Microassist'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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Inaccessible Higher Ed Courses Get Pulled; Innovation Spans Color Blind Lenses, Climbing

By Jack McElaney | March 9, 2017 | |

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[…]

Accessible Design: Creating Usable Websites, Cultivating Inclusive Approaches

By Jack McElaney | March 2, 2017 | |

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[…]

Girl and Service Dog Get SCOTUS Win; Apps, Facilities, Websites in Accessibility Lawsuit Crosshairs

By Jack McElaney | February 23, 2017 | |

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[…]

Website Accessibility Lags in Business, Government, Education

By Jack McElaney | February 16, 2017 | |

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[…]

Blind Website Users Drive Online Accessibility; Federal Guidance at Risk

By Jack McElaney | February 9, 2017 | |

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[…]

Web Accessibility Lawsuits Continue; Technology Opens Doors, Travel

By Jack McElaney | February 3, 2017 | |

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[…]

Online ADA Accessibility: Industries Respond to Website Litigation, Urge Proactive Approach

By Jack McElaney | January 27, 2017 | |

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[…]

U.S. Access Board Aligns Section 508 Accessibility Requirements to WCAG 2.0—Will the Department of Justice Follow Suit?

By Jack McElaney | January 19, 2017 | |

Accessibility in the News—01/19/17. At least six of our curated articles this week provide insights on the U.S. Access Board’s recent updates to Section 508 accessibility standards—the standards that federal government and government contractors use to make information technology, such as software and websites, accessible to all. The update aligns Section 508 organization and requirements with internationally accepted standards and ever-converging technologies. Be sure to check out the training opportunities[…]

Accessible Websites, Arts, Education, and Citizenry

By Jack McElaney | January 13, 2017 | |

Accessibility in the News—01/13/17. The recent update by the U.S. Access Board was perhaps the biggest news item this week. It formally aligns its website accessibility standards with other globally recognized standards, including WCAG 2.0., going as far as applying WCAG’s Level A and AA success criteria to websites, electronic documents, and software [Source: U.S. Access Board]. As Lexology reports, many see this as the writing on the wall for non-government websites[…]

Astronomy, Architecture, Aging, and the Access Board

By Jack McElaney | January 6, 2017 | |

Accessibility in the News—1/6/17 In this issue, accessibility in the digital, housing, and transportation realms gets a lot of attention. At the intersection of digital and government policies, the US Access Board prepares to launch a long-awaited update to its electronic information rules for federal procurements and telecommunications, and the Federal Communications Commission grants video games a waiver extension. Businesses continue to evaluate both risk and value of online accessibility. In housing,[…]