All of the Disney Parks have been known as great places to vacation for guests with disabilities.  

Disney Parks offer many services for guests with disabilities, including unique ride cars that enable guests to remain in their wheelchairs, American Sign Language interpretation at live shows, special equipment and facilities for resort access, and disability-specific pamphlets and guidebooks.

However, recently Disney has gotten even more accessible.

Disney guests with visual disabilities are now able to explore Disney parks in a whole new way.   Utilizing an enhanced, 7.2-ounce Disney-designed handheld device, users first hear an interactive audio menu from which they may choose the type of information they’d like to receive.

The assistive technology device’s options include: descriptions of outdoor locations throughout the park like nearby attractions, restaurants and entertainment, or detailed audio description of key visual elements inside more than 20 attractions.

Guests with some hearing loss are covered, too — assistive listening features include captioning to read while enjoying specific attractions, and visual indicator door knocks in resort hotel rooms.

I have many clients who ask for tips on making their homes more accessible for themselves or a disabled or elderly loved one.

The following suggestions from Agingcare.com can help you adapt your home for yourself or a loved ones who is facing a physical disability:

* When a person can no longer walk safely up or down stairs, a threshold ramp should be considered. Permanent ramps can be installed, or there are also more affordable rubber ramps that can be cut to the desired length and width and placed up against the threshold to be moved out of the way when desired.

* While some people balk at the idea of using a walker, walkers are a great precaution against falls in the home and a good way to help keep moving. Consider a lightweight aluminum frame that uses a scissor-style mechanism to fold vertically as opposed to horizontally, making it easier to fold flat and allowing it to be rolled through narrow spaces with ease.

* Getting in and out of a recliner or living room chair can be difficult. Rather than have to ask for help or to help your loved one up, risking injury to your back, consider a lift chair to enable you or them to sit down or stand up with ease. Some look like standard recliners, but, with the flip of a switch, the chair reclines or lifts the occupant out of it.

* Doctors recommend an elevated toilet seat with armrests for anyone who has a hard time getting on and off the toilet. While there are models that can be clamped in place and do not require any hardware, they are typically not very sturdy, especially if the person using it is overweight. Some models combine the seat and arms with a hydraulic lifting system for extra assistance and can be used as both a raised toilet seat and a stand-alone commode. Some include a “guest” standard toilet seat which can be mounted in place when you have company over.

* Adjustable bed rails can be put on one or both sides of a bed, which will help a person to get in and out of bed.

* To get in and out of the shower or bathtub, grab bars are essential for safety. Some are installed permanently, and there are others that secure themselves to completely smooth surfaces using suction cups. It’s very important that people do not use towel bars to grab onto — they are not meant to hold weight and will come loose from the wall very easily.

* Provide proper lighting — remember: lighting requirements increase with age or some disabilities.

The U.S. Justice Department announced that George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon will undergo improvements to help people with disabilities with accessible walkways, closed captioning for films and sign language and audio tours in the mansion and on the grounds.

The Justice department reached agreement on the upgrades with the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. Plans call for a shallower entry ramp and modifications on the route to the ground floor of the historic mansion. There will be an accessible walk to a landing at the entrance for the shops, food court and Mount Vernon Inn. Controls of interactive exhibits will be modified so they can be used by visitors with physical disabilities.

On Virginia Beach, a new park called Grommet Island Park is being created to allow the disabled, adults, children, and the elderly to be able to play together. It allows for people in wheelchairs and nearly any disability to enjoy a day on the beach. The park contains waves and sand tables, a rock wall, slides, a sensory wall for young or old people with autism, and much more. Grommet Island Park is the first ever fully handicapped accessible park built on a beach.

Bruce Thompson was the mastermind behind the idea. His inspiration came from his son, Josh Thompson, a surfer who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease in 2006. After taking Josh’s two sons to the beach and realizing how difficult, if not impossible it was for someone in Josh’s condition or any other disability to enjoy the beach, he decided to make a difference. So he began the plans for the beach front park with over $2 million dollars in donations for the project, half of which will be donated to ALS research.

The “Grommet” in Grommet Island Park is a slang term for surfer.

The park is scheduled to have its grand opening on May 28, 2010.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Butler New Media, LLC
+1 229-246-7669
Cornelius@butlernewmedia.com

The Law Firm of Sheri R. Abrams, P.C. Launches Accessible Site Creates a More Welcoming and Open Experience for People with Disabilities

Bainbridge, Georgia February19, 2009 Butler New Media, a Disability services firm announces the official re-launch of the website for the Fairfax Virginia law firm of SheriR. Abrams, P.C.

Located online at (http://www.sheriabrams.com/) the site recently underwent a comprehensive web accessibility evaluation with real users with disabilities. Through extensive testing and remediation the site now has a variety of accessibility features that are beneficial to people with disabilities who use assistive technology. “As an Attorney who practices Disability Law I felt it was important that my website be fully accessible to those in the disability community” said Sheri R. Abrams.

The site has been redesigned to be among the first to comply with World Wide Web Consortium Web Accessibility Initiative Guidelines 2.0. This site is one of the first to be completed through ACCESSIBLENET, a bold and ambitious new project aimed at creating at least 100,000 new accessible websites over the next ten years.

The project is the vision of Butler New Media co-founded by a person with a disability, Cornelius Butler. He is an alumnus of Georgia’s High School/High Tech Program and the first person in the nation to start a business after graduating from the program. He wanted to provide an easier way for people with disabilities to access online resources. He realized as a legally blind individual that people with disabilities have unique needs, wants, and desires that are currently not being addressed by website owners. “I wanted to make it easier for website owners to ensure their sites are usable by all people, regardless of ability. I believe that this project will break new ground in building awareness about the disability community and market” said Butler

With an estimated $10 trillion of collective spending power, the disability community is a market that simply cannot be ignored by website owners.

About Butler New Media: Butler New Media is a full service disability consulting firm with locations in both Conyers and Bainbridge, Georgia U.S.A. The firm specializes in helping corporations and government agencies communicate with the disability community. Butler New Media has grown to include local, national, and international clients. Some of these clients include: Microsoft, Humana, U.S. Department of Labor, The Georgia Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, and IBM. The company is located online at:http://www.butlernewmedia.com.

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