Headline News

UNITED STATES: If you live in New York City and use a manual wheelchair, you may soon be able to use the Lime app to order a free rental of an attachment that turns it into a power vehicle. The design is one of seven adaptive vehicles the micromobility company… Continue Reading »

The European Space Agency says it wants to recruit someone with a disability as part of its call for new astronauts. Esa will be accepting applications in March to fill four-to-six vacancies in its astro corps but it wants this draft process to be as inclusive as possible. The search for a… Continue Reading »

UK: A host of new measures that have been designed to improve the travel experience on Southeastern services for anyone who has a disability or mobility issue are being implemented during 2021, it has been announced. They are part of the operator’s new Accessible Travel Policy that is now available following approval by… Continue Reading »

SYRIA: This guidance note provides an overview of the risks that persons with disabilities face in the COVID-19 response regarding accessing humanitarian services and proposes actions to address these risks within the CCCM response specifically. This note draws on the IASC Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action,… Continue Reading »

Back in 2018, we heard about a full-size foldable wheel known as the Revolve. Its inventor, Andrea Mocellin, has now incorporated the technology into a wheelchair that folds down to fit inside an airliner’s overhead baggage area. The wheel itself features a central hub, six folding aluminum structures that take the… Continue Reading »

SCOTLAND: Announcing its own manifesto for the upcoming elections to the Scottish parliament, Inclusion Scotland said disabled people wanted to “go forwards to a more inclusive future”. Its Rights and Renewal manifesto focuses on five key areas: incorporating the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into Scottish law; social care;… Continue Reading »

GERMANY: Berlin has introduced a law elevating the status of pedestrians and making its mobility ecosystem more usable for wheelchair users and the visually impaired. The so-called ‘pedestrian law’– an amendment of the city’s 2018 Mobility Act – was passed by the state parliament at the end of January and is the first… Continue Reading »

CANADA: In collaboration with ARCH Disability Centre, TRU with the help of the University of Windsor will pursue a new research project on the effects of COVID-19. TRU’s Dr. Ruby Dhand, a professor in the Faculty of Law, has partnered with Dr. Dipesh Prema, a TRU chemistry professor, and Dr. Tess… Continue Reading »

INDIA: The basic public amenities like drinking water, toilets, signages, etc. are available at most of the Centrally Protected Monuments including World Heritage Sites. Further, wheelchairs, ramps, Braille cultural notice boards and disabled friendly public amenities have been provided to make these sites accessible to persons with disabilities. Following steps have… Continue Reading »

Americas: If you have a body, you are an athlete – according to the sports brand Nike, that is. It’s an inclusive outlook from a brand that is closely associated with elite athletes at the very peak of their physical prowess. And with the unveiling of the latest iteration of… Continue Reading »

CANADA: Funding for two projects that will modernize and improve accessibility for Peel Region’s public transit system was announced by the Honorable Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; Sylvia Jones, Solicitor General of Ontario and Member of Provincial Parliament for Dufferin-Caledon, on behalf of the Honorable Laurie Scott, Ontario’s… Continue Reading »

NEW ZEALAND: A new report from New Zealand’s Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) highlights the realities and challenges disabled people faced during the COVID-19 emergency. The report, Making Disability Rights Real in a Pandemic, Te Whakatinana i ngā Tika Hauātanga i te wā o te Urutā, examines New Zealand’s adherence to the United… Continue Reading »

The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, with support by the U.S. Department of Transportation, invites your participation in the 16th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Older Adults and People with Disabilities (TRANSED), themed Inclusive and Accessible Transportation in Community and Regional… Continue Reading »

Fast Retailing’s flagship Uniqlo Tokyo store has large fitting rooms that can accommodate wheelchairs. AKANE OKUTSU, Nikkei staff writerJanuary 21, 2021 14:10 JST TOKYO — Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing plans to expand employment of staffers with disabilities in Asia, in an effort to improve store services and product offerings as… Continue Reading »

SOUTH AFRICA: The Health Systems Trust’s annual health review has been released. The 300-page document focuses on the challenges peoples with disabilities face when accessing healthcare services. Health24 has summarised some of the most important points of the report: A transformative approach to disability awareness driven by persons with disabilities The report says… Continue Reading »

  Anatoliy D. Popko leads “Dialogue in the Dark” Moscow team and consults Bank of Russia and other prominent financial, cultural, and government institutions. Mr. Popko is a co-author of Russian national standard on digital accessibility based on WCAG 2.1. Accessible ICT and effective communication are two passions, thus he… Continue Reading »

INDIA: McDonald’s India unveils new EATQUAL packaging specially designed for customers with limited upper hand mobility – Becomes the first brand in the industry to undertake such an initiative McDonald’s EatQual McDonald’s India West and South, that announced the launch of EatQual – a special pack for customers with limited hand… Continue Reading »

AUSTRALIA: This research initiative by the Centre for Technology Infusion (CTI) at La Trobe University, and supported by the AFDO, will utilise a short-term focus group to discuss ‘Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) technologies’ (such as driverless cars) to identify ways these emerging technologies can improve personal and public transport options… Continue Reading »

UK: Regulators, local authorities and industry groups will need to incorporate the views and priorities of disabled groups in their early planning phase if the promise – and full market value – of advanced air mobility (AAM) and urban air mobility (UAM) systems are to be fully realised, according to a white… Continue Reading »

UK: The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has called on the UK government to make a series of changes to make housing more accessible for those with limited mobility, as well as more adaptable as their needs change with age. The committee recently published a report, which outlines a… Continue Reading »