Need access to better nutrition? There’s an app for that

April 26, 2013 — L. Legendary

Kel Smith, author of the just-released “Digital Outcasts,” and about whom you will soon read more here on the Accessible Insights Blog, has been reaching out to his fans, friends and colleagues in an effort to bring attention to a great cause. Just this morning, Kel sent out information about his project, and I was so eager to get the details to my readers that I asked Kel if I could post excerpted content of his email below. Want to make a real difference in the health and well-being of people with limited access to nutritious food? Read on to find out how.

Kel’s project is called Aisle Won. For screen reader users, note that the spelling is w o n, as opposed to the numeral one. It’s a combination mobile app and outreach program to connect people living in “food deserts” with sources of healthy, affordable food. Kel has been developing this for the past year or so, and just launched the pilot. Now, he is reaching out to folks to help spread the word.

Kel writes: “An estimated 23.5 million Americans live in food deserts and rely on unhealthy sources of nutrition, such as corner bodegas and fast food restaurants. To say that this is a health problem of growing national concern would be an understatement. For people with disabilities who cannot leave their homes, it’s an even greater burden.”

Here’s how it works: shoppers place an order and check a map to see where locally-grown produce is available in their neighborhood. They can maximize purchases according to individual budgetary and dietary needs. They can also peruse recipes that are delicious and easy to prepare. Local urban farms, then, expand their reach into more areas. Everybody wins.

Anikto completely self-funded the first pilot, now being launched in the Clifton Park section of northeast Baltimore. “We have participating support from the Mayor’s Civic Works office and a six-acre plot called Real Food Farm.” Smith says. “To get Aisle Won to the next level, though, I’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Wednesday was the first day and we already gathered 10% of our goal!”

So … if you follow nutrition literacy, are interested in urban farming, or just appreciate the importance of healthy eating — then please go to:

http://igg.me/at/aisle-won/x/3047094 where you’ll see details of the campaign, which will be live for 40 days. Please contribute to this delicious cause!

Connect with Kel:

215.285.2274
Kel.Smith@anikto.com

http://anikto.com

@KelSmith on Twitter
@DigitalOutcasts for info on Kel’s new book.
“Digital Outcasts: Moving Technology Forward Without Leaving People Behind”

http://digital-outcasts.com

Posted in Accessible experts, Activism and advocacy. Tags: , , , , , . No Comments »

Help build an inclusive Twittersphere with Easy Chirp 2

April 8, 2013 — L. Legendary

For those of you who follow these things, you already know that Twitter (www.twitter.com), the social media micro-blogging platform, is making changes to its Application Programming Interface (API). For those of you who have no idea what that means, or why it’s significant, allow me to get you up to speed.

According to Wikipedia, An application programming interface (API) is a “protocol intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other. An API is a library that may include specification for routines, data structures, object classes, and variables.” If you want to read more, go here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_programming_interface

Twitter has only had a single version of the API in its entire history. Now, they want to make changes, and update to version 1.1. They have announced new developer “rules of the road,” and have outlined the proposed changes here:

https://dev.twitter.com/blog/changes-coming-to-twitter-api

The changes will affect all third-party applications that interact with Twitter, such as those you might use as an accessible alternative to the main Twitter web site. Some of these third-party Twitter clients have already completed the necessary adjustments, while others may not even bother, and may simply disappear. Time is running short, however, because Twitter has announced the “sunset” of version 1.0 of the API here:

https://dev.twitter.com/blog/api-v1-retirement-final-dates

Ever since I first discovered Twitter, I’ve been using the accessible alternative created by Dennis Lembree. Originally called Accessible Twitter, the web-based version now goes by the name Easy Chirp. Due to the changes made by Twitter to the API, Dennis has been forced to reinvent Easy Chirp, soon to be Easy Chirp 2. Dennis needs your help. He has started a kickstarter profile, and needs your pledges. The money raised will be used to compensate the experts Dennis has hired to assist with the project. As usual, when making a contribution to a Kickstarter project, you will receive a thank-you gift commensurate with the amount of your donation. See more info here:

Help build an inclusive Twittersphere: http://tinyurl.com/c9fsj5v

“I created Easy Chirp over four years ago and am touched by the support it’s received from the community. Now it must be rebuilt due to the Twitter API change, and I hope to collaborate this time with a few other developers.” Lembree says.

Dennis plans some new features and additional streamlining to make Easy Chirp 2 even faster and more accessible. It will continue to support keyboard-only users, will work without Javascript, and will be better optimized for mobile devices. Of course, it will still feature the user-friendly interface you’ve come to expect, useable by people who have a variety of disabilities, and who use a variety of assistive technologies.

Says Lembree: “To me, Easy Chirp exemplifies what a web app should be: platform agnostic, accessible, and simple. It provides a unique and necessary service in the social media space.”

There is no shortage of Twitter clients in the market, which can be used with different operating systems and device types. I use Easy Chirp for my own reasons, not the least of which is that I know Dennis, like him, trust him, and appreciate his work. If you have used Easy Chirp in the past, but have never clicked on that “donate” button just below the sign-in link on the Easy Chirp home page, then scrape a few coins out from between the sofa cushions and send them Dennis’s way. We’ll be tweeting at one another again before it’s time to fly south for the winter.

Pledge to the Easy Chirp 2 Kickstarter here:

Http://www.kickstarter.com and perform a search, or go directly to the Easy Chirp 2 project page here: http://tinyurl.com/c9fsj5v

For all things Twitter API, go here:

https://dev.twitter.com/docs/api

You can follow Easy Chirp: @EasyChirp for updates, or you can follow me @Accessible_Info on Twitter as well.

LL

Posted in Accessible experts, AT articles, AT News, Cool Tools, Social Media Mania. Tags: , , , , , . No Comments »

Novel approaches to icon-based AAC presented by Karl Wiegand

February 21, 2013 — L. Legendary

One can easily argue that few are as keenly interested in the well-being of a person with a disability as is a parent. Expanding from that core of support one can also include siblings, guardians, educators, social workers and health care professionals. One can further include advocates, friends, spouses and co-workers, all of whom are concerned about quality of life. That covers just about everyone, and just about everyone should be in attendance at Karl Wiegand’s presentation at this year’s Conference on Disability, hosted by CSUN.

Mr. Wiegand is presenting some astonishing work in the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). His presentation, entitled “Novel Approaches to Icon-Based AAC,” will explore two different methodologies for message construction and input. These two approaches can elevate the quality of communication for a person who has locked in syndrome. “Locked in syndrome” is an umbrella term that describes people who may have paralysis to the degree that the individual is unable to move any major body parts, except for above the neck. Even a person who may be in a full body cast is an example of someone who may have near complete lack of motor function, albeit temporarily.

The choices in alternative and augmentative communication devices now commonly involve the use of mouth sticks, switches or eye gaze input devices that can be cumbersome and fatiguing for the user. The current systems were designed based on an assumption that the user can press a button, make repetitious movements, or is able to maintain movement or body position for extended periods, so as to select letters or short words or phrases from choices on a menu. Using letter-based systems can be time consuming, because a letter-based system is more generative than the icon-based system that some users prefer in face-to-face or real time communication situations.

The challenge for Wiegand and his colleagues was to answer the questions: How can you redesign a screen such that you can display a large number of icons, but not all at once, which can be cognitively burdensome? How can icon-based systems be redesigned for faster and more efficient communication, as well as to accommodate users with upper limb motor impairments?

Together with his advisor and colleagues at Northeastern University, Wiegand is working on initial designs of two new approaches to icon-based
AAC: one using continuous motion and one using a brain-computer interface (BCI). The continuous motion system, called Symbol Path, consists of 120 screen icons of semantically salient words. “Continuous motion” means that a user can touch a word to begin a sentence, and without breaking contact from the screen, swipe or drag from icon to icon, ultimately completing a sentence.

His second approach makes use of a practice borrowed from the field of psychology. It is a system that shows icons to a user that represents a word or small phrase, in a serial fashion. It’s called Rapid Serial Visual Presentation. It allows for more efficient sentence construction, rather than presenting the user with a screen full of icons that must be made small in order to offer the user a full compliment of choices, which may be overwhelming.

This method of presenting information in rapid-fire fashion has been used before. If it sounds familiar, you may have once used this same technique if you’ve ever tried to tackle “speed reading.”

“My goal is to build a star trek computer.” Wiegand declares. He went on to explain. “A computer like the one in the program Star Trek, that can understand anybody, and will do it’s best to fill a person’s desires or needs.”

Karl was gracious enough to patiently explain what essential elements of communication would be required in order to make a “Star Trek computer” possible. First, a computer would have to be capable of parsing, which senses for context and speech recognition. Another element would include learning contexts, whereby a computer would understand how people interact with systems and expected responses from users. Finally, artificial intelligence would have to be achieved, enabling problem-solving with incomplete information, and natural language processing.

Until the point at which Mr. Wiegand has utterly changed our lives, and I do not doubt for a moment that he will, Wiegand says he’d like to work on Siri. To achieve his ultimate ends, Karl has worked in a number of other fields that have led him to this research. “I like AAC.” Wiegand continues. “It is a very focused area that is actually a vertex for four or five other fields.”

At CSUN, Karl will demonstrate the SymbolPath system, a prototype version of which is currently available for free on the Android app store (search for “SymbolPath”), show the BCI system, explain how both systems work, and talk about future directions for both. Wiegand hopes to have a system in place at his CSUN session so that attendees who interact with AAC users, friends or loved ones of AAC users, or AAC users themselves, can help create a corpus — a data set that shows what certain users want in certain times or settings or situations.

“We have revised both approaches based on initial testing and user feedback, and we are currently conducting several iterations of user-assisted design and revision before proceeding to full user testing.” Wiegand notes.

Attendees can help build this database by contributing realistic text, utterances, or phrases that AAC users like to say. If you attend the session, or find Karl throughout the week, you can contribute to the database or ask questions. In exchange, Karl will give you a copy of Symbol Path.

Karl will be presenting on Friday, March 1st at 3:10 pm in the Ford AB room, third floor.
Here is the link to the session page:

http://bit.ly/15yOOND

More about Karl Wiegand:

Karl Wiegand is a Ph.D. student in computer science at
Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. He works in the
Communication Analysis and Design Laboratory (CadLab) under the
advisement of Dr. Rupal Patel. Since joining the CadLab in 2009, Karl
has been working on alternative methods of communication for users
with neurological
impairments and severely limited mobility. His research includes
aspects of interface design, artificial intelligence, and language
theory.

Here are more ways to contact Karl, and help with his corpus gathering project:

Karl Wiegand’s homepage: http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/wiegand/
Karl’s lab: http://www.cadlab.neu.edu/
Link to Karl on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karlwiegand/

Finally, if you know or love an AAC user, you can help get the ball rolling on data-gathering here:

http://www.cadlab.neu.edu/corpus/

Don’t forget to use hashtag #CSUN13 when tweeting about the event. See you in San Diego!

LL

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Sina Bahram to present an accessible, gesture-based approach to controlling classroom technology

February 19, 2013 — L. Legendary

There are any number of reasons one might attend a particular session at the upcoming 28th annual International Assistive Technology and Persons with Disabilities conference. You might want to learn more about a ground-breaking awareness project, you might want to learn a new skill, you might want to find fresh inspiration for your own work. One reason to attend Sina Bahram’s session is that he has helped to solve a problem that has affected educators, lecturers, or corporate presenters who are blind or visually impaired, as well as people who use tech automation in the workplace. He will discuss an accessible, gesture-based approach to controlling the technology in either a classroom or corporate setting.

Sina Bahram is a technical consultant and accessibility researcher pursuing his PhD in the Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University. His field of research is Human Computer Interaction (HCI) with a focus on the use of innovative environments and multi-modal approaches to facilitate eyes-free exploration of highly graphical information. Combining artificial intelligence, intelligent user interfaces (IUI), and HCI, Sina devises innovative and user-centered solutions to difficult real-world problems.

Bahram’s session will show you how an instructor who is blind can independently give a presentation. typically, when using the technology available to a sighted presenter, there are barriers imposed by the device that is used to control the projector, the microphone, document camera, and other input devices. This controller, usually either a Crestron or AMX technology box, allows for many inputs that can be managed by way of a touch screen. This touch screen interface is inaccessible to blind instructors, and presents numerous difficulties for a speaker or educator with low or no vision. For example, without sighted assistance, there is no way to know the state of readiness of the technology being used. There is no feedback alerting the presenter as to whether the projector is warmed up, or how he or she might adjust the volume level of the audio. Bahram will discuss and demonstrate how this approach to an embedded system allows blind or vision-impaired instructors to control classroom technology.

The project is a collaboration between North Carolina State University, Bahram, Ron Jailall, who works in control systems programming and classroom design, and Greg Kraus, who is Coordinator of Campus Accessibility. They have devised an approach whereby simple gestures, swipe up, down, and to the right, are used to move about various screen elements. Further, computer-generated speech is used to provide menu and status information.

“We have an underrepresentation of persons with disabilities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),” says Bahram. “In particular, people who are blind or visually impaired. This is one of the approaches that can help address this problem, in a small way, without having to depend upon a teaching assistant or student to assist. Now, a blind instructor can manage classroom technology independently.”

No matter the context in which you give presentations, craft accessibility policy or purchase tech for employees or students who are blind, this session is for you. No special skill level is required to attend. All are welcome. Sina will be available for questions, demonstrations, and further discussion, at any time you can catch him throughout the conference week.

More about Sina Bahram:
In 2012, Sina was recognized as one of President Barack Obama’s Champions of Change for his work in enabling users with disabilities to succeed in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. You can read more about Sina and his research on his website, www.SinaBahram.com, or follow him on Twitter via @SinaBahram.

Be sure to check out the links below for more information.

For further ways to contact Sina, see his contact page at:

http://www.SinaBahram.com/contact.php

Read Bahram’s blog here:

http://blog.SinaBahram.com

Discussion of an Eyes-Free Approach to Controlling Classroom Tech:

Demonstration of an Eyes-Free Approach to Controlling Classroom Tech:

For more videos on other topics, Sina’s YouTube channel is at:

http://www.YouTube.com/sbahram

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #CSUN13 when tweeting about the event.

LL

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Join Joseph K. O’Connor in a global effort to build a more accessible Word Press

February 15, 2013 — L. Legendary

The session that will be presented by Joseph Karr O’Connor at the CSUN 2013 International Technology and Persons with Disabilities conference in San Diego, California, promises to be a popular one. Joe will be focusing on WordPress accessibility, will be showcasing the work that has been achieved by the WordPress accessibility team, and will talk about Cities, a global effort to create free accessible themes for use with the WordPress blogging system.

WordPress is currently the most popular free blogging system in use on the web. It has many features including a template system that makes sites look and function as they do. Templates are free and available at http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/ where there are currently 1,691 themes. Only a handful of those themes allow information to be accessible to everyone, regardless of ability. WordPress server software has recently been upgraded to version 3.5 with some new accessibility features for site owners, but it is not fully accessible. The presentation will report on the people involved in making the back-end of WordPress accessible, and the teams of accessibility experts from Mumbai, Sydney, New York, and several other cities who are building accessible themes.

O’Connor has an impressive history of contribution to the technology industry. He regularly attends local meetup groups in Santa Monica’s Silicon Beach to introduce the concept of accessibility to developers. During one of his many visits to local WordPress and general tech industry meetups to advocate for online accessibility, one member of the audience interrupted Joe. “Excuse me,” she said, “What is ‘accessibility’?” This is why Joe believes outreach is so important.

O’Connor realized there was much work to be done to raise awareness as to the specific barriers imposed by web developers who failed to create accessible online destinations. After years of searching for accessible themes for clients, Joe was struck by inspiration for the Cities project. He challenged teams of accessibility practitioners around the world to create accessible Word Press themes for free.

Joseph is also working with the team at WordPress.org to implement a voluntary theme accessibility assessment process. “Theme developers can submit themes with tags or categories for assessment.” O’Connor says. “This will be part of the regular theme checking process, but will be voluntary.”

Whether you are a WP theme developer or just a Word Press devotee, you are encouraged to attend joseph’s session. He hopes to have some themes ready at the time of his presentation, and sing the praises of the teams of volunteers working to submit accessible WordPress themes, which will be available through the themes directory. The presentation will be held on Thursday, February 28 at 1:50. All are welcome.

As if O’Connor isn’t busy enough, he is also hosting a WordPress Tweetup during the CSUN conference. The WordPress Accessibility Tweetup is on February 26, 4:30 – 5:30 pm, at the Hyatt, in the Paciello Group Suite. Show your support by signing up on Lanyrd at: lanyrd.com/cmhqy or just show up!

Joe will also be doing WordPress 3.5 usability testing at the CSUN conference, and is seeking a wide range of users with whom to spend a few minutes to create screencasts that will be shown to WordPress developers.

More about Joseph Karr O’Connor:

Joseph Karr O’Connor lives in Santa Monica, California, with his wife Linda, daughter Siobhan, daughter’s skilled companion dog Harriet, and cat, Achoo! His first career was in motion picture post production. Starting in 1991 his second career was computing in education. He found his true calling when Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act was enhanced to include web accessibility in 1998. Starting with pasadena.edu in 1999 and moving to csun.edu in 2005, web accessibility has been his focus. Now an accessibility consultant, he is working with Silicon Beach startups and international accessibility companies. He envisions a future where information is equally accessible to all.

You can follow @AccessibleJoe on Twitter, or you can visit his web sites:

Cities: Creating Accessible WordPress Themes

http://www.accessiblejoe/cities/

Black Telephone, Disability Rights

http://www.blacktelephone.com/

Twitter: @blacktelephone

To RSVP to attend O’Connor’s session, go here:

http://www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2013/sessions/index.php/public/presentations/view/210

Don’t forget to use hashtag #CSUN13 when tweeting about the conference.

LL

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First ever Accessibility Camp L. A. promises education, inspiration, integration

October 16, 2012 — L. Legendary

On Saturday, October 20, 2012, the first ever accessibility camp will be held in the Los Angeles area.  The "un conference" will be held on the CSUN campus, in the Student Union.  The event runs from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and admission is free. 

Joe Devon (@joedevon) co-founder of Diamond Web Services, and Jennison Asuncion (@Jennison), co-lead the barcamp style gathering, and everyone is encouraged to attend.  "This is an informal, unstructured event," says Asuncion.  "This is not just for the advanced developer, or accessibility guru.  Everyone is invited, at all skill levels.  Beginners, as well as actual end-users who have disabilities, are critical to understanding the end-user experience." 
       
The L. A. accessibility camp was first conceived as a way to bring accessibility concepts to the attention of the many meetup groups scattered throughout the region.  Joe Devon, who is active in the Los Angeles area tech community, but not previously familiar with accessibility, became interested when he watched a video on screen reader technology for blind users, and was amazed.  "Screen readers are such an interesting technology," comments Devon.  "Then many years later I saw my Dad struggle with banking web sites and that got me thinking about it even more."

Mr. Devon used his personal and professional experience to make a difference.  "I wrote a blog post about how developers go on and on about changing the world, yet they build sites every single day that are inaccessible. That we should have a global accessibility awareness day for developers, which morphed into UI/UX as well."

Asuncion spotted Devon’s blog post, and the two connected.  They decided to collaborate on an event that became the Accessibility Camp L. A.
"The local tech community is the primary audience for these types of events, " says Asuncion.  Since the agenda is attendee generated, the speakers are not entirely known in advance.  "while some of the presenters may be names we know, such as John Foliot (@JohnFoliot) and Dennis Lembree, creator of Easy Chirp, (www.easychirp.com @webaxe), some are not necessarily well-known in the accessibility field," continues Asuncion.  "In fact, on the registration form for the event, we asked each registrant to check the box that best describes their level of expertise.  The balance of the registrants checked the boxes that indicated ‘beginner’ or ‘just starting out’ in accessibility." 

Jennison hopes to ensure that no one feels too intimidated to ask a question or to just take someone aside for a chat about an issue.  "The emphasis here is on discussion, rather than presentation," he notes.  "We strongly advise people to use the ‘two feet’ rule, where if you find yourself in a session thinking, ‘Wow, this presentation is way over my head,’ feel free to just get up and leave."

If you have not already registered, you can do so at: http://accessibilitycampla.org/.  Be sure to make note on the registration form if you have any special requirements or if you need assistance, such as a guide, or if you have questions about transportation or access to food or other amenities.  You can follow @A11yCampLA on Twitter for news and information about the event. 

Finally, Jennison points out that while topics discussed include those that touch the blind or visually impaired community, this is meant to be a cross-disability gathering, covering technology accessibility topics that are important to individuals with a range of disabilities.  Further, you need not have a disability to attend.  "Any developer or average user who just wants to get their feet wet in accessibility, has a growing interest, or who just wants to learn in a non-threatening, informal environment can ask the questions they may not feel comfortable asking in a larger forum," Asuncion concludes. 

About Jennison Asuncion:
For the last three years, working alongside other peers in accessibility, Jennison has been actively organizing a series of accessibility barcamps/unconferences (link http://www.accessibilitycamp.org), where the goal is to educate on accessibility using a less formal approach than a traditional conference.

About Joe Devon:
Joe Devon is a computer programmer with over 20 years of development experience. Joe has worked on projects spanning Search Engine technology, Performance Management, scaling Wide Area Networks; for Internet backbone providers, Investment Banks, Telcos & Media. In addition to starting several companies, Joe serves on the advisory boards of leading development industry conferences, and the organizer of several technology oriented meetup groups in Los Angeles.  Joe co-founded Global Accessibility Day, bridging the gap between disabled citizens and the Internet.  For more about Mr. Devon, go here:
 
http://www.linkedin.com/company/diamond-web-services
 
 
LL

 

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IT’s all about adapting with Triumph Technology

June 28, 2012 — L. Legendary

Since there are several national conference events taking place one right after the other, I’ve been putting together an article series previewing some of the people and products you can expect to see.  In this case, my subject coincides with the other articles I’ve been posting on the topic of entrepreneurship.  Here, an entrepreneur who is blind is the president of a company exhibiting at both the NFB and ACB national events.

 

Earle Harrison has nearly 25 years of experience as an adaptive technology industry leader. As president and owner of Triumph Technology, LLC.–a small company based in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, he has developed an international reputation for his innovative approach to adapting off-the-shelf mainstream technologies for people with visual impairments. Harrison is also known for his work on the earliest versions of JAWS for Windows–the world’s first screen reader that could be installed independently by a blind person.

 

 

In June of 2005, Harrison launched a home based business, which he called Triumph Technology.  The new company quickly became known for bundling Code Factory’s Mobile Speak screen reading applications with various mainstream PDA’s and cell phones, and for providing top-notch technical support.

Mr. Harrison agreed to answer a few of my questions regarding his thoughts on entrepreneurship.

     

LL:  Is there a single aspect of Triumph Technology of which you are the most proud?
 
E H:  I am proud of the reputation my company has earned and sustained for over 7 years in providing quality service and support.

LL: What “conventional wisdom” about entrepreneurship are you glad you ignored?
 
E H:  Fortunately for me, most people who knew me when I told them of my plans to start my own company were very supportive. Some people did however think I was crazy for giving up a perfectly good government job for the stress and uncertainty of self employment. I must say however that often it is my own doubts and perceptions that I have needed to learn to ignore.

LL:  Are there any personal traits or characteristics that you believe have held you in good stead as an entrepreneur?
 
E H:  Above all, no matter how difficult things get, and no matter how easy it would be to do otherwise at times, my desire to always act in the best interest of the customer remains well in tact and I’m pretty proud of this ethical standard.

LL:  What advice would you give to other aspiring entrepreneurs?

E H:  It isn’t enough to just understand that being an entrepreneur involves a tremendous amount of risk and hard work, you have got to be absolutely driven to succeed and at the same time be able to summons the energy to pick yourself up out of the mud when you fall flat on your face. I also think it is very important that blind entrepreneurs support one another whenever possible.  Network and surround yourself with people who share the same ideals and thank God every morning when you receive the gift of a new day.

 

More about Triumph Technology:  Today, Harrison employs others who are blind or have low vision, and maintains a robust international distribution network for the product lines he represents. In addition to its thriving consumer, corporate, government, and institutional sales, Triumph Technology, LLC. offers adaptive technology training and consultation services in both Canada and the United States. The company’s slogan, "It’s All About Adapting," acknowledges the trend in the information technology industry toward universal accessibility, and emphasizes the need for assistive technology companies to evolve accordingly.
 
Go to the Triumph Technology News and Reviews blog for the most up-to-date trade show information at:

http://www.attriumph.com

 

Click on the link entitled news and reviews Blog.

 

If you are planning a visit to the exhibit halls of the upcoming NFB and ACB national conventions, stop by the Triumph Technology booth to see their latest offerings. 
 
NFB:  Booth 27-B

ACB:  Booth 31

LL

 

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Speaking of entrepreneurship with Ted Henter

June 27, 2012 — L. Legendary

In my continuing series on entrepreneurship, and more specifically, entrepreneurs who are blind, I found myself in awe of some of the brilliant individuals who generously, even enthusiastically, agreed to talk with me about their career.  I’ve also been brought up short by those who have refused, choosing instead to question my motives and insult my efforts.

In this second category, responses were the generally understandable, "I have no time for this," or "Who are you?" rejections, but on occasion, I’ve also been treated to the suspicious, "Why should I participate in an interview with you?  What are you getting out of it?"

 

Well, I’ll answer that.  It’s a legitimate question.  Why do I devote so much of my blog space to promoting the efforts of others?  Probably for the same reason that I’ve spent over ten years speaking to groups about disability awareness in the context of my own vision loss.  Because it gives my own pain meaning.  So it’s not for nothing.  To let people know there are others in the world who work to make the life of a person they will never know a little bit easier.  To show appreciation for an industry fueled by the passions of innovators like my guest for today’s post:  Ted Henter.

 

If you are blind, you may use his brainchild every day, yet know nothing about the person behind the synthesized voice you know as JAWS.  You will certainly find plenty of other articles written about Mr. Henter, and many industry insiders will acknowledge that there is a certain amount of controversy regarding the operational management, strategic planning and creative vision of what is now Freedom Scientific.  However, my purpose was simply to ask a few questions as to what motivated him as an entrepreneur who is blind.

 

LL:  What personal attributes or character traits do you feel have held you in good stead as an entrepreneur?
 
TH:  Perseverance.  I’ve had many setbacks in my career, being blinded in a car accident is only one of them.  But, you must keep on keeping on. 
and a bit of faith helps too.

LL:  What “expert” advice are you glad that you ignored?
 
TH:  "There is no money in the blindness business".  This was generally considered a fact when we started Henter-Joyce.  When I tried to hire Glenn Gordon, the CTO for HJ and Freedom Scientific, he asked me if I thought we could make a living developing software for blind people.  I said I did not know, but we were going to try.
 
LL:  For someone facing tough choices due to the economic downturn, and who may be considering starting a business as a “plan B,” do you have any recommendations?
  
TH:  follow your passion.  Do what you like to do, and figure out a way to make it profitable.  This works in good times too.  I was blinded in 1978, bought my first "talking" computer in 1979.  It would just spell what was on the screen.  It was made by Deane Blazie, and it sucked.  So I gave him enough free advice ("why doesn’t it do…?"), that he hired me.  I was passionate about making the access better, and the doors opened up.

Mr. Henter goes on to suggest that sometimes the expert advice is worth following:

TH:  About 1979 I went to talk to the Deane of the Computer Science Department  at University of South Florida, Tampa.  I wanted to get a Masters in Computer Science.  I already had a BSME.  He told me he did not want any blind people in his class, he had one recently, and that person took up too much of his time, needed too much assistance.  I did not know much about advocating for my rights then, so I left, and enrolled at the same university,  but attended a campus in St. Petersburg.  I learned a bit about programming, met a guy, talked a bit, and he hired me.  That was the start of my career, and I could have spent several years working on my Masters, but went the entrepreneur route instead.  And I am glad I did it.

So are we, Mr. Henter.
 

You can read more about Ted Henter, his bio and business profile if you click here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Henter

LL

 

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A directory of entrepreneurs with disabilities by the Forsythe Center

March 30, 2012 — L. Legendary

One of my favorite topics about which to write or speak is entrepreneurship.  Particularly, I am fascinated by entrepreneurs who have a disability.  As if starting a business isn’t hard enough, starting a business while experiencing some of the specific barriers imposed by having a disability encompasses such a tiny subset of humans, I had some difficulty finding subjects for several articles planned for the next few weeks.   

Fortunately, The Hadley School has made finding this intriguing group of people infinitely easier.  Introducing the Forsythe Center for Entrepreneurship’s new database of business owners who have disabilities.  If you are unfamiliar with The Hadley School, here is a bit of info taken right from their ‘about" page:

 

The mission of The Hadley School for the Blind is to promote independent living through lifelong, distance education programs for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, their families and blindness service providers.

Founded in 1920 by William Hadley and Dr. E.V.L. Brown, Hadley offers courses free of charge to its blind and visually impaired students and their families and affordable tuition courses to blindness professionals. Today, Hadley is the largest educator of people who are blind or visually impaired around the world, serving more than 10,000 students annually in all 50 states and 100 countries. Hadley is also the largest educator of braille. A 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, the school relies on contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations to fund its programs.

 

The Forsythe Center for Entrepreneurship (FCE) is part of Hadley’s Adult Continuing Education Program. The goal of this new initiative is to provide individuals who are blind or visually impaired with the knowledge, resources and networking opportunities to enable them to advance in their careers or to successfully launch and grow their own businesses. It was developed to address the 70 to 80 percent un- and underemployment rate among people who are blind or visually impaired.

The FCE is designed to provide requisite computer training; relevant Social Security, tax, accounting, legal, marketing, management and communications information; and content specific to the needs and concerns of individuals who are visually impaired. The FCE is meant to be practical, relevant and interactive, utilizing existing Hadley courses and newly created modules that contain the following elements:

•Online content with a variety of simulations
•Live and recorded online lectures available through Seminars@Hadley
•Interactive group discussions
•Access to an online resource center
•A searchable database of visually impaired civic and business owners
The majority of curriculum offerings and resources will be available online only.  The Center is made possible by Hadley Trustee Sandy Forsythe and her husband Rick who have made a generous, three-year matching gift toward new monies raised by the school for this new initiative. Other funders include Alliant Credit Union Foundation, Union Bank Foundation, Martin J. and Susan B. Kozak Foundation, Siragusa Foundation, Helen Brach Foundation, Donald P. and Byrd M. Kelly Foundation, Adams Street Partners and a number of individual donors.

 

Who will you find listed in the searchable database of entrepreneurs?  You can find out more about CEO’s like Mike Calvo of Serotek, ingenious solutions by Dancing Dots, and you can even learn more about solopreneurs like myself.  Each business owner has a profile page with contact info. 
 

Click here to check out the database.

 

All who are listed have agreed to serve as advisors or mentors for other entrepreneurs with disabilities.  If you admire a business leader in your particular area of interest, you can write or call them with your questions.  Are you a blind or visually impaired entrepreneur?  Download and complete the profile form, and submit your info for consideration to be listed in the directory.  

    

Click here to check out the Legendary Insights business story on the FCE database.

 

LL

 

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Take a course on social media and accessibility at the CSUN 2012 AT conference

February 15, 2012 — L. Legendary

In an effort to encourage as many as possible to attend the CSUN 2012 Conference on Disability, I have been posting short previews of some of the educational sessions from which you can expect to benefit.  My goal is to not only build anticipation, but to help you to get to know the speakers, and learn just a bit about what has motivated them to take on the challenge of improving our access to a sometimes inaccessible world.

 

This year, you will have an opportunity to hear from expert Jennison Asuncion at more than one session.  You are also likely to find him at the Thursday, March 1st tweetup event that evening in the Microsoft suite.  Asuncion was kind enough to offer his thoughts on the conference, and his planned contribution.

  

“ I will be teaching a course called Social Media and Accessibility
during Knowbility’s first  AccessU at CSUN preconference. In addition,
I am sitting on a panel called Web Accessibility Community
Collaboration that my pal Shawn Henry, with the W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative
is leading.   Click here for session information.

 

“Finally, I am co-presenting ASurvey: An End-to-End
Accessible Survey Tool.   Click here to see session information.

 

“If you are sticking around Saturday, please consider joining me at
Project Possibility’s SS12: Code for a Cause Finals at 9:00AM in the
Microsoft showcase suite. I’ll be one of the judges of projects that
students from a number of universities have been working on,
developing open source applications to benefit people with
disabilities. It’s going to be great to support and recognize the next
generation of accessibility champions, so please come by.”"

 

Jennison co-directs thee Adaptech Research Network (link
http://www.adaptech.org), where he has been researching the use and
accessibility of technology in Canadian postsecondary education since
1997.  By day, he has been supporting corporate IT accessibility efforts for just over ten years now.  And on the side, using
social media, he does his part to raise accessibility awareness in the
broad IT community, and connects folks with common accessibility
interests whenever possible.  For the last three years, working alongside other peers in accessibility, Jennison has been actively organizing a series of accessibility barcamps/unconferences (link http://www.accessibilitycamp.org), where the goal is to educate on accessibility using a less formal approach than a traditional conference.

 

For those of you who have never attended any of the major events of this type held throughout the year, Asuncion points out that it is also a tremendous social opportunity.  He says:

 

"This will be my seventh International Technology and Persons with
Disabilities Conference, sixth year presenting. I describe the event
to folks as the CES (Consumer Electronic Show) for accessibility and
assistive technology. In addition to the presentations, there’s
something about the buzz and energy in the lobby, at the Tweetup, and
in the halls that reaffirms why I chose to work in our field. I am
always keen to meet-up with those who are new to the conference, so if
you see me around, don’t be shy, please say hello.”

 

You can follow Jennison Asuncion on Twitter here: @jennison

 

Click here to go to the CSUN 2012 home page.

 

Don’t forget to use the #CSUN12 hashtag when tweeting about the event. 

 

LL

 

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