December Digital Accessibility Roundup

Accessibility (a11y) Roundup. Navy blue design of a desktop computer with various accessibility areas, such as Braille display, accessible coding, audio descriptions.

This Month’s Roundup
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Welcome to Disability: IN’s monthly round up of digital accessibility news for December.

At Disability:IN we know that digital accessibility impacts all aspects of disability inclusion. If you have questions about our digital accessibility program, please contact Jeff Wissel, our Chief Accessibility Officer.

Disability:IN Happenings

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Champions for Change: A Global Celebration with Disability:IN

View our virtual event, Champions for Change: A Global Celebration with Disability:IN, in honor of International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Hosted by speaker, content creator, model, author, and advocate Molly Burke, this dynamic event will share and uplift the stories of Paralympians from around the world.

The event will be released on December 3, 2024, and will be available to stream on-demand on the Disability:IN website. Companies are encouraged to host their own watch parties using our provided discussion questions, resources, and templates.

Learn More About Disability:IN’s IDPWD Celebration

Procure Access

Make 2025 the year your company adds Accessibility Requirements into your supplier contracts and signs onto the Procure Access Statement!

The Procure Access Toolkit has all the information you need to establish and enhance your procurement accessibility program. Set 2025 as your target timeline to join Microsoft, Google, JP Morgan, Fidelity Investments, Merck, Lilly, T-Mobile, Verizon, CVS, Salesforce and 28 other leading companies who have signed onto the Procure Access Statement. View the Procure Access Statement Application and prepare to sign-on in 2025!

International Perspectives on a Barrier-Free World

It was an honor to serve on the International Perspectives on a Barrier-Free World, a conversation with Stephanie Cadieux, Canada’s Chief Accessibility Officer. International Day of Persons with Disabilities is a great opportunity to partner around the globe to advance disability inclusion.

Watch the International Perspectives on a Barrier-Free World (Youtube)

Accessibility Leadership Committee

Thank You for the Opportunity to Serve as Co-Chair.

I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for the privilege of serving as Co-Chair of the Accessibility Leadership Committee at DisabilityIN. This role has been an incredible opportunity to collaborate with a globally diverse group of business leaders, all committed to advancing accessibility.

Our committee’s mission—to promote and support accessibility efforts has been inspiring to champion. It has been a tremendous honor to share my own experiences and insights while learning from others as they shared their ideas, strategies, and programs on this platform.

The work we have accomplished together demonstrates the power of collaboration and shared commitment. I am proud of the strides we’ve made to make inclusion and accessibility integral to every organization.

As I reflect on my time as Co-Chair, I remain deeply inspired and motivated by this community’s passion for creating equitable spaces for everyone. Thank you for allowing me to contribute to this meaningful work, and I look forward to staying connected and supporting this mission in the future.

With gratitude,

Monica Goel

Spotlight on Disability:IN Partners using technology to enhance the accessibility of products we use every day.

Deloitte’s Global Disability Inclusion at Work 2024: A Global Outlook report

The report examines the views of 10,000 people with disabilities or chronic health conditions, or those who are neurodivergent in workplaces across 20 countries. The report provides unique and vital data-driven insight into their workplace experiences and— importantly—the steps that employers can take to make meaningful and sustained progress on #DisabilityInclusion.

Be My Eyes, Hilton Executives Talk ‘World-First’ Partnership in New Interview

HILTON

In mid-October, Be My Eyes announced what it called an “industry-first” venture with hospitality giant Hilton that makes travel accessible to Blind and low vision people. The primary goal of the pair’s collaboration is “[ensuring] all guests have the same great Hilton experience [while advancing] Hilton’s commitment to creating more accessible travel experiences and exceptional guest experiences for everyone.”

Extra:

AT Banter Episode 405 – Nicole Bergstrom & Hilton Accessibility

This week Rob, Ryan and Lis welcome Nicole Bergstrom, Hilton’s Senior Director of Accessibility, to the show to discuss Hilton’s partnership with Be My Eyes. Nicole explains the integration of Be My Eyes’ support with Hilton employees, emphasizing the importance of choice and training for Hilton Customer Care representatives. The conversation highlights Hilton’s efforts to enhance travel experiences for guests with disabilities and their commitment to providing an accessible experience for their guests.

Aira Available at Walmart Nation-Wide + On Walmart.com!

Aira’s on-demand visual interpreting service is now available for free at all Walmart locations across the US! This is your chance to use Aira at your local Walmart for a more engaging and independent shopping experience, or while online shopping on Walmart.com. Following a successful pilot in California, Florida, and Texas, Aira is thrilled to be expanding access to our on-demand visual interpreting services at Walmart locations across the country.

December 3, 2024, | 6 Months to The European Accessibility Act Deadline — What Do You Need to Do? | TPGi.

6:00 AM PT, 7:00 AM MT, 8:00 AM CT, 9:00 AM ET, 2:00 PM GMT

TPGi’s accessibility experts, including David Sloan and Mark Miller, join Bird & Bird’s legal expert Deirdre Kilroy in a webinar discussing the European Accessibility Act (EAA) deadline. Learn about the requirements, strategies for compliance, and actions businesses need to take to ensure their digital products and services meet EAA standards by June.

Nike’s Elite EasyOn Backpack Redefines Accessibility and Style

Nike has once again demonstrated its commitment to inclusivity and innovation with the introduction of the Nike Elite EasyOn Backpack. Originally designed for Paralympic athletes, this backpack exemplifies how thoughtful design can benefit everyone, regardless of physical ability.

Disneyland Paris Releases an Image Bank for Guests with Speech Disabilities

Disneyland Paris has introduced a new service for guests with disabilities to encourage interactive communication, as part of the resort’s ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Following the launch of AudioSpot audio description in 2022 and Virtuoz tactile maps in 2023 – two services for guests who are blind and visually impaired, Disneyland Paris is now offering a service for guests who have difficulty communicating verbally.

Inside United Airlines’ Work in Making Air Travel Accessible to Everyone

Another noteworthy company honored at this year’s Accessibility Symposium is United Airlines. HKS lauded United forits commitment to making the travel experience as accessible as possible to people with disabilities. One such accomplishment for United is becoming the first major American airline to install Braille placards in aircraft cabins, making moving about the plane accessible to Blind and low vision passengers. Likewise, United’s app on iOS and Android and in-flight entertainment system supports various assistive technologies, such as screen readers, in order to make the airline’s digital goods accessible.

Inside NBCUniversal And the Challenged Athletes Foundation’s ‘Wicked’ PSA

Marissa Bode is disabled and plays Nessarose in “Wicked.” NBCUNIVERSAL

Universal Pictures’ Wicked opens in theaters this Friday. In conjunction with the film’s opening, NBCUniversal announced in a press release issued today it has collaborated with the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) in the creation of what’s described as a “powerful” public service announcement highlighting “accessibility and opportunity.” The PSA will be airing on Comcast NBCUniversal-owned networks and digital platforms in “donated media inventory,” according to NBCUniversal.

Prime Video will let you summon AI to recap what you’re watching

Amazon’s Prime Video is getting a new generative AI-powered feature to help catch you up on a show. The new tool, called X-Ray Recaps, can create text summaries of “of full seasons of TV shows, single episodes, and even pieces of episodes,” the company says in a blog post.

Apple’s head of accessibility highlights the importance of AI in helping people with disabilities

As reported last week, Apple’s global head of accessibility Sarah Herrlinger spoke this Tuesday at the Web Summit Lisbon 2024. At the event, Herrlinger talked about everything Apple has been doing to make its devices easy to use for anyone and also highlighted the use of AI to help people with disabilities.

As reported by iFeed.pt, Herrlinger emphasized that Apple has had a team specializing in accessibility since 1985. The company’s vision since then has been to make accessibility “a human right” as the company believes it “drives innovation.”

Delta and DOT Pave the Way for In-Flight Wheelchair Accessibility

Delta Air Lines, the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have announced progress toward allowing wheelchair users to fly while seated in their own wheelchairs. The initiative has been years in the making. It aims to create a system where travelers who rely on wheelchairs can remain in their personal mobility devices throughout their flight. This development is a crucial step in prioritizing the safety and comfort of disabled passengers.

Other Accessibility Highlights for this Month

Beloved singer-songwriter discusses hearing loss in interview: ‘I don’t think creativity stops with disability’

Last year, the legendary singer-songwriter Paul Simon opened up about his loss of hearing when he explained to The Times that he began having issues in his left ear while working on his album “Seven Psalms.”

“Quite suddenly, I lost most of the hearing in my left ear, and nobody has an explanation for it,” he explained. “So, everything became more difficult.”

How to Provide Quality Flight Experiences for People with Disabilities

Aviator Airport Alliance, a full-range provider of aviation services at 15 airports across the Nordics and part of the Avia Solutions Group family, ensures airlines can accommodate people with disabilities daily as part of their behind-the-scenes work in airline operations.

How Disability-Inclusive Business Travel Reflects Corporate DEI Maturity

According to the Global Business Travel Association worldwide spending on business travel is expected to reach an arresting figure of $1.8 trillion by 2027. It is a lucrative industry indeed and one which significantly underpins and knits together key components of the global economy.

However, for many workers with disabilities, business travel singularly fails to provide an enjoyable or accessible experience. This is often down to a combination of being inexorably entangled with the inherent complexities and inconsistencies of corporate DEI policies alongside deeply entrenched access barriers impacting the travel industry at large.

PAN Card 2.0: Get Your New e-PAN Card Free via Email – A Step-by-Step Guide

A PAN card is one of the most important documents for financial transactions in India. Whether you’re opening a bank account, filing income tax returns, or conducting high-value transactions, a PAN card is indispensable. Recognizing the increasing reliance on digital services, the Indian government has launched PAN 2.0, an enhanced version of the existing PAN card system, under the flagship Digital India initiative.

Poor Internet access hits Ugandans adopting popular digital payments

Ugandans cite a lack of Internet access, poor mobile network, and bad customer service as the top barriers to using digital payments for local transactions, stalling the uptake.

This is despite digital payments becoming a crucial financial tool where most of Africa has made strides.

While about 61 per cent of Ugandans currently use digital money solutions, a majority access them through feature phones and use them mostly to buy airtime and save money, as opposed to paying for goods and services or transferring money with friends and family.

The European Accessibility Act – Has It Slipped Under Your Radar?

Many businesses may not have heard of the European Accessibility Act (“EAA”). If it has slipped under your radar, now is the time to take note because this legislation has a broad reach across many sectors, significant implications for product and services design (as well as documentation) and a looming compliance deadline. The EAA becomes applicable from 28 June 2025 and aims to ensure that many categories of consumer products and services, particularly digital technologies ranging from payment terminals and smartphones to banking services and online shops, are accessible to all.

Using Severity Ratings to Prioritize Web Accessibility Remediation

So, you’ve found your website’s accessibility issues using WAVE or other testing tools, and by completing manual testing using a keyboard, a screen reader, and zooming the browser window. Now what? When it comes to prioritizing web accessibility fixes, ranking the severity of each issue is an effective way to prioritize and make impactful improvements. In WebAIM’s accessibility audits, each issue we identify is assigned one of four levels of severity based on how it impacts end users. In this article, we’ll go over these severity ratings for accessibility and the types of issues that typically fall under these categories.

Disability groups applaud the SC ruling declaring accessibility a fundamental right

The ruling is set to transform public life across India, compelling both state and central governments to prioritize the rights of disabled individuals, said the National Disability Network.

Tokyo, Out to Make Art and Culture Accessible for All

On November 5, Tokyo outlined its commitment to making art and cultural experiences more accessible to all. This initiative comes in preparation for two significant upcoming events in 2025: the World Athletics Championships and the Deaflympics.

MSP Airport debuts enhanced accessibility programs for travelers who are deaf, hard of hearing

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is expanding its internationally accredited accessibility program with two novel initiatives aimed at helping travelers and airport visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing.

MSP is launching Aira’s pilot American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting service, Aira ASL. A separate program being rolled out is called talk-to-text, which uses technology to convert live airline announcements into text that is displayed for passengers at the gate.

“These new programs offer our passengers, visitors and -customers who are deaf or hard of hearing more independence and real-time assistance across MSP terminals and facilities,” said Phil Burke, assistant director of customer experience for the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

25 Accessibility Tips to Celebrate 25 Years

As WebAIM celebrates our 25th anniversary this month, we’ve shared 25 accessibility tips on our LinkedIn and Twitter/X social media channels. All 25 quick tips are compiled in this article.