Press Release
Richard H. Bernstein Highlights 4 Accessibility and Inclusion Trends Affecting Daily Life
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Richard H. Bernstein, Michigan Supreme Court associate justice and disability rights advocate, shares practical takeaways for individuals across Michigan and beyond.
Michigan, US, 25th February 2026, ZEX PR WIRE, Richard H. Bernstein, an associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and the first blind justice in the court’s history, is drawing attention to several fast-moving trends shaping everyday access, work, and participation for people with disabilities and the wider public.
Bernstein, who has been legally blind since birth due to retinitis pigmentosa and has completed 27 marathons, said these shifts are no longer confined to policy discussions. They show up in how people commute, learn, work, and use public spaces.
Trend 1: Disability is more common than many people assume
In the United States, more than 1 in 4 adults have a disability (28.7%).
Globally, the World Health Organization estimates 1.3 billion people, about 1 in 6, experience significant disability.
Bernstein said this changes how people should think about access. “Accessibility is not a niche issue. It is something that touches families, workplaces, schools, and public spaces every day.”
Trend 2: Disability and work are shifting, slowly but measurably
In 2024, the employment to population ratio for people with a disability reached a series high of 22.7%, and labor force participation reached 24.5%.
Bernstein pointed to this as a signal that more organisations are adjusting, even if progress is uneven. “When work systems are flexible and tools are usable, more people can contribute. That benefits teams and customers, not just the person requesting an accommodation.”
Trend 3: Accessible design tends to help everyone
Bernstein noted that design changes intended for disability access often become universal improvements. That pattern is sometimes described as the curb-cut effect, where changes made for wheelchair access also help parents with prams, travellers with luggage, and older adults.
“A well-designed ramp, a clear crossing signal, or a more readable interface does not just remove barriers,” Bernstein said. “It improves the experience for everyone who uses the space.”
Trend 4: Rules exist, but follow-through is where outcomes change
Federal ADA rules require many public accommodations and commercial facilities to be accessible when newly built or altered.
Bernstein tied this to his earlier disability rights casework, including efforts that improved wheelchair access in public transit and expanded accessible seating and routes in major venues.
“The law can set the baseline,” Bernstein said. “Real life changes when organisations plan for access early and measure it like any other core requirement.”
What this means in plain language
Bernstein’s view is that access is increasingly practical, not theoretical. A bus lift that works means getting to a job. A stadium seat that is truly usable means being able to attend with friends and family. A safe crossing design means independence. These are day-to-day outcomes, and the trend lines suggest more people and institutions are paying attention.
Your next 7 days
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Do a quick access audit of one place you visit often (work, gym, school, clinic). Note one friction point.
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If you manage a team, ask one simple question: what part of our process is hardest to use?
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Turn on accessibility features on your phone (larger text, voice control, screen reader options) and learn the basics.
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If you host meetings, share materials in advance and keep formatting simple and readable.
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When you book an appointment or event, check access details early (parking, routes, seating, restrooms).
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Make one “low-cost fix” where you live or work (better lighting, clearer labels, reduced clutter).
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Save one reliable disability resource page for later and share it with someone who might need it.
Your next 90 days
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Build accessibility into planning: add an access checklist to events, renovations, or new vendor selection.
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Upgrade one core tool for usability (captioning, readable PDFs, better contrast, keyboard navigation).
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If you lead a business function, track one metric tied to access (time-to-support, customer drop-off, or complaint themes).
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Set a quarterly review of physical access and digital usability, like any other operational control.
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Volunteer time or professional skills with a local disability-focused organisation or access initiative.
Pick one step from the next 7 days list and start now. Small changes compound quickly when they remove friction from everyday life.
About Richard H. Bernstein
Richard H. Bernstein is an associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, serving since January 1, 2015, and the first blind justice in the court’s history. A long-time disability rights advocate, he has worked on accessibility issues across public spaces and services. He is also an endurance athlete who has completed 27 marathons.
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
ChangeNOW Brings Martin Masser Into Its Crypto Super App
Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, August 5th, 2026, Chainwire
The former TON executive joins as Director of Strategic Partnerships to form the connections behind ChangeNOW’s next phase.
Former TON executive Martin Masser joins ChangeNOW to build strategic partnerships, ecosystem relationships, and media momentum behind its next phase.
Masser comes with experience across traditional banking, Web2 and Web3, including senior growth and business development roles within the TON space. At ChangeNOW, he will lead strategic relationships with blockchain networks, wallets, fintech companies, payment providers and other infrastructure partners.
His appointment comes as ChangeNOW grows beyond standalone crypto services, transitioning to one connected product where users can buy, store, swap, trade, send, receive and grow digital assets. The industry has already built most of the individual components. What it hasn’t solved is the experience of using them together; clients are still expected to switch between platforms, understand different networks and connect the pieces on their own. ChangeNOW’s super app strategy is designed to move that complexity beneath the product.
“Martin brings a rare mix of commercial relationships, product and media understanding,” said Pauline Shangett, Chief Strategy Officer at ChangeNOW. “He knows what the technology can do, what the business needs and how to make the market pay attention. That is exactly the perspective we need as we build the ChangeNOW super app.”
Masser’s role will focus not on accumulating partnership announcements, but on identifying relationships that can make ChangeNOW’s infrastructure more complete and remove unnecessary steps from the сlient experience.
“The best partnerships create access, adoption and attention. My focus is to build relationships that make the product stronger, simpler and more useful, and then help the market understand why they matter. If you are building wallets, networks, payments, stablecoins, fintech infrastructure, consumer crypto or Web3 products, I want to hear from you,” said Masser.
For consumers, ChangeNOW is combining the core activities of managing crypto within one environment. For businesses, it is developing an integrated set of tools for crypto payments, exchange, stablecoin settlement, digital asset management and Web3 integrations.
As ChangeNOW expands into a crypto super app, its next phase is connecting the right networks, wallets and partners. Masser’s role will be central to building those relationships and turning them into product value, adoption and market momentum.
About ChangeNOW
ChangeNOW.io is a crypto super app built for every crypto move, giving newcomers, professionals, and businesses the tools they need to access Web3 finance in a simple and secure way.
Since 2017, ChangeNOW has grown from a fast, secure, and limitless instant exchange into a trusted platform where storage, swaps, trading, staking, and asset management are covered in one simple experience for millions of clients worldwide.
About Martin Masser
Martin Masser is Director of Strategic Partnerships at ChangeNOW, where he is building partnerships around the company’s expansion into a crypto super app. His career covers traditional banking and capital markets in London and Web3, including his previous role as Head of Growth at TON Foundation. Martin works at the intersection of growth, infrastructure, and partnerships, connecting products and industry players to make crypto services work as one seamless user experience.
Contact
PR Team
CHN Group LLC
pr@changenow.io
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
allwhere Expands UK Operations with Upgraded Depot
New York City, New York, August 5th, 2026, FinanceWire
allwhere, the leading IT asset lifecycle management platform, today announced the expansion of its UK operations with the opening of a larger, upgraded depot. The investment increases warehouse capacity, streamlines fulfillment operations, and strengthens allwhere’s ability to support organizations managing employee devices across the United Kingdom.
The upgraded facility represents a significant investment in allwhere’s existing UK infrastructure, enabling the company to deliver faster turnaround times, greater operational efficiency, and additional inventory capacity as demand for global device lifecycle management continues to grow.
“As more organizations build distributed teams, the operational side of IT has become increasingly important,” said Tony Solomon, VP of Global Operations at allwhere. “This investment strengthens the foundation of our UK operations, allowing us to fulfill orders more efficiently, scale alongside our customers, and continue delivering the high level of service they expect from allwhere.”
Built to Support Growing IT Operations
The expanded UK depot enhances every stage of the device lifecycle by improving warehouse operations and increasing fulfillment capacity.
Customers can expect benefits including:
- Faster fulfillment, expedited shipping, and improved turnaround times for deployments and retrievals
- Increased warehouse capacity to support growing inventory needs
- More efficient storage, inventory management, and redeployment workflows
- Standardized operational processes that improve consistency and scalability
- End-to-end lifecycle support managed through a single platform
Whether onboarding a new employee, retrieving equipment from an offboarded team member, storing spare inventory, or preparing devices for redeployment, the upgraded facility enables allwhere to execute these workflows more efficiently while maintaining complete visibility through its platform.
Software and Operations, Unified
Unlike traditional asset management solutions that rely on disconnected software, logistics providers, and warehouses, allwhere combines workflow automation with global operational infrastructure.
Organizations can manage procurement, deployment, inventory, retrievals, storage, repairs, redeployment, and IT asset disposition through a single platform, while allwhere handles the operational execution behind the scenes.
The expanded UK depot further strengthens this model by providing the operational capacity needed to support larger fleets, faster fulfillment, and increasingly complex IT programs.
Continuing to Invest in Global Infrastructure
The UK depot expansion is part of allwhere’s continued investment in its global logistics network. allwhere currently operates full-service depots in the UK, Canada, EU, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Later this year, the company plans to further scale its infrastructure into the APAC region, with upcoming depot services in Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and more.
As organizations continue to scale distributed workforces, allwhere remains focused on expanding the operational infrastructure that powers modern IT teams—combining intelligent software with local logistics expertise to simplify device lifecycle management around the world.
About allwhere
allwhere is a laptop retrieval and IT procurement company that automates the IT asset lifecycle for companies ranging from startups to enterprises. From procurement and deployment to storage, maintenance, and retrieval, allwhere provides the infrastructure businesses need to support a global, distributed workforce.
Contact
Head of Marketing
Brent Singleton
allwhere
info@allwhere.co
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
Borderless.xyz Teams Up with Mastercard to Advance Trusted Cross-Border Stablecoin Payment Flows
New York, New York, August 5th, 2026, FinanceWire
Borderless.xyz will explore how Mastercard Crypto Credential can help bring greater trust and confidence to cross-border stablecoin payments.
Borderless.xyz and Mastercard are collaborating on a new pilot to explore how Mastercard Crypto Credential’s standards-based framework can support trusted interactions across cross-border stablecoin payment flows.
Stablecoins are increasingly being used to move value across borders, creating new opportunities for faster and more efficient payments. As adoption grows, participants need trusted ways to understand who they are interacting with and whether counterparties have met appropriate standards and requirements.
Through the pilot, Borderless.xyz and Mastercard will explore how Mastercard Crypto Credential can address that challenge by providing assurance signals that participants can incorporate into their own approval, compliance and risk processes.
Mastercard Crypto Credential helps support trusted and verifiable interactions across digital asset ecosystems. Through common standards and trusted assurance signals, it is designed to help bring more confidence, transparency and certainty to transactions across blockchain networks.
The collaboration pairs Mastercard’s work in building trust and standards for digital asset ecosystems with Borderless.xyz’s network of stablecoin payment providers. Together, the companies are exploring how trusted governance signals can help reduce friction and bring greater confidence to cross-border stablecoin payments as adoption grows.
“One of the biggest friction points for stablecoin payment operators isn’t the payments. It’s that compliance doesn’t scale the same way the network does. Every new provider means starting the verification process over. Correspondent banking solved this decades ago: originating compliance trusted downstream, no re-execution at every counterparty. Mastercard is applying that model to digital asset payments. Borderless.xyz is the network it runs through.” – Kevin Lehtiniitty, CEO and Co-Founder, Borderless.xyz
“Innovation is most powerful when it builds over time. Our relationship with Borderless.xyz began through Start Path and has continued to grow as the digital asset ecosystem has matured,” said Raj Dhamodharan, executive vice president, Blockchain & Digital Assets at Mastercard. “Today, we’re excited to take the next step together, exploring how Mastercard Crypto Credential can help bring greater trust and confidence to stablecoin payment flows across a growing network of participants.”
The pilot brings together several of Borderless.xyz‘s network participants consisting of Infinia, Walapay, and Koywe, many of whom are also alumni of Mastercard Start Path, the company’s startup engagement program. These partners will leverage Mastercard Crypto Credential as some of the first stablecoin payment operators to run on the single-audit compliance model at network scale.
About Borderless.xyz
Borderless.xyz is a global stablecoin orchestration and liquidity network. Its single API connects wallet infrastructure to 15+ licensed stablecoin providers across 100+ countries. It lets businesses enter new markets without new integrations, get failover so payments don’t drop, and make providers compete for your volume on price. Borderless.xyz is SOC 2 Type II certified and headquartered in New York. To learn more, users can visit the website: borderless.xyz.
About Mastercard
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a resilient economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential
Contact
Sarah Cohen
SJC PR
sarah@sjc-pr.com
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
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