Americans with Disabilities Act

Filed under: Themes, Blind Visionaries, Campaign Watch

It’s not uncommon for blind gamers to feel invisible in addition to visually impaired. For instance, when gamer Brandon Cole wrote [game developer] THQ a letter suggesting changes to make its Smackdown series of WWE wrestling games more accessible to the blind, he received a form letter back thanking him for his appreciation of the game’s graphics.

But now, one visually impaired gamer has gone beyond simply requesting accessibility features and is demanding them by way of a lawsuit. Last month, disabled gamer Alexander Stern filed suit against Sony, Sony Online Entertainment, and Sony Computer Entertainment America in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. The suit alleges that Sony is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to implement features to make its games accessible to visually impaired gamers.

The Americans with Disabilities Act states that, “No individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person who owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of public accommodation.”

According to the suit, Sony ignored repeated … Continue reading this article on gamespot.com

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Filed under: Campaign Watch

A 47-year-old wheelchair-bound mother who had a stroke 18 months ago has been forced to do her banking on the street after staff at her local NatWest branch refused to lift her up two steps “for health and safety reasons.”

Is this the 21st century??

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Filed under: Themes, Wheelchairman of the Board

Some of you may remember Kenny Cieplik, the maverick Accessibility Consultant we profiled on Irked last month. Well, we’re not the only ones who think Kenny is truly phenomenal (not by a long shot!). Mark J. Belanger, a columnist for The Middleboro Gazette, recently wrote a wonderful, earnest, insightful piece about Kenny’s advocacy work titled Changing the world, one review at a time.

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Filed under: Uncategorized

Quoting The Wall Street Journal:

Churches, synagogues, mosques and temples are places where people with disabilities might not expect to feel excluded, isolated or patronized. Yet that has often been the norm. For years congregations have effectively excluded the disabled from worship—by steps, narrow doorways and straitened attitudes—or segregated them in “special” services. Houses of worship (except those with more than 15 employees) were excluded from the 1992 Americans with Disabilities Act, which, among other things, bars discrimination against people with physical or intellectual disabilities—including access and architectural barriers—in public accommodations and transportation.

…there are also some potential benefits for congregations that are willing to make the investment in architecture and attitude in order to become more welcoming. Mainline congregations with declining memberships, for example, would have much to gain. More families with a disabled member would attend religious services, experts say, if congregations would make efforts to open their buildings and programs. Older people tend to attend services in greater numbers than the young. The good news is that some churches, synagogues, mosques and temples are already getting ready for the coming influx of the disabled, tapping technology and simple thoughtfulness to reach out in creative ways to this faith-hungry community: At Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Norfolk, Va., priest Joe Metzger instructs an 11-year-old autistic girl in an empty sanctuary, while wearing vestments, so she’ll feel at ease making her First Communion. At Bet Shalom Congregation in Minnetonka, Minn., no sanctuary steps lead to the pulpit; congregants approach it using a long ramp, symbolizing that all people come to the Torah equally. At St. John’s Episcopal Church, in Charlotte, N.C., and St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Exton, Pa., adult members with Down Syndrome serve as altar servers, “greeters” and Sunday morning ushers. As these examples suggest, it takes more than just automatic door openers, large-print Bibles and improved signage to make a congregation disability-friendly.

Read the entire article on wsj.com >>

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Filed under: Themes, Blind Visionaries

Our discussion on the implications of Halifax, Nova Scotia’s recent decision to stop providing free bus passes to blind people has lead to international conversation. Below are some of the responses we’ve received from the Halifax community and the global community. Respected and gifted people, with and without visual impairment, with and without disability, with and without agenda, have come together to express themselves on this highly complex issue. Scroll down to read opinions from Lee Stringer, Sara Miles, Jeff Moyer, Jackson Hunsicker, an editor from the BBC, and more…

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Filed under: Irked Audio, Irked Videos, Themes, Blind Visionaries

Craving a little funk? Yearning to be hip and “in the know”? If you haven’t yet watched the Assistive Technology Boogie, you haven’t yet lived.

Video after the jump…

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Filed under: Irked Audio, Themes, Blind Visionaries 

Jeff Moyer’s Music from the Heart

“Jeff Moyer’s show raises consciousness …” Billboard Magazine

Jeff Moyer is a visually-impaired songwriter, producer, author, historian, passionate public speaker, disability rights activist, publisher, and champion of the dignity of all people. He is a National Public Radio “Morning Edition” commentator in the United States, has been featured on the CBS Evening News and 20/20, in National Geographic, and in a BBC documentary.

Jeff’s unique blend of humour, music, and powerful ideas has been heard by audiences across the globe. His performances are Click to continue »