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We are now 34 years out from the initial enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (1990), a landmark piece of federal legislation that made education at every level from preschool to graduate school and meaningful employment accessible to people with apparent and non-apparent disabilities. In higher education, and specifically in the academic library, disability accommodations are now an integral part of the life of both students and staff. During my professional internship as part of my MLIS degree at Kent State University, I developed and delivered a tour of the primary academic library, its in-person and online services, and its website for incoming first-year and transfer students with disabilities at Colorado State University, a large, public, land- and space-grant university. The considerations used to develop this programming and its broad impact are discussed here, along with ideas for ongoing support of students with disabilities, and particularly students with non-apparent and executive function disabilities and neurodiversity such as Autism spectrum conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safely walking or wheeling in a wheelchair in the community is a civil and human right. Some progress has been made in the US towards making walking/wheeling paths more accessible for people with disabilities through the construction of new curb ramps, fixing sidewalk barriers, and installing accessible pedestrian signals. However, pedestrians with disabilities continue to be limited by infrastructure barriers on sidewalks and streets. To encourage progress and government transparency, we developed a set of performance metrics for local governments to monitor and report their progress in implementing barrier removal plans, called Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plans. We used the five-step Nominal Group Technique to systematically develop and prioritize a set of performance metrics with an expert panel of ADA coordinators, disability organizations, and state and federal Department of Transportation staff. The research resulted in obtaining 53 metrics across five goals and 14 objectives that can be used to measure all phases of implementation and are intended to be customized to fit different community contexts and capacities. The metrics could be used by federal and state transportation agencies, as well as internationally, with some adaptation to ensure that adequate progress in barrier removal is being made. Local governments can use the metrics to document and communicate their progress and effectively reduce ADA compliance litigation concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the United States federal government, states, and localities have passed laws and created policies intended to ensure that people with disabilities had full and equal access to public spaces. Nevertheless, more than three decades after the ADA, people with disabilities continue to face architectural and other barriers to community inclusion and participation. This article describes laws, policies, and initiatives that are implemented in the United States at the federal, state, and local levels to address these barriers, examines their effectiveness, and describes the views of advocates working in furtherance of the rights of people with disabilities and the inclusiveness of public spaces. We conclude by providing brief recommendations for ways federal, state, and local governments may ensure people with disabilities have full and equal access to public spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For people with disabilities, accessible pedestrian infrastructure can support independence, mobility, and improved quality of life. Yet, most pedestrian infrastructure presents barriers that impede movement. A major challenge for cities to improve pedestrian accessibility is the lack of reliable data on sidewalk accessibility. Little is known about the type of data needed for cities, as well as how different stakeholders perceive and use sidewalk data. Therefore, this study seeks to explore the perceptions of multiple stakeholders on the use, gathering, and application of sidewalk accessibility data. We conducted a series of workshops with 51 participants, including people with disabilities, caregivers, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinators, and urban planners, to discuss sidewalk accessibility data and data collection tools. We used the socio-technological tool Project Sidewalk as an example. Participants identified various uses for the accessibility data such as route planning, barrier removal plans, and advocacy, and discussed issues of usability, trust, access, and accessibility of the data and tools. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of important factors that impact the use and application of accessibility data and how to implement accessibility data collection initiatives that utilize socio-technological approaches such as crowdsourcing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This column article discusses the state of people with disabilities who work in libraries in conjunction with the Covid pandemic, and the return to working on site. Also discussed is how accessibility changed in libraries because of the pandemic and the shut downs that occurred before vaccination. This article asks administrators to consider several issues including the difference between compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and accessibility, compassionate care for library employees and patrons, boundary setting, and embracing change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The law library plays a role in the lives of people with disabilities by facilitating their full participation in society. Providing equitable access for persons with disabilities to library facilities and services is required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), applicable state and local statutes, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The ADA was created to eliminate discrimination in many areas, and most libraries are covered by the ADA's Title I (Employment), Title II (Government Programs and Services), and Title III (Public Accommodations). Section 504 is another federal law designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education. Recipients of this federal financial assistance include institutions of higher education. This article provides a brief overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and why law libraries must comply with these laws to provide equitable access for persons with disabilities. Although the traditional view of access is defined as physical access to the library or the building it resides in, this article asserts that equitable and inclusive access to the law library should be aligned with the expectations of the ADA and Section 504. Law libraries should employ a more holistic approach and reexamine how they define and apply accessibility to their collections, programs, and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have not considered the importance of managers' perspectives for assuring accessibility, and no international benchmarking standards for public restaurant accessibility assessment exist. This study aims to: (1) Propose a holistic evaluation framework for the overall (physical, functional, and communicational) assessment of restaurant accessibility; (2) Identify managers' perceptions of accessibility; and (3) Determine differences in restaurant accessibility according to managers' and restaurants' characteristics. This study was conducted in two stages: literature and legislative analyses and exploratory research using focus groups (the national disability organisations representatives) and field research. The European (EU) and the national legislation were thoroughly analysed and compared to the Americans with disabilities act (ADA). A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 180 managers of small and medium-sized (SME) restaurant enterprises in Slovenia. Bivariate and cluster analyses (CA) were used. Two clusters of restaurants (less and better accessible) were identified. Results indicate that physical barriers, though strictly regulated at the EU level, still present a significant shortcoming in providing accessible services. Functional and communicational barriers prove less problematic. Results also reveal that more accessible restaurants are bigger, have more employees, invest more in IT, and their managers have greater understanding and skills in this area. The evaluation tool enables a holistic approach to accessibility analysis by following the guest's logical movement path. Besides stricter control, policymakers, interior designers, and restaurant service providers should collaborate closely with disability organisations. Restaurant service providers should be trained on disability issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite laws in the United States (e.g., Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and its 2008 Amendments), students with various disabilities continue to experience access barriers to instructional content and inclusion in course activities. Online learning environments can present especially challenging circumstances for disabled students despite the advantages they could potentially bring. In this article, we present the design and development of three self-paced e-learning modules following a three-phased design process to prepare instructional design students to create accessible online learning content. The instructional design planning and development process can provide rich experiences for learning. In this design case, the authors tell the stories of the design team to delineate the recursive three-phased design process, aiming to present (a) the ideation, design, creation, and implementation of the accessibility modules to teach novice instructional designers the importance and methods to create accessible online instructional content and (b) the lessons learned by the design team as a result of the design process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Museums are key educational and cultural resources in the community, yet many are not accessible to visitors with disabilities. Universal design promotes products and environments usable to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of ability. This study explores current industry practice and perceptions of accessibility and universal design in a small sample of American museums. Suggestions for how occupational therapists can help museums go above and beyond ADA guidelines are provided. Method: An 17-item cross-sectional survey was used to collect data. Twenty-five museum associations assisted with recruitment. A descriptive numerical summary and qualitative analysis were used to summarize the results. Results: Sixty respondents participated in the survey. Accommodations for visitors with visual impairment and physical barriers created by historical buildings were identified as both challenges and successes by the respondents. Confusion between ADA standards and universal design was evident in several responses. Conclusion: The most frequently reported accessibility rating was good. Staff training and community-based partnerships are important, but often overlooked practices for improving accessibility. Local agencies who serve people with disabilities are underused resources in the community. There is a potential role for occupational therapists to assist museums with staff training, recruiting people with disabilities, and establishing community partnerships. Additional research is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessibility to information for disabled human users has increasingly become a legal and ethical concern for public education institutions. The Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees freedom from discrimination for disabled Americans, and recent lawsuits and formal complaints about inaccessible website content have propelled enforcement from an historically reactive stance to one that is proactive. Librarians pride themselves on providing information to all users, and the profession has long understood the need to structure data for other applications. However, many of us fail to use even the simple features built into software packages that can ensure accessible documents and presentations from the point of creation. This failure sets up a paradigm of perpetual effort required to remediate content for accessibility. Effective use of accessibility tools in document creation solves two accessibility problems for two audiences at once: humans and machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology can help disabled Americans achieve their desired level of mobility. However, realizing this potential depends on vehicle manufacturers, policymakers, and state and municipal agencies collaborating to accommodate the needs of disabled individuals at different stages of trip making through information system design, vehicle design, and infrastructure design. Integrating accessibility at this stage of the AV revolution would finally allow us an opportunity to develop a transportation system that treats accessibility as a guiding principle, not as an afterthought. This paper documents accessibility considerations for disabled individuals followed by a review of relevant Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. The review of regulations is followed by a review of nine case studies, five corresponding to the on-demand microtransit service model and four corresponding to the paratransit service model. These case studies are essentially different prototypes currently being deployed on a pilot basis. Each of these specific case studies is then evaluated for its ability to provide potential accessibility features that would fulfill the requirement set forth by relevant ADA regulations in the absence of an operator/driver. Based on this review of relevant research, ADA regulations, and case studies, recommendations are provided for researchers, private firms, policymakers, and agencies involved in AV development and deployment. The recommendations include better collaboration and adoption of best practices to address the needs of individuals with different disability types (e.g., Cognitive, Visual, Auditory). ADA regulations should be used as one of the tools in addition to universal design principles and assistive technologies in order to maximize accessibility. • Explores how accessible autonomous vehicle (AAV) technology can co-evolve with disability regulation to meet needs through information systems, vehicle, and infrastructure design. • Evaluates case studies of emerging on-demand autonomous services to see how they meet relevant Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards in the US. • Offers that vehicle design might evolve to better meet standards in the areas of 1) Voice Controlled Systems and 2) Pick Up/Drop Off Point Orientation. • Challenges that, among other collaborative improvements, public agencies can digitize transit trip data to encourage greater multimodal integration of future AAV services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act being more than 30 years old, many government institutions fail to fully support their constituents, and provide understandable and actionable crisis communications before, during, and after emergencies and disasters. When residents do not effectively receive, understand, and act on crisis communications in a timely manner, life safety issues can occur. People may choose not to evacuate when necessary or lack the information for properly sheltering-in-place. These and other bad decisions can be deadly. Crisis communications, as a subset of risk communications, should be aligned with all the disaster phase cycles--the before, during, and after stages of disasters and crises--so that impacted residents obtain complete information they can use. U.S. government websites, including posted crisis communications public releases, must be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) under Title II and they should use templated crisis communications available in other languages, English-only audio recordings, and videos of American Sign Language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progress towards development of accessible pedestrian networks for people with disabilities has been slow, perpetuating social exclusion in many cities world-wide. There is increased pressure to develop and implement plans for barrier-removal, such as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plans. Limited research has examined the elements for effectively developing and implementing plans in a comprehensive way that identifies the role of individual, organizational, and cultural factors. To better understand the factors influencing effective planning, we interviewed municipal planners with high-quality plans about their experiences and perceptions. We analyzed the interview data using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to better understand how well the data aligned with established constructs of effective implementation. Our results suggest that planners of high-quality plans were supported by factors that were both internal to the city, such as technology, training, and interdepartmental relationships; and/or external, such as connections with other organizations or being accountable to their state transportation offices. Several interviewees described the need for organizational and cultural change around planning for more accessible pedestrian networks. The lessons learned from effective planning can be used to improve barrier-removal planning in cities in and outside of the U.S. • Progress towards removing pedestrian barriers for disabled citizens is slow. • High-quality barrier removal planning can be studied using implementation science tools. • Planning processes are adaptable to local government resources and capacities. • High quality plans are nurtured by interdepartmental, inter-city, and state relationships. • Communication and public engagement support buy-in from stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with disabilities are 40% less likely to dine out, they have fewer social relationships, and spend more time at home due to barriers faced as a result of ADA noncompliance by public facilities, including sports bars. Sports bars serve as a place for socialization for people with similar interests to gather together. The purpose of this study was to (a) identify common accessibility issues in sports bars and (b) assess what type of sports bars are more likely to experience those issues. Results are discussed, and implications support the rationale for this study to better understand how sports bars can be a place of social identity for people with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on technology tools for expanding accessibility in instructional media and digital content. Topics include remote work posing certain ergonomic challenges offering needed opportunities for accommodating workers with disabilities; and number of workers living with permanent physical or intellectual disabilities requiring reasonable accommodation for successfully maintaining employment.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) mandates the inclusion of individuals with disabilities to a broad range of facilities and public buildings. One overlooked area is access to conferences. Conferences are held in a range of buildings, including purpose-built venues, hotels, and stadia. Often, the focus is on access for people with mobility limitations, but access for people with other disabilities, such as vision or hearing loss, or mental ill-health, can be overlooked. This is a significant oversight since around 19% of the population experience a disability (Brault, 2012): it makes sound business sense, as well as a sense of social justice, to ensure more people can access conferences. This article uses a literature review methodology to highlight key considerations to make conferences more accessible to a broad range of people with disabilities. A theoretical framework of Universal Design is proposed to support the ideas. A holistic approach is taken to inclusion, including online booking, transport, and parking, since, without these being accessible, the event becomes inaccessible. Other aspects considered include registration, seating, restrooms, catering, and communication aids. Creating accessible conferences can help promote equity and inclusion and bring people with diverse perspectives together to enrich a conference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the percentage of the population with disabilities is growing, little research has been reported to date on documenting disability accommodations at meetings and events. By using a combined analysis, consisting of text mining and document analysis, this study analyzes industry magazine articles published from 1991 to 2020 that address disability accommodations and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements. Findings provide key concepts, relevant topics regarding ADA compliance, the evolution of content over time, and ADA-related practices and implications for planners. This study also discusses the legislation and guidelines applicable to both physical and digital accessibility. The findings will be of interest to venue managers and meeting planners, as well as event organizers. Research contributions and future directions for research on disability accommodations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Per the 2019 NASIG Core Competencies for electronic resources librarians (ERL), ERLs "work with concepts and methods that are very much in flux ... [they are] knowledgeable about the legal framework within which libraries and information agencies operate... [including] laws relating to... equal rights (e.g., the Americans with Disabilities Act)". However, the Core Competencies do not define the level to which an ERL is responsible for determining the accessibility of an electronic resource. This article aims to create a better understanding of the steps an ERL can take to develop an accessibility statement pertaining to procuring accessible content. This article synthesizes key laws and policies that ERLs should be aware of in order to draft an accessibility procurement statement for their institution. It will also discuss licensing strategies, documentation collection, and conducting potential audits of electronic purchases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the issue of access to digital technology by using the lens of accessibility as set forth by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. More specifically, this paper focuses on gamification, considers the needs of all learners, including those who identify as disabled, and raises important inquiries about equity and access to technological instructional materials.Design/methodology/approach Juxtaposing Kapp's (2012) nine elements of gamification with aspects of accessibility, this paper conceptualizes the challenges and possibilities associated with gamified instructional approaches.Findings This paper examines gamification in light of potential barriers that exist as disabled learners navigate online courses that include one or more of the following aspects of gamification – game-based, mechanics, aesthetics, game-thinking, engage, people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve problems. Notably, online courses enhanced with gamification elements present potential access barriers and challenges to learners who identify with auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, or visual disabilities.Research limitations/implications This paper initiates an important discussion, and as such, it incepts additional investigations into supporting differently abled learners.Practical implications By examining gamification through the lens of accessibility, this paper contributes yet another perspective of teaching, learning, and instructional design.Originality/value In addition to socio-economic factors that may preclude one from engaging in a digital play, there is a larger question of how, if at all, gamification is accessible to learners with auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, or visual disabilities or impairments. This paper raises important questions for educators, education researchers, and game and instructional designers alike to ensure ubiquitous access to gamified digital materials in general, and online, gamified materials in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines to what extent the 129 members of the Urban Public Libraries Council meet the Section 508 standards for accessibility under the Rehabilitation Act, the minimum acceptable standard for accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Using an HTML evaluation tool, WAVE, the HTML coding of the libraries' homepages was evaluated according to the Section 508 criteria for accessibility. After one-to-one deep examination to determine the accessibility of the library websites, the results tended to mirror other studies showing that most library websites have some coding deficiencies that limit the accessibility of the websites. Notably, only 7 of the 122 libraries that were surveyed had no Section 508 errors present with their homepages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Introduction of a new method for approximating pedestrian networks in GIS. • Novel pedestrian application of alpha, beta, and gamma connectivity indices. • Four cities analyzed to compare optimal and accessible pedestrian networks. • Accessible pedestrian networks exhibited an average reduction of 48.48% connectivity. Since the introduction of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), transportation stakeholders have endeavored to include compliant and accessible pedestrian facilities as a part of their roadway improvement and maintenance projects. These projects, often completed in sections, have resulted in piecemeal pedestrian networks with limited holistic ADA compliance in many areas, the full extents of which are often unknown. This research introduces a methodology for approximating pedestrian networks and then employs the resulting data in a comparison of the connectivity of optimal and accessible pedestrian networks. The pedestrian network approximation method used street centerline and curb ramp data in combination with GIS tools to generate pedestrian optimal networks across four metropolitan areas: Cambridge and Boston in Massachusetts, and Seattle and Tacoma in Washington. These optimal network extents were then analyzed for ADA compliance to create accessible network models where only ADA compliant routes remained. Traffic Analysis Zones served as analytical units, for which alpha (α), beta (β), and gamma (γ) structural connectivity indices were calculated to compare the two pedestrian network conditions for each city. On average, the four cities exhibited a 93.47% reduction in alpha connectivity, and a 48.48% reduction in both beta and gamma connectivity indices, confirming that pedestrians depending upon ADA compliance for travel experience severely reduced mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Americans with Disabilities Act created regulations for the accessibility of buildings and services for individuals with disabilities, but libraries still have a deficit in information highlighting disability and accessibility. Using LibGuides 2.0 software, the authors created 22 accessible guides on disabilities, disability theory, and assistive technology. The initial response from users was positive and included feedback as the guides continue to be improved and built upon. This article is a case study on the creation of the guides from a disability and accessibility standpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) celebrated its 25th anniversary. While libraries have instituted ADA compliance initiatives since the law came into effect in 1990 and new libraries are generally designed with compliance in mind, to be truly accessible for all people, libraries must incorporate principles of universal design not just into the physical building but into all aspects of the library, including our web presence and the services we provide to patrons. This paper argues that libraries are falling far short of true accessibility and that there needs to be a serious mental shift in how we think about access to our services and spaces. A potential tool for this shift lies in incorporating universal design into all aspects of libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a meta-review of global trends and the contextualization of the 25th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the author proposes that a change of strategy and focus is required to achieve the ADA's aspirations. The argument is made that the disability community and inclusion effort must participate in a leadership role in shaping the current transformation of society, including three broad systemic factors: (a) design and development, (b) research and evidence, and (c) education and learning, to avert widening disparity and address risks that affect all members of the global society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The slopes of fixed-route bus ramps deployed for wheeled mobility device (WhMD) users during boarding and alighting were assessed. Measured slopes were compared to the proposed Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) maximum allowable ramp slope.Methods: A ramp-embedded inclinometer measured ramp slope during WhMD user boarding and alighting on a fixed-route transit bus. The extent of bus kneeling was determined for each ramp deployment. In-vehicle video surveillance cameras captured ramp deployment level (street versus sidewalk) and WhMD type.Results: Ramp slopes ranged from −4° to 15.5° with means of 4.3° during boarding (n = 406) and 4.2° during alighting (n = 405). Ramp slope was significantly greater when deployed to street level. During boarding, the proposed ADA maximum allowable ramp slope (9.5°) was exceeded in 66.7% of instances when the ramp was deployed to street level, and in 1.9% of instances when the ramp was deployed to sidewalk level. During alighting, the proposed ADA maximum allowable slope was exceeded in 56.8% of instances when the ramp was deployed to street level and in 1.4% of instances when the ramp was deployed to sidewalk level.Conclusions: Deployment level, built environment and extent of bus kneeling can affect slope of ramps ascended/descended by WhMD users when accessing transit buses.Implications for RehabilitationSince public transportation services are critical for integration of wheeled mobility device (WhMD) users into the community and society, it is important that they, as well as their therapists, are aware of conditions that may be encountered when accessing transit buses.Knowledge of real world ramp slope conditions that may be encountered when accessing transit buses will allow therapists to better access capabilities of WhMD users in a controlled clinical setting.Real world ramp slope conditions can be recreated in a clinical setting to allow WhMD users to develop and practice necessary skills to safely navigate this environment.Knowing that extent of bus kneeling and ramp deployment level can influence ramp slope, therapists can educate WhMD users to request bus operators further kneel the bus floor and/or redeploy the ramp to a sidewalk level when appropriate, so that the least practicable slope will be presented for ingress/egress. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The increased development and use of electronic and information technology in higher education raises questions about accessibility for individuals with disabilities. In academic libraries, providing accessible electronic information resources ensures equal access and opportunity to information. This article provides a contextual understanding of accessibility in higher education as well as strategies for evaluating, negotiating, and procuring accessible electronic resources licensed through third party vendors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires full and equal access to healthcare services and facilities, yet studies indicate individuals with mobility disabilities receive less than thorough care as a result of ADA noncompliance. The objective of our pilot study was to assess ADA compliance within a convenience sample of healthcare clinics affiliated with a statewide healthcare network. Site assessments based on the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities were performed at 30 primary care and specialty care clinics. Clinical managers completed a questionnaire on standard practices for examining and treating patients whose primary means of mobility is a wheelchair. We found a majority of restrooms (83%) and examination rooms (93%) were noncompliant with one or more ADA requirements. Seventy percent of clinical managers reported not owning a heightadjustable examination table or wheelchair accessible weight scale. Furthermore, patients were examined in their wheelchairs (70%-87%), asked to bring someone to assist with transfers (30%), or referred elsewhere due to an inaccessible clinic (6%). These methods of accommodation are not compliant with the ADA. We recommend clinics conduct ADA selfassessments and provide training for clinical staff on the ADA and requirements for accommodating individuals with mobility disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

eQuality: The Struggle for Web Accessibility by Persons With Cognitive Disabilities (Blanck, 2014a) examines the right under the Americans with Disabilities Act to web access for people with cognitive disabilities (intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, traumatic brain injury, and other conditions). This article continues that line of study examining the full and equal enjoyment (accessibility and usability) of web content by people with cognitive disabilities. I consider definitions, legal challenges, and rights that are discussed more fully in eQuality, and I reflect on new disability law and policy developments in the United States (e.g., Section 508 refresh and web equality case law) and internationally (e.g., developments in CRPD Articles 9 and 12, and European standardization efforts) since eQuality was published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III mandates accessibility of all public facilities, including fitness facilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the ADA compliance of fitness facilities located in the St. Paul and Minneapolis metropolitan area, US. Methods: Twenty randomly selected fitness facilities were evaluated for ADA compliance using the Accessibility Instruments Measuring Fitness and Recreation Environments (AIMFREE) Professional Version (The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability, 2010). The assessment evaluated physical, educational, and informational aspects within each fitness facility. Results: None of the 20 participating fitness facilities in the St. Paul and Minneapolis metropolitan area were 100% ADA compliant. The overall compliance of all 20 participating fitness facilities, as measured by the AIMFREE, was 48.4%. The highest scoring domain was water fountains (77.8%) and the lowest scoring domain was telephones (23.3%). The results of the study showed the fitness facilities in the St. Paul and Minneapolis metropolitan area were not compliant with ADA standards. Conclusion: Occupational and physical therapy practitioners have a significant role in advocating for accessibility of public facilities, such as fitness facilities. Practitioners can collaborate with fitness facility owners to provide structural and educational resources to better accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

25 years post ADA, environment barriers persist in the United States, impacting greatly on the effective socio-economic and political participation of Americans with disabilities in mainstream society. This narrative reflects a social worker's experience of environmental challenges in both rural and urban America and suggestions for social work practice and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this exploratory research was measuring facility managers' knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and it may assist in decreasing the gap in knowledge between facility managers and the needs of people with physical disabilities. An existing survey examining ADA knowledge was slightly modified and used for this study. Four athletic facility managers from universities in a large Bowl Championship Series conference participated in the study. Results provided a preliminary sketch of who athletic facility manages may be, and how athletic facility managers may be educating themselves and others about accessibility. This exploratory study shows that facility managers may be knowledgeable of specific ADA requirements but may not have a firm grasp on more general issues patrons with physical disabilities face and that have often been the point of contention in the courts such as parking, entranceways, seating, and sightlines. Additionally, athletic facility managers may not be seeking to expand their education on ADA-related matters or educate others on the topics, which could be a missed opportunity to position themselves as a topic expert in the field of ADA compliance for athletic facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusiveness and accessibility in the learning environment is a goal for all institutions. As colleges and universities increase online learning opportunities, formal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) policies and processes will be necessary to comply with Federal ADA mandates and to support the institutions' constituents. Administrators have to become knowledgeable on how the revised legislative amendments, increasing number of students identified as disabled, and technology used in the learning environment will affect compliance and online program development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purpose of the work documented here was to assist defendants in legal actions to comply with settlement agreements, consent decrees, and memoranda of understanding. The work involved surveying medical center facilities and interviewing the staff and, based on the results, developing recommendations for compliance. Recommendations are offered for exam tables and chairs, weight scales, and ancillary aids. Guidance on interior design barriers and communication barriers is also provided. Finally, recommendations regarding facility policies and procedures and staff training are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This review documents the history of one large health system’s approach to the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, following the settlement of a lawsuit. This paper represents the various activities within the Kaiser Permanente health system from 2001 to the present that were conducted to improve access and remove architectural, attitudinal, and other barriers for people with disabilities, to educate and train providers concerning culturally competent care for people with disabilities, and to develop patient-centered best practices and models of care for people with disabilities. Health systems can improve care for people with disabilities through organized, multifaceted, and ongoing approaches to removal of barriers, provider education and training in culturally competent care, and establishment of patient-centered best practices and models of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hospitality operator's obligation to comply with the ADA has provided the necessary impetus to ensure that hospitality services are provided in a non-discriminatory manner. The ADA requires modification of hospitality policies and procedures to ensure that guests with disabilities are provided services in a manner equivalent to those provided to able-bodied guests. This article provides the hospitality operator with a framework for training front-line employees and offers recommendations for analyzing how current policies and procedures could be modified in a way that limits potential liability as well as more effectively meets the needs of guests with mobility impairments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that programs and services be accessible to people with disabilities. While schools of library and information science (SLIS*) and university libraries should model accessible Web sites, this may not be the case. This article examines previous studies about the Web accessibility of SLIS Web sites and university library Web sites supporting SLIS and builds on these studies by providing current data about SLIS opportunities for learning about accessible products and services for individuals with disabilities. This study looks at the nation's 12 highest-ranked SLIS and at their disability-related curricula. A WebXACT-compliance check is used to determine World Wide Web (W3C) compliance for SLIS and the main libraries. A survey is distributed to the SLIS to determine disability curricular offerings. A Web search of SLIS course descriptions for these schools provides clarification about course offerings. The compliance check gives cause for concern. The survey results indicate that most SLIS programs offer disability instruction: Specifically most SLIS programs offer instruction of Web accessibility. The mixed results from the survey and the compliance check might indicate that the individuals that are responsible for Web design on these campuses are not knowledgeable about W3C standards. The fact that SLIS students are being taught appropriate accessibility standards should indicate that the future of Web accessibility is brighter. (*SLIS is used as a generic term throughout the article to refer to all library science, library and information science, information science, and other similar programs.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of New York City's proximity to water edifices were built with one step as a barrier to potential flooding. The increase in the disability population made it evident that this step formed a barrier to people who could not negotiate level changes, especially those in wheelchairs and motorized scooters. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that new construction be accessible to people with disabilities and that older buildings be altered when such accessibility is ‘readily achievable.’ The problem is that except for people with disabilities filing legal complaints when the ADA is violated, there is no other enforcement mechanism. Also, New York City's narrow streets allow too little space for compliant ramps. This article describes how disability activists and government representatives created a model for accessibility that allowed for informal agreements and solutions that, although not always strictly compliant with the law, served the actual needs of the disability population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires those offering public accommodations to make these equally available to all persons equally regardless of disabilities. The Circuit Courts of Appeals are split on whether Title III extends to non-physical spaces such as insurance policies, but no court has directly addressed the application of Title III to Internet Web sites. Under recently adopted Federal regulations, Section 508, the Federal Government must design all Federal Web sites to provide equal access to those with disabilities. This article explains that Web sites will probably eventually be required to be ADA compliant because they are public accommodations under Title III of the ADA. This article discusses the features that must be included in a Web site for it to be ADA compliant. For example, text labels must be provided for all graphics and all site functions must be keyboard activated. These features will permit the site to be used by persons with disabilities such as blindness who rely on screen-readers to permit access to the Internet. The article also discusses some of the drawbacks to ADA compliance such as expense and limitations on features normally included in Web sites. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Williamson insightfully narrates the stories of WWII veterans and the need for accessible design, but again the scope is solely focused on images of physically disabled individuals. Keywords: architectural design; accessibility; United States EN architectural design accessibility United States N.PAG N.PAG 1 04/03/21 20210101 NES 210101 America was once even less accessible than it is now, as historicized by Bess Williamson in her book I Accessible America: A History of Disability and Design i . [Extracted from the article]

Sidewalks are a critical infrastructure to facilitate essential daily trips for pedestrian and wheelchair users. The dependence on the infrastructure and the increasing demand from these users press public transportation agencies for cost-effective sidewalk maintenance and better Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. Unfortunately, most of the agencies still rely on outdated sidewalk mapping data or manual survey results for their sidewalk management. In this study, a network-level sidewalk inventory method is proposed by efficiently segmenting the mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data using a customized deep neural network, i.e., PointNet++, and followed by integrating a stripe-based sidewalk extraction algorithm. By extracting the sidewalk locations from the mobile LiDAR point cloud, the corresponding geometry features, e.g., width, grade, cross slope, etc., can be extracted for the ADA compliance and the overall condition assessment. The experimental test conducted on the entire State Route 9, Massachusetts has shown promising performance in terms of the accuracy for the sidewalk extraction (i.e., point-level intersect over union (IoU) value of 0.946) and the efficiency for network analysis of the ADA compliance (i.e., approximately 6.5 min/mile). A case study conducted in Columbus District in Boston, Massachusetts, demonstrates that the proposed method can not only successfully support transportation agencies with an accurate and efficient means for network-level sidewalk inventory, but also support wheelchair users with accurate and comprehensive sidewalk inventory information for better navigation and route planning. • Develops a fully automated, network-level sidewalk inventory method that leverages the emerging mobile LiDAR and deep learning. • Develops a reliable deep learning model based on PointNet++ for accurately and efficiently segmenting LiDAR point clouds. • Develops a stripe-based principal component analysis (PCA) for accurately extracting sidewalk and conducting the corresponding geometry measurement for ADA compliance. • Advances the understanding and utilization of mobile LiDAR and deep learning in critical pedestrian infrastructure management and accessibility analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities with many pedestrian barriers can inhibit community mobility, access to services, and social participation for people with disabilities. Although National Disability Rights policies have been enacted in several nations, it is unclear what progress local governments have made in developing plans and implementing accessibility improvements to the pedestrian infrastructure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the existence and quality of city plans used to remove barriers for pedestrians with disabilities. We conducted a systematic evaluation of American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plans, for a stratified random sample of local cities and counties. An expert panel developed a quality appraisal tool that we used to evaluate plans. Among the 401 government entities reviewed, only 13% (54) had ADA transition plans readily available. Just seven of the 54 plans we acquired met all the minimum criteria required. Based on those reporting barriers, an average of 65% of curb ramps and 48% of sidewalks were not accessible. Many communities across the US have not developed ADA transition plans for pedestrian infrastructure or have developed low-quality plans. This case study provides insight on local level implementation of barrier removal plans whose lessons may apply inside and outside of the US. • Pedestrians with disabilities face significant barriers to community mobility. • Only a small percentage of communities have developed barrier removal plans. • The quality of plans for the pedestrian environment is low. • State level pressure & local advocacy can increase inclusive pedestrian planning. • Evaluation and monitoring of plan implementation at the local level is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legislation mandates addressing accessibility issues in educational practices to foster equal access for all students and faculty. Educational practices include research. Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) can contribute to equality in higher education by requiring equal opportunity for persons with different abilities to participate in or conduct research, an area overlooked by IRBs. We contend this is a legal and ethical responsibility under IRBs' protection from harm requirement as well as laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A keyword search of the 55 original land grant universities in the United States' IRB policies and related documents produced no evidence of accessibility concerns for general research participant pools or researchers. Recommendations to correct this oversight and areas for further study are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]