In a decision that a dissenting judge warned could have widespread consequences for visually impaired people, a split panel of the 11th Circuit ruled Wednesday that websites for businesses that are generally open to the public are not places of public accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act. In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the Atlanta-based appeals court ruled that although inaccessibility online can be a significant inconvenience, supermarket chain Winn-Dixie cannot be found liable under Title III of the ADA for having a website that is inaccessible to disabled people who use screen-reading software
US CANCELS STUDENT DEBT FOR MORE THAN 40,000 DISABLED AMERICANS The U.S. Education Department is canceling student debt for more than 40,000 Americans who were previously granted loan forgiveness because of disabilities but later had their debt reinstated after they failed to submit certain paperwork, the agency announced Monday. The action targets a loan forgiveness program that aims to help people with disabilities but that critics say carries overly burdensome rules. After being granted loan forgiveness, borrowers are required to submit documentation of their earnings for three years… Read More CONGRESSMAN CHARLIE CRIST REINTRODUCES SENIOR ACCESSIBLE HOUSING ACT Read More
COMBATING VOTER SUPPRESSION AGAINST VOTERS WITH DISABILITIES
Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but many who work in the theatre would agree that there is much left to do before even the nation’s largest venues can be called truly accessible. This work has both a long and recent history. In 2018, Katherine Fritz wrote for American Theatre about the need for accessibility policies in American theatre spaces, and in 2010, the National Endowment for the Arts’ Office of Accessibility released a primer on the Department of Justice’s ADA changes at the time of a major update to the legislation…
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MODIFIES MAJOR OLMSTEAD SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT WITH NORTH CAROLINA In United States v. North Carolina, the parties have agreed to modify a 2012 settlement agreement resolving allegations of unnecessary segregation of adults with Serious Mental Illness in adult care homes in violation of the integration mandate of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The modification will allow some provisions to expire timely on July 1, 2021, while extending the term of the remainder of the agreement to July 1, 2023… Read More
ONE PASADENA HOTEL AMONG 27 IN SOUTHERN CAL TO AGREE TO IMPROVE DISABLED ACCESS The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today that it has signed agreements with a Pasadena hotel and 26 others across Southern California to resolve investigations linked to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The agreements were finalized over a one-year period that began last April and concluded with the 27th agreement. After federal investigations into the hotels revealed non-compliance with various provisions of the ADA pertaining to “public accommodations,” the hotels agreed to remedy the violations, with some agreeing to stop the illegal practice of charging more for accessible rooms… Read More NEARLY 30 CALIFORNIA HOTELS SIGN AGREEMENTS TO IMPROVE ADA ACCESS Read More THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM RECENT HOTEL WEBSITE ADA LITIGATION Read More
3 WAYS TO HELP DISABLED PEOPLE THROUGH THE END OF THE PANDEMIC We have already been through a couple of false endings to the Covid-19 pandemic. But finally, there really are solid reasons to think that it may really be ending, or at least becoming a different, less dangerous and disruptive problem than it has been for the last year. This is good news for disabled people, as it is for everyone. But this transition will be a lot easier if a few of our unique needs can be met. People with disabilities have disproportionately suffered from the pandemic. We have been devastated medically, through our disability-related vulnerability and dangerous medical responses to it… Read More SIX TIPS FOR MAKING VACCINATION REGISTRATION WEBSITES MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL Read More
ONLINE INSTRUCTION HAS BEEN LIBERATING, AND VEXING, FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES College administrators say they hope to bring back in-person classes by the fall, setting aside much of the remote online instruction that defined the year of the COVID-19 pandemic. And most undergraduates can’t wait. Just not Jessica Karim. Karim is a blind 20-year-old from the Bronx who is studying to become a social worker at Adelphi College in Garden City. She is happy to take classes in her dorm room all day rather than navigate between buildings worrying, "Could I be late? How do I get there?" "It’s taken a lot of anxiety off the table," Karim said… Read More To give back to higher education institutions during these difficult times, our digital accessibility partner - CommonLook - is providing a free subscription to two of their best-selling PDF accessibility software solutions: CommonLook PDF and CommonLook Office to higher ed institutions in the US and Canada. For more details about this offer, please visit their website: Click Here
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