From TheHill.com:

A report by the Federal Communications Commission concludes that people with disabilities face significant barriers in gaining access to internet communications, including inaccessible hardware, software, services and web content, as well as expensive specialized assistive technologies.

“Only 42 percent of people with disabilities have high-speed Internet services at home — and an astounding 39 percent of all non-adopters have a disability,” said Joel Gurin, Chief of the [FCC's] Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. “This is not acceptable, and we are implementing an ambitious accessibility agenda to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind.” (FCC technology access press release here.)

The report, Delivering on the Promise of Equal Access to Broadband for People with Disabilities, calls for the removal of barriers to access through such measures as improved enforcement of access laws and collaboration between public and private sectors.

It notes that people with disabilities have led the way to technological innovation in the past, with teletypewriters, touch screens, closed captioning, voice command technology and predictive text software. But gains have often been lost as new technologies have been introduced, the report said, leaving people with disabilities once again left behind.

From the report’s conclusion:

Indeed, delivering on the promise of equal access to the broadband infrastructure will be one of the “giant leaps” of our generation. Now is the time to engage in this endeavor in earnest and show that we do indeed believe that this is a big deal, for people with disabilities and for all Americans.

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Perhaps the most overlooked accolade among those piled on the Minnesota Twins’ new ballpark is how well it caters to people with disabilities.

Dominic Marinelli, a national consultant who has worked on a number of new stadiums, called Target Field “the most accessible one in the country.”

“It sets a standard for the next ones,” said Marinelli, vice president for accessibility services with New York-based United Spinal Association. “We’re trying to use tricks from Target Field at Madison Square Garden…”

See also: Fans applaud Target Field accessibility — Minnesota Public Radio

Earlier post here.

From ABC Good Morning America:

A father’s vision for his own daughter has led to the creation of a 25-acre theme park tailored to serve people with disabilities.

Opening Saturday in San Antonio, Texas, Morgan’s Wonderland features high-tech attractions designed to suit a wide range of cognitive and physical needs, rides that accommodate wheelchairs, and special bracelets with microchips that allow parents to keep track of wandering kids.

Former real estate developer Gordon Hartman said his 16-year-old daughter Morgan inspired him to create a fully accessible and inclusive place where the words ‘couldn’t', ‘shouldn’t’ and ‘can’t’ weren’t part of the vocabulary.

From the Baltimore Sun:

The organization governing school sports in Maryland has changed its rules to allow students with disabilities to participate alongside their peers in some cases.

The decision, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, follows a successful federal lawsuit by Paralympic athlete Tatyana McFadden, who four years ago won the right to compete in mainstream school track meets. The state’s general assembly then passed a law requiring Maryland schools to design programs to accommodate athletes with disabilities.

Under new language adopted by the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) this week, students with disabilities may participate in mainstream sports programs if they meet eligibility requirements, do not present a risk to themselves or others, and do not change the nature of the game or event.

The MPSSAA also called on school systems to establish sports programs for students with disabilities who do not qualify to participate in mainstream athletic programs.

An excerpt from the Los Angeles Daily News:

None of the 29 Los Angeles Unified charter schools examined in a study released Monday met state and federal standards aimed at making campuses accessible to disabled students, and some even lacked wheelchair-friendly bathrooms and walkways.

The study by a federally appointed independent monitor also revealed that the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, which determines whether schools are compliant with these laws, is not making proper inspections.

An independent monitor was appointed in 2003 to oversee a federal consent decree imposed on the school district to improve special education services. An earlier report by the monitor also blasted LAUSD charter schools for enrolling fewer disabled students overall and fewer with severe disabilities than traditional schools.

“This is part of a larger issue … and that is whether charter schools, which are a growing proportion of schools in LAUSD, welcome and are accessible to students with disabilities,” said Independent Monitor Fred Weintraub.

“Our studies have shown that is not currently the case and we’re looking to the district to improve the situation.”

The independent monitor’s complete report can be viewed at www.oimla.com.

See also:

Union-run charter enrolls lower percentage of students with disabilities — New York Daily News

Earlier posts here.

Software improvements are already bringing a ‘new era of empowerment’ for those with disabilities

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Berin Szoka notes that recent technological innovations are radically improving access for people with disabilities. For example, he says, a speech-recognition application for the iPhone now allows users to dictate email, text messages and full documents. Apple and Microsoft have built powerful accessibility features into their latest operating systems, and Google has announced it will caption all the videos on YouTube.

Szoka argues that these and other improvements were spurred by competitive forces, and will improve profits for tech companies. He opposes using regulation to force manufacturers to expand access for people with disabilities. An excerpt:

“Equal access” to the latest gadgets may sound appealing, but policymakers should recognize that regulation will only stifle the innovations that could most help the disabled.

Szoka is director of the Center for Internet Freedom at the Progress & Freedom Foundation, which is supported by Google, Microsoft and a host of other technology and media companies.

San Diego Chargers owner will retrofit thousands of rental properties

From the San Diego Union-Tribune, AP/ABC, Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

In what is being called the largest disabled-access settlement in the housing industry, [San Diego] Chargers owner Alex Spanos’ development company will spend more than $12 million to retrofit thousands of apartment units found to be out of compliance with fair housing laws governing accessibility.

The settlement covers 15,500 units in 123 apartment properties in 11 states, and stems from a lawsuit filed by the National Fair Housing Alliance against the A.G. Spanos Cos., which is run by Spanos’ sons Michael and Dean Spanos.

In announcing the settlement, the National Fair Housing Alliance praised the developer for crafting a settlement that went beyond the letter of the law.

“It’s unusual for me to praise defendants in a case,” said Shanna Smith, president of the alliance … “This is a landmark, unique, comprehensive settlement.”