I came across the following through a news alert on assistive technology. It is a relatively new web site, but if web traffic is any indication, then the site is getting more and more popular.
Disapedia.com
Has been on line for only seven months and has already had more than 7,000 visitors.
The Disapedia site seems to be a good and solid beginning foundation of a web site that could evolve into a good, one-stop resource. I don’t think the achievement of an end-all, be-all site is a true reality, but this could definitely find its place in the resource toolbox as one is putting together pieces of a larger puzzle.
I see good promise here, especially in the area of site updates, letting the reader see the ten latest updated articles on the home page. Disapedia on a whole is a noble effort that will take work to maintain. I wish them well as they pursue this endeavor and will be watching their progress.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
ADA Restoration Act of 2007 is introduced
In case you missed it, this past Thursday was July 26, the 17th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Since that act was signed into law, there have been a litany of court cases where people have claimed they had been discriminated against, most often by employers. Too often, though, the claimants have been struck down in the judicial process, basically stating that they weren’t disabled enough to qualify for protection under the ADA. These were usually cases where people had a disability, but were either taking medication or using a prosthetic device or hearing aid to help manage the disability’s impact on their lives. Basically, the employers said the person was too disabled to have the job and this was compounded by the court saying they were not disabled enough to qualify as a covered party under the ADA.
For some time now, people have been pushing for a redefining of the ADA and it is finally happening. On Thursday, not coincidentally, U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced the
ADA Restoration Act of 2007
In the House of Representatives, while a similar measure was also introduced in the Senate.
This update will tweak the original wording of the ADA to hopefully correct the overly narrow interpretation that the Supreme Court has wrought in many cases. In Rep. Sensenbrenner’s own words, “The ADA Restoration Act will force courts to focus on whether a person has experienced discrimination “on the basis of disability,” rather than require individuals to demonstrate that they fall within the scope of the law’s protection at all… The legislation will finally enable Americans with disabilities to shine a light on the discrimination they have experienced.”
In a promising demonstration of bipartisanship, Rep. Sensenbrenner Introduced the legislation at a press conference with the
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer and Sen. Tom Harkin.
I believe Rep. Hoyer’s words rang true for many when he said, “"Let me be clear: This is not what Congress intended when it passed the ADA. We intended a broad application of this law. Simply put, the point of the ADA is not disability, it is the prevention of wrongful and unlawful discrimination.”
You might want to check out the latest edition of
Government Technology,
An on-line magazine for Information Technology professionals, for an article about the ADA Restoration Act. It is interesting to note the ironic twists of interaction that Tony Coelho has had with the original ADA and its interpretation by the judicial system.
Since that act was signed into law, there have been a litany of court cases where people have claimed they had been discriminated against, most often by employers. Too often, though, the claimants have been struck down in the judicial process, basically stating that they weren’t disabled enough to qualify for protection under the ADA. These were usually cases where people had a disability, but were either taking medication or using a prosthetic device or hearing aid to help manage the disability’s impact on their lives. Basically, the employers said the person was too disabled to have the job and this was compounded by the court saying they were not disabled enough to qualify as a covered party under the ADA.
For some time now, people have been pushing for a redefining of the ADA and it is finally happening. On Thursday, not coincidentally, U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced the
ADA Restoration Act of 2007
In the House of Representatives, while a similar measure was also introduced in the Senate.
This update will tweak the original wording of the ADA to hopefully correct the overly narrow interpretation that the Supreme Court has wrought in many cases. In Rep. Sensenbrenner’s own words, “The ADA Restoration Act will force courts to focus on whether a person has experienced discrimination “on the basis of disability,” rather than require individuals to demonstrate that they fall within the scope of the law’s protection at all… The legislation will finally enable Americans with disabilities to shine a light on the discrimination they have experienced.”
In a promising demonstration of bipartisanship, Rep. Sensenbrenner Introduced the legislation at a press conference with the
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer and Sen. Tom Harkin.
I believe Rep. Hoyer’s words rang true for many when he said, “"Let me be clear: This is not what Congress intended when it passed the ADA. We intended a broad application of this law. Simply put, the point of the ADA is not disability, it is the prevention of wrongful and unlawful discrimination.”
You might want to check out the latest edition of
Government Technology,
An on-line magazine for Information Technology professionals, for an article about the ADA Restoration Act. It is interesting to note the ironic twists of interaction that Tony Coelho has had with the original ADA and its interpretation by the judicial system.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Assistive technology lets blind students independently participate in chemistry labs
Again, I am humbled by the advances in assistive technology.
By no means, do I claim to be the all knowing swami of assistive technology, nor do I have an over-inflated ego and really believe that people consider me to be such. However, I do my best to stay abreast of the latest assistive technologies particular to those with low vision and blindness, and learn what I can about other types of AT out on the market.
So, I now sit here in awe of the technologies that have evolved to allow
blind students to participate in chemistry labs
at both the high school and college levels.
Besides not knowing the degree of doctorate level blind people in the world of chemistry mentioned in the article, I had no idea that such tools existed that would let blind and low vision students know what their sighted classmates know. These include a tooll that lets the blind student know when a solution changes colors, indicating a reaction has occurred. Also, there is another electronic sensor that aids in determining the color of solutions.
It appears that the key for access is the screen reader program scripts that have been written specifically for the software applications that are used in the classroom, similar to those used by JAWS and the like with other computer applications.
The article also discusses some low tech solutions the teachers have employed. Some of these, like the notched pipettes, seem like common sense. Others like the pie tin used with a drop counter to give a blind student the same information audiotorally that his sighted classmates get visually, demonstrate the instructors’ will to innovate.
Finally, the article also mentions by name some resources for finding adaptive devices. It also has links to other outlets for news about students with disabilities and assistive technology information.
By no means, do I claim to be the all knowing swami of assistive technology, nor do I have an over-inflated ego and really believe that people consider me to be such. However, I do my best to stay abreast of the latest assistive technologies particular to those with low vision and blindness, and learn what I can about other types of AT out on the market.
So, I now sit here in awe of the technologies that have evolved to allow
blind students to participate in chemistry labs
at both the high school and college levels.
Besides not knowing the degree of doctorate level blind people in the world of chemistry mentioned in the article, I had no idea that such tools existed that would let blind and low vision students know what their sighted classmates know. These include a tooll that lets the blind student know when a solution changes colors, indicating a reaction has occurred. Also, there is another electronic sensor that aids in determining the color of solutions.
It appears that the key for access is the screen reader program scripts that have been written specifically for the software applications that are used in the classroom, similar to those used by JAWS and the like with other computer applications.
The article also discusses some low tech solutions the teachers have employed. Some of these, like the notched pipettes, seem like common sense. Others like the pie tin used with a drop counter to give a blind student the same information audiotorally that his sighted classmates get visually, demonstrate the instructors’ will to innovate.
Finally, the article also mentions by name some resources for finding adaptive devices. It also has links to other outlets for news about students with disabilities and assistive technology information.
Monday, July 23, 2007
What technological access and personal ability can accomplish
I’ve always thought that I am pretty keen on seeing the assistive technology applications of various advances in electronic devices. However, I must admit to being humbled when I read about the incorporation of technologies in the following Baltimore Sun article.
Steering Clear of Limits
is a most apt title for this insightful news article about the convergence of the technology John Hudson uses, but also about his approach to life. When reading it, I couldn’t help but marvel at Hudson and his upbeat and "can do" attitude.
For example, despite the fact that he has no arms and only one leg, which is shorter than normal and has only four toes, Hudson types 42 words per minute and bowls with a 138 average score. Oh yes, he also drives his modified van.
This article highlights both the advances in technology and the achievements one can accomplish when his abilities outweigh his disabilities. It is inspiring to see both of these.
For those seeking some statistical data, about 400,000 vehicles which have been modified with adaptive equipment were on the roads of the U.S. in 2005, according to the article. Additionally, this number has grown by 10-15% annually over the last few years. The reason for this growth in demand for modified vehicles is multi-fold: better informed consumers with disabilities; advances in technology; and growing numbers of seniors, people with disabilities, and wounded veterans.
However, more than the technological advances, the article highlights the most important evolution that is occurring—independence. That is in large part due to individual attitudes, such as Hudson’s, and augmentation by electronic devices that make possible the desires of people with disabilities to have their lives be as normal as possible.
Steering Clear of Limits
is a most apt title for this insightful news article about the convergence of the technology John Hudson uses, but also about his approach to life. When reading it, I couldn’t help but marvel at Hudson and his upbeat and "can do" attitude.
For example, despite the fact that he has no arms and only one leg, which is shorter than normal and has only four toes, Hudson types 42 words per minute and bowls with a 138 average score. Oh yes, he also drives his modified van.
This article highlights both the advances in technology and the achievements one can accomplish when his abilities outweigh his disabilities. It is inspiring to see both of these.
For those seeking some statistical data, about 400,000 vehicles which have been modified with adaptive equipment were on the roads of the U.S. in 2005, according to the article. Additionally, this number has grown by 10-15% annually over the last few years. The reason for this growth in demand for modified vehicles is multi-fold: better informed consumers with disabilities; advances in technology; and growing numbers of seniors, people with disabilities, and wounded veterans.
However, more than the technological advances, the article highlights the most important evolution that is occurring—independence. That is in large part due to individual attitudes, such as Hudson’s, and augmentation by electronic devices that make possible the desires of people with disabilities to have their lives be as normal as possible.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Yahoo continues to employ CAPTCHA without accessible alternative
If somebody says the word” CAPTCHA ,” many people do not recognize it. However, when those same people go on-line and use a web site where they submit something to the site, then are asked to verify that the user is human by typing in the distorted text in a picture, they know what that is, but don’t know what it is called.
These two things are one and the same and CAPTCHA without an accessible alternative is a curse to screen reading programs, which see the image as just another graphic on the page. The blind computer user relying on the screen reader is unable to read the text because the screen reading software sees the image as a graphic, not text, and is unable to discern any text characters from the graphic.
Some people have tagged CAPTCHA without audio, or other accessible workarounds, as a “No Blind People Allowed” sign, a statement that is true in its meaning, even though the host site may have been unintentional in denying access, because the web designer just didn’t even think about denying access when trying to screen out automated, computer generated responses. However, the end result of web inaccessibility is still the same.
It wasn’t that long ago that Google presented this same CAPTCHA problem and one man began an on-line petition to bring the innaccessability of the screening technology to Google’s attention. Google now employs an audio option for its web pages when they employ CAPTCHA.
There are a few other notable web sites which have also made their CAPTCHA accessible, but one giant and globally recognized web site has not—the search engine Yahoo!, which offers a cursory solution to the inaccessibility that many blind users claim does not work. Yahoo! Has employed a policy of “email us your phone number and a Yahoo! Rep will call you,” but the reps apparently do not follow up with their calls. I can personally attest to twice having tried this method, only to have my request ignored by whichever rep received them. I was only able to proceed in what I was doing when I sought sighted assistance, losing both time and productivity.
If a person using a screen reader wants to do something as simple as set up a Yahoo! email account or subscribe to a Yahoo! group, they have to get past this inaccessible CAPTCHA. If the Yahoo! reps are supposed to call these users after they submit their phone numbers, but don't, then the site is simply inaccessible.
Like the previous effort directed at Google, there is now an on-line petition for blind computer users to sign, which is an attempt to bring Yahoo! Into the fold of web accessibility. The web domain
BlindWebAccess.com
Has been set up as an easy to remember web site to help blind computer users get to the petition. (The petition is actually hosted on another site, but this URL will automatically redirect users to the petition.)
As Google and other web sites have demonstrated, accessible alternatives exist that still provide the security the web sites need. This doesn’t have to be expensive, either. There is one solution that is “donationware,” called
FormShield for .NET 2.0
A few years ago, in an honor society newsletter, I read something that truly applies in this case. The quote was “efficiency is doing the thing right, but effectiveness is doing the right thing.” It is time for Yahoo! To step up and do the right thing.
If you know somebody who is a blind computer user, please direct them to the web site above to sign the petition. The web is a wonderful tool and one that should be free of access barriers such as inaccessible CAPTCHA.
These two things are one and the same and CAPTCHA without an accessible alternative is a curse to screen reading programs, which see the image as just another graphic on the page. The blind computer user relying on the screen reader is unable to read the text because the screen reading software sees the image as a graphic, not text, and is unable to discern any text characters from the graphic.
Some people have tagged CAPTCHA without audio, or other accessible workarounds, as a “No Blind People Allowed” sign, a statement that is true in its meaning, even though the host site may have been unintentional in denying access, because the web designer just didn’t even think about denying access when trying to screen out automated, computer generated responses. However, the end result of web inaccessibility is still the same.
It wasn’t that long ago that Google presented this same CAPTCHA problem and one man began an on-line petition to bring the innaccessability of the screening technology to Google’s attention. Google now employs an audio option for its web pages when they employ CAPTCHA.
There are a few other notable web sites which have also made their CAPTCHA accessible, but one giant and globally recognized web site has not—the search engine Yahoo!, which offers a cursory solution to the inaccessibility that many blind users claim does not work. Yahoo! Has employed a policy of “email us your phone number and a Yahoo! Rep will call you,” but the reps apparently do not follow up with their calls. I can personally attest to twice having tried this method, only to have my request ignored by whichever rep received them. I was only able to proceed in what I was doing when I sought sighted assistance, losing both time and productivity.
If a person using a screen reader wants to do something as simple as set up a Yahoo! email account or subscribe to a Yahoo! group, they have to get past this inaccessible CAPTCHA. If the Yahoo! reps are supposed to call these users after they submit their phone numbers, but don't, then the site is simply inaccessible.
Like the previous effort directed at Google, there is now an on-line petition for blind computer users to sign, which is an attempt to bring Yahoo! Into the fold of web accessibility. The web domain
BlindWebAccess.com
Has been set up as an easy to remember web site to help blind computer users get to the petition. (The petition is actually hosted on another site, but this URL will automatically redirect users to the petition.)
As Google and other web sites have demonstrated, accessible alternatives exist that still provide the security the web sites need. This doesn’t have to be expensive, either. There is one solution that is “donationware,” called
FormShield for .NET 2.0
A few years ago, in an honor society newsletter, I read something that truly applies in this case. The quote was “efficiency is doing the thing right, but effectiveness is doing the right thing.” It is time for Yahoo! To step up and do the right thing.
If you know somebody who is a blind computer user, please direct them to the web site above to sign the petition. The web is a wonderful tool and one that should be free of access barriers such as inaccessible CAPTCHA.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Videophones and broadband connections are base of new Welsh product for the deaf
Here’s some assistive technology news from across the pond.
SignWales
has launched a video telephony project which has, on its surface, some interesting appeal for the approximately 2,400 Welsh people who are deaf and use sign language.
According to the article linked above, the product will use videophones that “will allow deaf people to communicate with each other in sign language at a distance and also to talk with the hearing community through the use of online interpreters.”
The project uses the strength and speed of broadband internet technology, aspiring to link the hearing and deaf world.
Additionally, the article states, “SignWales also offers daily news in sign language at the touch of a button, through a special server which makes the connections for the users.”
This promising project embraces sign language as the preferred communication tool of the deaf community. The primary cost that I can see will be for the videophones and the connection the service will require up front, as well as the on-going cost of the interpreters who will be what appear to be intermediaries when users communicate with hearing parties.
This is a very interesting project and only time will tell how it grows.
SignWales
has launched a video telephony project which has, on its surface, some interesting appeal for the approximately 2,400 Welsh people who are deaf and use sign language.
According to the article linked above, the product will use videophones that “will allow deaf people to communicate with each other in sign language at a distance and also to talk with the hearing community through the use of online interpreters.”
The project uses the strength and speed of broadband internet technology, aspiring to link the hearing and deaf world.
Additionally, the article states, “SignWales also offers daily news in sign language at the touch of a button, through a special server which makes the connections for the users.”
This promising project embraces sign language as the preferred communication tool of the deaf community. The primary cost that I can see will be for the videophones and the connection the service will require up front, as well as the on-going cost of the interpreters who will be what appear to be intermediaries when users communicate with hearing parties.
This is a very interesting project and only time will tell how it grows.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Lifestyle management service offers promise as assistive technology as well
While going through my daily technology reading yesterday, I came across a service that seems like it might offer some good application for assistive technology, even though it is not marketed specifically in that realm.
On its web site,
Jott.com
pitches itself as “mobile note taking and hands-free messaging.”I think there is some value of this technology by people with disabilities, but am not sure what all of this might include.
On the surface, Jott is about lifestyle management. It lets users send text message as a voice message, which is transcribed and sent on to its destination. Another application lets users send themselves an audio reminder about tasks that need to be done. Users can even print out the text of their voice message when they get home, such as a list of chores their children need to do. One of the strengths the web site touts is the ability to organize and manage one’s life. It puts the power of dictation in the hands of drivers during their commute, letting them send out information in messages up to 30-second intervals. There is even an option to send the message to a designated group of recipients.
With Jott, I can see where a blind person could send a text message to somebody without even having assistive technology to give him access to the text messaging on his own phone. Ditto for somebody who has physical limitations with their hands, they could use voice dialing to call into Jott and then dictate the text message to send out.
All it takes to use Jott is a cell phone and a few minutes to set up an account. Use of the service costs nothing at this time as it is in beta phase. The FAQ suggests that the service will eventually move to either an ad supported web site or offer the service on a subscription basis.
Anybody else have suggestions for assistive applications of this technology?
Other interesting Jott related links:
The Jott Blog
Jott FAQ
On its web site,
Jott.com
pitches itself as “mobile note taking and hands-free messaging.”I think there is some value of this technology by people with disabilities, but am not sure what all of this might include.
On the surface, Jott is about lifestyle management. It lets users send text message as a voice message, which is transcribed and sent on to its destination. Another application lets users send themselves an audio reminder about tasks that need to be done. Users can even print out the text of their voice message when they get home, such as a list of chores their children need to do. One of the strengths the web site touts is the ability to organize and manage one’s life. It puts the power of dictation in the hands of drivers during their commute, letting them send out information in messages up to 30-second intervals. There is even an option to send the message to a designated group of recipients.
With Jott, I can see where a blind person could send a text message to somebody without even having assistive technology to give him access to the text messaging on his own phone. Ditto for somebody who has physical limitations with their hands, they could use voice dialing to call into Jott and then dictate the text message to send out.
All it takes to use Jott is a cell phone and a few minutes to set up an account. Use of the service costs nothing at this time as it is in beta phase. The FAQ suggests that the service will eventually move to either an ad supported web site or offer the service on a subscription basis.
Anybody else have suggestions for assistive applications of this technology?
Other interesting Jott related links:
The Jott Blog
Jott FAQ
Friday, July 13, 2007
Technology lets folks turn on TV by twitching eyebrows
There is an interesting assistive technology device being fine tuned in Singapore.
When this device is finished being refined, it will let users
Switch on the TV by twitching their eyebrows.
(Note: I am having problems making the link work, but if you do a right mouse click on the link, select "copy shortcut," and copy this into the "Open" command or address bar of your web browser without the final / at the end, it will open the article.)
This device is newsworthy, because of the pricing approach of the students who created the product to aid elderly people and those with a disability that makes hand operation of a remote control impossible.
The following passage was published on the Singapore News web article linked above:
“The device works by detecting muscle movements of the eyebrows to trigger the required function.
A band with sensors is held together by a velcro strip and is wrapped as close to the eyebrow level as possible. This strip is wired to a control pad which has indicator lights flashing on the function - either to change channels or increase volume and to trigger an alarm bell. The person just has to wait for the light to jump to the desired function on the pad before raising his eyebrows to trigger the change in channels or volume.
The infrared signal from the device can be picked up within a 5m-radius of the equipment.
For example, one of the paralysed patients who tried the device could only blink his eyes but it was enough to make the device work.”
While there are other assistive technology products on the market that can do similar operations, the goal of the three final-year electrical engineering students at Ngee Ann Polytechnic who have developed this device is to make it affordable. While related products sell for $1,000 to $7,000, according to one of the students, they plan to make their product available for under $100. Assistive technology that is designed with the full intention to help people with disabilities and not set out to make the developers lots of cash is news indeed.
The developers are also not limiting their vision for the application of the device. While their professor's original idea for the project was something that could ultimately be used to help operate the wheelchair, the students went beyond that. They also hope to make it do more than just operate a television. They want to make it function as a remote control for fans and lights as well.
Keep pushing, folks. I’m sure there are other applications that it can be used for.
When this device is finished being refined, it will let users
Switch on the TV by twitching their eyebrows.
(Note: I am having problems making the link work, but if you do a right mouse click on the link, select "copy shortcut," and copy this into the "Open" command or address bar of your web browser without the final / at the end, it will open the article.)
This device is newsworthy, because of the pricing approach of the students who created the product to aid elderly people and those with a disability that makes hand operation of a remote control impossible.
The following passage was published on the Singapore News web article linked above:
“The device works by detecting muscle movements of the eyebrows to trigger the required function.
A band with sensors is held together by a velcro strip and is wrapped as close to the eyebrow level as possible. This strip is wired to a control pad which has indicator lights flashing on the function - either to change channels or increase volume and to trigger an alarm bell. The person just has to wait for the light to jump to the desired function on the pad before raising his eyebrows to trigger the change in channels or volume.
The infrared signal from the device can be picked up within a 5m-radius of the equipment.
For example, one of the paralysed patients who tried the device could only blink his eyes but it was enough to make the device work.”
While there are other assistive technology products on the market that can do similar operations, the goal of the three final-year electrical engineering students at Ngee Ann Polytechnic who have developed this device is to make it affordable. While related products sell for $1,000 to $7,000, according to one of the students, they plan to make their product available for under $100. Assistive technology that is designed with the full intention to help people with disabilities and not set out to make the developers lots of cash is news indeed.
The developers are also not limiting their vision for the application of the device. While their professor's original idea for the project was something that could ultimately be used to help operate the wheelchair, the students went beyond that. They also hope to make it do more than just operate a television. They want to make it function as a remote control for fans and lights as well.
Keep pushing, folks. I’m sure there are other applications that it can be used for.
Options abound for making accessible web video
I just read a good recounting of available captioning options for
making web video accessible.
For the uninformed, there are captioning options available for videos using both the Microsoft Media Player and the Real Player. (I must admit that the uninformed included myself before this article was published.) Additionally, according to the above linked article, there has also been a text captioning option in Apple’s QuickTime player available for some time now.
So, if your professors insist on incorporating web videos as part of their curriculum, please know that the tools exist across the three main formats to make these accessible.
making web video accessible.
For the uninformed, there are captioning options available for videos using both the Microsoft Media Player and the Real Player. (I must admit that the uninformed included myself before this article was published.) Additionally, according to the above linked article, there has also been a text captioning option in Apple’s QuickTime player available for some time now.
So, if your professors insist on incorporating web videos as part of their curriculum, please know that the tools exist across the three main formats to make these accessible.
Friday, June 29, 2007
iPhone may be cool, but lacks accessibility
Today is June 29, the day of the highly-touted release of the Apple iPhone.
A lot of the hype is about the
iPhone’s touch screen,
which is being promoted as the beginning wave of coming technology.
As for that wave of coming technologies, I certainly hope not. While the iPhone may look sleek, cool, and all of those other promotional buzz words, it lacks basic accessibility for those who are unable to see the touch pad.
Maybe the new
Hitachi brain interface
is the key to giving access to the blind. While I suggest this a bit feceitiously, this interface is actually a pretty cool innovation which has great potential for applications in assistive technology.
A recent request in the Houston Chronicle wanted readers to write one of the newspaper’s business reporters and tell whether you would be standing in line to get one of these new Apple play-pretty’s today.
Here is what I wrote:
I was reading Dwight’s Techblog and saw that you were inquiring whether people were going to stand in line to get an iPhone.
I will not be and will tell you why.
I am totally blind and the iPhone’s touch screen, while packing all the reputed Apple coolness, is just a blank technological slate to somebody who can’t see it.
I use a computer at home with a screen reading program and it reads text great in many forms such as web pages, emails, word documents, and many other applications. I do things on my computer by the keyboard and without using the mouse or monitor that many sighted folks have no idea how to do, even when they're looking at the monitor with mouse in hand.
The reason I explain about the computer and screen reader is that I also have a screen reader on my Nokia 6620 cell phone that reads the screen to me, including the various folders and their contents, the display screen of the number I am dialing, and also reads aloud the caller ID. This software even reads text messages. While I don't text, I do have blind friends who text using their 6620 and later model Nokia phones and this software. While my 6620 is over two years old, it is still functioning well and giving me what I need.
In essence, the iPhone would give me less functionality than the old analog cell phones I used to use before the technology advanced to where I could use a screen reader. On those old phones, I could at least feel the buttons, figure out the number I wanted to dial, and hit send. From what I’m reading, with the iPhone, I couldn’t even feel the number buttons to dial somebody, rendering it totally useless to me.
So, as I’ve explained, the IPhone has nothing that gives me the access I have on my Nokia and would be about as useful as a stone for me. One day, there may be a screen reader that works for the iPhone. Really, though, why would I want the iPhone? For coolness? I’m 45 years old and my idea of being cool is spending time with my wife and 5-year old son. Give me the practical functionality of my Nokia and I’m happy.
I know this might have been more than you were asking for, but cell phone users come in many forms. Blind folks use them too, but we need access to the information we are using. I figured I would share a side of the cell phone consumer picture most people don’t even think about.
(I did receive a prompt reply from the reporter, in which he acknowledged my thoughts and said he had never even thought about people who couldn’t see the touch pad.)
A lot of the hype is about the
iPhone’s touch screen,
which is being promoted as the beginning wave of coming technology.
As for that wave of coming technologies, I certainly hope not. While the iPhone may look sleek, cool, and all of those other promotional buzz words, it lacks basic accessibility for those who are unable to see the touch pad.
Maybe the new
Hitachi brain interface
is the key to giving access to the blind. While I suggest this a bit feceitiously, this interface is actually a pretty cool innovation which has great potential for applications in assistive technology.
A recent request in the Houston Chronicle wanted readers to write one of the newspaper’s business reporters and tell whether you would be standing in line to get one of these new Apple play-pretty’s today.
Here is what I wrote:
I was reading Dwight’s Techblog and saw that you were inquiring whether people were going to stand in line to get an iPhone.
I will not be and will tell you why.
I am totally blind and the iPhone’s touch screen, while packing all the reputed Apple coolness, is just a blank technological slate to somebody who can’t see it.
I use a computer at home with a screen reading program and it reads text great in many forms such as web pages, emails, word documents, and many other applications. I do things on my computer by the keyboard and without using the mouse or monitor that many sighted folks have no idea how to do, even when they're looking at the monitor with mouse in hand.
The reason I explain about the computer and screen reader is that I also have a screen reader on my Nokia 6620 cell phone that reads the screen to me, including the various folders and their contents, the display screen of the number I am dialing, and also reads aloud the caller ID. This software even reads text messages. While I don't text, I do have blind friends who text using their 6620 and later model Nokia phones and this software. While my 6620 is over two years old, it is still functioning well and giving me what I need.
In essence, the iPhone would give me less functionality than the old analog cell phones I used to use before the technology advanced to where I could use a screen reader. On those old phones, I could at least feel the buttons, figure out the number I wanted to dial, and hit send. From what I’m reading, with the iPhone, I couldn’t even feel the number buttons to dial somebody, rendering it totally useless to me.
So, as I’ve explained, the IPhone has nothing that gives me the access I have on my Nokia and would be about as useful as a stone for me. One day, there may be a screen reader that works for the iPhone. Really, though, why would I want the iPhone? For coolness? I’m 45 years old and my idea of being cool is spending time with my wife and 5-year old son. Give me the practical functionality of my Nokia and I’m happy.
I know this might have been more than you were asking for, but cell phone users come in many forms. Blind folks use them too, but we need access to the information we are using. I figured I would share a side of the cell phone consumer picture most people don’t even think about.
(I did receive a prompt reply from the reporter, in which he acknowledged my thoughts and said he had never even thought about people who couldn’t see the touch pad.)
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Serotek unveils breakthrough in assistive technology
Wouldn’t it be nice if a blind computer user could walk up to any computer just like any sighted person and begin using it?
That is now a reality with the latest offering from
Serotek,
As long as that computer has internet access and sound.
That’s it. There is no need for any other screen reading software. Serotek's System Access To Go, or SATOGO, does it all for you.
To make it even a sweeter deal, this landmark breakthrough in assistive technology is absolutely free, at least for now.
When sitting down at any computer, all that the blind person needs to do is open the “Run” command by pressing the Windows key+R. At this, the person will type in www.satogo.com and within seconds, Serotek’s System Access To Go will launch and begin speaking. This allows the blind computer user to use virtually any public computer.
There has been a lot of chatter on blind technology web sites over the last few days, saying that Serotek had a breakthrough technology to unveil. The announcement was made last night on the Main Menu program on
ACB Radio.
I usually spend most evenings off the computer and with my family, but last night I made it a point to have ACB Radio tuned in, specifically to find out what this announcement was.
I must admit, I am pretty floored with what the folks at Serotek are offering. I think this innovative application opens a lot of doors, because for now, the program is in a Beta launch and Serotek is making the use of this web technology available free of cost.
There is a registration process to gain access to the application. This gives the user access to the SATOGO program, but also includes 30 days of access to the full features of Serotek’s System Access, one of their flagship offerings. When that 30 day period concludes and you can no longer use their full System Access suite, the continued use of SATOGO will continue free for some time to come. In the future, this will most likely go to a subscription plan, but it is free in the Beta phase.
However, if you are just curious and want to check it out, go to
www.satogo.com
and type in the word “demo” in the password field. This will give you 10 minutes of access to the program. Take it for a test ride and see what you think.
That is now a reality with the latest offering from
Serotek,
As long as that computer has internet access and sound.
That’s it. There is no need for any other screen reading software. Serotek's System Access To Go, or SATOGO, does it all for you.
To make it even a sweeter deal, this landmark breakthrough in assistive technology is absolutely free, at least for now.
When sitting down at any computer, all that the blind person needs to do is open the “Run” command by pressing the Windows key+R. At this, the person will type in www.satogo.com and within seconds, Serotek’s System Access To Go will launch and begin speaking. This allows the blind computer user to use virtually any public computer.
There has been a lot of chatter on blind technology web sites over the last few days, saying that Serotek had a breakthrough technology to unveil. The announcement was made last night on the Main Menu program on
ACB Radio.
I usually spend most evenings off the computer and with my family, but last night I made it a point to have ACB Radio tuned in, specifically to find out what this announcement was.
I must admit, I am pretty floored with what the folks at Serotek are offering. I think this innovative application opens a lot of doors, because for now, the program is in a Beta launch and Serotek is making the use of this web technology available free of cost.
There is a registration process to gain access to the application. This gives the user access to the SATOGO program, but also includes 30 days of access to the full features of Serotek’s System Access, one of their flagship offerings. When that 30 day period concludes and you can no longer use their full System Access suite, the continued use of SATOGO will continue free for some time to come. In the future, this will most likely go to a subscription plan, but it is free in the Beta phase.
However, if you are just curious and want to check it out, go to
www.satogo.com
and type in the word “demo” in the password field. This will give you 10 minutes of access to the program. Take it for a test ride and see what you think.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
You don't have to be a geek to benefit from the Blind Geek Zone
If you or one of your students is a JAWS user and you have tried to use new programs in the past, only to find yourself stifled, then here is a site that may be of assistance.
The Blind Geek Zone
Offers audio tutorials on how to use many popular applications with JAWS as well as several other tech goodies. The audio tutorials are free for individual use and discuss applications such as the new Vista operating system, Spybot, Windows Defender, Outlook Express, and the Goldwave audio editing program. There are also many more free mp3 downloads on the site, so check it out for yourself and see what there is that might be of help to you.
If you don’t consider yourself a geek, its okay. Don’t be scared off by the name of the site. It offers lots of information and tools for anybody who uses JAWS.
However, be warned...have a little time on your hands when you go there as you will be there a while going through the virtual treasure trove of information.
The Blind Geek Zone is also a good resource for staying up on assistive technology news and information. To give the site credibility, it is run by a JAWS user.
Oh yeah, another thing the site offers is a link to the
Blind Geek Zone blog.
The Blind Geek Zone
Offers audio tutorials on how to use many popular applications with JAWS as well as several other tech goodies. The audio tutorials are free for individual use and discuss applications such as the new Vista operating system, Spybot, Windows Defender, Outlook Express, and the Goldwave audio editing program. There are also many more free mp3 downloads on the site, so check it out for yourself and see what there is that might be of help to you.
If you don’t consider yourself a geek, its okay. Don’t be scared off by the name of the site. It offers lots of information and tools for anybody who uses JAWS.
However, be warned...have a little time on your hands when you go there as you will be there a while going through the virtual treasure trove of information.
The Blind Geek Zone is also a good resource for staying up on assistive technology news and information. To give the site credibility, it is run by a JAWS user.
Oh yeah, another thing the site offers is a link to the
Blind Geek Zone blog.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Auditory nerve implant a breakthrough for people who are deaf
There is news on the horizon for those who are profoundly or severely deaf.
Several years ago, the cochlea implant was heralded as breakthrough and innovative. However, the promise of this procedure also had limitations.
Overcoming these limitations is exactly what is being heralded in the latest progress in auditory nerve implants. Read the full report in WebWire at:
http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=38547
This latest news is being reported by scientists at the University of Michigan’s Kresge Hearing Research Institute. They recently announced that they have successfully implanted an ultra-thin electrode array in the auditory nerves of animals. The implants have been successful in transmitting a wide spectrum of sounds to the animals’ brains. The next logical step is to do more animal testing, as well as with people who are deaf.
One researcher said that the new implants work better than cochlear implants, in nearly “every measure.”
According to the WebWire article linked above, if the procedure proves successful in subsequent tests, “profoundly and severely deaf people would have another option that could allow them to hear low-pitched sounds common in speech, converse in a noisy room, identify high and low voices, and appreciate music — areas where cochlea implants, though a boon, have significant limitations.”
The article also states that, “The possible auditory nerve implants likely would be suitable for the same people who are candidates today for cochlear implants: the profoundly deaf, who can’t hear at all, and the severely deaf, whose hearing ability is greatly reduced. Also, the animal studies suggest that implantation of the devices has little impact on normal hearing, offering the possibility of restoring sensitivity to high frequencies while preserving remaining low-frequency hearing.”
Several years ago, the cochlea implant was heralded as breakthrough and innovative. However, the promise of this procedure also had limitations.
Overcoming these limitations is exactly what is being heralded in the latest progress in auditory nerve implants. Read the full report in WebWire at:
http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=38547
This latest news is being reported by scientists at the University of Michigan’s Kresge Hearing Research Institute. They recently announced that they have successfully implanted an ultra-thin electrode array in the auditory nerves of animals. The implants have been successful in transmitting a wide spectrum of sounds to the animals’ brains. The next logical step is to do more animal testing, as well as with people who are deaf.
One researcher said that the new implants work better than cochlear implants, in nearly “every measure.”
According to the WebWire article linked above, if the procedure proves successful in subsequent tests, “profoundly and severely deaf people would have another option that could allow them to hear low-pitched sounds common in speech, converse in a noisy room, identify high and low voices, and appreciate music — areas where cochlea implants, though a boon, have significant limitations.”
The article also states that, “The possible auditory nerve implants likely would be suitable for the same people who are candidates today for cochlear implants: the profoundly deaf, who can’t hear at all, and the severely deaf, whose hearing ability is greatly reduced. Also, the animal studies suggest that implantation of the devices has little impact on normal hearing, offering the possibility of restoring sensitivity to high frequencies while preserving remaining low-frequency hearing.”
Friday, June 01, 2007
Nova Scotia college says "Assistive technology for all!"
The forward-thinking folks at Nova Scotia Community College are setting a new precedent in assistive technology.
Instead of having a special pathway, the use of particular assistive technology being made exclusively available to only students with disabilities, they are
making assistive technology available to all NSCC students.
After limiting use of the Premiere Assistive Key to Access software to only students with disabilities this past academic year, NSCC will be allowing access to the software to all students in the coming 2007-08 school year.
According to the article linked above, “With this new technology, students can order books in digital format, have software pick out the main points in a text and read it, and create audio study guides so they can learn on the go.”
Maybe, just maybe, people are coming to understand that there are a variety of learning styles and that this is true in the general population of students, not only those with disabilities.
I don’t know about you, but I sort of like this reverse application of universal design. Instead of making the mainstream classroom accessible, they are realizing the broader application of assistive technology, and letting it be used by the whole population. Instead of assistive technology being a special-use on-ramp for information, that ramp is now open to the public.
Instead of having a special pathway, the use of particular assistive technology being made exclusively available to only students with disabilities, they are
making assistive technology available to all NSCC students.
After limiting use of the Premiere Assistive Key to Access software to only students with disabilities this past academic year, NSCC will be allowing access to the software to all students in the coming 2007-08 school year.
According to the article linked above, “With this new technology, students can order books in digital format, have software pick out the main points in a text and read it, and create audio study guides so they can learn on the go.”
Maybe, just maybe, people are coming to understand that there are a variety of learning styles and that this is true in the general population of students, not only those with disabilities.
I don’t know about you, but I sort of like this reverse application of universal design. Instead of making the mainstream classroom accessible, they are realizing the broader application of assistive technology, and letting it be used by the whole population. Instead of assistive technology being a special-use on-ramp for information, that ramp is now open to the public.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Census Bureau informational statistics about Americans with disabilities
In case you have missed it, the U.S. Census Bureau has released an updated set of
Informational statistics about Americans with disabilities.
So, if you are conducting research or preparing a report needing the latest general statistics on Americans with disabilities, it is now available.
FYI, that report claims that, as of the 2003-04 school year, there were 2.2 million undergraduates with a disability, representing 11 percent of all undergrads.
Informational statistics about Americans with disabilities.
So, if you are conducting research or preparing a report needing the latest general statistics on Americans with disabilities, it is now available.
FYI, that report claims that, as of the 2003-04 school year, there were 2.2 million undergraduates with a disability, representing 11 percent of all undergrads.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Good article about Disability Service and Mental Health professionals
In the days following the shootings at Virginia Tech, I found myself trying to compose some thoughts on the matter to post here. However, each time, I felt intrusive on the survivors of that tragedy and my words were not near as clear as they were in my mind. As a result, I deleted each attempt, feeling inadequate to express the words that needed to be said.
The compulsion to write about that subject was prompted by the shooter in that event reminding me of the type of students Disability Support Service professionals are periodically alerted to, either as one of the students on their caseload, or one which a faculty member inquires about. I've met a couple of these types and recall the gut response from many of the involved staff and faculty.
Many who have served in the DSS role for any reasonable amount of time have known at least one of these incidents. It prompts a spectrum of emotions and reactions ranging from sincere concern to a hyperactive fear. Striking the proper response is the key.
There is a good piece on this very subject written by a clinical psychologist in the Times Community Newspapers, titled
Are you Seung-Hui Cho's keeper?
Being that the article is written by a mental health professional, it is presented with a good understanding of the ADA and HIPPA and the restraints these laws have on universities.
Without spoiling the body of this well written article, I’d like to share the two closing paragraphs.
“Am I my brother's or sister's keeper? Is it my business if I notice that a fellow human being is having difficulty coping with life? Intruding in one's personal affairs is not always the easiest or wisest thing to do.”
“Nothing in life is guaranteed. We might ask ourselves, however, if there was the slightest possibility that having done so might not only have saved Cho's life, but the life of over 30 others as well.”
The article magnifies the positive alliances that can be achieved when the DSS office maintains open lines of communication with trained mental health professionals. I urge you to click the above link and read the entire piece. It says a lot, the meat of which I had been attempting to grasp and put into words.
The compulsion to write about that subject was prompted by the shooter in that event reminding me of the type of students Disability Support Service professionals are periodically alerted to, either as one of the students on their caseload, or one which a faculty member inquires about. I've met a couple of these types and recall the gut response from many of the involved staff and faculty.
Many who have served in the DSS role for any reasonable amount of time have known at least one of these incidents. It prompts a spectrum of emotions and reactions ranging from sincere concern to a hyperactive fear. Striking the proper response is the key.
There is a good piece on this very subject written by a clinical psychologist in the Times Community Newspapers, titled
Are you Seung-Hui Cho's keeper?
Being that the article is written by a mental health professional, it is presented with a good understanding of the ADA and HIPPA and the restraints these laws have on universities.
Without spoiling the body of this well written article, I’d like to share the two closing paragraphs.
“Am I my brother's or sister's keeper? Is it my business if I notice that a fellow human being is having difficulty coping with life? Intruding in one's personal affairs is not always the easiest or wisest thing to do.”
“Nothing in life is guaranteed. We might ask ourselves, however, if there was the slightest possibility that having done so might not only have saved Cho's life, but the life of over 30 others as well.”
The article magnifies the positive alliances that can be achieved when the DSS office maintains open lines of communication with trained mental health professionals. I urge you to click the above link and read the entire piece. It says a lot, the meat of which I had been attempting to grasp and put into words.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Welcome back and another accessibility roundup
Last you read here, Access Ability was going into stealth mode while I took a few days to examine a university web site for accessibility. Unfortunately, that task ran longer than I had anticipated and hence, it has been more than two weeks since I’ve posted anything here.
Well, to quote an old cliché…”I’m back!”
I feel that it would also be most appropriate to toss out some related links to the very subject that was the cause for my absence, web accessibility. Maybe it was coincidence or just plain karma, but there was an abundance of accessibility related news in the last two weeks. Go figure.
In an interesting undertaking, a digital instructional design professional at Kansas State University is taking a first-hand look at using assistive technology to access technology dependent classes. In the
Instructional Design Open Studio blog,
on the May 17 post titled Accessibility in eLearning, this person writes that (s)he is taking two versions of the same class, one will be online and the other on-campus, but both are mediated via technology, which the user is going to access with assistive technology and blog the experience.
I hope the site’s author will try to use JAWS to access the information and see the navigation headaches that the blog's employed Flash feature creates. With JAWS, they might also notice the indication of headings on each and every line of the posts in that Flash presentation. It is just a guess, but I don’t think that the user intended each line to be noted as a heading.
Nonetheless, the effort to take the classes with assistive technology by somebody who is not usually an AT user is a good and worthwhile effort and I commend the undertaking. I’ll be interested to see what the findings are.
In another recent finding, I noticed that on
Duff Johnson’s PDF Perspective,
A blog targeting the production of pdf documents, there was the May 14 post about the recent AGI Acrobat PDF Conference. In it, the writer discusses how he worked to make accessible pdf production interesting. He also offers a download of his presentation. Of course, it is in pdf format!
I have read a previous post by Duff Johnson on that blog concerning accessibility and have it bookmarked as a site for research. It is good to see professionals in the production world continue to take note of the importance of accessibility.
If you are interacting with a web developer about accessibility and the discussion of web applications versus web pages has ever come up, you may be interested in what
Christian Heilmann wrote in his May 20 post, titled How to Make Your Web Applications Accessible – The Human Way.
In that piece, Heilmann shoots down what is apparently a common developer’s defense that what they have created is a web application, not a web page. Heilmann asserts that “web applications should be more accessible than web sites.”
I like the logic in that statement. Now, if we can just get the developers to buy into it. Keep pushing, Christian!
Finally, in keeping with my personal philosophy of not griping without offering solution, I present the following information for authoring accessible web content. There is a review of
Immediacy CMS
on the latest pages of
IT-Director.com
In this review, Peter Abrahams says that Immediacy is an easy to use content creation tool which creates both accessible content and compliant code.
He adds that, “Immediacy provide a variety of plug-ins to provide specific website functionality; one of these is an accessibility plug-in. This plug-in enables a user to change the overall text size and the background-foreground colour combinations these changes can be important to people with visual impairments or dyslexia.”
He presents a specific list of qualities that the software gives that makes content creation sound easy to do.
Additionally, the IT-Director.com site also has other helpful and informative links concerning accessibility. In particular, there is a link on the latest update on the review of web accessibility 2.0.
Now that I’m back, I’ll soon be posting more regularly. Thanks to all of you that have maintained a vigil on this site.
Well, to quote an old cliché…”I’m back!”
I feel that it would also be most appropriate to toss out some related links to the very subject that was the cause for my absence, web accessibility. Maybe it was coincidence or just plain karma, but there was an abundance of accessibility related news in the last two weeks. Go figure.
In an interesting undertaking, a digital instructional design professional at Kansas State University is taking a first-hand look at using assistive technology to access technology dependent classes. In the
Instructional Design Open Studio blog,
on the May 17 post titled Accessibility in eLearning, this person writes that (s)he is taking two versions of the same class, one will be online and the other on-campus, but both are mediated via technology, which the user is going to access with assistive technology and blog the experience.
I hope the site’s author will try to use JAWS to access the information and see the navigation headaches that the blog's employed Flash feature creates. With JAWS, they might also notice the indication of headings on each and every line of the posts in that Flash presentation. It is just a guess, but I don’t think that the user intended each line to be noted as a heading.
Nonetheless, the effort to take the classes with assistive technology by somebody who is not usually an AT user is a good and worthwhile effort and I commend the undertaking. I’ll be interested to see what the findings are.
In another recent finding, I noticed that on
Duff Johnson’s PDF Perspective,
A blog targeting the production of pdf documents, there was the May 14 post about the recent AGI Acrobat PDF Conference. In it, the writer discusses how he worked to make accessible pdf production interesting. He also offers a download of his presentation. Of course, it is in pdf format!
I have read a previous post by Duff Johnson on that blog concerning accessibility and have it bookmarked as a site for research. It is good to see professionals in the production world continue to take note of the importance of accessibility.
If you are interacting with a web developer about accessibility and the discussion of web applications versus web pages has ever come up, you may be interested in what
Christian Heilmann wrote in his May 20 post, titled How to Make Your Web Applications Accessible – The Human Way.
In that piece, Heilmann shoots down what is apparently a common developer’s defense that what they have created is a web application, not a web page. Heilmann asserts that “web applications should be more accessible than web sites.”
I like the logic in that statement. Now, if we can just get the developers to buy into it. Keep pushing, Christian!
Finally, in keeping with my personal philosophy of not griping without offering solution, I present the following information for authoring accessible web content. There is a review of
Immediacy CMS
on the latest pages of
IT-Director.com
In this review, Peter Abrahams says that Immediacy is an easy to use content creation tool which creates both accessible content and compliant code.
He adds that, “Immediacy provide a variety of plug-ins to provide specific website functionality; one of these is an accessibility plug-in. This plug-in enables a user to change the overall text size and the background-foreground colour combinations these changes can be important to people with visual impairments or dyslexia.”
He presents a specific list of qualities that the software gives that makes content creation sound easy to do.
Additionally, the IT-Director.com site also has other helpful and informative links concerning accessibility. In particular, there is a link on the latest update on the review of web accessibility 2.0.
Now that I’m back, I’ll soon be posting more regularly. Thanks to all of you that have maintained a vigil on this site.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Web Accessibility: Its two, two, two posts in one
As promised, I’m back with more on web accessibility. However, I’m combining the two posts I mentioned into this one today, as the common theme is web accessibility.
Let me begin by saying up front that I readily admit that I am not a geek. While I believe I am somewhat computer savvy, I cannot wear the badge of geek. I know the difference between accessible and inaccessible web sites and software, very often, only by personal experience. I know the particular mechanics of what makes the web page accessible no better than I know what makes the mechanics of a garbage disposal operate. However, I do not have to know what makes them work to understand when they are not working for me.
However, Jeremy Keith is a web developer in Brighton, England, and I think he would fit whatever the criteria is to be a geek. (Mr. Keith, I use the term “geek” with all due reverence. Web developers know and do things I cannot even dream of.)
On his,
Adactio Journal,
Mr. Keith recently penned a very good post about
The Language of Accessibility,
Where he reflects upon a recent conference he attended in Germany.
His discussion takes us down the path of what accessibility means. In some pretty good layman’s language, he talks about things like markup language, which non-techies like myself may not know much about, but the results of which we know very well. His words in the two paragraphs below say a lot.
“Far from being something that is added to a site, accessibility is something we need to ensure isn’t removed. From that perspective, the phrase “making a site accessible” isn’t accurate.”
“Just as “progressive enhancement” sounds better than “graceful degradation”, talking about accessibility as something that needs to be added onto a website isn’t doing us any favours. Accessibility is not a plug-in. It’s not something that can be bolted onto a site after the fact.”
Mr. Keith goes on to suggest that web designers follow his new understanding: he will talk about keeping a site accessible rather than talking about making a site accessible”
That truly does sound like the language of accessibility. Thanks for sharing it with us, Mr. Keith.
I have only offered a bit of Mr. Keith's words and insight here. Do check out his post and also check out the speech made by the speaker at the conference he attended. Those words are the foundation for the piece and will ring just as true with you.
And, for today’s second feature presentation, I offer this posting from the
FinaBlog,
Titled The State of the Art of Interactive Design.
The piece starts with a simple, but fairly accurate assessment of the progression of the internet, finishing up with a projection with where it may lead. It then weaves in the need for accessibility as an essential element, stating, “Accessibility has become one of the driving forces in web design.”
Hmmm. I’m not sure that I totally agree with that statement, but it is a nice thought.
And, maybe the writer of that piece doesn’t totally agree with that thought either, because he soon follows it by saying, “Unfortunately, most websites have accessibility barriers that make it difficult or impossible for people with disabilities to use the Web.”
Then, when he begins to speak to web developers and what they can do to make web content accessible, he also begins to use the techie lingo I’m not fully fluent in, but understand what they mean to accessibility. These include the need for developers to use XHTML and CSS. He further adds further incentive for developers to use these techniques as they aid in optimizing the site for search engines. If somebody is going to create web content, it makes sense that they would want the search engines to be able to find it.
As with Mr. Keith’s post, I have only presented a small portion of what the writer presents. This one is truly worth investing the time to read the full post. And, also like Mr. Keith’s post, worth sharing with your colleagues in web development.
Like I said earlier, I don’t have to understand what these web development techniques are to understand their impact. Describing inaccessible web content for me is much like that one judge said about pornography, I may not be able to tell you exactly what it is, but I know it when I see it. Being I’m totally blind, maybe the more accurate way of wording that phrase would be to say, “I know it when I don’t see it.”
Let me begin by saying up front that I readily admit that I am not a geek. While I believe I am somewhat computer savvy, I cannot wear the badge of geek. I know the difference between accessible and inaccessible web sites and software, very often, only by personal experience. I know the particular mechanics of what makes the web page accessible no better than I know what makes the mechanics of a garbage disposal operate. However, I do not have to know what makes them work to understand when they are not working for me.
However, Jeremy Keith is a web developer in Brighton, England, and I think he would fit whatever the criteria is to be a geek. (Mr. Keith, I use the term “geek” with all due reverence. Web developers know and do things I cannot even dream of.)
On his,
Adactio Journal,
Mr. Keith recently penned a very good post about
The Language of Accessibility,
Where he reflects upon a recent conference he attended in Germany.
His discussion takes us down the path of what accessibility means. In some pretty good layman’s language, he talks about things like markup language, which non-techies like myself may not know much about, but the results of which we know very well. His words in the two paragraphs below say a lot.
“Far from being something that is added to a site, accessibility is something we need to ensure isn’t removed. From that perspective, the phrase “making a site accessible” isn’t accurate.”
“Just as “progressive enhancement” sounds better than “graceful degradation”, talking about accessibility as something that needs to be added onto a website isn’t doing us any favours. Accessibility is not a plug-in. It’s not something that can be bolted onto a site after the fact.”
Mr. Keith goes on to suggest that web designers follow his new understanding: he will talk about keeping a site accessible rather than talking about making a site accessible”
That truly does sound like the language of accessibility. Thanks for sharing it with us, Mr. Keith.
I have only offered a bit of Mr. Keith's words and insight here. Do check out his post and also check out the speech made by the speaker at the conference he attended. Those words are the foundation for the piece and will ring just as true with you.
And, for today’s second feature presentation, I offer this posting from the
FinaBlog,
Titled The State of the Art of Interactive Design.
The piece starts with a simple, but fairly accurate assessment of the progression of the internet, finishing up with a projection with where it may lead. It then weaves in the need for accessibility as an essential element, stating, “Accessibility has become one of the driving forces in web design.”
Hmmm. I’m not sure that I totally agree with that statement, but it is a nice thought.
And, maybe the writer of that piece doesn’t totally agree with that thought either, because he soon follows it by saying, “Unfortunately, most websites have accessibility barriers that make it difficult or impossible for people with disabilities to use the Web.”
Then, when he begins to speak to web developers and what they can do to make web content accessible, he also begins to use the techie lingo I’m not fully fluent in, but understand what they mean to accessibility. These include the need for developers to use XHTML and CSS. He further adds further incentive for developers to use these techniques as they aid in optimizing the site for search engines. If somebody is going to create web content, it makes sense that they would want the search engines to be able to find it.
As with Mr. Keith’s post, I have only presented a small portion of what the writer presents. This one is truly worth investing the time to read the full post. And, also like Mr. Keith’s post, worth sharing with your colleagues in web development.
Like I said earlier, I don’t have to understand what these web development techniques are to understand their impact. Describing inaccessible web content for me is much like that one judge said about pornography, I may not be able to tell you exactly what it is, but I know it when I see it. Being I’m totally blind, maybe the more accurate way of wording that phrase would be to say, “I know it when I don’t see it.”
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Request for feedback
I have a request of any of the readers who are willing to take a moment and share your thoughts with me.
The Access Ability blog has been in operation since late July, 2006 and I have personally written and posted 118 posts here. In all that, I have received minimal feedback on what is posted here. Specifically, I have received, minus the several spam replies, less than five comments to these posts.
I seek feedback from you, the readers that I know are out there. I understand that the comment method here on Blogger is not the most user-friendly way to share your thoughts. In that light, I am asking for you to
Email me your comments.
Please share your thoughts with me concerning this blog. I would like to know what types of news or resources you have found most helpful or would like to see more of. I can’t read your mind, so hit that link above and it will instantly bring up an email message ready for you to fill out. I promise that I will not share your email information with anybody.
I sincerely appreciate the readership that has grown steadily since I first launched this blog just over nine months ago. I am working in a vacuum, though, and am only writing about those things I believe might interest you. Take a moment and let me know how to better serve you.
Thanks,
RG
The Access Ability blog has been in operation since late July, 2006 and I have personally written and posted 118 posts here. In all that, I have received minimal feedback on what is posted here. Specifically, I have received, minus the several spam replies, less than five comments to these posts.
I seek feedback from you, the readers that I know are out there. I understand that the comment method here on Blogger is not the most user-friendly way to share your thoughts. In that light, I am asking for you to
Email me your comments.
Please share your thoughts with me concerning this blog. I would like to know what types of news or resources you have found most helpful or would like to see more of. I can’t read your mind, so hit that link above and it will instantly bring up an email message ready for you to fill out. I promise that I will not share your email information with anybody.
I sincerely appreciate the readership that has grown steadily since I first launched this blog just over nine months ago. I am working in a vacuum, though, and am only writing about those things I believe might interest you. Take a moment and let me know how to better serve you.
Thanks,
RG
Web access: Head's up on time-consuming project and GAID initiative
I will be meeting with a colleague and the head of his university’s web site portal in the coming days. In preparation for this meeting, I will be examining the university’s web content. This will include examining the least prefered design route the university has taken, offering text-only pages, which were recently offered as an accessible alternative to meet the letter of the law in Section 508 compliance...Grrr. Additionally, I will also be looking at web sites being offered by other school’s in the same university system.
My reason for telling you this is to give you a head’s up that posting may be a little on the light side here at Access Ability for the next few days, due to the time commitment I will need to review the large amount of web pages.
I’m not one to leave you hanging high and dry, though. Below is a recent news item related to this very subject of accessibility to web content for people with disabilities who use assistive technology. I will also follow up this with a couple more posts related to this subject before knuckling down on the research for my pending project.
An interesting article in
EContentMag
Reports on the latest efforts of the United Nations’
Global alliance working to bridge the information divide.
This article informs readers about the goals of the Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID),which has global players from academia, governments, the private sector, and civil society. A strong demonstration of the commitment from the technological industry can be sensed just by noting that the current GAID chairman is Craig Barrett, the chairman of Intel.
GAID’s primary objectives span a wide spectrum, but two areas of the groups interest are discussed in the article; gaining more saturated broadband penetration in Africa and developing better technology solutions to assist people with disabilities in information access.
Explaining the group’s methodology, Sarbuland Khan, GAID's executive coordinator, said, "The goal is not that we, the UN, do it, but we try to get the partners to do it themselves and show that the UN can catalyze. We don't have the resources or the expertise, but we can convene the right people around the right table to work on these issues.”
Another source cited in the article is Daniel Aghion, executive director and co-founder of the Wireless Internet Institute (W2i), which has been working with GAID since its days as the UN’s ICT Task Force, the predecessor to GAID. In December, 2006, the United Nations adopted a convention protecting the rights of people with disabilities to education, health, labor, and other needs. The UN has encouraged all 192 of its member states to ratify this convention, because, according to Aghion, approximately ten percent of the global population has some impairment keeping them from accessing information technology.
As for the United States, Aghion says, "In the U.S., some policies have been set to address that community and are embedded in the Americans with Disabilities Act, but—as far as information technology is concerned—they have not been very actively enforced."
This goes back to the adage about laws only being as good as their enforcement. If things work as planned, the proposals GAID has set out offer some teeth for accountability towards the end of enforcement.
Again, as I’ve posted previously, the United States has yet to sign this UN convention. Please take an active role and contact the White House and your legislators, encouraging our country to sign off on this potential powerful tool for accessibility.
My reason for telling you this is to give you a head’s up that posting may be a little on the light side here at Access Ability for the next few days, due to the time commitment I will need to review the large amount of web pages.
I’m not one to leave you hanging high and dry, though. Below is a recent news item related to this very subject of accessibility to web content for people with disabilities who use assistive technology. I will also follow up this with a couple more posts related to this subject before knuckling down on the research for my pending project.
An interesting article in
EContentMag
Reports on the latest efforts of the United Nations’
Global alliance working to bridge the information divide.
This article informs readers about the goals of the Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID),which has global players from academia, governments, the private sector, and civil society. A strong demonstration of the commitment from the technological industry can be sensed just by noting that the current GAID chairman is Craig Barrett, the chairman of Intel.
GAID’s primary objectives span a wide spectrum, but two areas of the groups interest are discussed in the article; gaining more saturated broadband penetration in Africa and developing better technology solutions to assist people with disabilities in information access.
Explaining the group’s methodology, Sarbuland Khan, GAID's executive coordinator, said, "The goal is not that we, the UN, do it, but we try to get the partners to do it themselves and show that the UN can catalyze. We don't have the resources or the expertise, but we can convene the right people around the right table to work on these issues.”
Another source cited in the article is Daniel Aghion, executive director and co-founder of the Wireless Internet Institute (W2i), which has been working with GAID since its days as the UN’s ICT Task Force, the predecessor to GAID. In December, 2006, the United Nations adopted a convention protecting the rights of people with disabilities to education, health, labor, and other needs. The UN has encouraged all 192 of its member states to ratify this convention, because, according to Aghion, approximately ten percent of the global population has some impairment keeping them from accessing information technology.
As for the United States, Aghion says, "In the U.S., some policies have been set to address that community and are embedded in the Americans with Disabilities Act, but—as far as information technology is concerned—they have not been very actively enforced."
This goes back to the adage about laws only being as good as their enforcement. If things work as planned, the proposals GAID has set out offer some teeth for accountability towards the end of enforcement.
Again, as I’ve posted previously, the United States has yet to sign this UN convention. Please take an active role and contact the White House and your legislators, encouraging our country to sign off on this potential powerful tool for accessibility.
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