Accessibility Is Freedom

Lectures

Articles

  • Japanese Banks Lead with New Accessible ATM Standards

    Japanese Banks Lead with New Accessible ATM Standards

    Japanese smart ATMs now feature voice guidance for visually impaired users and large-font touch screens for elderly customers. OKI Circuit Technology launched a new ultra-high-multilayer PCB production line in August 2024 to support the manufacturing of accessible ATMs. The Japan ATM market is shifting toward inclusive banking services that leave no one behind. I want to see banks in our country do this too. Source: Markets and Markets

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  • Retail giants are finally getting it – and it’s about time!!

    Retail giants are finally getting it – and it’s about time!!

    Starbucks, Walmart, CVS, and Sam’s Club have formed The Access Coalition and launched a 76-page “Inclusive Spaces Framework” with standards that go above and beyond the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). Starbucks is already integrating these standards into all its new builds and renovated stores across the U.S. This is a shift that goes much deeper than just a press release. These new standards reflect a transition from “providing accommodations when requested” to “inclusive design for everyone from day one.” The Lantern Hotel in South Carolina — where over a third of the staff are people with disabilities — has…

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  • 200+ Public Drinking Water Stations Across Bangkok – Have They Been Fixed Yet?

    200+ Public Drinking Water Stations Across Bangkok – Have They Been Fixed Yet?

    The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has installed over 200 public drinking water stations across the city. Sounds great—finally easier access to drinking water, right? Hold on. Some locations still have uneven surfaces, narrow access paths, or inappropriate height levels. Wheelchair users can’t get in to refill water. Older adults using walkers may struggle to maintain balance. Parents pushing strollers? Good luck. Good design benefits everyone. Universal Design is not “special”—it’s simply… practical design that works. Our question is: what’s the situation now? Has Bangkok started fixing these problem spots? If you’ve passed by any of these locations, please help: ❤️ Fixed…

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  • Thailand Signed the CRPD in 2008. Why Are We Still Waiting?

    Thailand Signed the CRPD in 2008. Why Are We Still Waiting?

    Thailand ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 17 years ago. Yet today, people with disabilities still face broken elevators at BTS stations, inaccessible government offices, and crumbling ramps that lead nowhere. The law exists. The will does not. The UN Committee has called out Thailand for failing to meet employment quotas and accessibility standards. International pressure is growing. But people with disabilities shouldn’t need global scrutiny to access basic dignity. Ratification means nothing without implementation. Every inaccessible building is a message that some citizens don’t count. It’s time to turn paper promises into real change.…

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