Join the challenge! What is your +1?
May 16th, 2024, marks the 13th anniversary of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). GAAD aims to stimulate thinking, learning, and discussion about digital access and inclusion. This year, we challenge you to engage with digital access and inclusion by selecting and acting upon your +1 (plus 1): the one step or action you can take, whether it…
By Chad Lamb, Senior Test Engineer
This past year, GSA and OMB sent self-assessments to federal agencies, asking the agencies to evaluate the maturity of their implementation of Section 508. Section 508 offices and their respective agencies were asked to evaluate and report on their 508 implementation efforts. One area of focus was ICT Testing. After the assessment…
By Cindy Ryan, Vice President
New Editions was pleased to honor Alan King at the 7th Annual ICT Testing Symposium in October by sponsoring the Best Paper Award for the conference in his honor. Alan, a former New Editions employee who passed away unexpectedly this year, was a leading expert in the field of digital accessibility. Alan inspired others and encouraged them…
Global Accessibility Awareness Day, May 18th, was launched in 2021 to promote awareness for digital accessibility, access, and inclusion. As Accessibility Consultants, New Editions is focused on and passionate about improving digital accessibility. We partner with organizations to help them improve their digital products and we play an important role in the maturation of their accessibility…
On April 18, 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a historic, expansive set of executive directives to improve the long-term care landscape. Lack of access to affordable and high-quality long-term care is a longstanding issue in the United States that crucially impacts the lives of children, older adults, people with disabilities, and both professional and family caregivers. While…
As the leaves put on a daring display, we are reminded of the innovative spirit built into every cell of nature including ourselves. Innovation is at the forefront of October’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), which celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities past and present and showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices.…
July is a landmark month for the disability rights movement as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990. This historic event was the culmination of decades of effort by Disability Rights advocates to address discrimination and have their civil rights recognized. After the passage of the ADA, the idea of Disability Pride began to take shape with…
To commemorate Mental Health Awareness Month this May, the American Public Health Association and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) co-sponsored a webinar on the impact of COVID-19 on child and adolescent mental health. Dr. Melissa Brymer, Director of the Terrorism and Disaster Program of the UCLA/Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress…
Captions provide a textual representation of dialogue and other important audio for people with hearing disabilities. Additionally, they make it possible to watch videos without sound, which is important on social networks that play videos without sound by default, or in a busy, noisy environment (think of trying to watch a sports game in an airport). So, what are captions? Captions provide…
Thursday, May 19, 2022, marks the 11th anniversary of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion globally and how important accessibility is to the more than one billion people worldwide with disabilities. New Editions is proud to sponsor the Social Impact award this year at the ICT Accessibility…
There has been an appropriate emphasis in recent years to educate developers on accessibility requirements outlined by the Revised 508 standards and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The development of a repeatable test process, like the Trusted Tester methodology New Editions helped develop, helps to ensure developers receive a consistent message as to what constitutes…
When Section 508/accessibility testing comes to mind, the first thought is typically electronic content, such as websites and documents. Certainly, ensuring that different types of electronic content is accessible is important, however, there is another major type of testing that plays a large role for individuals with disabilities that often becomes an afterthought. What is it, you may ask?…
The current accessibility mantra we hear repeated, and repeat ourselves to development teams, is to “bake in accessibility” and “shift-left,” yet accessibility needs, design, development, training, testing, reporting, goals, and metrics historically are siloed (and thus fosters no collaboration) within the overall Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). SDLC refers to a methodology of defined…
Older Americans play essential roles in their communities, each offering a lifetime of valuable insight and experiences. The population of older adults in the United States is rapidly growing, with the U.S. Census Bureau predicting that adults over 65 will make up 21 percent of the population by 2030 (up from 14.9 percent in 2019). By 2060, the U.S. Census Bureau predicts that one in four…
During this month’s National Volunteer Month, we recognize the important contributions of volunteers by providing key highlights from a study, funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and conducted by New Editions Consulting, that assessed the role and economic value of volunteers in home- and community-based and long-term care programs for older adults.
Most older adults…
February is National Senior Independence Month. According to the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living -
“This celebration was established to help seniors remain in control of their daily lives.This month encourages seniors to take the opportunity to evaluate their current living situation, and determine whether or not adjustments could…
Since 1945, Congress has sought to educate the public about the role of people with disabilities in the labor force. Originally known as “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week,” Congress broadened its celebration and instituted “National Disability Employment Awareness Month” (NDEAM) as an annual October celebration in 1988. This celebration coincides with Mental Illness Awareness…
On Thursday, October 14th, New Editions had the opportunity to present as a vendor during the 2021 Interagency Accessibility Forum (IAAF) sponsored by the Federal Chief Information Officer Council’s Accessibility Community of Practice. Since 2013, the U.S. General Services Administration, along with federal agency partners, has hosted the annual IAAF for agency representatives to learn about…
This year is the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush. The landmark legislation prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, public transportation, telecommunications, public accommodations, and state and local government services. Since 1990, the ADA has helped…
Each May, the Administration for Community Living observes Older Americans Month. In 2021 the theme is “Communities of Strength,” celebrating the resilience and strength older adults have built during lives filled with successes, failures, joys, and difficulties. The focus this year is on the power of connection and the vital role it plays in well-being. More information about the celebration…
At New Editions, we believe designing and developing accessible information and communication technology should be a normal course of action. We pride ourselves on being Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 experts and leaders in the accessibility field. New Editions provides accessibility consulting and support services to our clients to help them gain the necessary knowledge and expertise to…
According to Enchroma.com, there are approximately 300 million people around the world with some form of color blindness. Color blindness is more common in men than women with the same or similar conditions. The most common type of color blindness is Red-Green color blindness, which makes it difficult to differentiate red and blue. Less common is Blue-Yellow color blindness, which makes it…
Cognitive, learning, and neurological disabilities are often overlooked when addressing accessibility because most designers and developers are focused on other forms of disabilities, such as visual and hearing impairments. Those who have cognitive and intellectual disabilities often find it difficult to complete certain mental tasks that may come easier to other users. We’ve seen rapid…
Accessibility trainings, whether in-person, virtual, or a hybrid learning model, are a great way to introduce folks to what accessible information and communications technology (ICT) is, why it’s important, and how to remediate inaccessible content and create accessible content moving forward. Here are six quick tips on how to deliver a successful accessibility training.
Automated Section 508 compliance web scanning software has become a popular tool for accessible code testing over the last decade. This blog will discuss some of the software’s pros and cons to determine if it’s the right tool for your organization.
Automated Testing ProsKnowing where to start when it comes to Section 508 standards for the web can be overwhelming, especially if you are…