The Justice Department sent to the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that aims to make it easier for people with disabilities to use medical diagnostic equipment (MDE). MDEs include things like medical examination tables, scales, dental chairs, x-ray machines, and mammography equipment. They … Continued
The General Services Administration (GSA) gave its report to Congress on federal website accessibility. The law, Section 508, says government agencies have to make their websites and digital things accessible. But many websites still have problems, like not describing images. The report says most agencies aren’t doing well in following this law, and less than … Continued
The Census Bureau wants to change how it counts people with disabilities in the U.S. Disability advocates worry that changes to the disability questions on the Bureau’s yearly American Community Survey and how the results are shared could cause problems with the government’s official numbers. It might make it harder for disabled people to get … Continued
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has a new article called “Providing an Accessible Workplace.” The article talks about laws federal agencies have to follow to make sure individuals with disabilities can fully access job facilities, physical spaces, and information technology. Also, it provides information about where agencies can find more resources to help them … Continued
Supreme Court avoids ruling on disability rights case involving activist Deborah Laufer. Laufer reviewed hotel websites for ADA compliance. The case questioned if she could sue hotels for not disclosing accessibility information if she didn’t plan to book a room. The case could have stopped the ability of “testers” to bring lawsuits to benefit the … Continued
The Arizona prisons are changing how they treat people who are blind or have low vision. They weren’t giving them aids or services like Braille, audio materials, or screen reading software so they could communicate well. It was also hard for people with vision disabilities to ask for help or complain about the problems. The … Continued
The Department of Justice reached an agreement with Alameda County, California, and others who had filed complaints, to improve community-based mental health services. The Department found that Alameda County violated Title II of the ADA by putting people with mental health disabilities in institutions when they could have been helped with community-based services. The agreement … Continued
The Justice Department has new guidance about how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)’s “integration mandate” applies to public employment and day services. The integration mandate says state and local governments have to provide services to people with disabilities in the most inclusive setting possible. Many people with disabilities are in sheltered workshops and day … Continued
The Justice Department reached a settlement with a Hawaii developer and others who were accused of not designing and building five multifamily housing complexes with the required accessible features. This violates the Fair Housing Act, which is a law that ensures housing is accessible to everyone. The agreement requires the companies to pay a fine … Continued
The American Council of the Blind (ACB) won a case in California against Quest Diagnostics. The case is about their self-service kiosks being inaccessible to blind people. This violates the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). The case can now go to trial and is for all legally blind people who visited Quest in 2018 and 2019 … Continued
