Accessibility in the News — 7/13/18.

NOTE: To get news like this every week in your inbox, before it hits our website, subscribe to our Accessibility in the News e-newsletter. There are no ads or graphics, and we never send spam. Just use the sign-up form on this page to subscribe and stay up to date!

Skip to National News (U.S.) | Skip to International News

More Accessibility Resources on this Page

Accessibility Blogs and Information | Accessibility Statement Pages
Accessibility Announcements and Products | Accessibility Q&A and Tips

Microassist Accessibility Services

AITN Quote of the Week

“The human being is born with an incurable capacity for making the best of things.”

― Helen Keller

MemoryWell is a digital platform for storytelling that brings the skills of professional journalists to the challenge of helping elders tell their life story.

National News (U.S.)

These High Schoolers Are Calling For A National Disability History Museum By Making Their Own

July 4, 2018 | Source: WBUR | Education, History, Outreach, Awareness

A group of students from Gann Academy in Waltham, Massachusetts, spent the school year collecting documents and artifacts to create a museum exhibit on the history of disability in America. They also investigated the checkered history of a local institution that experimented on disabled boys in the 1940s, in an effort to make the case that a national museum should be dedicated to the issue of disability. Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd visited with a few of the 11th-graders and got some insight into what they learned while creating the exhibit, which is now open to the public…

Moorestown district revamping website to follow Department of Education guidelines

July 5, 2018 | Source: Burlington County Times | DOE, Education, Website

Editorial: The importance of school and municipal websites

July 8, 2018 | Source: Burlington County Times | Education, Website, Inclusion

By the end of the summer, the township school district’s website should be compliant with U.S. Department of Education guidelines on accessibility for individuals with disabilities, officials said. The department’s Office for Civil Rights found earlier this year that Moorestown’s website did not meet the guidelines set out by various anti-discrimination laws for providing equal access to information for people of all abilities. The township Board of Education voted in May to pass a resolution to bring to site up to the department’s terms…

Passengers say LIRR failing to help those with disabilities

July 5, 2018 | Source: ABC7NY

Passengers who use wheelchairs and other forms of assistance describe the Long Island Rail Road as a game of “traveler’s roulette.” Multiple Eyewitness News viewers reached out to 7 On Your Side Investigates complaining that LIRR employees repeatedly fail to help them bridge the gap when boarding or exiting trains. The American with Disabilities Act requires the railroad to provide reasonable accommodations to people experiencing a disability. The MTA says all employees are trained to help passengers on and off the train, but passengers complain that help is often nowhere to be found…

Online Travel Players Boost Accessibility for Travelers With Disabilities

July 6, 2018 | Source: Skift

Two big challenges face people who are blind, deaf, or who have physical issues and who like to travel — a sizeable group that covers about one in ten people in many countries. Some struggle to use travel websites and airport kiosks that require a mouse to click around for researching and booking travel. What’s more, a majority of this population, which includes seniors with age-related impairments, often feel frustrated at major travel sites for burying information about the rare hotels and private rentals that provide services for physically challenged travelers and for not keeping the information accurate and up-to-date…

For wheelchair users, this vessel means sailing no longer is an ‘Impossible Dream’

July 6, 2018 | Source: Philly.com

Steve Baker thought his life was over when a motorcycle crash left him paralyzed five years ago. Then he discovered the Impossible Dream, a sailing group with a fully wheelchair-accessible, 60-foot catamaran. “It lets you take your life back,” Baker said. “We show people with disabilities that their life doesn’t have to be limited.” Now the Florida resident is part of the mission to empower others in wheelchairs. The crew of the Impossible Dream, which made its first voyage in the summer of 2015, spends the summers sailing up the East Coast from Miami, offering free sailing trips to wheelchair users at places where it docks along the four-month journey…

Making the web easier to access for people with disabilities

July 9, 2018 | Source: Marketplace

About 20 percent of Americans have one or more disabilities, and just like in the physical world, the digital one is not always readily accessible. So, going to a website, if you’re visually impaired, probably involves using a screen reader. “They’ll usually have that running, at all times, from the moment they boot up their computer. The screen reader is reading everything that is happening, for them, it’s verbalizing every interface,” explained Mikey Ilagan, a web developer and accessibility specialist…

Texas Education Agency starts contracting process for special education overhaul

July 9, 2018 | Source: Texas Tribune

The Texas Education Agency is starting the search for organizations to help school districts overhaul special education following a federal finding that the state had effectively denied students with disabilities access to needed services. Agency officials Monday put out a call for applications for more than $20 million in grants, with applicants limited to Texas universities and the 20 state education centers set up to assist school districts. The TEA had included many of the action items in a strategic plan it submitted to the federal government in April detailing how it would ensure students with special needs were being educated…

ADA website accessibility lawsuits on the rise

July 10, 2018 | Source: NewsOK

By now, most businesses have already installed handicap parking spaces and wider doorways as a way to make their facilities more accessible. So can they finally stop worrying about accessibility lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act? Unfortunately, they may not be out of the woods yet. A recent wave of lawsuits and demand letters has been hitting businesses across the United States, alleging that businesses are violating Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by not providing websites that are accessible to disabled individuals, including those with visual or hearing impairments…

Council proposal spotlights accessibility for Pittsburghers with disabilities

July 10, 2018 | Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Doorways accessible to people with disabilities could become a city-ordered priority for many large building renovations in Pittsburgh. Councilwoman Deborah Gross introduced legislation Tuesday that would prioritize accessible entryways, common areas, restrooms and communications facilities — in that order — when city businesses undergo major physical updates. The federal Americans with Disabilities Act often mandates a portion of renovation expenses go toward such provisions, but many redone businesses in Pittsburgh incorporate accessible facilities indoors without introducing a zero-step entrance, residents have told council…

ASOS Collaborated With A Para-Athlete To Create A Festival Outfit For Wheelchair Users

July 10, 2018 | Source: Bustle & The Oracle

Over the past couple of months, there have been more and more designers taking on adaptive clothing to cater to an underrepresented client base: people with disabilities. And now ASOS is adding its name to that list, where ASOS collaborated with a para-athlete to create a jumpsuit for wheelchair users. Linking up with BBC Bristol sports reporter and para-athlete Chloe Ball-Hopkins, the two took months to create the perfect festival outfit that would not only be the perfect rainy-weekend-on-the-grounds look for able bodied individuals, but was also specially designed with people who use wheelchairs in mind…

How the iPhone and App Store Have Redefined Accessible Software

July 11, 2018 | Source: Mac Stories

Everyone acknowledges the societal and technological effects the iPhone has had on the world. In late 2007, Time named the original model its “invention of the year,” and rightfully proclaimed it “the phone that changed phones forever.” Eleven years on, it is genuinely difficult to remember the world before the iPhone existed. Whatever your platform allegiance, there can be no disputing that the first iPhone pioneered the notion that everyone should carry a touchscreen supercomputer with them wherever they go. In hindsight, Steve Jobs wasn’t exaggerating when he boasted Apple would reinvent the phone…

NAFCU files amicus brief supporting Magnify Credit Union in ADA suit

July 11, 2018 | Source: Credit Union Journal

The National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions on Tuesday filed an amicus brief in support of $79 million Magnify Credit Union, Mulberry, Fla. The credit union was named in a lawsuit alleging its website violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. NAFCU noted the amicus brief it filed on behalf of Magnify CU is the 15th the trade association has initiated in support of credit unions facing litigation over what NAFCU contends are “unclear” website accessibility requirements under the ADA…

Frequent ADA litigant sues Palo Alto motel

July 11, 2018 | Source: The Daily Post

The Travelodge motel in Palo Alto has been hit with a lawsuit from Scott Johnson, a quadriplegic attorney who has sued hundreds of California businesses over violations of disability access law. The suit demands tens of thousands of dollars in damages for violations found in the two-star motel’s $150 guest rooms and parking lot at 3255 El Camino Real. Johnson says the lot only has one parking space reserved for those with disabilities where two are required, and the space’s access aisle isn’t big enough to accommodate a wheelchair-accessible van…

How Starbucks’ straw decision lets me down

July 11, 2018 | Source: CNN

In an effort to reduce ocean pollution, Starbucks announced on Monday that it plans to eliminate plastic straws from all stores by 2020. While lessening our environmental footprint is important, Starbucks (and other companies making similar decisions) seem to have forgotten one major concern: How a world without plastic straws will impact people with disabilities, many of whom use these types of straws out of necessity. The Seattle-based coffee giant outlined its plans in a press release that seemed to signal a new era for the company…

Smells, growls and disputes: American recounts ‘comfort animal’ conflicts

July 11, 2018 | Source: WGRZ

A Yorkshire terrier-type dog defecated on the owner’s sweater before leaping onto a neighbor’s lap during one American Airlines flight in November 2017, stinking up the cabin and prompting passengers to turn on their air vents. Another passenger told a flight attendant that a lapdog barking and growling during a March 2018 was an emotional-support animal she needed for protection. And another passenger had two dogs, leaving the black one unattended while taking the white one to the toilet during a September 2017 flight…

More Than 1 Million Cases of Parkinson’s Predicted in the US by 2030, Study Reports

July 12, 2018 | Source: Parkinson’s News Today

Approximately 1.2 million people in the United States are predicted to have Parkinson’s disease by the year 2030, according to the results of a large-scale study. This represents a projected increase by about 1.8 times in Parkinson’s prevalence since 2010, highlighting the need for optimized care and treatment strategies for this patient population to diminish the burden of care on caregivers and ease the economical burden on the healthcare system…

Space Center Houston: City’s First Certified Autism Center

July 12, 2018 | Source: Houston Public Media

Space Center Houston says it’s now designated as a Certified Autism Center. It’s the first in Houston to earn that designation. The certification process involves rigorous training for staff, along with inspections and improvements that enable Space Center Houston to better welcome and accommodate guests with autism spectrum disorder and other sensory and cognitive challenges. Stephanie McMahon was hired back in 2016 as a special education certified teacher. She’s also the mother of a child on the autism spectrum and is now the Center’s Accessibility and Inclusion Coordinator…

COPPA Challenges Secretary Devos’s Decision To Delay Implementation Of Equity In Idea Regulation

July 12, 2018 | Source: COPAA

The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) filed a lawsuit today against the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) for abdicating its responsibility to protect the civil rights of students. The suit alleges that the Department has taken actions that interfere with USDOE’s obligation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to ensure children with disabilities get the education services they need in the most appropriate setting without regard to their race…

Taylorville business makes changes helps to make city more ADA accessible- May 12, 2018 | Source: FOX Illinois

It’s something people with disabilities are confronted with daily, navigating buildings that may not be handicap accessible. While walking up curbs and steps may seem easy, it is not always possible. Which is a message one Taylorville business and their landlord, Marsango Rental, saw the need to make that accessibility possible. “My daughter is seven years old and she uses a wheelchair and having that accessibility when we go into businesses is so important,” Designer for A Classic Bouquet Meghan Reese said…

Jack Fact — According to the Government of Canada, between 2011 and 2016, disability-related complaints represented just over half of all the discrimination complaints received by the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

International News

Netflix promises to fix closed captions after social media storm

July 3, 2018 | Source: The Sydney Morning Herald- Australia

Netflix has found itself at the centre of a social media storm thanks to the quality of its closed captions. Inaccurate dialogue, whitewashed accents and the failure to pick up on multiple speakers are top of the list of complaints from deaf people and those who are hard of hearing, especially when it comes to hit shows such as Queer Eye and Marvel’s Luke Cage. Now, Netflix has pledged to do something about it. Deaf and hard of hearing communities have long campaigned for better closed captions on streaming services…

The ageing workforce: four approaches for HR

July 6, 2018 | Source: HR Zone- UK

Our ageing workforce brings many benefits for businesses, but it requires commitment to fully support them. By 2020, one in three workers will be over 50 years old. With the increase of the retirement age, phased retirement, or employees just not wanting to retire, the workforce will be older than ever before, and with this comes many rewards for organisations. From diverse ways of thinking to sharing years of expertise and skills, it will prove fruitful for HR to attract, embrace and retain the older workforce, as well as putting the right measures in place for younger staff in anticipation of their later years in work…

Wheelchair users recount ordeal of getting restaurant bathroom complaint heard

July 6, 2018 | Source: CBC News- Canada

COD-NL Says It’s Time To Change The Conversation On Accessibility

July 8, 2018 | Source: VOCM- Canada

A human rights hearing into the way the province enforces the rules around accessible washrooms and food safety has concluded in Halifax, leaving wheelchair users watching closely for a ruling in the case. Wheelchair users Gus Reed, Ben Marston, Paul Vienneau, Jeremy MacDonald and Kelly McKenna made a complaint to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission in 2016 that inaccessible restaurant washrooms put their health and public health at risk…

Love is deaf: How Migori couple overcame disability stigma

July 8, 2018 | Source: SDE- Kenya

This is the kind of love story only witnessed in fairytales. A love that defied all odds to blossom and culminated into a colourful wedding of its kind.The couple, Calvin Otieno, 36, and Consolata Bhoke, 32 (both deaf), had relied only on sign and text messages to express their affection for each another for the three years they have been dating. Last week, the lovebirds tied the knot at Oyugis Town Redeemed Gospel Church in Homa Bay County. The ceremony left residents in awe…

Access granted

July 8, 2018 | Source: The New Indian Express- India

Persons with disabilities in the city might not have to wait for World Disability Day to enjoy the waters along the city’s two main beaches — Marina and Elliot’s. The Chennai Corporation is planning to build a permanent ramp, allowing PwD access to the sea. The proposal to improve accessibility has been in the pipeline for a year now. It has gained traction now with the Board of Directors of Chennai Smart City clearing the proposal to engage a consultant to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to make the beaches accessible…

TRAI moots measures to make ICT services accessible for differently-abled

July 9, 2018 | Source: Economic Times & Indian Television & Zee Business & MediaNama- India

Telecom regulator Trai today recommended that all mobile manufacturers producing five or more handset models be mandated to bring out at least one handset that meets accessibility criteria for the differently-abled by 2020.

Trai as part of its recommendations to make technology accessible to those who are differently-abled – numbering 26.8 million according to 2011 census – has also mooted that TV set top box makers or importers have at least one model (in different variants) “in accessible format” by 2020…

How are disabled fans finding accessibility in Russia?

July 9, 2018 | Source: BBC- UK (Video)

More than 22,000 special access tickets for people with disabilities have been sold for the World Cup in Russia. BBC reporter Ashley John-Baptiste met one England fan with limited mobility to see what it’s like navigating public transport and visiting the stadiums…

The dawning of a new age for persons with disabilities in Canada

July 9, 2018 | Source: The Star- Canada

The recently proposed Accessible Canada Act and the Senate report on fixes for Revenue Canada concerning the Disability Tax Credit, Breaking Down Barriers are stellar achievements for advocates with disabilities and the receptive politicians and public servants who listened. If both are implemented, they will remove the physical, social and financial barriers to the participation and contribution of people with disabilities in Canadian society. That’s “if” because both have yet to be put into action…

Anita Iyer on how Smart City, Pune, must address needs of persons with disabilities

July 9, 2018 | Source: Hindustan Times- India

India now has the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyaan, begun by the BJP, which mandates that all public places must be accessible for persons with disabilities (PwD). This includes the physical and virtual spaces too. Accessibility is not to be seen through the narrow lens of physical or virtual access. It also means access to basic rights of a human being and his/her dignity. Let us look at some basic rights like education, employment, family and social interaction and how accessibility impacts all of these. Now 21 disabilities have been recognised by the government of India…

Modern thinking must extend to accessibility

July 10, 2018 | Source: Planning & Building Control Today- UK

They may look fantastic but although modern offices certainly dress to impress, they often include an array of eye-catching features which can cause any number of difficulties for disabled people. Some of them are practical problems, with basic but essential equipment positioned just awkwardly enough to be out of reach. Others are striking designs and décor which may even have been installed with the good intention of helping disabled people to find their way around but which actually just cause confusion…

Boston T Line To Paris Metro: When Public Transport Fails The Disabled

July 10, 2018 | Source: Worldcrunch- France

Soon after arriving in Boston for my university studies, I began to notice people in wheelchairs and others with physical disabilities struggling to use the city’s public transportation system. It’s been almost two months since coming to Paris, and I have not seen a single person in a wheelchair use the city’s legendary metro. As anyone who has visited Paris will have noticed, not all metro experiences are created equal. That is part of the charm, with different station designs and train models. But the price for any lack of modernity is paid above all by the disabled…

Plan to Fix Rentals addresses needs of disabled people

July 11, 2018 | Source: Scoop- New Zealand

The Plan to Fix Rentals launched by Renters United today is a common sense response to the current broken rental market; its implementation would improve the lives of thousands of New Zealanders, not least those in the disability community, the Disabled Persons Assembly (DPA) says. The rental market is a particular issue for the disability community because: Disabled people are more likely to live in a rented home than non-disabled people. (38% of disabled people rent compared to 30% of the general population)…

Making travel accessible to differently-abled

July 12, 2018 | Source: The New Indian Express- India

In order to provide hassle-free travel to the differently-abled, a startup named, Enable Travel was launched in 2017. Based in Mumbai, it covers more than 85 destinations. In India, they have designed itineraries for places such as Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bombay, Goa, Bangalore, Mysuru and Coorg. All itineraries have been specially designed keeping the disabilities in mind. On an average, they receive 12-15 enquiries every month from Karnataka. It offers curated holiday packages customised for unique needs of a wheelchair user, the hearing and speech impaired and the visually impaired…

‘Fed up’ young music fans with disabilities launch accessible gig

July 12, 2018 | Source: Glasgow Live- Scotland

A group of music fans are hosting an accessible gig to encourage young people with disabilities to enjoy music, socialise and make friends this summer. The youths, who have learning disabilities, are putting on a day of free live gigs for other people with disabilities – and they’re calling upon venues and promoters across the country to follow their lead. Held on Sunday August 12 at the Scottish Youth Theatre, the event will feature a silent disco, karaoke, gaming and relaxation zones and a line-up of live shows. The event is for young people aged eight to 26 and will host up to 300 music fans…

Free Fringe tickets for disabled reviewers

July 12, 2018 | Source: Third Force News- UK

Edinburgh Festival Fringe has joined up with disability access charity Euan’s Guide in a bid to improve the festival for disabled people. The Fringe is offering free tickets to Euan’s Guide reviewers in exchange for a review on the accessibility of the venue. Described by author Ian Rankin as “Trip Advisor with wheels on!”, Edinburgh-based Euan’s Guide is used by thousands of disabled people, their families and friends to rate the accessibility of the places they visit across the UK…

Four of UK’s busiest airports failing over accessibility standards – report

July 13, 2018 | Source: AOL-UK

The treatment of disabled passengers by four of the UK’s seven busiest airports is unacceptable, the aviation regulator has warned. Manchester was the only airport to receive a “poor” accessibility rating from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), while London Gatwick, London Stansted and Birmingham were told that they “need improvement”. Some passengers on incoming flights at Manchester were left waiting on planes for more than an hour before assistance arrived, the research found…

Accessibility Blogs and Information

Accessibility Resources

Accessibility Announcements and Products

Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Q&A

Accessibility Statements VPATs®

D2L	Dell
Cority	Telos
Trivantis	Nuance
Soulpepper	Redhat
LEAD Center	Brightspace
Heartland AEA	Lectora Inspire
University of Toronto	Lectora Online

Microassist Digital Accessibility Services

Our digital and web accessibility services cover

Accessibility Audit Services — Our comprehensive audit will map all findings to internationally recognized WCAG 2.0 AA standards and equip you and your technical and content teams to know what areas need to be brought into compliance.
Accessible Elearning Development — Does your online training reach all learners, whether they’re your employees, resellers, students? Let us help you design effective, engaging training that works for everyone.
Accessible Website and Application Development — An inaccessible website or application is increasingly seen as violating the ADA. Let’s talk about creating an online presence that reaches all your customers and reduces your litigation risk.
Audit and Testing Services — A thorough accessibility audit against recognized accessibility standards will show you where you may be under-serving your customers and putting your organization at risk.
Accessible Document Services — Digital assets such as Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, and audio and video files need to be accessible to individuals with disabilities, too. We can help you establish creation processes or remediate historical documents so that they meet accessibility standards and are usable by people with disabilities.
Remediation Services — Whether for a time-sensitive response to a legal action, or for proactive remediation, we can fix what doesn’t meet accessibility standards.
Accessibility Training — Contact us to get your teams introduced and informed about accessibility best practices.

Please contact us for any questions you have about our accessibility services and how we might support your organization.