Accessibility in the News — 5/23/2025.
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Feature Stories
House GOP lawmakers are proposing nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and food stamps. Here’s who could be impacted
May 21, 2025 | Source: CNN
Here’s How to Fight Back Against the GOP Proposal to Gut Medicaid
May 16, 2025 | Source: Data for Progress
Federal Medicaid Cuts Would Force States To Eliminate Services for Disabled Adults, Older Adults, and Children
May 16, 2025 | Source: Center for American Progress
House Republicans are pushing to slash nearly $1 trillion from two of the nation’s bedrock safety net programs, Medicaid and food stamps, as part of their sweeping package aimed at enacting President Donald Trump’s agenda. If the legislation is approved, millions of Americans could lose access to these benefits as a result of a historic pullback in federal support. Trump has repeatedly vowed not to touch Medicaid, while GOP lawmakers insist that their proposals would largely affect adults who could – and should, in their view – be employed. But the actual impact would likely hit a far broader range of Americans, including some of the most vulnerable people the GOP has promised repeatedly to protect, experts say…
National News (U.S.)
Mother honors late son by pushing to get accessible swing at Jeffersonville park
May 15, 2025 | Source: WDRB and WHAS11
Accessible playground open on grounds of old Massachusetts school
May 17, 2025 | Source: WCVB
How to make Wisconsin playgrounds more accessible for nonverbal students- May19, 2025 | Source: Wisconsin Public Radio
One Jeffersonville mother is working to make the city more accessible for children with disabilities by helping install an accessible swing at a park. Shelia Dennison lost her three-year-old son Ezra July 2024. He had a disability that made it hard for him to sit up without any support. Kyle Vissing Park in Jeffersonville was one of Ezra’s favorite parks. There was nowhere for him to swing though, and even though he was nonverbal, Dennison could tell he loved to swing. “Between his facial expressions and me being his mom, I always knew what he felt, and swings were one thing that he loved,” Dennison said…
For this CVS Health developer, making tech more accessible is personal
May 16, 2025 | Source: Fast Company
Cory Joseph has been blind since birth. So he’s among the people Apple aims to serve with an addition to its App Store called “Accessibility Nutrition Labels,” one of a raft of features the company announced earlier this week to mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Once the labels go live later this year, each app’s listing will detail the accessibility features it supports, such as the VoiceOver screen reader, voice input, options to adjust text size and screen contrast, and captioned audio. These enabling technologies can be the difference between an app being essential and unusable: “Having this level of transparency from the App Store is huge,” says Joseph…
Private equity snaps up disability services, challenging state regulators
May 16, 2025 | Source: Stateline
Private equity companies have gobbled up group homes and other services for people with disabilities, attracting the attention of state and federal regulators across the nation and alarming advocates. People with intellectual or developmental disabilities have suffered abuse, neglect and even death while under the care of private equity-owned providers, according to a recent report from watchdog group Private Equity Stakeholder Project. “Private equity firms are, more than many other types of investors, laser-focused on maximizing their cash flow, often trying to double or triple their investment over a relatively short period of time, usually just a handful of years,” said Eileen O’Grady, the report’s author…
Houston Children’s Charity presents 66 families with wheelchair-accessible vans
May 16, 2025 | Source: ABC13
Next week, dozens of Houston families will be on the receiving end of Houston Children’s Charity’s generosity. The Chariots for Childrens program will present 66 local families with fully loaded, wheelchair accessible vans. One of them will be the family of 6-year-old Athena Cruz of Deer Park, who is overjoyed to receive a van. Athena was diagnosed with epilepsy at four months old after she began having seizures. “I got a call at work saying Athena was going to the hospital because she was having a hard time breathing and having seizures,” said Brenda Gomez, Athena’s mom…
Sessions sponsors bipartisan bill to remove ‘digital barriers’ for those with disabilities
May 19, 2025 | Source: Ripon Advance
Legislation sponsored on May 14 by U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) aims to ensure that websites, applications, and online services are accessible to all Americans, including individuals with disabilities. “The Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act of 2025 is about fairness, ensuring that Americans with disabilities are given a level playing field as technology continues to evolve,” Rep. Sessions said. “This bipartisan effort is essential for millions of Americans that face discrimination by digital barriers.” Rep. Sessions introduced the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act of 2025, H.R. 3417, with lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD)…
College Students With Disabilities Are Being Abandoned by the Trump Administration
May 19, 2025 | Source: Teen Vogue
Right now hundreds of thousands of high school seniors are locking in their final decision about which college they plan to attend this fall. On top of the usual considerations when searching for a good match, disabled students often have to take campus accessibility and accommodations into account, including ramps, elevators, and amplification equipment. Securing appropriate accommodations can already be more complicated in higher education than in primary or secondary school, and it’s likely going to become more difficult as universities and colleges reduce their diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) practices under the threat of losing federal funding from the Trump administration…
Penn Hills police officer died by suicide after complications from Lasik eye surgery, parents say
May 20, 2025 | Source: CBS News
At just 26 years old, Ryan Kingerski took a short time off from his job at the Penn Hills Police Department for what is considered an elective eye surgery. But his family says after getting Lasik eye surgery, he suffered from debilitating side effects and ended up taking his own life. Tim and Stefanie Kingerski say they raised a loving, joyful and loyal son, and they want people to hear Ryan’s story. Ryan Kingerski lit up a room, bringing so much pride to his parents. To know him was to love him, his family said. “Witty, charming, smart, a lot of fun to be around,” mom Stefanie described…
AI is now used for audio description. But it should be accurate and actually useful for people with low vision
May 20, 2025 | Source: The Conversation
Since the recent explosion of widely available generative artificial intelligence (AI), it now seems that a new AI tool emerges every week. With varying success, AI offers solutions for productivity, creativity, research, and also accessibility: making products, services and other content more usable for people with disability. The award-winning 2024 Super Bowl ad for Google Pixel 8 is a poignant example of how the latest AI tech can intersect with disability. Directed by blind director Adam Morse, it showcases an AI-powered feature that uses audio cues, haptic feedback (where vibrating sensations communicate information to the user) and animations to assist blind and low-vision users in capturing photos and videos…
Adaptation Ventures is a new angel investor group focused on disability and accessibility tech
May 20, 2025 | Source: TechCrunch
The global assistive technology market was valued at more than $22 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow substantially by 2030. Despite the potential market size, many founders building tech to help people with disabilities struggle to secure the kind of early funding needed to get their companies off the ground in the first place. Adaptation Ventures is a new angel group hoping to fill that funding gap by providing capital to early-stage startups building accessibility tech. It will back startups building tech specifically for persons with disabilities as well as companies with products designed for a broader market that also helps those populations…
Raining Berries CEO calls ADA lawsuit a ‘shakedown’
May 20, 2025 | Source: WFLA and WFLA2
Raining Berries, a popular coffee and acai restaurant brand, faces a lawsuit that alleges its website is not ADA-compatible. The plaintiff, a blind woman in Gainesville, recently sued 26 businesses near the University of Florida campus, including Raining Berries. She claimed her screen reader software was unable to fully communicate with the websites so she was not able to conduct business. Public records show her attorney, Aleksandra Kravets of south Florida, has filed 129 similar lawsuits in Florida federal courts in the past year. Bimal Bhojani, the founder and CEO of Raining Berries, said he believes in being ADA compliant and went to great lengths to make sure his website is accessible…
FDA says it will limit access to Covid-19 boosters for Americans under 65
May 20, 2025 | Source: The Guardian and NPR and CTV and ABC
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday that it will limit access to seasonal Covid-19 boosters for healthy Americans under 65 without clear evidence of clinical benefit – a shift, critics say, that will make access difficult for people who are not high risk but want to be vaccinated against the disease. Top officials at the FDA outlined a new framework for approving Covid-19 vaccines, saying that the US would make the boosters available for Americans over the age of 65 and for adults and children above the age of 6 months with at least one condition that increases their risk of severe Covid-19…
House GOP lawmakers are proposing nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and food stamps. Here’s who could be impacted
May 21, 2025 | Source: CNN
Here’s How to Fight Back Against the GOP Proposal to Gut Medicaid
May 16, 2025 | Source: Data for Progress
Federal Medicaid Cuts Would Force States To Eliminate Services for Disabled Adults, Older Adults, and Children
May 16, 2025 | Source: Center for American Progress
House Republicans are pushing to slash nearly $1 trillion from two of the nation’s bedrock safety net programs, Medicaid and food stamps, as part of their sweeping package aimed at enacting President Donald Trump’s agenda. If the legislation is approved, millions of Americans could lose access to these benefits as a result of a historic pullback in federal support. Trump has repeatedly vowed not to touch Medicaid, while GOP lawmakers insist that their proposals would largely affect adults who could – and should, in their view – be employed. But the actual impact would likely hit a far broader range of Americans, including some of the most vulnerable people the GOP has promised repeatedly to protect, experts say…
Residents evaluate downtown sidewalks for disability accessibility
May 21, 2025 | Source: Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Wednesday morning, a group of residents made their way along a portion of Capitol Avenue to analyze the accessibility of the area for disabled people as Cheyenne prepares for its busiest downtown pedestrian season. The event — called a walk audit — was organized by the Mayor’s Council for People with Disabilities and AARP to gather data on the accessibility of one of Cheyenne’s most popular areas for pedestrian traffic. Patti Riesland, chairwoman for the MCPD, said gathering this human experience data is important to identify the needs in the community and seek funding for necessary updates…
‘Completely transformative’: Omaha Performing Arts pilots new technology for arts accessibility
May 21, 2025 | Source: KETV
A jacket is enhancing live music and performance experiences through real-time touch sensations. It’s called the SoundShirt, and Omaha Performing Arts is one of the first performance venues in the world to introduce it. It’s a lightweight, zip-up jacket with sound actuators built in, and its goal is to help people who are deaf or hard of hearing have a fuller experience of a live performance through coordinated vibrations. “A lot of times they’re looking and watching ASL, somebody who’s doing American Sign Language, or they’re reading a captions,” Andy Cassano, vice president of programming and education for Omaha Performing Arts, said…
Vrbo Rolls Out Improvements Geared Toward Travelers With Disabilities
May 22, 2025 | Source: Disability Scoop and AllEars
A major vacation rental platform is working to make it easier for travelers with disabilities to find accommodations that meet their needs. Vrbo said this month that it is adding eight new accessibility attributes to its search. The company is also partnering with Becoming rentABLE, a separate platform that specializes in accessible rentals, to encourage hosts to make their properties more accessible. “Our mission is to power global travel for everyone, everywhere and that includes travelers with disabilities, a growing yet wildly underserved market…
The Poems in “Hardly Creatures” Take You Through an Accessible Art Museum
May 22, 2025 | Source: Electric Literature
At the opening of Rob Macaisa Colgate’s debut poetry collection, Hardly Creatures, readers are presented with an Access Legend featuring fifteen Universal Access Symbols—symbols used in visual art exhibits and museums around the world to help potential audiences identify what events may be accessible to them. These Universal Access Symbols are found, in various combinations and reimaginings, throughout the collection, cluing in readers on what type of reading experience they’d like to curate for themselves. Emulating the structure of an accessible art museum sectioned off into nine wings, Hardly Creatures reorders abecedarians, re-sequences sestinas, and guides readers’ physical hands toward tracing the words on the page, all in its interrogation of social media…
‘Shocking’ report spotlights Mass. history of mistreating disabled people
May 22, 2025 | Source: GBH
Across Massachusetts, there are thousands of unmarked graves holding people who lived and died in the state institutions that housed people with mental, intellectual and developmental disabilities beginning in the mid-1800s. Many of the residents are buried in cemeteries that are deteriorating and unmaintained. And because of how the state handles records from those facilities, thousands of family members don’t know where their loved one is buried. Like David Scott, whose brother John died at age 17 at the Fernald School in Waltham. Scott and his siblings spent 50 years not knowing where his brother’s remains were…
Accessibility Gaps Found at Virginia Polling Places During 2024 Election
May 22, 2025 | Source: disAbility Law Center of Virginia
The disAbility Law Center of Virginia (dLCV), the state’s designated Protection and Advocacy agency for individuals with disabilities, has released a comprehensive report following the November 2024 General Election revealing accessibility shortcomings at polling locations across the Commonwealth. The report, based on surveys conducted by dLCV staff and volunteers at 484 polling sites in 59 cities and counties, found that while many locations met basic accessibility standards, significant barriers remain that threaten the voting rights of Virginians with disabilities…
Fresno Unified Is Fixing Accessibility to HR Building After Months of Complaints
May 22, 2025 | Source: GV Wire
Fresno Unified’s Jason Stansell is happy that the district is finally addressing accessibility issues at the district’s human resources building. But he questions why it took the district months to provide equal access to all. “The district, as a whole, doesn’t care about disabled individuals, needing services, needing help,” Stansell, a disabled paraprofessional, told GV Wire. “Everyone should have access to HR.” Fresno Unified has struggled to comply with federal ADA regulations before. Last year, the Fresno Teachers Association released a video showing a wheelchair bound teacher, Jackie Esquivel, having to crawl onto a bus and to her seat…
Jack Fact — Researchers from the School of Medicine and Global Brain Health Institute have examined the challenges and opportunities of making travel more dementia friendly. Currently there are over 64,000 people living with dementia (PLwD) in Ireland and global numbers are projected to rise to 139 million people worldwide living with dementia by 2050.
Hit The Road Jack — Sandy Springs Sets the Standard for Accessible Travel in Georgia and New maps to inspire accessible forest walks and Accessible Attractions in Seattle and These cities have America’s best parks
International News
Beyond Barriers exhibition proves accessible, inclusive design is about much more than just ‘compliance’
May 15, 2025 | Source: ABC News- Australia
As someone who navigates the world using a wheelchair, the inaccessibility of public spaces is something I’m all too familiar with. It’s a barrier I have to consider every time I travel, socialise outside my house, or go somewhere for work. It’s part and parcel of the mental load I carry as a physically disabled person, and it means my every move has to be meticulously planned and prepared for. The list of ways a space can be inaccessible is frustratingly endless. Stairs. Gutters. Uneven terrain. Gaps between a platform and train. Narrow doorways or hallways. No lifts to bathrooms…
How a lack of accessibility shapes the summer for people with physical challenges in the Lower Mainland
May 15, 2025 | Source: BCIT News- Canada
When Kim Eggers, co-founder of South Fraser Active Living, or S.F.A.L., attended a public Canada Day celebration in Surrey, with designated areas for people with accessibility needs, she didn’t expect to be stuck behind standing guests. Eggers said she just want to be able to see what others around her can. “For me, the biggest thing in the summer is the big events… we’re lower, so people will often stand right up in front of us… they don’t seem to care.” To many visitors and residents, these challenges are invisible. But people like Eggers know that even seeking the basics in public can become a challenge…
Delhi launches mission to make city more accessible for persons with disabilities
May 16, 2025 | Source: The Week- India
Delhi has rolled out a city-wide initiative to make public spaces and infrastructure more accessible for persons with disabilities. The ‘Sugamya Delhi Abhiyan’ was launched on the Global Accessibility Awareness Day on Thursday during a stakeholder consultation in Dwarka. It aims to build on the early success of a pilot project in the sub-city and scale it across the national capital, according to an official statement. Organised by the Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) in collaboration with the Inclusive Divyangjan Entrepreneur Association (IDEA), the consultation brought together over 100 participants, including disability rights groups, private companies, CSR leaders and government officials…
Does Article 21 include right to digital access? | Explained
May 16, 2025 | Source: The Hindu- India
On April 30, the Supreme Court (SC) directed revisions to Know-Your-Customer (KYC) digital norms to ensure accessibility for ‘persons with disabilities’ (PwD), reinterpreting Article 21 of the Constitution to encompass the ‘right to digital access’. The Constitution, through its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, and Directive Principles, alongside disability statutes, obligates the state to adapt laws, policies, and infrastructure which allow PwDs to exercise their rights on par with others. Advancing these guarantees and giving effect to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), India enacted the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016…
The Council on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on Friday approved an accessibility audit developed in partnership with the World Health Organisation
May 17, 2025 | Source: Dawn- Pakistan
Chaired by Minister for Human Rights Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, representatives from key federal ministries, departments and civil society organisations at a meeting of the council evaluated the current progress and key initiatives aimed at promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. Discussions centred on enhancing accessibility, improving data collection and fostering institutional inclusivity. According to a statement, a significant outcome of the session was the council’s unanimous decision that the audit will assess physical access to public and private spaces and guide the implementation of inclusive infrastructure, including ramps, wheelchair-accessible restrooms and accessible design elements…
Architects to evaluate Jamaica’s accessibility
May 17, 2025 | Source: InsideTheGames- Jamaica
The Jamaica Paralympic Association, in partnership with the Americas Paralympic Committee and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean announced the visit of A+U Architects to the island country this week to conduct a study ending Friday. This tour, with support from the Ministry of Gender, Entertainment, Culture and Sport and the University of the West Indies Mona, provided added data to the Grassroots Project, which focuses on promoting inclusive sport and positioning the Caribbean island as a leader in the development of Paralympic sport in the Caribbean region…
Smith’s Hill principal’s story shows accessibility is everyone’s business
May 17, 2025 | Source: Region Illawarra- Australia
It took two years for Smith’s Hill High School principal David Deitz to return to the role he’s loved since 2014, after sustaining a high-level spinal cord injury during a cycling event in 2023 — but he never doubted he would. Thanks to months of rehabilitation, unwavering community support and key changes to the school environment, Mr Deitz officially returned to his role in January. “It felt like coming home,” he said. “Over the two years I wasn’t at the school, I always thought of myself as the principal of the school. I never gave up on that. “I felt very supported by my students, my staff and the broader school community.”…
Goa govt to audit accessibility of its buildings to heed rules for PwDs
May 18, 2025 | Source: Times of India
State govt has decided to conduct an accessibility audit of the built environment, including public buildings, transportation systems, educational institutions, and recreational facilities. This initiative aims to ensure compliance with accessibility standards and guidelines notified under Rule 15 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules. Goa’s department for empowerment of persons with disabilities will engage an agency registered or empanelled as access auditors under the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment to carry out the audit in the state…
UK train companies could have to pay disabled passengers more compensation after rule change
May 18, 2025 | Source: The Guardian- UK
Railway operators in the UK could soon have to pay out far greater sums in compensation to disabled passengers left unable to access trains despite booking assistance. The rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), has warned companies running trains and stations that compensation claims for failures can no longer be limited to the cost of a ticket. The ORR is set to toughen up accessibility rules after a disabled passenger was awarded about 10 times as much by a court than by the rail ombudsman – £1,200 instead of £125 – after pre-booked assistance to board a train failed to materialise…
Advocates call absence of disability ministry in PM’s new cabinet ‘a real slap in the face’
May 18, 2025 | Source: CBC- Canada
When Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled his new cabinet this week, one notable position was omitted from the roster: the minister of diversity, inclusion and persons with disabilities. Pre-election, the position was held by Kamal Khera, who lost her Brampton West seat to the Conservative Party’s Amarjeet Gill. Instead of naming a new minister, the position was, in effect, abolished. Now, people with disabilities and those supporting them are raising concerns about what this will mean for federal policy moving forward. “For the prime minister to do this is a real slap in the face to eight million people with disabilities in Canada,” said disability rights professor David Lepofsky…
Redbourn Bowls Club to hold free disability bowls taster day
May 18, 2025 | Source: BBC- UK
A stroke survivor said playing bowls had improved her confidence and balance. Caroline Griffin described how her “life fell apart” at the age of 47 when she collapsed at her home in Redbourn, Hertfordshire. A stroke left her with weakness on her left side and she was later diagnosed with functional tremors in both hands and neuropathic pain in both legs. Now 51, she said despite being one of the youngest on her team, the sport helped her through isolation and she encouraged others to give it a go. Ms Griffin had her stroke in 2020 during the Covid pandemic and felt she did not have much medical support…
“When You Can Spread Your Wings”: Olena Zelenska Takes Part in Event on Accessibility in Communication
May 19, 2025 | Source: The Presidential Office of Ukraine
First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in the event “When You Can Spread Your Wings,” dedicated to accessibility in communication. The event marked the launch of the National Barrier-Free Week – a nationwide information campaign promoting accessibility. “The war has made many important realities of life more visible – and first of all, disability. We all bear the heavy Soviet legacy of stigmatizing disability. The term ‘disabled’ was removed from Ukrainian legislation in 2018. But clearly, a legal change alone is not enough – it will take years to erase these labels and stigmas from our collective consciousness and everyday speech,” the First Lady emphasized…
Citizens With Disabilities Ontario celebrates 20 years
May 19, 2025 | Source: TBNewsWatch- Canada
Accessibility advocates are hoping federal agencies will meet them halfway on a new program aimed at improving online accessibility. Citizens With Disabilities Ontario celebrated 20 years of public education and advocacy on Thursday with the promotion of its accessibility exchange platform. “We had developed this online platform that is meant to connect people with disabilities in the community with federally regulated organizations,” said Doris Rajan, managing director of New Society institute, which manages the platform. Although the website connects people living with disabilities with federally regulated organizations, NSI is hoping agencies will meet them half way to change lives…
The Accessibility Gap: Why the biggest apps still exclude millions
May 20, 2025 | Source: Storyboard18- India
In a country that prides itself on being a global technology hub, millions of Indians with disabilities continue to find themselves locked out of basic digital services, from ordering groceries to hailing a ride. Despite legal protections and growing awareness, many of the country’s most popular consumer apps remain inaccessible. Accessibility advocates say the problem lies not in the lack of standards, but in the lack of will. “Our approach has always been collaborative,” said Amar Jain, a lawyer and co-founder of Mission Accessibility, an advocacy group that works with digital platforms to improve access…
Australian para sport has issues everywhere – here’s what must be fixed ahead of the Brisbane Paralympics
May 20, 2025 | Source: The Conversation- Australia
Australia’s underwhelming performance at the 2024 Paris Paralympics has raised serious questions about how well our adaptive sport system is working. The Paris games returned our lowest medal tally since 1988, from our smallest team since 2004. This result hasn’t gone unnoticed. Ahead of the 2032 Brisbane games, now is the time to rebuild and strengthen grassroots disability sport across the country. To do this, we must focus on inclusive, sustainable and community-driven approaches that truly support people with disabilities from the very start…
Bulgaria launches new disability support programme, providing high-tech assistive devices
May 20, 2025 | Source: Euractiv- Bulgaria
Bulgaria has launched a long-delayed EU-funded programme to support people with disabilities through access to high-tech assistive devices. With €12 million in initial funding under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the project will provide over 2,000 beneficiaries with vouchers to purchase prosthetics, communication tablets for non-verbal children, smart canes, and navigation systems for people who are blind. “We never even dreamed of such a thing,” Social Minister Borislav Gutsanov said. The Bulgarian government was more than a year late in launching the project, which was threatened by the political crisis in Sofia and problems with public procurement…
Couple quit 9 to 5 to launch disability-led marketing firm
May 20, 2025 | Source: BBC- UK
When Imali Chislett set up a marketing agency in 2018, she never imagined it would turn into an award-winning champion of workplace inclusion. All she knew was, as a wheelchair user and living with chronic illness, the traditional workplace was not for her. Ms Chislett and her husband, Cameron, launched Bournemouth-based Inkfire, which claims to be the UK’s first disability-led marketing and tech agency. As part of its services, it has helped more than 200 businesses embed inclusivity into their operations. “I had some really terrible experiences, as did my husband, in the workplace,” said Ms Chislett…
RNID partners with Motability Foundation to study public transport accessibility for deaf people
May 21, 2025 | Source: THIIS- UK
RNID, the national charity for people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus, has launched a major new research project – funded by the Motability Foundation – aimed at understanding the barriers faced by people from these communities when using public transport. The 18-month study will gather in-depth insights from people across the UK who are deaf or have hearing loss with the aim of developing new ideas and technology to improve accessibility in travel. To help inform the work, RNID will conduct a national survey and use focus groups to understand real-life travel experiences…
Accessibility in Action – Potters Primary sets the standard for Inclusive Education
May 21, 2025 | Source: Antigua Observer- Antigua and Barbuda
Nestled in the heart of a rural community, Potters Primary School is emerging as a trailblazer in inclusive education. Last Friday, this commitment was further strengthened with the donation of two new wheelchairs by the Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank (ECAB), in collaboration with the disability advocacy group Good Humans 268. This latest act of generosity is part of a larger and ongoing effort to transform Potters Primary into a fully accessible learning environment—one where all students, regardless of ability, can thrive both academically and socially…
South Korea invests over $6.6M to improve kiosk accessibility
May 22, 2025 | Source: Kiosk Marketplace- South Korea
The South Korean government is investing approximately 9.2 billion won (roughly $6.66 million) in a project to make self-service kiosks more accessible for seniors and individuals with disabilities, according to a Chosun Biz report. The Ministry of Science and ICT announced the barrier-free kiosk technology and dissemination support project on Thursday, aimed at addressing the difficulties these groups face when using such devices. The initiative will support manufacturers in developing accessible kiosk technology and assist with the verification process for these devices…
People with disabilities face barriers to navigating B.C. Legislature, say politicians and advocates
May 22, 2025 | Source: CBC- Canada
To get to the house floor from the B.C. Legislature’s dining room, MLA Dana Lajeunesse travels down a hallway, outside into a courtyard and up two steep ramps that bring him to the front half of the building, around a corner, down another hall, up an elevator, through a door, and down a final hallway back toward the rear of the building. His colleagues make the same journey in a fraction of the time, by climbing three flights of stairs. “Although it doesn’t seem that inaccessible to me, I always arrive after everyone else, so it could be better,” said Lajeunesse, the MLA for Juan de Fuca-Malahat and B.C.’s parliamentary secretary for accessibility, who uses a wheelchair for mobility…
Jana Degrott: “A country where accessibility is for all”
May 22, 2025 | Source: Delano- Luxembourg
By 2050, Luxembourg has become an example for the entire world. What was once a dream is now our reality: a country where accessibility is not an option, but the foundation of our society. Twenty-five years ago, we talked about removing visible and invisible barriers. Today, it’s done. We understood one simple truth: when we make spaces and services accessible to everyone, everyone benefits. In our cities, buildings, transport, and services are naturally accessible. It’s no longer seen as a “bonus” or a “special adaptation”–it’s simply the normal way of building and designing…
Accessibility Blogs, Information, and Videos
- Autism and Chemicals- Living on Earth
- All hands together- Peter Torres Fremlin
- Go give them their flowers- John Loeppky
- Access Ready In Support of Policies and Positions
- Taking a step towards ensuring digital accessibility- YourStory
- It’s time to start talking seriously about ad accessibility- Vanessa Vidad
- Why attitude is important when it comes to accessibility- Connie Chandler
- So you think you want an Accessibility Advisory Council?- Access*Ability
- GIS 101: Map Accessibility- National States Geographic Information Council
- How to Make Your Squarespace Website ADA Compliant- Kseniia Burmagina
- Why We Should Care about Accessible Websites and How to Do It- Ben Linders
- Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference in Accessibility- Nancy Darling Ph.D.
- Surpassing ADA Recommendations For Accessible Interior Spaces- Evelyn Long
- Beyond awareness: Making accessibility a daily practice for inclusion- The Jerusalem Post
- How my fight for inclusive access to a soccer stadium paid off – Muscular Dystrophy News
- Is your favourite app excluding users? UX Experts on Accessibility oversights- Indrani Bose
- Engineering Accessibility Excellence: The Purpose-Driven Career of Konain Mukadam- IBTimes
- Stop Treating Digital Accessibility Like a Checkbox — Make It a Business Priority- Ana Šekerija
- Ensuring accessibility and safe egress: Particularly sites with no lifts or ramps- Facilities Management Journal
- Accountability Now: Enforcing Accessibility Standards in the Mobile App Economy- World Institute on Disability
- Harnessing the skills of people with disability in the volunteering sector- Communities and Justice – NSW Government
- What Is a Conforming Alternate Version and When Would We Use It?- Greg Schwarz and Stephanie Waegener, MNIT Office of Accessibility
- ADA Title II Revision – Addition of Technical Requirements For Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities- Hiram Kuykendall
Federally Speaking
- FCC Announces 2025-2026 NDBEDP Allocations
- Digital Asset Accessibility Under ADA Title II- Microassist
- Comment Sought on ClearCaptions Petitions for Waiver- FCC
- FCC Seeks Nominations for Awards for Advancement in Accessibility
- FDA Clears First Blood Test Used in Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease- U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- House Passes Congressman Valadao’s Bill to Strengthen VA Accessibility for Disabled Veterans- David Valadao – House.gov
Higher Education Blogs and Information
- Creating Accessible Lists in Canvas – Utah State University
- How to Start Making Your Course Accessible – Utah State University
- Nyle DiMarco discusses his documentary ‘Deaf President Now!’- NPR
- Digital Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning- Marshall University
- Princeton’s New Mobile App Can Help You Navigate Campus- Princeton University
- Faculty and staff honored with Accessibility Advocate Award- West Virginia University
- Steps Toward Creating a More Accessible and Inclusive College Classroom – Faculty Focus
- Architecture student calls for accessibility to be at the heart of design- Scottish Housing News
- RMIT wins workplace culture award for inclusion and accessibility innovation- RMIT University
- Announcing Carleton’s Renewed Coordinated Accessibility Strategy – Accessibility Institute- Carleton University
- Where Digital Accessibility Meets Universal Design: Transforming Classrooms for Multilingual Learners with Disabilities- Utah State University
- The ATHENA Project: How to Integrate Accessibility and Universal Design into Higher Education Curricula- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
- Locked out! Exploring university library websites’ accessibility by students with visual disabilities- Patience Agabirwe, George W. Kiyingi, Elena Macevicute
Legal Blogs and Information
- Overview of the European Accessibility Act 2025 in Ireland- Browne Jacobson
- Is your website compliant? Slovakia’s accessibility law is coming – The Slovak Spectator
- New law to ensure accessibility of services, devices for people with disabilities- Croatian Parliament
- The European Accessibility Act and B2B Software: What Internal Platforms Must Comply With – Karl Groves
- The countdown to the European Accessibility Act is almost over – businesses must comply by 28 June- Marc Calvo
- LDF Calls on Target to Reverse Course on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Rollbacks- Legal Defense Fund
- From Risk to Resilience: Bridging Legal Compliance and Technical Execution in Accessibility- Ken Nakata and James Thurston
Accessibility Announcements
- Mulgrave looks to broaden accessibility efforts
- Starkey Partners with LG on TV Auracast Streaming
- FC Barcelona promotes inclusion for Diversity Month
- Agassiz-Harrison Museum honoured with accessibility award
- Disney Extends Disability Access Service Validity Period Again
- Avianca’s “Avianca Accessible” Program Makes Further Strides
- Beacon of accessibility adds Green Key certification to credentials
- TNRD board adopts first accessibility plan, asks for public feedback
- ‘Ramp Up’ kicks of 2025 season, bringing accessibility to those in need
- Arts United invests more than $40,000,000 into accessibility improvements
- State Historical Museum of Iowa unveils new signs to improve accessibility
- Bradley International Airport Launches GoodMaps for Enhanced Accessibility
- New accessible outdoor center opens this weekend in Waltham, Massachusetts
- Technology to improve accessibility of Qur’an studies highlighted at competition
- CIIR promotes comprehensive accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities
- MTA improves accessibility with 2 updated elevators for commuters at 34th St.– Penn Station
- Peak District Accessibility Champion Receives Accolade In Memory Of National Parks Colleague
- ‘Sugamya Delhi Abhiyan’ Launched to Make Delhi Accessible and Inclusive for Persons with Disabilities
- 2024-2025 Digital Accessibility Recognition Scheme Awards Presentation Ceremony Successfully Concluded
- Miami International Airport Boosts Accessibility With 41 New Wheelchair Lifts Amid $9 Billion Modernization Efforts
- PRIDE Industries Honored for Website Accessibility as Gold STEVIE® Award Winner in 2025 American Business Awards®
- Innosearch AI and National Federation of the Blind Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Digital Accessibility for Blind and Low-Vision Communities
Accessibility Products and Services
- Texas Health Steps
- Accessibility and Empowerment of PwDs
- Apple Unveiling New Accessibility Features
- Visit Mesa is an Inclusive Tourism Destination
- How UbiDuo 3 United a Deaf CEO and an MMA Fighter
- Accessible air travel solutions go mainstream at AIX 2025
- Avianca increases scope of passenger accessibility programme
- Samsung showcases Auracast’s potential for hearing accessibility
- Snowball app integrates TfL data to improve transport accessibility
- Unpacking the brain control accessibility coming to Apple devices soon
- Accessibility on Linux sucks, but GNOME and KDE are making progress
- Google Chrome on mobile can now zoom into text without messing the page design
- Your Meta Ray-Bans just got two seriously helpful upgrades for free – how they work
- Milan Design Week: Claudia Poh Champions Accessible Design With Werable’s First Bag
- Your Chrome and Android devices just got useful assistive features for free – here’s what’s new
- Apple’s upcoming accessibility features include a seamless braille note taker and helpful magnifier app
- Breaking Barriers With Sound: Sony Music Group Hosts Concert for Global Accessibility Awareness Day
- Accessibility app Snowball uses TfL data to make it easier for disabled people to plan journeys in the capital
- New Sign Language Translation Platform Revolutionizes Information Accessibility for the Deaf Community
- Over 60 Aircraft in the Avianca Fleet Now Feature More Visible Row Markers With Braille and Higher Contrast
- Inclusive Design for Accessibility: A Practical Guide to Digital Accessibility, UX, and Inclusive Web and App Design- Dale Cruse and Denis Boudreau
Accessibility Forums, Tips, and Gaming
- A11y 101: How to test manually
- Cross-Platform Gaming Enhances Accessibility
- The Nintendo Switch 2 will support text-to-speech
- As the game industry cuts back, accessibility is feeling the impact
- Nintendo needs to take Switch 2 accessibility seriously, and here’s why
- Switch 2 Includes These Helpful GameChat Accessibility Features – Report
- Final Fantasy XI is considering revising character progression and accessibility
- Diablo IV’s team has added over 50 accessibility features, from pings to a screen reader
- Daggerheart Is the Most Accessible TTRPG I’ve Ever Played. Here’s What I Love About It
Accessibility Statements
- 2axend
- TAFE NSW
- KAIROS Canada
- Berghahn Journals
- CoLab Cooperative
- Georgia Digital Services
- Department for Infrastructure
- Resort Municipality of Whistler
- International Distribution Services
- University of Nebraska Medical Center
Microassist Digital Accessibility Services
Have you received an accessibility demand letter because of your website or application? Please contact us for any questions you have about our accessibility services and how we might support your organization.
Services include:
- Accessible Website and Application Development— We rely heavily on accessibility best practices and using HTML5 and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) standards to build WCAG-compliant and human-tested accessible environments. Our teams are proficient in open source technologies such as WordPress, Drupal and Moodle, as well as custom frameworks in .NET, PHP, AngularJS, and other frameworks. Our Learning and Development team can also help you create accessible custom training.
- Accessible Document Services— Whether you’re dealing with a few or a warehouse of Microsoft Office documents, PDFs, or other files, there are several ways Microassist can enable your team to offer documents and materials that meet stringent accessibility standards.
- Accessibility Remediation— Our accessibility remediation services help you fix existing materials so that they conform to WCAG, Section 504 and 508, Department of Education OCR, and ADA Title II/III requirements. We remediate websites, applications, documents, and elearning, recommending re-creation when that is more efficient and economical. Especially for website and applications, to find out what is in need of remediation, we’ll start with an Accessibility Audit.
- Accessibility Training— With several courses available for developers, testers, and content creators, your team can become equipped to consistently and expertly produce accessible digital products and online environments.
- VPAT®Evaluation Services— Primarily used by government purchasers and government vendors during the procurement and sale of ICT products and services under Section 508, a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® (VPAT) attests to the accessibility of a given product or service. Contact us to make sure the VPAT you write or review is accurate and meaningful.
Learn More About Digital Accessibility
Our Digital Accessibility Digest blog covers our Accessibility in the News archives as well as expert commentaries on digital accessibility issues.
Our most popular commentaries include:
- What is a VPAT®? A VPAT Primer
- Understanding Digital Accessibility in the Procurement Process
- Accessibility in the News, Legal Edition: Updates on ADA Title III News and More
- What Lawyers Need to Know: A Primer on Digital Accessibility Terms and Today’s Legal Landscape
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