Do you want to live in a Smart Home?

DCM is looking for people who have information about smart home applications or questions about how technology can help you. 

Smart home technology is adding accessibility to many home decisions. It seems that almost every feature of your home can be controlled remotely. And not with just any remote, like the old garage door opener, the remotes may be automated and voice activated. Like in the past when many of us collected three remotes simply to control the TV, cable and VCR, you can have a handful of remote controls to manipulate from afar.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, the Center was a progressive leader in helping to bring remote technology to people with disabilities. In his book, Shielded By God, Franklin Forester tells how he set up a controlling device for people with disabilities. Some people could control multiple appliances with a single switch, or they could make selections with a sip-and-puff control. 

Now, however, there are many additional applications around the home that may be controlled remotely. It is easy to see how these can have an impact on accessibility. And the type of control can add to accessibility. With items connected to the Internet, you can control them from anywhere and with smartphones and applications it may be more accessible than ever. 

Many home tasks that are automated for convenience, can also be accessible for people with disabilities.  Voice-activated assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant allow individuals with limited physical mobility or dexterity to operate overhead lighting, trigger smart plugs, and adjust window shades hands-free. The convenience for people without disabilities can be access for people with disabilities and accessibility can also be convenient. There is no reason our community cannot also enjoy the convenience that smart home technology can provide. In entertainment and making routine the things you like to do. But, also helping to make the things you do not like to do simpler and easier. 

Midsouth summers bring intense heat and high humidity. Smart thermostats may enable residents to schedule automatic cooling or adjust indoor temperatures. This feature is intended to save energy and money for most homeowners, but for people with disabilities, the convenience becomes access. 

Smart locks and video doorbells are becoming common. They may also eliminate the physical struggle with traditional keys and door knobs. Residents can view visitors on a phone or tablet screen and unlock the front door remotely. Seeing, hearing and speaking to people at your door is becoming very familiar. Unlocking remotely can be the accessible feature of the remote door. But you need the ability to see or hear who you are unlocking the door for. While many people use audio and visual doorbells and the price is coming down, it is the unlocking feature that is typically the most expensive. 

Smart smoke detectors, water leak sensors, and bed-exit monitors provide immediate, automated alerts to off-site caregivers. These applications can help during an emergency, or be part of a safety net while respecting the user's personal privacy.

Planning for access can help you avoid having a different remote or app for each item you add to your home. Some providers will merge accessible smart devices with local support networks.  Smart home technology can offer Memphians of all abilities greater autonomy, peace of mind, and more independence in their own homes.

If you are looking into smart home applications, whether for accessibility or convenience, let us know. We hope to help Memphians find the access they need with independence in mind. Call the Center (901-726-6404) or email us at info@disabilitymidsouth.org

MATA SUV Parking Illegally

A Disheartening Incident: When MATA Vehicles Misuse Accessible Parking

At Disability Connection Midsouth, we believe in advocating for the rights and dignity of our community members. A core part of that advocacy involves ensuring that public spaces are truly accessible for everyone. Recently, we were confronted with a frustrating example of this need when a MATA-branded vehicle was found misusing accessible parking.

Accessible parking spaces are not a convenience; they are a vital resource. These spaces, along with their crucial access aisles, are legally designated for individuals with disabilities who have the required placards or license plates. They provide a safe and practical way for people with mobility challenges to get in and out of their vehicles and access the places they need to go, especially in the sweltering Memphis heat.

On Wednesday, August 13th, at a Kroger on Union Avenue, a MATA-branded SUV was observed parked illegally. Not only was the vehicle in a designated accessible spot, but it was also angled in such a way that it blocked the access aisle, a critical area for people who need extra space to deploy a ramp or maneuver a wheelchair.

This incident is particularly disheartening because it involves a public transit authority that is meant to serve the community. The misuse of these spaces by MATA staff shows a profound lack of awareness and respect for the very community they are supposed to serve. It undermines the trust we place in our public agencies to uphold the law and model respectful behavior.

It is important to remember that most drivers do the right thing and park appropriately. But one incident like this can make it hard to advocate for public transit when we see examples of what appears to be a lack of basic consideration for community needs.

We have reached out to MATA's Acting CEO, John Lewis, to request an investigation and to suggest a path forward. Our hope is that this incident can be used as a teaching moment, prompting MATA to provide retraining for its staff on their responsibilities to the community.

This isn't about one parking ticket; it's about a broader responsibility to create an inclusive and respectful society. We will continue to hold our public institutions accountable and fight for a Midsouth where everyone can move freely and safely.

If you witness similar violations, please document the time, date, location, and vehicle information. You can report these issues to the property owner or local law enforcement. For questions or to learn more about accessible parking, contact us at Disability Connection Midsouth.

ADA Racket in Memphis?

Lawsuit Raises ADA Questions

Four Oregon businesses have filed a class-action lawsuit alleging a nationwide "racket" of fraudulent disability claims. The businesses claim they were targeted for disability access violations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and that two Tennessee-based law firms are involved in extorting money by filing fake ADA complaints.

This lawsuit highlights a concerning issue: the potential for misuse of the ADA, a law designed to protect the rights of people with disabilities. While the ADA is crucial for ensuring accessibility and preventing discrimination, these Oregon businesses claim that some entities are exploiting the law for financial gain.

The lawsuit mainly contends that the method of finding ADA violations was flawed and may have even used people with disabilities in the process. The complaints also stem from parking, and accessible routes outside the businesses. Violations that can be seen from the street or from computer mapping and not necessarily a complaint from a person with disabilities personally experiencing a barrier. 

The staff at DCM has had good conversations about peculiarities of the ADA. First, the ADA allows for recovery of attorney’s fees and costs, but people with disabilities who sue are not entitled to any monetary damages. The ADA as Civil Rights law does not have “ADA Police.” The law is to be enforced by private attorneys and the lawyers are awarded money, but many people do not see much enforcement and are not motivated to sue over the daily violations that they see. 

What does this mean for the disability community?

It's important to remember that this lawsuit is about alleged fraud. The ADA remains a vital piece of legislation that protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination. Disability Connection Midsouth remains committed to advocating for the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities and ensuring legitimate ADA claims are addressed.

This case does, however, raise awareness about the importance of understanding your rights and responsibilities under the ADA, both as a person with a disability and as a business owner.

Resources:

• For more information on the ADA, visit the ADA National Network.

• If you believe you have experienced ADA discrimination, you can find resources and file a complaint through the Department of Justice.

• For local resources and support, contact Disability Connection Midsouth.

Give Us the Ballot

Clift Notes: Absentee Voting in Tennessee

By Christina Clift

At the age of eighteen every American is granted the right to vote in local, state, and federal elections. It is a right that hundreds of thousands of people have fought, marched, and died to defend. However, people with disabilities may be excluded from voting. The Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted thirty-four years ago and requires that every voting option be accessible to voters with disabilities so that all voters can vote independently and privately whether in person or by mail. 

Since the ADA, the disability community has fought for accessible polling locations, accessible voting machines, and assisted in training polling officials. Things have gotten better. Yet, voters with print disabilities in Tennessee still do not have the ability to cast their absentee ballot in private or independently. In Tennessee absentee voting still remains as inaccessible today as it was fifty years ago. Shocking Right?

But there is hope on the horizon thanks to proposed legislation by the National Federation of the Blind Tennessee. The purpose of the Print Disability Absentee Ballot Accessibility Act is to increase voter access for people who have print disabilities. In-person voters consistently face barriers such as malfunctioning accessible voting machines, with polling officials lacking the ability to fix them or make even minor corrections. In rural areas transportation to the polls is challenging or nonexistent, so getting to a polling site is sometimes impossible. 

The Tennessee voting by mail system is also inaccessible. Blind voters and other people with comparable print disabilities are unable to mark their paper ballots independently. As a result, people with print disabilities must rely on others to mark their ballots, giving them no privacy, an unsecure vote, and very little independence. This violates the rights afforded by the ADA. In today’s political climate in which every vote matters would you want to have someone else marking your ballot without being able to see that it was done correctly? Do you want someone else to know who you voted for, especially if it is different from theirs? Privacy and independence are a critical part of each citizen's vote.

The Solution:

• The Print Disability Absentee Voting Act will allow people with print disabilities to receive an electronic delivery of their mail-in ballot just like our veterans serving overseas.

• Tennesseans with print disabilities will be able to fill out their accessible ballot independently using large print, screen readers, or other accessible means, ensuring that their ballots truly point to the candidate they wish to vote for.

• Then, the ballot will be printed out and mailed to their local voting district.  

DC Midsouth Life: Oak Court Mall Doors are a Barrier

People with Disabilities can be left out in the rain.

By Allison Donald, Leah Williamson, and Christina Clift.

A day of shopping can be tiring and fun. If you are like me, finding a good bargain or the perfect pair of shoes brings you a thrill. On the other hand, long lines and crowded stores, a limited selection, or sky-high prices can turn a fun day into a frustrating outing.

For people with disabilities shopping has another challenge and it is access. Whether it is physical access to get in and out of the store, inaccessible fitting rooms, or no accessible parking, it can also be a lack of sighted assistance or poor lighting for someone who is blind.

 

Recently some friends and I went to the Oak Court mall for a bit of shopping. As we were walking up to go inside the mall the first door was propped open.  However, as you approach the second set of doors you have to pull them. It is extremely difficult because of the weight of the door. 

The doors are nearly impossible to open if you are a wheelchair user. I did not feel like struggling with the door. I looked to the right and there was an accessible entrance. I really wasn't sure, because there is no clear signage. The only reason I was able to identify the button was because of the silver panel that is on most accessible entrance buttons.  

Honestly, I felt relieved because all I wanted to do was take the easiest path to get into the mall. As I was walking over to the button, my friend began to push it and nothing happened.

We were all standing at the entrance of the mall in rain soaked clothes looking at each other in disbelief. At this point we are both ready to call it a day. 

My friend says, "I'm going to push it one more time." On the fifth try the door opened and we were able to go into the mall. I like shopping just as much as the next person but this is such a hindrance and it takes away the enjoyment of just getting out and about without barriers.

 

I am positive that the doors at the Oak Court Mall are not the only ones like this around the city. We at Disability Connection Midsouth are continuing to work and identify barriers that prevent Memphians living with a disability from living, working, and playing in this city just like our non disabled counterparts. If you are out in the streets and you see a barrier or you are not sure if it's a barrier feel free to contact us at 901-726-6404 or www.disabilitymidsouth.org. 

Why Memphis Needs an Office on Disability

Memphis needs a dedicated office to coordinate disability policy

By Tim Wheat

Local businesses, city and county governments and residents with and without disabilities all need to know about the civil rights of people with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Amendments Act are both powerful federal laws that outline the civil rights for people with disabilities. 

People with disabilities are a growing and important part of our community. We are not going away. However, in Memphis and Shelby County, we have no coordination of public policy, 

Because of the federal laws, lawyers stand in to speak for people with disabilities and consistently aim for MINIMAL COMPLIANCE. The least allowable by law. Local planners and lawyers look to comply with federal law and nothing more. In our area we are not guided by the input and advice of the community that deals with these issues every day. 

Disability CONNECTION Midsouth has a mission to educate, advocate and unite our community. We are asking that the Mayor create an Office on Disability to include people with disabilities, coordinate local policy and inform the community of the civil rights of people with disabilities. 

We were disappointed to learn that the new mayor did not have a person with an obvious disability on the transition team. The long-time motto of the Independent Living movement has been “Nothing About Us Without Us.” Still we hope that Mayor Paul Young will be able to keep his promise to create a local Office on Disability.

The Memphis area desperately needs the Office on Disability. While the population of people with disabilities is growing in our area, the impact of the disability is also being felt more in employment, housing and transportation. Often, people with disabilities are the poorest of the poor and many of our group are over 60. We need to be proactive in including people with disabilities in everything.

Not including people with disabilities often leads to isolation and segregation. It makes our community into a burden and a problem rather than participants in solutions. An Office on Disability can create a coordinated, efficient and common-sense approach to disability issues in the Memphis Area. 

The Office on Disability can be charged to ensure that every program, service, benefit, activity and facility operated or funded by the City is fully accessible to people with disabilities. This protects against non-compliance and expensive lawsuits against the City. The Office on Disability may also oversee the implementation and local enforcement of the City's obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the further development of the Memphis ADA Transition Plan.

The Office on Disability may also provide an ADA grievance procedure that includes the disability community. The office may also help the City communicate policy and priorities to the disability community by not only including people with disabilities, but advice on effective and accessible communication.

Likewise, the Office on Disability may be critical to training and guidance for all City Departments, public information, program policy development and legislative initiatives. The Office may also create a public forum for the disability community so all residents are more involved and knowledgeable.

Significantly, the Office on Disability can help our community coordinate our response to emergencies and disasters. People with disabilities may have specific and unique needs in times of crisis and a good use of the Office would be to synchronize the assistance and to appropriately plan for distinctive needs. 

Help Make Voting Accessible

 NIST Seeks Public Comment on Recommendations for Promoting Access to Voting for People with Disabilities

October 27, 2021

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) requests public comments on the Draft of Promoting Access to Voting: Recommendations for Addressing Barriers to Private and Independent Voting for People with Disabilities. Under Executive Order 14019 on Promoting Access to Voting, NIST is directed to identify barriers to private and independent voting for people with disabilities, make recommendations to remove these barriers, and evaluate the steps needed to ensure that the online Federal Voter Registration Form is accessible to people with disabilities. The Draft is available in the Federal Register. 

The Draft was developed by NIST using information collected through the Request for Information that was published in the Federal Register on June 16, 2021, reviews of reports, papers and other literature, and engagement with stakeholder organizations and election officials. NIST is seeking comment on the Draft from persons with disabilities, disability advocacy groups, assistive technology vendors and professionals, non-partisan voting promotion groups, voting technology vendors, election officials, and other stakeholders. 

Public comments must be received by 5:00 pm ET on November 22, 2021. Comments may be submitted at www.regulations.gov under NIST-2021-0005-0001 or by email at pva-eo@list.nist.gov. Complete instructions for comment submission can be found in the Federal Register notice. For questions about this request for public comment, contact Kevin Mangold, NIST, by phone at 1-301-975-5628 or email Kevin.Mangold@nist.gov. Users of telecommunication devices for the deaf, or a text telephone, may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

Accessible Email

Tips for getting your message to everyone

By Christina Clift
E-mail is an essential part of our everyday lives. We use it to send messages for both business and pleasure. We are bombarded with e-mails from businesses that we patron and some that are simply junk. 

For example, I receive lots of e-mails from businesses like Yankee Candle, Sam’s Club, Lyft, the NFB, business related messages, etc., but then there are those that once I read the subject line or sender that I automatically delete. As a person who is blind, I’ve had many positive experiences using this form of communication and some that were frustrating as hell. 

My interaction and level of frustration are normally aggravated by either a poorly communicated message or an inaccessible message. Some email are just junk, a message which should never have been sent in the first place. 

Email has only continued to flourish since the early 90’s and with more and more users and brands using it for business communications, it continues to be part of everyday life across all age groups. But, the question here is: Are they reaching their potential target group and most importantly are they accessible?  

What about the people who are blind?  How do people who have difficulties in hearing or understanding use your email?  Around 253 million people live with vision impairment worldwide, of which 36 million are blind and 217 million have moderate to severe vision impairment. 

There are close to 300 million people who are color blind. People with disabilities use the web and email as much as others, thanks to assistive technology and tools such as screen magnifiers, eye tracking systems, and advanced sip n puff devices. It is, therefore, necessary to design and code emails that everyone can receive and understand, regardless of any physical or cognitive disabilities. 

Email accessibility is the practice of designing your email content in such a way that it removes barriers for individuals with disabilities and lets them access, perceive and interact with the content. Accessible content is more readable, logical and more usable by everyone not just for people with disabilities. Good accessibility means good usability and good usability means good business.  

Here are some tips on how to BUILD and TEST your attractive yet accessible email design. Email designing and content plays a major role in making it accessible to everyone. To meet basic accessibility requirements, your email should have the following: 

 

• Maintain a Logical Reading Order - Establish a logical order and maintain a hierarchy of your email content. Irrespective of their screen size, your subscribers should be able to view the content of your email in a logical reading order. This will especially help people with cognitive disabilities and subscribers using screen readers. Also, a logical order will help users to pull out the key information quicker.
  
• Use Large and Readable Fonts - Keep visually challenged viewers in mind while setting the font style and size of your email. Fonts lesser than 14pt become hard to read on desktop or laptop screens. Keep the text evenly spaced and keep the size above 14pt so that it is easily readable. Minimize the use of multiple font styles and typefaces that make it appear condensed.
  
• Keep the Content Simple - Avoid flashy content and keep it as simple and short as possible. Get straight to the point and avoid using complicated layout and metaphors. Avoid justifying your copy and highlight the important areas of your message. 
  
• Use Enough White Space in your Copy - Reading paragraphs and heaps of content that are spaced together requires a lot of effort. It is important to give proper spacing to the text and create enough white space around the copy to make it easy to read. Set appropriate line heights to the text and add padding to the tables and images in your content. People who read your copy must be able to scan it.
  
• Use the Right Color Schemes - Complex colors can be confusing for those with color vision deficiencies. Consider how viewers perceive different colors and choose a color scheme accordingly. Use the right colors in email, maintaining the basic color arrangement of dark text on light backgrounds and light text on dark backgrounds to ensure the content is easily distinguishable.
  
• Include a Text-Only Option - Your emails should have both plain text and HTML options while signing up. While the HTML emails will load the images, the text-only email will load only the text and let the users read the email comfortably. A plain-text version of your email can be of help especially to those using screen readers since they provide only the core content of your emails.
  
• Make the Clickable Links Prominent - Keep the clickable links large and visible, especially for those who have issues in controlling a mouse with precision. Keep the link differentiated from the images and make sure the link text describes what’s in the link. Tell your readers what to expect from the link by writing contextual link text. Instead of just saying “Click Here,” make it more precise by saying “Click Here to View the Products!” or simply: “View the Products!”
  
• Keep the Email Design Responsive - Keep the design responsive so that it is compatible with mobile devices, screen readers, and all other major devices. Maintain proper text-to-image ratio and highlight the main message so that the message is conveyed clearly, irrespective of the device and email client in which the subscribers view it.
  
• Use Precise Subject Lines - The subject line is the first and the most critical attribute of your email. Keep the subject lines brief and to the point. The subject lines should give the subscribers clarity in knowing what’s inside your email. Clear subject lines not only make your emails easy to access but also improve the overall subscriber engagement. 
  
• Use Semantic Tags - Header elements in emails such as , and ensure hierarchy to subscribers using screen readers, who may not be able to scan through your emails otherwise. Instead of using style statements like bold text and colors, use semantic tags such as

  ,

  and that will identify and differentiate the important sections of your content.
  

• Use Proper Alt Text for Images - Include proper alt text for the images in your email to describe the image when a subscriber cannot view your images. Make sure the text clearly describes the image. Sending images will be invisible to blind readers. Make sure that you include a text alternative.

Attachments are also often included with e-mails. All of the work you did to make it accessible, can be undone by attaching inaccessible files to your message. 

For example, if you are sending a flyer about an upcoming event, you could put the same information in your message. Remembering of course, to describe any images. Also, you can let the recipient know there is an attachment in the e-mail by including it in the subject or body of the message. 

Finally, it’s important to ensure that file names of attached documents make since and match their intended purpose. So, instead of have an attached file labeled as “11142019.doc,” you could label it is “holiday flyer.”  

While it does not guarantee that they are 100 percent accessible, these tips will go a long way in getting you there. Unfortunately, differences in operating systems, advancement of assistive technology being used, and that every person’s needs for accessibility are unique to them thus, this will sometimes led to differing results. 

If you follow these simple steps you will be one step closer in ensuring that individuals with disabilities like me have a positive experience if we choose to read them. Now that you know how to create an accessible e-mail message, I look forward to a more positive experience the next time I open my inbox.