The number of digital accessibility lawsuits increased by more than 20% in 2020, amounting to almost 10 lawsuits every day, according to a new report from digital accessibility company UsableNet. “Companies are adding stores, websites, and digital content at a rapid pace,” UsableNet’s Jason Taylor wrote in a blog outlining the survey. “Unfortunately, companies’ accessibility…
Read MoreIt has been another eventful and busy year at VITAC. In addition to captioning hundreds of thousands of hours of programming in 2020, we developed new accessibility solutions, unveiled a brand new website, shared thousands of articles and updates via our social channels, worked closely with consumers and advocates to provide the highest quality captions,…
Read MoreThe month of December always gets people thinking about the excitement, fun, and surprises of the upcoming season, with thoughts of star players, touchdown celebrations, and Grinch-like defenses dancing in their heads. We’re talking, of course, about college football bowl season. The season kicks off this afternoon, Dec. 21, with the Appalachian State Mountaineers taking…
Read MoreEach year for more than two decades, VITAC employees have delivered holiday cheer and some pretty neat gifts to clients at the Center for Hearing & Deaf Services (HDS). And though the coronavirus has created challenges for many in-person visits and gatherings, it hasn’t slowed down our spirit of giving. HDS is VITAC’s chosen holiday charity,…
Read MoreThe Elf on the Shelf and Elf Pets have fast become holiday mainstays, appearing in a wide variety of popular books, toys, and videos, and loved by children of all ages all around the world. This year, The Lumistella Company, the American Council of the Blind (ACB), and VITAC are proud to offer a special radio…
Read MoreVITAC is thrilled to celebrate 30 years of holiday partnership with the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD) and its talented students and teachers. For three decades, WPSD students have created artwork around a holiday theme, with their art prominently featured on VITAC’s annual holiday cards to clients, colleagues, and associates. (Check out last…
Read MoreWelcome to the latest edition of “ADA in the News,” featuring recent news, updates, events, and rulings regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act. A United States appeals court has allowed a suit accusing the state of Florida of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not providing captions on state legislature videos. The appeals court…
Read MoreDisability inclusion in the workplace is about more than hiring people with disabilities. An inclusive workplace values all employees for their strengths. It offers employees with disabilities an equal opportunity to succeed, to learn, to be compensated fairly, and to advance. True inclusion is about embracing difference. Organizations with inclusive cultures are twice as likely…
Read MoreThough automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology has improved in recent years, it still doesn’t match the quality of captions provided by human captioners and speech-to-text professionals − and individuals who are deaf are paying the price. That was among the takeaways from a webinar hosted by the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC) that…
Read MoreFCC Expands Audio Description The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted an order expanding its audio description requirements to an additional 40 designated market areas (DMAs) over the next four years. The FCC currently requires certain broadcast stations in the top 60 DMAs to provide access to audio described programming. The new requirements will phase…
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