News and Articles

Structured Negotiation helps parties resolve claims of blind Medi-Cal IHSS Recipients

Posted on Updated on August 28, 2020
In February, 2017 California disability rights organizations announced what they termed a “novel settlement” with the State of California. The settlement, reached in Structured Negotiation, guaranteed that blind state Medi-Cal In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) recipients received important government information in formats they could read, including braille, large print, and accessible electronic documents. Read the press… Read more… Structured Negotiation helps parties resolve claims of blind Medi-Cal IHSS Recipients

Happy Birthday WCAG — Now You are Twenty!

Posted on Updated on August 24, 2020
On May 5, 1999 the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) issued a press release announcing the publication of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0. The headline was confident: “WAI Provides Definitive Guidance for Web Access by People with Disabilities.” Let’s honor WCAG’s birthday by redoubling efforts to make the promise of the web a reality — let’s make it available to everyone, including people with disabilities. Read more… Happy Birthday WCAG — Now You are Twenty!

Computer Science Ethics Must Include Accessibility (my rejected NYT letter to the editor)

Posted on Updated on August 12, 2020
On February 12, 2018, the New York Times ran a piece in the business section titled Tech’s Ethical ‘Dark Side’: Harvard, Stanford and Others Want to Address It. The article explained that top computer science programs are starting to embed ethics courses in the curriculum. I was glad to see that Stanford’s course would include… Read more… Computer Science Ethics Must Include Accessibility (my rejected NYT letter to the editor)

Patreon Accessibility Press Release

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Congratulations Patreon! The popular membership platform for creators and their supporters recently announced its commitment to digital accessibility with the press release posted here. Patreon worked in conjunction with the American Council of the Blind and blind creators and patrons including Robert Kingett in Structured Negotiation on its accessibility initiative. Lainey Feingold and Washington, D.C.… Read more… Patreon Accessibility Press Release

Lawyers Need Soft Skills: A Book Review

Posted on Updated on June 10, 2020
Chapter 16 of Structured Negotiation, A Winning Alternative to Lawsuits is about traits like patience, trust, and optimism that lawyers need to resolve problems without litigation. I have now discovered Soft Skills for the Effective Lawyer – a book that is like my Chapter 16 on steroids plus so much more. It should be mandatory reading for every lawyer, law student, law professor, and CLE provider. Read more… Lawyers Need Soft Skills: A Book Review

Alphabet Soup of A Name; Giant Commitment to Digital Access

Posted on Updated on March 18, 2020
This post is about an unsung hero of web accessibility — the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). The W3C WAI EOWG :  Now you understand why I put ‘alphabet soup’ in the title of this post. But don’t let a clunky name deceive you. If you care about digital accessibility you need to know EOWG and probably already rely on its work without being aware of it. Read more… Alphabet Soup of A Name; Giant Commitment to Digital Access

Community in Toronto: What Made the #A11yTO Conferences So Spectacular?

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I’m sitting in the airport on my way home from two conferences put on by #A11yTO. I’ve been trying to figure out what made the three days in Toronto so great. This post is what I’ve come up with. #A11yTO is a volunteer-run digital accessibility community in Toronto. Puzzled by the title? A11y (that’s A-eleven-Y)… Read more… Community in Toronto: What Made the #A11yTO Conferences So Spectacular?