Accessibility Reads: Thursday, October 24
Welcome back to Accessibility Reads! Thank you for joining us to catch up on some of the most interesting and important stories emerging in the accessibility space.
If you’re wondering what we’re reading at Deque, check out my video below, where I talk about specific stories and explain why I wanted to recommend them to you.
Do you have a story you think we should read? Please share it on social and make sure to tag us! You can also leave a comment on this post.
Featured articles
Halloween is nearly upon us—let’s all make it an accessible one so that everyone can participate! In Canada, Treat Accessibility Halloween started as a grassroots effort at the founder’s home in 2017. By 2020, their goal was to have 40,000 homes participating. For 2025, they’re aiming for 400,000! They have also expanded the concept to include Halloween Villages like this one in Ottawa. Their program offers tips for organizing your Halloween, spreading the word, and even using lawn sign campaigns. (They’ve actually run out of lawn signs for 2024, but I would hope that with a little DIY ingenuity, you could craft your own for this season!). For more on making Halloween accessible, check out Five Tips To Make Your Halloween Accessible, Tips for Creating an Accessible Halloween for All, and 13 Tips to Make Halloween More Accessible and Inclusive.
Speaking of holidays, in celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), I wanted to share Why Does Philanthropy Keep Overlooking Disability Funding? which explores how foundation pledges to support disability-focused work haven’t led to significantly more investments. In addition, Google’s Rising Influencers with Disabilities program made a great video to show us how they use Google Meet’s accessibility features for work, like captions during calls and tile pairing.
Finally, let’s talk about the city of Wichita, Kansas. Why? Well, the city recently revamped its city website. Okay, maybe that’s not so interesting in and of itself, but what happened next is. In the article Some say Wichita’s new city website still poses problems for people with disabilities, the reader hears from accessibility advocates that there is more work to be done—to the point where new accessibility features intended to help the user actually block him from navigating to the actual content.
More stories
Below, I’ve gathered some additional links to compelling stories that I think are well worth exploring:
Use iPhone more comfortably while riding in a vehicle
Apple’s latest Accessibility feature is related to motion. Turn on the “Vehicle Motion Cues” feature to receive onscreen cues that may help reduce motion sickness.
Network Rail underspent by £99M on its accessibility programme during last five years
Network Rail’s Access For All program aims to make all stations step-free with the installation of lifts and ramps, alongside other upgrades. However, data received by NCE reveals that while Network Rail had earmarked £383M for accessibility schemes during the funding period, it only spent £284M – a shortfall of £99M.
Blind people rally against Uber, Lyft in SF claiming discrimination
Following two investigations by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit, hundreds of legally blind people protested in front of Uber and Lyft headquarters, claiming the rideshare apps discriminate against them. The National Federation of the Blind led Tuesday’s rally.
Six out of 10 Irish businesses ‘not prepared’ for European Accessibility Act
Some six out of 10 Irish businesses are not prepared for the European Accessibility Act, which takes effect in June 2025, according to a new survey by Mason Hayes and Curran. According to the report, some 62 percent of survey respondents have not conducted an accessibility audit to identify areas affected by the Act.
New Updates to Section 504 Clarify Nondiscrimination and Accessibility Mandates
Beginning on May 11, 2026, Covered Entities with 15 or more employees must ensure that all web and app content (including kiosks) complies with WCAG 2.1AA.
FAA to define safety criteria for wheelchairs in the cabin
The FAA is working to define the criteria necessary to allow someone to remain in their personal wheelchair during flight using a tie-down. The FAA’s vision is in sync with a previous commitment made by US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who assured that the Department of Transportation is working towards a future rule that would allow passengers to remain in their own wheelchairs during flight.
Federal Accessibility: OMB Is Tracking Agency Implementation of Its Guidance on Information and Communication Technology
This report summarizes GSA’s Assessment and OMB’s guidance and describes how OMB tracks agencies’ implementation of its guidance and the roles of GSA, DOJ, and the Access Board in tracking guidance implementation.
“Out of My Mind”
Out of My Mind will be released by Disney+ on November 22, 2024. The film focuses on a girl named Melody, who has cerebral palsy and navigates her world with a communication device. This film is a great reminder of the importance of accessibility and inclusion.
This week’s recommended read
If you read—or listen to—just one thing this week, I recommend:
Redefining Representation in Disability News.
The podcast interviews Peter Torres-Fremlin, the visionary behind Disability Debrief. He reveals how a platform dedicated to disability reporting came to be. The interview also explores the profound questions surrounding disability data accuracy and the importance of transparency and accountability within the community. Peter and the hosts engage in a thought-provoking discussion on the reliability of widely cited statistics, such as the World Health Organization’s 15% figure, and consider the implications of data on public policy. By examining the global adoption and debates surrounding methodologies like the Washington Group questions, they shed light on how accurate data can influence societal understanding and decision-making processes.
Bonus content!
I regularly get asked by clients and designers for great examples of good design that happen to be accessible. This is difficult to curate, but this article shows some before and after examples that are quite insightful. Check out How A Bottom-Up Design Approach Enhances Site Accessibility.
Conclusion
Thank you for joining me for Accessibility Reads, and please stay tuned for our next edition. In the meantime, please visit deque.com to learn more about how we’re advancing digital accessibility and inclusion across the globe.
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