Accessibility in the News — 12/3/2021.

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AITN Quote of the Week

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” — Helen Keller

A Proclamation on International Day Of Persons With Disabilities, 2021

Feature Stories

Deep Bench: Creating air travel for all

November 24, 2021 | Source: WSAW

I was dropped on a jetway. Airlines make it dangerous for people with disabilities to fly.

November 24, 2021 | Source: USA Today

Air accessibility: Most commercial planes could accommodate personal wheelchairs

November 30, 2021 | Source: Penn State

Rosen, Cornyn introduce bipartisan TRANSLATE Act in the senate to increase tourism by reducing language barriers for travel

December 1, 2021 | Source: Senator Jacky Rosen

As the busiest travel season of the year kicks off, Paralyzed Veterans of America–or PVA– warns air travel can be inhumane and dangerous for people with disabilities. This lack of accessibility affects millions of Americans with mobility disabilities. Charles Brown, president of PVA, joined the Deep Bench on NewsChannel 7 at 4 to discuss the problem. Brown suffered a spinal cord during a skydive while with the Marines. He’s been in a wheelchair for 35 years…

National News (U.S.)

For the Right to Accessibility for Disabled Children through Inclusive Education

November 19, 2021 | Source: Athina984- Greece

The “Equals” is the first workshop of inclusive and systematic training for dance and theater in Greece. “It is a school that trains people with and without disabilities in theater and dance, either to become professional actors and dancers or for entertainment or creative work.” Athens 9.84, the director, actor and founder of the Theater of Persons with Disabilities of “THE.AMA”, Vassilis Oikonomou. “The “Equals” was created by two inclusive groups one theater and one dance the “SPECTACLE.” and “SIX”. It is a nice space of 90 sqm in the heart of Athens on its border Votanikou with Kerameikos, 33 Melenikou “…

What Do You Know About Disability Cultural Competence?

November 19, 2021 | Source: SWHELPER

Recently, I had the opportunity to give a webinar on disability cultural competence to social service workers, but was met with many blank stares. As a disabled social worker myself, I often notice that the disability community is not recognized as a cultural group. Disability is also not considered as a social identity in diversity considerations, despite the ways the community feels about it. Frankly, our field has a long way to go when it comes to developing disability cultural competence. Let’s see if we can change that…

How a Nike-backed brand ensures its hands-free shoes go to people with disabilities

November 23, 2021 | Source: Input

Nike’s hand-free Go FlyEase has been the crown jewel in its years-long efforts to make more accessible sneakers for the disabled community, with Time hailing it as one of the best inventions of 2021. But the biggest giant in all of sneakers and sportswear hasn’t operated alone in innovating for people with disabilities — instead, it’s found a key partner with the same mission in the shape of a sneakers startup based in Utah. Launched in 2017 by bag industry veteran Michael Pratt, the brand Kizik sought to solve a problem familiar to anyone who wears shoes, slipping them on without using your hands…

Accessible parking spot stings happening at malls this holiday season

November 23, 2021 | Source: WREX

Authorities will be making sure shoppers aren’t parking in spots reserved for people with disabilities this holiday season. Drivers caught misusing a placard face a six-month driver’s license suspension and a $600 fine. Repeat violators will face a one-year driver’s license suspension and a $750 fine for a second offense; for third or subsequent offenses, violators will face a $1,000 fine plus a one-year driver’s license revocation. The fine for parking in an accessible parking space without a disability placard or disability license plates can be up to $350…

In win for residents with disabilities, Boston must upgrade curb ramps across the city

November 24, 2021 | Source: WBUR

A long-running civil rights movement has won a huge but quiet victory in Boston. It’ll mean millions of dollars in spending, and construction projects across the city — including in Jamaica Plain, where Michael Muehe has lived for 20 years. “Many of the curb ramps along here, many of the intersections have curb ramps that are insufficient or are nonexistent,” said Muehe, while guiding his wheelchair down Jamaicaway. If a “curb ramp” doesn’t slope gradually, with a specific height, and overall shape, a tiny curb can become a formidable wall…

UF construction causing accessibility issues for students with disabilities

November 25, 2021 | Source: The Gainesville Sun

It’s the start of freshman year, and Robyn Clarke is hunched over a walker slowly navigating Turlington Plaza on the University of Florida campus when the walker gets caught in a crack. The walker flips, and Clarke crashes to the ground. At that moment, Clarke knew she needed a wheelchair on campus. Now a third-year journalism student, Clarke faces her biggest obstacle on campus yet — construction. UF has multiple construction projects across its 2,000-acre campus. These projects have left roads closed, sidewalks blocked and portions of campus inaccessible…

Accessibility at forefront for Cedar Rapids six years after ADA compliance settlement

November 26, 2021 | Source: The Gazette

The city of Cedar Rapids has spent $34 million to bring public sidewalks, parks and other facilities into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act since executing a settlement agreement with the U.S. Justice Department in 2015 to eliminate physical and communication barriers in city infrastructure. Cedar Rapids was among more than 200 local governments the Justice Department targeted as part of Project Civic Access, an initiative to make city infrastructure, facilities and programs more accessible and bring them in compliance with the 1990 federal law…

D.C.-area organizations expected to receive about $6.6 million in grants to improve mobility options for seniors, the disabled

November 26, 2021 | Source: The Washington Post

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board has approved about $6.6 million in grants to help organizations that offer programs for seniors and people with disabilities to move independently throughout the region.

The grants, provided under the Federal Transit Administration’s Enhanced Mobility program, will go to 21 organizations, including Capitol Hill Village, New Horizons Supported Services in Prince George’s County, and the Arc of Northern Virginia. The federal dollars, combined with local funding, mean the groups will receive about $9 million.

How The Austin Lighthouse For The Blind Uses Robotics To Make Warehouse Work More Efficient And More Accessible

November 29, 2021 | Source: Forbes

The eponymously-named Austin Lighthouse in Austin, Texas does what most lighthouses strive to do for the Blind and visually impaired communities. Also known as the Travis Association for the Blind, they provide orientation and mobility trainings, employment assistance, life skills trainings, and a wealth of other services. The Lighthouse, which has been in operation since the 1930s, describes its mission on its website as “[working] to assist people in building or restoring their independence through skills training, education, and employment opportunities.”…

CBD Company Slammed With ADA Suit Over Website Access

November 29, 2021Souce: Law360 & Hemp Industry Daily

A proposed class of legally blind customers sued CBD products company Prospect Farms Hemp Sales LLC in New York federal court on Monday alleging that the company has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide an accessible website. Plaintiff Rasheta Bunting brings the suit on behalf of all legally blind individuals within the United States who have attempted to access Prospect Farms’ website during the relevant statutory period but have been unable to purchase goods or services offered by the company due to the limitations on the website. According to the complaint, Bunting is a visually impaired and…

A Good Age: How Norwell girls soccer team gained its biggest fan, 93-year-old Hingham man

November 30, 2021 | Source: The Patriot Ledger

Spectators at the Norwell girls soccer team’s state championship tournament this year noticed the older gentleman who faithfully showed up for every game. Tall, trim, with glasses and a warm and gracious manner, he would arrive with his daughter or son, sit on the sidelines for the best view to follow the action, and cheer. He even made it to the final games in Leominster and Medway, bundling up for the cold winds and staying to the end. It isn’t unusual to have grandparents turn out for school sports events. In this case, the fan had no such connection…

America’s Test Kitchen and Perkins School for the Blind partner to make recipes accessible

November 30, 2021 | Source: The Boston Globe

Watertown’s Brian Charlson, 65, loves to cook. He has also been blind since he was 11. This never stopped him from making his favorite recipes, although cookbooks were typically a challenge. He used to rely on Braille ones, which were large and could be hard to store. “One bookcase contains one cookbook in hard-copy Braille,” he says. Now he gets recipes from America’s Test Kitchen, thanks to a collaboration with Perkins Access, an initiative from the Watertown-based Perkins School for the Blind. His wife, Kim, directs the Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library, and the couple is heavily involved in advocacy work for the blind and visually impaired community…

How One Woman’s Impromptu TikTok On Autonomous Vehicles Sparked Discussion On Freedom, Privilege, And Accessibility

November 30, 2021 | Source: Forbes

If there’s one Apple rumor story that seemingly persists through the ages, it’s the so-called “Apple Car” rumor. Word on the Cupertino street has long held whispers of the titanic tech company working on an autonomous vehicle—or at least the software system that runs it, if not a full-fledged automobile. The latest scuttlebutt, reported earlier this month by Apple rumor extraordinaire Mark Gurman for Bloomberg, has the company aiming for a 2025 release of what Gurman calls a “fully driverless car.” He notes the ambitious target date is “the firmest launch goal Apple has put forth for its car since its first vehicle attempt in the mid-2010s.”…

DOJ Secures Agreement with Hy-Vee Supermarket Chain to Make Online COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Accessible for People with Disabilities

December 1, 2021 | Source: DOJ & PR Newswire & Des Moines Register & WeAreIowa

The Justice Department today announced that it has secured a settlement agreement with Hy-Vee Inc. that will help people with disabilities get information about COVID-19 vaccinations and book their vaccination appointments online. The Hy-Vee supermarket chain has more than 280 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Today’s resolution is the department’s second agreement on this critical issue, following a November 2021 announcement of its settlement with Rite Aid Corporation…

CVS expands spoken prescription app feature chainwide

December 1, 2021 | Source: Grocery Dive & Engadget

Spoken Rx is the latest foray by CVS into not only amplifying and streamlining digital pharmacy services, but also increasing accessibility options. Spoken Rx works with iPhone or Android smartphones, is free to use and can read information aloud — including the patient’s name, medication name and prescription usage instructions — in English or Spanish. Pharmacists can help customers enroll in the program and set it up on their phones, CVS noted. For customers without a phone, CVS offers a speaker device that can read prescription information aloud…

Federal Court Approves Settlement Providing Accessible Restroom and Other Accommodations to NYC Educator

December 2, 2021 | Source: Disability Rights Advocates

The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) will provide desperately needed reasonable accommodations for a Bronx middle school teacher, according to an offer of judgment approved by the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York earlier this week. This judgment concludes the federal lawsuit filed in March 2021 by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a national nonprofit legal center, against the largest public school district in the nation, the New York City Department of Education (DOE)…

Chicago still has 42 ‘L’ stations that aren’t accessible to the disabled. The federal infrastructure bill could help fix that sooner than expected

December 2, 2021 | Source: Chicago Tribune

More than 31 years after Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 of Chicago’s ‘L’ stations still lack the elevators and other upgrades they need to be fully accessible. Those aging stations could get upgraded sooner than expected, thanks to a provision pushed by U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth that was included in the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill recently signed into law by President Joe Biden. The legislation sets aside $1.75 billion in grants for transit agencies to make their stations fully accessible, a program modeled after the Chicago Transit Authority’s 20-year plan to place elevators in all of its stations…

YouTube channel ‘Wheels in the Wilderness’ chronicles adventures exploring handicap accessible trails

December 2, 2021 | Source: Union Leader

Aislinn Graves of New Ipswich set out on a recent November morning to take on Monadnock Conservancy’s Tippin Rock Trail in Swanzey. No sooner had she started, though, she had to turn back. Her mobility scooter was not going to make it through a muddy stretch of the trail. For the able-bodied there are planks of wood to get across. “You would get stuck in that,” her husband, David Graves, said to her, adding, “It only takes one obstacle that we can’t surmount and we’re done.”…

Student in Wheelchair Slams University for Not Being Accessible in Viral Video

December 2, 2021 | Source: Newsweek

A student at a New England university criticized her school in a now-viral video for not being properly wheelchair accessible. In the caption of her video, which has now been viewed 2 million times, she claimed that a route she uses takes eight minutes, while an “able-bodied” student’s route might take two minutes. The video began by showing the TikToker, @dark.moon.witch in her wheelchair with the words “Follow a disabled college student to class” printed over the frame. Then the words “ADA violation #1” appear on the screen followed by the words, My class is up there…

Jack Fact — According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2020, 17.9 percent of persons with a disability were employed, down from 19.3 percent in 2019. For persons without a disability, 61.8 percent were employed in 2020, down from 66.3 percent in the prior year. The unemployment rates for persons with and without a disability both increased from 2019 to 2020, to 12.6 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively.

Hit The Road Jack —Self-described ‘disabled adventurer’ highlights Maine’s wheelchair accessible hiking trails

International News

Hannah Cockroft on the Tokyo Games, accessibility in sport and being seen as a role model

November 19, 2021 | Source: Yorkshire Post- UK

Paralympian Sophie Christiansen on public transport’s lack of accessibility

November 19, 2021 | Source: 5 News- UK (YouTube)

Winter Paralympics target lasting legacy for disabled

November 24, 2021 | Source: China Daily- Japan

Beijing 2022 to bring greater accessibility for persons with disabilities

November 25, 2021 | Source: Paralympic- Japan

“I used to really hate it when people said, ‘Oh you’re my role model, you’re my inspiration’. I’d always think, ‘I’m just living my life’. “But if all I’m doing is living my life and they see that as something to look up to, then actually that is a massive privilege,” says the 29-year-old wheelchair racer, who picked up two golds in Tokyo in her T34 category – the 800m and 100m, smashing her own world record in the process. Cockroft added: “I had a strange perception of my disability growing up, I didn’t know anyone else who had a disability until I was 12, so I just always saw myself as different and I didn’t really know why…

Anger as York blue badge parking ban made permanent

November 19, 2021 | Source: BBC News- UK & iNews

Disability rights campaigners hope to mount a legal challenge against a ban on blue badge parking in a city centre. Councillors in York voted unanimously to permanently prevent disabled parking in pedestrianised areas to allow anti-terror defences to be installed. The decision angered those affected, who said they had been made to feel like “second-class citizens”. York Accessibility Action group has launched a crowdfunding campaign as it plans legal action…

Proposal to sidestep sidewalk disputes could ‘neuter’ accessibility policy in The London Plan

November 19, 2021 | Source: CTV News- Canada

Providing accessible shopping to hard-of-hearing Albertans

November 21, 2021 | Source: City News- Canada (YouTube)

City engineers believe empowering property owners in established neighbourhoods to collectively plot the path forward will reduce opposition to future sidewalk installations. A report to council’s Civic Works Committee recommends developing Neighbourhood Sidewalk Connectivity Plans in 20 areas of London that lack sidewalks. Rather than street by street, advance consultation would focus on the entire neighbourhood. Property owners would collectively discuss where they believe sidewalks should be installed to meet the needs of pedestrians…

Guests with disabilities can stay longer and spend more, so why aren’t hotel websites more accessible?

November 20, 2021 | Source: Independent- Ireland

“There have been times when I’ve had to email hotels directly to ask for images of the bathroom,” says Leona Hennessy. “It is time-consuming. You feel kind of like a diva, but you’re not! We just need to see a visual.” Leona and her husband Michael run Instagram account @TheStruggleIsWheel, which documents accessible adventures for manual wheelchair users in Ireland. We may live in a world where holidays can be booked with a couple of clicks, but the problem she describes is stubbornly old-school. Booking accessible rooms, and finding detailed information about them, remains hard work…

New initiative to make CBD, HDB estates more accessible for those with disabilities

November 20, 2021 | Source: The Straits Times- Singapore

A new initiative for infrastructural improvements will make it easier for people with disabilities to go to work and move around their estates. Accessible City Network was announced by National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Saturday (Nov 20) at the launch of CaringSG, a caregiver-led initiative for special needs caregivers. It aims to enhance the accessibility of public spaces, such as identifying where more barrier-free features are needed or providing better way-finding signage…

Having access to toilets is a basic human right, but for those with a disability, access is still a common problem

November 20, 2021 | Source: ABC- Australia

How carefully do you plan your next trip to the toilet? It wasn’t until my multiple sclerosis progressed that future trips to the loo became a major part of preparing for any trip outside the house. I have travelled the world with my wheelchair; Istanbul, Florence and Moscow, to name a few. But I’ve been stumped on more than one occasion trying to find a toilet I can get into and use in my own city of Adelaide. Here’s one example for you. While out conducting interviews for this story, I had to use an ordinary public toilet because the adjacent accessible toilet was “out of order” – and the sign didn’t seem temporary…

A look inside a ‘gold standard’ Alberta home adapted for physical disabilities

November 23, 2021 | Source: Globalnews- Canada

Group rallies to build affordable, accessible homes ‘one house at a time’

November 23, 2021 | Source: London Free Press- Canada

Wider doors and lower kitchen counters in a home can make a monumental difference for someone with a physical disability or who is aging. It’s a lesson a real estate agent in St. Albert, Alta., northwest of Edmonton, says he has learned while selling a modified luxury bungalow. “This is something I’ve never seen before in my 15-year career,” Brian Cyr says as he walks around the main floor of the 362-square-metre house that he calls “a true lifetime home.”…

N.S. singer ‘making a connection’ with audio described music video, accessible show

November 24, 2021 | Source: CBC- Canada

Hit play on Christina Martin’s latest music video and you’ll hear an unfamiliar voice. Instead of the Nova Scotia singer’s vocals, an audio description begins for those who are visually impaired, describing Martin’s wavy blond hair, black dress and a shadowy setting in a historic house before the music kicks in. The move is one way Martin is working to bring accessibility into her music, website and live shows, including one planned for Saturday afternoon at the Presbyterian Church of Saint David in Halifax…

Only four EV multi-charging points in country suitable for disabled drivers, campaigners claim

November 24, 2021 | Source: Irish Examiner- Ireland

There are only four electric vehicle (EV) multi charging points around Ireland which are suitable for disabled drivers, campaigners have claimed. The ESB, which is undertaking a €20m EV charging point expansion of the national network, said it is currently rolling out 50 high-power charging hubs on motorway and national road sites, which will be able to charge between two and eight vehicles simultaneously. Of the 50 planned, 10 have been completed with 33 spaces, which the ESB says are accessible…

Accessibility Charter Adopted By Greater Wellington

November 25, 2021 | Source: Scoop- New Zealand

Greater Wellington is to embark on an action plan designed to make the Metlink public transport network more accessible to disabled people. The plan will work to make network design, infrastructure, education and information more accessible to disabled people, as set out in the Metlink Public Transport Accessibility Charter 2021, which was launched today (25 November 2021) by Greater Wellington’s Transport Committee. “We acknowledge we have much more work to do to remove obstacles to access to the Metlink network,” says Transport Committee chair Cr. Roger Blakeley…

Cairo sidewalks to be enhanced to enable access to persons with disabilities

November 25, 2021 | Source: Egypt Today

A protocol was signed between several authorities and private agencies to allocate sidewalks suitable for accessibility of people with disability across Cairo. The initiative stated in Street 9 in Maadi district, as a prelude to be expanded to all sidewalks. The initiative includes preparing public and private facilities to enable persons with disabilities to enter and exit from these buildings, according to Hossam El-Din El-Amir, media advisor to the National Council for Persons with Disabilities…

NCBI helps Santa send accessible letters in braille to vision impaired Irish children

November 25, 2021 | Source: Limerick Leader- Ireland

A charity is helping Santa send accessible letters to vision impaired Irish children over the festive season. The National Council for the Blind Ireland (NCBI) is organising the initiative so that children can get a note from Santa in fully accessible formats such as braille, audio CD or large letters. The NCBI’s library team will assist Santa in the scheme, which is a result of a long-running partnership with An Post. Library manager, Lina Kouzi, said, “We have been working with Santa for many years now to make sure that he can respond to all children who are blind or vision impaired.”…

Lanarkshire woman aims to make video podcasting more accessible for deaf people

November 28, 2021 | Source: Daily Record- UK

A woman from Motherwell is hoping to raise awareness and inspire people with her new podcast. Cheryl Devlin, 34, was born profoundly deaf and wants to make video podcasts accessible for other deaf people. Cheryl is a designer and was inspired to appreciate art by her grandfather, who taught her to draw. She has discovered that there isn’t a lot of support for young adults who are deaf and hopes to change this with her new endeavour. The podcast will focus on Cheryl’s daily life and aims to inspire young deaf adults…

Australians living with disabilities find joy, independence and connection despite the pandemic

November 28, 2021 | Source: ABC- Australia

Accessible housing: disabled people left behind by ‘shameful’ building code stance in NSW, WA and SA

November 26, 2021 | Source: The Guardian- Australia

Cowra Council candidate calls for better accessibility and inclusivity for people with disabilities

November 29, 2021 | Source: Cowra Guardian- Australia

The pandemic has brought with it different challenges for everyone. But for some Australians with a disability, it’s been a chance to find joy, independence and new passions. Cancer survivor James Norquay honed his passion for photography, despite the fact he “can’t see any of my surroundings whatsoever”. Mr Norquay, 21, is legally blind after surviving brain cancer 10 years ago. Initially, photography was a tool to assist with his sight impairment as it allowed him to zoom in on an image — such as bus timetable or menu — and observe detail he usually could not see…

How Open is the Door?: Arts accessibility in Scotland

November 26, 2021 | Source: The Skinny- Scotland

Arts councils, Creative Scotland and even the government (both Scottish and UK) praise diversity, but in practice struggle to accommodate the many societal barriers facing the disabled and/or chronically ill. The future may be accessible, but will it be equitable? Alex Callaghan is an artist, activist and researcher currently studying an MA in Arts, Cultural and Festival Management at Queen Margaret University. Inspired by disability-led movements, he is focusing his dissertation on a non-hierarchical, participatory research project…

Project Mumbai Wheelers play friendly basketball match to promote accessibility for para-sportspersons

November 28, 2021 | Source: Free Press Journal- India

Accessibility for the disabled remains woefully inadequate even in a metropolis like Mumbai. To promote accessibility for para-sportspersons, a friendly match of the wheelchair-bound basketball team of Mumbai –Project Mumbai Wheelers — was played in Mumbai on Sunday, wherein able-bodied persons were given an opportunity to join in and shoot hoops while being wheelchair-bound. The initiative is part of a larger objective to make Mumbai more accessible to those physically challenged and draw the attention of citizens to para-sports…

South Africa’s ‘Little People’ Urge Better Accessibility

November 29, 2021 | Source: VOA News- Africa

From navigating shopping centers to government offices, South Africa’s ‘little people’ say public spaces aren’t designed to be accessible for them. One advocacy group in Johannesburg is calling for better support to help people live independently. Linda Givetash has the report…

Children’s dreams to come true with accessible new playground

November 29, 2021 | Source: Irish Examiner- Ireland

Six-year-old Brendan Murphy knows he can’t ever walk or run around like other kids his age. Brendan’s physical disability means that he is a full-time wheelchair user, and spends a lot of time attending hospital appointments and physio sessions. UCC-based occupational therapist Dr Helen Lynch said: “We’ve found when we talk to kids, they’ve said ‘I’m the problem as a wheelchair user’. In fact, the problem is the environment.” The research carried out by the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy at UCC has been invaluable in informing the design of the Crann Centre’s new accessible playground and leisure area…

AICTE asks universities to ensure accessibility of online classes to PwD students

November 29, 2021 | Source: Careers360- India

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has asked the colleges and universities to implement the direction given by the Supreme Court for ensuring accessibility of online education to persons with disabilities (PwD) students. “We would like to inform you that in the case “W.P. (Civil) No. 600 of 2021 field by Javed Abidi Foundation Vs Union of India & Anr.”, Hon’ble Supreme Court has directed in its interim order dated 12.11.2021 to implement the following suggestions given by Javed Abidi Foundation during the hearing of the case,” an official notification said while listing down the suggestions…

E-scooter safety upgrades still not enough, say accessibility advocates

November 30, 2021 | Source: CBC- Canada

Kate Riccomini’s introduction to Ottawa’s e-scooter pilot project came when she tripped over one. Riccomini is partly blind. While she has some sight, her eyes are light-sensitive and she uses a cane to pinpoint anything that might block her way while she’s out for a walk. She and other members of the city’s accessibility community are worried not enough is being done to keep pedestrians safe from tripping over improperly parked e-scooters or from being hit by riders. The city’s second e-scooter pilot project season ends Tuesday…

Raising awareness in the name of accessibility for those hard of hearing

November 30, 2021 | Source: Globalnews- Canada

Hear Québec aims to make Montreal more accessible for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Members of the non-profit group stood outside city hall and McGill university campus Tuesday morning handing out face masks with a clear, see-through window. “The more people are aware of what our needs are, the more people are willing to accommodate,” executive director Heidy Wager said. Members plan on distributing more than 500 masks to the public according to Wager. “Our goal is to raise awareness about the importance of accessibility for the hard of hearing community in Montreal,” Wager said…

Don’t ditch digital says accessibility advocate

November 30, 2021 | Source: Arts Hub- Australia

‘One of the catchphrases that emerged for us last year was “Don’t ditch the digital,”‘ Caroline Bowditch said at our recent Recovery Roadmap Webinar, Putting accessibility first for your event. Bowditch, an advocate of accessibility in her role as CEO of Arts Access Victoria, was speaking about the ways many people had gained better access via digital means during the pandemic. ‘We have made so many advances in the space. We cannot go back,’ Bowditch said…

Raising Awareness In The Name Of Accessibility For Those Hard Of Hearing

November 30, 2021 | Source: The Street Journal- Canada

Making Culture More Accessible

December 1, 2021 | Source: The McGill Daily- Canada

Cultural spaces such as museums, movie theaters, galleries, libraries, performing arts centers, public arts sites, arts education facilities, and virtual events often fail to adequately accommodate disabled people. Prioritizing physical accessibility in cultural spaces is crucial to create more equitable enjoyment, participation, and representation within the arts. The city and event organizers must be more considerate of the needs of all people. The Montreal metro sees 1.36 million passengers per day, and is a key mode of transport for getting to cultural events…

Japan’s railway wants to improve disabled access with technology, but is it a long-term solution?

December 2, 2021 | Source: Euronews- EU

The European Union wants more of us to travel by train. The bloc went as far as to name this year the European Year of Rail, aiming to boost trains’ 7 per cent share of passenger journeys in Europe. But train travel isn’t always a convenient option for everyone. In Paris, 90 per cent of RER commuter rail stations are wheelchair accessible but wheelchair users cannot get on or off trains without staff assistance. One railway operator in Japan believes it has found a solution, installing an automated ramp that it says can help bridge the gap between the train and the platform…

Partnering with persons with disabilities for an inclusive, accessible and sustainable world

December 2, 2021 | Source: The Korea Times- South Korea

As the world observes the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Friday, we honor the leadership of persons with disabilities and their tireless efforts to build a more inclusive, accessible and sustainable world. At the same time, we resolve to work harder to ensure a society that is open and accommodating to all. An estimated 690 million persons with disabilities, around 15 percent of the total population, live in the Asia-Pacific region. Many of them continue to be excluded from socioeconomic and political participation…

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