Laser Focus World is an industry bedrock—first published in 1965 and still going strong. We publish original articles about cutting-edge advances in lasers, optics, photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies, as well as test and measurement, and the shift currently underway to usher in the photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, and copackaged electronics and photonics to deliver the speed and efficiency essential for data centers of the future.

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Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology

Widespread Accessibility Barriers Still Exist for Veterans, People with Disabilities

By: NewsUSA

(NewsUSA) - Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act being the law of the land for nearly 35 years, a startling new survey from Paralyzed Veterans of America shows accessibility remains an unfilled promise for millions of Americans.

According to the survey, over 80% of people using a mobility device faced an accessibility barrier in the past 6 months. PVA members (Veterans with spinal cord injuries or diseases, like MS and ALS) cite sidewalks, restaurants, and retailers as common places with restricted access for wheelchair users and others with mobility devices.

Meanwhile, one third of respondents missed appointments and important events because of barriers, and one quarter leave and never return to inaccessible establishments. 

These barriers take a devastating emotional toll on disabled Veterans and people with mobility disabilities. When asked how barriers made them feel, respondents reported feeling subhuman and demeaned, and some reported lowered self-esteem.

PVA’s survey, conducted in April 2024, asked 1,644 individuals, including PVA members, adults with mobility disabilities, mothers with children aged 5 years and younger, and individuals age 65 and older, about their accessibility experiences.

In response to the survey, PVA is launching a new campaign, “Barriers Still Exist,” to draw attention to the accessibility challenges faced by Veterans and others with disabilities. It includes a PVA petition calling for improved ADA compliance across the country. 

The campaign also features a series of public service announcements highlighting the everyday obstacles of inaccessibility. In the newest PSA, Barriers Still Exist – RJ’s Everyday Fight, we follow U.S. Army Veteran and PVA member RJ Anderson, as he encounters endless accessibility barriers on his way to a job interview.

“As a paralyzed veteran, I know firsthand how drastically inaccessibility can alter the course of any given day,” said Anderson. “Anything from a crack in a sidewalk to a revolving door cannot only derail my plans but also be extremely dangerous for people with mobility disabilities, like me. When public paths and buildings are inaccessible, it communicates a lot – it says my plans don’t matter, my needs don’t matter, and I don’t matter. No one deserves that.”

PVA is leading the fight to build a world where accessibility for all is the norm, not the exception. Everyone can become part of the solution.  

Visit PVA.org/BarriersStillExist to watch the “Barriers Still Exist” PSAs, share them on social media, and sign the Accessibility for All petition.

When our communities are accessible, everyone wins.

 

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