Accessibility in the News — 7/17/2020.

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“My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit as well as physically.”

― Stephen Hawking

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Feature Stories

Masks complicate communication for deaf and hard of hearing community

July 11, 2020 | Source: WTSP

Face masks present a new challenge for people who read lips

July 12, 2020 | Source: North Jersey

Masks are required in many parts across Tampa Bay to limit the spread of COVID-19. There’s a problem though. Masks, when worn properly, cover a person’s nose and mouth. They cover a person’s expressions and the movement of their mouths as they speak. “We hear with our eyes,” said Cindy Hebbeler, the interim Executive Director of the Family Center on Deafness in Pinellas County. Hebbeler is deaf and relies on lip-reading to understand people when they speak. With masks covering mouths, she’s not able to communicate…

Key COVID-19 Accessibility Issues As ADA Turns 30

July 13, 2020 | Source: Law360

As summer kicks into high gear, and the Americans with Disabilities Act’s 30th anniversary looms large at the end of this month, businesses in many jurisdictions are in the process of gradually reopening to the public. And if the long and difficult spring wasn’t trying enough, businesses now face yet another challenge — balancing maintaining the safety of employees and patrons against complying with Title III of the ADA, and applicable state and local laws, which can significantly vary depending on the jurisdiction…

People with disabilities say outdoor dining is making it hard to get around in Philly: ‘There is no room for us’

July 14, 2020 | Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer & 6ABC

As Zachary Lewis and his friend were riding their power chairs through Center City, they approached a familiar obstacle: Outdoor diners, and their tables and chairs, were spread across the sidewalk, blocking the pathway and making it impossible for them to pass through. As diners and waiters hesitated to move, Lewis, 38, and his friend started pushing the obstacles aside. The manager rushed out, apologizing for the inconvenience and clearing the path, recalled Lewis, of West Philly. But as soon as they passed, the manager put the tables right back where they were…

Coronavirus Adds To, Sheds Light On Struggles For Those With Disabilities

July 15, 2020 | Source: KRCC

Social distancing, masks and quarantines continue as the COVID-19 pandemic wears on. How are people with disabilities, like those who are deaf or blind, adapting in ways that fit their needs while still staying safe? KRCC’s Abigail Beckman spoke with Emily Shuman of the Rocky Mountain ADA Center for some insight. One of the biggest questions we get asked is about the use of these masks. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, being able to see a person’s face is really vital to communication, whether they lipread or not…

National News (U.S.)

“They thought I was a criminal”- Deconstructing policing and disability

July 2, 2020 | Source: Manhattan Times

When Mariella Paulino was pulled over for speeding, she couldn’t understand what the police officer was saying. Even though he spoke through a loudspeaker, she had difficulty hearing the instructions. But the young Latina knew what to do. She turned off her car and put her hands at the three and nine positions on the steering wheel and waited for the officer to come to her side of the car. As she looked in the rearview mirror, she saw the officer approach with his hand on his holster…

Here’s What It’s Like To Live With A Tracheostomy

July 10, 2020 | Source: Huff Post

For some of you, having a hole in your neck may sound like something out of a horror movie. For me, it’s a means of survival. I have a tracheostomy, or a “trache”; it’s a hole in my trachea, in which a plastic tube sits to create an artificial airway, and then the tube is connected to a ventilator. I have muscular dystrophy, a genetic condition that causes my muscles to progressively weaken. As a child, I had severe scoliosis of the spine, to the extent that my lungs were being gradually crushed by my curved torso…

Help Shape Our Reporting on Disability and Accessibility in America

July 10, 2020 | Source: The New York Times

Nearly every person experiences disability at some point in life, or knows someone with a disability. For many of us, living with a disability is deeply personal and intrinsic to who we are, but it also can be isolating. I’ve experienced this myself; five years ago I learned I have Crohn’s disease, an incurable inflammatory bowel disease. Nearly every aspect of my life has been changed by my illness. I have to think about everything I eat or drink, weighing the potential risks to my scarred intestinal tract…

Boston initiative seeks to improve accessibility at restaurants

July 10, 2020 | Source: Boston Globe

Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced a new initiative this week to increase accessibility at Boston restaurants that have reopened with outdoor dining spaces. The initiative allows restaurants that have been granted a temporary license to have seating in parking spaces, or on the street, to request a portable ramp for curbs. The ramps will eventually be returned to the City to be repurposed. The decision came with guidance from the mayor’s Commission for Persons with Disabilities and support from Citi as part of the Empowered Cities Initiative, which provided Boston with $200,000…

What I’ve Learned About Academic Ableism As A University Employee With Chronic Pain

July 11, 2020 | Source: Huff Post

In my day job as an accessibility adviser at a university, I support students with disabilities to complete their undergraduate studies with academic accommodations. From intake through graduation, if all goes as planned, I work to provide students with extensions and makeup tests when health conditions make these necessary despite their best attempts to avoid that outcome. While I have yet to see “challenging the inherent ableism in academia” listed in my job description, I understood the need for this work within weeks of liaison with university faculty…

How to Stay Off the Radar for ADA Lawsuits

July 12, 2020 | Source: FacilitiesNet

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuits filed against properties that offer public access have continued to increase since 1992, the year enforcement began. Full compliance is a requirement, and as the work to become compliant is planned, a strategic approach can be adopted to address the most visible violations first. This may keep your property off the radar of potential plaintiffs and save thousands of dollars in legal fees. For the last six years, the number of cases have increased annually by an average of 27 percent year after year, according to data from a leading law firm, Seyfarth Shaw…

Chief Justice John Roberts’ recent fall underscores the vulnerability of people 65 and older to falling

July 11, 2020 | Source: Yahoo

Chief Justice John Roberts often makes headlines for his legal opinions, but the 65-year-old recently made news for a different – and dangerous – reason. As thousands of older people do each year, Roberts fell. The fall occurred on June 21, 2020 at a Maryland country club. Roberts cut his head and was hospitalized. The event, which had two precedents, was reportedly due to dehydration. Roberts is reportedly recovered and fine. But the issue of falls, which are the leading cause of accidental death in people 65 and older, is growing more pressing each day…

Texas runoff elections show stress of coronavirus on state’s voting system

July 13, 2020 | Source: The Texas Tribune

Disabled and older voters have encountered the most problems navigating mail-in balloting as they try to avoid going to polling places. In-person voting has been generally smooth so far in the low-turnout runoffs. If the primary runoff elections are a test run for November, cracks are becoming apparent in the state’s voting system as it struggles to function under the strain of rampant coronavirus spread. Early voting is over, and Tuesday is election day in Texas for the low-turnout contests to finalize party nominations for the November general election…

Gimlet Media Sued for Not Making Podcasts Accessible to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

July 13, 2020 | Source: Gizmodo

The podcasting company Gimlet Media now faces a class-action lawsuit for failing to make its podcasts accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing. In the complaint, filed today in New York, plaintiff Kahlimah Jones argues that Gimlet violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide closed captioning on various podcasts. As the suit points out, about 36 million people in the U.S. are deaf or hard of hearing. As the suit points out, about 36 million people in the U.S. are deaf or hard of hearing; as we know, precisely 99 percent of Americans are making podcasts…

MTA settles lawsuit with disability advocates, agrees to install elevators in 3 LIRR stations

July 13, 2020 | Source: New York Daily News

A Manhattan federal judge has approved a lawsuit settlement between the MTA and disabled riders that requires the agency to install elevators at three LIRR stations — a move that could force more future accessibility projects. Under the Friday settlement, which was made public Monday, transit officials will be required to add elevators and other accessibility features to the LIRR’s Amityville, Copiague and Lindenhurst stations. They currently don’t meet requirements laid out by the 1990 American’s with Disabilities Act — which has been fought in court by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for 30 years…

Need Access to Voting as an American With a Disability? This Website Can Help

July 14, 2020 | Source: Yahoo

This presidential election is a bizarre one as our country deals with an unexpected pandemic. Because of the infamous COVID-19 and how dangerous the contagion is, most of the voting process has taken place home through in-mail voting. But, for us — people with disabilities — is this enough? While the good news is that voting is now accessible for many of us, a lot of the first-timers could be missing the outside help they could get through a counselor. But luckily, people with disabilities can get virtual help, so they can be ready to vote remotely…

Disabled Do-It-Yourselfers Lead Way to Technology Gains

July 14, 2020 | Source: The New York Times

Technology is changing the ways that disabled people interact with the world; perhaps more important, it’s also shifting how the world interacts with disabled people. As the 30th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act approaches on July 26, many leaders, designers and scholars in the disability community say that they aren’t excited by stair-climbing wheelchairs, mechanical exoskeletons or brain-controlled prosthetics. They are drawn to innovations that embed accessibility into everyday technologies and the spaces that we all share. Also, they want people to stop trying to solve problems that don’t exist…

Nine-year-old accessibility activist wins high praise from City Council

July 14, 2020 | Source: SooToday

Sault Ste. Marie City Council decided this week to look into a detailed improvement plan for the Finn Hill tobogganing site developed by a nine-year-old accessibility activist. “He blew us away,” said Ward 3 Coun. Matthew Shoemaker. “We should all keep the name Charlie Lachapelle-Smith in mind,” Shoemaker told his fellow councillors Monday night. “He’s nine now, but he’s articulate, well-spoken, well-thought-out, active in his community, solutions-oriented, as he showed us through his presentation that he did for Coun. Hollingsworth, Coun. Hilsinger, myself and Coun. Christian on his proposal.”…

The ADA is turning 30, but the built environment is still far from inclusive

July 14, 2020 | Source: Smart Cities Dive

When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) turns 30 this month, everyone whose work impacts the built environment — architects, engineers, urban designers, town planners and public officials — should be scrambling to observe the landmark federal civil rights legislation. While the ADA is not a building code or some kind of zoning that can be ignored via variance, its biggest impact by far has been on the civic realm. Buildings, streets, crosswalks, trains, buses, parks, natural trails, city halls, schools, malls, libraries and much more have been made more accessible because of the ADA’s adoption on July 26, 1990…

Federal lawsuit accuses Williamsport of violating disabilities act; focus is on City Hall

July 15, 2020 | Source: Penn Live

The city of Williamsport has been accused in a federal lawsuit of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act with the focus being on City Hall. The suit was filed Wednesday in U.S. Middle District Court by the Center for Independent Living of North Central Pennsylvania, the local chapter of ADAPT and four individuals. ADAPT describes itself as a community that organizes disability rights activists. For months, representatives of the Center for Independent Living have been demanding city council make improvements to City Hall so it is fully handicapped accessible…

Disabled people fight police violence with accessible protests

July 15, 2020 | Source: Workers World

Because most of the mass protests held after the police murder of George Floyd were not accessible, on June 7 Black disabled activists in Milwaukee held their own. The Milwaukee action was the second George Floyd protest held by Black disabled activists. The first was held in Washington, D.C., where marchers shouted “Sign his name,” referring to George Floyd, to demand sign language interpretation accessible to people with hearing disabilities who communicate via sign language…

Visually-impaired voters sue state over lack of accessible absentee ballots

July 16, 2020 | Source: Press Herald

A group of voters has sued the state and several municipalities, arguing that the state violated federal law by not providing an electronic alternative to paper ballots for people who are visually impaired. State officials encouraged voters to use absentee ballots during this week’s primary to minimize the risk of people gathering at polling places and spreading COVID-19. Every polling place in Maine has an accessible voting machine for people with disabilities, but paper ballots are the only option for most people who want to vote absentee…

The ADA 30 Years Later: A Continued Call to Action

July 16, 2020 | Source: The Center for Law and Social Policy

While history paints a sanitized version of events, the fight to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act was hard-won. This July marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA, signed into law on July 26, 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability, whether mental or physical. The ADA builds on protections established within the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and the ADA’s employment provisions afford employees with disabilities the right to request and receive reasonable accommodations to create equally accessible workplaces…

Disabled do-it-yourselfers lead way to technology gains

July 16, 2020 | Source: Chicago Tribune

Low-Carbohydrate Diet May Be Associated With Lower Risk of Blinding Eye Disease

July 16, 2020 | Source: News Wise

Following a long-term diet that’s low in carbohydrates and high in fat and protein from vegetables may lower the risk of the most common subtype of glaucoma. In a first-of-its-kind study, a researcher at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE) helped discover that if at-risk groups adhere to these dietary restrictions, they may reduce their risk of developing primary open angle glaucoma with early paracentral visual loss by 20 percent. Results from the research have been published in the July 22 issue of Eye-Nature.

Jack Fact — According to the World Health Organization, at least 2.2 billion people in the world have some form of visual impairment. In the United States, approximately 200,000 people suffer from inherited forms of retinal disease for which there is no cure.

Hit The Road Jack — Accessibility in National Parks

International News

Piccadilly Lights turned upside down to raise awareness of challenges faced by blind people

July 6, 2020 | Source: Campaign- UK

The Piccadilly Lights digital billboard will today be turned “upside down” in a campaign for the Royal National Institute of Blind People, created by The & Partnership, aimed at raising awareness of the challenges social distancing poses to the blind and partially sighted. The screen will display upside-down ads for a series of participating brands, including Amazon Alexa, Barclays, British Gas, the Financial Times, Kellogg, Lego, Procer & Gamble, TalkTalk and Very, alternating with text explaining the message behind the creative idea…

Build, build, build – but don’t build like before

July 10, 2020 | Source: Planning, BIM & Construction Today- UK

Trudi Beswick, CEO of the RICS Project of the Year 2019 winner Caudwell Children, is calling on the government, councils and the wider construction industry to prioritise truly accessible design as part of the “build, build, build” recovery plan With prime minister Boris Johnson announcing “the most radical reforms to our planning system since the Second World War” and rallying the UK to “build, build, build”, I am calling on government and the construction industry to use this opportunity to reconsider exactly who they are building for…

For People with Special Needs, Every Church Is ‘Accessible’ Now

July 10, 2020 | Source: Keep the Faith- UK

For my family, social isolation isn’t much different from normal life. Because of my son’s social anxiety related to his autism, drive-thrus are our normal way of eating out. We rarely get invited to other people’s houses. And even though my church is one of the approximately 30 percent of churches in the country that offer sweeping accommodations for people with disabilities, there are many activities we still can’t be involved in. Some weeks, we have to stay home. During this pandemic, many have felt isolated because of everything they’re unable to do…

What my scooter taught me about barriers

July 10, 2020 | Source: Broadview- Canada

In June 2019, two landmark events occurred that I never expected to see in my lifetime. Canada passed Bill C-81, the Accessible Canada Act, and I became the proud owner of a sporty new candy-apple red ride: my mobility scooter. I’ve named her Rosie the Riveting. Rosie earns her name every day for all kinds of intersecting reasons. People really do find her riveting. Pedestrians young and old, from all walks of life, stare at her non-stop. One glance at Rosie barrelling full steam down the sidewalk, and many start to smile…

‘All of a sudden society became accessible’: Disabled Londoner on what lockdown has been like

July 10, 2020 | Source: MyLondon- UK

Over two million of the most vulnerable people in the UK were forced to shield during lockdown which saw them completely shut off from society for more than 12 weeks. However, for some people, living in isolation from the rest of the world is nothing new. This is the case for 31-year-old Londoner Steph Fernandes and many other disabled people like her who have had to shield due to their medical conditions, but have isolated even before the lockdown. Steph suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and asthma among other conditions which impair her mobility as well as her immune system…

Croatian National Theater in Split Will Soon be Accessible for People with Disabilities

July 10, 2020 | Source: Total Croatia News

Dalmatinski Portal reports that everything is ready, one of the most important infrastructural interventions – the installation of an elevator, which will finally bring the program of the Split HNK closer to people with disabilities. The City of Split has initiated the procedure for the procurement of elevators, as well as the procurement procedure for reconstruction works to install elevators. The estimated value of the purchase was 195 thousand kuna, excluding VAT, and is funded by the EU project ‘TURISM4ALL’ in cooperation with JU RERA and HNK, which aims to promote the availability of tourist destinations and cultural heritage across borders…

UK’s over 70s lack digital inclusion and support

July 11, 2020 | Source: London Loves Business- UK

Despite older people embracing technology to take advantage of online services, a new study – A WORD FROM THE WISE – has found that just 31% of public sector leaders actively involve those aged 70+ when designing services and just over half (59%) have specific services designed to support this age group. This puts the UK’s older generations at risk of possibly missing out on the benefits of rapid advances in technology at a time when the need for online communications across all areas of our lives has become so acute…

Husband ‘had no clue’ wife pretended to be blind and disabled for 15 years to scam £1m in benefits

July 11, 2020 | Source: Yahoo- UK

A man claimed he had no idea his wife was pretending to be blind and wheelchair-bound when she scammed £1 million in benefits. John Pomfrey, 60, said he was clueless to his wife Christina’s lies which have now landed her in prison. On Monday, the 65-year-old grandmother, from Runcorn, Cheshire, was jailed for three years and eight months after she pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to multiple counts of fraud, false accounting and making or supplying articles for use in frauds…

Ottawa’s water wheelchairs a step in the right direction to making city more accessible-friendly

July 11, 2020 | Source: Ottawa Matters- Canada

Eight years ago, John Redins was at the Dragon Boat Festival at Mooney’s Bay when he felt detached from the events going on around him. Desperately trying to get a good view of the races, Redins, who lives with arthritis and respiratory issues, couldn’t find a spot. He said it would have help him if he had had an assistive walking device of sorts to help him navigate the sinking terrain of the sand and water so he could find a decent spot— but alas nothing like that was available for use, and Redins struggled to watch the races…

Tech accessibility a major focus for visually impaired Arijeet Patil who scored 96% in class 10 boards

July 12, 2020 | Source: NewzHook- India

Arijeet Patil, a student of Mumbai’s Beacon High School has scored an overall 96% percent in his class 10 ICSE board exams. He wants to work as a technical advisor to companies or the government of India to devise solutions that cater to the needs of disabled people. “The realisation I had done well actually sank in at the end of the day, several hours after the results were announced”, says Arijeet Patil. The 17-year-old sounds calm and sorted amidst all the exuberance and excitement following his class 10 ICSE board exam results…

Charities call for accessibility and insulation to tackle older and disabled people’s housing struggles

July 13, 2020 | Source: THIIS- England & Access and Mobility Professional

Two leading charities, Habinteg and the Centre for Ageing Better, have called on the government to do more for older & disabled people after data from the latest English Housing Survey has highlighted the difficulties disproportionally facing vulnerable groups. Commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the English Housing Survey collects information about people’s housing circumstances and the condition & energy efficiency of housing in England…

‘They were given 20 years’ — TTC warns it will be hard to hit 2025 target to make the subway accessible

July 13, 2020 | Source: The Star- Canada

The TTC’s push to make Toronto’s transit system fully accessible by 2025 is in jeopardy, with the agency warning it will be “very challenging” to make the required improvements at two subway stations by the provincially set deadline. In a report that will be debated at the TTC board on Tuesday, the agency notes that while its official schedule “currently indicates completion” of all remaining stations by 2025, which is the date set out by the Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act, there are significant obstacles to completing the necessary work at Islington and Warden subway stations on time…

Nearly 60% of websites of India’s top universities do not meet accessibility standards, says new report

July 16, 2020 | Source: NewzHook- India

A new accessibility assessment report has evaluated 266 websites in India on accessibility parameters as per the Web Contact Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.1. This includes universities, listed companies, government departments and industry associations. A Ph.D. scholar at the Delhi University (DU), Sanchit Katiyar, 26, needs to access a range of references for his thesis on inclusive education in India and Japan. A totally blind person, he has specific needs. “Screen reading software like NVDA has to be available and the website formatting needs to be good with inks and tags given”, says Sanchit, who has been a DU student for eight years…

What is retinitis pigmentosa and does Amar Latif’s condition cause total blindness?

July 16, 2020 | Source: The Sun- UK

The possibility of losing your sight may sound scary, but there are ways to make your life easier if your eyesight is deteriorating. TV star Amar Latif is a British entrepreneur and presenter who speaks about his battle with retinitis pigmentosa, and has even created a tour company for visually impaired tourists. Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic disorder that affects the eyes and causes loss of vision. It’s inherited from parents and symptoms include difficulty seeing in the dark and a decreased peripheral vision…

Challenges of social distancing for blind

July 16, 2020 | Source: News & Star- UK

A former soldier, raising money for Blind Veterans UK has described what it is like to be blind in a pandemic. Darren Blanks, 33, from Egremont, said he has never used his long cane more – “not to help me get around but so other people recognise I am blind.” He said he walks past hand sanitising stations, cannot see to negotiate one-way passage through shops and has hit his head on perspex shields that were never there before. This is just the latest challenge for a man who survived two tours of duty in Iraq before returning home to work at the delivery office of the Egremont Post Office…

Dissolving eye implant the size of a grain of sand could help save the sight of glaucoma patients

July 16, 2020 | Source: Brinkwire- UK

An eye implant smaller than a grain of sand could revolutionise the treatment of glaucoma, a condition that affects 500,000 Britons and is a leading cause of blindness. Measuring just 0.2mm by 1mm, the tiny polyester plug gradually releases bimatoprost, a drug already found in eye drops often prescribed to treat the condition. However, more than seven in ten patients fail to use their drops properly — reducing the drug’s benefit — while others struggle with side-effects…

More Clues to the Genes Behind Hearing Loss

July 16, 2020 | Source: US News & World Report- Netherlands

Dutch researchers have identified a common genetic variant as a cause of deafness, and say it could be a good target for gene therapy. Deafness in adults is known to be inherited but, unlike childhood deafness, the genetic causes aren’t clear. To date, 118 genes have been linked to deafness. Variants in these genes explain much of the deafness present at birth and in childhood, but not adult deafness — even though up to 70% of hearing loss in adults is thought to be inherited. Researchers previously pinpointed the chromosomal region involved in one family’s hearing loss, but not the gene involved…

Deaf mother and daughter from Maidstone campaign for face masks with see-through panels to be made widely available

July 16, 2020 | Source: Kent Online- UK

Deaf support group contacts NPHET over face masks, saying it hinders those who rely on lip-reading

July 13, 2020 | Source: Irish Examiner- Ireland

Chime raises concerns over new rules on face masks

July 15, 2020 | Source: Independent Westmeath- Ireland

Face masks have left deaf people feeling isolated, anxious and scared to leave the house, a mother and daughter with hearing loss argue. Leigh Thompsett and her daughter, Jayne Arnold, from Maidstone, both rely heavily on lip reading, making it almost impossible to understand what people are saying if their face is covered. The pair wants the government to promote masks with see-through panels, so the public is still protected from Covid-19, but deaf people can once again interact with others…

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