USA: Prize-Winning App Helps Users Spot Accessible Places
A new app designed to help people with disabilities locate accessible restaurants, stores and other venues in their communities is getting a boost after being named a winner in a national contest. The software called “Access Together” is a Foursquare-style app that allows users to check-in from various locations and answer simple questions about accessibility. The crowd-sourced information is then publicly searchable.
From http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/01/03/prize-winning-app/14704/, January 04, 2012
USA: Labor Dept. Sets 7% Hiring Goal for Disabled Workers
The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed a move it calls necessary for helping more people with disabilities get hired amid a dismal unemployment rate: A new rule that would require federal contractors and subcontractors to set a hiring goal of 7% for the employment of people with disabilities. The new rule, if passed into law, would strengthen Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that obligates federal contractors and subcontractors to ensure equal employment opportunities for qualified workers with disabilities.
From http://abledbody.com/2011/12/08/labor-dept-sets-7-hiring-goal-for-disabled-workers/, January 04, 2012
USA: Man Realizes Dream of Becoming a Doctor Despite Cerebral Palsy
Doctors told Lisa Sexton that her firstborn son, Tyler, would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Twenty-five years later, the boy who doctors expected to never walk is himself a doctor, and his mother couldn’t be more proud. Their journey to acceptance, courage and determination, however, was a long painful one, which they chronicled in a book entitled, “God Bless These Little Legs.”
From http://blog.amsvans.com/51034-man-realizes-dream-of-becoming-a-doctor-despite-cerebral-palsy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=man-realizes-dream-of-becoming-a-doctor-despite-cerebral-palsy, January 04, 2012
France: 6th European eAccessibility Forum to Place eAccessibility at the Core of Information Systems
e-Accessibility is gaining momentum, as demonstrated by the increase in governmental initiatives and commercial interest in the field. The domain of a few dedicated specialists until a few years ago, it is today a regular preoccupation in the ICT sector.
From http://inova.snv.jussieu.fr/evenements/colloques/colloques/76_index_en.html#contenu, January 03, 2012
New Zealand: Tech Solution Developed for Disabled Parking Abuse
New Zealand's Car Parking Technologies has developed a system that detects when a non-disabled driver's vehicle is parked in a handicapped parking spot.
From http://www.gizmag.com/disabled-parking-spot-sensor/20966/, January 03, 2012
USA: College Entrance Exams Run Afoul Of ADA Requirements, Report Finds
Too little is being done to ensure that students with disabilities receive appropriate accommodations on the SAT, ACT and other standardized tests, according to a new government report. Despite requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act that students with disabilities receive accommodations like extra time or altered test formats, the report from the Government Accountability Office found that those with disabilities often face significant barriers.
From http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/01/03/college-exams-ada/14688/, January 03, 2012
USA: Companies Set Goals for Hiring Disabled Employees
Disabled Americans, facing even higher hurdles than others finding jobs, would get a boost under an Obama administration plan to set new hiring procedures for government contractors. The Labor Department proposed a rule Thursday that would require most companies with federal contracts to set goals of having disabled workers make up 7 percent of their workforce.
From http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/08/plan-to-boost-employment-for-disabled-workers/#ixzz1iO8Bb0oX, January 03, 2012
Feature: Interpreting Sign Language in Mainstream Hong Kong School Curriculum
The problem of a Deaf seems simple - it is a disability to hear and sometimes, to speak - but the hearing world has not heard their needs very well. For many years, educators had faith in lip-reading and sign language has only revived from suppression very recently in Hong Kong schools. Kahon Chan steps into the world of silence to understand how sign language could make a big difference.
From www.chinadaily.com.cn, January 02, 2012
UK: Bristol M Shed Museum Celebrates Digital Access Award
Bristol’s M Shed museum, which opened earlier this year, is celebrating after receiving a Jodi Mattes Trust Award for Digital Access onsite. The Jodi Mattes Trust’s vision is of a world in which disabled people enjoy full cultural equality, a world in which disabled people hold equal access to information and cultural experience through and within digital media, but also enjoy equal opportunity as participants, creators, co-creators, artists and employees in the cultural sector.
From www.guide2bristol.com, January 02, 2012
Uganda: Government Asked to Prioritize Special Needs Education
The Ministry of Education and Sports should consider inclusive education training in Teacher Training Colleges to cater for special education needs. The advice has been given by the project Coordinator, Norwegian Programme for Development Research and Education (NUFU), Professor Siri Wormnaes. Inclusive education is an approach to educating students with special educational needs. This system brings both able bodied and disabled learners together in one class room and community.
From www.newvision.co.ug, January 02, 2012
