan checked 50 websites for vaccine registrations. They found that all but two sites had multiple barriers for people who are sight challenged…

Social media has upped its accessibility game. But deaf creators say it has a long way to go.

March 15, 2021 | Source: The Washington Post

Chrissy Marshall has spent hours and hours scrolling through TikTok videos, deliberately liking and commenting on videos from other deaf creators and clips with small text bubbles. The 21-year-old is trying to train the app to only show her videos with captions or that use American Sign Language. It’s mostly working. Her TikTok homepage is so curated that Marshall, who has 1.2 million followers on her account ChrissyCantHearYou, only has to skip past about one in 10 videos. “It really depends on who you are following and how you force the algorithm to work,” she said…

How Technology is Helping the Visually Impaired Find Employment

March 15, 2021 | Source: WTTW News

For most Chicagoans, the city’s street grid is an everyday convenience. But for Jose Martinez, who was born blind, it’s a critical part of maintaining his autonomy. “Chicago is what made me the person I am. This city is what made me independent,” Martinez says. “It’s very accessible here. The streets are organized in such a pattern that, you know, it’s very easy to learn. And I mean, I learned that I can teach it to another blind person. I feel that confident.” Navigating the city was just one of the many skills Martinez says he’s learned at The Chicago Lighthouse…

Beauty brands are improving accessibility for visually impaired customers

March 16, 2021 | Source: Glossy

When Isaac Shapiro launched body-care brand Cleanlogic almost 20 years ago, he wanted to make the line accessible to visually impaired customers. While braille on packaging was nearly unheard of then, he was thinking of his mother, who lost her eyesight when she was a child. On Tuesday, the brand launched a rebrand, complete with an updated look and a shift to all-paper packaging. By eliminating soft plastic packaging, Cleanlogic will now be able to print braille on every item…

What If The Internet Was Accessible To All?

March 17, 2021 | Source: USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Right click on an image in a web-browser and click “Inspect.” Within the small chunk of HTML code that is highlighted lies an attribute called “alt text,” short for alternative text. Alternative text is typically read aloud by screen readers in place of images, allowing the contents of an image to be accessible to those with visual or certain cognitive disabilities, according to the non-profit organization Web Accessibility In Mind. The alternative text attribute is among the growing list of web assistive technologies: tools and techniques that people with disabilities use to interact with the web…

Visually impaired Pennsylvanians are pushing for the Access Technology Affordability Act’s passage

March 17, 2021 | Source: Technical.ly

Each year, hundreds of people with white canes and guide dogs descend on the U.S. Capitol for what is known as Washington Seminar. Since 1973, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has led its members to face to face meetings with their respective congressmen, where they present the group’s legislative priorities of the year. The NFB president determines the priorities that would most affect its more than 50,000 members nationwide. In pre-pandemic days, meetings were crunched within a two- or three-day period in January or February…

‘Jagged Little Pill’ Shows Broadway Should Prioritize Accessibility

March 18, 2021 | Source: Observer

As a child living in Manhattan, the magic of Broadway was everything. But as an adult with an autoimmune disease living in California, I thought I’d never attend a Broadway play again. Sitting still for hours without the ability to prop my legs triggers pain and vasculitis, and even pre-COVID, flying was difficult due to my health. In December, I was able to attend a Broadway performance (Jagged Little Pill’s live-streamed reunion concert) for the first time in over 20 years. It was so powerful that it felt like I was falling in love with music for the first time…

Legislation to make autism services more accessible on the fast track at the General Assembly

March 18, 2021 | Source: NC Policy Watch

It’s difficult to imagine that a child being diagnosed with autism could bring relief to parents, but that’s what happened to Kyle Robinson and his wife, Bonnie. Their son Samuel was 18 months old when he was diagnosed in 2011. It provided critical answers to questions the Robinson had about developmental issues Samuel was experiencing. It also helped them to pinpoint the kind of ongoing services Samuel, now 9, would need. “When we got that diagnosis of autism, it was a relief because now, we thought, we can help our son,” said Kyle Robinson, director of basketball operations at East Carolina University in Greenville…

Developer behind the FlickType Watch app sues Apple for anticompetitive behavior

March 19, 2021 | Source: TechSpot & The Washington Post

The big picture: The App Store has become home to no less than 1.9 million apps, generating $64 billion in revenue for Apple and app developers. And while Apple will tell you it’s a place you can trust, one developer lawsuit alleges that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Last month, Kosta Eleftheriou, the mobile app developer behind the popular Apple Watch keyboard app FlickType for the visually impaired wrote a scathing Twitter thread on the current state of the App Store…

How Luxury Brands Are Approaching Accessibility

March 20, 2021 | Source: Salon Prive Magazine

If you’re one of the millions of adults who have a disability, there’s good news. Luxury brands have taken note of the need for accessibility and are adapting their products. It only makes sense — the more people who can benefit from their wares, the more they can sell. With that in mind, here are a few ways that luxury brands are approaching accessibility and how you can benefit. Getting from point A to point B can sometimes pose issues for those who rely on mobility aids. Even though you sit down to drive, it’s challenging to transfer yourself from your wheelchair to an elevated car seat unassisted…

Living with a disability is very expensive – even with government assistance

March 23, 2021 | Source: The Conversation

Edward Mitchell is 34 years old and lives in Jackson, Tennessee, with a spinal cord injury caused by a hit-and-run accident that happened when he was 17. He has plenty of expenses that all Americans have, like groceries and utilities. But to maintain his independence, he also has to pay for home modifications to accommodate his wheelchair, personal nursing care, dictation tools to help him write and adjustments to his car so he can drive himself to work. He is just one of the 20 million working-age adults living with disabilities in the U.S., for whom it takes more money to make ends meet because of the additional expenses they face every day…

As People Reflect on Their Bodies, Museums Turn to Artists for Answers

March 24, 2021 | Source: The New York Times

Many artists with chronic illnesses or disabilities feared the worst when the pandemic started. Like those who are immunocompromised or have underlying conditions, accessing care and continuing to work would be tough. And it was. Some artists moved to remote areas to save money and protect themselves; others maintained strict quarantines in their homes. But the creative juices never stopped flowing, at least not for Panteha Abareshi, whose first major solo exhibition opened online, with the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery…

Jack Fact — According to a Harvard report, Glaucoma is the leading cause of permanent blindness worldwide, and the second leading cause of permanent blindness in the United States. An estimated three million people in the United States have glaucoma, a number that is expected to increase to 6.3 million in the next 30 years.

Hit The Road Jack — Traveling with a Disability

International News

Better accessibility to public infrastructure for disabled people in Iași, Romania

March 11, 2021 | Source: TheMayorEU- Romania

The Romanian municipality of Iași will work towards improving the conditions of public infrastructure for people with disabilities. At the end of last year, Iași signed a partnership agreement with the local NGO Alliance for Promoting Alternative Transport in Iași (APTA Iași). ‘Iași – Accessible to All’ is a plan to modernise street infrastructure and implement European standards and regulations regarding public space availability for people who need special assistance…

How Ancient Roman ruins can teach the modern world about accessible travel

March 12, 2021 | Source: Euronews- Italy

What the Ancient Greeks and Architecture May Tell Us About Accessibility

March 17, 2021 | Source: SMA News Today

When I first entered the Roman Colosseum it was not the magnitude of the ancient structure or the exposed labyrinth of underground passages that left me awestruck – it was the lift taking wheelchair users all the way to the top. As a disabled person, travelling wherever and whenever I want can feel like an impossible dream, because I sometimes require step-free access and rest stops to accommodate my health. But entering this famed tourist hub and seeing the ancient site’s accessibility offered me some hope for the future of accessible travel…

The UN Should Adopt a Seventh Official Language, for the Deaf

March 12, 2021 | Source: PassBlue- Austria

While recently attending a virtual tour of the United Nations Office at Vienna, I was astonished to learn that the translation services did not include sign language interpreters. There are six official UN languages — Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish — that provide “clear and concise communication on issues of global importance,” according to the UN. With one billion people, or 15 percent of the global population, living with a disability, the world body should consider adding sign language as the seventh official language to its spoken communications…

Variety Alberta introduces accessible hockey for children with disabilities

March 14, 2021 | Source: CTV News- Canada

It’s being dubbed as a one-of a kind sport adaptation as Variety, a children’s charity is launching its Volt Hockey program. A try-it-out session is taking place on Sunday with families expected to learn the ropes of the new adaptive program. It is aimed at children youth with complex needs, especially those with limited upper mobility. Volt uses a specially designed, battery-operated hockey sport chair controlled using a joystick. A stick blade is connected to chair and games are typically played in a three versus three format…

Members of SC’s Accessibility Forum visit FIFA World Cup venue Al Bayt Stadium

March 14, 2021 | Source: Gulf Times- Qatar

Members of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy’s (SC) Accessibility Forum recently conducted an audit of Al Bayt Stadium, one of eight tournament venues set to host matches during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. People with disabilities tested a range of the venue’s accessibility features, including designated parking, wheelchair accessible seating, Braille signage, bathrooms and lowered countertops at concession stands. Forum member Ahmed al-Shahrani, a wheelchair user, said he was pleased to play a role in tournament preparations at the 60,000-capacity stadium, which will host the opening match of Qatar 2022…

‘Deaf-blind hindered by lack of employment, accessibility’

March 15, 2021 | Source: DT Next- India

Such hurdles in employment faced by the deafblind community was discussed at a webinar organised by the Society for the Empowerment of the Deafblind and the Chetana Trust on Sunday. At the ‘Come Together, Connect and Support!’ seminar, deafblind persons from across the country spoke about their lived experiences in modern society. “There is a perception that deafblind people cannot work. Companies need to give us a chance to show what we are capable of. We need better and more accessible education and literary skills, as language acquisition is poor in the community,” said Sunil Abbas, a Chennai-based deafblind person…

Blind and partially sighted students struggling to access online exams

March 17, 2021 | Source: FE News- UK

With remote exam platforms leaving blind and partially sighted students unable to complete their exams, Higher Education Providers must urgently review their exam practices, says Thomas Pocklington Trust. Many of the new exam platforms block assistive technology and screen adjustments on which blind and partially sighted students rely to access on-screen information. This has led to many facing delays in taking the exams or additional risks during Covid-19. The charity has published guidance to help Higher Education Providers tackle the issue…

Paris 2024 Paris 2024 commits to a climate positive Olympic and Paralympic Games

March 17, 2021 | Source: Around the Rings- France

The Paris 2024 Board of Directors has approved a climate strategy which commits Paris 2024 to organising the world’s first Olympic and Paralympic Games with a positive contribution to the climate. The strategy is based on three pillars: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, support for projects with a positive contribution to climate, and mobilisation of stakeholders to maximise long-term positive impact. The world’s first Olympic Games with a positive contribution to the climate…

Arts trust ramping up accessibility for comedians with disabilities

March 18, 2021 | Source: Stuff- New Zealand

For Dave Batten, the hardest part of his comedy career is getting onto the stage; not because of nerves, but because of the stairs. The Wellington comedian, who turns 30 this week, has had athetoid cerebral palsy since birth. He’s a familiar face in Wellington comedy clubs. Now, after years of struggling up and down stairs and stage steps with his wheelchair, a gift from the Humorous Arts Trust is about to make gigs a lot easier. On Friday, Batten will be rolling onto the stage to headline a star-studded line-up at Petone Working Men’s Club with a brand-new, portable wheelchair ramp…

ISRAEL21c helps judge kids’ accessibility design contest

March 17, 2021 | Source: ISRAEL21c

A shower operated by foot pedals, an automatic feeding tray, a surface-adaptable wheelchair, a color-coded flashlight, and makeup “sheets” for people with limited dexterity. These were among the 106 ideas that American schoolchildren dreamed up for the Make the Change Challenge sponsored by ADI, an Israeli residential and rehabilitative care network for individuals with severe disabilities. I had the honor of serving as one of the judges tasked with choosing five finalists and the grand prize winner of $1,000 from the Avraham and Esther Klein Young Entrepreneurs Fund…

Raise Up: The women who revolutionised braille accessibility in Victoria

March 18, 2021 | Source: Vision Australia

Vision Australian librarian, Sarah Bloedorn was a recent guest on Talking Vision discussing two trail-blazing librarians whose work was instrumental in braille accessibility and production in Australia, May Harrison and Minnie Crabbe. May was one of the principal founders of the Victorian Braille Writers’ Association in 1894. Prior to this, braille was unavailable in Victoria. Along with Tilly Aston, she then went to teach over 1000 people braille and established a small lending library in her home. May’s niece, Minnie began her career in in braille as an assistant to her aunt…

Carly Findlay calls for more disabled people in leadership

March 19, 2021 | Source: The CEO Magazine- Australia

There are more than one billion people in the world living with disability. Faced with higher rates of unemployment, increased poverty rates and less education opportunities, Carly Findlay OAM has been working tirelessly to campaign for diversity in the workplace. Just as the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a flurry of new opportunities, the appearance advocate hopes it will continue to drive progression towards equality. “We have seen the benefits of working from home, as well as the accessibility of online events,” Carly tells The CEO Magazine…

Petition launched to improve wheelchair accessibility on the Glasgow Subway

March 20, 2021 | Source: Glasgow Live- UK

A campaign has been launched calling for greater wheelchair accessibility on the Glasgow Subway. Currently, two of the fifteen stations on the line are accessible for wheelchair users – St Enoch and Govan. An online petition was launched by Leonard Cheshire of the organisation Change Makers calling for SPT to commit to improve wheelchair accessibility for Subway users. It reads: “On the Glasgow subway, there are 15 stations currently only 2 of these stations have step-free access and are accessible to wheelchair users, this means that if you use a wheelchair you can only board and depart from 2 out of 15 stations…

Accessibility leader Minnie Baragwanath: ‘NZ’s hang-ups on abilities and disabilities are holding everyone back’

March 20, 2021 | Source: RNZ- New Zealand

Minnie Baragwanath MNZM is the Chief Possibility Officer and founder of the newly established Global Centre of Possibility at AUT, she talked to Susie Ferguson about why New Zealand should get over its ignorance about disability, and embrace the social and trillion dollar opportunities of opening up access. Baragwanath is a long-serving advocate for people who have a disability or access need and in 2011 founded the Be. Lab, aiming to make New Zealand the most accessible nation in the world…

British hotels do not meet accessibility needs, say 1 in 3 disabled people

March 22, 2021 | Source: Boutique Hotelier- UK

1 in 3 disabled people in the UK say British hotels do not meet accessibility needs, according to new research. New European wide data from accessibility travel expert Handiscover found that 32% of disabled people in the UK say that hotels miss the mark when it comes to providing the right accessibility, and improvements need to be made ahead of the sector reopening. The research also revealed that 58% of the disabled population who required assistance, said staff at hotels were not as knowledge about accessibility needs as they could have been, highlighting the importance of training and education among employees…

How Will The MODL Accessibility Plan Be Implemented

March 22, 2021 | Source: CKBW- Canada

With the MODL and its member communities signing off on an accessibility plan last week it will now serve as a lens to analyze new and existing projects. MODL Mayor Carolyn Bolivar Getson says that now when municipal governments look to build something or offer a new service it will have to be done through the lens of accessibility. “When the government-mandated these plans that’s what they wanted, for municipal governments to be prepared to identify potential accessibility issues and then find ways to solve them.”…

VIU working on making buildings more accessible

March 22, 2021 | Source: Nanaimo News Bulletin- Canada

Power door openers, wayfinding signage, grab bars in washrooms and plus-size chairs are some of the improvements students and employees at Vancouver Island University are beginning to see thanks to funding from the B.C. accessibility grants program through the Rick Hansen Foundation. The foundation recently granted the VIU Foundation $240,000 for accessibility projects in 12 of the least-accessible buildings at VIU. The money, which comes from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, will help the institution become more user-friendly for all…

Government of Canada helps employers create accessible and inclusive workplaces for employees with disabilities

March 23, 2021 | Source: Canada NewsWire

The Government of Canada remains committed to building a more inclusive and accessible Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. One way to strengthen Canada’s workforce and economic recovery is to address the challenges experienced by persons with disabilities in securing gainful employment. To help improve workplace accessibility and access to jobs, the Government of Canada introduced the National Workplace Accessibility Stream under the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities…

Changes Support Making Nova Scotia Barrier Free

March 24, 2021 | Source: Government of Nova Scotia- Canada

Government is making changes to the Municipal Government Act and the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter that will enable local governments to help businesses become more accessible and support Nova Scotia’s goal of being barrier free by 2030. The changes announced today,

March 24, give municipalities the ability to provide financial assistance directly to businesses that are making changes to support accessibility for people with disabilities…

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)

Comments

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