During the week of the CSUN Conference on Disability and Assistive Technology held from March 17 – 22, 2014, Pratik Patel will be very busy indeed. he will be presenting information on a number of topics that will surely elevate his visibility throughout the week, as well as ensure the edification of all who attend his sessions. Patel’s speaking lineup offers something for just about anyone, as he is fluent and knowledgeable in a number of industry topic areas.
When Pratik agreed to an interview with me, I had no idea that I would find one of his presentation topics so compelling that I plied him with questions for over an hour. He was gracious and forthcoming, and shared a great deal as to developments in an area of communication that directly affects those of us in the blind community. Since this post is merely a promotional piece which can only provide the briefest of overviews in an effort to garner interest in his session, I must say that I cannot do our interview justice. Here, I will focus on our conversation regarding his presentation entitled, “CVAA Advanced Communications.” I encourage you to attend this session, and if time does not permit all of your questions can be answered, contact mr. Patel via the details at the end of this post. I’m certain you will find the subject matter as interesting as I did.
Patel began the interview by explaining that his goal was to set out best practices for implementing accessibility in telecommunications with users in mind. On October 8, 2010, President Obama signed a comprehensive law enabling people with disabilities to access communications of all forms including televisions, DVRs, telephones and other forms of communications. Two of the requirements of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), require that manufacturers of devices, cable and television service providers, and other telecommunication firms make changes to their services, programs, and devices to ensure that people with disabilities will have full access.
Patel says, “Now that the CVAA is in effect, and many of the parts of the CVAA are being implemented, little by little, we need to talk about what the best practices are so that these features are implemented in such a way as to keep all users in mind.”
I asked Patel to give me an example of accessibility features that were implemented without users in mind, as I found this assertion to be confusing at first. he explained that the way television and other content is distributed now, the major carriers are intermediaries, and there are a number of factors that can be barriers to users with disabilities.
“The mechanism for delivering video description became very complicated with different televisions and digital technology,” comments Patel. “For example, televisions requiring that a user navigate menus and turn on certain features, or DVR and set-top boxes that can be inaccessible, because these devices may have their own menuing system, where a person once was able to press a button on their remote control to get access to descriptive services. The original way to deliver description was to use the Secondary Audio Channel (SAP) functionality.”
I was frankly incredulous that accessibility had been an afterthought to such a degree, and Patel assured me that it was. “One of the things I want to do is not only to suggest guidelines, but to highlight manufacturers who are doing it right.” Says Patel.
He plans to outline ways in which manufacturers can standardize access to descriptive services, not only in general principle, but in specific technical terms. Additionally, Patel will reveal how you can be a part of the process. He plans a call to action that I know many will find compelling. Attend his session to learn more.
Go to the CSUN sessions page to indicate your interest in “CVAA advanced communications,” and be sure to save yourself a seat. www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2014/sessions/index.php/public/presentations/view/393
Patel is also planning to co-present with Sina Bahram (@SinaBahram) on API comparisons between iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. Check it out here:
www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2014/sessions/index.php/public/presentations/view/394
He will again partner with Sina Bahram, along with Billy Gregory (@thebillygregory), and Sarah Outwater (@SassyOutwater) to present:
Crowd sourcing the accessibility problem:
www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2014/sessions/index.php/public/presentations/view/383
More about Pratik Patel:
Mr. Pratik Patel is the Founder and CEO of EZFire, a firm dedicated to bringing new enterprise, mobile and individualized solutions to a rapidly-changing technological landscape. Since the company’s founding in 2006, Mr. Patel has worked with such clients as Columbia University, Boston University, Amtrak and The Major League Baseball to develop innovative technology solutions as well as develop policies and procedures to provide accessible technology solutions for millions of consumers with disabilities. Focusing on consulting work such as accessible, usable website, equipment interface design for the commercial sector, and usability to variety of interfaces, integration of accessibility into information technology in the higher education sector, as well as nonprofit management and development, Mr. Patel has led his company to a success. In 2014, Mr. Patel stands ready to introduce several new projects that will allow him to use his experience and expertise on interface design as his passion for knowledge and learning.
Over the last few years, Mr. Patel has served as the Executive Director of Society for Disability Studies, a nonprofit that promotes increased use of disability studies in academic and in general life. Since 2006, MR. Patel has also focused on variety of projects to ensure access to vital technologies for students with disabilities at the City University of New York. Through this work, Mr. Patel’s primary focus has been policies and procedures to improve university-wide responses to information technology access.
Until 2006, Mr. Patel served as the Director of the Assistive Technology Services Project for the City University of New York. His seven years of work with the Project enabled Mr. Patel to successfully develop and deploy assistive technology solutions for faculty, students and staff at CUNY. Through his work, the CUNY Assistive Technology Services Project was named as one of the top 100 best practices in the nation. Mr. Patel’s collaborative work with the City University’s centers that promote excellence led to a four-year PeopleTech Project by the U.S. Department of Education to bring access technologies into CUNY’s classrooms and allow the university to conduct vital research on providing access to science and mathematics material for students with sensory disabilities.
Mr. Patel has served as the East Coast Vice President for the Access Technologists in Higher Education Network (ATHEN), a professional group dedicated to ensuring IT access throughout America’s colleges and universities. Mr. Patel also serves on the New York state Governor’s advisory Council to the Department of Education to implement the requirements of the higher education e-text legislation. In that capacity, Mr. Patel has worked closely with institutions of higher learning and top publishers of classroom material to ensure access to curricular material for students with disabilities. Serving on the New York State Independent Living Council as well as on the board of Directors of the Queens Independent Living Center, Mr. Patel has focused on the use of technology among people with disabilities. Serving as the chair person for the Information Access Committee as well as the Advocacy Services Committee for the American Council of the Blind, Mr. Patel has focused on information access and advocacy needs for blind Americans. As the President of American Council of the blind of New York, Mr. Patel works on a variety of nonprofit development and advocacy issues facing blind New York residents.
Pratik Patel’s contact info:
Telephone: 888-320-2921
Email: ppatel@ezfire.net (or pratikp1@gmail.com)
Follow on Twitter: @ppatel
Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/pratik-patel/9/985/882
Skype: Patel.pratik
Be sure to head to the main CSUN sessions page to make your session choices, and don’t forget to use hashtag #CSUN14 when tweeting about the event.
See you soon.
LL
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