Headline News

UNITED STATES: It looks like artificial intelligence and robotics might be on the verge of automating yet another job. A team of scientists from the University of California, Berkeley has developed a four-legged robodog to safely guide the visually impaired, a New Scientist report explains. In a study published March 26, the researchers showed that… Continue Reading »

SPAIN: As of 15 March, there is a new citizen service centre (Punt TMB) operating in the lobby of the Sagrada Familia station of the Barcelona Metro. TMB, the operator company, described the new office addition as a pioneering in certain aspects. Among other things, it will be the first… Continue Reading »

United States: Handiscover, a leading accessibility and disability data organization, found that over a third of people with disabilities in America say that hotels have not met their accessibility needs. It is estimated that 60 million people in the United States live with a long-term illness or disability that requires specific… Continue Reading »

UNITED KINGDOM: An ‘astonishing’ deficit of data about how the global boom in educational technology could help pupils with disabilities in low and middle-income countries has been highlighted in a new report. Despite widespread optimism that educational technology, or ‘EdTech’, can help to level the playing field for young people… Continue Reading »

The Chandigarh Smart City Limited will be coming up with a first-of-its-kind Sensory Park. In a tender floated by the Chandigarh Smart City Limited, the park will be developed at a cost of Rs 1.74 crore. These are specialised parks for all kinds of visitors, with special emphasis on children with disabilities,… Continue Reading »

Innovations aimed at helping people overcome mobility, sight and other disabilities have exploded in recent years, and are becoming ever more integrated in regular consumer goods, the United Nations said on March 23. More than one billion people worldwide currently need technology-based assistance to overcome a disability – a figure expected to… Continue Reading »

CANADA: The Government of Canada continues to take important and decisive action to ensure that all Canadians are supported during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know Canadians living with disabilities are facing significant challenges during this difficult time and that long-standing barriers to inclusion have been heightened. As we work together to restart the… Continue Reading »

UK: Recent research from RiDC (Research Institute for Disabled Consumers) shows that 61 per cent of disabled people would consider buying an electric vehicle only if charging was made more accessible. The online survey was commissioned by Urban Foresight, which says results show that only 25 per cent of non-EV drivers would agree to considering… Continue Reading »

SCOTLAND: Plans for a new legal requirement for all homes in Scotland to meet quality and accessibility standards has been included in a major national housing strategy, published today. The new Housing Standard, applying to all tenures, is an important element of Housing to 2040, which sets out the path for… Continue Reading »

The government of Japan pledged three Assistive Vehicles worth MVR 3,233, 065 (USD 209,667 and JPY 23,063,370) for Maldives Association of Persons with Disabilities (MAPD) to enhance the mobility of people with disabilities. The grant contract under the Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects (GGP) scheme was signed on… Continue Reading »

UAE: The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), in coordination and cooperation with the Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination (ZHO), has launched an initiative to provide medication instruction labels in Braille to help visually impaired patients and the blind read them without seeking help. The initiative is part of… Continue Reading »

UK: The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) has published a series of recommendations for making coach travel, like all other forms of public transport, more accessible to disabled people. In a UK Government report, the DPTAC stated that it was initially pleased that the Public Service Vehicle Access Regulations (PSVAR)… Continue Reading »

POLAND: The removal of architectural barriers, installing of lifts and ramps, signs in Braille and contrasting colours are just some of the solutions being adopted by Polish State Railways at train stations, to make them more accessible to all groups of travellers. The rebuilding of Kraków, Gdynia and Wrocław train stations… Continue Reading »

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 »