The German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) hosted the Global Compact on Inclusive and Accessible Cities. This Global Compact gathered city leaders and mayors from Berlin, New York, Chicago and Amman for a signing ceremony signifying their commitment towards inclusive and accessible cities for persons with disabilities and older persons. This ... Read more
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A More Accessible Instagram
Instagram has introduced two new improvements to make it easier for people with visual impairments. There are more than 285 million people in the world who have visual impairments will benefit. First, is an automatic alternative text so you can hear descriptions of photos through your screen reader when you use Feed, Explore and ... Read more
Speech to Text Can Reduce Back Pain and Stress
Chronic pain is a common symptom of those struggling with prolonged anxiety or anxiety disorders. This type of pain can vary in the way it displays itself, from headaches and migraines to the all-over muscle pain and fatigue often associated with conditions like fibromyalgia. Back pain is one of the most often seen manifestations ... Read more
Climate Change: New Report Shows We Are Living On Thin Ice
The Arctic Ocean’s blanket of sea ice has changed since 1958 from predominantly older, thicker ice to mostly younger, thinner ice. With so little thick, old ice left, new ice is more vulnerable to weather and wind, so thin ice is now more variable. Working from a combination of satellite records and declassified submarine ... Read more
The Weaponized ADA: Using a Civil Rights Law to Disenfranchise Voters
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is widely regarded to be one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in American history. It was meant to ensure equal access and opportunity for the countless millions of American citizens living with disabilities. It was meant to ensure fair treatment and guaranteed accessibility. It ... Read more
Preexisting Conditions Making Comeback Under New Trump Admin ‘Guidance’
Make Preexisting Conditions Awful Again? New Trump Administration Guidance May Do Precisely That There was a time, not so long ago, when Americans with preexisting conditions — health issues they had prior to changing insurance policies — found themselves faced with a quandary of biblical proportions. Do they get life saving treatments for their ... Read more
Disability Hate Crimes Rising Astronomically in England, New Report Finds
The Number of Hate Crimes in England, Wales Rose Sharply in 2017-2018 Period It’s difficult for most people to wrap their heads around. How is it possible that hate crimes could still take place in the US and England in 2018? So often we think of modern society in the United States and the United ... Read more
Disney Working to Block Dozens of Lawsuits Related to ADA, Autism
Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida are two of the most legendary theme parks in the world. But for some visitors with severe autism, Disney’s iconic parks are anything but magical. And now, the Disney Corporation wants to stop dozens of lawsuits from reaching court and tarnishing their image as a place ... Read more
Arkansas Group Finds Half of State’s Polling Stations Lack Accessibility
As Americans, there are certain freedoms that empower us and grant us the ability to directly impact change. Our freedom of speech and our right to assemble are big ones. So too is our rarely-touted ability to access information freely. But one element of our freedom outweighs the others combined in sheer importance, directly ... Read more
Beyond “Self Advocacy” — Basic Rights College Students with Disabilities Should Know
High school students with disabilities support their learning needs mainly through their parents’ advocacy. Upon entering college, however, a bombshell is dropped when these students are told their parents are no longer allowed to advocate for them. Colleges nationwide call this “self advocacy,” with the high-minded rationale that it is necessary and good for ... Read more
Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018, Designed to Protect Passengers with Disabilities
U.S. Senate vote of 93 to 6 to passes the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 302). The legislation includes a ‘bill of rights’ and an advisory panel for passengers with disabilities, as well as revised training and procedures for TSA screenings of people with disabilities. “Passengers with disabilities deserve equal access ... Read more
Eileen Grubba on Good Morning LALA Land
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Review: Netflix Doc ‘Quincy’ Explores Life and Career of Quincy Jones
Unless you hail from some small village never before visited by outsiders, and this is one of your first times ever using the Internet, chances are you’ve heard music written, performed, arranged, and/ or produced by Quincy Jones. And if you happened across any popular music from the twentieth or twenty-first century in that ... Read more
Texas School Board Votes to Remove Helen Keller from History Curriculum
Many Americans cringe when they see the Texas School Board in a news headline. And this headline, sadly, is no exception. On Friday, the Texas School Board voted on changes that will affect students in Texas of every grade, with the purported goal of “streamlining” social studies curriculum. Amid their pending changes is the ... Read more
Will Trump Admin. Deregulations Lead to More Disability?
“You know what this sky really needs? More smog and filth in it.” ... Read more
Disability Advocate Testifies Against Kavanaugh at Confirmation Hearing
Nothing about us without us. It’s a popular phrase in disability advocacy circles. And its meaning is pretty self-evident. Don’t make decisions for us without our input. That shouldn’t be too big an ask in most circumstances. In fact, it shouldn’t even really need to be asked at all. And on Friday, during the final ... Read more
Are You Prepared for Hurricane Florence?
More than one million people have been ordered to evacuate regions of the Eastern seaboard today as Hurricane Florence steams her way toward Virginia and the Carolinas. The category four hurricane is expected to make landfall Thursday evening, at which time it may escalate to a category five storm. Evacuating from the path of ... Read more
Jacksons Foods Settles EEOC Discrimination Lawsuit for Deaf Worker
A chain of convenience stores in the Pacific Northwest learned the hard way this week that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is not a piece of legislation you want to mess around with. Jacksons Food Stores, Inc. settled a lawsuit after Nathaniel Prugh, a job applicant who is deaf, was refused a job ... Read more
U.S. Access Board to Hold Forum on Assembly Area Accessibility – Be There!
On September 6th 2018, the U.S. Access Board will hold a public forum on accessibility and assembly areas. The daylong event will focus on accessibility issues related to the design of movie theaters, dinner theaters, performing arts centers, lecture halls, stadiums, arenas, grandstands, and other assembly venues. It will be structured as a town hall meeting ... Read more
People with Disabilities have Severely Limited Access to Justice System, Report Finds
No one ever finds themselves sitting in a courtroom and thinking about how happy or lucky they are to be there. Not unless you’re a plaintiff on the cusp of raking in a big pile of money, anyway. Unfortunately, a new report from the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (G3ict) shows that people with disabilities ... Read more
