Gentle reader, be cautioned: comments sections on mainstream media sites tend to not be safe and we here at FWD/Forward don’t necessarily endorse all the opinions in these pieces. Let’s jump right in, shall we?
United Kingdom: ESA: It Doesn’t Add Up by lilwatchergirl at Through Myself and Back Again.
No wonder there’s so much anxiety around the ESA medical assessments. Anxiety that won’t help those who already have long-term illnesses, or mental health problems, or acute life-threatening conditions – or who are already living in fear and poverty as a result of the War on Welfare Claimants.
When Persistence Pays Off by Emma/Writer In A Wheelchair at Disability Voices.
I’d love to think that they’ve done this just because of my complaints but I’m not naive enough to do so – and I know I’m not the only person whose had those problems. But it’s a definite example of why complaining, campaigning and advocacy are so important. And what happens when your persistent – because it really can pay off.
Statistics on Accessible Tourism – a Continuing Issue by Ivor Ambrose, guest posting at Access Tourism NZ.
One of the most Frequently Asked Questions posed by business owners and tourist agencies is: “How many disabled tourists are there”? And then there is the more probing question: “So, if it is not just about disabled people, how many people actually need better access, and what kind of things do they need?”.
Canada: Ottawa makes voting easier for disabled from CBC News.
The new voting machine, called a Voter Assist Terminal, has a high-contrast touch screen with a zoom function to enlarge type size. It also has tactile buttons with Braille on them; a sip/puff device for people with limited mobility; a rocker paddle; and an audio function that enables voters to hear the choice of candidates through headphones.
A New Financial Access Frontier: Persons With Disabilities by Elisabeth Rhyne at The Huffington Post.
According to Harvard Law professor Michael Stein, 650 million people around the world, nearly 10 percent of humanity, have a disability, and over 80 percent of these people live in developing countries. Yet, in research studies, fewer than 1 percent of the clients of microfinance institutions, dedicated to serving the world’s financially excluded people, were found to be persons with disabilities.
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