Accessibility in the News

wbur.org

MBTA plans to close accessibility gaps on nearly all Green Line stops

By 2031, 68 of the Green Line’s 70 stops are set to meet accessibility standards for riders with disabilities, according to the MBTA. The plans include modernizing stops across all branches and consolidating some stations.

Truthout

DOJ Just Shut Disabled People Out of Essential Online Services for Another Year

Disability rights advocates say everything from filing for unemployment to voting in the midterms just got much harder.

Disability Scoop

Deadline Looms For Healthcare Providers To Improve Accessibility

New rules mandating greater disability access in healthcare are about to take effect, but recent actions suggest that federal officials may be mulling a delay.

Colorado family unhappy about changes to Elitch Gardens accessibility pass: "It

A Castle Rock family is unhappy about a change to the accessibility pass policy at Elitch Gardens.

AI meets accessibility in this year’s Swift Student Challenge

Meet four Swift Student Challenge winners who are creating innovative apps that leverage AI and focus on accessibility.

European Commission

Boosting accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities

The European Commission has presented an ambitious social plan to promote the rights of persons with disabilities across the EU.

Social Security unraveling: 7,100 workers sacked, performance metrics retired, disability claims falling | Fortune

The administration touts a 73% drop in call wait times. Researchers who found terminally ill clients dying before paperwork clears.

Passenger Transport

Aging Population Drives Accessibility Innovations in Transit - Passenger Transport

Population trends in the U.S. suggest a busy future for public transportation. Most young people aren’t getting driver’s licenses, families are moving to suburbs, and older adults are aging in place while driving less. Add in the needs of culturally […]

Tech Policy Press

The Web Is Being Made Accessible for AI, Not People

Jonathan Zong and Frank Elavsky critique how AI-driven infrastructure changes obscure accessibility and reveal whose needs society chooses to prioritize.

Event Industry News

Event planners want to deliver accessible events but lack confidence, clarity and support, new research reveals - Event Industry News

A lack of clarity, confidence and budget is preventing event planners from delivering accessible events, according to new research from The Business of…

How to design accessible contact forms

Research consistently shows that forms are one of the most problematic areas in accessibility.

bbc.com

'Tampering with toilet cords life or death for people'

A disability campaign group is raising awareness about the importance of the life-saving device.

venable.com

Are Employees Entitled to Remote Work Accommodations Because of Common Anxiety or Long Commutes? | Insights | Venable LLP

Employers are seeing more requests for remote work as an ADA accommodation. Learn when it’s required, how EEOC guidance applies, and when employers can deny work-from-home requests.

Theatre company creates accessible show for people with autism, intellectual disabilities | CBC News

Fresh Mix is a theatre show featuring artists with and without intellectual disabilities. It encourages audience members to not only watch, but also participate.

How accessible is Eurostar? I tested the journey to Paris as a wheelchair user

Eurostar has introduced improvements on its trains for travellers with disabilities – Carrie-Ann Lightly boards at St Pancras to see how they stand up in practice

Screens are leaving schools fast, though some students with disabilities rely on them

Some students with disabilities rely on assistive technology to learn, and they worry it could be swept up in the movement to get screens out of schools.

WYSL

Gov. Hochul announces American Sign Language now included in New York’s language access law - WYSL NewsPower 1040

TechCrunch

Apple announces Apple Intelligence-powered accessibility feature updates | TechCrunch

Apple announced several new accessibility updates to features like VoiceOver, voice control, live recognition, and real-time caption generation for videos that will be powered by Apple Intelligence.

Disability experts say Ann Arbor has room to improve voter accessibility

A disability rights group looked at Ann Arbor’s polling locations during the November election and found that only a few had full accessibility accommodations. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has the details.

Apple unveils new accessibility features, and updates with Apple Intelligence

Apple announced major accessibility updates powered by Apple Intelligence, including new capabilities for VoiceOver, Magnifier, and Voice Control.

https://www.kjct8.com

Colorado student disability rights bill awaits governor’s signature

Bipartisan legislation would create state-level protections for students with disabilities as federal enforcement faces uncertainty.

Mother Jones

The populist Paralympian who wants to roll into the Senate

Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek has scored upsets before. Flipping Iowa back to Democrats would be his biggest yet.

STAT

As FDA misses deadline on electric shock ban, disability advocates speak out

The FDA has missed a self-imposed deadline to ban the use of electrical shock devices in people with intellectual disabilities.

Using universal design for learning to alleviate disclosure reluctance

Designing courses accessibly from the ground up reduces the pressure on neurodivergent students to disclose in order to succeed, writes Luis Paterson