accessibility

WASHINGTON – November 10, 2026 -- Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) has released the first volume of its free Best Practices in Hotel Accessibility Guide, giving hotels a checklist of barriers that make travel unsafe or impossible for guests with mobility disabilities.

The first installment, "Welcoming Mobility Device Users," draws on the experiences of guests who use wheelchairs, scooters, canes and other devices. It covers the full guest journey, from researching and reserving a room to hotel transportation, bathrooms and meeting spaces. The second volume, "Planning and Hosting Wheelchair-Accessible Events," launches Dec. 4. It addresses access routes, food and beverage service, wheelchair seating, accessible staging and overnight stays.

Munich – November 09, 2026 -- No video carries a verified subtitle track at 36 of 50 medical technology companies examined, or 72%, according to an audit by purple.audio, the transcription platform of Spotwatch GmbH.

Only 34 of 578 product and training videos carry checked subtitles

Across 578 videos on products, applications and training, 34 (5.9%) have a verified subtitle track. Another 155 run on unverified machine-generated text, and 389 have no subtitle track at all.

None of the 885 videos reviewed has a detectable audio description track.

Company-run players omit subtitles in 325 of 346 spoken-word videos

In companies' own video players, the subtitle track is missing from 325 of 346 videos containing speech. In 283 of 497 cases, the page code lacked even the control for switching subtitles on.

Bayport, Minnesota – November 06, 2026 -- Andersen Corporation has donated windows and doors to 12 veteran families and home projects across the United States since 2018 through its partnership with Jared Allen's Homes for Wounded Warriors (JAH4WW). The nonprofit builds injury-specific, mortgage-free accessible homes for veterans who sustained severe injuries in service.

Andersen backs the nonprofit with products, cash and matched employee gifts

Beyond product donations, Andersen provides financial support and matches employee donations to JAH4WW. Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen founded the organization in 2009. Allen said Andersen's partnership helps JAH4WW create homes where veterans can live more independently.

PHOENIX – October 30, 2026 -- Kelly Hermann, vice president of Accessibility and Student Affairs at University of Phoenix, co-presented two sessions at the WCET Annual Conference, focusing on audit-ready accessibility documentation and cross-functional governance in digital learning.

WCET, the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies, covers practice, policy and advocacy for digital learning in higher education. The three-day conference ran Oct. 14-16.

Preconference workshop targets defensible accessibility records

Hermann co-presented "Making Accessibility Defensible: What to Document and Why," which examined how institutions can build programs that support governance, audit readiness and consistent decision-making across digital learning environments, course materials and support services.

Wilmington, N.C. – October 05, 2026 -- 101 Mobility has secured rank No. 296 on the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400, marking its second consecutive year on the list of largest U.S.-based franchise systems ranked by global systemwide sales.

101 Mobility grows to over 150 locations nationwide

The home accessibility and mobility franchise now operates more than 150 U.S. locations, with owners providing stairlifts, wheelchair ramps, patient lifts, bathroom safety equipment, and elevators through sales, rentals, installation, and service.

Franchise Times ranking draws on five-month sales research

The Franchise Times Top 400 ranking results from an annual five-month research and reporting process that the publication positions as the most credible and objective franchise sales ranking available.

London – September 29, 2026 -- UK-based AI platform company askelie has launched askVERA, an AI-powered service that converts complex documents and communications into Plain English and Easy Read formats for consumers and businesses.

askVERA launches in two versions targeting individuals and organisations

The consumer (B2C) version allows individuals to upload or paste documents such as tenancy agreements, insurance policies or official letters to receive an instant simplified version. The business (B2B) version integrates into an organisation's existing workflows, enabling companies to simplify customer-facing content at scale and reduce queries caused by unclear communication.

Cornwall Council already piloted the technology before wider rollout

Ahead of the public launch, askVERA had already been deployed with organisations including Cornwall Council to make official documents more accessible.

North Las Vegas, Nev. – – September 26, 2026 -- Wriggle Box LLC has launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for Wriggleworm, a full-body sensory regulation play structure aimed at autistic individuals, neurodivergent children and sensory seekers.

Wriggleworm delivers full-body pressure input paired with physical movement

The structure is engineered to mimic the sensation of digging through earth, delivering mild-to-moderate or deep, even pressure across the entire body as users move through it. Unlike single-point sensory tools such as squeeze devices or compression tubes, Wriggleworm combines tactile and proprioceptive feedback with active gross motor exertion.

Atlanta – September 21, 2026 -- Georgia Power is donating $10,000 to launch "Georgia in Color," a fundraising initiative by Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites to place free EnChroma color-accessibility glasses across all Georgia State Parks.

Georgia Power builds on prior $25,000 commitment to accessibility program

The new donation follows a $25,000 gift the utility made at the end of 2025 to help Friends develop the color-accessibility program. EnChroma glasses use specialized optical filters to enhance color contrast for visitors with red-green color vision deficiency, a condition that can make fall foliage, spring wildflowers and scenic landscapes appear less distinct. Georgia Power has also previously partnered with the Aimee Copeland Foundation to place all-terrain Trackchairs in state parks for visitor use.

Austin, Texas – September 19, 2026 -- Bambu Lab has launched a global design challenge on MakerWorld with seven accessibility organizations, issuing 24 design briefs between September and December 2026 that ask makers to produce 3D-printable aids for people with disabilities.

MakerWorld mobilizes its designer community around specific disability needs

The challenge marks the first time MakerWorld, described as the world's largest community of 3D-printing makers, has organized its designers around concrete briefs tied to named individuals and documented daily obstacles. Partner organizations include Ayúdame3D, the Emerging Tech Lab at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, e-NABLE France, MakeGood, Makers Making Change (Neil Squire Society), PrintLab, and Rightfooted Foundation International.

Salt Lake City – September 13, 2026 -- Sorenson has appointed Scott Cederbaum as Head of Marketing, effective September 13, 2026, tasking him with leading the company's global brand, demand generation and customer lifecycle strategy as accessibility technology and AI converge.

Cederbaum joins with two decades of revenue and growth leadership across education, technology and subscription businesses

He most recently served as Chief Revenue Officer at Blueprint Prep, where he oversaw enterprise-wide revenue strategy, marketing, sales and pricing. Cederbaum has also held CMO and senior growth roles building marketing organizations, running digital transformation initiatives, and using data and analytics to drive customer acquisition and retention.