Other News

July 2014 — In honor of World Cerebral Palsy Day, United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) has announced the Change My World in One Minute Contest. The contest gathers life-changing ideas, which should take no longer than a minute to explain. The public will then vote on their favorite idea, and inventors from around the world will work to create the ideas with the most votes while competing for $50,000 in prizes. Ideas may be posted here up until October 31, 2014.

July 2014 – The National Council on Disability (NCD), a federal advisory committee recognized by the President and Congress, released a press release embracing the appointment of Taryn Mackenzie Williams as an advisor for the White House’s Office of Public Engagement. Experience as Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), Williams lends her expertise in disability policy areas of workforce development, education, Medicaid, social security, and youth transition services to the Executive Branch, effective as of July 14, 2014.

July 2014 – The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative published a new document to help developers assess the accessibility of websites in addition to web and mobile applications. Titled Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM), the document provides a methodology developers can use to test websites and apps for conformance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.  In general, WCAG 2.0 focuses on individual web pages.

July 2014 – The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) concluded their 2014 National Convention with a unanimous vote urging the Obama administration to issue Internet regulations in compliance with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  More than twenty-five hundred members of the NFB adopted the resolution, noting the need for accessible website design and content that allows access to the Internet through computerized speech software or Braille conversion. President of the NFB, Dr.

June 2014 – Sprint Good Works^SM launched their Neurodiversity ID Pack, a mobile applications collection assisting consumers with neurodevelopmental disabilities and cognitive conditions, such as autism, dyspraxia, and dyslexia. As the third largest wireless networking corporation in the U.S., Sprint is demonstrating their commitment to wireless accessibility with this collection of apps, weblinks, educational tools, developmental games for children, and support apps for parents.