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Welcome to the Weekly Reading Roundup! Stay informed with our latest selection of accessibility news highlights, curated for you!
LOCAL NEWS
The State Department is launching a playbook meant to prioritize disability rights and accessibility — both within its workforce and across its diplomatic mission.
Secretary of State Blinken said Monday that the playbook is meant to show employees “how they can incorporate disability issues into their own work,” and outlines how accessibility intersects with U.S. foreign policy.
“History shows us that equitable societies tend to be more stable, more resilient, more innovative. When our policies exclude those with disabilities, they actually fail all of us,” Blinken said at the department’s headquarters. “But when we incorporate the needs, the insights of people with disabilities, we all benefit from their talents, from their expertise, from their leadership.”
The playbook is available online for internal use. The department expects to release a public version of the playbook next month.
WASHINGTON POST: D.C. council panel to examine abuses at psychiatric hospital
The District’s only for-profit psychiatric hospital is rife with incidents of abuse and neglect, leaving many patients traumatized and distrustful of the mental health system, according to a recent report from a disability rights watchdog.
Incidents documented by Disability Rights DC include the arrest of a staffer at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington who allegedly sexually assaulted a 17-year-old patient and multiple patient-on-patient assaults that sent patients to the emergency room with broken bones. The report also says oversight from the District’s departments of health and behavioral health, which jointly monitor the Tenleytown facility, should improve.
USA NEWS
CBS News: Former tennis pro creates first wheelchair tennis club in the Twin Cities
A former three-time Grand Slam tennis pro is working to grow the game in the Twin Cities, and is being recognized on a national stage for her efforts.
Felicia Raschiatore is the tennis manager at Williston Fitness Center in Minnetonka. She's been coaching for 38 years, and teaches tennis players of all genders, ages and levels.
"I'm living the dream," said Raschiatore, "I should say that more often."
Part of her dream is growing the game, so this past summer she created the first wheelchair tennis club in the Twin Cities.
"If I see a niche or a vacancy that something could be added, let's see if we could do it, and then let's do it, so more people can play tennis," said Raschiatore.
The federal government is slapping American Airlines with a $50 million fine after a multi-agency investigation uncovered repeat violations of the rules designed to protect airline passengers who use wheelchairs.
The investigation by the Department of Transportation aided by the Justice Department’s civil rights division found that American made “numerous serious violations” of disabled passenger rules between 2019 and 2023.
In announcing the fine, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters that American mishandled and damaged “thousands” of wheelchairs and failed to provide adequate assistance to disabled passengers, causing significant safety issues and an inconvenience for customers.
USA TODAY: Delta Air Lines, DOT update plans for adaptive wheelchair seats on future flights
A long-sought goal for disabled travelers may soon come to fruition. The Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration and Delta Air Lines all confirmed that work is in progress to allow travelers who rely on wheelchairs to fly seated in their own equipment.
“This is the moment we have been waiting for. I am thrilled,” Sophie Morgan, founder of the Rights on Flights campaign, said in a statement. “This is the first step on a long journey towards change. Now, we call on all airlines to adopt this invocation and change the world for wheelchair users.”
As Morgan said, it’s a cause that has been central for many disability advocates.
GLOBAL NEWS
BBC NEWS: Paralympian leads effort to improve travel for disabled people
Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson is to lead a new group of experts tasked with improving air travel for disabled passengers.
The Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group, announced by the government, will work to make flying accessible for all "from booking to baggage claim".
"For too long, disabled passengers haven’t had the standard of assistance and service they need," said Transport Secretary Louise Haigh.
CULTURE NEWS
PBS: Art exhibit ‘For Dear Life’ shows new perspectives on disability and medicine in the U.S.
It's called For Dear Life, the first exhibition to survey the themes of illness and disability in American art from the mid-20th century up to the COVID pandemic.
It's part of PST ART, an enormous collaboration of Southern California arts institutions around the theme of art and science.
Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown visited the exhibition for our ongoing look at the intersection of health and arts, part of our Canvas coverage and our series Disability Reframed.
After becoming the first theme park in the world to be designated as a Certified Autism Center™, Sesame Place Philadelphia will once again pave the way as an industry leader in accessibility as the first theme park in the United States to join the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program. The program, which helps people with non-visible disabilities, will launch at the park in early 2025.
The Sunflower, a global initiative, is a wearable tool that signals to Sesame Place Ambassadors that a guest of the park may need extra help, understanding, or time due to a disability that may not be immediately apparent. According to Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, approximately 1 in 6 people live with a disability – approximately 1.3 billion people globally. While some people experience a disability that may be visible, many have a non-visible condition or experience a combination of both visible and non-visible conditions. These invisible disabilities can be neurological, cognitive and neurodevelopmental as well as physical, visual, auditory and include sensory and processing difficulties.
