Americas

The Standard on Web Accessibility came into effect on August 1, 2011. This standard applies to all institutions listed in schedules I, I.1, and II of the Financial Administration Act and will be implemented in three phases over a two-year period. The Standard on Web Accessibility is accompanied by a guidance document to facilitate implementation by July 31, 2013. The… Continue Reading »

The first of three workshops designed to introduce persons with mobility disabilities to computer and related technology fields was held last week at Hiram G. Andrews Center in Johnstown. Project Enable is an initiative funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and led jointly by East Stroudsburg and New Mexico State Universities. “The… Continue Reading »

Montreal, Canada: A group of wheelchair transit users Monday protested the lack of access to city buses, backed by their own experience during the day as they tried to enter 67 Montreal Transit Corp. buses equipped with ramps on more than 30 routes. The six volunteers only succeeded in rolling up ramps on one-third of… Continue Reading »

Theatre Development Fund (TDF), the not-for-profit performing arts service organization whose mission includes making theatre accessible for all audiences, is piloting a new program, Autism Theatre Initiative, to make theatre accessible to children and adults with autism, and their families. The program, which is a part of TDF’s Accessibility Programs (TAP), will present the first… Continue Reading »

Washington: The Justice Department announced an agreement with Montgomery County, Md., and Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC), to improve access to all aspects of civic life for people with disabilities.   The agreement was reached under Project Civic Access (PCA), the department’s wide-ranging initiative to ensure that cities, towns and counties throughout the country… Continue Reading »

Audio description, which allows people who are blind to enjoy live theater, is offered more in the Twin Cities than anywhere else in the world and after two decades, the program is still growing. More than 70 Minnesota arts organizations offer audio description, a service in which a trained professional narrates the visual aspects of… Continue Reading »

Houston, TX: Thousands of people with disabilities, their families, caregivers, seniors, wounded veterans and healthcare professionals will attend Abilities Expo on Friday, August 26, through Sunday, August 28, 2011 at Reliant Center. Admission is free and show hours are Friday 11 am to 5 pm, Saturday 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday 11 am to 4 pm. Abilities Expo has put… Continue Reading »

Naperville, IL, US: A textphone, also referred to as a TTY, has been installed in conjunction with the outdoor emergency phone at the front door of the Naperville Police Station at 1350 Aurora Ave. This device enables persons with disabilities to contact 911 when the front lobby of the Police Department is closed on nights,… Continue Reading »

Princeton, NJ: Learning Ally, a 63-year old nonprofit organization serving over 300,000 individuals across the U.S. with learning differences, visual impairment and reading disabilities, has released an upgrade of its popular iOS application, which enables the entire Learning Ally library of downloadable DAISY-formatted audiobooks to be played on Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad and… Continue Reading »