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Disability Research and Design Foundation (DRDF) is an organization which ensures accessible environments by providing accessibility solutions, research, advocacy and awareness and thereby empowering people with disabilities with their rights and dignity as equitable members of our society. It amalgamates creative, technical and legal expertise of architects, engineers, lawyers, activists and people with disabilities to formulate unique solutions for an inclusive society for people with disabilities. 

Aaron flips out - again - twice!

From YouTube: Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham landed the world's first double backflip on a wheelchair on August 26, 2010.

Filmed: Dave Metty Brandon Schmidt
Edited: Joshua Zucker

  aaronfotheringham.com campwoodward.com

Companies should think of improving disability access ahead of the London 2012 Paralympics as a way of boosting business, a new Government report has claimed 

Up to a million disabled visitors are expected in London in 2012 for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, bringing with them millions of pounds in business.

Disabled consumers are an often-overlooked market worth £40-£80 billion ($62-$123 billion) annually, according to the report - 2012 Legacy for Disabled People: Inclusive and Accessible Business - jointly commissioned by the Business Department and the Office for Disability Issues.

The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 requires airlines to provide assistance to passengers with disabilities in boarding and deplaning aircraft, including the use of wheelchairs, ramps, mechanical lifts or service personnel where needed.  U.S. Department of Transportation rules also require carriers to respond within 30 days to written complaints about their treatment of disabled passengers, and to specifically address the issues raised in the complaint.  In addition, airlines must submit annual reports to the Department on disability-related complaints from passengers, noting the type of disability and nature of the complaint.

An investigation by the Department of Transportation's Aviation Enforcement Office of disability complaints filed with AirTran and DOT revealed a number of violations of the requirement for boarding assistance.  In addition, the carrier's complaint files showed that it frequently did not provide an adequate written response to complaints from passengers.  AirTran also failed to properly categorize disability complaints in reports filed with the Department, the Aviation Enforcement Office found.

Of the $500,000 penalty, up to $60,000 may be used to establish a council to help the carrier comply with federal disability rules and hire a manager for disability accommodations.  Up to $140,000 may be used to develop and employ an automated wheelchair tracking system at AirTran's major hub airports within one year that will generate real-time reports of the carrier's wheelchair assistance performance.

The consent order is available on the Internet at www.regulations.gov , docket DOT-OST-2010-0005.

Bill Forrester of Travability usually passes through my part of the world once a year. Unable to meet up this year he has just shared a collection of photos he took highlighting the wheelchair accessibility of Ketchikan, Alaska. See his post on European barge cruise accessibility for a topic that is too infrequently discussed.

This summer the European Commission has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of passengers' rights.

Although the European Union has made great strides in recent years in establishing common passenger rights for those travelling by air or rail, not every European is yet aware of what he or she is entitled to.

This campaign sets out to make all air and rail passengers aware of what rights they enjoy under European legislation and how to make use of them.

ENAT is an Official Partner of the EU Passengers' Rights Campaign 

Why now?

In the summer holiday season, millions of Europeans will be travelling by plane and train in search of some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Being aware of their rights will prevent many problems for air and rail passengers.

How will it work?

The campaign is being conducted in all of the EU's official 23 languages so that people will be able to be informed about their rights in their mother tongue. Posters and leaflets will be available progressively from the end of June at airports and train stations in all 27 Member States.

In addition there is a website with more information at 
http://ec.europa.eu/passenger-rights.

Watch the video

Watch this 6-minute video about the rights of air and rail passengers with a disability or reduced mobility. (English text and subtitles).
To view the video in any other EU languages, follow this link

From BBC News:

France's Transport Minister, Dominique Bussereau, has called for an inquiry into allegations that low-cost airline Easyjet barred disabled passengers from flying unaccompanied.

He ordered the move after reports that Easyjet had refused to fly disabled passengers on safety grounds.

They were told they must be accompanied by another passenger in order to board the plane.

Easyjet said they were simply complying with safety regulations.

"European safety regulations require that all passengers are able to evacuate an aircraft within 90 seconds and therefore we require that some passengers with reduced mobility have a travel companion," a spokesman for the company said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10969211

Washington, DC, August 10, 2010: - 

The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) applauds the U.S. Senate for passage of the "Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act" (S. 3304) by unanimous consent on August 5, 2010. COAT especially thanks Senator Pryor (D-AR), who introduced S. 3304, as well as co-sponsors Senators Kerry (D-MA), Dorgan (D-ND), and Conrad (D-ND). Passage of S. 3304 was also supported by Senators Hutchison (R-TX), Ensign (R-NV), and Schumer (D-NY).

 

S. 3304 requires captioned television programs to be captioned when delivered over the Internet, requires video description on television for people with vision loss, allocates $10 million per year for communications equipment used by people who are deaf-blind, ensures emergency information is accessible to individuals who are blind or have low vision, and provides for accessibility of advanced communications such as text messaging, email and web browsing on mobile devices, among several other provisions.

 

"The U.S. Senate takes us a huge step forward for accessible technology," said Jenifer Simpson of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), a COAT founding member. "They have given Americans with disabilities access to smart phones, other advanced communications technology, and video programming," she added.

 

"We are delighted that S.3304 ensures the availability of captioning for television programs on the Internet," said Rosaline Crawford of the National Association of the Deaf, another COAT leading organization. "Our community was left behind as television moved to the Internet, and S. 3304 takes a big step in the right direction," she added.

 

"Video description for television programs - the narration of visual elements during pauses in dialogue - is essential in this day and age," said Eric Bridges of the American Council of the Blind, another COAT leader. "More importantly, I thank the U.S. Senate for ensuring that we will now have access to the same emergency information everyone else has been seeing on television for years. Unbelievably, up until now, all the FCC has required is an audible tone on television to alert people who are blind or visually impaired that they should go seek out emergency information somewhere else. Having equal access to emergency information increases the safety of our community and will save lives!"

 

Among the other provisions in S. 3304 are requirements for accessible user controls for televisions and set-top boxes, and easy access to closed captioning and video description. Mark Richert of the American Foundation for the Blind, another leading COAT organization said: "The Senate's action last week brings people with vision loss so much closer to the access they deserve to advanced communications equipment and services, such as text messaging, email, and web browsing. These technologies aren't luxuries; they are essential tools for learning, working and participating in community. The U.S. Senate's leadership will bring people into the digital world, people who have been left out and left behind when industry fails to design accessibility into their products and services. S. 3304 will encourage companies to innovate to make advanced communications accessible on smart phones and other devices."

 

S. 3304 will now go to the House of Representatives.  

 

###

 

About COAT:  The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology, or COAT,founded in March 2007, is a coalition of over 310 organizations that advocates for legislative and regulatory safeguards that will ensure full access by people with disabilities to evolving high speed broadband, wireless and other Internet protocol (IP) technologies.  More information is available at http://www.coataccess.org or by e-mail to info@coataccess.org.

 

Fifty four symbols released today provide health care leaders and the professional design community with an international standard system of wayfinding signs that's easier to comprehend, no matter the language or reading level. EPS vector art download is available now at www.UltimateSymbol.com

...sorely needed navigation tools for architectural signs in hospitals and clinics offering essential services to visitors with LEP (Limited English Proficiency)...

Stony Point, NY (PRWEB) June 24, 2010 -- Universal Symbols in Health Care(TM) is a new international standard symbol system that is the result of an 8-year development program. This is the most extensively researched and tested group of symbols for this subject in existence today.

With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this collaborative development program was led by Hablamos Juntos (We Speak Together) and the SEGD (Society of Environmental Graphic Design), and involved independent researchers, four design school teams (Cincinnati Univ., California Polytechnic, Iowa State Univ., and Kent State Univ.), and several groups of design professionals. Final symbol designs were completed in April 2010 by international symbols expert and designer Mies Hora, Creative Director and President of Ultimate Symbol. An article with the complete project history and credits is available online.

"Universal Symbols in Health Care: Special Edition provides sorely needed navigation tools for architectural signs in hospitals and clinics offering essential services to visitors with LEP (Limited English Proficiency) as well as those with limited literacy," stated Mies Hora. The Special Edition download package announced today by Ultimate Symbol has an addendum of 42 symbols including relevant Public Services, Information, Regulations and Warnings. Users can easily browse and download the entire volume or single images directly from Ultimate Symbol.

About Ultimate Symbol

Ultimate Symbol is a publisher of digital content for design, graphic arts, publishing, sign making, and corporate communications professionals. The Ultimate Symbol Collection is a comprehensive, well-organized, utilitarian, and meticulously drawn suite of royalty-free visual reference materials designed to meet the needs of serious, discerning designers worldwide. Based near New York City, Ultimate Symbol was founded in 1992 and is privately held,

Os próximos pontos da Centra lde Libras serão instalados nas

Escolas Municipais de Educação Especial (EMEE's) de jovens e
crianças surdas ou com deficiência auditiva

A Secretaria Municipal da Pessoa com Deficiência e Mobilidade
Reduzida - SMPED, cumpriu mais uma etapa do Projeto Piloto da
Central de Libras, Intérpretes e Guias Intérpretes - CELIG. No
último dia 22 de junho foi concluída a instalação da Central em
todas as 31 praças de atendimento das subprefeituras da Capital.

Desde o dia 26 de abril a SMPED tem percorrido todas as regiões da
cidade instalando webcans nos terminais de computador das praças de
atendimento das subprefeituras, configurando o sistema e transmitindo as
orientações para os funcionários responsáveis pelo atendimento
no local.

A Central conta com intérprete de libras que facilita o contato entre
o munícipe surdo ou com deficiência auditiva presente no local e o
atendente do órgão público, e também pode transmitir as
informações disponíveis pelo serviço 156. O atendimento é
oferecido de segunda a sexta-feira, das 8h às 17h.

O objetivo da SMPED é otimizar o atendimento público à pessoa
surda ou com deficiência auditiva, cumprindo assim o objetivo
estabelecido na Agenda 2012 da Prefeitura de São Paulo, que é
instalar a CELIG em 56 pontos até o final deste ano.

Além das subprefeituras, o serviço também está disponível
no Conselho Municipal da Pessoa com Deficiência - CMPD, na Rua
Líbero Badaró, 119 - 3º andar / Centro. Os próximos
pontos da CELIG que entrarão em funcionamento são as Escolas
Municipais de Educação Especial (EMEE) que atendem jovens e
crianças surdas ou com deficiência auditiva. São elas:

- EMEE Anne Sullivan. Rua Rodrigues Paes, 512 / Chácara Santo
Antonio;
- EMEE Mario Pereira Bicudo. Avenida Félix Alves Pereira, s/n -
Jardim Centenário;
- EMEE Madre Lucie Bray. Rua São Geraldo, 236 / Vila Constança;
- EMEE Vera Lucia Aparecida Ribeiro. Rua Benedito Pereira, 206 / Jardim
Líbano;
- EMEE Helen Keller. Endereço: Rua Pedra Azul, 314 / Aclimação.

Ainda deverão ser realizados ajustes técnicos em algumas
subprefeituras, devido ao congestionamento de rede disponível nesses
locais. A conexão da Central de Libras é feita via intranet. Ou
seja, por uma rede interna na Prefeitura que faz a conexão (link) com
os pontos de atendimento. No futuro, será possível agendar um
guia-intérprete para acompanhar surdocegos em órgãos
públicos municipais. Nessa fase ainda não é possível acessar
o serviço via internet.

Sugestões e reclamações:

celig@prefeitura.sp.gov.br <mailto:celig@prefeitura.sp.gov.br>

Secretaria Municipal da Pessoa com Deficiência e Mobilidade Reduzida
(SMPED)
Assessoria de Comunicação e Imprensa
Tel.: (011) 3113-8741 // 8778 // 8767 // 8793 // 8794 // 8741
Cel.: 9951-4983 // 8875-9732
lclopes@prefeitura.sp.gov.br / lincolnsilva@prefeitura.sp.gov.br

Bookshare Celebrates 20^th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

with Free Membership Offer

Offer Extended to Any Qualifying American

July 26, 2010, Palo Alto, CA - In recognition of the 20^th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Bookshare announces a free membership opportunity for all Americans with qualifying print disabilities, regardless of age or student status.  With this offer, Bookshare celebrates the huge strides forward towards inclusion and equality for Americans with disabilities resulting from this act.

Individuals with print disabilities including visual impairments, physical disabilities, or severe learning disabilities are invited to sign up for a free membership, good for 20-book downloads per month for 3 months.  The promotion begins on August 1 and runs for 30 days. This 20-3-30 free trial creates an opportunity to try accessible books without an upfront commitment to a year-long membership.

"We'd love to see seniors, veterans, and other adults with print disabilities experience the joy of accessible reading," said Jim Fruchterman, CEO of Benetech, the nonprofit organization that operates Bookshare. "I'm honored to have been invited to the White House today to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the ADA with President Obama."

The Bookshare collection includes many titles of interest to Americans with disabilities of all ages. To see suggested titles, visit Bookshare's Facebook page. With hundreds of books flowing into the collection every week from digital files contributed by publishers and volunteer book submissions, new members will find accessible books they want to read. 

"Bookshare's contribution to humanity is noble," said Eddy Aboudi, an environmental engineer in New York and member of Bookshare. "This organization is building a better world for people with disabilities. Through the large collection of accessible books and this free trial membership, I have renewed hope that more accessible books and reading experiences are within everyone's reach." 

Participating individuals will have access to over 77,000 current, copyrighted books, including fiction, non-fiction, newspapers and magazines, as well as two free software applications that simultaneously highlight words and read them aloud using high-quality, human-like voices. In addition to the complimentary Bookshare-provided software, (Victor Reader Soft and Read:OutLoud) individuals can read the accessible books with many of the commonly available assistive devices and software applications. The Getting Started pages on Bookshare's website have information about these tools. Short video tutorials on the Training pages demonstrate how to use the free software tools.

"Before Bookshare, our family could count on one hand the number of books we had read together," said Valerie Maples, a Mississippi resident who has severe dyslexia.  Valerie, her husband, Doug who is a quadriplegic, and daughter, Nichole with cerebral palsy, are all Bookshare members. Valerie and her husband are also Bookshare volunteers.  "We enjoyed our books from Bookshare so much that we wanted to improve the choices available for everyone who wants electronic text. We became volunteers and have taken great pride in scanning and proofreading books, knowing that we have helped to make more books available to others."       

To participate in Bookshare's 20-book-per-month, 3-month, 30-days-to-sign-up free trial, people with qualifying print disabilities should:

1.     Sign up at (http://www.bookshare.org/signUpType). Select the over 18 membership option.

2.     Complete the contact forms online. Be sure to enter ADA20 in the promotion code field.

3.     Agree to the terms of use online.

4.     Fax proof of disability by providing either an NLS certification, an RFB&D member number, or the Bookshare proof of disability form signed by a qualified professional to 650.475.1066.

At the end of the 3-month trial, Bookshare will reach out to new members to explore alternatives for continuing memberships, such as an individual membership for $50/year or an organizational membership from a sponsoring organization. Bookshare will waive the $25/ first year set up fee for individuals who want to continue their membership. Full details of this offer are online.

About Bookshare

Bookshare is the world's largest online accessible library of copyrighted content for people with print disabilities. Through its technology initiatives and partnerships, Bookshare seeks to raise the floor on accessibility issues so that individuals with print disabilities have the same ease of access to print materials as people without disabilities. In 2007, Bookshare received a $32 million five-year award from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), to provide free access for all U.S. students with a qualified print disability. The Bookshare library now has over 77,000 books and serves more than 100,000 members. Bookshare is an initiative of Benetech, a Palo Alto, CA-based nonprofit which creates sustainable technology to solve pressing social needs.

About Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed July 26, 1990 as Public Law 101-336 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101 et seq ) and became effective on January 26, 1992. The ADA is landmark federal legislation that opens up services and employment opportunities to the 43 million Americans with disabilities. The law was written to strike a balance between the reasonable accommodation of citizens' needs and the capacity of private and public entities to respond. It is not an affirmative action law but is intended to eliminate illegal discrimination and level the playing field for disabled individuals.  Learn more.

The first member of the House of Representatives with quadriplegia will preside over the governing body on Monday in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., will be the first person using a wheelchair to take the helm of the House. The opportunity is possible because of recent alterations to the House Speaker's platform making it wheelchair accessible through a series of lifts.

"I have long said that I may be the first quadriplegic to serve in Congress, but I won't be the last," Langevin, a five-term congressman, said in a statement. "This is an extremely proud moment for me and helps renew my spirit as we continue to remove barriers and strengthen the ADA for millions of Americans with disabilities in the decades to come."

Read the full story at Disability Scoop:

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2010/07/23/langevin-preside-house/9458/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=July+23,+2010&utm_source=YMLP&utm_term

A recurring theme here is that home design influences hotel, restaurant, resort, and cruise ship design. Here, from the Star Tribune, is an insight into the sort of Design That's Within Reach that will transform the hospitality industry as the proportion of aging-but-traveling public increases globally.

Sandra Rhodda at Access Tourism NZ has picked up on this story about Sonja Gregory of the Hytte reading the signs of the times - right to the bank - and picking up some professional recognition for seeing the future of Inclusive Tourism:

 Usually self-catering occupancy runs around 55% - The Hytte achieved 87% in the first year and 97% in the second, a success Gregory puts down to positive word of mouth.  The Hytte has received regional and national awards in recognition of their commitment to access for all, including a gold Enjoy England Award in 2009.  

WASHINGTON, July 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Blockbuster Inc. to ensure equal access to its stores nationwide for individuals with disabilities who use service animals.

The settlement agreement, which resolves a complaint filed under title III of the ADA by an individual with a disability, requires, among other things, that Blockbuster provide comprehensive training to employees at more than 3,000 retail stores throughout the United States to ensure individuals with disabilities who use service animals have full and equal enjoyment of its goods, services and facilities.

"The Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees equal access to individuals with disabilities who are accompanied by service animals, but too often those individuals are subject to discrimination because of misperceptions or a lack of understanding of the law," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. 

The agreement, which will remain in effect for three years, requires that Blockbuster:

• Implement a comprehensive nationwide nondiscrimination policy regarding service animals for people with disabilities;
• Distribute the policy and train employees across the United States on the rights of service animal users and employee obligations to ensure full and equal access to Blockbuster goods, services and facilities;
• Provide the same training to new staff during the hiring process;
• Post its service animal policy on its website and in its stores, and post a "Service Animals Welcome" sign in each of its stores;
• Create a toll-free ADA complaint line;
• Establish, implement, and monitor a grievance procedure for ADA-related complaints from customers;
• Pay $12,000 in damages to the individual who filed the complaint resolved by this settlement; and
• Pay $10,000 as a civil penalty.

A service animal is individually trained to work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability.  Service animals - most commonly dogs - perform a wide variety of functions.  Examples of these functions include guiding persons who are blind or have low vision, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to sounds, warning persons about impending seizures or other medical conditions, performing a variety of tasks for persons with psychiatric disabilities, and picking up items, opening doors, flipping switches, providing physical support and pulling wheelchairs for individuals with mobility disabilities.

Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination by retail stores, restaurants, hotels, taxi and bus companies, doctors, hospitals and other private businesses and nonprofit organizations that provide services to the public.  Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination by public entities, including state and local governments and public transportation providers.  All of these entities are prohibited from excluding individuals with disabilities from their facilities, services and programs because the individuals use service animals.  If any of these entities has a rule excluding pets or other animals, it must make an exception to that rule and permit an individual with a disability to be accompanied by a service animal anywhere on the premises that other customers are permitted to go.

"The ADA's 20th anniversary is July 26, 2010," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.  "As we celebrate the anniversary of this landmark civil rights law, we are pleased that Blockbuster has affirmed its commitment to ensuring that individuals with disabilities benefit fully and equally from its goods, facilities, and services, including individuals who use service animals."

More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at the website www.justice.gov/crt.  More information about this agreement, the ADA, and ADA rights and responsibilities relating to service animals is available on the ADA home page at www.ada.gov.  This information includes two publications specifically addressing access for individuals accompanied by service animals: "ADA Business Brief: Service Animals" and "Commonly Asked Questions About Service Animals in Places of Business."  Those interested in obtaining copies of these documents or additional information may also call the Justice Department's toll-free ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TTY).

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice