News and Articles

Spring 2014 Conference Presentations

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Lainey Feingold will be giving two presentations at the 29th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference in San Diego, California in March. She will also be presenting at the John Slatin AccessU Conference in Austin, Texas in May. Want to learn more about the law impacting digital accessibility or the collaborative process known as Structured Negotiations? This post provides the details of these conference presentations. Read more… Spring 2014 Conference Presentations

The Digital Divide and People with Disabilities

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On August 23, 2013, the New York Times published my letter to the editor about the digital divide and people with disabilities. The letter was in response to an an extensive article published by the Times on August 19, 2013, titled “Most of U.S. Is Wired, but Millions Aren’t Plugged In.” The article, based on a recent report by the U.S. Commerce Department, noted that “tens of millions of people are still on the sidelines of the digital revolution” and it went on to discuss the digital divide caused by various demographics including age, race, geography, education and class. Missing entirely from the Times’ article – disability and the digital divide. Read more… The Digital Divide and People with Disabilities

Landmark Victory for Blind Advocates in Hungary: CRPD means Talking ATMs

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Szilvia Nyusti and Péter Takács are blind advocates in Hungary who wanted their bank (the largest bank in their country) to install Talking ATMs. After all, they paid the same fees as sighted customers, why shouldn’t they have the same access to services and technology? After a five year legal battle in Hungary, they took their claims to the United Nations. On May 16, 2013, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities issued an historic ruling finding that Hungary violated the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) by failing to ensure that Hungarian banks had Talking ATMs. Congratulations to Szilvia and Peter. Congratulations to the United Nations. Congratulations to the CRPD for working as it should in protecting the rights of people with disabilities. Shame on the United States for failing to ratify the treaty. Read more… Landmark Victory for Blind Advocates in Hungary: CRPD means Talking ATMs

G is for Global: Tribute to Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2013

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On May 9, 2013 people around the world will be gathering for workshops, seminars and other events to celebrate and recognize the second annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day, or GAAD. As explained on the GAAD Facebook page, the day is a community-driven effort whose goal is to focus one day to raise the profile of digital (web, software, mobile app/device, touch screen kiosk, etc.) accessibility and people with different disabilities. The Law Office of Lainey Feingold’s legal practice is entirely focused on digital accessibility, and this post is my tribute to the wonderful idea that is Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Congratulations to the grassroots community that is growing GAAD and especially to accessibility activist extraordinaire Jennison Asuncion whose enthusiasm and commitment is significantly responsible for the tremendous growth of this day of awareness. Read more… G is for Global: Tribute to Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2013

ARCHIVED: Accessibility Statements Show Commitment to all Site Users

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Last updated January 27, 2021 to add the new White House website statement. An important component of any Structured Negotiations settlement agreement involving web accessibility has been a company’s commitment to maintain an Accessibility Statement (previously called an Accessibility Information Page, or AIP. The ideal page has details about the company’s web accessibility policy, details about other accessibility services, and a phone and web-based method for the public to forward accessibility concerns, both positive and negative. The page should be easy to find on the site, preferably linked from the home page and all page footers, and searchable through the site search engine. Accessibility Statement resources and Statements of some of the largest entities in the United States are included in this article. Read more… ARCHIVED: Accessibility Statements Show Commitment to all Site Users

Walmart Offers Talking Prescription Containers to Customers with Visual Impairments

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The Walmart press release posted here announces a pilot program in which Talking Prescription Containers will be available for blind Walmart customers across the country through Walmart mail order, and also for blind customers at three Walmart stores. This is the first time in the United States that a national pharmacy retailer has piloted talking prescription technology on a national basis. Wal-Mart is working with En-Vision America, maker of the ScripTalk talking prescription program. Read more… Walmart Offers Talking Prescription Containers to Customers with Visual Impairments

Global Accessibility Awareness Day Highlights Digital Inclusion

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May 9, 2012 marks the first Global Accessibility Awareness Day. On this day designed to raise awareness of the need for digital inclusion, the Law Office of Lainey Feingold recognizes the large United States institutions that have committed to accessibility through the Structured Negotiations process. The entities have worked with the blind community to improve accessibility to their websites and other technologies. They have recognized the importance of inclusion and have done so in a collaborative and solution-driven way. Read more… Global Accessibility Awareness Day Highlights Digital Inclusion

Charles Schwab Website Accessibility Press Release

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Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. today announced an initiative to make its website more accessible and inclusive for all customers. Schwab’s initiative will particularly improve the client experience for Schwab customers with disabilities. Schwab has adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0 level AA as its website accessibility standard and has begun working to meet this standard. Read more… Charles Schwab Website Accessibility Press Release

Central and West Java in Indonesia gets First Talking ATMs

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International Talking ATM installations remind us that advocacy work done in one country can have ripple affects across the globe. ATM manufactures distribute their technology around the world, and slowly, slowly this technology is becoming more accessible everywhere. Today’s news brought word of the first Talking ATMs in Semarang, Central Java and Surabaya in East Java, Indonesia. The full news report, which first appeared in the Jakarta Post, is reprinted below. Visit the International Issues Category of LFLegal for more stories of Talking ATM installations outside the United States. Read more… Central and West Java in Indonesia gets First Talking ATMs

John Slatin AccessU 2012

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Lainey Feingold will be presenting at John Slatin AccessU 2012, to be held this year in Austin on May 15-17. AccessU, a project of Knowbility, is a two day intensive training conference for web developers and designers, usability professionals, and pretty much anyone who wants to learn the ins and outs of all aspects of web accessibility. Lainey will be doing a session for conference participants on legal issues surrounding web accessibility. Web accessibility is a civil right, and the law is a useful key to unlock doors that might otherwise be closed to accessibility. You’ll find out how and why at this session. Read more… John Slatin AccessU 2012