[NFBF-L] DBS Media Reports November 16 - 20, 2020

Tue Nov 24 13:45:39 UTC 2020

Sharing FYI 

Friday, November 20, 2020

Disability Scoop:
<https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2020/11/18/disability-related-hate-crimes-d
own-fbi-says/29089/> Disability-Related Hate Crimes Down, FBI Says

As hate crimes rose across the U.S. to a level that hasn't been seen in over
a decade, fewer of them targeted people with disabilities. Figures released
this week from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program indicate that there
were 169 reported hate crime offenses rooted in disability bias in 2019,
down slightly from 177 the year before.

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Accessibility 

International Airport Review:
<https://www.internationalairportreview.com/news/144513/miami-airport-access
ibility-initiatives/> Miami International Airport Launches Two New
Accessibility Initiatives

The lanyards, which act as a discreet indicator to airport employees that
those passengers may need some extra time during the travel process, were
unveiled during a ribbon cutting ceremony on 12 November 2020 with community
partners for MIA's second multi-sensory room. The new area in MIA's South
Terminal near Gate J3 provides young passengers with cognitive and
developmental disabilities a calming place to relax during the travel
experience. MIA's other multi-sensory room is in its North Terminal, near
Gate D31. The two new initiatives are part of the airport's overall
MyMIAccess programme of services for travelers with disabilities.

PR Newswire: Braille Works And OpenText Team Up To Improve Accessibility For
Individuals With Visual Impairments
<https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/braille-works-and-opentext-team-up
-to-improve-accessibility-for-individuals-with-visual-impairments-301175325.
html> 

Braille Works specializes in producing traditional alternative formats such
as braille, large print, or audio, and needed a solution that provides
high-volume automated remediation of documents.  OpenText enables Braille
Works to automate the processing of high-volume print streams, helping to
ensure high-quality, compliant, and accessible content is produced more
quickly and efficiently. "We use OpenText software in our automation process
to help us extract data and be more efficient in the production of braille,
large print, and audio," said Glen Schubert, Executive Vice President of
Marketing and Client Relations Braille Works. "This helps us deliver for
clients that remediate tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of
documents on a monthly basis."

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Accessibility

WMNF: In Florida, Budget Woes Won
<https://www.wmnf.org/in-florida-budget-woes-wont-get-you-out-of-accessibili
ty-issues/> 't Get You Out Of Accessibility Issues

The ADA provides a broad spectrum of protections for Americans with
disabilities. That includes safety and accessibility, which often go hand in
hand, according to Jorel Lopez, the ADA coordinator for Puerto Rico's
Department of Transportation. "The main purpose of the ADA is (to) achieve
accessibility and enable users to travel independently," Lopez said. "But
although the presumption is always going to be that the construction is
fully compliant, the reality for many, many reasons becomes different."

Technology

PR Newswire:
<https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/improved-captioning-technology-for
-visually-impaired-301175217.html> Improved Captioning Technology For
Visually Impaired

Microsoft recently unveiled new artificial intelligence image captioning as
part of Seeing AI (artificial intelligence), a free camera app for blind and
visually impaired users. As distance learning experts for the past 100
years, Illinois-based Hadley serves those with vision loss - across the
country and internationally - by providing services at no cost. Hadley's
practical help is offered through online audio and video-based,
professionally-staffed tutorials including a workshop series on Microsoft's
Seeing AI, which can be used on iPhones and iPads to audibly read text,
identify people, and define objects and surroundings. The new captioning
technology for Seeing AI can now describe a range of images as accurately as
humans do.

PR Newswire:
<https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eyemart-express-makes-it-easy-for-
customers-to-help-others-while-shopping-301174535.html> Eyemart Express
Makes It Easy For Customers To Help Others While Shopping

"At Eyemart Express, we improve lives while helping people see better. We
recognize the importance of helping others, which is why compassion is a key
element of our corporate culture," said Michael Bender, Eyemart Express CEO.
"We have developed strong partnerships with an array of nonprofit
organizations to further support these important philanthropies. Our hope is
that our customers find a cause that resonates with them while they shop
with us and will engage with our giving efforts."

Radio:
<https://www.radio.com/kywnewsradio/news/local/doctor-says-smart-phones-grea
tly-help-with-visual-impairment> Philadelphia Eye Doctor Says Smart Phones
Offer Major Help To People With Visual Impairments

"Having Siri as an assistant or Alexa as an assistant is hugely helpful and
has made a tremendous difference for people," Haller said. "There is also
Audible, the ability for books to be read or text messages to be read." In
the phone's settings, users can increase the screen contrast and magnify the
text. "Simply getting brighter contrast and more magnification is enough to
completely change their quality of life," Haller said.

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

In Your Area: RNIB Helps Santa Reply To Children With Visual Impairments
<https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/rnib-helps-santa-reply-to-children-with-v
isual-impairments/> 

Children with vision impairment won't be left out this year as Santa and his
elves are getting ready to give them a treat in the run up to Christmas. The
Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has launched a service that
will help children with visual impairments read their letters of response
from Santa himself. The service helps to make sure letters are available in
accessible formats including braille, audio, and large print. 

Accessibility

PR Newswire: Disability Organization Takes Virtual Event Access To Next
Level
<https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/disability-organization-takes-virt
ual-event-access-to-next-level-301174118.html> 

Blazing the trail for universal access is in Access Living's DNA. Over the
past 40 years, the organization, and its founding President and CEO Marca
Bristo, who passed away last year, have played a pivotal role in advancing
disability rights nationwide. Lead On Live will reflect on that legacy;
showcase the work Access Living is doing right now to advance disability
rights and protections in the face of COVID-19 and the issues of the day;
and chart a path to the future with Karen Tamley as its new President and
CEO.

Monday, November 16, 2020

Harvard Politics: Inclusion, Don
<https://harvardpolitics.com/disabilities-in-performing-arts/> 't Forget
About Us: Disabilities in Performing Arts

Imagine sitting in an audience in a theatre, waiting for a musical to start.
The lights go up and a cheerful song starts playing. Actors cluster onto the
stage, and you notice something rather unusual. Some of the performers are
in wheelchairs, some are using other aids, and some are only using sign
language. You look around at the audience and notice them beaming, wiping
tears of happiness and trying to copy the signs of the song lyrics. This
unique form of theatre has not stolen any of the magic of live performance,
and I am happy to tell you this picture exists outside your imagination. I
am one of the actors that has seen it firsthand. 

Disability Scoop:
<https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2020/11/11/disability-groups-worried-as-sup
reme-court-weighs-affordable-care-act/29080/> Disability Groups Worried As
Supreme Court Weighs Affordable Care Act

Nineteen national disability advocacy groups filed an amicus brief with the
Supreme Court urging that the law be upheld, arguing that it "uniquely and
extensively benefits people with disabilities." Not only does the Affordable
Care Act greatly increase opportunities for people to gain health insurance,
but the law protects people from being denied coverage due to pre-existing
conditions or lifetime limits. It also guarantees coverage of services for
mental illness and developmental disabilities, provides access to home
health care and bars discrimination in access to health care, the advocates
said.

WHDH:
<https://whdh.com/news/visually-impaired-belmont-swimmer-training-for-2024-p
aralympics/> Visually Impaired Belmont Swimmer Training For 2024 Paralympics

A young swimmer from Belmont is hoping to make a splash at the 2024
Paralympics, with the help of a gold medalist. Madeline Babcock is visually
impaired, but the 17-year-old junior from Belmont High School is training to
swim for the United States. "You can do whatever you want to, you might just
have to change it a little bit. But there really are no limits. There's a
way to figure out how to do any sport or do anything," Babcock said. "It's
definitely going to take a lot of work. But I'm ready for it."

Eye Health

Yahoo News:
<https://news.yahoo.com/eye-doctor-saved-life-woman-200009549.html> 'My Eye
Doctor Saved My Life': Woman Learns She Has Diabetes After An Eye Exam

She's sharing her story to raise awareness about how an eye exam can
contribute to better overall health. "If we don't pay attention to simple
things like getting an eye exam every single year, that could create
something catastrophic for us that would impact the rest of our lives," she
said.

USA Today:
<https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/11/13/blue-light-glasses-ey
es-experts-say/6263087002/> Americans Are Concerned About Blue Light As
Screen Time Increases During Pandemic. What Experts Say.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, blue light from
computers will not lead to eye disease. Dr. Sunir Garg, retina surgeon and
professor of ophthalmology at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, says
there's more blue light in the sun than in digital devices. "Blue light is
something that humans have been exposed to since the dawn of time," he said.
"In parts of the world, they're going to get more blue light exposure in any
given day than we will sitting in front of our screens."

Workforce Development

Business Facilities:
<https://businessfacilities.com/2020/11/get-there-florida-sunshine-states-ne
w-workforce-education-initiative/> Get There Florida: The Sunshine State's
New Workforce Education Initiative

In September, in celebration of Workforce Development Month, Florida
Governor Ron DeSantis, and the Florida Department of Education announced the
launch of Get There Florida, a new workforce education initiative aimed at
raising awareness of short-term but high-value career and technical
education programs. Available at GetThereFL.com, the initiative highlights
the key benefits of rapid credentialing programs available to Floridians at
the 28 Florida College System institutions and the 48 technical colleges and
centers across Florida. The Get There Florida Initiative is in partnership
with the state's 28 Florida College System institutions and the state's 48
technical colleges or centers. It accelerates students' time to completion
of an in-demand but high-value industry certification or postsecondary
workforce credential. Programs include advanced manufacturing,
transportation and logistics, healthcare, and information technology.

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