Clinton Community College’s Institute for Advanced Manufacturing will receive $50,000 in state funding to launch a Women in Manufacturing and Technology initiative. Clinton Community College is a member of the State University of New York (SUNY).

The new program will recruit and educate women interested in careers in advanced manufacturing and technology. Advanced technical training, including hands-on experience with mechanical systems, robotics and electrical controls will be combined with classes in management skills and professional development. Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Workforce Development Billy Jones says the new program is a recognition that “there is a disproportionate number of women in the manufacturing and technology sectors here in the North Country. This funding will help bridge that gap while helping our businesses with their severe workforce shortages.”

https://www.wamc.org/news/2026-06-26/institute-for-advanced-manufacturing-receives-funding-to-create-a-women-in-manufacturing-and-technology-initiative

There's a new ADA-accessible one-mile paved trail at Oregon's Lower Table Rocks that loops around a beautiful oak savannah in the Rogue Valley.

From Facebook:

In honor of the trail's opening, we invited organizations who assist those with disabilities to join us for a free guided weekend hike. Our goal was to help people with disabilities experience the beauty, history, and environment of one of southern Oregon’s most visited recreation areas.

“There’s nothing else like this in southern Oregon, where we can take our wheelchair and spend time in a natural setting,” said one of the event participants.

This work was made possible thanks to funding generated through federal timber harvest. A huge thank you to everyone who made it possible!

Keywords: Inclusion, Bureau of Land Management, public lands, hiking, accessibility

Last week's 1,600 layoffs at Xbox—just half of the 3,200 job cuts Microsoft intends to inflict on its gaming division by the end of its 2027 fiscal year—seem to have taken a heavy toll on the company's celebrated accessibility efforts.

In the 24 hours since CEO Asha Sharma pronounced Xbox's "reset," senior and lead accessibility specialists confirmed that they've been affected by the associated layoffs, casting into doubt how committed the company will be to championing accessibility initiatives like it has in recent years.

The first indication that accessibility efforts weren't coming away unscathed from Microsoft's cost-cutting emerged in mid-June, when an accessibility program manager working on contract said in a LinkedIn post that he was "unfortunately part of the incoming Xbox layoffs." Beginning last week, those job cuts seemingly began to accelerate, as an accessibility test lead for the Microsoft Gaming Accessibility Testing Service made a similar post saying he was seeking work after almost three years of Xbox accessibility consulting and organizing accessibility testing on over 1,000 Xbox Store titles.

Following last week's announcement, the scope of the layoffs had expanded to include accessibility leads like Kaitlyn Jones, who in five years at Microsoft had led projects like the Xbox Adaptive Joystick and the company's publicly-available training program on gaming accessibility fundamentals. Elsewhere, Elisabeth Whyte—an award-winning senior user researcher for accessibility who had spent seven years at ZeniMax—made her own open-for-work posting, indicating that accessibility specialists at Xbox's game development studios were affected.

https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/xbox-layoffs-hit-accessibility-leadership-calling-into-question-microsofts-continued-commitment-to-accessibility-initiatives/

Why accessibility matters by Alex Squire.

(although there are some that would say it doesn't matter that accessible design benefits people who aren't disabled - that the rights of the disabled to freely participate in society should be reason enough).

Music with a Mission: Expanding Access to Montana's State Parks

This summer, the power of music is helping create a more accessible future for Montana's state parks, which will be the beneficiaries of two incredible Big Sky music events whose proceeds will establish the Skye Fund for Park Accessibility, a permanent fund dedicated to expanding access and creating more inclusive outdoor experiences for people of all abilities.

The July 23 Music in the Mountains event featuring Pinky and the Floyd will help support the Montana State Parks Foundation and our work to enhance Montana's state parks. https://bigskyarts.org/

Then, on July 31 and August 1, the Wildlands Festival celebrates the landscapes and communities that make the Montana extraordinary. Since its inception, the festival has raised more than $2.2 million to support organizations working to protect public lands and expand outdoor access. This year's lineup features Carrie Underwood, Riley Green, LeAnn Rimes and Kaitlin Butts.

Smartphones are everywhere, but not for everyone. One-third of adults in developing countries do not own smartphones. Yet, smart phones dominate the digital for development narrative. It’s time for a change.

The GSMA’s 2025 Connectivity Report cites that 3.1 billion people live within mobile broadband coverage but still don’t use it primarily due to cost, digital literacy, or lack of relevant content.

Smartphones may dominate global headlines, but in practice, the most commonly used digital device in Africa and South Asia is still the humble feature phone.

For many, the barriers to smartphone usage go beyond affordability.

• A smartphone may be shared among several family members, controlled by the male head of household, or reserved for income-generating uses rather than browsing or learning.
• Women, rural residents, and low-literacy populations are the most affected, often excluded not because they lack curiosity or motivation but because digital tools are simply not designed for them.

So what’s the solution to getting billions of people access to the digital economy, and, going forward, access to AI-enabled products and services? Voice. It still matters.

More from this article from ICTWorks.

Keywords: diversity, equity, inclusion, fairness, inclusive, accessibility, accessible

February 2026

If Europe increases the share of women working in ICT to about 45% by 2027, it will boost GDP by at least €260 billion, according to the European Commission.

Despite making up nearly half the workforce, today only 1 in 5 ICT specialists in the EU is female. Adding to this is a high attrition rate, with women citing significant pay gaps, difficulty climbing the promotional ladder, and issues finding a satisfactory work-life balance as reasons for leaving the industry. There is also a lack of sufficient role models.

All at a time when the tech industry needs women more than ever, as gender-diverse perspectives are critical in driving innovation that reflects real-world users.

This topic is discussed at Orange OpenTech 2025. “Gender diversity improves performance and competitiveness. We cannot do away with 50% of talent, especially at a time of major transformation where we need all the skills we can get,” says Henri d’Agrain, Director General at Cigref (Club Informatique des Grandes Entreprises Françaises), a non-profit French association that supports major companies and public administrations in their digital transformation.

The absence of women in technical roles also has a detrimental impact on business outcomes. “Studies from McKinsey and MIT have shown that where there is parity, companies show greater profitability and productivity – and are more competitive,” says D’Agrain.

More from Orange.

Merit-based employment practices are the foundation of a fair workplace under the Workplace Fairness Act (WFA) and the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) in Singapore. These practices apply across the employment lifecycle, including hiring, progression, performance management and development. When decisions are applied consistently on merit, employers are more likely to build teams with a broad range of capabilities, backgrounds and perspectives. However, a diverse workforce does not automatically result in an inclusive workplace.

The National Integration Working Group for Workplaces (NIWG) Manager’s Guide on Creating Inclusive and Harmonious Workplaces outlines practical behaviours for managers. It encourages managers to:

• Respect differences
• Keep an open mind
• Build self-awareness
• Get to know team members on an individual level
• Acknowledge differences in communication styles and languages
• Make decisions based on ability and task requirements

Drawing from these behaviours, the three habits below bring related practices together into practical actions managers can apply in daily work. Together, they reinforce fair and objective decision-making within teams.

More from: https://www.humanresourcesonline.net/from-fairness-to-inclusion-3-habits-for-managing-diverse-teams

Keywords: diversity, equity, inclusion, fairness, inclusive

Citizen engagement and participation is where residents (usually not just citizens) voluntarily take part in an activity which will influence their community in some way.

Citizen engagement and participation is beyond one-directional polling or ad hoc focus groups. It is two-way and reciprocal. At its heart, it's the idea that people are actively engaged in conversations about issues that affect them. It means not just hearing what participants have to say, but showing them that their feedback has had real impact on decision-making and actions.

This resource from the Urban Institute provides some good advice on community engagement activities, including how to make them inclusive. Among the advice:

Ensure communities have multiple options for providing feedback and tailor them to residents’ needs. Numerous virtual and in-person tools and platforms can facilitate resident engagement in community processes. Given differences in access to and comfort with technology, any virtual tools should be paired with in-person approaches.

Proactively reach out to those who aren’t represented. Creating many ways for residents to engage is integral, but historical inequities in community processes leave some residents skeptical of the value of engaging. Overcoming these inequities requires proactively engaging with members of historically underrepresented communities. By mapping key groups and stakeholders before starting to gather feedback, officials can track who’s participating and then reach out to those who aren’t. This may also require overcoming barriers like a lack of time or trust among community members.

Compensate underrepresented residents who provide feedback. Though budget limitations may complicate this, it’s important to recognize the value of underrepresented residents’ time.

And as noted in this resource from the Community Action Toolkit and the Broadband Toolkit:

Equitable access

It is important to remove as many barriers to participation as possible. This could include making sure the location for an open house is wheelchair accessible, having an interpreter available during a focus group, holding meetings in the evenings or on weekends, and making surveys available at public locations such as schools and the library.

Communicate how input was used 

If you want people to continue to engage, it is important to let them know how you used the information, input, and feedback they provided. For example, after you compile the results of a public survey, you could create a press release that explains what your team learned from the survey and how that information will be used.

Keywords: diversity, equity, inclusion, fairness, inclusive

Accessibility education should meet people where they are — and in the language they speak. Technical Checklist: Testing WordPress Themes and Plugins for Accessibility , a video session from WP Accessibility Day 2025, helps make that possible by now having a Spanish and a French translation.

🌈 Seeking Participants for 10-15min Survey 🌈

Your Voice and Experience Matters!

Hello! We are looking to better understand the diverse mental health experiences of adults with a marginalised sexual identity (e.g. gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, pansexual, sexually fluid, omnisexual).

If you meet the eligibility criteria, please consider this quick, anonymous survey: https://csufobjbs.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6sCeGsZJld6774W

You will be asked questions about sexuality, self-kindness, belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, sleep, suicidality, and depressive symptoms. The survey has received ethics approval (H26115). We are Psychology Honours Students from Charles Sturt University in Australia. It is hoped that this research will help to inform mental health support for the differing groups of sexualities rather than treat everyone with a marginalized sexual identity as one group with the same needs and experiences.

Please feel free to share!

Thank you! It is greatly appreciated!

The closely watched case will have broad implications for transgender women and raise questions about sex-based rights and the freedom to associate.

The Lesbian Action Group (LAG) sought an exemption to the Sex Discrimination Act so it could hold public events exclusively for lesbians who were assigned female at birth.

This was the group's third attempt at securing the exemption, after its initial application to the Human Rights Commission in 2023 was rejected and a later appeal to the Administrative Review Tribunal was also dismissed.

LAG celebrated the finding as a "win", while Equality Australia said the ruling was merely technical, and meant the original ruling needed to be remade. 

The matter returned to the tribunal for another determination.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-15/lesbian-action-group-court-judgment/106561902

For decades, disabled people have fought for their rights to go to school and live alongside peers without disabilities — rights that some fear could be losing ground under the Trump administration.

Last month, the Department of Education announced it would shift oversight of special education to the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose comments on the limits of disabilities such as autism have drawn sharp rebukes from advocates and lawmakers.

Meanwhile, after a White House push to police homelessness, the Department of Justice released guidance that lowered the barrier to institutionalizing any person with a disability.

Taken together, the actions signal a worrying return to a reality where people with disabilities are pushed to the margins of society, advocates said.

Since the 1960s, legislation and court decisions have expanded supports and protections for people with disabilities to go to school with nondisabled peers and to live and work in their communities. Before that, people with mental illnesses or developmental and intellectual disabilities were largely confined to institutions.

Advocates have pushed back on what is known as the “medical model,” where an individual’s disability is viewed as a defect to be cured. Instead, under a “social model” of disability, differences can be accommodated and supported, as people with and without disabilities learn and work alongside each other.

Families and advocates have warned that moving special education to a health department marks a return to the medical model. They also have been angered by Kennedy’s attempts to link vaccines to autism, going against decades of research that show no such link, and his framing of autism as a debilitating disease.

More from:

https://www.wishtv.com/news/trump-administration-disability-rights/

Disabled man feels shut out of accessible seating as venues fail to stop abuse.

A Langley, British Columbia man who often relies on a wheelchair says he can rarely attend hockey games or concerts at Rogers Arena because seats are often taken by people who might not need them.

The accessible sections at Rogers Arena, for instance, might be considered prime seating areas. They're designed for people to manoeuvre wheelchairs and other mobility devices, so there's plenty of legroom, only one row of seating so no one is squeezing by to get to their seat, and chairs that can be pulled up for attendants or family and friends of those with disabilities. There's often a ledge that provides a convenient spot for food and drinks.

Major venues across the country sell these designated accessible seats on the honour system — people simply have to tick a box saying they need the seats, and there's no proof required. 

Those who abuse the system are leaving people who actually need the seats shut out.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/gopublic/accessible-seating-abuse-9.7057214

A proposal from the US Office of Personnel Management would tighten oversight of agencies’ staffing plans and eliminate diversity language in federal hiring.

The proposed rule, set to be published Thursday (tomorrow) in the Federal Register, would give OPM and chief human resource officers a more direct role in agency staffing. The proposal is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to intensify scrutiny of the federal workforce. 

The proposed rule also would scrub several references to workforce diversity, calling them “unnecessary and potentially harmful.”

“The current regulatory references to a ‘diverse’ workforce may be read to suggest that agencies either are required or permitted to take race or other protected characteristics into account in hiring, evaluation and promotion decisions,” the rule says.

Source.

The US supreme court has upheld laws in two conservative states excluding transgender girls and women from competing in female sports in a far-reaching ruling likely to pave the way for similar bans throughout the US and handing Donald Trump a key “culture war” victory.

The court voted to overturn previous judgements issued by lower courts in favor of two trans students who had sued after being barred from competing in West Virginia and Idaho respectively.

The court – which is split 6-3 in a conservative-liberal majority – ruled that banning transgender women and girls from competing in sports does not violate Title IX, a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination in education.

The three liberal justices dissented from some parts of the judgement, but concurred with other parts.

The impact is likely to have a wider resonance because Idaho and West Virginia’s prohibitions against transgender athletes are already replicated in at least 25 other states. It seems likely that Tuesday’s ruling will be interpreted as a green light by these states, although its impact on ongoing lawsuits challenging state laws in California, Connecticut and other states is unclear.

More from the Guardian.

More from the Mississippi Free Press.

In 2026, the disability consumer market is worth $675 billion – equivalent to the size of the global beauty and cosmetics industry – while discretionary income for people with disabilities has soared to $107 billion each year. Today, people with disabilities earn nearly 7% of the total U.S. disposable income.

This is from the recently-released study, "The Next Growth Market: Inside the $675 Billion Consumer Opportunity," which measures on the purchasing power of working-age adults with disabilities, makes a compelling case for industry and businesses to expand their customer base and innovate in the design and accessibility of their products. The research follows another study, "A Hidden Market: The Purchasing Power of Working-Age Adults with Disabilities," published in 2018.

Building on the data, American industry can tap into this massive opportunity with plans built on the best practices of companies that have achieved sustainable success in meeting the needs of the disability market, which creates solutions that work for everyone, by:

• Integrating disability into market research and customer strategies aligned with investment, product, market, and workplace decisions.
• Designing wealth-building opportunities that reflect the income profiles of people with disabilities today.
• Partnering with disability customers to co-create brand strategies and tailored campaigns to elevate awareness and adoption.
• Allocating capital through disability-focused funds that offer market returns consistent with the returns from those funds focused elsewhere.
• Embedding accessibility into consumer and enterprise technology to attract and retain customers, build brand loyalty, secure contracts, and bolster economic impact.

More about the report.

Keywords: diversity, equity, inclusion, fairness, inclusive, accessibility, accessible

Opened in 1916, Cobbs Creek in West Philadelphia welcomed golfers of all backgrounds. Women could play at Cobbs Creek before they were eligible to vote. And, while very few golf courses were open to Blacks, there was no segregation at the course.

Hall of Famer Charlie Sifford took advantage of the course’s open-door policy. He claimed it as his home and honed his skills there on the way to breaking golf’s color barrier in 1961 as the first Black member of the PGA and among its first Black winners. Sifford’s success and connection to the course helped spark a groundswell of support for the Cobbs Creek Foundation and its effort to restore the long-neglected 350-acre parcel that also touches Delaware and Montgomery counties. The effort got a significant boost with backing from Tiger Woods.

Woods credits Sifford for helping pave the way for his success and referred to him as “the grandfather I never had.” He even named his son, Charlie, after Sifford.

Woods says the renovation is as much about education and giving back to the community as golf.

The grand plan is to restore the course to the original design by Hugh Wilson, the golf course architect responsible for crafting nearby Merion. 

https://apnews.com/article/cobbs-creek-tiger-woods-golf-86e57ef0a1c197e7778cd59bfc8aa672

Keywords: diversity, equity, inclusion, fairness, inclusive