25th Anniversary of the ADA Series: Marketing to Persons with Disabilities is a Business Advantage
Making it possible for stakeholders with disabilities and age-related limitations to access your goods and services is not only an important part of complying with federal – as well as international — accessibility standards but also a strategic aspect of any organizational management plan.
– To see the full article by Debra Ruh, visit G3ict
I am currently in the process of making the first Ruh Global Communications podcast. As a long time podcast listener, I have always thought of dabbling in the world of podcasting. Luckily everyone here at Ruh Global was excited when I presented the idea of making our own podcast. The subject that I am hoping to explore is disability in our world and from the viewpoint of those with disabilities. I am still in the process of putting out my first book about tattoos and those with disabilities. I have collected a bunch of really great stories from those who have been nice enough to share their experiences and opinions with me. I think each podcast will have a spotlight on at least one of these stories.
I am very interested in the idea and taboo of tattooing as I have many myself. I am also part of the community of persons with disabilities. To me they blend together to create an easy crossover. Most of the responses have been about the empowerment that one feels when they fully express themselves in the ways they like. Getting a tattoo is definitely not for everyone. Simply having a disability does not denote that you would never want to get a tattoo. Some have a stigma of both tattoos and disabilities. Some believe you must be a criminal to have a tattoo. Some also believe that those with disabilities are not capable of deciding a decision like getting a permanent tattoo by themselves. Unfortunately there is a lot of ignorance out there. Fortunately we can dispel this ignorance through immersion and teaching. People are not sure what to think sometimes and need a context to be comfortable.
When you see a person who has a tattoo on the street, chances are they did not get that tattoo for you. It was a decision they made for themselves to make them look how they wanted. Those with disabilities are simply people and why the heck should they not be getting as tattooed as they feel like? If it makes you uncomfortable to think of someone with a disability choosing for themselves, then you must learn to open your mind.
My sister has a tattoo on her ankle of a dolphin jumping out of a wave. I have over thirty, and not all are as cool as my sister’s dolphin. My sister also has down syndrome, no one told her to want to get a tattoo, she just wanted a tattoo because she thought they were cool. She went with our mother to a local tattoo shop and they felt out the comfort level of the artists around tattooing someone with down syndrome. My mother thought there may be some who would feel uncomfortable, but found the opposite. The artist they first spoke with was totally up for the tattoo. Not even the bat of an eye, because he understood that she was simply a client just like any other. The only thing that was any different was that my sister was having to get permission from her mother before getting a tattoo. Most of us just come home one day with ink in our skin, much to the dismay of our parents. My sister still visits her tattoo artist when she is near the shop to show off how well it healed on her. He is always happy to see her and is very kind. So before you pass judgement on someone who has a neck tattoo, think about how you may be the one with a closed mind who is not seeing the book beyond its cover. Things are not always as black and white as they seem and simply expressing yourself is no crime.
Our country needs to be educated on how to deal with one another on a personal basis. Hearing stories of police that have shot and killed someone who is mentally ill or seeking help for a mental health issue scares me horribly.
The recent incidents of people like Kristiana Coignard have weighed heavy on my mind. I hate to think that if our police forces were better able to talk people down rationally we would not have arrived at outcomes where emotion and violence have taken over a situation.
Coignard’s story is one that should not have ended in her death. Family says that she was simply seeking mental health help from the police. Instead she was seen as a threat, she was a slender 17 year old girl, and shot dead in the lobby of the police station. Hearing about this and other similar stories such as the schizophrenic man in dallas who was killed by the police after coming to the door holding a screwdriver and the man who had down syndrome who was killed by police in a movie theatre.
Imagining my sister with down syndrome in a public place, afraid, yelled at by police officers, I can only imagine her reacting in an erratic way. I hope to god that she would not be gunned down for not obeying orders screamed at her in the heat of the moment. She processes stress differently and slower than most. This should be considered by police when dealing with anyone.
People have all types of different processing methods in their own minds. Especially those who have a mental disability, invisible disability, so many ones we cannot see. Wheelchair users are an example of those with visible disabilities, but there are many many invisible disabilities. If we are to trust in our police forces and not fear their presence then we need to train them to deal with any situation. Dealing with someone with emotional disabilities can be tough, but is not impossible, nor should it be treated as impossible.
I would love to hear from the readers of this as well. I have asked my followers on Twitter to give me feedback or opinions to discuss on the podcast. If you have any tips, ideas, opinions or concerns please feel free to e-mail me at kevin@ruhglobal.com I think discussing these topics further will help us all. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, I hope to hear from you soon.
To learn more about Ruh Global Communications, please visit www.RuhGlobal.com
The 25th ADA Anniversary falls on July 26, 2015. Debra Ruh, G3ict’s Technology and EmployAbility Chair and mother of a daughter with Down syndrome, writes about how the ADA personally shaped the narrative of her family.
We watched the media surrounding the signing of the ADA on television 25 years ago. My husband and I had followed the efforts being made in Washington, D.C. with great interest as persons with disabilities championed for the passage of this important legislation. It had become personal to our family. Before it became personal we believed that all Americans should have equal rights, but we did not understand all the implications and nuances.
Our daughter Sara Ruh had been born a few years earlier with Down syndrome (DS). She was not diagnosed until she was four months old, which was unusual at the time. I was 28 years old when I got pregnant with Sara and so the doctors did not recommend prenatal testing because there was no history of disabilities in my family.
I do remember that right after Sara was born a strange thought floated through my mind that she looked like a baby with DS. I immediately dismissed this because I did not know what babies with DS looked like and I did not know anyone who had it. Plus I was on pain medication because of the difficult birth.
A few months later, following some tests, a doctor diagnosed Sara as having DS. The doctor called us into the office and gave us the news that changed our lives. He doctor told us that she would be easier to raise than a child with ADHD. He also noted that she might never learn to walk or talk. He sent us to a geneticist and we were told that she might get pregnant at 16 so be careful. These well-meaning doctors were not very helpful. We decided to not listen to their negative comments with information that seemed out of place.
As we sat in the meeting room, hearing the news that our daughter’s path was going to be much different than what we had anticipated, we did not realize that people all over the United States were fighting for the rights of persons with disabilities.
The 25th Anniversary of the ADA is powerful for our family and for people all over the world. The ADA was one of the most powerful civil rights legislations of our time. The United States has accomplished so much during the 25 years of the ADA. Our family is so thankful to the people that fought for Sara and other persons with disabilities.
Sara Ruh did not get pregnant at 16 and she learned to talk and walk. Today she is an artist, a thespian, a dancer, and a motivational speaker. She has spoken all over the world to audiences as large as 5,000 at a time. She has been employed with Nordstrom’s for the last 9 years.
Sara has a good life and she spends a lot of time volunteering and helping other people. Her life matters and she has more options because of the people that fought for her rights and got the ADA passed 25 years ago.
The United Nations promulgated the Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and unfortunately, the United States has yet to ratify it despite the fact that 150+ other countries have done so. There’s a perception that signing the CRPD is unnecessary as we have the ADA. However, in order to incorporate newer benchmarks of accessibility, we need to be part of a global mandate that fosters a culture of inclusion for all citizens, including senior citizens. Disability is not a narrowly defined concept, but a spectrum that is inclusive of all abilities.
Join G3ict and other leaders in helping assure that persons with disabilities have access to ICT, education, employment, and a host of services that go towards making life productive, successful and valuable.
To learn more about Debra Ruh please visit: www.RuhGlobal.com.
– See more at: http://g3ict.org/resource_center/newsletter/news/p/newsletterId_/id_534#sthash.qrCQAYZn.dpuf
“Supporting children with disabilities and becoming a role model for other philanthropists.”
By Debra Ruh
I had the pleasure to interview Jay Ruderman. He is the President of the Ruderman Family Foundation, an impressive organization that focuses on the inclusion of people with disabilities in the United States and Israel. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Funders Network and is a member of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Executive Committee.
Jay is married and a father of four children. He is a life-long Bostonian and after graduating from law school, he began his career as an assistant district attorney in Salem, Massachusetts. He became Deputy Director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in New England in 2001. He also enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 2005 and became the liaison between the IDF and Diaspora Jewry. After his service in the IDF, he became the Leadership Director for AIPAC in Israel.
Let’s begin the interview:
Debra Ruh (Debra) question: Jay you are on a mission to change the way the United States and Israel view individuals with disabilities in society. Tell us more about your mission.
Jay Ruderman (Jay) answer: Individuals with disabilities are one of the last communities to have their rights systematically violated by the government. Wikipedia defines social justice as, “the ability people have to realize their potential in the society where they live.” This definition can be broken down into three parts: realizing potential, in society, and where they live. For Jewish people with disabilities, each of these parts presents a challenge – and for the rest of us, they present an opportunity.
The full inclusion of people with disabilities in society is a matter of social justice, civil rights, and fairness. Every Jew counts, every Jew has something unique to offer our community, and every Jew is created in the image of God, no matter how they look or express themselves. Approximately 1,000,000 Jews in the United States have some form of disability. Look at that number again: 1,000,000 people, in the Jewish community alone. Our job must be to invite them in, not put up barriers to keep them out.
Can a person with a disability realize his or her potential? The unemployment and underemployment rate for people with disabilities of working age is close to 80%. Gainful employment can build a person’s self-esteem, enable him or her to get out of the house and be social, and change preexisting prejudices about his or her abilities. Additionally, gainful employment allows individuals with disabilities to become contributing members of the workforce, which benefits the overall economy. Keeping people with disabilities out of work leaves them at home, with little chance to realize their potential.
Are we, as a society, inclusive? Many of our schools are not. Many parents are forced to forgo a Jewish education because schools lack the resources or are unwilling to “accommodate” a child with disabilities. These children should not be accommodated.
They should be welcomed with open arms, like every other child! When considering moving to a new city, all parents have to consider educational options. Parents of children with disabilities have added concerns: If the community is not inclusive, then the community is not meeting the needs of all citizens.
Debra Ruh (Debra) question: Please explain more to our readers about your work in Israel and in the United States to include children with disabilities in society.
Jay Ruderman (Jay) answer: Let me give some background about our foundation. The Ruderman Family Foundation is an American-Israeli foundation which focuses on recognizing and rewarding innovative programs which provide services that foster full inclusion of people with disabilities in their local Jewish community. It exemplifies the best in Jewish values. Guided by our Jewish values, we support effective programs, innovative partnerships and a dynamic approach to philanthropy in our core areas of interest: advocating for and advancing the inclusion of people with disabilities throughout the Jewish community and modeling the practice of strategic philanthropy worldwide.
Our first major foray into philanthropy was a large initiative to improve the Jewish day school system. We partnered with another family and we determined that children with disabilities were not able to access the Jewish educational system. We made a big commitment to this effort and have been involved in this project for over 10 years.
After becoming the president of the Ruderman Family Foundation my goal was to continue the excellent work of the foundation. I also wanted to raise the inclusion of persons with disabilities to other foundations and philanthropists.
Debra question: Let’s talk more about your work in Israel.
Jay answer: The foundation got involved in a major initiative with the Israeli government and an organization called the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to make Israeli society more inclusive of people with disabilities. This was the first time a private family foundation partnered with the Israeli government.
The project is a series of pilot projects that allows the Israeli government to be a more proactive with inclusion of persons with disabilities. The programs are supporting the Israeli government to move away from housing people with disabilities in institutions and instead create programs that allow persons with disabilities to live independently in their communities. Centers for independent living programs are now located throughout Israel.
We felt strongly about supporting the established centers for independent living throughout Israel. The programs help individuals with disabilities obtain or improve job skills. We also have programs that are teaching them independence, self-defense strategies and how to react to violence. The programs provide families that have young children with disabilities support networks of a myriad of issues focused on inclusion and unity.
After these programs were successful, we began to invest in other societal programs to help people with disabilities. For example we support a project in Israel that helps persons with intellectual disabilities get married. We partner with major organizations to help educate and bring awareness to issues that are impacting the full inclusion of individuals with disabilities. By advocating for a more progressive model inclusion and funding innovative programs.
We are very active online and are heavily engaged with media in both the U.S. and Israel. We believe it is critical to take a leadership role and publicly advocate for individuals with disabilities.
Debra question: How about your efforts in the United States? Why don’t you tell us more.
Jay answer: We are heavily engaged in the Boston area. We realized that there is a major gap in the United States between education and entering the workforce. Persons with disabilities are provided educational options until they are 21 years old. We saw major transition from education to employment issues. Unemployment for persons with severe disabilities is over 70%. We decided to become part of the solution so we created an employment program in Boston called “Transitions to Work”.
The individuals with disabilities are trained at specific job sites. For example, we have a program in a Boston area hospital. After the student completes our program they secure positions with that hospital or with other hospitals in the area.
Our program teaches skill sets that are valuable to these employers. Our program also is unique because we work with employers to determine the skill sets and the employers sign-off on the program to be sure it meets their training needs. We started having more successful employment outcomes when we facilitated these conversations at the CEO level. Once that happened we started to see a change in attitude and employers started to become major advocates for employment with people with disabilities.
One employer has hired many of our graduates. The lead manager started talking to colleagues about the program and they found many positive by-products. The manager noted that the company hired these employees not only because it is the right thing to do it but because it was good for their businesses bottom-line. These efforts have changed their workforce. Employee morale has been boosted all over the company. Their employees feel good about working there because it’s not just about the bottom line but about becoming a socially conscious business. They have become an employer of choice and they are able to recruit and retain better talent across the board.
Debra question: Tell our audience about the foundation and your efforts to support disability inclusion.
Jay answer: We take a different approach from many other foundations. For example, we do not accept unsolicited applications for support. The Foundation’s methodology is very interactive with our grantees. We issue an invitation to an applicant to apply after we have conducted a thorough analysis of the potential partner. We check to be sure there is a shared vision, innovation, organizational strength and a willingness to collaborate.
We collaborate with other major funders to partner and promote the sharing of knowledge on or about successes in its mission. Also our staff is heavily involved in the development of the programs. They remain very involved in major programs funded over multiple years. We carefully monitor the programs to assess future funding potential.
As part of our commitment to inclusion and enhancing the lives of adults and children with disabilities, we are actively supporting a range of innovative projects with organizations that focus on integration into society and minimizing feelings of loneliness. These projects cover education, housing, employment, synagogues, community life and much more.
To learn about the many organizations in the United States and Israel, past and current, who have received grants from the foundation, please click below:
Major partnerships:
http://www.rudermanfoundation.org/programs/inclusion/major-partnerships
Grantees in the United States:
http://www.rudermanfoundation.org/programs/inclusion/u-s-grantees
Grantees in Israel:
http://www.rudermanfoundation.org/programs/inclusion/israel-grantees
To learn more about The Ruderman Foundation please visit: www.rudermanfoundation.org
To learn more about Jay Ruderman please visit: http://www.rudermanfoundation.org/about-us/staff/jay-ruderman
Leading journalist Steve Paikin talks with global accessibility consultant, Debra Ruh about how employers can better accommodate persons with disabilities. Debra Ruh is the CEO and founder of Ruh Global Communications, an internationally renowned consulting firm focused on disability inclusion, accessibility of information and accessibility of technology products.
Speaking with my sister about disability seems like a natural conversation. The only thing is that my sister Sara does not see disability the same way as me. Sara has a harder time putting her finger on exactly what the term even means. Her reaction made me think of why it seemed to be such a clear cut thing in my mind. I began to question if it even was as simple as I had been making it. Sara had opened my eyes to the possibility that disability is like a shapeshifting animal that is difficult to define. Sara brought up our friend Dave. He has recently been diagnosed with Schizophrenia. Sara brought this up because he has been a friend of ours and after struggling for a while has finally found out a diagnosis so he can begin to cope with what is going on.
Sara processes things slowly and takes her time to consider all of the aspects of change. Having known Dave since we were both children, this is a change in Sara’s mind, Of course for him as well. Sara was born with Down syndrome, she is very high functioning compared to some others with Down’s. Thinking of someone gaining a disability is a strange concept for us all, but Sara has had to deal with the topic of disability her entire life. Sara hears many of her loved ones talking about disability on an almost daily basis.
Our mother, Debra Ruh, and I both work in the disability advocacy realm and it is a constant topic of discussion for both work and personal life. Recently GLOBI has began to ask for submissions to their global #DrawDisability campaign. When we told Sara about the initiative she was excited and wanted to contribute artwork for them. They are asking people all around the world of all ages to draw what disability means to them. Sara’s first choice to draw on the topic was the idea to create a portrait of Dave. What does disability mean to any of us?
To learn more about Globi and guidelines for #DrawDisability, please visit
www.globi-observatory.org/drawdisability
To learn more about Ruh Global Communications, please visit
www.RuhGlobal.com
Debra Ruh is a digital marketing professional who enables people with disabilities’ voices to be heard and included in marketing and communications outreach. As the founder of Ruh Global Communications, a strategic communications and digital marketing firm, she strongly believes that social media empowers a diverse array of perspectives to be shared, and is optimistic about the future of digital.
Her business intrigued us, and we just had to hear her perspectives on digital marketing at large. We’re grateful that she took time out of her busy day to share some of her insights with us:
Programmatic Advertising.org: In your opinion, how is programmatic advertising – the growing prevalence of marketing automation, data mining and the cloud – changing the world?
Debra Ruh: I think tools like programmatic advertising can teach us to more effectively market to clients and audiences. It will not replace people because the win is mixing both worlds – technology and humanity. I believe it can help us explore channels and directions that we have not considered in the past.
Programmatic Advertising.org: What systems and ways of thinking do you think are being completely disrupted by the emergence of programmatic buying? By digital advertising in general?
Debra Ruh: I think marketing as a whole is being disrupted. It will be interesting to watch programmatic unfold because the brave souls that tap into the powers of these tools will have great successes. We can tap into the emotional and technological opportunities that marketing now holds for the world.
Programmatic Advertising.org: We’ve often heard it said that ‘man is only limited by his imagination’ – what might be the biggest growth areas for advertising?
Debra Ruh: Blending everything together – science, technology, traditional marketing, new media, programmatic – tying it all together to really change the world. For example, the bionic eye, earand exoskeleton represent science and technology coming together to solve problems that people have had forever. Now tie marketing into those discoveries and you wake people up to so many possibilities. We are in exciting times.
Programmatic Advertising.org: In your opinion, what are some significant trends emblematic of today’s advertising philosophy? Do they align with your own opinion of what’s the most effective?
Debra Ruh: I think that many advertisers are missing many opportunities. People with disabilities and minorities are typically overlooked. People want to be part of the conversation – they want to be inspired and feel like they are part of the answers. Many advertisers forget who their true audience is or could be, and focus only on small, wealthy segments. I think we will have a lot of work to do, paradigms to shift and voices to hear.
Programmatic Advertising.org: Can you discuss how digital marketing is changing to include people with disabilities? During a conversation with another marketer, we learned that just because a population is small, it doesn’t mean it is not influential.
Debra Ruh: Sometimes the most influential are those that aren’t that “influential” in a standard sense. Here is an example that is near and dear to my heart:
Richard Dawkins is a very famous atheist, scientist, BBC Talking Head and professor at Oxford University who likes to pick fights with people – women, Muslims and Christians. On Twitter, he stated, “If your fetus has Down syndrome, abort it and try again.”
Needless to say, that captured my attention.
I sent him a picture of my beautiful daughter with Down syndrome and told him that she’ll never be a famous scientist, but she does add value to the world. It was retweeted by thousands of people and was picked as the Tweet of the Week by BBC. My number of followers (60,000) wasn’t much compared to his 1 million, but we attracted so much media attention. I acquired 3,000 new followers in 48 hours and many of those followers are some of my most vocal supporters.
Who is considered to be influential has obviously changed. Our opinions were influential to other people. Stupid, smart, good, bad – all people can be influential.
However, not much is being done to include people with disabilities or people with acquired disabilities. All marketers need to re-think their marketing to appreciate their value.
One thing we have to do as a society is move away from talking about people with disabilities as charity cases and instead use an empowerment model. They are not a tragedy, disability is just a part of life.
At the end of the day people with disabilities are consumers – and the numbers are staggering – they are 1 in 7 of all people on this planet. I’m a consumer, my daughter is a consumer and my son is a consumer. If we know that you are actually trying to make sure my daughter is included in your service, products or marketing, you just got our attention – I become an advocate for your brand. You have all of these multipliers that come into effect.
Programmatic Advertising.org: Can you tell us about any campaigns over the past year that have caught your attention (in a good or bad way)? Why did they stand out to you?
Debra Ruh: Since much of my work focuses on Disability Inclusion, Social Good, Human Rights and Accessible Technology the campaigns that caught my attention were the ones that included persons with disabilities in meaningful way. My favorite is probably the Microsoft 2014 Super Bowl commercial. I also loved these others by Nordstrom and Guinness about power of the human spirit.
Programmatic Advertising.org: What excites you about the future? What are you looking forward to?
Debra Ruh: Everything coming together for the good of all. Not just for the rich, the powerful, for one country or another – but the good of mankind. I know that sounds trite but I believe that marketing could help us all evolve as human beings. I am hopeful about the future. I also love that the “new” social media rules allow many more voices to be heard, not just the select few.
Programmatic Advertising.org: What precisely are these “new” rules of social media marketing?
Debra Ruh: Honestly, the “new rules” are that the “rules” keep getting re-written very quickly! For example, celebrities and corporations weren’t following their audiences, as if it was an unwritten rule that if you’re Kim Kardashian or HP, you’re so famous, you don’t need to follow your supporters. These rules have changed, as the voices that seem to be the most credible are people that are actually connecting with their followers.
After all, social media is a conversation. If I am listening to and engaging your voice, you should care about mine, too.
I had the pleasure to interview Joy Kniskern for this blog. Joy is an amazing woman with many talents. She started her career determined to make a difference. She has accomplished those goals and her efforts are going to making a difference for many years to come. Joy is a shining example of a woman that believes that her success comes from helping other people succeed in life.
Joy has spent her entire career making a difference in other people’s lives. She has also accomplished a lot academically including earning a Master’s Degree in Counseling & Psychological Services from Georgia State University and was honored with a Phi Chi Honor Society. She also holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Sociology from Vanderbilt University.
Joy works with Dr. Christopher Lee and his team at AMAC Accessibility Solutions and Research Center (AMAC). AMAC is part of the Georgia Institute of Technology located in the College of Architecture.
I recently highlighted Dr. Lee in my blog about Leadership. “Leaders Making a Difference in the World” Story of Dyslexia, Learning Disabilities and Finding his Greatness – Introducing Dr. Christopher M. Lee. To read the blog please visit: http://ow.ly/COCRX Here is my interview with the Joy Kniskern:
Debra: What led you to this field?
Joy: I wanted to contribute to the social good, and found rehabilitation was an area where so many people with disabilities wanted to go to work but encountered so many barriers – stigma, lack of training opportunities, physical access issues, no transportation.
Debra: What are some of the highlights of your career?
Joy: The first grant I received to establish, before ADA one of IBM’s Projects to give persons with disabilities skills to become COBOL computer programmers. There was excellent involvement of private industry in every imaginable way, over 90% of graduates were hired at wages higher than staff within 3 months of graduation, I worked with first braille printers and speech output devices. I started a parallel program in customers’ service skills training so students who didn’t like or do well at programming had a path to good employment.
Debra: Tell me about our work with AMAC – what role do you play in this program?
Joy: I am the Technology Initiatives “go to” person at AMAC- I led several initiatives like our 508 and Accessible ICT work, special grants, and outreach to new and global partners.
Debra: AMAC is part of GA Tech, College of Architecture that is an interesting place to be located. Do you think this provides an advantage to the AMAC program?
Joy: Absolutely! The College of Architecture is focused on design expertise and we are seeing that inclusive design is just as important as good and accessible design of physical spaces. AMAC started in 2006 as a production environment to meet the needs of students with disabilities through disability services providers within and outside of Georgia. Now that we are in the School of Architecture, we know that we have access to some of the finest research and academic resources in the world, and that fact and our action on it will help deepen and broader our path and impact on ICT accessibility in our digital world.
Debra: There is a lot of work to do across the US and globally to fully include PwD in the workforce and other aspects of society. How can and should Universities be part of these solutions? What steps are AMAC taking to also be a major part of the solution in US and abroad?
Joy: Research shows that to support the 9 million people in a world whose resources can support roughly half that number of people considering current consumption of goods and resources suggest that we all need to be engaged: governments, universities, thought leaders, environmental experts, in how to better engage everyone. Universities like Georgia Tech can identify technology applications that make competitive work more possible. Robots and SKYPE make telework more possible, for example. There are many examples of how universities can be engaged in developing technologies and resourceful strategies to tap into talents of persons with disabilities.
Debra: AMAC has recently won several significant grants – can you highlight and explain the part you played in winning these grants?
Joy: The First in the World Grant to establish Center for Accessible Materials Innovation (the Center) to expand access to higher education digital course content for students with disabilities, thereby supporting the improvement of their retention and graduation rates.
The proposed Center addresses the identified issues with an over-arching goal of expanding the availability and use of fully accessible textbooks for all students with disabilities, and for students at MSIs in particular, through four objectives:
(1) To develop applications to pioneer an innovative marketplace mechanism (a digital label) for the disclosure of standardized consumer information about the accessibility features of digital textbooks;
(2) To provide textbook remediation services to increase the immediate availability of frequently used titles, especially those requested by students, and to use the tools created for Objective 1 to check accessibility and add to the pilot database of digital accessibility labels;
(3) To research the causes of the seeming under-utilization of accessible textbooks by MSIs and to reverse this pattern with education and services; and
(4) To provide professional education and training on accessible electronic information for college faculty and staff including DSPs, administrators, content developers, curriculum procurement officials, and information technology managers.
AMAC, through partnerships with ATN members, publishers and AT vendors, will devise tools and applications to support the availability of consumer information through the creation of a standardized Document Accessibility Profile (DAP) for disclosing the specific accessibility features of digital textbooks. Similar to a nutrition label for packaged food, this “label” produced by an application or ‘app,’ will be created from a checklist of features enabled in the existing Online Information eXchange (ONIX) international standards used by book publishers and distributors. The “label” will be available on a web portal, and accessible from computers, tablets and mobile devices.
I designed and wrote the evaluation section of the proposal which includes an conducting focus groups at Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) focus groups to understand why the Digital Divide is much greater for minorities. We don’t have enough information about this issue to properly address it.
Debra: When you look towards the future of AMAC – what do you hope to see unfold?
Joy: My hope for AMAC is that it continues to unfold as the “go to” place for disability service providers and students they serve for digital access, and that we fully embrace the opportunities to make a difference in creating greater ICT accessibility in Georgia, the US and the world. We can play a significant role in reducing barriers related to access to information for people with disabilities. I also hope that we can sustain and strengthen allied efforts of the “Pass It On” Center for AT Reutilization, a national technical assistance center, and resources to grow our capacity for Georgia’s State AT Act Program – Tools for Life.
Debra: When you look back on your career in the future – what do you hope to see?
Joy: You know, it’s not about my career, it’s about my contribution to making the world a little better. That is what matters.
Debra: What advice do you have for young people that are interested in following your footsteps?
Joy: Look toward the highest good in everyone you encounter, do your best, and do what matters most, and take time to step aside and reflect on what is going on in your life, and those of others around you.
Debra: What are you most proud of in your career?
Joy: When I was 27, taking a risk by stepping out of the status quo early in my career to find funding and launch the Georgia Computer Programmer Project. One of my students retired making a six figure income after 20 years of employment with a well-known software company. It started me on a path of social entrepreneurship that I’ve mastered ever since then. ***End of interview***
Speaking to Joy is a breath of fresh air. She has accomplished so much during her career and she is still going strong and changing the world. I look forward to watching her career continue to unfold. She is a woman that has made a huge difference in the world. Joy Kniskern is global role model for us all.
For more information about Ruh Global Communications please visit: www.RuhGlobal.com
Science and medical technology advancements are helping people with disabilities see, hear and walk again. In a recent BBC article Cyborgs: The truth about human augmentation reveals exciting technology and scientific advances that are augmenting people’s lives. Exciting times for people with disabilities assuming you have the means to pay for these life-changing advancements. Let’s look at a few examples:
Bionic Eye
Another BBC Article is about Argus II or the Bionic Eye: I am Blind…now I have Bionic Eyes. It is a system that includes three parts: glasses, converter box and an electrode array. The glasses have attached a camera and they transmit images to the converter box. The converter box sends signals to the electrode array that was implanted on the retina.
What is it like to see again after years of blindness? Fran Fulton’s sight was restored with a remarkable new eye implant, price tag: $150,000.
Bionic Ear
The bionic ear is being credited as the first device to replace a sensory organ. The ‘bionic ear’: the couple who helped the world to hear explores the topic. A cochlear implant or Bionic Ears is a small, complex electronic device that can help provide a sense of sound to people that are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
The Computerized Exoskeleton Could Help Millions of People Walk Again. ReWalk is a wearable robotic exoskeleton that provides powered hip and knee motion allowing individuals with Spinal Cord Injury walk.
Gene Laureano walks with the aid of ExoSkelton made by ReWalk, price tag: $69,500
These scientific and medical breakthroughs are changing people’s lives. The problem is that these advancements are out of reach for millions of people. The good news is that we have the funding, knowledge, and the social drive to eliminate many of the barriers.
Here are a few programs bringing scientific and medical advancements to people in developing countries.
World Wide Hearing provides access to affordable hearing aids to youth in developing countries.
Fred Hollows Foundation has helped restore the sight of more than 1,000,000 people worldwide.
The Nippon Foundation is assisting with the operation of schools to train them, in the hope of restoring the mobility and independence of persons with disabilities in Southeast Asia.
Clinton Foundation and Standard Chartered Bank expand their fundraising and eye care programs to help reach the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and WHO’s VISION 2020 initiative to eradicate avoidable blindness globally by 2020.
Society needs to expand on these types of programs to assure these advancements are available to more people in the future.
To learn more about our work please visit: www.RuhGlobal.com
The changing landscape of accessibility across the globe will be a huge factor that influences technology advancements. The World Health Organization has identified persons with disabilities as the fastest growing minority group. With the Baby Boomers reaching the age where mobility becomes tougher and tougher we will see a huge shift in accessibility. There is no way that things can remain the same, with such a large part of the population needing accessibility in a way they have not before. We need to make our city streets wheelchair accessible, even this task sounds daunting.
While the changes may seem to be difficult to make, never the less, we need to make them and soon. This is just the tip of a very large iceberg that we are viewing from the surface of the water, unfortunately the hidden part is just as important as the visible part. With everyday changes and preparations we can be ready for mobility in the world even if our bodies have trouble with some difficult tasks. The world view on disability needs to shift into one that we consider in our day to day operations. With the world becoming more digital by the second and with things like the digital-divide to consider technology is under the scope for scrutiny. Technology is a part of life and has enriched life for most of the population. We simply need to consider who has been left out of thought, if anyone has, and then help them to join in. This can be done with simple technology like phone keyboards that are predictive and user friendly. User-friendly becomes very important and if we consider all different users it becomes easy to make accessible. ”Technology is accessible if it can be used just as effectively by people with disabilities as it can by those without.” Debra Ruh writes.
This is so true and accessibility is vital, but it should be part of our thinking while designing and not an afterthought. After all, we create minorities that are not represented when we leave some as an afterthought. We can be a prosperous global society that includes all communities, because everyone working together adds value in a way that working against one another we never could.
