Accessibility in the News — 8/19/2022.
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Feature Stories
Secretary Pate provides grants to improve polling place accessibility
August 14, 2022 | Source: WHO13 and KBOE and Stork Lake Radio
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate will provide 1,000 dollar grants to every county in the state to improve voter access in the upcoming 2022 midterm elections. The grant will provide funds for counties to partner with local advocacy organizations to determine how polling places can be more accessible for people with disabilities. Secretary Pate said even though every polling place is required to be accessible, it’s time to move past just compliance…
Justice Department to Monitor Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws in Alaska Jurisdictions
August 15, 2022 | Source: DOJ
The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor the Aug. 16, 2022, federal primary election in certain jurisdictions in the State of Alaska to ensure compliance with the minority language accessibility requirements of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the disability accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. On election day, the Civil Rights Division will be monitoring in the following jurisdictions: Municipality of Anchorage, City and Borough of Juneau, Bethel Census Area, Dillingham Census Area and Kusilvak Census Area…
National News (U.S.)
Teens, Social Media and Technology 2022
August 10, 2022 | Source: Pew Research
The landscape of social media is ever-changing, especially among teens who often are on the leading edge of this space. A new Pew Research Center survey of American teenagers ages 13 to 17 finds TikTok has rocketed in popularity since its North American debut several years ago and now is a top social media platform for teens among the platforms covered in this survey. Some 67% of teens say they ever use TikTok, with 16% of all teens saying they use it almost constantly. Meanwhile, the share of teens who say they use Facebook, a dominant social media platform among teens in the Center’s 2014-15 survey, has plummeted from 71% then to 32% today…
Casey Leads Bipartisan Letter to Government Watchdog Urging Examination of Lack of Web Accessibility Across Federal Government
August 11, 2022 | Source: Senate Committee On Aging and ChesCo and FEDmanager
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Bob Casey (D-PA) led a bipartisan group of Senators in requesting the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the federal government’s compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which mandates that government make its electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Chairman Casey was joined by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Health;…
This Is Carolina: How a button changes accessibility in Myrtle Beach
August 11, 2022 | Source: WMBF News
Buttons are everywhere. They’re on TV remotes, coffee machines and even our clothes. Donna R. Gore is used to pressing buttons. As a retired speech-language pathologist, Gore spent decades advocating for those with challenges and educating others, so everyone can live on an equal playing field. But, when she visited Coastal Carolina National bank, without a button to push, the 67-year-old knew something had to change. “I just noticed the tension on the door was really hard to pull,” said Gore…
Red Rocks patrons to be paid back for wheelchair-accessible prices
August 11, 2022 | Source: KDVR and Ticket News
The U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado filed a discrimination claim against the City and County of Denver, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and several concert promoters for charging higher prices for wheelchair-accessible seats at the concert venue. After four years, a settlement has been reached with Denver and the promoters Live Nation, AEG, and PBS12. FOX31 sat down with the woman who made the initial complaint. Amy Fink made the complaint four years ago and says the win is a full circle moment for her…
5 settlement
August 11, 2022 | Source: Spectrum News
Following a multi-million dollar settlement, several Western New York care facilities will be receiving new accommodations. Fair Housing Organizations including Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Western New York, announced a $7.1 million settlement over disability discrimination claims against Clover Senior Properties on Thursday. The settlement requires more than $6 million be spent on accessibility improvement at 50 properties in 6 different states, including 11 facilities in the area and $3 million will go towards retrofitting public and common areas to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities…
Baker McKenzie Defending Orlando Melia Hotel From Website Accessibility Suit
August 12, 2022 | Source: Law.com
Andrew S. Riccio and Benjamin Davis of Baker McKenzie have stepped in to represent Melia Hotels Orlando LLC in a pending website accessibility lawsuit. The complaint, filed June 27 in Florida Middle District Court by Acacia Barros PA on behalf of Raymond T. Mahlberg, contends that the defendant’s website denies full access to blind and visually impaired individuals. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron, is 6:22-cv-01106, Mahlberg v. Melia Hotels Orlando, LLC…
Artists have changed song lyrics before. But Beyoncé’s and Lizzo’s recent revisions are part of a new era
August 13, 2022 | Source: CNN
Some of the stars behind summer’s hottest new music found themselves in hot water when listeners and disability advocates spoke out against a lyric viewed as an ableist slur. Backlash came quickly, and the artists were just as quick to respond. Lizzo took to Instagram to announce she had edited the lyric, noting, “I never want to promote derogatory language.” Beyoncé’s team issued a similar response within days of her album release, stating, “the word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced.”…
Justice Department Announces Conclusion of Landmark Agreement Addressing Segregated Work Settings for People with Disabilities
August 15, 2022 | Source: DOJ
In an order issued on Aug. 12, the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon found that the State of Oregon has fulfilled the terms of a settlement agreement with the Justice Department and people with disabilities in a landmark case challenging the state’s provision of employment services for people with disabilities in segregated settings. The case, Lane v. Brown/United States v. Oregon, was dismissed as a result. The settlement agreement, in effect since 2015, resolved the first lawsuit in the nation to challenge a state’s reliance on segregated employment settings for individuals with disabilities, including sheltered workshops…
MTA Uses Density Bonuses to Improve Accessibility
August 15, 2022 | Source: Planetizen
A New York City zoning amendment allows developers to build at higher density in exchange for including accessibility projects in their plan. As Jacob Kaye reports in the Queens Eagle, a new elevator planned for the Queensboro Plaza subway station will mark the first time the law has been used outside of Manhattan since its passage last year. The amendment, titled Zoning for Accessibility, takes advantage of new development projects near subway stations to improve accessibility to the city’s subway system…
Colorado Parks and Wildlife introduces new program to increase accessibility to park visitors
August 15, 2022 | Source: KRDO
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) introduced the Track-Chair Program and beach wheelchairs at Ridgway State Park. It’s a program to increase accessibility to the outdoors for park visitors. “This is priceless. To be able to provide this opportunity not only to our local communities but to the people visiting the park from all over the world, this is just priceless,” said Park Manager Johnathon Freeborn. “When you see the look on a kid’s face who is getting to play on the beach or along our trails, that’s why we do the job we do at our state parks.”…
Arizona’s disabled community faces unique challenges on their way to the ballot box
August 15, 2022 | Source: Arizona Mirror
Stephen and Mary Beth Wagner have always found themselves moving to a new place just before an election, making it difficult for them to get registered in time to vote. But that’s hardly the only barrier the couple have faced: They are both visually impaired, and navigating Arizona’s voter registration system online and getting to an Arizona Motor Vehicle Division office to finalize getting a voter identification card is no simple task. “There are hurdles and obstacles,” Stephen told the Arizona Mirror. “Some you have to step over, some you have to climb over and some you have to step around.”…
FDA Finalizes Historic Rule Enabling Access to Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids for Millions of Americans
August 16, 2022 | Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration and NPR and Ozarks First and Above the Law and WAAY Tv and Federal News Service
Hearing Aid Accessibility: A Mother’s 25-Year FDA Fight, and What Needs to Happen Next
August 17, 2022 | Source: The Healthy
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule to improve access to hearing aids which may in turn lower costs for millions of Americans. This action establishes a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, enabling consumers with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment to purchase hearing aids directly from stores or online retailers without the need for a medical exam, prescription or a fitting adjustment by an audiologist…
Federal appeals court says Americans with Disabilities Act protections cover ‘gender dysphoria,’ handing a win to trans people
August 16, 2022 | Source: CNN
A federal appeals court said Tuesday that the Americans with Disabilities Act covers individuals with “gender dysphoria,” handing a win to trans people in a case concerning a former inmate who alleged discrimination at a Virginia prison. In a majority opinion issued by a three-judge panel with the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the court wrote, “In light of the ‘basic promise of equality … that animates the ADA,’ we see no legitimate reason why Congress would intend to exclude from the ADA’s protections transgender people who suffer from gender dysphoria.”…
“Adapt-Ability” is an Opinion Video series inviting you to confront discomfort with disability
August 16, 2022 | Source: The New York Times
In the Opinion video, the filmmaker James Robinson introduces us to Yvonne Shortt, who is legally blind. But unlike the stereotype of the blind living in a lightless world, Ms. Shortt, like most other legally blind people, lives a nuanced existence between those who see well and those who can’t see a thing. Ms. Shortt has retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that causes progressive loss of sight. She can see some things some of the time, depending on various factors, including the amount of ambient light, her distance from the object and the object’s location in her field of vision…
Making Museums and Zoos Accessible for All Visitors
August 17, 2022 | Source: Next Avenue
Multisensory exhibits and activities have a downside: they can be off-putting to those with neurological differences, as well as impaired hearing and vision. This summer of curtailed road trips is the perfect time to visit old favorite destinations with family and friends who have “invisible disabilities,” because many destinations have redesigned their approach to sensory inclusion. Accommodation is no longer defined by set-aside performances geared for the hard of hearing, neurodivergent and those susceptible to migraine headaches, post-traumatic stress and other conditions triggered by dramatic lights and noises, said Betty Siegel…
Handicap accessibility concerns were flagged at ‘Gilded Age’ set in Cohoes
August 17, 2022 | Source: Times Union
A viral TikTok video produced by a tenant of The Lofts at Harmony Mills quickly ignited controversy about handicap accessibility at the apartment complex during the ongoing filming of HBO’s “The Gilded Age.” The initial concerns posted in the video drew hundreds of thousands of views around the world as it highlighted accessibility issues after the property’s managers and city officials spent months making alternate-access accommodations for residents during the production of the historical drama series set in the 1880s…
Watertown man teaches braille, talks blindness
August 17, 2022 | Source: WWNY
While you’re shopping for produce or grabbing lunch at the downtown farmers market in Watertown, you can now pick up a new skill. Over the past month, a city man has been offering braille lessons. After losing his sight to “retinitis pigmentosa” at the age of 37, the first thing Timothy Monaghan did was attend a school for the blind. Now, at the age of 64, he’s taken on the role of teacher himself by offering braille lessons and talks on blindness to passers-by at the farmers market…
Croatan’s Robles makes his deafness and silence on gridiron golden for all
August 17, 2022 | Source: Carolina Coast Online
When Croatan freshman Raymi Robles is on the football field, he watches everything closely. His eyes dart from teammate to teammate, from the ball snapping under center to the assigned hole he’s about to carry the ball through. He looks at the hand movements of his coaches, their facial expressions and the any dozens of nonverbal cues that come and go unnoticed on a practice field. Robles watches so closely because he’s deaf, so the advantage of hearing coaches bark instructions or offer up adjustments during a play is not something he can lean on…
Jack Fact — According to a study by JAMA Ophthalmology, globally, more than 250 million people live with visual acuity loss or blindness, and people in the US fear losing vision more than memory, hearing, or speech.
Hit The Road Jack — Visit Lauderdale Revamps Website With New Emphasis On Accessibility and North to Alaska brings accessible family adventure and New all-terrain wheelchair making P.E.I. trails and beaches accessible and This Beautiful City in West Virginia Now Has a Fully Accessible Boutique Hotel — With Vintage Décor and a Rooftop Bar
International News
Service dog sniffs out accessibility issues at Fringe venues
August 11, 2022 | Source: CTV- Canada
An Edmonton woman and her service dog are helping to ensure the venues at the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival will be accessible for everyone. Marla Smith is in a wheelchair and she gets around with the help of her Rottweiler Kuno. She and Kuno are touring fringe venues ahead of the festival. “They’ve invited members of the disability community to come out and give feedback and talk about where the barriers are and what the challenges are,” she told CTV News Edmonton…
100 days to go: will FIFA World Cup 2022 mark the beginning of a new era for accessibility in Qatar?
August 12, 2022 | Source: Doha News- Qatar
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 may be the end of a long national journey, but in what concerns inclusion, it is the beginning of a new era for Qatar. Over the past decade, Qatar has undergone extensive changes in order to be ready to host the biggest football tournament. Better roads, better infrastructure, better connectivity, and perhaps most importantly, better accessibility. In a country where accessibility has not always been at the forefront, Qatar’s promise to host the most accessible FIFA World Cup of all time, was slightly surprising but extremely welcome…
New homes in England set to be more accessible following Government consultation
August 12, 2022 | Source: Show House Magazine- UK
he Government in England has published the long-awaited outcome of the 2020 consultation on raising accessibility standards for new homes. Newly built homes will now have to achieve an increased level of accessibility and adaptability in line with Part M4(2) of the building regulations, a standard which has been optional in most parts of the country until now. This includes features such as step-free access into dwellings, increased circulation space and access to toilet facilities on the entrance storey…
UBC program, 132 youth-led disability-centric projects get federal funding
August 12, 2022 | Source: The Ubyssey- Canada and Canada.ca
The BC Brain Wellness Program is one of 133 youth-led projects across Canada dedicated to disability inclusion that will receive a total $1 million in new funding from the federal government. Canadian Minister of Employment, Workplace Development and Disability Inclusion Carla Qualtrough announced the new funding at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health at UBC Friday morning. Established in 2019, the BC Brain Wellness Program (BWP) is an interactive online program establishing lifestyle approaches to complement medical treatments in clinics at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, according to its website…
Glaucoma: Black patients six times more likely to have advanced vision loss than white patients
August 13, 2022 | Source: Optometry Today- UK
New research published in Translational Vision Science and Technology has examined racial disparities in the level of vision loss following a new diagnosis of primary open angle glaucoma. Scientists from the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai applied an artificial intelligence algorithm to three prospective US population-based health professional cohorts who were free of glaucoma at the beginning of the study. They found that black patients had a higher risk of early central and advanced visual field loss when compared to non-Hispanic white patients…
Boost for Multi-Purpose Taxi Program hoped to address accessibility issues for passengers
August 14, 2022 | Source: Ranges Trader Star Mail- Canada
The Multi-Purpose Taxi Program (MPTP) has received a boost from the Victorian Government in hopes to address accessibility issues for taxi and rideshare passengers with low mobility, encouraging drivers to prioritise bookings. An increase to the lifting fee paid to drivers of wheelchair-accessible vehicles by more than 20 per cent is hoped to improve the availability of accessible transport for the thousands of Victorians who rely on these services…
Gatwick Airport’s accessibility promise paying off
August 15, 2022 | Source: Runway Girl- UK
Navigating through an airport can be challenging any day, for anyone (especially this summer). But for passengers who have disabilities — visible or not — a journey through the terminals and onto a plane is often far more difficult. The good news is that airports everywhere are progressing in making their facilities more inclusive and more accessible, with everything from special assistance desks and assistive wayfinding services to the new mock airplane cabin installed in Terminal 1 at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, which invites passengers with autism and other travel challenges to practice before they fly…
‘Dying with dignity:’ Mobile team brings palliative health care to those experiencing homelessness
August 15, 2022 | Source: CityNews- Canada
A one-of-a-kind team is providing palliative care to those who have limited access to that kind of supports in Toronto. The Palliative Education And Care for the Homeless (PEACH) team, which was formed in 2014, looks after people experiencing homelessness who oftentimes feel forgotten by the medical system. The team, which consists of palliative care doctors, nurses, a psychiatrist, a social worker and more recently, a health navigator, provide these patients with tailored supports beyond just medical care….
Canadian amputee encourages fans to ‘rock the bikini’ in empowering post
August 15, 2022 | Source: Yahoo- Canada
Allison Lang is done with hiding her body. Over the weekend, the Canadian amputee and disability advocate took to Instagram to post a travel video alongside a body positive message that encouraged fans to “wear the bikini.” In the clip, Lang, who was born without the lower half of her left leg, sat on a boat overlooking the Croatian waters. She smiled while taking in the picture-perfect scenery in a black bikini and a pair of oversized sunglasses. In the caption, the athlete and public speaker opened up about the shame she used to associate with her body, and how she’s learned to love herself…
These Bioengineered Corneas Gave 14 Blind People Their Sight Back
August 15, 2022 | Source: Singularity Hub- Sweden
In recent years, technology has worked wonders helping blind or visually impaired people regain their sight, perhaps most notably via the use of CRISPR gene editing to cure inherited blindness. Now a different technology has been used to cure a different cause of blindness. A paper published last week in Nature Biotechnology describes a bioengineered cornea that restored sight to 20 people, 14 of them previously blind, in an initial clinical trial. The cornea is the outermost layer of the eye. It’s a transparent film-like tissue that covers the iris and pupil, and it both protects the eye and helps focus the light we see…
Increasing Accessibility For Disabled People—tāngata Whaikaha
August 16, 2022 | Source: Scoop- New Zealand
The Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill is aimed at addressing the accessibility barriers faced by disabled people, tāngata whaikaha, and others, so they can live independently and participate fully in all areas of life. The bill also aims to ensure that disability issues are front of mind in decisions by policy makers and the Government of the day. The bill would do three main things: · It would establish an accessibility committee. The committee would have up to 10 members, the majority of whom would be disabled…
New regulations on accessibility for new homes cannot come soon enough
August 16, 2022 | Source: Inside Housing- UK
Since joining Habinteg last year, tenants have taught me the remarkable impact an accessible home can have. They’ve shared with me the profound sense of relief and improved well-being that comes from being able to manage their day-to-day lives with independence and dignity. This is the impact that Habinteg strives for. For more than 50 years, Habinteg has provided mixed developments where homes designed to meet the needs of wheelchair users sit invisibly alongside properties designed to be accessible and adaptable…
Making buildings, road crossings and government websites easier for people with disabilities (PWDs) to navigate – this is one of the key planks of the latest Enabling Masterplan launched
August 17, 2022 | Source: CNA- Singapore
From this year on, the Ministry of Transport and Land Transport Authority will install 24/7 on-demand audible traffic signals at 325 pedestrian crossings in 10 town centres that have a higher proportion of residents with visual impairment. And all buildings going through additions or alterations will soon be required by law to provide basic accessibility for PWDs throughout the building when the works are undertaken. The Government will also work towards ensuring that all high-traffic government websites are accessible by 2030, up from the current 61 per cent…
New website to support accessible film screenings for deaf and blind audiences launches in the UK
August 17, 2022 | Source: Film Stories- UK
A new website for the UK, which is the first of its kind, aims to make cinema accessible to all. Sidecard is a searchable database, which records details relating to film access materials, such as subtitle and audio description files. The site is intended to improve and promote accessibility, encourage learning and resource sharing across cinemas, film festivals and the wider film exhibition sector. Around twelve million people (one in 5) in the UK are deaf or living with a hearing loss (RNID, 2022) with over 80% saying they would attend cinema regularly if a nearby cinema had captioned shows at convenient times (Inclusive Cinema, 2022)…
Observations by a Guelph bike courier on local accessibility
August 18, 2022 | Source: Toronto Star- Canada
My e-bike has been an amazing investment not only for transportation freedom but surprisingly, it helped me when I was feeling isolated during the pandemic. I found myself biking the same “safe” route around Guelph and it was hard to step out of this comfort zone. So, I started delivering for UberEats by bike in May 2021. It was definitely a learning curve; with every new delivery, it was a challenge to find the most efficient, yet safe route. Often you’ll find me arguing with Google Maps — “no, I will not be going that way, thank you!” …
Here’s What Rose Ayling-Ellis’ New Barbie Means To Deaf People
August 18, 2022 | Source: HUFFPOST- UK
Most people will know Barbie for its iconic if divisive ‘blonde bombshell’ doll. But in recent years, her owner Mattel has been branching out from Barbie’s trademark long locks, skinny waist and high heels to a wider range of dolls that represent other body types and lives. Now Eastenders star Rose Ayling-Ellis is the latest celebrity to team up with the brand, launching the first Barbie who has behind-the-ear hearing aids. Ayling-Ellis, 27, the first deaf contestant to compete in and win Strictly Come Dancing in 2021 said of the launch: “It’s so important for children to be able to see themselves represented in the toys they play with.”…
COVID-19 Resources and Information
- CDC’s new Covid guidelines for schools: Kids should stay in class if exposed- NBC
- After criticism over COVID, the CDC chief plans to make the agency more nimble- NPR
- What’s behind the FDA’s controversial strategy for evaluating new COVID boosters- NPR
- Access and Engagement III- Reflecting on the Educational Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic- American Foundation for the Blind
Accessibility Blogs and Information
- #CamelCaseCampaign
- DIVERSEability Magazine
- Wheelchair Travel Newsletter- August
- What is an accessible PDF?- Braille Works
- Training with Dr Scott Hollier- Mirage News
- Fitness with Friends – Big7- Fun4 TheDisabled (YouTube)
- Podcast: The Truth About Travel and Accessibility- AFAR
- Accessibility And Inclusion At The Library- Port Washington
- FTC, Commercial Surveillance, and Overlays- Adrian Roselli
- Accessibility Trend in Entertainment is Growing Rapidly. Why?- UrbanMatter
- New Study Examines The Nation’s Courts And Mental Illness- The Florida Bar
- 11 disability podcasts that give advice, support and humour- Disability Horizons
- Build and Maintain an ADA-Compliant Law Firm Website- National Law Review
- Faculty at UTSA find an Ally to make their courses more accessible- UTSA Today
- A Look at US Accessibility Laws and Government Contracting- Hiram Kuykendall
- Why include the disability community in your Web Accessibility Program- UsableNet
- Digital Accessibility: Legal and Practical Issues to Consider- Technology Law Dispatch
- All about our new Sidewalk Accessibility Guide- Seattle Department of Transportation
- ADA Website Compliance: A Better Experience for Law Firms and Clients- Best Lawyers
- Education Week: How the Church supports members with disabilities- The Daily Universe
- Microsoft Teams: An inclusive platform keeping blind veterans connected- Robin Christopherson
- Disabled Students Claim Commonwealth Games Have Worsened Accessibility Problems- Redbrick
- New interactive campus map features accessible navigation, improved user experience- Virginia Tech
- ADA committed to helping patients with disabilities achieve optimal oral health- American Dental Association
- California Court Of Appeals Rules That Unruh Doesn’t Cover Websites Of Purely Online Companies- Ken Nakata
- AI Model Recommends Personalized Fonts to Improve Digital Reading, Accessibility- University of Central Florida
- Humanizing the Hiring Process Must Include Accessibility for People Who Are Disabled- Chronicle of Philanthropy
- Broken Ankles and Barriers to Accessibility: Reflections from a Skater-Turned-Scooter Girl- The Georgetown Voice
- ADA Title III Disability Access: Hot Issues and Litigation Trends in the Food and Beverage Industry- Seyfarth Shaw (Video)
- With Accessible Movie Screenings, Netflix Pushes On Normalizing Entertainment Equality For All- Steven Aquino- Forbes
- Making astronomy accessible for blind and visually impaired astronomers- Jake Noel-Storr and Michelle Willebrands and PDF
- The EU private sector is finally getting accessibility legislation. Here comes the European Accessibility Act (EAA)- Simon Waters
- How to Create an Accessibility Conformance Report Using A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT®)- Section508.gov
- The Department of Justice Announces that It Intends to Publish Regulations Related To Website Accessibility- National Law Review
- California Appellate Court Rules That Purely Digital Retail Businesses Are Not Covered Under the Unruh Civil Rights Act- Ogletree Deakins
Accessibility Announcements and Products
- accessibleGO
- Cocky Guides rides the accessible tourism wave
- Grants to improve accessibility for your business
- Free, accessibility: the puzzle of sanisettes in Nice
- Largest Pizza Chain in Israel Partners with RightHear!
- Amtrak Makes New York Penn Station More Accessible
- Plus One Bus Companion making bus travel more accessible
- Level Access and eSSENTIAL Accessibility Complete Merger
- Motability launches series of pilots to improve EV accessibility
- Faculty at UTSA find an Ally to make their courses more accessible
- Stark wants to make it easier to design accessible websites and software
- Rapid City organizations partner to provide information about accessibility
- Riverwalk and Waterplace Park get $7.8M for accessibility, resiliency upgrades
- AARP Inspire Award Contest- Vote For Your Favorite AARP Purpose Prize Winner
- SyncWords Complements Its Machine Translations With Human and AI Capabilities
- Biden-Harris Administration announces nearly $101.6M in funding for Texas projects
- These 3D-printed Tools Improve Kitchen Accessibility for Those with Limb Differences
- Groundbreaking nasal spray could prevent Alzheimer’s disease and stop epileptic seizures
- Want to know which places in Brampton are accessible? There’s an app highlighting where
- Capstone Interactive eBook Platform Relaunches With Enhanced Accessibility for Children
- Beaufort approves $2.6m ADA project; five-year plan to improve public spaces for disabled
- App Created by MD/PhD Student Provides Accessible Training Resource for Adaptive Sports
- With New Updates, Slack Commits To Making The Digital Workplace ‘More Accessible And Equitable’
- FCC Issues Annual Reminder on the Need for Accessibility of Emergency Information from Video Providers
- City of New Orleans Releases Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan Update for Public Right of Way
- Peggy’s Cove achieves top accessibility rating under the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ program
- RI Delegation Announces $7.8 Million For Accessibility And Resiliency Upgrades To Providence Riverwalk And Waterplace Park
- Pritzker Administration Announces Funding Opportunity to Improve Housing Accessibility and Stability for Vulnerable Households
- 365 Connect Continues to Lead Multifamily Industry in Digital Accessibility With Renewal of ADA Certification Across Its Platform
- Thompson Street Capital Partners Announces Launch of Allyant—the World’s First Comprehensive Accessibility Solutions Company
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- What is Accessibility?
- Create Accessible Content
- Create Accessible Documents
- Create Accessible Spreadsheets
- Making accessible DocuSign forms
- Best accessibility features in Android 13
- Building accessible Select component in React
- 5 Ways to Check the Accessibility of Your Website
- Top 10 Free Accessibility Apps for Android Phones
- aria-hidden elements do not contain focusable elements
- How to use the accessibility features on iPhone and iPad
- Game changer: Designer takes on accessibility in a fantasy realm
- A Quickie with the MyQ Expert | Episode 20: Web UI and Accessibility
- Key Takeaways from UsableNet’s 2022 Mid-Year ADA Web and App Report
- Nintendo was working on platform-agnostic accessibility controller, Reggie Fils-Aimé says
- PS5 Beta Gets New Party Chat Options: Accessibility and Voice Controls Have Been Updated
- Perth County looking for new members for the Perth County Joint Accessibility Advisory Committee
- Google Workspace is getting some welcome accessibility upgrades and More control over accessibility preferences in Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings
Accessibility Statements
- BUFF
- InclusionHub
- Northern College
- Essex County Virginia
- Disability Rights Texas
- Christians Against Poverty
- Adams 12 Five Star Schools
- Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council
- Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission
- Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
- Accessibility in the News: Accessibility Statement Pages
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 resources 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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