Welcome to Accessibility News International (ANI)

This site is part of the Accessibility News Network.

Latest Headlines

Why Canadian Companies Should Do More to Hire People With Disabilities

DECLAN CARVILLE, VICE PRESIDENT OF SCALED BUSINESS SUCCESS AT INDEED AND THE EXECUTIVE SPONSOR OF ACCESS INDEED CONTENT FROM: INDEED
Published Nov. 10, 2022

Canada has a reputation for being a progressive, caring and inclusive nation, but many Canadian job-seekers with disabilities might argue otherwise.

Only 59 per cent of working-age Canadians who have a disability are employed, compared to 80 per cent of the general population – an employment gap of 21 per cent.1 Canadians with disabilities routinely report having limited access to opportunities based on stereotypes, misconceptions and myths.

Why Canadian Companies Should Do More to Hire People With Disabilities full article

Are You Using an Accessibility Overlay to Help Disabled Users? Don’t!

Accessibility overlays are not the answer for sites looking to provide a more inclusive experience for online users with disabilities. Casey Markee on November 10, 2022

It is estimated that around 61 million Americans live with a disability. This represents about 18% of the total population of the United States as of the 2022 Census. Viewed another way, that 61 million figure would represent the entire population of the countries of South Africa or Italy.

This number is usually broken down into four distinct groups, with most groups sharing overlapping disabilities:

Are You Using an Accessibility Overlay to Help Disabled Users? Don’t! full article

  • Visual Impairments (around 12 million).
  • Hearing Impairments (around 48 million).
  • Intellectual Impairments (around 6.5 million).

Tofino Offers New Beach Mobility Chairs, Launches Accessibility Guide

CTV News Vancouver Island
Staff
Updated Nov. 4, 2022

Hitting the beaches in Tofino, B.C., has gotten easier for those with mobility issues thanks to new beach wheelchairs that the region is offering guests.

The chairs assemble in minutes and are stored in transportation bags that you can toss into your vehicle.

The chairs are loaned out for free for up to three days when you provide a deposit, and they’re providing access to beaches and trails where it wasn’t previously available.

“We actually had one woman who hasn’t been out on the beach with her husband for years, just because of accessibility issues of getting out on the beach,” said Jody Kirk, Tofino Tourism visitor and member service manager.

Tofino Offers New Beach Mobility Chairs, Launches Accessibility Guide full article

Pet Ownership Brings ‘Huge Benefits’ To Adults With Autism, Study Finds

by Shaun Heasley | November 4, 2022

Pet ownership leads to better mental health outcomes in adults with autism, new research suggests, and the gains exist no matter what type of companion animal an individual has.

In a study of 735 adults, 326 of whom had autism, researchers found that pets helped people with the developmental disorder better manage their mood and socialize.

“We looked at loneliness, social isolation, social anxiety, social support and overall satisfaction with life,” said Liam Cross of Edge Hill University in England who worked on the study published recently in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. “Pet ownership led to a higher quality of life, less anxiety and a wide range of other benefits.”

Pet Ownership Brings ‘Huge Benefits’ To Adults With Autism, Study Finds full article

Editorial: Carleton’s School of Architecture Needs to Expand Universal Design Teachings

By The Charlatan – November 5, 2022

Carleton University’s Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism must provide its students a proper education in universal design.

By definition, universal design is “the design of buildings, products or environments to make them accessible to all people, regardless of age, disability or other factors.”

Experts and advocates and students say architectural schools are partly to blame for the lack of normalization universal design has received in practice.

In 2017, 22 per cent of the Canadian population over the age of 15 identified as having a disability. However, accessibility in the built environment continues to be regarded as a niche issue in the architecture world.

Editorial: Carleton’s School of Architecture Needs to Expand Universal Design Teachings full article

Needs of People With Disabilities Must Be Considered in Emergencies, Advocates Say

BY YVETTE D’ENTREMONT
NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Governments, communities, and individuals must do better when taking into account the experiences and needs of people with disabilities during emergencies.

That was the messaging shared Tuesday during a panel discussion hosted by Dalhousie University’s MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance.

Titled Come Hell or High Water: Improving Response for People with Disabilities, the online discussion focussed on the unique considerations of people with disabilities in the face of emergencies and evacuations.

“There are many access and functional needs to consider, particularly relating to communication methods, transportation, sheltering, access to assistive devices, emergency social services, and transition back to the community,” stated a publicity notice for the event. “Post-disaster audits from disasters highlight the need to improve emergency services for persons with disabilities.”

Needs of People With Disabilities Must Be Considered in Emergencies, Advocates Say full article

This Blind Man has Been Fighting for Years to Get ‘Talking Prescriptions’ at His Local Pharmacy

After hearing from Go Public, Rexall says it will provide audio drug labels on ‘case by case basis’ Carolyn Dunn, CBC News
Posted: Oct 31, 2022

Dean Steacy has been fighting for five years to get his local Rexall drugstore to adopt “talking prescription label” technology.

The Gatineau, Que., man has been blind for 17 years, takes insulin and up to 10 pills daily for diabetes and related conditions.

He sometimes has to rely on others to help him manage his medications. The lack of independence “kind of takes away part of your dignity,” he told Go Public.

This Blind Man has Been Fighting for Years to Get ‘Talking Prescriptions’ at His Local Pharmacy full article

Air Canada Apologizes for Not Letting Blind Woman Fly With Guide Dog

Passenger with genetic eye disease describes ‘humiliating’ experience at Toronto airport Trevor Dunn, CBC News
Posted: Oct 27, 2022

Air Canada is apologizing after not allowing a passenger who’s blind to board a flight from Toronto to Minneapolis with her guide dog.

Dena Wainwright, a 49-year-old Canadian who lives in Minnesota, says she will never fly with the airline again after being forced to leave Toronto by train, cross the border by car, and take a domestic flight home, costing her more than $2,000.

“Not to mention all of the stress,” Wainwright told CBC Toronto.

Air Canada Apologizes for Not Letting Blind Woman Fly With Guide Dog full article

Air Canada to Cover Cost of Passenger’s Broken Wheelchair, Nearly 2 Months After Damaging It

Disability advocate Maayan Ziv says it will take weeks or months to build a new one Vanessa Balintec, CBC News
Posted: Oct 27, 2022

Air Canada will cover the cost of a new wheelchair after a disability advocate found hers damaged following a flight to an accessibility conference in September.

Maayan Ziv says the airline confirmed the news to her via email Wednesday – more than two weeks since the wheelchair was assessed for damage, and almost two months since the whole ordeal started.

“This is the bare minimum that they are doing,” said Ziv, who lives in Toronto. CBC News first told Ziv’s story last month not long after she found out her wheelchair was damaged.

Air Canada to Cover Cost of Passenger’s Broken Wheelchair, Nearly 2 Months After Damaging It full article

Some Doctors are Reluctant to Care for Patients With Disabilities, Study Finds

Details of three focus groups offer disturbing details about the challenges individuals with disabilities face when seeking care By Jessica Bartlett Globe Staff,Updated October 6, 2022

Clinicians participating in focus groups said they experienced many barriers to caring for people with disabilities, with some suggesting they avoided caring for them as a result.

Dr. Lisa Iezzoni pulled her wheelchair up to the screen and asked the physicians on the video call about their experiences and attitudes caring for people with disabilities.

Some Doctors are Reluctant to Care for Patients With Disabilities, Study Finds full article

Back to top