Universal Design

AUSTRALIA: The Prime Minister’s announcement of a Royal Commission into Aged Care proves that the new PM fully understands that there are significant issues with violence, abuse and neglect being perpetrated on many older vulnerable Australians within these facilities and in home settings. “AFDO and our colleagues in the disability… Continue Reading »

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has highlighted how diffusion of innovative technologies can play a critical role in achieving many of the SDGs. The publication describes the relationship between intellectual property, innovation and the SDGs, and showcases examples of WIPO’s contributions to the SDGs. SDG 9 (industry,… Continue Reading »

AUSTRALIA: The Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) called on Federal Minister Dan Tehan in July to ensure that the current Inquiry into the Future of Supported Employment increases engagement with people with disability and their representative organisations to increase full inclusion and real employment outcomes for people with disability. ‘We are… Continue Reading »

INTERNATIONAL: Representing between 0.2% to 2% of the population, persons with deaf-blindness are a very diverse yet hidden group and are, overall, more likely to be poor and unemployed, and with lower educational outcomes. Because deaf-blindness is less well-known and often misunderstood, people struggle to obtain the right support, and… Continue Reading »

NEW YORK, USA: The UN Secretary-General has released a four-year strategy for financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Strategy underscores the UN’s critical role in supporting and accelerating the mobilization of finance and focuses on three objectives to accelerate progress from global to local levels, linked to areas… Continue Reading »

INTERNATIONAL: Digital technology has provided society with hundreds of advances that make life easier and better for everyone. From the personal computer to the internet to the smartphone to the Internet of Things, we are increasingly living in a technologically driven world. But what if those technologies were bound together… Continue Reading »

LONDON – The Occupational Health and Safety Extra (OHSxtra) website took first place in the Sitemorse NHS70 Accessibility Index. The benchmark review, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the NHS, is the first of its kind and takes a view of digital accessibility compliance across the NHS. The review covers almost 600 NHS… Continue Reading »

INTERNATIONAL: The latest statistics show that people are living longer in virtually every country in the world, with the over 60 age group growing faster than any other cohort. The aging global population is altering many aspects of society, none more so than housing.  When quizzed about their preferred living arrangements, the… Continue Reading »

NEW YORK, USA: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), UN Environment Programme (UNEP, or UN Environment) and the World Bank Group hosted a discussion on the joint initiative, ‘Financing Climate Futures: Rethinking Infrastructure.’ The event, convened during Global Goals Week, previewed a synthesis report on ways in which… Continue Reading »

NEW YORK, USA: On March 2nd, 2018, the de Blasio administration announced that New Yorkers who primarily communicate via American Sign Language can now obtain City services faster and more efficiently through the use of ASL Direct, becoming the first city in the nation to offer the service. The Mayor’s Office for… Continue Reading »