Section 508 Gets an Update: New Web Accessibility Guidelines for Government Sites Take Effect in January
Updates for Section 508 accessibility legislation go into effect in January, creating new specifications for how federal agencies must make websites and other digital information channels navigable for users with disabilities, and experts say these requirements are poised to become the new standard for state and local governments as well. Section 508 is a 2001 […]
Viewpoint: We can do better employing people with disabilities
The following article appeared in the Op-ed/Opinion section of the Boston Business Journal on November 3, 2017. https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2017/11/03/viewpointwe-can-do-better-employing-people-with.html Viewpoint: We can do better employing people with disabilities As organizations across the country that serve and provide vocational training to individuals with disabilities marked National Disability Employment Awareness Month this past October, it is a meaningful […]
Action Alert: Tax Reform Increases Burden on Americans who are Blind
“As Congress continues to work on overhauling the American tax code, ACB urges citizens to engage their elected officials in Washington, calling on them to not advance any measure that would endanger Americans with disabilities. Currently the House of Representatives and Senate plan on voting on the largest tax reform in over 30 years. Of […]
Programs for visually impaired students face teacher shortage
The blind and visually impaired students make their way to the second-story classrooms at Addison Trail High School, hang their canes on hooks just outside the doorway, then run their fingertips across tables until they recognize the feel of foam shapes marking their assigned spots. For the rest of the school day, the 35 high […]
Most Polling Places Inaccessible During 2016 Election, Report Finds
Less than 20 percent of polling places were fully accessible to people with disabilities during the 2016 election, according to a new government report that urges the U.S. Department of Justice to step in. The report released Thursday from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that barriers were pervasive at American polling stations. Of the […]
Researchers predict greater need for low vision services
The exponential growth in the prevalence of low vision with age reflects the increased risk of vision loss as a result of age-related eye disease each year, according to researchers utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The 6,016 survey participants ranged from younger than 18 years to older than 45 years. […]
Technology seeks to preserve fading skill: Braille literacy
For nearly a century, the National Braille Press has churned out millions of pages of Braille books and magazines a year, providing a window on the world for generations of blind people. But as it turns 90 this year, the Boston-based printing press and other advocates of the tactile writing system are wrestling with how […]
This Lancaster County woman wants to see all 59 national parks before she goes blind [video]
Laura Griffith hiked the rocky trails along the coast of the Channel Islands. She rode a mule to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, paddled a kayak down the Rio Grande and led a group on horseback in the Northern Cascades. She’s seen the crystal blue waters of Crater Lake and the cactus blooms of […]
Job Fair for Visually Impaired Highlights Homogeneity of Options in Boston Job Market
After the handshake comes the elevator pitch. If that goes well, it’s on to the informational chit chat and the business card exchange. The job fair’s manic waltz is a carefully choreographed, high-stakes romp. And when the dance lights start to shine, sometimes all you can hope is that your cold, clammy hands don’t smudge […]
