Accessibility in the News — 11/1/2024.
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AITN Quote of the Week
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
Help Access Ready, Inc. Rebuild After Hurricanes Helene and Milton
Feature Stories
Accommodations at polling stations are in place for voters with disabilities
October 30, 2024 | Source: Houston Public Media
Expert Explains How Polling Station Accessibility Impacts People With Disabilities When Voting
October 27, 2024 | Source: Forbes Breaking News (You Tube)
‘Just like everybody else’: advocates advance voting accessibility for disabled Hoosiers
October 28, 2024 | Source: Indiana Daily Student
Disability issues forum tackles funding and accessibility
October 28, 2024 | Source: Columbia Missourian
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Township of New Hartford to Ensure Polling Place Access to Voters with Disabilities
October 28, 2024 | Source: DOJ
The Metro: What it means to improve voting access for people with disabilities
October 29, 2024 | Source: WDET
Michigan voters with disabilities face barriers to the ballot box, despite legal protections
October 30, 2024 | Source: Votebeat
Accessible voting machines mean disabled Colorado voters could enjoy more privacy and safety this Election Day
October 30, 2024 | Source: Colorado Public Radio
EP makes casting a ballot accessible to all
October 31, 2024 | Source: Eden Prairie Local News
Accessibility at the ballot box
October 31, 2024 | Source: Amsterdam News
Disabled People Still Face Barriers to Online Voter Registration in Most States
October 31, 2024 | Source: Truthout
Voting access for people with disabilities needs work
October 31, 2024 | Source: NJ Spotlight New
AAPD’s REV UP Voting- American Association of People with Disabilities
Polling sites are prepared with several accommodations to help voters with disabilities cast their ballots. With just a couple of days of early voting left, Houston civil rights attorney Toby Cole said it’s critical that the disability community show up to vote this year — especially since one in every 10 households in Harris County has a family member with a disability, according to Rice University. “This is our voice, this is our chance to tell everybody what we do, how we do it, why we want it, and what it is,” he said…
National News (U.S.)
Minneapolis-St Paul Expands Accessibility For Deaf and Hard of Hearing
October 25, 2024 | Source: Simple Flying
Missing a gate call in a noisy, crowded airport is something most of us have done, and usually, we catch the announcement the second time or see the board flickering and get moving. It is not that simple for deaf or hard of hearing travelers, which is why an announcement made yesterday by Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport should be widely applauded. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is owned and operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), a public corporation of the US state of Minnesota…
Solon charity makes toys accessible for children of all abilities
October 25, 2024 | Source: WKYC
Twenty-five years in, director of operations Natalie Wardega says the organization has modified about 22,000 toys, which are given to kids free of charge. “I’ve had families that for the child’s birthday, they’ll receive maybe a Tickle Me Elmo, but they can’t activate the toy,” Wardega said. “So what will happen is they’ll contact me and we’ll switch adapt it for them, so then that child can interact with that toy. So it’s very rewarding.” Wardega explained that generally, the children they adapt toys for don’t have the fine motor skills needed to activate the toys, instead needing an external switch…
Some people with ADHD thrive in periods of stress, new study shows
October 26, 2024 | Source: The Guardian
A recent study has revealed that some people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) cope best during periods of high stress. Maggie Sibley, a clinical psychologist and psychiatry professor at the University of Washington and the study’s lead author, initially set out to learn whether it is possible for adults to recover from ADHD. In an earlier study, published in 2022, she investigated a National Institute of Mental Health data set that tracked 600 patients with ADHD over 16 years, starting from childhood…
NYPD Dragging Feet on Steps to Make Stations More Accessible
October 28, 2024 | Source: THE CITY
When Sheila Berman traveled to a Brooklyn police precinct last month to file a report, she encountered stairs just inside the front entrance — a dead end for a 62-year-old woman who walks with the help of a cane. So she stood outside the 68th Precinct in Bay Ridge and hollered for help. “I had to yell because I couldn’t get up the stairs,” Berman, who suffers from back problems, told THE CITY. “An officer had to come out and accompany me down the driveway and across the parking lot to let me in through the back door…
Massachusetts will launch working group to look at accessibility of hiking trails
October 28, 2024 | Source: New England Public Media
The Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation is launching a group to evaluate the accessibility of hiking trails in the state — and make recommendations to improve and expand them. Meg Bandarra, from Unpaved Trails For All, said one thing that stands out about this new group is its members. “It will include people with the lived experience of disability for the first time ever in a really meaningful way, and that will result in better access, better accessibility, better analysis and plans going forward,” Bandarra said…
EVs for All: How Car Shares Are Making Electric Vehicles Accessible
October 28, 2024 | Source: Reasons to be Cheerful
Edwin Lindo used to see new electric vehicle chargers as a sign he was about to be priced out of his neighborhood. “Communities who have been historically gentrified, historically marginalized,” he says, “we don’t typically get opportunities to access beneficial technologies.” Two EV chargers are now in front of Estelita’s Library, the Seattle community library and bookstore Lindo cofounded. One can be used by anyone, the other is reserved for a rentable wheelchair-accessible EV owned by the electric car-share cooperative ZEV that costs $8 per hour to use…
The Top 5 Ways Project 2025 Would Hurt Disabled People
October 28, 2024 | Source: Center for American Progress
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025—a 900-page authoritarian playbook for a far-right presidential administration—will radically harm disabled people across the United States. As the disability community continues to grow in the United States due to an aging population, long COVID, and other factors, it is important to evaluate how Project 2025’s agenda would specifically affect disabled people, who make up at least 28.7 percent of the U.S. population…
Louisiana AG sues feds to undo longstanding disability protections
October 28, 2024 | Source: The Lens
In an unprecedented challenge that could erase critical protections for people with disabilities, including students in public schools, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), arguing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is unconstitutional. Murrill joined Texas and fifteen other states in a lawsuit filed late last month. The suit is motivated by the contention that gender dysphoria – the clinically recognized distress caused when gender assigned at birth doesn’t match a person’s gender identity – should not be considered a disability under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973…
Riders have some concerns about accessibility of new Green Line ‘supercars’
October 30, 2024 | Source: WGBH and WHDH and WBUR
MBTA officials unveiled a life-size mockup of their proposal for the Green Line of the future on Tuesday. The Type 10 “supercars” are 40 feet longer than current trolleys, and they feature a suite of upgrades aimed at making the line safer and more accessible. That includes wider door frames, low-floor entrances with no stairs, four priority areas for riders with wheelchairs, increased capacity and a built-in collision avoidance system. T officials are hoping the display — on view outside Boston’s City Hall Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. — will be an opportunity to get feedback from riders, especially on accessibility…
Advocates march to demand sidewalk accessibility in Atlanta
October 30, 2024 | Source: Atlanta News First
Advocates rallied around Atlanta City Hall on Wednesday to demand action on sidewalks around the city. Some people who gathered said they want Atlanta City Council members to ensure that Atlanta’s infrastructure can properly serve people with mobility challenges or disabilities. “There’s an intersection that I have to walk through on my way to my child’s daycare every single day, where in the last year three people have been hit by cars. And if you expand out from that we’ve got lots of pedestrian injuries, broken legs,” advocate Allie Sudholt said…
‘Everybody can play’: DPS’s first-ever ADA-accessible and inclusive playground was spearheaded by students
October 30, 2024 | Source: Denver 7
Every child should get to have fun on a playground. That’s the idea behind the first-ever ADA-accessible and inclusive playground within Denver Public Schools. The idea for the inclusive playground came from students at the Denver Center for International Studies (DCIS) at Fairmont. Two of the students who were the catalyst for the change are fifth graders Vivian Palmeri and Araya Gonzalez. “For the past two years, we’ve been working on trying to get the crew to actually build it,” said Palmeri…
QC accessibility blossoms with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower partnership
October 30, 2024 | Source: WVIK, Quad Cities NPR
Theme Park Adding New ‘Hidden Disability’ Accommodations
November 1, 2024 | Source: Disability Scoop
Visitors will find a sunflower decal on the entrances of Visit Quad Cities’ Davenport Union Station and Moline River Station Destination Centers, signaling their partnership with the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program. Since 2016, the Sunflower Program has served as a discreet symbol for individuals with non-visible disabilities around the globe. Those participating may wear a sunflower pin or lanyard to indicate the possible need for extra support or understanding…
People with blindness and low vision are squeezed by high costs of living − new research
October 30, 2024 | Source: The Conversation
Colin Wong, a blind Ph.D. student, can’t forget having to pay US$100 for an Uber when he needed to take a standardized test. There was no testing center in San Francisco, where he lived, that could accommodate his disability. That kind of expensive hassle isn’t unusual. It costs nearly $7,000 more per year to live in the U.S. with his disability, according to research I, a social work scholar, conducted with four experts at the American Foundation for the Blind – a nonprofit dedicated to promoting equality and inclusion for people with blindness or low vision…
ARL ADA Title II Resources Encourage Licensing Born-Accessible Content
October 31, 2024 | Source: Association of Research Libraries and PDF
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) updated its regulations on Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to include standards for making web content accessible for people with disabilities. Two complementary ARL resources emphasize how born-accessible publishing—building accessibility into digital content in the first place—would support students with disabilities in receiving access to coursework and research materials at the same time as their peers, and ensure compliance with the accessibility standards…
Some taxi drivers say they cannot afford to comply with new TLC wheelchair accessibility rule
October 31, 2024 | Source: NY1
Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Talks Yellow Cab Accessibility and More
October 29, 2024 | Source: WNYC
Naider Henry still owes a lot of money on his taxi medallion, which lost value after the rapid growth of the for-hire vehicle industry. Now, he has two weeks to get a new taxi. “I owe $680,000 in that medallion,” Henry said. “And it’s hard for me to get the car right now because my bill is going to be almost $6,000 a month. And I have my life to take care.” He is one of over 200 drivers whose medallion debt was not restructured under a deal between the city and some lenders. His taxi is also coming up on its mandatory retirement date…
Feds, Cubs reach deal over wheelchair seats at Wrigley Field
October 31, 2024 | Source: Courthouse News Service and ABC7
The Chicago Cubs will be getting more wheelchair spaces for fans at their home games in Wrigley Field, according to a consent decree with the federal government filed this week in the United States District Court’s Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division. The team will install dozens of additional wheelchair spaces and companion seats in the stadium’s lower and upper decks, bleachers and bleacher suits, while eliminating obstructions like additional standard seating in front of those spaces…
Everyone Wants to Improve Service for Passengers with Disabilities—Except Airlines
October 31, 2024 | Source: Thrillist
In recent years, the Department of Transportation has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that passengers with disabilities can travel with ease and dignity. This comes after decades of pressure from organizers and advocacy groups, who have worked to secure passengers’ rights to not only access commercial airplanes but to do so without worrying their mobility devices, like wheelchairs, will be mishandled. Most recently, the DOT levied a $50 million fine against American Airlines for the continued and systematic mistreatment of passengers with disabilities…
Jack Fact — According to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, about 3.7% or 12 million Americans are colorblind (7 percent of males, and 0.4 percent of females).
Hit The Road Jack — Accessible walks in Sonoma County and My experience exploring the Wales Coast Path as a wheelchair user
International News
Alberta publishes new accessibility standard guide, but Minister says more work to do
October 25, 2024 | Source: CBC- Canada
St. Albert MLA plans to table accessibility bill this fall
October 28, 2024 | Source: St. Albert Gazette- Canada
The Alberta government has published a new accessibility design guide, marking the first major update to the document since 2017. The guide is meant to help architects, city planners, the construction industry and the public understand and implement building rules to make public and private spaces more accessible for those with mobility challenges and disabilities. The guide doesn’t contain new building rules, but it does formalize a number of building code changes made earlier this year…
Accessible Innovation in Tunisia: Civic and Voter Education through Collaboration
October 25, 2024 | Source: The International Foundation for Electoral Systems- Tunisia
Civic and voter education are essential building blocks for an inclusive and representative democracy that fosters democratic cultures. Access to information enables people of all backgrounds to make informed choices and participate more effectively in public life. In return, such access allows people to advocate for their own rights and the rights of others. In Tunisia, persons with disabilities have limited access to these educational opportunities to strengthen their civic knowledge, understand elections, and actively participate in democratic processes…
Spruce Grove family feels accessible homes are an overlooked option
October 25, 2024 | Source: Spruce Grove Examiner- Canada
Building an accessible home in Alberta is an inaccessible option for many who need it most. After navigating a mountain of red tape and spending a small fortune on transforming their garage into an accessible home, the Chan family in Spruce Grove hopes to shed light on how difficult the process can be. Al Chan had been dealing with what he believed was a knee injury for months. Trips to the doctor’s office, the hospital emergency room, and multiple specialists all provided the same inconclusive answers until he started losing control of his leg entirely at random times…
People with disabilities ask feds to restore ‘hope’ and raise benefit amount
October 26, 2024 | Source: Global News- Canada
Heather Thompson would love to work. The 26-year-old dreams of going back to university to study politics and environmental science, and ultimately pursue a career to “try and make things better” in society. “I’m not the person I want to be yet and I want to be able to achieve certain goals and be a well-rounded, well-developed person. But I’m prevented from doing that because I live in legislated poverty,” they said. Thompson is one of 600,000 working-age Canadians with disabilities that the federal government said it would help lift out of poverty with the Canada Disability Benefit, which takes effect next July…
Trick-or-treating made accessible for everyone: ‘So much fun and it’s so easy’
October 27, 2024 | Source: Global News- Canada
Trick-or-treating is a fun event for kids, but some children with disabilities can’t take part. One company is trying to make the event inclusive to all. Treat Accessibly started in 2017 when Rich Padulo’s six-year-old daughter asked him how their neighbour in a wheelchair would be able to trick-or-treat at their house, as it had stairs. “I didn’t have an answer for her. But that night we figured it out and we actually made a sign very much like the one you see and put it on out on the lawn,” said Padulo, Treat Accessibly co-founder…
Telecel eight-year ‘Super Care’ journey of inclusion and accessibility
October 27, 2024 | Source: The Business and Financial Times- Ghana
For eight years, Telecel Ghana has been breaking barriers to inclusive customer support and redefining what it means to serve all customers. Through its pioneering Super Care initiative launched in 2016, the telecommunications giant has made one thing clear: improving accessibility for people with special needs is a staunch commitment. As part of its annual CARE Month this October, Telecel Ghana, in collaboration with the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), held a special event to spotlight the integration of Super Care services into the Telecel Play app and contributions of the Super Care support team…
Beloved Dungeons And Dragons Show Embraces Accessibility
October 28, 2024 | Source: Scoop- New Zealand
Can I Get an Underground Location and a Mythical Creature? is a wildly successful improvised Dungeons and Dragons stage show from theatre company Improverished. It’s about to embark on its 6th season, having previously sold out at NZ Comedy Festival, NZ Improv Festival, and Auckland Pride. For the first time ever, Improverished are bringing in an accessibility advisor to make this completely improvised show more accessible to audiences with disabilities…
Advisor David Lyons-Black Works To Break Down Accessibility Barriers
October 28, 2024 | Source: TravelPulse- Canada
Accessible travel expert and advisor David Lyons-Black has been in the business more than 25 years. But planning trips for people with limited mobility wasn’t always his focus. That skill was developed in the years following 2006, when he contracted encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain caused by an infection or autoimmune response. He spent 19 weeks in hospital, and, due to damage to his lower extremities, has been a wheelchair user since…
Bringing mobility to all: Enhancing accessibility across Wales
October 28, 2024 | Source: Herald- Wales
Accessibility has become a pressing issue for many communities in Wales, as local governments and organisations make strides towards creating welcoming and accessible spaces for everyone. At the heart of this movement is the growing role of mobility scooters, which offer a practical and empowering solution for individuals with limited mobility. These scooters are transforming lives by providing the freedom to move around with ease and participate fully in daily life…
Herefordshire schools accessibility improvements
October 28, 2024 | Source: The Architects’ Journal- UK
The multidisciplinary team chosen for the estimated £157,185 contract will ‘design, plan, coordinate and manage’ a series of accessibility improvements to schools for pupils with special educational needs in Herefordshire. The programme will run from 2025 to 2027 and will involve the full scope of services from projet inception through to completion. Key aims include creating environments that are ‘fit for purpose and conducive to high quality education’ and improving the educational experience for students…
Are Sarnia’s accessibility transportation options hitting the mark?
October 28, 2024 | Source: CKNX News Today- Canada
Mayor Mike Bradley said they want to hear from individuals who use the service. “Even though we’ve achieved a lot here over a number of years, there’s still a long way to go,” said Bradley. “Getting people timely [and] accessible transportation who need it. In Ontario and Canada, with aging populations, the disability issue becomes a bigger one every day for people.” While various modes of transportation are available, a staff report being presented to council says it’s unclear if these services effectively meet on-demand needs…
How Tallinn is using crowdsourced photos to improve transport accessibility
October 29, 2024 | Source: Cities Today- Estonia
Tallinn is relying on a network of volunteers to map over a thousand public transport stops to improve accessibility across the Estonian capital. The city is asking participants to use the Crowdsorsa mobile game app to map crosswalks and traffic lights in a bid to make stops safer for those with disabilities. “Improving accessibility is one of Tallinn’s priorities and, to achieve this, it’s essential to gather accurate and current information about the condition of our transport stops,” said Tallinn Deputy Mayor Karl Sander Kase…
Built heritage struggles with accessibility
October 29, 2024 | Source: The Globe and Mail- Canada
The earliest portion of Osgoode Hall, opened in 1832 as the headquarters for the Law Society of Upper Canada, is an elegant, imposing, architectural delight. Designed by John Ewart (with Dr. William Warren Baldwin, renovations by Henry Bower Lane in 1844), the highly symmetrical palladian/neoclassical building at Queen Street West and University Avenue was declared a National Historic Site in 1979. However, those with mobility challenges – whether a wheelchair or visual impairment – have found the building imposing in an altogether different way…
Feedback wanted: Province releases recommendations for accessibility employment standard
October 29, 2024 | Source: HR Director- Canada and REMI Network
This Disability Employment Awareness Month, Nova Scotia has taken a step towards improving accessibility in workplaces. The provincial government has released recommendations from the Accessibility Advisory Board for the province’s accessibility employment standard to address employment barriers faced by people with disabilities in the areas of recruitment, retention, advancement, workplace accommodations and emergency preparedness…
Human-centered design and using visual journey maps enable mobility and accessibility in Mongolia
October 30, 2024 | Source: Asian Development Bank- Mongolia
With every squeak and roll of his wheelchair, Byambadorj Batjargal’s daily commute is a struggle for accessibility and usability. Before the project started, he had to maneuver his wheelchair through a steep gravel street in Ulaanbaatar’s Chingeltei district to go home. “To go down, I have to go inch by inch,” he says. He depends on the assistance and goodwill of other passengers to board buses. “For a person on a wheelchair, boarding a bus is a miracle. It would be better if buses have ramps.”…
Flagging accessibility as EU eyes cross-border rail through-ticketing
October 30, 2024 | Source: Runway Girl- EU
Passenger experience on Europe’s railways is at the forefront of Brussels politics as the European Commissioner-designate Apostolos Tzitzikostas — one of the proposed members of the second Von der Leyen Commission currently being scrutinised — readies for verbal hearings in the European Parliament. EU rail commentator Jon Worth has much useful detail of key issues, but the expectation is that Europe will soon have at least a plan for providing through-ticketing, protected connections across national borders and railway companies…
MP Bachrach Speaks Up on Airline Accessibility
October 30, 2024 | Source: October 30, 2024 | Source: CFTK-TV- Canada
Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP and Transportation Critic Taylor Bachrach rose in Parliament yesterday to call out the Minister of Transportation for allegedly allowing Canadian airlines to get away with mistreating passengers on airlines; Taylor Bachrach used his time in Parliament to bring to attention that last week, the US department of transport fined American Airlines $50 million Dollars for its treatment of people with disabilities. “Well, here in Canada. People have been dropped on the floor, they’ve had their wheelchairs broken, and last one even had to drag themselves off a plane by their arms…
UNESCO supports disability equality for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction
October 31, 2024 | Source: UNESCO- Ukraine
Around the 2024 Donbas Media Forum (DMF) held in Kyiv on 18 and 19 October 2024, senior editors, media regulators, and managers engaged in a dedicated training and panel discussion led by UNESCO. These events focused on developing inclusive editorial policies, creating accessible content for individuals using assistive devices, and ensuring equitable opportunities within media organizations. Participants also examined how such transformative changes are crucial to Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction process…
Accessibility Blogs, Information, and Videos
- New Disabled South
- Protection against the sun- Peter Torres Fremlin
- The Glaucoma Foundation November 2024 Newsletter
- Building growth through accessibility – Business Reporter
- How Can Accessibility Shape a Better City? – TVO Today (Video)
- Accessibility and inclusive design manual blog- GOV.UK
- Addressing the Digital Accessibility Gap- Brigitta Norton
- Overcoming electric vehicle accessibility concerns- GreenFleet
- Few Companies Meet Accessibility Standards – Destination CRM
- The power of AI to increase access to good jobs for all – Jessica Rafuse
- Disability, inclusion and learning from the Paralympics- Business Reporter
- Accessible names — Web Accessibility Guide – NZ Government on GitHub
- Marketplace, Paralympian test Air Canada’s new accessibility rules- CBC News (YouTube)
- Naming things is still a common and enduring challenge in accessibility- Bogdan Cerovac
- Connected Packaging for Accessibility: How Smart Tech Enhances Inclusivity- Lbbonline
- Time to Stop Burying Your Head in the Sand When It Comes to Web Accessibility- Lbbonline
- Neurodiversity At Work: Neuroinclusion > Accessibility > Accommodations- Ludmila Praslova
- How to Create an Accessible, Organized Kitchen So You or a Loved One Can Age in Place- AARP
- Expanding Our Commitment to Sensory-Friendly Experiences at the Comcast Center Campus- Comcast
- The Disabled Community’s Election-Season Message to America: Don’t Box Us Out- Common Dreams
- Inclusivity in Generative AI Should Be an Attribute, Not an Add-On- Stanford Social Innovation Review
- Non-disabled people leading our town are contorting themselves to harm disabled- The Altamont Enterprise
- Understood.org CTO Rahul Rao Talks Invisible Disabilities, AI As Accessibility In Interview- Steven Aquino
- Protecting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility- The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
- Going Beyond Hearing Aids for Equal Care Access— Hearing loss is only becoming more prevalent- James Huang, MD
- The Ultimate ADA Compliance Employer Checklist: A Guide for Businesses with 15+ Employees- AccessAbility Officer
- For Ernie Johnson, Accessibility Is About Making Prostate Cancer Awareness Available To Men Everywhere- Steven Aquino
- Worried you’re losing your mind? Study shows that belief alone could harm your brain- Research led by Dr. Nikki L. Hill, Pennsylvania State University
- Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers – Part 1: Microsoft Word An overview of a helpful accessibility tool and the decision-making process for accessibility failures- MNIT
- Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers – Part 2: Adobe Acrobat Pro An overview of a helpful accessibility testing tool and the decision-making process for addressing accessibility failures- MNIT
Federally Speaking
- Podcast: AI and Inclusive Hiring for Employers- PEAT
- Digital Asset Accessibility Under ADA Title II- Microassist
- Section 508 Accessibility Empowers Patients to Manage Care – DVIDS
- Comment Sought on Sorenson and CaptionCall TRS Applications- FCC
- USAID Announces New Disability Policy- United States Agency for International Development
- Taryn Mackenzie Williams: Shaping Disability Employment Policy- VoiceAmerica Internet Talk Radio
- U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) 2024 Interagency Accessibility Forum (IAAF)- November 13 and 14
- Welcome to ODEP’s National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) Initiative Core State Application Portal for 2024-2025
- U.S. Department of Energy Celebrates the “Art of the Possible” at the National Disability Employment Awareness Month Observance- Department of Energy
Higher Education Blogs and Information
- Inaccessible Accessibility- Martlet
- Make Absentee Voting More Accessible- The Loyola Phoenix
- Highlighting changes and campus accessibility – MSU Reporter
- How universities can support students with disabilities – New Vision
- Harrison Participates on Disability Services Panel- Hamilton College
- Boston student, guide dog work to expand accessibility for all – WCVB
- UMD must employ AI for more accessible classrooms – The Diamondback
- Opportunity for competitive advantage at Access for All- Miami University
- Student orgs unite to build benches, increase accessibility – The Vermont Cynic
- Early voting sees high turnout, grapples with accessibility issues- Yale Daily News
- UND’s Just Ask conference starts conversation on disability inclusion – UND Today
- Fellowship program to advance accessible teaching, learning practices- The Brock News
- Harnessing AI Tools to Improve Digital Accessibility- Queen Mary University of London
- Learn About Digital Accessibility Best Practices November 13-15- Idaho State University
- U of T grad discovers a passion for accessibility research and design- University of Toronto
- Scranton kinesiology professor Gina Gray wins Accessible Syllabus Competition- Penn State
- New Tools Make Chemistry Accessible to Vision-Impaired Students- Government Technology
- Purdue University to Open Accessible Precision Audiology Research Center- The Hearing Review
- Predictors of Postsecondary Web Accessibility, 2012 to 2022- California State University, Northridge
- Accessible Web Development for Underrepresented Disabilities- California State University, Northridge
- $7.2M National Digital Accessibility Project to Impact Students With Disabilities- Utah State University
- Disabled students, allies demand UI improve accessibility with The Walk and Roll March- The Daily Illini
- Disability History Month and International People with Disabilities Awareness Day (IDAD) 2024- University of Bath
- ADA Equals Access: A Call to Action for National Disability Awareness Month – UARK News – University of Arkansas
- Access Compliance and Education welcomes new American Sign Language interpreters- Clemson News – Clemson University
- Deep Dive in Five: The Importance and Value of Accessible Education with SJSU Online Student Jade Steele- San José State University
- From Awareness to Action: Darden Disability Alliance Promotes Accessibility and Belonging- The Darden Report – The University of Virginia
Legal Blogs and Information
- European Accessibility Act – Ensure Compliance by 2025 Deadline- Matheson
- Plaintiff alleges retail giant’s website violates ADA due to inaccessibility- Cook County Record
- ADA Website Compliance Obligations for Businesses- Conn Maciel Carey’s Recording and Slides
- SDNY Chief Judge Holds that Stand-alone Website Is Not a Place of Public Accommodation- BCLP
- Visually Impaired Plaintiff Sues Outdoor Retailer Over Digital Accessibility Violations- Cook County Record
- Football Stadium May Have Fumbled Wheelchair User’s Seating Request, Federal Court Rules- Seyfarth Shaw
- New German accessibility law targets inclusive digital products and services by 2025: challenges and opportunities for economic operators- DLA Piper
Accessibility Announcements
- Improving Accessibility in Workplaces
- MSP debuts enhanced accessibility programmes
- Brooklyn Playground Gets $10M ADA Renovation
- IATA, ICAO, ACI Host Symposium on Aviation Accessibility
- Jaipur Hospitals Set for Accessibility Audit Starting October 28
- Funding and support available for transport accessibility innovators
- SM Cares champions digital accessibility with Eye-Able® on its website
- Thales Wins Crystal Cabin Award for Innovative IFE Accessibility Solutions
- Malware Exploits Accessibility Features on Your Smartphone, This Tool Can Help
- London Gatwick and AccessAble launch accessibility guides to help passengers navigate the airport
- Department of State issues update for voters using Dominion Voter Assist Terminals for 2024 General Election
- Bussler and Co Celebrates Digital Accessibility with Times Square Billboard Campaign During Dyslexia Awareness Month
- Dept. of Transportation: New motorists’ handbook delivers accessible, updated instructions and information to Wisconsin drivers
- LPI Seeking Committee Members for Its IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) Independent Advisory Committee
- A’ Accessibility, Assistive Technologies, and Inclusive Design Award Unveils Comprehensive Sub-Categories for 2024-2025 Competition Period
Accessibility Products and Services
- Museum designs sensory tour for blind visitors
- City Enhances Accessibility with New Rest Areas
- Persing, Devon, Accessibility Operations Guidebook, 2024
- United Airlines strengthens innovative accessibility initiatives
- Metrolinx expands transit accessibility with MagnusCards Decks
- Delta Airlines launches new flight map designed for accessibility
- Quietly accessible furniture aids aging in place with safety and style
- Blind passengers offered accessibility app access at all GTR stations
- Signapse and CaptionHub Collaborate to Create More Accessible Tech
- Organizations work to make PTSD service dogs more accessible for veterans
- New sensory toolkits in Charleston libraries aim to enhance accessibility for all
- Detailed accessibility guide to help passengers confidently navigate London Gatwick airport
- Expandable Touchdown transports as any trailer, docks flat on ground for convenient accessibility
- Lenovo Exec Ada Lopez Talks Product Diversity Office, Accessibility, Bettering Society In Interview
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- How to…Add Alt Text to Images
- Thumb Soldiers – Accessibility For All
- Does Google Search Use ARIA? Likely Not
- A Crucible for All—Accessibility Features in Vessel of Hatred
Accessibility Statements
- EnableAll
- Inclusively
- Pocket Prep
- Treat Accessibly
- University of Bath
- Flinders University
- Duke University Press
- American Library Association
- Babylon Union Free School District
- Traveline Scotland mobile application
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:
- What is a VPAT®? A VPAT Primer
- Understanding Digital Accessibility in the Procurement Process
- Accessibility in the News, Legal Edition: Updates on ADA Title III News and More
- What Lawyers Need to Know: A Primer on Digital Accessibility Terms and Today’s Legal Landscape
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