Accessibility in the News—3/31/17. This week, we doubled our accessibility news content, opening the gates for more in-depth coverage of U.S. and international news. We’ll be experimenting with this format over the next few weeks, so if you have feedback or questions, please let us know. Skip to National News (U.S.) | Skip to International News AITN Quote of the Week “The worst thing about a disability is that people[…]
READ MORE about Two Website Accessibility Suits Dismissed; Int’l Symbol of Access Prompts GuidanceMicroassist's Accessibility in the News
Microassist's Accessibility in the News is a widely read, free weekly newsletter curated by Jack McElaney. Newsletter sections include a compilation of accessibility articles and blogs, a list of accessibility conferences and training, accessibility job announcements, and a listing of accessibility resource pages.
Featured by Wall Street Journal, its sole purpose is to educate people interested or involved in accessibility related to the Americans with Disabilities Act Title I, II, or III, and Sections 504 and 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act. It also covers numerous international topics from all over the world.
Past issues of Microassist's Accessibility in the News are archived and searchable on this website.
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Making a Splash! Tactile Coding, Fitness for Mobility Impaired, Water-Friendly Prosthetics
Accessibility in the News—3/24/17. The Importance of Accessibility When dealing with technology day in and day out, it can be easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees: In the end, technology serves people. Individuals. Humanity. Accessible technology is no different, and the importance of accessibility comes from its impact on enhancing independent living, online or off. This week’s stories are heavily focused on the people factor: The former[…]
READ MORE about Making a Splash! Tactile Coding, Fitness for Mobility Impaired, Water-Friendly ProstheticsCognitive Disabilities Perspectives, Ground-Breaking Innovation, and Accessible Travel
Accessibility in the News—03/16/17. Cognitive and visual disabilities blanketed the news this week. Articles highlight amazing and ingenious advances in technology: The ability to type from thought, the ways visually impaired users harness the Apple’s built-in VoiceOver feature, electricity used to improve short-term memory, and extensions that help users personalize their experience in browsers and smartphones are just a few. The flip side is, of course, that while technologists continue to[…]
READ MORE about Cognitive Disabilities Perspectives, Ground-Breaking Innovation, and Accessible TravelInaccessible Higher Ed Courses Get Pulled; Innovation Spans Color Blind Lenses, Climbing
Accessibility in the News—03/09/17. The big news that hit the wires this week was that of University of California at Berkeley’s decision to pull down inaccessible online course materials from the public web. That event set in motion a flurry of activity from other higher education institutions in the days following. Keep and eye on next week’s edition to sample their approaches to addressing inaccessible higher ed online content. Primary and secondary education[…]
READ MORE about Inaccessible Higher Ed Courses Get Pulled; Innovation Spans Color Blind Lenses, ClimbingAccessible Design: Creating Usable Websites, Cultivating Inclusive Approaches
Accessibility in the News—03/02/17. Accessibility professionals have long touted that accessible design often benefits everyone, not just individuals who have disabilities: curb cuts accommodate rolling luggage and baby strollers as easily as wheelchairs; closed captioning meets the needs of the Deaf and anyone in a loud environment; hands-free, voice-activated devices can empower many of us who want a quicker way to access information and applications—in different situation and with different abilities. Several of[…]
READ MORE about Accessible Design: Creating Usable Websites, Cultivating Inclusive ApproachesGirl and Service Dog Get SCOTUS Win; Apps, Facilities, Websites in Accessibility Lawsuit Crosshairs
Accessibility in the News—02/23/17. Disability access and disability discrimination lawsuit articles ran the gamut this week: from discriminatory firing in the workplace to a rash of physical access lawsuits to an online retailer losing their request to dismiss a case over an inaccessible website. Private-sector businesses are continuing to be held responsible for making their online environments accessible—and it’s going beyond websites. Accessibility lawsuits have affected mobile apps, too: A ridesharing application[…]
READ MORE about Girl and Service Dog Get SCOTUS Win; Apps, Facilities, Websites in Accessibility Lawsuit CrosshairsWebsite Accessibility Lags in Business, Government, Education
Accessibility in the News—02/16/17. The admonition to get one’s website “ADA compliant” is spanning industries. This week, articles covered banking, retail, medical, education, and more. While U.S. government agencies have had clear website accessibility requirements in place, businesses and corporations are often caught off guard by demand letters or litigation. Industry publications are urging members to take a proactive approach to website accessibility: get an audit, follow a checklist, be informed. But[…]
READ MORE about Website Accessibility Lags in Business, Government, EducationBlind Website Users Drive Online Accessibility; Federal Guidance at Risk
Accessibility in the News—02/09/17. This week had several stories related to visual impairments and blindness, including tactile maps covered by National Geographic and improved image descriptions from Facebook. Even so, many barrier-laden websites still exist, hampering those with visual disabilities, including legally blind website users, from being able to use them easily or well. Accessibility litigation for such websites is on the rise, and as one article predicts, demands for accessible[…]
READ MORE about Blind Website Users Drive Online Accessibility; Federal Guidance at RiskWeb Accessibility Lawsuits Continue; Technology Opens Doors, Travel
Accessibility in the News—02/03/17. While there is certainly appropriate flag raising from various industries about the potential of website accessibility lawsuits, it’s important to highlight the phenomenal creativity that individuals and organizations bring to the table in harnessing technology rightly: This issue, Apple receives the esteemed Louis Braille Award. It’s an apt recognition for following Braille’s example of opening communication to those with visual impairments. In a stunning development, scientists[…]
READ MORE about Web Accessibility Lawsuits Continue; Technology Opens Doors, TravelOnline ADA Accessibility: Industries Respond to Website Litigation, Urge Proactive Approach
Accessibility in the News—01/27/17. Established pre-internet, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) doesn’t explicitly require non-government websites be accessible—does it? In this issue, several industry publications—for home care, retail, banking, for example—are raising that flag with readers. Some educate and inform, others warn, but the general message is the same: digital accessibility is a real business issue. Left unaddressed, an inaccessible online presence could be courting ADA accessibility litigation. Others are already in the[…]
READ MORE about Online ADA Accessibility: Industries Respond to Website Litigation, Urge Proactive Approach