March 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 March.

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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Register for the 2025 Disability:IN Global Conference & Expo!

July 14-17, 2025 | The Gaylord Palms | Orlando, Florida

Don’t miss the global corporate disability inclusion event of the year! Registration for the 2025 Disability:IN Global Conference & Expo is now open to Disability:IN corporate partners.

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

Microsoft: Use the SharePoint Pages Authoring Accessibility Assistant

The SharePoint Pages Authoring Accessibility Assistant is a tool designed to help content creators ensure that their SharePoint pages meet accessibility standards. This tool provides checks and brief guidance to ensure pages are inclusive and accessible to a broad audience.

Inside

It is technology and it is important to be accessible to disabled people—the thing is, it isn’t nearly as headline-grabbing or sexy as, say, the things I built my career on writing about iPhones, iPads, and AirPods. Accessibility truly does manifest itself everywhere. Moser, Whirlpool’s head of design, along with engineer Frayer, both explained the essence of the company’s outlook on building quality products that emphasize equality vis-a-vis accessibility is, in a word, humanness.

Qualtrics 2025 Global Employee Experience Trends

Despite modernization and the potential presented by AI — work feels harder and more chaotic than ever, say 35,000 employees. The reason? People are adapting faster than organizations. Whether intentional or not, leaders aren’t prioritizing what empowers their employees, seemingly putting profit above all else.

However, employees are more engaged overall than ever. They’re keen to get started with AI (with the right support). And organizations have chances to optimize experiences if they look in the right places.

City of New York Sets New Standard for Accessibility Training with Microsoft Partnership

New York – Today, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development (NYC Talent) and its Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion in collaboration with Microsoft announced the launch of a citywide Digital Accessibility Training. The innovative new training will equip City of New York employees with the tools and resources needed to produce accessible content for all members of the community, expanding access to critical city information for all residents.

Toyota Mobility Foundation and Urban Tech Hub Help Speed Growth for Accessibility and Active Mobility Innovators

Mobility is personal. The freedom to get where we want to go empowers choice and helps us assert our individuality. But to open new or blocked roads to independence, it’s often the power of groups that push progress to go further faster. For the tech startups pioneering the new Mobility Unlimited Hub, that hypothesis is being tested and proven in their mission to bring life-changing assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative personal mobility technology breakthroughs to those who need them now.

Google Drive rolls out video transcription for enhanced accessibility: How the feature works

Google has introduced a new feature for Google Drive that will allow users to access video transcripts, making it easier to navigate through content. The latest upgrade builds upon the automatic captions feature launched last year, enabling users to view and search transcripts within videos.

According to a Workspace blog post, the Mountain View-based technology giant has begun rolling out the feature to all Google Drive users. This enhancement aims to improve accessibility by allowing individuals to locate specific moments in a video more efficiently. By selecting a sentence in the transcript, the video will automatically jump to the corresponding timestamp, eliminating the need to manually scroll through footage.

Microsoft’s Copilot AI Enhances Workplace Accessibility

Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant is designed to boost productivity and inclusivity in workplaces. It aids neurodiverse employees by reducing cognitive load, assisting with tasks like reading and email prioritization, and providing real-time captions for deaf users. An Ernst & Young survey indicates that 91% of workers with disabilities find Copilot to be a valuable assistive technology.

Meet Alexa Plus: Your Virtual Assistant Just Got an AI Update

She’s “smarter than she’s ever been” and is rolling out next month, Amazon announced today. The best part? Alexa Plus is free for Prime members. Amazon unveiled the new generation of Alexa at an event in New York. The next generation of the assistant is powered by generative AI and promises a smarter, more conversational, approachable – and most importantly, proactive – virtual assistant.

DEQUE Axe Awards at axe-con 2025

Please join us in celebrating Deque’s 2025 awardees!

Procter & Gamble: 2025 Accessibility Culture Award
American Express: 2025 Accessibility at Scale Award
Starbucks: 2025 Longstanding Commitment to Accessibility Award
Dr. Gregg Vanderheiden: Jim Thatcher Lifetime Achievement Award

Allyant: How to do an Accessibility Test using TalkBack

Making an app accessible isn’t just a checkbox in your development cycle; it’s about ensuring everyone can enjoy a great user experience, including users of screen reading software.

On Android, TalkBack is the go-to tool for navigating through apps without needing to see the screen, serving as the operating system’s built-in screen reader technology.

This guide introduces TalkBack testing essentials, provides tips to help you get comfortable with TalkBack, and explains why this is a key part of building inclusive Android apps.

Accessibility Technology and Innovation Lab at Verizon

It’s one thing to worry about with your customers. But you’ve got to take care of the employees, creating the innovative products customers expect. The team took a holistic view of accessibility. There was no playbook. There was no blueprint. There was no road map. They just dug in.

They built things from the ground up. They created a playbook, processes, and procedures so they could be repeatable and inclusive. The scope continued to change as they made progress. It wasn’t just about compliance and making sure they were WCAG compliant. It was also about moving beyond compliance.

Other Accessibility Highlights for this Month

17 red states are suing to end federal disability protections. Here’s how you can support Section 504

Disability rights could be under threat. People with disabilities are protected from discrimination and given equal access to education, healthcare, employment, and public services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

However, Republican attorneys general in 17 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia) have sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), asking courts to declare Section 504 unconstitutional.

Nvidia launching AI platform to make learning sign language easier

Imagine a language tutor who is always on, available anytime to teach new vocabulary or check up on a student’s progress.

On Thursday, Nvidia launched a language learning platform using artificial intelligence that promises to do just that for American Sign Language learners, in partnership with the American Society for Deaf Children and creative agency Hello Monday.

The platform, called Signs, features a 3-D avatar to demonstrate signs. Users keep their video cameras on while interacting with the platform and an AI tool provides feedback as they practice the signs. At launch, the platform features 100 distinct signs, but Nvidia hopes to grow that to 1,000.

Revolutionizing Accessibility: NVDA’s Leap into AI

NVDA, a leading open-source screen reader, integrates AI for enhanced accessibility for visually impaired users.

The update includes intelligent suggestions, context-aware narration, and improved navigation capabilities.

Persons with disabilities or long-term conditions and barriers in their online activities, 2024

Almost all Canadians with disabilities or long-term conditions use some form of information and communication technology (ICT), including smart phones, tablets, laptops and desktops, traditional television, or other devices, but barriers to accessibility persist. Notably, in 2024, almost half (45%) of people with disabilities or long-term conditions reported having faced barriers in their online activities because of their condition. In addition, over half (57%) of people with disabilities or long-term conditions faced barriers when using at least one ICT. This percentage increased to 74% among those who experienced greater difficulty with their daily activities due to their condition. Persons with disabilities or long-term conditions who experience barriers to accessibility are defined as those who have difficulties with the components of ICT, including websites, software, electronic devices, and mobile applications.

AI tools transform accessibility for Deaf, Deafblind

From the invention of Braille to the development of hearing aids, society has strived to overcome challenges faced by the Deaf and Deafblind communities. Today, artificial intelligence stands at the forefront of this movement, creating new possibilities and solutions. In a world driven by technology, accessibility tools are constantly evolving.

Get ready for the EU Accessibility Act

In this article, we discuss the accessibility requirements for technology-based products and services under the EU Accessibility Act (EAA), effective in Ireland from 28 June 2025. We outline the steps businesses must take to ensure compliance and highlight the enforcement risks in the event of non-compliance, including potential court orders, criminal prosecution, and corrective actions mandated by market surveillance authorities.

Creating a more accessible Australia

The Albanese Labor Government is committed to building inclusive communities in Australia, where people with disability, including those with complex needs, can experience our extraordinary country.

The Government has today announced a $17.1 million investment to work in partnership with states and territories to increase accessibility in community spaces across Australia through the new Commonwealth Accessible Australia initiative.

First-of-Its-Kind Accessibility Lab Brings Assistive Tech to the Hospitality Industry

The Accessibility Lab (“The Lab”), the first real-world testing ground for assistive technology in hospitality, is launching to ensure accessibility solutions are not just designed but proven. A partnership between The Schoolhouse Hotel, TravelAbility, and Samaritan Partners, The Lab will help startups refine innovations in a fully operational hotel, setting a new standard for inclusive travel.

DC Metro teams up to improve accessibility for the visually impaired

Unlike many navigation apps, Waymap’s tech doesn’t rely on GPS or cell connectivity.

“We use something called inertial measurement sensors… which are built into all your smartphones nowadays,” CEO Celso Zuccollo explained.

These sensors track your phone’s movement, and the app then feeds this data to AI-powered algorithms that estimate the user’s step length and step direction. Waymap’s “secret sauce,” Zuccollo said, is its proprietary algorithm, SmartStep, which promises to give users “turn-by-turn, step-by-step audio instructions with up to three feet of accuracy,” according to a news release.

IKEA unveils commitment to digital accessibility for inclusive retail

IKEA is unveiling a new vision for digital accessibility and inclusion, reaffirming its commitment to creating digital experiences that are intuitive, inclusive, and welcoming to all. Customers and co-workers will experience improvements in our digital solutions, ensuring inclusive and user-friendly online interactions.

By removing barriers in its digital solutions, IKEA aims to engage more people, including customers and co-workers with disabilities. Such ideas include helping countries to explore and procure technology for sign language interpretation for customers and co-workers, or a local library with assistive technology and information that helps find accommodations for all co-workers with disabilities.

Serial Plaintiff Seeking to Enforce a Delinquent Settlement Payment Gets a Sharp Judicial Rebuke from EDNY Federal Judge

Seyfarth Synopsis: Concerned that serial plaintiffs are not actually ensuring that defendants are removing access barriers under their confidential settlement agreements, EDNY Judge Cogan takes charge.

Be careful what you ask for – that’s the adage that a serial plaintiff and her attorney should have considered before asking U.S. District Judge Cogan to make defendants pay the $9,000, they still owed under a settlement agreement resolving an ADA Title III access suit. Instead, they got a harsh rebuke and a decision that conditioned their judgment for the overdue payment on their (1) disclosure to the court of all of confidential settlement agreements for past EDNY lawsuits, and (2) submission of evidence that remediation has been completed under all of those agreements.

1.5 million Left Behind – Project Nemo Takes on Banking’s Accessibility Challenge

Managing money is tough for anyone, but it hits especially hard for adults with learning disabilities. Just opening a banking app or trying to make sense of monthly statements can feel like solving a puzzle. And with banks pushing aggressively toward digital-only services, many people find themselves struggling to keep up.

This isn’t just about inconvenience. When someone can’t handle their own money, they lose their independence bit by bit. Having to hand over control to someone else often feels like a step backward instead of forward.

Audio Description in Advertising

A few years ago, the average price of a Super Bowl spot for a 30 spot was $7 million. Yet, they had no AD tracks. If a company spends $7 million for a 30-second spot, wouldn’t they want to maximize my reach? Instead, they left 5 to 10 million people in the dark, so to speak by not targeting them in their ads.

For just 0.04% of a Super Bowl ad’s cost, companies could make their content accessible to millions.

Tilt Beauty launches accessible makeup packaging with inclusive design

Tilt Beauty’s patented packaging is said to feature an easy open tear strip and braille for people with low visibility. The brand’s website and packaging use the Braille Institute’s Atkinson Hyperlegible font to improve reliability for people who are visually impaired.

Accessible Packaging

The Lashscape Mascara promises easy application with an ergonomic grip. It has a shorter wand for more control alongside a lash-hugging brush. The Grip Stick hydrating lip treatment also has a grippy case designed to aid with application.

Tilt Beauty says it is the first cosmetic brand to receive the Arthritis Foundation’s Ease of Use certificate. It has also been awarded the National Psoriasis Foundation Seal of Recognition, highlighting the brand’s commitment to making beauty packaging accessible.

Accessible online shopping with Innosearch

Innosearch is an innovative e-commerce platform designed to make online shopping more accessible for disabled customers, including blind and vision-impaired users. Featuring AI-generated image descriptions, streamlined navigation, and labeled buttons, the site enhances user experience while providing access to deals across 500,000+ retailers.