Accessibility Resources: A rich site for web and software developers, as well as users of assistive technology

While researching some accessibility issues this morning, I came across a rich web site with an abundance of worthwhile links regarding computer and software accessibility. The great news is that it is a global perspective, with information being provided by not only sites in the U.S., but from several companies in Europe as well as Australia.

Accessibility Resources
Is the simple, but succinct, name of the site. It is subtitled the HCI Webliography and offers more than 200 links regarding an assortment of accessibility matters.

The offered links are categorized into the following headings : first choice, companies, discussion, guidelines, organizations, papers, resources, and tools.

There will be some familiar names for those who live or work in the field of assistive technology, but there are many other useful resources offered whose names you’re probably not familiar with. Take some time and look over the site. There are items offered on the expected ADA, Section 508, and W3C concerns, but there are also some you might not expect. It is encouraging to see that the compendium includes links on making Apple, Ajax, and Adobe’s Acrobat and Flash products accessible.

If you’re like me, you’ll bookmark this page and return here for further reading. There is just a whole boatload of information here.

Note: I went through some of the linked web sites to peruse their information and found almost all of them interesting and useful. However, one of the offered resources links is a link to the site for atomicaudio.com. I opened the site and it was a shocker for me. The page presents fine, but then there are a whole bunch of unrelated, adult-themed links at the end of the body of the page. The titles of the links contain filthy language I wouldn’t want my child to read. If presenting a business as a legitimate one, there should be no presentation of this type of language. I have written the editor of the Accessibility Resources page and informed him of this.

Premiere Assistive Technology becomes Premiere Literacy

There is a new press release , announcing the name change for Premiere Assistive Technology, Inc., in which the new name will be more reflective of the role this strategic assistive technology company excels at.

The new name of the company is
Premiere Literacy.


If you’re already familiar with this company, then you know that they develop assistive hardware and software solutions to assist in reading and writing. The company’s focus of creating solutions that work has always been accompanied by the thought that these are only usable if they are affordable.

The change in name is reflective of a broader understanding of their clients’ needs, which the company has come to grasp in their years of operation, as well as the evolution of technology in the role of literacy. This is also augmented by alliances they continue to build.

This is all perhaps summed up best in the words of Dr. Steve Timmer, the company’s VP of Research,:
"It simply doesn't matter WHY you can't read, whether it's due to a cognitive processing difficulty, a physical vision problem or a cultural challenge (e.g. English as a Second Language). The fact that anyone struggles to read and write means that literacy technologies can help them. That is why Premier Literacy is making it possible for students and adults everywhere to have access to the tools that can make a wholesale difference in their life. With the accelerating shift to a world of digital content, shortfalls in literacy skills are a greater liability than ever before. Literacy in the 21st century has become so much more than just 'reading a book.' Just consider that systems like Google, Facebook, MySpace, wikis, etc. barely existed only 3 years ago. Now think about the future only 3 short years from now. There is a rapid growing universe of content that WILL NEVER APPEAR IN A HARDCOPY BOOK. Literacy skills must now include the ability to not only 'read' content, but to 'search,' 'find,' 'sort,' 'filter,' 'summarize,' 'translate,' 'download,' 'convert to audio,' 'communicate / collaborate online' and 'even publish to the Internet.' Premier Literacy's core commitment is to target our energies and resources to drive innovation in the development of solutions to meet all of these current literacy needs and those that will materialize in the future."

And, to avoid confusing anybody, even though the name of the company has changed, the address for their web site remains the same,
www.readingmadeeasy.com.

Free assistive technology is a budget-saving reality

Assistive technology used to be a big budget killer for many Disability Service offices, but today, it needn’t be such a burdensome service of the DSO. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of assistive technology components which are free.

If you need inspiration, take a look at the example being put in place at
Ohio State University.

Funded by a Department of Education grant, the DSO at Ohio State is providing students with USB thumb drives, which load a self voicing menu upon insertion in a computer. The student can then select which assistive technologies they want to use. The thumb drive also maintains all of the student’s settings and configurations, furthering simplicity of use.

Aside from just describing the tools that are being employed, the article has links for each of the free assistive technologies being used.

This assistive technology news is courtesy of
EDUCAUSE Connect.

EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology.

Membership is open to institutions of higher education, corporations serving the higher education information technology market, and other related associations and organizations.

Resources include:

• professional development activities
• applied research
• strategic policy advocacy
• teaching and learning initiatives
• online information services
• print and electronic publications, including books, monographs, and the magazines EDUCAUSE Quarterly and EDUCAUSE Review
• special interest collaborative communities
• awards for leadership and exemplary practices

The current membership comprises more than 2,200 colleges, universities, and educational organizations, including 250 corporations, with more than 17,000 active members.

Computer and web accessibility: All About Attitude

I once envisioned having my Chevy Silverado tricked out with a custom fade paint job and lots of sporty features from wide tires and rims to wood-trimmed interior with smoked glass. This truck was also going to feature an appropriate phrase emblazoned across the tailgate. The rear graphic would have a large, capital letter “A” and have three words running off it which read, “All About Attitude.”

Aside from being just a splashy paint job reflecting my thoughts on my ride, that phrase can also be applied to the area of computer and web accessibility. If a developer begins with the attitude that something cannot be done, such as making an application accessible to assistive technology, then how hard will he/she really try to make that take place?

On the flip side, though, if developers approach their work with the attitude that accessibility can be achieved, then isn’t that going to be more likely to work towards more positive solutions for everybody?

It is not being a pollyanna, but approaching one’s work with a positive attitude towards accessibility which leads one to conclude that the developer is willing to take that extra time to seek solutions and not throw in the towel at the first sign of resistance. If one believes that something can be achieved, then it seems logical that they will work diligently to reach that goal.

Of course, I’m not on a soapbox without cause. I just read an interesting post on the BarrierBreak blog regarding
making Flash accessible.
This post emphasized the importance of that same attitude in realizing the achievements of this consulting firm.


From the blog post:
“I’ve just come back from CSUN, 2008 and again had the same thoughts through most of my meetings. Mos people didnt even think that flash could be made accessible.”

“I was sitting there and wondering why is this the case? Accessible Flash is surely a possibility and actually is not as painful as most people think it to be. I think largely the problem is not knowin what is possible and then not knowing how to implement it.”

The author of that post, Shilpi Kedia, then goes on to offer a link to illustrate some examples of accessibility that BarrierBreak has achieved.

So, if they can make Flash accessible, why can’t others?

I find it interesting, and a bit discouraging, that the author was at CSUN, the showcase for accessibility solutions and that she found that negative attitude to be so pervasive. Instead of saying, “We can’t make it accessible,” developers can learn a lot from that one simple, but very noticeable point in the BarrierBreak blog post: Accessibility is all about attitude.

Assistive technology review: Victor Reader Stream

I wrote here last Friday that I was going to spend some time taking my new
Victor Reader Stream
For a test drive. I’m here today to share my initial thoughts on this powerful, yet very affordable, piece of assistive technology.

What the Stream does

The Stream is a portable, rechargeable media player designed for the blind that is about the size of a deck of cards. It plays a few forms of audio files, most notably MP3, wav, and OGG Vorbis. It has a screen reader that will read the folder and file information, as well as .html and .txt formats. (The .html files will be able to be read using the associated formatting attributes.) It plays DAISY and NISO books. Additionally, in the U.S., it plays books from Bookshare and the NLS. Finally, it is also a mono voice recorder.

The unit will play approximately 15 hours on a charge, according to the manufacturer. It will take about four hours to recharge. While it is recharging, the user can use the unit.

The files can be listened to through the built-in speaker or ear buds, also shipped with the unit. My own experience finds the small speaker has sufficient sound quality for my own liking, despite the volume limitations. The Stream can also play through external speakers via the earphone jack. The unit allows separate volume levels for ear buds and internal speaker and remembers the settings.

As stated, the voice recorder is set to record in mono, not stereo, and has a decent built-in microphone. . An external microphone can also be used if preferred.

Files play on the device from a Secure Digital (SD) card. It is also shipped with a plug that will allow a USB drive to be used. However, the USB drive will be “read only” and, if using the voice recorder, these cannot be save on the USB drive; they must be saved on an SD card.

The Stream will read documents and allow the user to move by many increments, such as headings. However, I think that one of the most usable features of the product is that it has the ability to go to a specific page in a book. Just as sighted students do in class, students who are blind can enter the specific page number that their teacher/professor is discussing.

What the Stream does not do

The device will not play files in Windows Media (.wma) format. If a user rips CDs to the computer using Windows Media Player, it puts the audio files in this .wma format. To listen to these files on the Stream, the user will need to convert them to one of the audio formats the unit supports.

The Stream ships with a USB cable so that it can be connected to a pc. File transfers can be performed using this setup, but the manufacturer instructs users that using an SD card reader will be quicker. When connected to the pc, the user cannot operate the Stream.

It will not read documents with .doc and .rtf file extensions. The solution for reading these files on the Stream is simple; save the file in either .html or .txt and it can then be read by the Stream.


My Thoughts

I am very impressed by the Stream. The learning curve is only slight. Once familiarized with the button configuration, it was just a matter of playing with the device for a little bit before I felt totally comfortable using it.

So far, all I have done on the unit is read over some of the built-in tutorial and listen to music on it. There is so much more to come for me and this nifty, electronic box. I will be doing more with it in coming days, such as reading documents and books, and will write more about those impressions as they occur.

One of the Stream’s most appealing features is its price, only $329 from the manufacturer,
Humanware,
Which also adds on a shipping fee of $20 and sends the product 2-day delivery.
However, the savvy web shopper can find it for less, from vendors such as
Adaptive Information Systems Incorporated,
which sells the device for $299 and sweetens that discounted price by offering free shipping.

Any user of assistive technology will recognize that, whether purchasing from the manufacturer or a vendor, the price is low and affordable to people on fixed incomes. The product for that money appears to be a durable and lasting piece of accessible technology. It gives people who are blind the ability to take documents or book to meetings, just as their sighted counterparts. With the device’s ability to navigate through these, the Stream user can be on an even playing field with their peers.

The price is also friendly to the tight budgets in place at most disability support service offices. The product you get for that investment is a very user-friendly piece of assistive technology that will allow your students to have accessible textbooks at their fingertips.

The Victor Reader Stream is one of the most talked about pieces of assistive technology hardware that has come out in a long while. Add the affordability to the quality design, and you have an appealing product that can be used by many blind people. For a taste of the buzz in the blind community about the Stream, you might want to look at the recent
Ranger Station poll
About the product.

Finally, if interested in reading more information about the product, check out the official
Victor Reader Stream FAQ page.

Web accessibility acknowledged as a CAPTCHA concern in Ars Technica

While it wasn’t necessarily directed at being an article about assistive technology, or web accessibility for users of such, a recent Ars Technica article nonetheless address these concerns when describing how
Google’s Gmail CAPTCHA was able to be cracked.


(CAPTCHAs are those squiggly letters and numbers internet users sometimes have to type into a form field to prove they are not a robot.)

In the article, the author describes some alternative means of creating CAPTCHAs to avoid getting cracked by malicious spam robots. Two of the alternative methods mentioned are audio CAPTCHA and an another one where the user has to select a number of similar visual images.

What was most noteworthy, though, was that this article was in
Ars Technica,
a well respected magazine for technology enthusiasts, and after describing those two alternative means, it spelled out the difficulty these types place on people who are hard of hearing and blind, respectively.

It is encouraging to see accessibility raised as a concern in a professional discussion on web security. While it may not affect the majority, those who are impacted know the hardships that being ignored places on them.

Assistive technology continues to evolve, becoming more mainstream

Most often, the steps that assistive technology uses to make computers accessible to people with disabilities is to allow them an alternative method of inputting information into the computer. This is true for screen readers, which allow the operator to use keyboard commands to perform mouse executions; speech input, which allows hands-free computer operation; thought-actuated computer programs, which can execute computer functions by mere thought; head pointers that let people without arm functionality point to the screen to execute commands; and, the various alternative mice that are on the market, which use footpads and other methods to allow input and do not require hand or fingers to operate them.

I’ve recently written posts highlighting advances that demonstrate how
Assistive technology has become more mainstream,
and, more recently, how
Man and machine are integrating much more than ever before.

In that last post, I was struck by the words of the reporter who was chronicling those events on a morning news program. He said that the way technology often works is that it is developed to meet a medical need first, and is very expensive. Then, later it evolves into something more affordable when it becomes more mainstream and applications are developed for the general public.

Immediately, I thought of botox. It was used first here in the U.S. to relieve spasticity in people who have various forms of dystonia. I was actually a little floored when a friend who got botox treatments for her cerebral palsy first told me about the medication and that it was derived from the toxin in botulism cells. That was several years ago, prior to botox becoming legalized for cosmetic applications. Today, you can’t turn on any television celebrity gossip show that doesn’t discuss the latest star getting botox treatments as cosmetic surgery.

Then, I looked at the marvels of assistive technology, just as the reporter was intending. And, here today, I offer proof of the reporter’s assessment.

First, The BBC reports about how
headset controllers using thought and emotion actuation
are the coming trends for gamers. And, as the reporter predicted, the unit is refined from the older versions, which were assistive technology of a unique sort. It no longer requires electrode arrays with gel on the scalp. And the cost is projected to be only $399, not the tens of thousands of dollars previous versions have cost to provide alternative computer input.

Do I think the technology in the gamer’s headset is comparable to that of somebody who would use thought input to operate a computer? Not at all, at least not yet. We all know that technology evolves, and this is equally true for assistive technology. Give it time and the gamer’s unit in just a few years will outperform the current assistive technology devices of today by leaps and bounds. And, I predict this will be mutually beneficial, providing greater accessibility and lowering costs for all.

Additionally, good old Microsoft is looking to its next big thing, called Windows 7 (for now,) which will incorporate input via
speech and touch.

Here again, if Microsoft is putting something into its system, eventually we will all have it. If not from Microsoft, then it will be from other computer companies that will offer their version just to stay competitive.

And, while robots aren’t exactly mainstream yet, understanding how a robot learns and
applying that to the ultimate robotic hand
definitely has broad implications for the future of prosthetics and assistive technology.

Perhaps that reporter was correct.

Note: Thanks to the editors of
Axistive.com
For the original information about the robotic hand.)

Web security feature may be problematic for screen reader users

A web site administrator recently advised me about a security feature of web page design that poses a potential problem for blind computer users like myself, who use a screen reader to access the internet. The security feature lies in hidden links on a web page, designed to trap the malicious robots that are trolling the internet for content and email addresses to harvest. However, the problem is that the same traps that grab the robots, or bots, also look like clickable links to screen readers and could land the unknowing blind computer user in a virtual never-never land on a site that was previously a prized and valuable resource.

Theoretically, the way it works is that once the bot sees the link and clicks it, it is entered into a blocked database. From that time forward, that computer will only see blank pages whenever it returns to that web site.

And, this doesn’t interfere with sighted computer users, as the visual representation of the “bot trap” is almost unnoticeable on the screen, as they are hidden links and are only one pixel in size.

That’s all well and good for trapping the bots, but the problem arises for blind computer users who rely on the screen reading software, like JAWS or Window Eyes, to let them know which items on a page are links and which are not. So, while I’m going down a web page, and there is a link that JAWS identifies that sounds like it has some content I might be interested in, it might just as well be a trap. If I click that link out of curiosity, I could lose the ability to have access to any of the information on all the pages on that entire web site.

I consider myself pretty savvy on assistive technology in general and screen readers in particular, but this is something I have never heard about before. As a result, I’m posting about it here for anybody who might have some feedback.

Any thoughts?

Accessible World offers podcast on Microsoft Office 2007

If you’ve been holding off on upgrading to Microsoft Office 2007, because you were wondering how it would play with your assistive technology, then you may be interested in the
Overview of Microsoft Office 2007,
the most recent installment of Accessible World Tech Talk.

In this nearly 80 minute podcast, Karen McCall, an author, trainer, and consultant with Karlen Communications, discusses the features of the program and also offers insightful tips on setting up Outlook 2007 so that it functions compatibly with assistive technology.

Innovations of iPhone should lead to greater overall web accessibility

In June of last year, I wrote a post here about the
inaccessibility of Apple’s iPhone.

My biggest gripe still today about the product is that being that the iPhone uses a touchscreen, the trendy and coveted geek toy is inaccessible to anybody who has a disability and is unable to touch the screen. That includes people who are blind or have a motor impairment that limits the manual dexterity required to accomplish that task.

This leads me into an article I just came across by web development author Christopher Schmitt, wherein he states the case that
iPhone specific web development is misguided.

In this well proposed presentation, Schmitt states that there are implications for web surfing that the iPhone has forever change, and, as such, its competitors will certainly follow suit just to stay competitive. The primary point is the fact that
Web sites no longer need to design their sites specifically for a mobile device.

Schmitt argues that developers need not design web content which will only be maximized on the iPhone, but optimized for all. The crux of his presentation is centered around accessibility, not just as being the right thing to do as a good corporate citizen, but as a sound business model. Simple economics dictate that making a web site which is accessible to all makes it open to the widest audience possible. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Schmitt writes:
“Apple recently sold its first million iPhones. Yet, there are an estimated 37 million Americans with sensory and physical disability between the ages of 16 to 64.”

“If only ten percent of these 37 million people with disabilities surf the Web on an assistive technology, their numbers are 300% greater than every iPhone sold.”

However, I think the most sensible and emphatic plea for making accessibility a priority for web developers can be discerned from Schmitt’s conclusion:
“If your Web site is geared to run on assistive technologies like screen readers, hand wands , eye tracking, voice recognition, or braille displays, the odds are that you’ve opened your site up to more of an audience than the iPhone crowd.”

Again, I sincerely believe that makes perfect sense, both business-wise and doing the right thing-wise.

In light of the argument Schmitt makes, perhaps I need to not be too hard on the iPhone. While the iPhone may still be inaccessible, there are prospects that this may one day evolve with insightful use of third party applications. And, the inaccessibility of the iPhone itself may be offset by the opening of doors for greater web accessibility as a whole due to the innovation that the device has brought to the mobile phone market.

NFB suit against Target will have ripples regarding web accessibility

There is an interesting article titled
Slow motion wake-up call for web accessibility,
Which reflects upon and highlights some of the aspects of the lawsuit by the National Federation of the Blind against Target stores. The article is published in
Network World, Inc.
an online publication for Information Technology (IT) professionals, and is written by Scott Bradner, the Technology Security Officer at Harvard University.

In the article, the author compares what it means to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, comparing Section 508 against the W3C standards.

Perhaps, most interesting, is his prognostication for the result of that lawsuit:
“The Target case is proceeding slowly, but still should be seen as a wake-up call for Web site operators. The handwriting is on the wall and it seems there is no small chance that the courts will rule for the NFB and even if they do not, Congress might not be far behind in fixing any lack. Of course, there is no requirement to wait until the courts rule; it is just fine to get a start now — in fact, it just might be the right thing to do. “

Did you notice that last sentence? A suggestion for doing the right thing. Boy, it is great to see somebody in the IT field that thinks about doing the right thing.

Now, wouldn't it be great if we could cause Mr. Bradner's attitude to be contagious among his peers in regards to web accessibility.

Accessibility consulting firm shares insight from Techshare India

While we are physically separated by vast amounts of land and water, there is something to be said when a company in India shares visions of how things should be regarding accessibility here in the United States.

BarrierBreak Technologies
Is an accessibility testing firm, focusing on Section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). They provide accessibility testing, training, and consulting services. They also offer other services relating to accessibility.

Naturally, when they say they provide anything related to Section 508, the company is most likely targeting web sites of American companies, as that is a law specific to our country. However, WCAG is more of a global standard, and in my readings, I find that many businesses not based in the U.S., nonetheless provide their web site in accordance to Section 508 standards, so it has become a standard of its own, even outside our boundaries.

From the initial outset, I found the company web site very easy to navigate with JAWS; Then again, I should have, if they practice what they advertise.

I’m not here to necessarily promote the business, but I’m just glad to see that businesses such as this exist. I know there are others, even domestic, which would keep corporate dollars within our own economy. (I only acknowledge this for anybody who is concerned that I’m promoting outsourcing jobs and funding.)

However, what drew me to the site was a post on their
corporate blog.
In particular, it was a post I read about the
Experience Zone at Techshare India
that I read, which made for some good insight about services and assistive technology the company offers. What really struck me was the blog poster’s candor about her experience interacting with people who had a wide range of disabilities, apparently interacting with several different disabilities at the same time.

Additionally, I was glad to see the variety of assistive technology products that were displayed. Here’s a paragraph from her post about them:
“People were amazed to see assistive technologies such as a Portable screen magnifier from HIMS, trackball, Color identifier from Caretec, Screen readers such as JAWS, Safa, Supernova (Hindi screen reader), simulator simulating different types of visual disabilities etc. There were other products such as a device that would identify the battery life for both visually impaired and the deaf and dumb people, tactile sheets that visually impaired users could use to learn computers, apart from braille slates, pamphlets to learn sign language etc.”

It is refreshing to see people both here and abroad are working towards accessibility. It may not always seem like people with disabilities are making progress, but when I read about conferences such as Techshare India, I’m reminded that we are indeed moving forward.

SmartNav 4 is hands-free alternative computer mouse

I notice regular traffic to this blog searching for alternative techniques to operate the computer mouse. This prompted me to do some research into these and I located the home page for
SmartNav,
A hands-free, ergonomically designed alternative mouse.

From the web site:
“SmartNav 4 allows complete computer control for users interested in ergonomic and assistive technology devices. By controlling the cursor with subtle head movements, a whole new level of independence is realized.”

The device is marketed towards computer users who are unable to use a conventional mouse due to spinal cord injury, quadraplegia, Muscular Dystrophy, or ALS, but is also targeting users with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This assistive technology allows the user to move the cursor across the entire computer screen using head motions that are less than one-fourth of an inch. It includes a virtual keyboard that allows the user to type with the head motions as well. Additionally, it also lets users plug in a clickswitch or or footswitch to alternatively enable the cursor.

And, to answer the big question, the web site has the latest version listed for $499.

I am not endorsing this product, as I've not used it. However, I am writing about it here on Access Ability as a resource for those readers who are seeking this type of assistive technology. However, if somebody who uses this device would like to leave a comment about how it operates, I'd love to hear about your experience.

Business merger could mean accessibility gains

If you didn’t hear the news last week,
Microsoft is looking to buy Yahoo.
This is really big news in both the business and technology worlds. Microsoft’s CEO believes acquiring the search engine Yahoo would give his company leverage in the online advertising market where Google rules supreme.

So, why am I writing about this here on Access Ability?

The answer is accessibility. Microsoft has worked to integrate accessibility into its products, even allowing engineers from the major assistive technology companies to have advance access to their code when they are working on new operating systems. They do this so that the AT software and hardware can be ready to run upon the new operating system’s release. One can only be optimistic and hope that if Microsoft were to buy Yahoo, then this attention to accessibility would carryover to the new property as well.

I’ve griped here before about Yahoo’s CAPTCHA spam prevention and new mail program, explaining how these were both inaccessible, and that the company seemed to be nonchalant about the accessibility needs of blind computer users. Maybe, just maybe that would change if Microsoft were to buy Yahoo.

This won’t happen overnight, though. There are several issues that the Federal Trade Commission will need to closely examine and scrutinize before such a transaction is allowed to progress. However, the time it takes for all to take place will be well worth it if Microsoft can bring about accessible change at the search engine.

New program turns World of accessible computing for the blind on its ear

Last year, I wrote about
Serotek's
breakthrough technology called System Access To Go ,. This new advance in screen reader service gave blind people the worl of accessible computing that was not tied to any specific computer, but would work on any internet connected computer that had sound. It was heralded throughout the blind community as a true difference maker for blind people everywhere. With the press release I received today, and posted below, is proof of just how revolutionary Serotek's vision is. This is truly a tool of empowerment.

Now, all a blind computer user needs to do is go to any internet connected computer, go to the AIR website, and press alt+a. Voila! Accessible computing is here for the masses. What a gift this is. Now all we have to do is get the word out and support this organization.

Read on...

Media Contact:

Janelle Schulenberg

Tacet Consulting

612-720-1068

janelle@tacetconsulting.com

Nonprofit Launched to Bring Free Accessibility Worldwide

The AIR Foundation committed to ‘accessibility is a right’


Orlando, Florida – January 31, 2008 – The AIR Foundation, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. was announced today at a press conference held during the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) 2008 National Conference at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida. The mission of the foundation is to promote universal accessibility so that every blind and low-vision person in the world has access to digital information over the Internet and Worldwide Web.

The foundation’s executive director, Art Schreiber, also announced that the organization’s first offering will be free usage of a Web 2.0 accessible screen reader. The product is provided through an exclusive license in perpetuity granted to The AIR Foundation from Serotek Corporation, the leading provider of Internet and digital information accessibility software and services. The screen reader is called SA To Go and is powered by Serotek’s award-winning System Access software which provides immediate text to speech, magnified visual, and Braille access to digital information presented through the Web or other means, while the user is directly connected to the Internet. The software does not remain resident on the user’s computer when the connection to the Internet is interrupted or terminated. Users can obtain access to the free software by calling 877-369-0101 or visiting
www.AccessibilityIsaRight.org.

“The basic tenet of The AIR Foundation is that accessibility is a fundamental human right, regardless of financial or geographic constraints” said Art Schreiber, executive director of The AIR Foundation, “by allowing the blind and visually impaired to have equal access to computer and Internet information through the free use of an advanced screen reader like SA To Go, we have already taken great strides toward our mission.”

The AIR Foundation will solicit funds and contract development of product enhancements including availability in other languages. The organization’s first priority is to make SA To Go available in Mandarin Chinese.

“SA To Go is highly intuitive and requires minimal training to use,” said Serotek CEO, Mike Calvo, “the user not only has access to information displayed on Web pages, but to Web-based applications such as Internet telephone service, and to applications resident on the host computer. The user can also access PDF files, fill out forms, and otherwise interact with information with the same facility as a sighted person.”

The AIR Foundation will operate through the generosity of organizations donating their time, expertise, and funds. It invites other nonprofits, assistive technology vendors, mainstream hardware and software companies and anyone interested in promoting accessibility as every person’s right, to align with the AIR team.

The AIR Foundation

The AIR Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advocate, teach, and deliver information accessibility tools. We focus on the accessibility needs of blind and low-vision people. Our mantra is “accessibility is a right” and we work with corporations and agencies worldwide to deliver free accessibility to all. For more information, call 877-369-0101 or visit
www.AccessibilityIsaRight.org.

Serotek Corporation

Serotek Corporation is a leading technology company that develops software and manufactures accessibility solutions. Committed to the mission of providing accessibility anywhere, Serotek launched the first online community specifically designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Since then, Serotek has introduced several powerful, affordable solutions that require minimal training and investment. For more information, visit
www.serotek.com.

You've come a long way, baby

In the late 1960s and early 70s, back when cigarette companies were allowed to advertise on television and radio, I can still remember the catchy jingle of the Virginia Slims commercials that ran on television. Their slogan was “You’ve come a long way, baby.” I can still whistle that tune today.

That same catch phrase can be applied to the field of assistive technology. With advances in technology and computers in general, the world of assistive technology has come leaps and bounds.

When I first began using JAWS to access the computer ten years ago, it came on four floppy discs. That means that the whole program took up less than 5.7 megabytes of space. Heck, I’ve got several mp3s on my computer that are larger than that today. And, JAWS has definitely evolved in more than just the amount of space it takes up on the hard drive. (For the record, JAWS 9 is now a 65 MB download.)It has evolved to be able to handle the changing operating systems and programs that are frequently used by blind computer users.

In this same vein, there is a recent article in the New York Times describing
how speech recognition technology has evolved.

Instead of being relegated to the world of disability services, speech recognition has found much more mainstream appeal. The article highlights how this technology has gone From the early versions of Dragon Dictate (now Dragon Naturally Speaking) to the implementation of it on telephone services and, most recently, on cell phones.

The article also discusses the aspect of how this field changes when big corporate players take a role, such as Nuance and Microsoft. Nuance has been gathering various voice recognition resources for some time now and has grown to be a major player in this field. Microsoft also bought TellMe Networks a while back, adding this to their stable of growing assistive technology resources. (I first heard about TellMe a few years ago in blind circles as an accessible means of information gathering via telephone.) Microsoft is also now regularly front and center in those nationally broadcast Ford commercials promoting the auto companies use of Sync to use voice activated commands to execute commands while driving.

Yes, it is true. You’ve come a long way, baby.

Updated: New KNFB Reader promises another advance in portable OCR abilities

**See end of this post for an available audio interview.

In October, 2006, I finally got the chance to get my hands on a KNFB Reader and take it for a test drive. The KNFB Reader is the breakthrough in portable OCR scanning that unhooked that assistive technology task from a computer. It joined a PDA running Kurzweil OCR software with a digital camera to input the graphical image as the document being scanned. This concept was landmark in that it allowed blind and visually impaired people the ability to be anywhere and scan work documents, restaurant menus, and any other document with text in standard fonts.

At that time, while I marveled at the concept of having the ability to virtually scan any document at any location, I was also struck with both the unit’s somewhat slow speed and bulkiness. I felt that the processing speed should have been quicker and also, because it was a camera paired with a personal data assistant, it was a little bulky to make it what I felt was truly portable.

It seems like I wasn’t the only one who felt this way, at least about the size concern. The latest evolution of this product is here. The new
KNFB Reader
Is about to be released and it runs on a Nokia N82 mobile phone with a built-in digital camera.

Now, that really makes some sense. Today’s smart phones are virtually running a small computer already to execute all the semi-computing tasks anyhow, which the market demands, and this is what the latest incarnation of the tool is using to run the Kurzweil software. And, of course, the camera was already built-in, so there is no need to use two digital devices to do one job.

According to the press release linked above, which is basically just announcing today’s press conference of the KNFB Reader’s advanced enhancements, the camera is implied to also be faster than its predecessor. At least that’s what I take from the words of the President of the National Federation of the Blind (the NFB in KNFB).

And, According to the below paragraph (also from the press release,) which outlines the accessibility features of the software, I’m also going to take it that the program works as a screen reader for the phone.

“Blind users will have access to all of the functions featured in the most advanced cell phones on the market including video and music playback, GPS, wireless communications, photography, e-mail, text messaging, calendar and task functions, and more. The combination Reader and cell phone weighs 4.2 ounces and can store thousands of printed pages with easily obtainable extra memory. Users can transfer files to computers or Braille notetakers in seconds.”

This all sounds wonderful, but I want to know what this will cost and when it will be available. I’ve check both the press release and the official
KNFB Reader web site,
For more information. However, I have not found any specifics about when this dreamy piece of assistive technology will be available, nor what the price will be.

Hopefully, the unit’s price will not be stratospheric ($3,500) like its predecessor. This is especially applicable when the
Mobile Speaks screen reader
For smart phones, including two Nokia models, Is available commercially through AT&T for only $89. Yes, the AT&T offering doesn't include the OCR capabilities, but it gives everything else. Given that blind consumers have something to compare it to, that makes the price tag for the OCR software stand out and may make some wonder how much that is truly worth. If the access to the phone's features can be had for only $89, that makes it imperative for the KNFB Reader to be priced somewhat competetively.

I feel certain more will be revealed in coming days. Check back here soon for updates.

***
Update 01-28-08 7:15 pm

Okay, here is the updated information on pricing and shipping.

Celia Black, Director Marketing Communications for the KNFB Reader, read my post and sent me the following information for the new KNFB Reader.

“The retail price of the knfbReader Mobile software is $1595 US. The NOKIA N82 sold separately, ranges between $530 and $600.”

She provided the following web sources to check for pricing the phones:

http://www.egizmo.com/servlet/the-910/Nokia-N82-5.0-MP/Detail

http://www.mobilecityonline.com/wireless/store/productdetail.asp?productid=22925&refid=GG-N82&gclid=CNztrJGDmpECFQI2sgod5mfFOw

She also informs me that the new KNFB Reader will begin shipping on Feb. 15, 2008. There is
authorized dealer information
on the KNFB web site.

Additionally, according to
The Ranger Station
one vendor is selling an all set up, ready to use mobile phone with the KNFB software and either the TALKS or Mobile Speaks screen reader, which will run a cool $2,495.

***
Update 02/01/08

The Blind Bargains web site
has an audio interview available, with James Gashel, Vice President of marketing for KNFB Reading Technologies. Mr. Gashel discusses the changes that have been made, as well as what may lie ahead for future versions of the technology.

AMIS and GOCR: two free assistive technology programs

I’ve got a couple of free assistive technology applications to share with you today.

My reason for sharing them is that I was reviewing the
1 Stop for Free Assistive Technology
site this morning, looking over the list of free programs. After reading what they do, these two programs sure sound like tools I could make use of.

I’ve previously posted about this web site, basically a clearinghouse of free assistive technology, here on Access Ability and it is definitely a site worth noting again.

Now, about the software…

First, I will grab
AMIS,
The acronym for the Adaptive multimediaInformation System.

AMIS is open source DAISY playback software that is free to download and use. So, instead of needing to purchase software to playback DAISY files, I’ll give this community-built player a whirl. If it works as it should, this can help the pocketbook of blind and visually impaired people who need to access books in the DAISY format.

Additionally, the web site has downloads of the scripts needed to make the program play nice with the JAWS screen reader.

The second piece of software I’m going to download is
GOCR,
“an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program, developed under the GNU Public License. It converts scanned images of text back to text files.”

After I’ve downloaded and installed these utilities, followed by a little time to familiarize and used them enough to discuss them, look back here later for reviews of these two assistive technology tools.

Collection of sources for public domain e-Books

This resource is of interest for students who need accessible books that they can carry with them in a digital format for reading on a computer or PDA. While this sounds ideal for blind or visually impaired students, it would really work for any student enrolled in many basic text classes.

Here’s a listing of more than twenty sources for
public domain e-Books.

Most of the listed sites are free, but even those that charge seem reasonably affordable. And, because the books listed are in the public domain, that tells you there aren’t going to be any of the latest best-sellers among them. However, that doesn’t mean a student couldn’t get some required reading material, such as Shakespeare or some other classic work, in an accessible format at one of these sites.

Yahoo acknowledges inaccessible content, yet still fails to innovate

Well, if this doesn’t take the cake.

I have posted on Access Ability previously about
Yahoo’s inaccessible CAPTCHA,
those distorted letters and numbers that appear in a graphic and require the user to type them into an edit field to prove there is a human on their end of the computer and not some spam robot. Screen readers like the one I use, JAWS, do not recognize these images and Yahoo has been unwilling to present an accessible solution, of which several varieties already exist on different web sites.

It is as if Yahoo is sticking their head in the sand and ignoring the mere existence of blind computer users and their need for accessible web content. Maybe that is part of the grand Yahoo master plan, just play dumb and we can offer that as our defense.

I personally know, as of today, for a fact that Yahoo can not plead ignorance. (Its not like they really could, given the public outcry and awareness that has been raised over the past few months by advocates such as Darrell Shandrow at
The Blind Access Journal
Over inaccessible CAPTCHA.)

How did I find out that Yahoo knows blind people exist? Let me explain...

I use a Yahoo mail account for email and news alerts pertaining to this blog, and while signing in to my Yahoo account this morning, I was prompted to upgrade to the “ALL-NEW Yahoo! Mail.” In the pitch, I was told that I should “Be a better pal!” This was followed by claims that “We've built a better Yahoo! Mail, so upgrade to the all-new faster and easier version,” and given a list of what was better about their new service.

This all sounds really good, but below that list was the following message in a link:
“Unfortunately the new Yahoo! Mail doesn't currently work with screen readers. Until then, please return to Yahoo! Mail Classic.”

So, Yahoo acknowledges that they recognize there are blind people using their site and products. And, this includes me, as I was being personally directed to go back to Classic mode. Furthermore, they grant that their “ALL-NEW” and “better” Yahoo doesn’t work with screen readers. And, put this all together and Yahoo is saying blind people can’t be “better pals,” at least not if Yahoo has anything to say about it.

This means that one day, if Yahoo decides to make this much ballyhooed product accessible to screen readers, it will be a retrofit used to provide a virtual on-ramp that blind people can use onto this information superhighway, instead of having built in accessibility from the beginning. I just find it disgusting that people like the developers who make these products that can be designed with accessibility from the beginning, choose not to even attempt this. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a new building must include wheelchair accessibility and only older buildings are allowed to retrofit. Why do information technologies not fall into some equal category for providing accessibility?


After this mornings experience, I have a question for Yahoo that comes to mind about their technologies. If you can detect that I am using a screen reader, and your company considers itself a leader and innovator of web content, then why in the world can the geniuses on your staff not incorporate the screen reader detection that I encountered today with your CAPTCHA to present an accessible method of human verification when you find a blind user is present?

This just gives me another reason to beat the awareness drum for the
Yahoo accessibility improvement petition.
If you have not yet signed the petition, please do so and help spread the news of this still on-going battle.