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The Big Story

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON INDEPENDENT LIVING STATEMENT ON MICHAEL HICKSON

On the eve of the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and in the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic, the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) mourns the deaths of those who have died as a result of the denial of medical services, braces itself for more casualties to come, and condemns the inhumane practice of rationing healthcare that, although it has always been a concern for the disability community, has become an all-too-grim reality during this era of COVID-19. The recent demise in Austin, TX, of Michael Hickson, a Black father of five who lived as the result of a cardiac incident with both spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries, has spearheaded a necessary conversation regarding the value placed upon life in the US. Hickson, who was taken to the hospital as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the nursing facility where he resided, was denied medical care, food, and water, ultimately starving to death, alone, on June 11th, 2020. Read More Website Review: Blue Apron Overall, their web site did not seem to have major web accessibility issues. Their recipes are in a PDF format and are not properly tagged for accessibility. https://wave.webaim.org/report#/blueapron.com https://media.blueapron.com/recipes/24567/c_card_pdfs/1591209982-35-0002-1274/2P11_SpicedSteaksHoneyButter_WEB.pdf  

Government Spotlight

NEARLY 30 YEARS AFTER ADA, NATION'S TRANSIT AGENCIES REPORT SUCCESSES AND SHORTFALLS Scott Crawford hasn't driven a car in 20 years. A retired clinical neuropsychologist, Crawford relocated from Miami to his hometown of Jackson, Miss., in 2006, seven years after developing primary progressive multiple sclerosis. When his illness put him in a wheelchair, the bus became his lifeline — that is, when it didn't leave him in the dust, which happened often and sometimes still does. "Many of our buses were decades old with non functioning wheelchair lifts, so I was frequently being left on the side of the road," said Crawford. Read More Website Review: Amazon We discovered lots of issues across the board. Their annual reports are not tagged for accessibility. https://wave.webaim.org/report#/amazon.com https://s2.q4cdn.com/299287126/files/doc_financials/2020/ar/2019-Annual-Report.pdf    

Accessible Elections

ACCESSIBLE ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR BLIND MICHIGANDERS The Michigan Bureau of Elections launched an accessible absent voter ballot application that can be used to apply for an accessible electronic ballot for the August election. Officials with the Secretary of State office said blind voters, or others with severe disabilities, can use their own assistive technology to mark accessible voter ballots and ballot applications to ensure privacy. "It is a priority of my administration to ensure that blind citizens are provided the same rights and protections as all Michigan voters," said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson… Read More Website Review: Walmart We discovered lots of issues across the board with the site. For example, their annual reports are not tagged for accessibility. https://wave.webaim.org/report#/walmart.com https://s2.q4cdn.com/056532643/files/doc_financials/2020/ar/Walmart_2020_Annual_Report.pdf K12 We discovered Some issues with this online education platform. We were not able to look at the student facing side at this point. There annual reports are not tagged for accessibility. https://wave.webaim.org/report#/k12.com http://investors.k12.com/static-files/9da51f15-01d2-4b2b-89f2-3654dff2d744    

Current Legal Actions

LAWSUIT ALLEGES DISCRIMINATION AGAINST BLIND STUDENTS Duke University systematically discriminates against blind students and alumni in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, according to a lawsuit filed today. The action, brought by the National Federation of the Blind and Duke MBA Mary Fernandez, alleges that Duke failed to ensure that blind students can interact with digital content and platforms and access course materials—including hard-copy Braille materials and hard-copy tactile graphics when requested and appropriate—on an equal basis with students without disabilities… Read More Website Review: Shopify Several issues discovered with the product and ordering process. Their financial reports are not tagged for accessibility. https://wave.webaim.org/report#/https://www.shopify.com/ https://s23.q4cdn.com/550512644/files/doc_financials/2020/Q1/Press-Release-Q1-2020.pdf  

Business Accessibility

LYFT REACHES SETTLEMENT WITH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OVER ACCESSIBILITY FOR DISABLED RIDERS What happened: Lyft has reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations its drivers refused rides to people who used foldable walkers and wheelchairs, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The settlement agreement will now ensure that individuals with disabilities who use collapsible mobility devices will have equal access to Lyft rides. The Department of Justice launched the investigation after a Los Angeles man who uses a wheelchair filed at least a dozen complaints about drivers that he was rudely treated or denied rides…   Read More Website Review:  Lyft We discovered Lots of issues with the site. Their PDF documents are not accessible, and we provide a sample of an inaccessible file here. https://wave.webaim.org/report#/https://www.lyft.com/ https://assets.ctfassets.net/q8mvene1wzq4/6ZH55Dbj3Z9g2guxIQFilB/0388ac28e3ce971e6a09640cc62ed91f/Lyft_Diversity_and_Inclusion_Report_2019.pdf   Home Advisor We discovered major issues with the site. Their annual reports are not tagged for accessibility. https://wave.webaim.org/report#/homeadvisor.com http://ir.angihomeservices.com/static-files/955c292d-da1e-44fc-8d32-efa17453b428  

Accessible Technology

ON-DEMAND REMEDIATION OF PDF DOCUMENTS A SNEAK PEEK INTO REMEDIATION OF PDFS ON DEMAND Due to ADA requirements, organizations face a monumental task: making thousands of website documents accessible to people with disabilities. Common Look sees this process repeated daily as organizations come to terms with their document accessibility problems. The Usual Discovery Process: The organization has a complaint, demand letter or worst case a lawsuit filed due to their inaccessible website documents. Read More