Accessibility in the News — 2/18/2022.

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Feature Stories

Justice Department Issues Guidance on Ballot Drop Box Accessibility Requirements Under the Americans with Disabilities Act

February 15, 2022 | Source: Department of Justice

The Justice Department announced today it has issued guidance under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on how to ensure that ballot drop boxes are accessible to voters with disabilities. The publication, “Ballot Drop Box Accessibility, the Americans with Disabilities Act,” is intended to help election officials understand the ADA’s requirements, including the physical accessibility standards applicable to ballot drop boxes, and for voters with disabilities to understand their rights under federal law…

Disability Advocates Focus on Accessibility in Voting Reforms

February 17, 2022 | Source: Public News Service

Experts say Missouri ranks low among states when it comes to steps it has taken to improve accessibility in voting. Denise Lieberman, director and general counsel of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, which has a disability-rights committee, said people with disabilities face barriers at all stages of the voting process, from registering to vote to casting a ballot and having their ballot counted. She pointed out for many people with disabilities, casting their vote independently is really important, and there should be accessible options both in-person and absentee…

National News (U.S.)

As Pennsylvania invests in electric vehicles, PennDOT vows to make driving them more accessible

February 11, 2022 | Source: WESA

With Pennsylvania set to invest millions of federal and state dollars in electric vehicles over the next few years, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration has vowed to make sure no one is left out. The state is expected to receive $171.5 million over the next five years to fill gaps in a national network of electric vehicle charging stations. The Biden administration has earmarked $5 billion of the bipartisan infrastructure bill to build charging stations along major interstates every 50 miles…

“Hamilton” ASL interpretation sparks conversation about Deaf culture and accessibility

February 12, 2022 | Source: The Arbiter

American Sign Language (ASL) recently garnered some attention from community members and students alike with Hamilton’s run at the Morrison Center. Many students enjoyed watching the ASL interpreters just as much as the performance itself. These interpreters created a road for members of the Deaf community to voice the overlying issues as well as benefits of Deaf culture and accessibility. “I have a B.A. degree in theater, so I love anything related to theater,” said Davina Snow, ASL coordinator and professor at Boise State…

Accessibility for All: Madison ice rink specifically designed to accommodate athletes with physical, cognitive disabilities

February 15, 2022 | Source: NBC15

The Madison Ice Arena is home to traditional ice sports, as well as adaptive hockey teams. It is specifically designed to accommodate athletes with physical and cognitive disabilities, by offering an easily accessible rink and special plexi-glass boards for players to see through while on the bench. This is especially important for sled hockey players, like Jonah Wortman. Jonah’s mom Jessica says her son was born with a rare genetic disorder that impacts all areas of development, from gross and fin motor, to speech and language delays…

Key to preventing Alzheimer’s may be getting a better-quality sleep

February 14, 2022 | Source: Study Finds

Your Eyes Could Contain a Clue to Whether You’ll Suffer from Age-Related Cognitive Decline

February 17, 2022 | Source: First for Women

A good night’s sleep every night may be the best way to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study reveals. Researchers from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute say a person’s circadian rhythms play a key role in wiping out a protein that clumps up in the brain and eventually causes dementia. Specifically, the study found that healthy sleep habits and avoiding sleep interruptions help the brain clear out the protein Amyloid-Beta 42 (AB42). In Alzheimer’s patients, previous studies have revealed that increasing levels of AB42 “clumping up” in the brain is one of the tell-tale signs of the disease’s onset…

Finding Team After Blindness

February 15, 2022 | Source: United States Association of Blind Athletes

When Huntington’s Zach Buhler was 12 years old, he started losing his sight because of the genetic disorder Stickler syndrome. His whole life outside of school was built around football, baseball, basketball, track and cross country, but everything changed. “I always wanted to be something big in sports,” Buhler said. “When I lost my vision, playing basketball is a little difficult when you can’t see the ball. When that got taken away, it did a number on me, to say the least.” Understandably, Buhler figured his athletic career was over forever. Then the U.S. men’s goalball team moved to Fort Wayne in 2015 to train at Turnstone…

One Day, I Couldn’t See Right. My Life Hasn’t Been the Same Since

February 15, 2022 | Source: The New York Times

After I woke up one morning several years ago with freakishly blurred vision, doctors figured out quickly what was wrong: I’d had a rare stroke of sorts. Overnight, it had ravaged the optic nerve behind my right eye. Worst-case scenario? The left eye would follow suit, leaving me blind. Best? Some improvement. Much adjustment. But I’d never see as clearly as before. And, indeed, I didn’t. A thin but permanent fog hangs over the right edge of my field of vision, awaiting a sun that never comes…

How to crack the code to happiness in the second half of life

February 16, 2022 | Source: NPR

Sometimes being a social scientist comes in handy. Or at least it did for Arthur Brooks. He wanted to explore why some people were happy in the second half of life, and how he could make sure he — and others — could enjoy those decades. Aging can be hardest for strivers, Brooks said, who sometimes mourn that their biggest successes are in their rearview mirror. He advises those still in the first half of their working life to take the long view now. And for everyone to build in flexibility and be ready to adjust their expectations…

As Disabilities Commissioner Exits, Constituents Want More Access to City Hall

February 16, 2022 | Source: The City

Accessibility advocates across New York are hopeful that a change in leadership within the city’s office for people with disabilities will bring on new improvements, as the longtime commissioner is set to leave next month.

Victor Calise, one of the city’s longest-serving commissioners, will leave his post March 4 to take a job at Wal-Mart, he told THE CITY on Monday. He was appointed to lead the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities in 2012 by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He had previously worked as an accessibility coordinator in the Parks Department…

Accessible Pedestrian Signals Are (Finally) Coming to New York City

February 16, 2022 | Source: Medium

In Am. Council of the Blind of N.Y., Inc. v. City of N.Y., 495 F. Supp. 3d 211 (S.D.N.Y. 2020), the plaintiffs, a pair of blind New York residents, sued New York City, a fairly-large yet relatively unheard of metropolis, alleging that the city’s pedestrian traffic infrastructure was inaccessible to blind pedestrians due to, among other things, a lack of accessible pedestrian signals (APS). The December opinion from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York provided a detailed court-mandated plan of action to address the inaccessibility of New York City’s streets…

‘You’re on hold forever.’ Social Security applicants complain about agency’s long waits

February 16, 2022 | Source: CNBC

When Charlene Latsha calls the Social Security Administration, she’s placed on hold for so long that she hangs up. Latsha, 70, of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, has been trying to reach the government agency about her husband’s application for retirement benefits. Though he has been disabled and unable to work for the past two years, he is unable to claim disability benefits. But as he turns 65, the couple decided now would be a good time for him to claim his monthly retirement checks…

New grants would help Winston-Salem be more accessible for residents with disabilities

February 17, 2022 | Source: Triad City Beat

Mark Steele knows plenty of people who struggle to get around in Winston-Salem. He’s the executive director at Solutions for Independence, a Winston-Salem-based organization devoted to empowering people in the community who live with disabilities. Steele, who lives with a disability himself, says that there are several barriers to getting around downtown for those with mobility-related conditions. A recent study by WalletHub ranked Winston-Salem among the worst cities to live in for people with disabilities. The study ranked 182 cities based on economy, quality of life and healthcare. Winston-Salem came in at 176…

350 people cured of blindness by bionic eye firm face losing their sight AGAIN as firm goes bust

February 17, 2022 | Source: Daily Mail

Around 350 people who had their blindness partially-cured by a bionic eye firm fear they’ll lose their sight for a second time after the company went bust. Los Angeles-based Second Sight, discontinued its implant hardware in 2019, and reportedly let go of its staff in the early months of the pandemic in 2020. It’s 350-plus worldwide patients were then left with obsolete and unsupported retinal implants, which cost about $500,000 per patient in total, with 80 percent covered by insurance…

Meet the Teacher Empowering Visually Impaired Students With Next-Gen Tech

February 17, 2022 | Source: News Direct

Science teacher Lisa Ross taps a walnut on the desk of one of her high school students. She taps a pecan on the desk of the next student, and an almond on the next. One by one, she guides them to wrap their nuts in a napkin and bash them open with a mallet to see what’s inside. “What part of the plant is this?” she asks. “The seed!” they answer in unison. Ross is an instructor at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind (GMS), the 176-year-old residential school in Raleigh, North Carolina, that serves students from kindergarten up to age 21 whose sight ranges from moderate visual impairment to total blindness…

NASA rocket scientist who grew up in Taunton never let being deaf stop him

February 17, 2022 | Source: The Taunton Daily Gazette

Jen’s sixth-grade classmate, Bill, couldn’t hear. But he did read lips. Teachers at Martin Middle School in Taunton asked her to take notes for him so he could concentrate on lip reading. The chance assignment lasted seven years and forged a life-long bond with the future NASA space flight engineer. Today, Jen Andrews brings up Bill Yuknis when she’s advising students as college and career counselor at Taunton High. “I definitely will say to them, ‘My friend is a rocket scientist at NASA. He sat in the same classroom as you,'” Andrews said. “I absolutely use him as an example of what kids from Taunton can achieve if they work hard.”…

SGA Bill of Opinion seeks American Sign Language expansion

February 17, 2022 | Source: The Breeze

Bailey Kramarik said she signs American Sign Language (ASL) with a southern twang. “There are different accents in ASL, different regional dialects, and it is so much more complex than I think people outside of the Deaf community and outside of ASL recognize,” Kramarik, senior and ASL Club president, said. Partnering with ASL club and other organizations, the Student Government Association (SGA) is promoting a Bill of Opinion to expand students’ access to ASL and prioritize hiring people from the Deaf community throughout JMU’s ranks…

Justice Department Resolves Lawsuits to Ensure Equal Access to Health Care for People with HIV

February 17, 2022 | Source: Department of Justice

The Justice Department today announced that it has filed proposed consent decrees with two obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN) doctors in Bakersfield, California. The consent decrees, which are subject to approval by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, resolve the department’s lawsuits against the doctors, Umaima Jamaluddin MD, and Chibuike Enyereibe Anucha MD, PC, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The department sued Dr. Jamaluddin and Dr. Anucha alleging violations of the ADA based on their refusal to provide routine medical care to a patient because the patient has HIV…

The Truth About Dave Grohl’s Tragic Hearing Loss

February 17, 2022 | Source: The Things

The challenges of being a deaf musician was something explored in the Riz Ahmed 2019 movie, The Sound of Metal. Deafness was something that also plagued a couple of history’s most acclaimed musicians, including Ludwig van Beethoven. So, it’s certainly possible to be an outstanding musical talent without what some believe is a necessity for it. But it’s freaking hard. Therefore, there’s no doubt that fans of Nirvana and The Foot Fighters were shocked when they found out that Dave Grohl suffers from significant hearing loss…

Office of the Advocate for People with Disabilities a step forward, disability advocates say

February 17, 2022 | Source: LI Herald

Gov. Kathy Hochul has reinstated the Office of the Advocate for People with Disabilities which will help protect the rights of state residents with disabilities. Assembly Bill A3130, signed Feb. 4, “assure[s] that persons with disabilities are afforded the opportunity to exercise all of the rights and responsibilities accorded to citizens of the state of New York.” The office was originally created by former Gov. Mario Cuomo and dissolved under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s tenure…

Mindset Matters: How Businesses Must Analyze Real-Time Trends To Grasp The Breadth Of The Disability Economy

February 17, 2022 | Source: Forbes

Any business that wants to engage in the growing Disability Economy must recognize the landscape of this community itself is not limited to simply the economic realities that drive this consumer market or the evolution of entrepreneurship, but rather something far greater. There are various social forces at play that are driving change and need to be understood for businesses to actively engage in this space in any real authentic way. Analysts should constantly be paying attention to the social structures that are defining the very architecture of the disability narrative and make those connections to articulate a sound business strategy…

The Most Accessible Best of Beauty Award-Winning Products for People With Upper-Extremity Disabilities

February 17, 2022 | Source: Allure

Beauty is for everyone, yet many products available today are still not made to be accessible to everyone. It was something I didn’t realize until being involved in an accident that paralyzed my left arm. Many of the beauty products I once used were very difficult to access for someone relying on just one arm. After that accident, I was regularly grazing the tops off of lipsticks when uncapping them. And the amount of time I devoted to opening some jarred items would have been better spent doing anything else…

Ableism Is More Than A Breach Of Etiquette — It Has Consequences

February 17, 2022 | Source: Forbes

What’s the point of working against disability prejudice — also known as ableism? Sometimes it seems like the fight against ableism boils down to little more than making sure not to offend disabled people. It certainly helps make disabled people’s everyday lives better if they can get through a day without having to put up with annoying or hurtful comments. But there’s much more to ableism than giving personal offense. Ableist assumptions, ideas, habits and even language are problems worth fighting because they lead to actions that materially affect disabled people’s lives…

Snack shop program teaching students with disabilities valuable workplace skills

February 17, 2022 | Source: Spectrum News1

A center focused on helping people with disabilities in Northern Kentucky has been preparing high school students for the workforce in the future by throwing them right into it. Selling snacks is helping build confidence and making a meaningful, lasting impression. In recent weeks, 17-year-old Raven Nelson has blossomed. “It makes me really confident to do my job, if I get a job,” she said. “And it helps disabled kids like me learn more about jobs.”

Nelson described her and her partner’s roles…

Judge holds D.C. in contempt for failing to provide education to older students with disabilities in jail

February 17, 2022 | Source: The Washington Post

A federal judge has found the District in contempt of court for failing to provide adequate special education to students with disabilities detained at the D.C. jail. In the Wednesday order, District Judge Carl J. Nichols required the city to have a “remote-learning system fully operational” by March 15; to submit individualized plans to make up for missed special-education hours over the past five months; and to extend eligibility for all students who may have aged out of the education program since the court first issued an injunction in June 2021…

Jack Fact — According to a special report by the Alzheimer’s Association titled, “2021 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures,” an estimated 6.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2021. In 2050 the number is expected to grow to more than 12 million. The report explains that 11 percent of individuals over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s dementia, and 34 percent of seniors 85 and older live with the disease.

Hit The Road Jack — Giant’s Causeway to introduce accessible buggy and multi-terrain wheelchairs& Greece Makes Accessibility for All Travelers Priority

International News

Biker Group ‘Eagle Specially Abled Riders’ Is Spreading Awareness About Accessibility And Inclusion For People With Disabilities

February 11, 2022 | Source: Swachh- India

The story dates back to January 13, 1983, when the Siddiqui household in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur was blessed with a baby boy. The family was more than elated to have a boy in the family after the birth of three girls. The little Aameer Siddiqui was growing up well and would walk around the house on his tiny feet until one day when his right leg stopped functioning. 18 months old boy woke up to the horror of a paralysed leg. The family took Aameer to various doctors in the village and even to in the nearby town but all in vain…

An 11-year-old girl with Down syndrome was being bullied. So her country’s President walked her to school

February 11, 2022 | Source: CNN- North Macedonia

The President of North Macedonia walked an 11-year-old girl with Down syndrome to school after he heard she was being bullied. President Stevo Pendarovski held Embla Ademi’s hand as he walked her to her elementary school in the city of Gostivar on Monday. Embla has experienced bullying at school due as a result of having Down syndrome — a genetic condition that causes learning disabilities, health problems and distinctive facial characteristics — a spokesperson for the President’s office told CNN…

Disabled woman says she was denied entry to Gurgaon restaurant, management apologises

February 13, 2022 | Source: The Indian Express- India &Millennium Post- India

A woman who uses a wheelchair complained Saturday that she was denied entry into a popular restaurant in Gurgaon following which its management has apologised saying that they would look into the matter and take action accordingly. The woman, Srishti, took to Twitter and said that she had gone to the restaurant Raasta on Friday with friends and family, only to be informed by the staff that her wheelchair “can’t go inside”. “We thought it was an accessibility issue, but it wasn’t. We told him that we’d manage, just book us a table…

Public transport apps and websites are failing to meet needs of disabled passengers, says review

February 13, 2022 | Source: Independent- Ireland

A review of major transport companies’ websites and apps has scored them poorly for failing to meet the needs of disabled users who have eyesight trouble or other difficulties. The National Disability Authority (NDA) report, required under EU rules, found that many sites are partly compliant but have lingering issues that need sorting out to ensure accessibility for people with a visual or cognitive impairment. This includes having adequate layouts, text size and colour contrasts that are compatible with technology like screen readers…

Australia is behind on accessibility at music festivals and gigs and fans with a disability are missing out

February 12, 2022 | Source: ABC- Australia

Before he could crawl Jacob Cremen-Darkin had already gotten his hands on his father’s guitar. For him, music is a universal language. His favourite memory is when he got to play a baby grand piano during year 8 for the graduating class. “I guess before I really took a lot of things for granted,” he said. In 2019, the Parramatta man broke his neck doing a front flip. Ending up on his head, Mr Cremen-Darkin’s crushed his spinal cord and spent the next nine months in hospital…

Universal Accessibility The Way Forward for Inclusive Indian Future

February 12, 2022 | Source: eGov Magazine- India

India has been trying to address the challenges of disability inclusion ever since the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995. Though it may not fit with the changing philosophies of Disability Inclusion, it was a wise attempt to understand the diverse needs of persons with disabilities and encourage their participation in socio- cultural aspects of society, write Prof. Gaurav Raheja from the Department of Architecture, IIT Roorkee and Kanika Bansal, Senior Project Associate – BASIIC Programme, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA)…

One woman’s fight to make Halifax accessible

February 13, 2022 | Source: Halifax Examiner- Canada

A prescription for accessibility in health care

February 15, 2022 | Source: Halifax Examiner- Canada

Milena Khazanavicius has been fighting with the HRM for safety on city sidewalks for so long she can’t remember the first time it was an issue. She said she can remember the story that made the headlines, though. It was this one reported by the Examiner in September 2020. Then, Khazanavicius was advocating for the city to fix a guy-wire on Young Street because it was too low to the sidewalk and dangerous for pedestrians who are blind and partially sighted like her (a yellow sleeve was placed over the wire, but Khazanavicius said it was still too low and dangerous)…

Over 80 percent of Deaf people say their accessibility needs are unmet

February 15, 2022 | Source: National Health Executive- England

A report published today by the Deaf Health Charity- Signhealth, has found that 81 percent of patients reported having an appointment where their communication needs were unmet. The report also revealed that 67 percent of Deaf people said that they are unaware of an accessible way of contacting their GP. At the end of last year over 900 people responded to a survey about the NHS Accessible Information Standard (AIS) England, consisting of charities and disabled people who have accessible information and communication needs…

Accessibility consultant ‘disappointed’ Calgary Lululemon store inaccessible despite paralympic partnership

February 15, 2022 | Source: iHeartRadio- Canada

The front entrance to the Lululemon store in Calgary’s Mission neighbourhood is inaccessible for persons who use wheelchairs and mobility scooters says an accessibility consultant who calls it especially disappointing as the Vancouver-based retailer is an official partner with the Olympics and Paralympics. “The fact this is a Paralympic sponsor has a different ring to it,” said Darby Young, who uses a mobility scooter. “(There is) irony behind it and its disappointing,” Young is the founder of Level Playing Field, a consultancy firm that helps clients address mobility and accessibility concerns…

Rail Minister visits Eridge station after completion of accessibility upgrades

February 17, 2022 | Source: Rail Technology Magazine- UK

Rail Minister Wendy Morton and Wealden MP Nusrat Ghani paid a visit to Eridge station following the completion of accessibility improvements at the station. The £1.9m project at Eridge included the installation of a new lift and ramp delivered by Network Rail and BAM Nuttall. The improvement works at the station in East Sussex form part of the Department for Transport’s Access for All fund. This follows on from a series of projects already undertaken at Eridge station which included a new £1.8m footbridge, a £500,000 canopy and platform renovations…

TCD researchers take ‘significant step’ in finding treatments for blindness

February 17, 2022 | Source: Silicon Republic- Ireland

Scientists at Trinity College Dublin believe targeting a specific gene can help treat many forms of genetic blindness. The study published in the International Journal of Molecular Science claims a gene called SARM1 is a key driver in the damage that ultimately leads to impaired vision and possibly blindness. In the US, around 12m people who are 40 years and older have vision impairment, including 1m who are blind, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

Factors associated with decreased vision: is it just a visual impairment?

February 17, 2022 | Source: Portugal Resident- Europe

Many causes of visual impairment can be prevented or treated. With global population aging, the need for eye health services has increased exponentially. Recent studies unfortunately reveal that the gross global prevalence of preventable visual impairment and blindness in adults aged 50 and over has not changed between 2010 and 2019. Results have revealed that the leading global causes of blindness in people aged 50 and over in 2020 which occupy the top places are cataract, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive error, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy…

My Story: ‘I Lost My Visually-Impaired Friend In 2005 That Urged Me To Work On Eye-Donation’

February 17, 2022 | Source: The Logical Indian- India

In my opinion, a person does not choose the cause, but it is the cause that determines them. My journey started when I was very young. I used to take music classes in Akola. During that time, I realised many students were visually impaired. I had one such friend. His name was Abdul, and he had a very melodious voice. Abdul was blind since birth and came from a low-income family. His father was a rag picker, and his mother died during pregnancy. Despite the tragic circumstances, Abdul’s father sent him to the classes where I met him. We struck a chord with each other. While he used to sing, I used to play the violin…

Cochlear implant scheme relaunched; 67 children set to benefit in the first phase

February 17, 2022 | Source: The Hindu- India

Karnataka Health Department has relaunched its cochlear implant programme that had come to a standstill since 2018-2019. As many as 67 children have been evaluated and are awaiting surgeries, officials said. Under the programme, a three-year-old male child from Ramanagaram underwent the surgery on Wednesday at the State-run K C General Hospital. State Health Commissioner D Randeep, who announced this in a tweet, “As Karnataka gears up towards shrinking the childhood deafness burden, a three-year-old boy from Ramanagaram gains a strong foundation to a joyous childhood and equitable learning opportunity…

Why is a non-disabled person leading the establishment of a disability ministry?

February 17, 2022 | Source: The Spinoff- New Zealand

Disabled people who attended a recent online protest rally voted no confidence in the process of establishing a Ministry for Disabled People if it is not led by a disabled person. However disabled people, at the rally and beyond, emphasise that their opposition to this appointment is not personal to the individual appointed. The Disabled Leadership Now rally attendees say the government is not listening to rank and file disabled people, and does not understand the depth of feeling of exclusion from the process. They objected to a communications vacuum from the establishment unit…

Children with Disabilities 10 Times More Likely to Miss School

February 17, 2022 | Source: Soko Directory- Africa

Children with disabilities are 10 times more likely to miss out on school than other children. Although some still attend school, they often drop out early due to the challenges they face in accessing education. The support given to children with disabilities to access education and learning in urban areas is higher than that of their peers in rural areas. Often, they are unable to attend school because of inaccessible classrooms and toilets, limited understanding of their educational needs, prejudice, and unfavorable customs, among other reasons…

Inclusion Of Persons With Disabilities In The Workforce Can Increase GDP By 3-7%: ILO

February 17, 2022 | Source: NDTV- India

There are an estimated one billion persons with disabilities globally, with about 80 per cent of them living in developing countries. According to the United Nations, in developing countries, 10 per cent to 90 per cent of persons with disabilities (PwD) of working age are unemployed. Though there has been a lot of improvement, greater awareness and change in the last 40 years, society is still the biggest barrier for people with disabilities. Stereotyping, stigma, and discrimination – these are all enduring challenges that have resulted in underemployment, inadequate job quality and marginalisation…

Govt policies must consider disability-friendliness

February 18, 2022 | Source: New Age- Bangladesh

A wheelchair-bound man stuck on a footpath in Dhaka having pole barriers intended to block motorcycle movement, as a photograph that New Age published on Thursday shows, brings to the fore issues of inaccessibility of people with disabilities. The issues have been highlighted by individuals and organisations working for the well-being of people with disabilities. The authorities have on occasions come up with promises to make roads, footpaths, public transports and services friendly to people with disabilities, but little of the promises has been translated into reality…

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