“Automation and AI is intended to support, but not replace, the human effort in digital accessibility.” – Tom Arnold, Director of Product Management at User1st

WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
March 12, 2020

User1st, the provider of the most innovative web accessibility solutions on the market, today published an article that explains why companies should be cautious when deploying automated or AI-powered solutions for making their websites and apps accessible to persons with disabilities.

In his article titled “Buyer Beware of Fully Automated Digital Accessibility Software,” User1st Director of Product Development Tom Arnold argues that although automation and AI hold the promises of reducing the overall work required for maintaining accessibility compliance, they only catch about 40% of accessibility errors, which can leave an organization vulnerable to a lawsuit.

“Automation and AI is intended to support, but not replace, the human effort in digital accessibility,” writes Arnold. “Humans use your website and apps, not machines. There is no replacement for human testing when it comes to providing the best user and customer experience. Don’t fall for the false promises of ‘fully automated compliance.’”

Digital accessibility is the ability of a website, mobile application or electronic document to be easily navigated and understood by all users of varied abilities, including those who have visual, auditory, motor or cognitive disabilities. Applying digital accessibility is like translating your website into a different language, only this language supports people with visual, mobility, and even cognitive impairments.

Arnold’s full article is as follows

Buyer Beware of Fully Automated Digital Accessibility Software

By Tom Arnold, Director of Product Management

2020 looks to be a record setting year for digital accessibility lawsuits based upon the number of cases alone filed in January and February. And if your company uses 100% automated or vendor-proclaimed artificial intelligence (AI) accessibility software, you are NOT protected. Indeed, a number of the current lawsuits are against companies that implemented an automated accessibility solution.

By way of background, there are an increasing number of federal and state laws and court cases that require a company’s customer-facing websites, mobile applications, and other digital assets to be accessible to individuals with disabilities (including visual, hearing, and cognitive impairments). Compliance in this legal environment means developing and modifying website elements and content in a manner that can be used and understood by such individuals (e.g., alt-text explanations for images, closed-captioning for video/audio files, appropriate color contrasting for font and background).

Many accessibility technology vendors make promises of fast, easy, and fully automated accessibility solutions. These vendors promise, for example, that within 48 hours your website can be “fully compliant” without any work by your team, without adapting or changing the source code of your customer-facing digital assets, with no manual testing efforts on their part, and with a cost that’s not even a blemish to your budget. Sounds too good to be true, right? In many cases it is.

First, many of these accessibility technology vendors do not even back the quality of their solution or warrant compliance. Indeed, many of these vendors state in their own terms of service that they do not guarantee accessibility compliance for the elements supposedly fixed by their automated solutions and further severely limit their liability if an accessibility issue occurs. More importantly, these vendors often do not explain that their technology solutions only address some limited, very basic requirements for accessibility. Buyer beware of remediation products that do not address the much broader set of user inaccessibility issues.

So, what about that magical automated or AI-powered solution to deliver full web or digital accessibility? While automation and AI has the promise of reducing the work required for accessibility, these 100% guarantees fail manual, human accessibility testing every time, leaving your organization vulnerable to a lawsuit. Automation and AI is intended to support, but not replace, the human effort.

All remediation technologies are not the same. It is worth your time and company’s reputation to understand digital accessibility and the remediation capability you need before you buy. The last thing your organization needs is a second lawsuit (or multiple lawsuits), which is becoming another trend in digital accessibility.

Where to start?

Digital accessibility goes beyond compliance. It’s a business decision to better serve all customers, regardless of abilities, via your website, app, and online communications. Therefore, design an accessibility plan that meets your specific compliance needs, organizational goals, and available resources for testing and remediating your digital assets. Taking a pro-active approach to accessibility can improve your customers’ experience while mitigating risk and protecting your organization from potential lawsuits.

Improving your organization’s accessibility can be a significant internal undertaking. Because your digital services are continuously updated, you need the tools to continuously test and remediate. First, consider the accessibility knowledge of your team and the bandwidth for them to remediate or take on continuous remediation in the future.

Next, determine the current state of your digital assets through automated and manual testing. Even if you have an automated or AI-powered accessibility widget, it is worth the time to test and ensure accessibility, thereby protecting your company’s reputation. Automated testing only catches about 40% of accessibility errors. You can also contract with third party accessibility testing providers for manual testing if your current company doesn’t have the capability. Remember, automated or AI-powered tools are supposed to augment manual accessibility testing efforts, not replace them.

Now you know what’s wrong, how do you fix it? Through reliable remediation tools and solutions. If you have a strong development team, you should be able to fix errors in-house. If you have a smaller or inexperienced team, you may want to work with a vendor to fix any errors.

There are other immediate steps you can take to improving the accessibility of your digital assets. For example, you can add an accessibility statement to your website which communicates your company’s commitment to an accessible customer experience and allows for feedback. Develop a compliance program to ensure that all future digital assets are developed for accessibility.

Here’s the bottom line. Humans use your website and apps, not machines. There is no replacement for human testing when it comes to providing the best user and customer experience. Caring for customers through digital accessibility demonstrates an organization’s willingness to go beyond regulatory compliance. So, don’t fall for the false promises of “fully automated compliance.” Your users deserve better. Your organization’s reputation depends on the right digital accessibility solutions.

Tom Arnold has nearly 10 years of experience in product management, testing, and implementation serving the IT services and banking industries. Tom holds an MBA from Stony Brook University Graduate School and several licenses and certifications, including a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals and IBM Applied AI Certification.

About User1st

User1st provides the most advanced web accessibility solutions on the market for testing, remediation, monitoring, and compliance. User1st is the only company that offers both customized short-term fixes and tailored long-term solutions for meeting the international specifications of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Trusted by organizations of all sizes, including Fortune 500 companies and large government organizations, User1st’s solutions are deployed in a variety of industries worldwide, including financial services, retail, government, and healthcare. For more information, visit http://www.user1st.com/ and follow User1st on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter @User1st.

ENQBITLOGO

“We are truly honored to partner with Enquiron,” said Mike Hess, Founder and Executive Director of Blind Institute of Technology. “Enquiron is a true leader, actively recruiting from the people with disabilities community.”

BOSTON and DENVER (PRWEB)
March 12, 2020

Enquiron® and Blind Institute of Technology (BIT), today announced a partnership to place motivated, qualified professionals from the disabled community in open Enquiron positions. The partnership will also provide Enquiron clients with exposure and access to this diverse workforce to help broaden the definition of diversity and inclusion in their workplaces as well.

“We are truly honored to partner with Enquiron,” said Mike Hess, Founder and Executive Director of Blind Institute of Technology. “Enquiron is a true leader, actively recruiting from the people with disabilities community.”

As two pioneers in their respective industries, Enquiron and BIT bring together a wide variety of talent, technology, content, resources, tools and subject matter expertise to help organizations manage their compliance needs, while simultaneously creating more inclusive and diverse workforces. For over 24 years, Enquiron has been dedicated to helping employers remain compliant and make the best decisions for their organization. BIT is committed to helping these organizations be successful by creating a world in which people with disabilities have the same employment opportunities as their peers.

“We are pleased to expand our partnership with BIT,” said Mike Naclerio, President and CEO of Enquiron. “For Enquiron, BIT’s services are an important component to furthering our core values and diversity and inclusion goals. And for Enquiron’s clients, BIT will serve as an essential knowledge base enabling our clients to expand both their diversity and inclusion visions and physical workplace accessibility. BIT will even help our clients staff their workforces with an incredible talent pool of individuals with disabilities – we encourage all our clients to contact BIT for their next employee recruitment.”

ABOUT BLIND INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY:

Blind Institute of Technology™, http://www.blindinstituteoftechnology.org, is an organization with boots on the ground in the Denver metro area working hard to advance the professional opportunities for people with disabilities nationwide. We are a small, passionate team with a dynamic blend of backgrounds, disabilities, experiences, and motivations, doing whatever we can to get the job done. Our message is that professionals with disabilities possess skills and abilities that corporations have overlooked or have yet to discover. Our strategy is to go directly to the C-suites of corporate America to provide a guiding hand into a successful diverse and inclusive culture. Our end goal is always employment. We treasure the moments when someone gets or gives the good news, “You’re Hired!” We work for the day when employment opportunities are truly equal for people with disabilities. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

ABOUT ENQUIRON

Enquiron, http://www.enquiron.com, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, provides consultative business solutions to employers in all 50 states, across various industries, sectors and sizes. Since 1996, Enquiron has revolutionized the way that services impacting Human Resources, Employment Law, Healthcare, Retirement, Cyber Security and more are delivered to and utilized by employers. Enquiron has locations across the United States and is a trusted partner to organizations who need specific answers to specific questions. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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“We have been making these products for children for the past four years and realized more than half our customers are adults in wheelchairs. We chose to make bags for veterans, as our entire team has family in the military,” says company founder and CEO Lisa Radcliffe.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PRWEB)
March 02, 2020

PUNKINFUTZ ENTERS THE ADULT ADAPTIVE NEEDS MARKET

With Every Wheel Carry Accessory Bags

Designed for Adults in Wheelchairs

Formally Launches TODAY

With the virtual beat of a drum and the blare of a trumpet, PunkinFutz, the company that creates award winning and innovative sensory play products and accessories for children with adaptive needs, formally enters the adult category today with the introduction of Every Wheel Carry accessory bags. The bags will help lifelong and new wheelchair users keep critical items at hand including wallets, phones and licenses.

Leading up to today’s announcement, Every Wheel Carry recently partnered with the NYC Department of Veteran’s Services and the James J. Peters Veteran’s Hospital Spinal Cord Injury Unit (Bronx, New York) to provide the bags to their clients for testing and review.

“We have been making these products for children for the past four years,” says company founder and CEO Lisa Radcliffe, “and realized that more than half of our customers are actually adults in wheelchairs. We specifically chose to make bags for veterans, as our entire team has family in the military. It is our way to recognize their service and to give back.” Radcliffe’s brother is a Colonel in the Army.

“The bag, itself, is very innovative. It’s very convenient,” says Julius Brice, Army veteran, vocalist, writer and producer. “Every Wheel Carry came to my VA hospital (James L. Peters), gave bags to veterans and asked for our feedback. I really believe in this project. The fact that the company is giving opportunity to other disabled people, who produce these bags, is just icing on the cake.”

All Every Wheel Carry bags are made in the United States by adults in adaptive work environments and Every Wheel Carry employs a fully adaptive workforce.

In 2018, there were 19.2 million men and women veterans in the United States, 90% of whom are men.1 There are nearly 85,000 veterans in wheelchairs today.2

“The opportunity to make a difference in the quality of life for wheelchair users, and especially veterans, is vital,” says Radcliffe. “Our goal is to ultimately create a positive environment where adults with disabilities can work and thrive. We want our staff to be empowered by their work experience,” says Radcliffe. “The way we employ is central to our mission as a company.”

“I think more people should be aware of what our employees are capable of doing,” says Melissa Rassmussen, of the Michael J. Raymond Resource Center in Jamestown, NY. “We do our best to employ individuals with all types of disabilities, who help with the production of Every Wheel Carry. “This gives our staff the opportunity to work and to be independent.”

“All bags are put through quality control and then packaged for shipping in our Brooklyn headquarters,” adds Radcliffe. “After we decide that that the bags are of a quality we would put our name on, we ship them out. Our next step is always to go back to those who use the products to drive our next round of design.”

Created for both manual and motorized wheelchairs, as well as scooters and walkers, Every Wheel Carry bags are water resistant; made of highly reflective fabrics created for the U.S. military and first responders; ensure easy access with reinforced pull zippers and Velcro straps; and are durable and washable to make for easy cleaning and use. They feature a grey background and a large hook strip to support your favorite patch. An American flag or choice of military branch patch is available on the website.

The bags retail for $35.95 and can be purchased exclusively at http://www.everywheelcarry.com.

About Every Wheel Carry

Every Wheel Carry is produced by PunkinFutz, an award-winning brand dedicated to changing the experience of children and adults with a broad range of physical, sensory, developmental and emotional needs. All Every Wheel Carry and PunkinFutz original products are manufactured in the U.S. in supportive and adaptive workplaces using the highest quality materials and responsible sourcing.

1 https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/vet.pdf

2 https://www.forwardfree.org/wheelchair-bound-veterans/

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We have worked diligently with our partners and collaboratively with the Ohio Department of Education to reach a comprehensive settlement that delivers what the law requires, a free appropriate public education for students with disabilities.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (PRWEB)
March 03, 2020

The Honorable Judge Michael H. Watson of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio has granted final approval to a comprehensive settlement agreement in the class action Doe v. State of Ohio, case number 2:91-cv-00464. Disability Rights Ohio, the Judge Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson worked with the Ohio Department of Education to reach a settlement that will improve the State’s support for special education throughout Ohio and support improvement in student outcomes. In addition, the settlement will provide intensive support to 11 of Ohio’s school districts to secure measurable improvements in student performance and inclusion for children with disabilities. The settlement will be in effect for five years.

“This is a monumental day for Ohio’s students with disabilities,“ said Kerstin Sjoberg, Disability Rights Ohio Executive Director. “We have worked diligently with our partners and collaboratively with the Ohio Department of Education to reach a comprehensive settlement that delivers what the law requires, a free appropriate public education for students with disabilities. The plan will enhance academic achievement, promote inclusion and improve the supports students with disabilities receive in school. After years of litigation, this settlement will improve outcomes for students with disabilities in real and concrete ways and that is cause for celebration.”

The settlement commits the State to improving rates of integrating students with disabilities in general education settings, and improving their academic achievement, particularly in the 11 districts where experts found systemic denials of a “free appropriate public education” (FAPE). The settlement will also focus on the educational foundation of literacy and language as well as improving special education services to students with disabilities, by, among other things, emphasizing the use of assistive technology and universal design for learning (“UDL”). The latter is a way of teaching that uses different methods to teach the same material so as many students as possible understand what is being taught. Both help students with disabilities fully participate in the classroom and succeed in school.

An Advisory Group will assess the state’s progress and determine whether the required outcomes are being achieved. If they aren’t, the plan will include mechanisms for modifications. There is also a dispute resolution process that allows DRO and its co-counsel to bring concerns to the Ohio Department of Education and, ultimately the Court, if the state is not meeting the settlement’s objectives.

Tweet This: Judge approves @DisabilityRightsOhio and the Ohio Department of Education groundbreaking settlement to improve the integration and academic achievement of Ohio students with disabilities. Details at http://www.disabilityrightsohio.org

About Disability Rights Ohio

Disability Rights Ohio is the federally and state designated Protection and Advocacy System and Client Assistance Program for the state of Ohio. The mission of Disability Rights Ohio is to advocate for the human, civil and legal rights of people with disabilities in Ohio. Disability Rights Ohio provides legal advocacy and rights protection to a wide range of people with disabilities. Find more information at disabilityrightsohio.org.

About The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is a national legal advocacy organization protecting and advancing the rights of people with mental disabilities. The Center promotes laws and policies that enable people with mental disabilities to live independently in their own homes and communities, and to enjoy the same opportunities that everyone else does.

For more information, visit http://www.bazelon.org.

About Steptoe & Johnson

For over 100 years Steptoe & Johnson LLP has earned an international reputation for vigorous and successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and for creative representation of clients before government agencies and in business transactions. Pro bono service at Steptoe and fostering the public interest in major cases like the present matter, is an integral part of the firm’s ethos, history, and operations.

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A $14,000 grant will help adults with intellectual disabilities develop new skills and participate in paid work through expansion of Camphill Communities Ontario’s maple syrup social enterprise.

“As we celebrate the Camphill movement’s 80-year legacy of compassion and inclusion, our Board of Directors is pleased to award so many 2020 grants focused on extending Camphill’s impact far into the future,” said Karen Murphy, Executive Director of Camphill Foundation.

CHESTNUT RIDGE, N.Y. (PRWEB)
March 03, 2020

Camphill Foundation today announced that it will award $375,000 to 17 Camphill communities, affiliates, and organizations worldwide in 2020. The funds will be delivered through grants aligned with Camphill Foundation’s mission of supporting, strengthening, and safeguarding the Camphill movement, and are designated for initiatives that meet recipients’ pressing needs.

Camphill Foundation’s 2020 grants include:

Capital Needs

• * Camphill Village Kimberton Hills (Kimberton, PA) will receive $32,000 toward the construction of a new Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) building, helping the community expand its successful Sankanac CSA enterprise while providing community members with nutritious food and meaningful work opportunities.
• * As part of two-year renewable grant, Camphill Ghent (Chatham, NY) will receive $30,000 to install a state-of-the-art fire safety system that provides the community’s vulnerable elder population with the highest level of fire security and protection.
• * As part of a three-year renewable grant, Camphill Communities California (Soquel, CA) will receive $25,000 to install solar panels on its properties, equipping the community to manage ongoing energy crises in northern California while improving future sustainability.
• * Plowshare Farm (Greenfield, NH) will receive $10,000 for the construction of a 480-foot accessible path connecting households, workshop areas, and community centers.
• * Triform Camphill Community (Hudson, NY) will receive $6,000 toward the purchase of a multi-passenger, energy-efficient vehicle to provide safe travel between Triform’s main campus and its Stewardship Community.

Capacity Building:

• * As part of a three-year renewable grant, Glenora Farm (Duncan, British Columbia) will receive $25,000 to create a new administrative assistant position, which will reduce volunteer coworkers’ administrative workloads and allow them to focus exclusively on program and community member support.
• * Raphael Village (New Orleans, LA) will receive $15,000 to build community awareness by increasing its outreach coordinator’s weekly hours, and to expand skills of faculty and volunteer coworkers through new training opportunities.
• * Camphill Communities Ontario (Angus, Canada) will receive $14,000 to expand and update its maple syrup production social enterprise, through which adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities develop new skills and participate in paid work opportunities.
• * Camphill Hudson (Hudson, NY) will receive $10,000 to fund a software implementation that streamlines volunteer coworker scheduling and paperwork, bolstering efficiency and compliance while enabling workers to dedicate more time to direct community support.
• * Camphill Foundation Canada will receive $8,000 for a 2020 planned giving campaign that will help sustain the Camphill movement in Canada by securing donors who wish to support Camphill beyond their lifetimes.
• * Heartbeet Lifesharing (Hardwick, VT) will receive $8,000 to launch an endowment campaign that enables the community to build a strong financial future.

International

• * East-West Exchange Fund (Asia) will receive $48,000 for residential renovations and repairs at Camphill Sadhana in India, as well as funding for volunteer coworker training, educational tools and resources, and other vital needs at Camphill communities in Asia.
• * Camphill Agualinda (Colombia), an emerging Camphill community, will receive $10,000 in core programmatic support.
• * Respirar Comunidad (Argentina) will receive $9,000 to fund program expansion, including acquisition of music rehearsal and workshop space and staff training.
• * Camphill Nodibinājums Rožkalni (Latvia) will receive $5,000 for the repair and refurbishment of facilities where volunteer coworkers and villagers live and work.

Regional Capacity Building

• * The Camphill Association of North America (Ghent, NY) will receive $75,000, the fourth installment of a five-year award, to strengthen regional operations, volunteer coworker development, research and policy initiatives, and community development.
• * Camphill Academy (Glenmoore, PA) will receive $45,000, the third installment of a five-year award, to support day-to-day operations, training, and ongoing curricula and leadership development.

“As we celebrate the Camphill movement’s 80-year legacy of compassion and inclusion, our Board of Directors is pleased to award so many 2020 grants focused on extending Camphill’s impact far into the future,” said Karen Murphy, Executive Director of Camphill Foundation. “We are deeply grateful to our donors and supporters, whose generosity makes this important work possible.”

Since 1966, Camphill Foundation has provided more than $10 million in strategic grants and low-interest loans to Camphill communities. Camphill Foundation’s grantmaking program is funded by donor appeals, as well as the Camphill Foundation Annual Gala.

Camphill Foundation accepts grant requests from existing Camphill communities and affiliates. Priority is given to Camphill organizations in North America, though special consideration is afforded to communities in high-need areas of the world. Visit http://www.camphillfoundation.org/grantmaking/ for details about Camphill Foundation’s grantmaking program.

About Camphill Foundation

Founded in 1966 to support two fledgling Camphill communities in New York and Pennsylvania, Camphill Foundation has grown dramatically over the past six decades. Today, its mission is to grow, strengthen, and safeguard the Camphill movement at 15 Camphill communities and affiliates in the United States and Canada. Camphill Foundation accomplishes this mission through strategic grants and low-interest loans that help grow and sustain the Camphill movement. Visit http://www.camphillfoundation.org for more information.

About the Camphill Movement

Camphill is a worldwide movement of vibrant lifesharing communities that provide a unique model of care for persons with special needs. The Camphill movement draws inspiration from the principles of anthroposophy. In valuing the profound significance of each human being, practicing the art of daily living, and emphasizing mindfulness of man’s responsibility to the earth, the Camphill movement offers a model of renewal for the wider society. Learn more about the Camphill movement and Camphill communities in North America at the Camphill Association of North America’s website at http://www.camphill.org.

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Christopher Soukup, Chairman, CSD Social Venture Fund

It’s an honor to be returning to SXSW to speak again and give visibility to issues impacting the deaf community, and by extension, the rest of humanity.

AUSTIN, Texas (PRWEB)
March 02, 2020

Leading disability advocate Christopher Soukup returns to SXSW with his solo speaker presentation titled: Deaf Entrepreneurs: Stories That Change Perception. Mr. Soukup is Chairman of the CSD Social Venture Fund, one of the nation’s first venture funds for deaf owned businesses, and CEO of Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), the world’s largest deaf-led social impact organization. He is scheduled to present at SXSW 2020 on March 13 in Austin, TX.

South by Southwest is one of the most diverse, collaborative and inventive conferences in the world. Mr. Soukup joins numerous and notable speakers scheduled to appear at this year’s 34th annual conference, including: keynoters Janelle Monáe, Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, and Carrie Brownstein, and other luminaries including Judd Apatow, Kenya Barris, Stephen Colbert, Gayle King, Michael Moore and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters.

Soukup, a third-generation deaf man, is one of the world’s leading human rights and disability advocates. He has been featured extensively in numerous national media outlets as a leading voice on key issues impacting the deaf and disability communities, including ongoing societal bias, employment, leadership and universal design.

“It’s an honor to be returning to SXSW to speak again and give visibility to issues impacting the deaf community, and by extension, the rest of humanity,” said Mr. Soukup. “SXSW is one of the most influential platforms in the world to accelerate social change, and I will be using this opportunity to help broaden societal concepts of entrepreneurship, leadership, diversity and investment.”

Mr. Soukup’s Deaf Entrepreneurs: Stories That Change Perception will take an inside look at the CSD Social Venture Fund, one of the nation’s first for deaf-owned and operated businesses. He will share some of the fund’s success stories and how those deaf entrepreneurs are generating social impact, changing perceptions and redefining what leadership and investment mean. His presentation also will demonstrate how social-minded companies and their investors can accelerate social change in greater society. His presentation will be delivered in American Sign Language and English on March 13 at 11:00 a.m. CST in Salon J at the Hilton Austin Downtown, 500 East 4th Street. This presentation is open to all SXSW Interactive, Music, Film and Platinum badge-holders.

South by Southwest, dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. An essential destination for global professionals, the event features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together.

For more information about Christopher Soukup please visit CSD SVF and CSD.

Media Contacts:

The Durkin Agency

karen.durkin@thedurkinagency.com

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