Pushin' On: UAB Spinal Cord Injury Model System Digital Newsletter Volume 36 | Number 1

Pushin’ ON VOL 36 | NUM 1 2018 UAB Spinal Cord Injury Model System Digital Newsletter Headline News The University of Alabama at Birmingham Spinal Cord Injury Model System (UAB-SCIMS) provides Pushin’ On twice annually as an informational resource for people with spinal cord injury (SCI). UAB-SCIMS Program Director: Amie B McLain, MD Pushin’ On Editor: Phil Klebine, MA 529 Spain Rehabilitation Center 1717 6th Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35233-7330 Phone: [phone] TDD: 205-934-4642 Fax: [phone] WWW.UAB.EDU/SCI [email protected] /UABSCIMS /UABSCIMS /UABSCIMS The contents of this publication were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90SI5019). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this publication do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. ©2018 University of Alabama Board of Trustees. The University of Alabama at Birmingham provides equal opportunity in education and employment. In the last issue of Pushin’ On, we headlined an initiative from Google to add accessibility features to its Maps and Search features. The first was introduced this past March. To access the new “wheelchair accessible” routes, type your desired destination into Google Maps. Tap “Directions” then select the public transportation icon. Then tap “Options” and under the Routes section, you’ll find “wheelchair accessible” as a new route type. When you select this option, Google Maps will show you a list of possible routes that take mobility needs into consideration. This feature is now available in major metropolitan transit centers around the world, starting with London, New York, Tokyo, Mexico City, Boston, and Sydney. Google is working with additional transit agencies in the coming months to bring more wheelchair accessible routes to Google Maps. Read the full news release Airbnb announced 21 new accessibility filters across the platform to make it easier for guests with disabilities to find accessible travel accommodation worldwide. The new filters allow Airbnb guests to search for listings with specific features, including step-free entry to rooms, entryways that are wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair, and more. This new feature is one in a series of steps Airbnb is taking to ensure its community is accessible for everyone. In 2017, Airbnb started collaborating with the California Council of the Blind, California Foundation for Independent Living Centers and National Council on Independent Living to develop the accessibility filters, and to improve and clarify its accessibility policies. Going forward, Airbnb will be working closely with its community of hosts and guests to ensure the new filters offer information which is as useful and accurate as possible. The aim is to improve and expand the filters to ensure they support as many travelers as possible. Americans with disabilities added another month of job gains, according to a recent National Trends in Disability Employment – Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability. As today’s tight labor market offers greater opportunities for jobseekers with disabilities, there is renewed interest in strategies that help people with disabilities achieve their employment goals. “People with disabilities seem to be benefiting from the tight labor market as fewer are actively looking for work and more are becoming employed,” according to John O’Neill, PhD, director of employment and disability research at Kessler Foundation. “Despite the past 25 months of positive change, people with disabilities are still striving to reach their pre-Great Recession employment levels,” he noted. “And we need to keep in mind that there is still a long way to go before people with disabilities achieve employment parity with people without disabilities.” Read the full report