LEGO ramps could improve access for Philadelphians in wheelchairs

Milwaukee County’s mental health system put more resources in expensive emergency care rather than invest in programs that offer continual care. As a result, Milwaukee County identifies nine solutions from other cities that have had success in repairing mental health systems. Solutions include the ending of reliance on emergency care, expand community support programs, change laws, and supportive housing.

Standard interrogation, the Reid Technique, which includes badgering and lying to suspects until they confess, is psychological torture, especially for the young and mentally frail. In order to combat false confessions and try to get to the truth, the PEACE method uses psychological foundations to offer an alternative technique of interrogation.

Inclusive Farm is adapted for people with a wide range of physical needs, like for people who are blind, to give farming students the full range of skills expected on a farm. Inclusive Farm aims to break down barriers for disabled people in the farming industry and is currently ushering its first intake of 14 students toward completing their courses.

Since 1995, Pragnachaksu has paved a path to empowerment for blind women in India, offering academic and vocational classes in addition to braille instruction. The school provides free housing and tuition for girls looking for primary and secondary education, a service that is usually unavailable to the country's eight million blind citizens, and to visually impaired women in particular.

Disability activists have used nonviolent direct action for decades, including lying in the street to protest inaccessible public transit and crawling up the steps of the U.S. Capital to support the Americans with Disabilities Act. “We have never gone out a door that we do not have a solution for,” says ADAPT member Dawn Russell. “That’s ADAPT 101.”

Using audio descriptions of a movie’s action, the XL Cinema app increases the accessibility of movies to a vision impaired audience. The free app has been used thousands of times and production studios are interested in working with XL Cinema to expand its offerings.

A Colorado bike builder creates adapted cycles for athletes who otherwise rely on wheelchairs for mobility. The cycles allow adventurous people with disabilities to ride trails and access difficult terrain.

The Daily Moth is a daily online news channel devoted to the news accessible to the deaf community. Recently, the channel's focus is on stories about Covid-19 and the fight for racial justice. The programming elevates the perspective of deaf individuals, from deaf first responders to deaf victims of police violence. The channel provides American Sign Language interpretation of news stories, accurate captions, and uses colors and backdrops that make it fully accessible. Securing funding has been a struggle for the channel, but it continues to deliver potentially lifesaving news to the deaf community.

When the coronavirus pandemic shut down school buildings and led to many people working from home in New York City, a city child care program was launched to give children a place to go while they were learning from home. However, the program failed to accommodate children with disabilities who required the assistance of a paraprofessional. After realizing the gap in care, the city is now working to increase access.

The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards trains employees in the tourism industry to become autism certified, ensuring they know how to care for neurodivergent youth and their families when they’re at places like restaurants or theme parks. Several of these businesses have practices in place like offering noise-canceling headphones, access to quiet rooms or even hosting autism awareness weekends, helping to make the city the first Autism Certified City in the world.