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New Research Into The FTSE 100 Shows We’ve Made Progress In Disability Inclusion In Business - But There’s A Long Way To Go

Last month, Tortoise Media released new research into disability reporting by the FTSE 100 - which represent...

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Accessibility news archive

Here's what happened in the accessibility world from June 27–July 3, 2021

Be sure to check Accessibility News Briefly for the latest news and updates — and don't forget to subscribe to get weekly recaps right to your inbox. It's the easiest way to stay informed.

As a reminder, we provide these news briefs for your information and convenience, and we don't endorse or recommend any of these publications or products.

Kellogg's Launches New, Accessible Cereal Boxes for Blind and Partially Sighted Shoppers

July 2, 2021, Newsweek: In a Thursday Instagram post, Kellogg Europe announced it will be switching its standard cereal boxes for ones that feature innovative, accessibility minded technology.

What is assistive technology? Understanding accessibility features and services

July 2, 2021, Business Insider: Assistive technology is an important aspect of any new device. If your computer or phone isn't accessible, you're locking out a massive part of your userbase.

Digital accessibility still important even as remote work wanes

July 2, 2021, University Times: As the Pitt community makes its way back to campus, Angie Bedford-Jack wants people to keep digital accessibility in mind.

New apartment building for people with disabilities coming to West Chicago

July 2, 2021, Daily Herald: West Chicago will soon have apartments specially designed for individuals with developmental disabilities or mental health needs.

What Is Presumptive Disability?

July 2, 2021, AARP: The Social Security Administration (SSA) takes several months to process a disability-based application for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a monthly benefit for disabled and older people with very low incomes. Applicants with certain medical conditions, however, may be able to collect advance payments while awaiting a decision on their claim.

Opinion: Disabled workers are essential to the economy’s recovery

July 1, 2021, MarketWatch: Forecasts for Friday’s jobs report show that we may be experiencing a long-awaited post-pandemic rebound in employment. The economy is expected to add more than 500,000 new jobs. But these big topline numbers obscure the fact that the economic recovery is not reaching everyone. Disabled workers, especially disabled women, were hit harder by the pandemic than nondisabled workers and their return to work has been fragile.

11 is being built for accessibility, new Microsoft blog post says

July 1, 2021, OnMSFT.com: Windows 11 has received a lot of interest due to its clean and elegant design, but it's not only for the eye candy. According to a new post on the Windows Experience blog, Windows 11 is "the most inclusively designed version of Windows." In the post, Windows Accessibility Leader Jeff Petty details how Microsoft is designing Windows 11 to "help tackle the “disability divide” — to contribute to more education and employment opportunities for people with disabilities across the world."

Accessibility Matters Throughout the Pandemic

July 1, 2021, Santa Barbara Independent: In May 2020, businesses were facing uncertainty surrounding a developing global pandemic and the related stay-at-home orders. Their future to remain viable and successful was in doubt, and sadly, some of them did not survive. Locally, hospitality businesses struggled to find creative ways to persevere. A key determining factor was location. Some gained a ray of hope, if they were lucky enough to have access to outdoor space, and funding. The city responded to the crisis, with a number of critical accommodations by way of the Emergency Economic Recovery Ordinance (EERO).

Philadelphia, SEPTA team challenge aims to improve transit accessibility through augmented reality tools

June 30, 2021, Mass Transit: The city of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability (OTIS), SmartCityPHL and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) are challenging innovative thinkers to make public transit more accessible through augmented reality technology.

Justice Department Reaches Agreement with the City of Killeen, Texas to Improve Access for Individuals with Disabilities

June 30, 2021, Department of Justice: The Justice Department announced a settlement with the City of Killeen, Texas, to provide equal access in its programs, services, facilities and activities to individuals with disabilities, including veterans. The agreement is part of the department’s commitment to ensuring that civic institutions comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Killeen has a large population of veterans, active duty military service members, retirees and their families.

Education Technology Must Be Accessible For All Students

June 29, 2021, THE Journal: We’ve seen the use of education technology become more prevalent this past year. We’ve also seen an additional disruption in education as COVID-19 impacted student achievement, particularly in diverse student populations with accessibility needs. Aside from the overarching challenges of learning from home, the nation’s nearly 7 million students with disabilities had additional obstacles to overcome during the pandemic. For these students, the move to Zoom wasn’t a fixall solution for remote learning.

Beijing to equip all its key Winter Olympics areas with accessible facilities

June 29, 2021, WFMZ-TV: Beijing will equip all its key Winter Olympics areas with accessible facilities within this year, according to municipal officials.

Easing lockdown: Deaf-blind woman shares disabled people's fears as lockdown eases

June 29, 2021, Berkshire Live–UK: A deaf-blind businesswoman has warned people with disabilities may need help as normal life slowly starts to return. Molly Watt says the coronavirus pandemic has had a severe impact on the lives of disabled people and that many will face a lot of stress and anxiety when they come out of shielding and isolation.

Court finds Domino’s Pizza Violated the ADA by Having an Inaccessible Website and Orders WCAG Compliance

June 28, 2021, JDSupra: Seyfarth Synopsis: California federal trial court grants summary judgment for plaintiff, finding Domino’s violated the ADA by having a website that is inaccessible to the blind and orders Domino’s bring its website into compliance with the WCAG 2.0 guidelines.

Adjust Accessibility Settings on a Per-App Basis on iOS 15

June 28, 2021, Gadget Hacks: Accessibility features — such as spoken content, reduced motion, and voice control — help those who might have hearing, vision, learning, or physical and motor disabilities better use their iPhone devices. These features are very welcome, but when enabled they work system-wide, which can be a problem if you need these settings enabled only in certain situations.

Disability isn’t always what you think it is, here’s how to address ableism IRL

June 28, 2021, Stylist: I am going to be honest with you – before I became disabled, I didn’t know what ableism was.

How accessible is transit in New York?

June 27, 2021, City & State NY: Every New Yorker knows what it’s like to be exasperated with train delays or miss a muffled announcement from a subway conductor that a local train is suddenly going express. Unreliable transit service is reliably annoying. But for people with disabilities trying to navigate New York City and its surrounding neighborhoods, those annoyances become real impediments. The city has services available and work underway to make transportation more accessible, but those services don’t function perfectly.