[NFBOH-Cleveland] Two good reads including an article that President Riccobono spoke on last night.

Thu May 7 14:19:47 UTC 2026

Events throughout May celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Johns Hopkins Hub

May 6, 2026

Global Accessibility Awareness Day <https://accessibility.day/> -celebrated
each year on the third Thursday in May-is a way to get people thinking,
talking, and learning about digital accessibility and inclusion. Kathy
Cahill, JHU's digital accessibility coordinator, points out related events
in which faculty and staff can participate:

*	May 7: From Buy-in to Built-in: Accessibility Learning as an Engine
for Lasting Leadership Support <https://www.levelaccess.com/gaad> , a
webinar being offered by Level Access
*	May 15: Stem to Stern Accessibility <https://afixt.com/training/> ,
a webinar on developing accessible products
*	May 21: A two-hour Digital Accessibility Fundamentals Training
<https://www.deque.com/global-accessibility-awareness-day/#training>
offered by Deque
*	May 19 and 20: The Microsoft Ability Summit
<https://abilitysummit.event.microsoft.com/> 
*	May 20: Driving Neuroinclusion at Scale
<https://www.everway.com/webinars/driving-neuroinclusion-at-scale-with-disab
ilityin-and-gitlab/> , a webinar presented by Everway

  _____  

Deadline Looms For Healthcare Providers To Improve Accessibility

Disability Scoop

May 5, 2026

New rules mandating greater disability access in healthcare are about to
take effect, but recent actions suggest that federal officials may be
mulling a delay.

A 2024 regulation
<https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2024/05/02/feds-bar-disability-discriminati
on-in-health-care/30862/>  from the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services updated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to bar disability
discrimination in healthcare. The rule said that people with disabilities
should not be denied medical treatments due to biases or stereotypes,
established standards for accessible medical diagnostic equipment and more.

Starting this month, provisions detailing what providers need to do to
ensure that their websites and mobile applications are accessible to people
with disabilities are supposed to begin taking effect.

The standards apply to most new web content, mobile apps and medical kiosks
offered by hospitals, doctors, social services providers and others who
receive funding from HHS.

"HHS issued these new requirements because many recipients offer their
services through websites and mobile applications that are not accessible to
persons with disabilities, creating barriers to participation in federally
funded programs," HHS said in a fact sheet about the regulation. Examples of
barriers include pictures and maps that can't be understood by those using
screen readers or videos that lack captioning, the fact sheet said.

"Accessibility requirements for web and mobile apps will help ensure that
people with disabilities have access to a recipient's programs and
activities," the agency said.

Per the regulation, large providers - those with 15 or more employees - must
meet the new web accessibility requirements by May 11, while smaller
entities have another year to come into compliance.

It's unclear how prepared healthcare providers are to meet the new
expectations. A recent review
<https://accessibe.com/blog/knowledgebase/the-section-504-accessibility-gap-
in-healthcare>  of 300 websites subject to the new 504 rule that was
conducted by accessiBe, which provides web accessibility software, found
that 84.3% had "measurable accessibility gaps."

However, there are now signs that this deadline could be moved back. Last
month, the Department of Justice delayed implementation
<https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/04/20/trump-administration-casts-doubt
-on-new-ada-rules/31955/>  of a similar rule just days before the planned
deadline. That regulation, under the Americans with Disabilities Act,
requires that online offerings from state and local governments meet certain
accessibility standards.

Around that same time, HHS sent an interim final rule to the White House
Office of Management and Budget regarding the 504 regulation.

"We understand that it is a similar extension to the DOJ Title II
regulations on web accessibility," said Alison Barkoff, a health law and
policy professor at George Washington University who led HHS' Administration
on Community Living under the Biden administration. "The delay of these
website accessibility standards under both the Section 504 and DOJ
regulations is very concerning, particularly with the significant role that
digital technology plays in so many aspects of life."

  _____  

Suzanne M. Hartfield Turner

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, Vice President

Ohio Legislative Director

Cleveland Chapter, President

The National Federation of the Blind advances the lives of its members and
all blind people in the United States. We know that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. Our collective power, determination,
and diversity achieve the aspirations of all blind people.

P: (216) 990-6199

W: NFBOhio.ORG

Facebook:  <https://www.facebook.com/ohiosblind/photos/>
https://www.facebook.com/ohiosblind/photos/

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfboh-cleveland_nfbnet.org/attachments/20260507/8b0e79b3/attachment.htm>