The U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear a petition from Domino’s Pizza on whether its website must be accessible to customers with disabilities. The order preserves a January ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that Domino’s and other retailers must make its online services accessible. It also means the case is expected to go to trial.
The Delaware Department of Education announced it has been awarded a five-year federal grant to create a special education leadership certification program, which will be led by CDS. The Special Education Administrative Leadership (SEAL) program will offer a combination of disability-specific content and hands-on experience in special education work at the school, district and state level.
Google announced a new accessibility tool called Action Blocks that allows smartphone users to create shortcuts for common multi-step tasks. The tech giant has conducted research indicating that about 80 percent of people with severe cognitive disabilities do not use smartphones, due in part to difficulty navigating multi-step processes.
President Trump on Monday signed a reauthorization of the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support (CARES) Act into law, narrowly avoiding a dangerous funding lapse for the research and professional training programs it finances. The existing Autism CARES Act is now in effect until 2024.
The National Institutes of Health said it will award $35 million in additional grants for the 2019 fiscal year, bringing the agency’s total spending on Down syndrome research to $77 million – almost double its output in fiscal year 2018. The money will support research into areas including genetics and health conditions common to those with Down syndrome.
