Accessibility in the News — 9/25/2020.

With election day fast approaching, knowing whether our election will be accessible to all remains a mystery. From election websites, to mail in voting, to physical polling locations, accessibility varies greatly by location. Many state and local jurisdictions have made great strides in improving their voting accessibility, where as others are still lacking. How will November 3rd shape up? We will just have to wait and see.

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Feature Stories

Burnet County named in complaint over elections website accessibility

September 14, 2020 | Source: DailyTrib.com

Disability Rights group finds Panola County elections website lacking

September 16, 2020 | Source: The Panola Watchman

Elections Website Ranks High On Disability Access Scale

September 24, 2020 | Source: San Marcos Corridor News

Burnet County was named in a systemic class complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice on Sept. 4. The complaint was filed by the advocacy group Disability Rights Texas (DRTx). It alleges that more than 80 county election websites in Texas do not comply with federal laws requiring the sites be accessible to people with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act Title II complaint cites an investigative report that DRTx released in July, “Web Failures: How County Voting Websites Leave Voters with Disabilities in the Dark.”…

Blind US voters sue over lack of accessible, mail-in ballots

September 15, 2020 | Source: Aljazeera

Kenneth Semien has not left his Texas home, nor had any visitors inside his house since March 14, the day after officials declared a state of disaster and national emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a 59-year-old African American man, who is blind and has high blood pressure, Semien simply cannot take the risk. “My experience 18 years ago, being in a hospital for 89 days, really wants me to do whatever I can to stay out of a hospital,” he said, recalling the time a battle with meningitis left him completely blind in one eye and only able to see shapes in the other…

Voters With Disabilities Face Barriers in 2020 From COVID-19

September 16, 2020 | Source: Teen Vogue

The world is on fire and I’m choking on fear and rage. In 2020, two aspects of my life have been politicized and thrust into the spotlight: ventilators and voting by mail. It’s wild to see how two things I have relied on for years are suddenly under threat in this political climate. They may seem like an odd pair, but they both enable me to participate in society as a disabled person. The pandemic has exposed a number of truths: The nation’s infrastructure is inadequate…

Accommodations Lacking For Disabled Floridians Who Wish To Vote By Mail

September 18, 2020 | Source: WFSU

Voter accessibility for paralyzed veterans, others with disabilities

September 21, 2020 | Source: NBC15

Florida doesn’t have any accommodations for disabled Floridians who wish to vote by mail. If you’re blind or can’t use your arms, you’ll need to get someone else to fill out your ballot. But in at least five counties, that’s going to change. When someone who is disabled shows up to vote in person, they can ask for accommodations. Leon County’s Deputy Supervisor of Elections Chris Moore says the voting machine gets put in accessibility mode. Then, either the voter or a worker puts the ballot into the machine…

National News (U.S.)

Banks are stepping up tech for people with disabilities

September 11, 2020 | Source: American Banker

Visitors who enter the JPMorgan Chase branch near Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., a school for the deaf and hard of hearing, will be greeted in two ways simultaneously: spoken English and American Sign Language. This 10-month-old branch is Chase’s first that is designed to serve the deaf and hard of hearing community. Customers and employees with hearing loss can communicate with others by signing to an interpreter over video and hold subdued conversations with the help of a device that connects to the customer’s hearing aids…

Judge Orders White House to Include Sign Language in Covid Briefings

September 12, 2020 | Source: Courthouse News & PDF

The Trump administration may have violated federal law by not including American Sign Language interpretation in televised briefings on the coronavirus pandemic, a federal judge in Washington ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg granted temporary relief that will require the White House to include in-frame ASL interpretation, already adopted by the governors of all 50 states in their Covid-19 video broadcasts, pending final judgment in the case…

The Hub Pub, Joe Black’s agree to add accessible seating after ADA complaint

September 16, 2020 | Source: Grand Forks Herald

Two downtown Grand Forks bars have agreed to make their buildings accessible for people with disabilities after complaints were filed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Investigations were opened into Joe Black’s Bar and Grill and The Hub Pub after a patron filed complaints that the establishments didn’t have dining spaces or blackjack gaming spaces to accommodate wheelchairs, according to documents. Both bars are operated by Dennis Blackmun and Joe Schneider and are popular downtown establishments in Grand Forks…

Disabled Grads Sue in Calif. Over Bar Exam, Claim Virus Risk

September 15, 2020 | Source: Bloomberg Law

Plans for disabled law school graduates to take the California bar exam in-person puts them at special risk of contracting Covid-19, according to a new lawsuit. As many as 11,000 people are scheduled to take the exam online Oct. 5-6, but a small group has been asked to travel to sit for it in-person to accommodate special needs. Three disabled test takers say being forced to risk exposure to coronavirus violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and a California civil rights law. They filed a lawsuit Monday against the State Bar of California and the National Conference of Bar Examiners…

Inclusion Remains a Priority for the High Holidays

September 15, 2020 | Source: Jewish Boston

This year synagogues are acclimating to a new normal in this time of the pandemic. Many houses of worship are addressing their online presence with respect to inclusion policies during the High Holidays. More traditional congregations bear inclusion in mind as they implement social distancing measures and shorten services within Jewish law parameters. This year synagogues are acclimating to a new normal in this time of the pandemic. Many houses of worship are addressing their online presence with respect to inclusion policies during the High Holidays…

Parents worried virtual learning won’t do enough for Michigan’s children with disabilities

September 17, 2020 | Source: Chalkbeat Detroit

Detroit district parent Sharmell Graves is worried her daughter will forget essential skills like holding a crayon. Her daughter, a fifth grader who attends a school that serves students with severe disabilities, has cerebral palsy, which limits her motor skills. With the help of her teacher, Graves’ daughter was getting help with her muscle movements so she could perform simple tasks. Right now, Graves is helping her daughter with coloring at home, but is worried her assistance is not as effective as what a trained professional would offer…

Disabilities Commission files complaint with feds over access at Election Board’s new home

September 18, 2020 | Source: The Providence Journal

The public bathroom is handicapped-inaccessible. Simply put, in the language of the state architect who inspected the former Honeywell plant: “The restroom door is inadequate in width.” And that was only one of the 11 problems the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities raised with the Rhode Island Board of Elections before the board moved from a state-owned, rent-free building on Branch Avenue in Providence to suburban Cranston under a 10-year, $5.5 million no-bid lease…

7 continents, 1 wheelchair: Cory Lee’s adventures show travel has no boundaries

September 19, 2020 | Source: CNN

Going to Antarctica is a bucket list goal for many, but for Cory Lee, it was that and much more. Exploring the world on his wheelchair and blogging about it since 2013, Lee visited the White Continent in February — just before Covid-19 upended travel plans for so many. The trip accomplished Lee’s goal of traveling to all 7 continents, a first for a powered wheelchair user, he believes. “I remember the moment we arrived,” Lee told CNN, “I immediately just started crying. It was such an emotional moment for me, because I had worked so long and so hard to get to that point.”…

Former NFL Player, Microsoft Team to Make Technology More Accessible

September 21, 2020 | Source: ALS News Today

Microsoft opened its 2014 Super Bowl ad with the question: “What is technology?” As Steve Gleason, an ex-New Orleans Saints safety later diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spoke about the power of technology, videos rolled of doctors manipulating 3D X-rays, a blind man painting, and a soldier witnessing the birth of his child over a webcam. For Gleason, who was three years into his diagnosis, that ad was the start of his relationship with Microsoft…

Regulatory Compliance on the Web: What Your Website Needs

September 22, 2020 | Source: Hanzo

Your website is an important part of your business. Chances are, you’re investing both time and money to ensure that it attracts customers and satisfies their needs so that they decide to do business with you. Now that the global coronavirus pandemic has closed or limited many brick-and-mortar stores, business has been driven online. But the internet shouldn’t be a free-for-all, where businesses can deceive potential customers or trick them into buying products or services. In the U.S., there’s a complex web of regulatory rules and guidelines to ensure that business websites are…

RadioShack Sued for Alleged ADA Website Accessibility Violation

September 23, 2020 | Source: Law Street Media

On Monday, Windy Lucius filed an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complaint against General Wireless Operations Inc., which does business as RadioShack. The plaintiff brought the case seeking, among other things, injunctive relief requiring RadioShack to make its commercial website usable for the visually impaired. According to the Southern District of Florida submission, the plaintiff qualifies as an individual with disabilities pursuant to the ADA. Because of her blindness, she is “unable to fully engage in and enjoy the major life activity of seeing,” the complaint explains…

TV Insider: ‘Deaf U’ Goes Inside the Deaf College Experience in First Trailer

September 23, 2020 | Source: TV Insider

Fall is here and Netflix is celebrating by heading back to school with its new docuseries Deaf U, a coming-of-age series following students at Gallaudet University. The Washington D.C.-based school is home to a tight-knit group of deaf and hard of hearing students who are at the heart of this story. In celebration of the show’s impending arrival, Netflix has unveiled its first full trailer on International Day of Sign Languages. The holiday, which highlights the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of the Deaf community and other sign language users globally, is the perfect time to introduce viewers to these students…

Jack Fact — South Africa has about 3 million people living with disabilities, which equates to 7.5% of the country’s population. People with disabilities make up approximately 5-15% of the population in low- and middle-income countries, such as South Africa.

Hit The Road Jack — 5 accessible days out and activities across the UK for anyone with a disability

International News

‘Please touch’: Making art accessible to the blind

September 11, 2020 | Source: Hindustan Times- India

Heritage architect Siddhant Shah, 30, gets a lot of complaints that his signs are misspelt. They say ‘Please Touch’ instead of the usual ‘Please don’t touch’, he says with a hearty laugh. At museums and art galleries across the country, Shah has installed tactile works that allow the visually challenged to touch a replica of the artefact or art work on display, and get a sense of what it looks like. The idea first came to him when he returned to India after getting a Master’s in heritage management from the University of Kent in Athens, Greece, in 2014…

How science should support researchers with visual impairments

September 11, 2020 | Source: Nature- Canada

Having been born with a visual impairment, I know my abilities very well, and was honest about my condition when applying to master’s programmes in 2010. I am legally blind, which means that I have less than 20/200 vision even with the help of glasses. To put this in context, if a person with average vision can see an object from 200 metres away, I would see the same object only if I am 20 metres from it. In terms of working in the laboratory, this meant I would be staring at many things quite closely. While I hoped this would not discourage potential supervisors, I knew that in reality it would…

How Painter Cris Dediego Is Making Art More Accessible for the Visually Impaired

September 11, 2020 | Source: Artsy- Spain

Once a lawyer by profession, Spanish painter Cris de Diego never thought she would dedicate herself to art. A lifelong lover of museums, she used to enjoy artworks from afar. But when her visual disability threatened to get in the way of her passion, she knew it was time to act. “At age 10, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and at 21 years, because of this disease, I began to lose my sight,” said de Diego in a recent interview. With an unwaveringly cheerful tone of voice, de Diego explained how, despite her illness, her remaining vision allowed her to finish her studies and work as a lawyer…

Disabled rights champion questions fellow councillor’s track record over disabled housing

September 12, 2020 | Source: Greenock Telegraph- UK

A disabled rights champion has hit out and questioned an outspoken fellow councillor’s track record over accessible housing in Inverclyde. SNP councillor Jim MacLeod reacted after Tory counterpart David Wilson said protesters against a £24 million controversial housing development in Greenock should think of all the disabled people stuck on waiting lists for new adapted homes. He highlighted that the site at the former Ravenscraig Hospital site will offer up to 10 per cent disabled housing…

Universal design for people with disabilities

September 13, 2020 | Source: TT Newsday- Trinidad and Tobago

Accessibility is one way in which inclusion can be practised. In Trinidad and Tobago, transforming our existing buildings and creating new interior and exterior spaces that facilitate people with disabilities often seems to be an afterthought and not on the list of priorities. In the 2011 TT Population and Housing Census it was reported that there are approximately 52,244 people in our country living with a disability. That is a minimum of 2.7 per cent of the total population of 1.39 million…

For nearly 20 years visually impaired Sant Kumar Sahni has been spreading the joy of learning in rural Bihar

September 14, 2020 | Source: NewzHook- India

5 September is celebrated as Teacher’s Day in India. Through this month we cast a spotlight on teachers with disabilities who are changing the lives of countless children. Today we bring you the story of Sant Kumar Sahni, Principal, Upgraded Middle School in rural Bihar. In 2004, when Sant Kumar Sahni, with his recently acquired teaching degree, joined Upgraded Middle School at Kharmauli village in Begusarai, Bihar, there were four classrooms and 123 students…

Bangalore International Centre charged with discriminating against deaf community, Karnataka Disability Commissioner Intervenes

September 14, 2020 | Source: NewzHook- India

Prominent disability rights groups have appealed to Karnataka Disability Commissioner V S Basavaraju to take action against the Bangalore International Centre for discriminating against the deaf community by not providing for a sign language interpreter during webinars. ‘Promoting social harmony by providing an inclusive platform for dialogue and fostering relevant theme based programs’. This is among the stated aims of the Bangalore International Centre (BIC). The BIC claims to promote open dialogue and be seen as a go-to place for informed conversations…

The disabled need more help during the High Holy Days

September 14, 2020 | Source: The Jerusalem Post- Israel

It is, of course, the height of understatement to point out that the upcoming Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur will be wholly different this year. Defined by a pandemic and how it has impacted on all of our lives in so many different ways, these days will require of us to reassess much of what they are truly about and how they are commemorated. It is therefore critical that we recognize how our current reality will impact on a community that is all too often overlooked – the disabled…

Saudi watchdog: Shopping malls to be accessible for people of determination

September 16, 2020 | Source: Gulf News- United Arab Emirates

The Saudi Human Rights Commission has said all shops and shopping malls are required to make accessible entrances and exits with ramp slopes for people with special needs. The watchdog made the announcement on its Twitter account. It published an infographic to define the ideal design specifications for ramps for persons with disabilities. The Saudi Authority for the Care of Persons with Disabilities, which is one of the initiatives of the National Transformation Programme to empower persons with disabilities and enhance their role in the Kingdom…

Indian IP Office and Website Accessibility for Persons with Blindness – Order of CCPD

September 16, 2020 | Source: BananaIP- India

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (“RPwD Act”) was enacted with the objective of giving effect to the provisions of the UN Convention of Persons with Disabilities to which India is a member state. The RPwD Act requires Government and private establishments to provide information, communications and documents in formats that are accessible to persons with disabilities. The Act also mandates establishments to provide reasonable accommodations, and states that not providing such accommodations amounts to discrimination…

Rail replacement services ‘humiliating’ disabled people

September 17, 2020 | Source: BBC News- England

Disabled rail passengers say they are left “humiliated” by inaccessible replacement bus and coach services. Providers have until the end of the year to put on vehicles which anyone can use during disruption and engineering work. Campaigner Anne Wafula Strike said long waits for taxis “restricted” the way disabled people travelled. However the Rail Delivery Group says there are not enough suitable coaches to meet demand. It said although figures showed some operators used few or no compliant vehicles, disabled passengers were provided accessible alternative transport, such as taxis…

BC senior who was called a ‘loser’ for demanding accessibility in condo building wins $35K

September 17, 2020 | Source: CBC- Canada

A Vancouver Island wheelchair user who has spent years asking her strata for changes to make it possible to go to and from her condo safely and without help from friends has won $35,000 in damages and an order for action on her complaints. Last week, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal ordered the owners at the Eagle Point Bayview complex in Nanaimo to begin the process of making their building wheelchair accessible, and to pay a penalty to 76-year-old Ada Jacobsen for injury to her dignity, feelings and self‐respect…

Aberdeen council accused of ‘failing’ disabled pupils

September 18, 2020 | Source: Aberdeen Evening Express- UK

Children with disabilities are being “failed” by Aberdeen City Council after a plan to make schools more accessible was waved through. Dr Alison Murray, a member of the campaign group Autism and Other Conditions Aberdeen, slammed the local authority’s education operational delivery committee and accused them of “not following the law”. Authorities are required to have a strategy outlining their plans to remove barriers to disabled childrens’ education…

At least 400,0000 disabled adults are living in unacceptable housing – the sector must do more to call this out

September 18, 2020 | Source: Inside Housing- UK

As we entered 2020, Habinteg’s 50th year, I expected it to be a time for celebration and reflection. Little did I know that less than two months into the year, our plans would be radically altered by the coronavirus pandemic. But despite the indisputable challenges, the national lockdown has shone a helpful spotlight on what people want and need from their homes. Since Habinteg’s inception in 1970, our mission has been founded on the belief that accessible homes in inclusive communities are essential to equality for disabled people…

Case filed with Karnataka Disability Commissioner against prominent Bengaluru residential society for RPWD violations

September 18, 2020 | Source: NewzHook- India

A visually impaired lawyer in Bengaluru has filed a case against a prominent residential welfare association in the city with the Karnataka State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities. The complainant Dr Kalyan C. Kankanala alleges that his rights to live and participate in housing society matters were ignored despite repeated requests. Sections 3, 5 and 8 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act 2016 guarantees Equality and non-discrimination, right to community life and protection and safety to all people with disabilities…

Mathare Social Justice Centre explores challenges facing persons with disability

September 19, 2020 | Source: The Star- Kenya

Despite all that the government is mandated to do, and has indeed said it will do, people with disabilities in informal settlements have seen little improvement or support. This is documented in the third Participatory Action Research project report by the Mathare Social Justice Centre. This research was undertaken to better understand and document the lives, experiences, challenges, and needs of people with disabilities living in informal settlements. The first was on extrajudicial killings, the second on water and this third one is on disability. This article is based on this last report – with the support of the MSJC…

People with disabilities in Egypt: Towards accessibility

September 21, 2020 | Source: Ahram Online- Egypt

While the restrictions introduced to halt the spread of the coronavirus have inconvenienced all of us, in some cases seriously, the lack of easily accessible public spaces and transport systems for the visually, hearing, and physically challenged in Egypt has been made significantly worse by the spread of the coronavirus. Walid Farghali, a young man who lost his sight at the age of 20, is among those suffering from the lack of services for the disabled in Egypt. “When I was young, the doctor told me that I would lose the ability to see gradually, and I became prepared for a monochrome life,” Farghali said…

Te Ara – Encyclopedia Of New Zealand Features New Zealand Sign Language

September 21, 2020 | Source: Scoop- New Zealand

To mark the commencement of New Zealand sign language week (21 to 27 September 2020), Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, features a story celebrating the genesis of one of Aotearoa’s official languages. Neill Atkinson, Chief Historian at Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage says the story describes the history of New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), signing in deaf education, variation and change in signs across regions and time, the role of interpreters, and digital technology…

Ancient Greek Temples Had Ramps For People With Disabilities 2500 Years Ago

September 21, 2020 | Source: Rare- Greece

I used to hear the phrase, “there is nothing new under the sun.” I never thought about it much, but as things start to cycle and more and more evidence of history is “unearthed,” it’s clear to see that things are simply being copied and recycled. We can no longer take credit for anything. One of these things is the concept of accessibility in architecture. While it is true that today, more buildings than in the past have accessibility ramps for those with physical disabilities, Ancient Greece beat us to the punch by many, many years…

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