march good news article

Author: rachaelbradley

astro/src/content/blogs/good-news-mar-2026.mdx

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+---
+title: March 2026 Good News Roundup on Disability Inclusion and Accessibility
+description: A selection of uplifting stories on disability inclusion from January 20206
+published: 2026-04-15
+tags:
+  - good-news
+author: katelyn
+---
+
+We are bringing visibility to disabilities by spotlighting a few of our favorite uplifting news stories on disability inclusion and accessibility from last month\! 
+
+**March 11th**: The Scottish Government approved a permanent policy that allows companions of visually impaired people to receive free rail travel across all ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper services. From April 1, 2026, anyone with an “Eye Plus One” National Entitlement Card can now travel with a companion throughout Scotland at no extra cost. The announcement follows a year-long pilot, during which feedback from over 1,500 visually impaired card holders was overwhelmingly positive.  
+Original article: [Scottish Government announces free rail travel for companions of the visually impaired](https://www.midlothianview.com/news/scottish-government-announces-free-rail-travel-for-visually-impaired-peoples-companions) 
+
+**March 20th**: The GitLab Foundation has awarded a 500,000-dollar grant to a US-based disability employment and learning platform called “Making Space”. This funding will allow Making Space to expand its Ascend Fellowship program and accelerate development of responsible AI tools aimed at improving employment access and long-term economic mobility for disabled professionals. The initiative is intended to address systemic barriers that contribute to higher unemployment and poverty rates among disabled individuals, including inaccessible workplaces, hiring discrimination, and concerns about losing essential benefits.  
+Original article: [Making Space: $500,000 Grant From GitLab Foundation to Expand AI Tools and Workforce Pathways for Disabled Talent](https://pulse2.com/making-space-500000-grant-from-gitlab-foundation-to-expand-ai-tools-and-workforce-pathways-for-disabled-talent/)
+
+**March 24th**: Driven by career barriers he faces as a musician with autism, Andrew Lansley has launched the first UK roster of disabled musicians called “UnMute”. Lansley created UnMute to overhaul ableist booking practices by representing artists with specialist access requirements that venues tend to dismiss. When acts get accepted onto the roster, the UnMute team represents them to get bookings and ensure their access needs are met.  
+Original article: ['No one’s tried this before’: a new live music roster aims to ensure opportunities for disabled musicians](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/mar/25/new-live-music-roster-ensure-opportunities-disabled-musicians)
+
+**March 25th**: India is facilitating crowdsourcing efforts among citizens to democratize how accessibility is assessed and improved across the country. To accelerate progress under the Accessible India Campaign, the government has extended its collaboration with the Association of People with Disabilities to expand crowdsourced accessibility audits using an app called “Yes to Access”. This initiative provides a more structured way to report infrastructural and attitudinal accessibility barriers faced by people with disabilities in public spaces.  
+Original article: [Crowd Sourcing Accessibility: DEPwD and APD Join Hands to Turn Every Citizen into an Accessibility Auditor](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2245169&reg=3&lang=2)
+
+**March 1st – 31st**: Countless people around the world championed disability activism campaigns, such as Brain Injury Awareness Month and World Down Syndrome Day. To learn about upcoming campaigns and add them to your calendar, please visit our disability awareness resource page through the following link:  
+[Disability Awareness Dates](https://www.ta11y.org/learning/topic?key=plan.z_holidays)
+