Focus on Abilities, a series: Jessica Cox

Ruh Global Communications Logo designed by Emily Ha

Debra Ruh, CEO of Ruh Global Communications, Founder of TecAccess

By Debra Ruh, CEO and Founder of Ruh Global Communications

I am writing a series about people with abilities and am proud to tell the story of one amazing woman named Jessica Cox.

Pilot, Jessica Cox standing by a plane. Image from www.katolik.ru

I am blessed to meet interesting people all over the world that are making a difference. It is time to celebrate our differences and understand that we come in all shapes, sizes, colors and abilities.

Many years ago a neighbor told me that she cried for me

every night because our daughter Sara was born with Down syndrome. I was shocked because I never thought of Sara being born with Down syndrome as a “tragedy”. Sara has so many gifts and I believe she is perfect the way she was born. She was born with hazel eyes, brown hair, a beautiful soul and Down syndrome. As she grew she complimented these god given talents with a good sense of humor, quick smile, compassionate heart and other talents.

It is time to rethink the negative connotation of a person with disabilities and instead focus on the entire person. Each of us has abilities and disabilities. As we live our lives our gifts, ability and disabilities shift and change.

Jessica Cox is a perfect example of someone that is using all her abilities to make a huge difference in the world.

Jessica Cox a 30 year old born with no arms but born with many other talents. From a young age she was determined to make a difference and fully embrace her life. She is a beautiful, talented and amazing young woman.

Jessica cox, Pilot and Motivational Speaker. Image from: http://media.azw.s3.amazonaws.com/

Jessica Cox has achieved more using just her feet than most people. She also decided at a young age to not let anything get in the way of accomplishing her dreams. She achieved a black belt in Taekwondo at the tender age of 14. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona by typing papers with her toes.

She always dreamed of becoming a pilot, and in 2008, after years of persistent effort, she achieved this goal by soloing a single engine 1946 415C ErcoupeAirplane. Cox loves adventure sports—rock climbing and snowboarding to name a few—and she just made her first sky dive in January. Cox is named in the Guinness World Record for being the first armless person certified to fly an airplane.

Jessica cox, Pilot and Motivational Speaker. Image from: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/

She is also a sought after motivational speaker, mentor, and advocate for living your life to the fullest. She has traveled the world from Europe to Australia and Africa, sharing her inspirational story. She has spoken at the World Economic Forum and the Pentagon, met Pope Benedict XVI and President Obama, and appeared on The Ellen Show and CNN. She also recently won a Susan G. Komen Inspiration Award.

Her speeches emphasize the importance persistence and dreaming big. “There are two words I’ve eliminated from my vocabulary,” Cox says. “’I can’t.’ Because once you say those words, you’ve already failed.” She also emphasizes the importance of inclusion and opportunities of for persons with disability.

Jessica Cox sitting on the side of a plane. Image from www.marieclaire.com

A documentary called RIGHTFOOTED is being created to document Jessica Cox’s life. Her goals are to change attitudes about

Jessica Cox writing. Image from: http://winnerswithinus.com/

what’s possible, and to inspire change. Want to learn more about Jessica Cox and her most recent project? Visit her Indiegogo campaign at bit.ly/Xyx15O where she is currently raising funds to support a trip to Ethiopia to advocate for disabled kids. For more information please see the press release at http://bit.ly/WfxlZj.

Please help me spread these stories by sharing them with your networks. You can find more information about my work at www.RuhGlobal.com. Please follow me on Twitter, Linked-in, SKYPE, Tumblr, Facebook, Pinterest: @debraruh

Follow Ruh Global Communications — To follow up on Debra Ruh’s current endeavors, follow her on social media: @DebraRuh or visit Ruh Global Communications

February 4, 2016

Is our workforce ready for the coming changes? (White Paper)

Written by: Kimberly Vanderland on January 28, 2013.

The workforce is changing due to deferred retirement of baby boomers and more rapid infusion of people with disabilities and wounded warriors. The workplace will need to adjust to ensure universal experience and provide on demand flexibility for these changes in demand. For more information, see the white paper below.

Workforce Is Changing Is The Workplace Ready Whitepaper (Doc)

February 4, 2016

Social Media and Accessibility

TecAccess, Making the world of technology accessible

Social Media and Accessibility

By Debra Ruh, CEO of Ruh Global Communications

I am a big communicator and to be honest it got in trouble a lot in school for chattering. In High School, teachers said that I couldn’t stop talking and my Mom often got notes about this issue. I remember in 5^th grade my teacher saying if one more person talks or laughs you will be staying after school. You guessed it that made me giggle and yes – I stayed after school and then stay in my room that weekend on restriction. I love to talk, sing, write and just chatter. My family and friends understand and usually appreciate this about me. Sometimes I think my husband wouldn’t mind gagging me but after 29 years of marriage he would never openly say that because then we would have to “talk” about it. He says that I even talk in my sleep.

A photo of Debra Ruh, iPhone near by — A photo of Debra Ruh, always an iPhone near by!

So I bet you have guessed it – I LOVE social media. Social Media allows me to chatter with people all over the world. Plus I can get instantaneous chatter back, I remember when Virginia had our earthquake (okay California- no wise cracks) it was traumatic for us. I couldn’t believe how many aftershocks we felt. One night we had a 5.3 aftershock and it woke everyone up in the house. My husband and daughter went back to sleep but I was shaken and started thinking scary thoughts like what if a really big one comes and what if a tree falls on the house. I have a great imagination and sometimes I don’t appreciate it late at night. So I got up and got on my social media to chatter about it and calm my nerves. I chattered with people all over Richmond and it really helped calmed me down and made me feel safe knowing others were feeling the same way.

I also use social media to chatter about the community of people with disabilities (PwD) and accessible Internet, Communications and Technology (ICT). I believe that the community of PwD is starting to find our voices via social media. However, there are some significant accessibility problems with social media. We find that many social media tools and applications are not blending accessibility into their products. So PwD are often left out of the social media conversation and movement because they are inaccessible

Really – come on – can’t everyone be allowed to participate? If we don’t make social media accessible than we continue to widen the “Digital Divide” and according to the World Health Organization (WHO) one in seven people are impacted with disabilities worldwide. Plus 1 out of 3 households in the U.S. are impacted by disabilities. Worldwide, this group numbers 500-750 million people and is a key influencer of the public’s perceptions.

The Internet has opened many opportunities and has greatly improved the quality of life for these users, but they still face barriers. You might think of disabilities in extreme terms such as blindness and deafness, but it also includes many others with visual or hearing impairments that are increasingly common in our aging population, and other challenges such motor and cognitive impairment.

Can an organization really afford to lose this audience? I don’t think so and this community is really chattering on the more accessible platforms so if social media tools are not accessible those platforms stand to lose out on major benefits.

Sometimes we hear that it is too hard to make an application or platform accessible. How ridiculous – accessibility should be built into the system just like you would build in privacy, security or usability.

Accessibility Features on an iPhone. Image Thanks to AMAC Accessibility Solutions www.amacusg.org

There is NO excuse to not make your Social Media applications fully accessible so that everyone can use them. In years past, developers were afraid that making the application accessible would make a system less usable or “dummy” the system down. Once again, ridiculous – we have seen amazing strides with accessible social media and now it is BAD design if you do not blend accessibility into the process level.

Want to know more? Join our free webinar on Accessible Social Media or download a free trial version of our Accessibility Management Platform (AMP) it is a knowledge platform that has tons of tips, online training and suggestions for making applications fully accessible.

For further information about TecAccess and their current endeavors, visit their website at SSB Bart Group

February 4, 2016

The ROI of Hiring Technologists with Disabilities

TecAccess, Making the world of technology accessible

The ROI of Hiring Technologists with Disabilities

By Debra Ruh, Founder of TecAccess, CEO and Founder of Ruh Global Communications

Employers looking to gain a strategic edge may find that hiring technologists with disabilities provides an attractive return on investment. Technologists with disabilities give everyone from private industry to educational institutions a way to improve the accessibility of their technology, hire a diverse workforce, and drive in more business by focusing on social responsibility and inclusion.

"ADA Requirements" in a laptop — “ADA Requirements” in a laptop

Individuals with disabilities represent a huge market segment and a large untapped workforce. Additionally, with the recent amendments to the ADA and the updates coming soon to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, technological accessibility needs to keep pace with the new legislation. These developments will require employers to address accommodation issues in the workplace, something that can be helped by having employees with disabilities in high tech and management positions.

However, disability related myths can impede this process. I worked with one large company that basically said, “We are going to decide what jobs can be done by persons with disabilities and then direct individuals with disabilities to those positions”. But it’s not the place of the employer to determine what jobs people with disabilities can do. An employer simply need to make sure that its HR systems and processes are fully accessible, and if a candidate applies and is qualified for the job, interview them and hire them to do the job. Period.

Employers can make a wise investment in hiring technologists with disabilities. A recent Department of Labor report indicated that workers with disabilities consistently meet or exceed the job performance of coworkers without disabilities. One good example can be found in a Canon facility outside of Chicago that began refurbishing cameras. They hired people with intellectual disabilities and the first year the program saved over $19 million. They also noticed that the plant’s overall productivity increased at a higher rate than other locations. Employees at the plant also reported increased morale and pride to work for the company. Such intangibles can be valuable to employers seeking a competitive edge in the marketplace.

February 4, 2016

Internet, Communications and Technology Inclusion

Ruh Global Communications Logo designed by Emily Ha

Many people are surprised to learn just how much of the world’s population is affected by a disability, and how valuable accessible design of electronic and information technology (E&IT) also known as Internet, Communications and Technology (ICT) is to local, state, federal and government, private industry, and educational institutions across the globe.

Making technology usable for all has become imperative for unleashing the potential of all and is critical for any organization wishing to remain relevant in the 21st century. Technology is accessible if it can be used just as effectively by people with disabilities – including the elderly and veterans with disabilities – as it can by those without. Half of the world’s population is impacted by a disability in some fashion, making accessible design critical to private industry, government, and educational institutions.

To understand the impact one has to look no further than the World Health Organization which indicates that people with disabilities are the world’s largest and fastest growing minority group. With the population of the United States aging, and the likelihood of developing a disability or other mobility limitations increasing with age, the growth in the number of people with disabilities can be expected to rise dramatically. Also impacting this formula is the growing population of veterans with disabilities.

The World Health Organization (WHO, 2003) indicates that people with disabilities are one of the largest and fastest growing minority groups. Public and private entities that make their technology accessible can reach and better serve an untapped and underserved market, a demographic that represents both spending and voting power, a population that exhibits a strong desire to learn and improve despite facing physical and developmental challenges (The Solution Marketing Group, 2007).

Around the world more than 750 million people with disabilities are gaining recognition as a significant and growing market for products and services, and they are making their needs and expectations known to governmental bodies, organizations, and businesses. Using information and communication technology that is accessible is the fastest way in which to reach and serve people with disabilities and the elderly in an equal fashion as those without disabilities.

A "Digital Native" image by Raminta Zebrauskas of AMAC Accessibility — A “Digital Native” image by Raminta Zebrauskas of AMAC Accessibility

Millions of people with disabilities regularly travel, shop, go to school, and eat out with family and friends. A study by the U.S. Department of Education found that one in three households in the U.S. is affected by a disability. The 2000 U.S. Census reported that almost 42% of older adults (65+ years) have one or more disabilities. In fact, in the US the percentage of people with disabilities is larger than any single ethnic, racial, or cultural group. At 19.3%, the number of people with disabilities exceeds the next largest group — Hispanic people (14.9%) — by a fairly wide margin (U.S. Department of Justice, 2005).

Harmonization of state, federal and international accessibility legislation, regulations and standards offers the promise of constraining the cost to vendors to test and certify E&IT product compliance to diverse sets of otherwise similar accessibility guidelines. Consumers of all abilities benefit from the reduced cost of bringing accessible E&IT products to market when harmonization of accessibility laws, regulations and standards is embraced.

An inclusive and universal design approach to technology is critical to both government agencies and private industry wishing to anticipate future needs of this growing population. By recognizing the importance of the protection and promotion of the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities through assistive technology, the world is just beginning to strengthen policies, strategies, and programs along with an increase in awareness of the public at large of the importance of the issue of disability and assistive technology.

Where environmental and privacy issues are more homogenous, issues around E&IT tend to be more disparate. Due to the many types of disabilities and age-related impairments, one size accessible product solution does not fit all.

Providing accessible E&IT products, web and non-web-based information and services also benefits the growing population affected by age-related impairments, in addition to people with disabilities.

“Underlying the legal and practical realities of the ‘information age’ is the recognition of the vast capacity of accessible technology to unlock human potential, to tap into great reservoirs of intellect and ability that have gone largely untapped until now, and to maximize productivity and performance for all,” says John Kemp, a leading disability law expert and CEO of Abilities! A NY based non-profit that supports people with disabilities. www.abilitiesonline.org

Nations across the world are currently adopting new laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as increasing the protection of civil rights for people with disabilities and expanding freedoms for all.

Demand for accessible technology and services will continue to rise as well as the public’s understanding of, and requirement for, technology that is usable by every citizen. (Forrester Research 2003.)

To comply with guidelines and to include this valuable group of consumers, it is important that all diversity and HR processes, information, communications and technology (ICT), product development and service touch points are fully accessible to everyone. This includes mobile technology, kiosk, software, documents, social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.), websites, and other forms of communications. The need to be accessible grows as our reliance on technology and use of social networks increases.

For further information about TecAccess and their current endeavors, visit their website at SSB Bart Group

February 4, 2016

Mobile Phone and Accessibility

TecAccess, Making the world of technology accessible

What type of mobile phone user are you? Are you a Blackberry, Android, iPhone or another device? I am still a Blackberry user and fairly happy but peeking over the fence at iPhone and Androids. At first I stayed with the Blackberry because I travel internationally and they seemed to get better coverage. Plus I work all the time (bad habit of mine) and Blackberry really met my needs. However after I started using an iPad in May 2011, yes I was a slow adopter but thanks to Tim Springer I went to the other side and I really love my iPad. I like it so much that now I am considering moving to the iPhone to replace my Blackberry. Now I am not willing to give up my windows based Laptop but using all these devices together is sublime.

I have a lot of choices however many people have very few choices because there are still a lot of accessibility problems with mobile phones not to mention the Digital Divide where many consumers cannot buy the latest device available. It is discouraging to see my friends and family not having the same choices that I do because of accessibility issues.

In February CBS News did an article stating that the number of mobile phone subscriptions had reached 4.6 billion and was expected to hit 5 billion in 2011. It is critical that everyone have access to communications and technology and that includes people with disabilities.

“Mobile phone providers in rich countries offer advanced services and handsets, while people in developing countries increasingly use the mobile phone for health services and banking, said the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). “Even during an economic crisis, we have seen no drop in the demand for communications services,” said the agency’s Secretary-General Hamadoun Toure.” (1)

Accessibility Features on an iPhone. Image Thanks to AMAC Accessibility Solutions

Mobile devices are being used to access all kind of data including financial data. “Between 500 million and 1 billion people will access financial services by mobile by 2015, depending on estimates. The MFS market will be dominated Asia, driven by mobile operator-led initiatives in developing nations to bank the unbanked. Remittance/transfers by mobile is growing three times faster than m-banking.” (2)

So what needs to be done to assure everyone can participate. A good first step is to design the device following Universal Design and Accessibility Standards. Blind, Vision Loss, Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Mobility Impairments, Intellectual Disabilities and the Elderly are impacted by inaccessible devices.

W3C logo. image from: wr.org

According to the W3C:

“More concretely, many of the mobile devices’ limitations match a number of well-known disabilities:

the small screen can easily induce pages with very small characters,
the limited viewport makes layout and browsing context changes as disturbing as for someone with limited vision,
the sometimes difficult lighting conditions (e.g. from using a phone screen under the sunlight) can make colors and contrasts as difficult to identify as for a person with colors perception problems,
the lack of mouse matches the inability of some persons to use a mouse due to motricity difficulties,
likewise, the very limited and often hard-to-use keyboards available on mobile devices is evocative of the difficulties some persons with disabilities can have to interact with a keyboard
the social and mobility context of some mobile users make the use of some modalities (sound, video) for multimedia content inappropriate, matching the inability for some people to hear sounds or see images
in a mobile context, a user might have a very limited or patchy attention span, as someone with a cognitive disability might have
on mobile networks where time and cost are often limiting factors, being able to determine what an image is before it gets downloaded matters — at having such a description would help a blind user
the use of some technologies (plug-ins, scripts) might not be possible on a number of mobile devices, like they wouldn’t be usable with a number of assistive technologies” (3)

Everyone needs access to the internet, communications and technology. I applaud companies that have made accessibility part of the development life cycle. In the future, I will be blogging about some of these amazing best practices.

References and Footnotes

(1) www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/15/business/main6209772.shtml

(2) http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats

(3) http://www.w3.org/WAI/mobile/

February 4, 2016

Tribute to Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs. Image from: www.businessinsider.com

What obligation do we have to society? Are we born to improve lives for other people or to just take care of ourselves and our families? I believe that we are born into this amazing and complicated world to contribute. We should use the many gifts we have to make the world a better place. I also believe we can bloom where we are planted regardless if we have access to resources and money.

In 1987 a doctor told my husband and me that our 4 month old daughter had Down syndrome. We were stunned, confused and devastated. What would that mean for this baby and for our lives? I also started to wonder what I could do to help the community of people with disabilities. Over the years we figured that out step by step because there are so many ways we can contribute to our society and communities. Our daughter continues to inspire us every single day and we work hard to add value to the community of people with disabilities.

Steve Jobs is a shining example of what can be done to make the world a better place. How can technology make the world a better place? The ways are abundant. Technology can be used to help a young child communicate with their parents for the first time using the iPad and some cool applications. Allow a brilliant writer with Cerebral Palsy to finally write that book that has been locked in her head. Help a programmer with vision loss become more productive because now they have access to better communications and tools. Help a veteran with TBI remember the sequence of steps to handle an application that he rarely use to support his job as a technician.

Technology can help level the playing field. Can it solve all the problems? Of course not but it can allow people with disabilities to actively participate in all aspects of society including the workforce.

I have never met Steve Jobs and was surprised at the impact his passing had on me. I am very sad and feel the loss in a way that is deep and surprising. To help me work through these feelings – I reached out to others feeling the same way via social media and started reading and contributing to the chatter.

Tim Carmody, Author for Wired Image from: www.niemanlab.org

One post that touched me was created by Tim Carmody a contributor to Wired Magazine. I have never met Tim but after reading his tweet knew he was “part of my community”.

Tim’s tweet:
“@tcarmody I’m on my way to PHL to see my son, who uses a device Steve Jobs invented to help him talk. He will never know. He will never know.”

That tweet gave me chills as I read it and brought tears to my eyes.

I then read his blog:
“My son is on the autism spectrum and has a severe receptive and expressive language delay. He’s 4 years old, and can read and spell words, and sing entire songs, but is more like an 18-month- or 2-year-old in normal conversation. He cannot use a telephone and has a hard time sitting still for video telephony. He has a thoroughly well-loved iPod Touch, filled with videos and apps that have helped him learn to speak and augment his ability to communicate.

My tweet about my son was retweeted almost 500 times, more than anything else I’ve ever written in 140 characters, and put me in touch with other parents of children with special needs — strangers — some seeking information, some wanting to share their stories.

It may be a stretch to say Steve Jobs invented the iPod Touch or most of the technologies contained in it. But Steve Jobs certainly put it in my son’s hands, both by making it a sub-$200 device (and in our case, giving it away free with a laptop) and by helping to create an ecosystem of software applications for people with disabilities — perhaps especially communication disabilities.” http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/10/steve-jobs-disability/

I think that summed up what I was feeling – Steve Jobs changed the world with his technology, leadership and ideas. I watch our 24 year old daughter with Down syndrome use her iPad to play Angry Birds, listen to podcasts, improve her reading, communicate with her friends and surf the net. She has used other laptops and operating systems but always with a lot of help. With her iPad she can do all of this independently and it has improved the quality of her life. Many times adults like Sara Ruh get isolated after they leave the school system. She works part-time for Nordstrom’s but her hours were cut back during the worst of the economy. She has worked for Nordstrom’s for over five years and is proud to be one of their team members. The iPad allows her to stay connected with friends and an active part of society. Those accomplishments may seem small to some people but believe me these are life changing accomplishments for our family.

1 out of 3 households in the U.S. is impacted by disabilities. Worldwide, this group numbers 500-750 million people and is a key influencer of the public’s perceptions. Recently the World Health Organization published a report that noted 1 in 7 people worldwide are impacted by disabilities. The Internet has opened many opportunities and has greatly improved the quality of life for these users, but they still face barriers. You might think of disabilities in extreme terms such as blindness and deafness, but it also includes many others with visual or hearing impairments that are increasingly common in our aging population, and other challenges such motor and cognitive impairment.

Plus this is not just about people with disabilities, 96% of American has said they will spend more money to support an organization that includes everyone and is involved in social good.

Want to understand the strength of the chatter by our community – look no further than Apple under the amazing leadership of Steve Jobs. They made the iPhone and iPad accessible for the community of people with disabilities. We are now singing their praises and buying their products like never before. I have read and written article after article, blog after blog about their efforts.

Design is not just what it looks and feels like. Design is how it works. Image from: tophdimg.com

Steve Jobs has left an amazing legacy and the world is a better place because he was part of it. He will be missed and many of us will wonder what else he could have done if he had more time. Steve Jobs will be remembered forever and I believe that his legacy will continue to grow and expand. What legacy will you leave?

February 4, 2016

Workplace Accessibility

TecAccess, Making the world of technology accessible

It is critical to assure that the workplace is accessible for your current employees and future employees. Sometimes people think workplace accessibility is only critical to new hires but it is also critical to retain your talented employees. Replacing employees is very expensive.

A study by the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, University of California, Berkeley evaluating the effects of the US Family Medical Leave Act found that “turnover costs for a manager average 150% of salary, including tangible costs of hiring new workers and relocation, and intangible costs such as the new worker’s inefficiency and lost productivity while the job is vacant.” The same study, incidentally, found that the cost of a temporary replacement is only 39%).

How can workplace accessibility help you retain the talented employees currently working for your firm? As employees move through the lifecycle they sometimes are impacted by temporary and permanent disabilities. It might be because of age, or a stroke, disease like cancer or diabetes or maybe an accident like a sports or car accident. However, many employees can still be productive if the workplace is accessible and accommodations are provided. Companies want their employees to be productive and do not want to lose the value assets of the employee or their intellectual capital.

What can you do to make your workplace accessible?

Assure that all HR systems are fully accessible including benefit programs, PTO, and any other internal systems.

When you hold training programs online and in-person be sure the training is fully accessible. Assure all intranets and internal service programs are fully accessible.

Train your managers, recruiters, managers, supervisors and team members about accessibility and inclusion. Be sure your employees understand that diversity is critical and part of your organizations culture.

Offer accommodations to all employees. Sometimes employees need an accommodation because they broke their arm or hurt their leg. An accommodation can be as simple as a closer parking place or a one handed key board or allowing an employee that is hard of hearing utilize and instant messenger program.

Also be sure that all videos are captioned so all employees can have access to the data.

Look at all the touch points you have with employees, clients, vendors, partners and other stake holders and assure all touch points are accessible

Websites
Online HR Systems
Intranets
Service Centers
Products and Services
Promotions – Marketing & Communications
Procurement
Training

Make workplace accessibility part of your culture and blend it into your processes. Workplace accessibility will allow your employees to be more productive and creative and assure a solid ROI for all stakeholders.

For further information about TecAccess and their current endeavors, visit their website at SSB Bart Group

February 4, 2016

Why Is Apple Embracing the Community of People with Disabilities?

TecAccess, Making the world of technology accessible

Why Is Apple Embracing the Community of People with Disabilities?

By Debra Ruh, CEO and Founder of Ruh Global Communications

Apple is said to be taking steps to make its iPhone and iPad more user-friendly for people with disabilities. Since the products all use touch screens, some with visual or mobility impairments can have trouble with the devices; however, in a recent filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple has said it is seeking to patent a method for connecting its products to accessories that could act in place of a touch screen. I know their products have always been thoughtfully designed, with assistive technology included in all of their devices as a standard feature. Now it looks like they are planning to take it a step further – raising the bar for accessible mobile technology.

Apple and Accessibility Image from: www.rde.nsw.edu.au

So why does Apple care so much whether or not people with disabilities can use their products?

I recently joined the legions of Apple users by buying and falling in love with my iPad2. My son, a senior in VCU Arts College, has been a long-time fan of Apple products and encouraged me to give them a try. At first I was all thumbs and couldn’t even figure out simple things like cut and paste. I was a programmer for many years, and because of that I think the problem was that I was trying to make everything so complicated. I had been training myself for many, many years to navigate around my Windows based PCs, and I wasn’t expecting my iPad to be so intuitive. Don’t get me wrong I am still a big fan of my PC and Windows, but I do adore my iPad2.

I didn’t have to go to Apple to get a tablet – there are some amazing tablets on the market that use Windows based operating systems. Still, I am a technologist and I have been reading all the amazing articles about how accessible the iPhones and iPads are for my community – the community of people with disabilities.

My husband and I have two children, Kevin 23 and Sara 24. Sara was born with Down syndrome and she has inspired me every day of my life. Sara took to the iPad2 like a fish to water. I was so surprised because as I fumbled along trying to make my PC brain work on the iPad she was just zooming along. Flipping on movies, eBooks, podcasts and music, and let me tell you she is an expert at purchasing items from iTunes. It was amazing to watch and I wondered how much better her education would have been if she would have had access to a device like the iPad.

As a parent, I am grateful to Apple for including her in the wonderful digital movement. She is saving her money to buy her own iPad so she can have full access. Now if only I could figure out how to lock her out of iTunes! (Guess I will have to ask Sara how to do that…)

Okay, so why does Apple care about someone like me – a middle aged, working mother of two children-one of which happens to have Down Syndrome?

Well, according to She-conomy, an online guide for marketing to women, women account for 85% of all consumer purchases, including everything from autos to health care.

Plus, like my own, 1 in 3 households in the US are impacted by someone with disabilities. Likewise, the 2000 U.S. Census reported that almost 42% of older adults (65+ years) have one or more disabilities. In fact, the percentage of people with disabilities is larger than any single ethnic, racial, or cultural group. At 19.3%, the number of people with disabilities exceeds the next largest group – Hispanic people (14.9%) – by a fairly wide margin.

In the UK, the numbers are also equally as large. For example — CSR Europe, a European business network of Corporate Social Responsibility, estimates that 8.6 million people (aged 16 and over) self-identify as having a disability, which translates into 15% of the population. Those over 50 years of age currently account for one fifth of the UK population, and they own more than 80 percent of the country’s asset wealth and are the group most likely to vote in general elections. Surprising to some, 33% of 50-60 year olds now have a disability.
In all of Europe it is estimated that at least 39 million people have a disability. It is also estimated that in every country 10 to 20 percent of the population has some form of disability, a number that is expected to grow.

On a global scale, the National Organization on Disabilities says that this powerful group controls over $3 Trillion in discretionary income worldwide, and the numbers are growing.

Why would a company as smart as Apple care about this segment? I would say that it’s because it is providing them a solid return on investment and they are making a profit for their efforts. My family will certainly continue to buy their products – not only because they are convenient and easy to use, but because we choose to support companies that make their products and services accessible to ALL people.

Kudos to Apple – I wish them huge success in all of their future endeavors!

For further information about TecAccess and their current endeavors, visit their website at SSB Bart Group

February 4, 2016

Taking the broader view of disability

TecAccess, Making the world of technology accessible

Debra Ruh argues that making digital publishing available to a broader range of people with disabilities is good for a company’s image, and good for the bottom line.

The advent of print-on-demand (POD) and ebooks has gone some way to making books accessible to more people with disabilities (PwD), but there is a long way to go. Part of the problem is that people think of disability in extreme or narrow terms, such as blindness and deafness, when it also includes many other types of disability, such motor and cognitive impairment, and, in an ageing population, increasing cases of visual and hearing impairment. And part of the problem is that some publishers seem to consider accessibility something that has to be done to avoid litigation risk rather than understanding the real opportunities to expand business.

But it is a potentially huge market. Statistics show that more than half the global population has a connection to disability.

The American Association of People with Disabilities estimates that the number of people with disabilities impacts an estimated 1 in 3 households in the US.
Worldwide, this group numbers 500-750 million people.
People with disabilities have almost two times the spending power of teens and more than 17 times the spending power of tweens (ages 8-12) – two demographics often sought after by businesses.

The New York Times reported that spending by travelers with disabilities exceeds $13.6 billion annually.

Marketing studies of the Atlanta Paralympics (Solutions Marketing Group, 2003) reveal that even households with no disability connection felt goodwill towards companies that included people with disabilities in advertising and were more likely to buy their products.

WE Magazine, a lifestyle publication for people with disabilities, reports that people with disabilities spend $700 billion a year on technology.

And as we age, more people acquire disabilities. And as we age, more people acquire disabilities. And as we age, more people acquire disabilities. And as we age, more people acquire disabilities. And as we age, more people acquire disabilities.

According to AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons), 4 million Americans
In the same Census, the percentage of PwD is larger than any single ethnic, racial or cultural group. At 19.3%, the number of people with disabilities exceeds the next largest group – Hispanic people (14.9%) – by a fairly wide margin.
And these numbers do not include the family and friends that support inclusion for people with disabilities.
There may also be unexpected benefits for publishers’ other customers. Many things that were designed for people with disabilities have, over time, benefi ted the
Debra Ruh with her daughter Sara turn 50 each year. Many adults will experience age-related physical changes that may aff ect hearing, vision, cognition and mobility after age 50. And while they may not think of themselves as having disabilities, they often seek out businesses that accommodate those changes by off ering more accessible services.
There are 76 million baby boomers in the US. AARP studies show that more than 46% of people over the age of 65 have a disability.

Likewise, the 2000 US Census reported that almost 42% of older adults (65+ years) have one or more disabilities. mainstream public too. Curb cuts were created for people using wheelchairs, but everyone uses them now – for strollers, shopping carts, vendors delivering to a store, etc.

Text-to-speech was created for people that could not communicate in the traditional manner, but now many kiosks and automobiles have this feature. My Toyota communicates with me via simple commands and the keyless entry is convenient for people with disabilities.

Captioning was created for people that are deaf or hard-of hearing, but is now used more widely – on TV’s in gyms, fast food restaurants and airports.

But sometimes the reverse can happen and something designed for the mainstream benefits people with disabilities. Outside the publishing world, one example is the front-loaded washing machine. A friend of mine, who is 3’ 11”, describes washing and drying clothes before the front-loaded washer and dryer were available. It is a funny story, but the interesting part for my purpose here is that she bought the front-loaded machines as soon as she saw them – even though she had not been in the market for these expensive purchases before. Of course ebooks and POD are also examples; created for mainstream.

It is a potentially huge market. Statistics show that more than half the global population has a connection to disability convenience, they have become invaluable for people with disabilities.

One company that has seen the business opportunities of embracing our community is Apple. It is said to be taking steps to make its iPhone and iPad more user-friendly for people with disabilities. Since the products all use touch screens, someone with visual or mobility impairments can have trouble with the devices. However, in a recent filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office, Apple has said it is seeking to patent a method for connecting its products to accessories that could act in place of a touch screen. Their products have always been thoughtfully designed, with assistive technology included in all of their devices as a standard feature. Now it looks like they are planning to take it a step further – raising the bar for accessible mobile technology.

Why would a company as smart as Apple care so much about this market segment? I would say that it is because Apple is getting a solid return on investment. My family will certainly continue to buy their products – not only because they are convenient and easy to use, but because we choose to support companies that make their products and services accessible to all people.

And there are examples from the publishing world too. Th e Hachette Book Group announced in June that it was making its website accessible to Americans with Disabilities, through a new alliance with eSSENTIAL Accessibility. A new tool will extend Hachette’s online services to individuals with physical disabilities.

“Readers are naturally curious about their favorite books and authors,” says David Young, Chairman and CEO of Hachette, “and our websites are rich with information. Providing the disability community with easy access to our sites helps foster the connection between reader and author. We are proud to be the first publisher to work with eSSENTIAL Accessibility in this initiative and to provide a more comprehensive service to our physically disabled customers.”

Apple and Hachette are leading the way and proving that this can be good for the bottom line. I hope others in the publishing community consider reaching out to and embracing this virtually untapped market; it could be a real game changer across the board.

Debra Ruh is the founder of TecAccess and founder and CEO of Ruh Global Communications Follow her blog at

debra.ruh.tumblr. com;

email Debra.ruh@ssbbartgroup.com;

or visit www.ssbbartgroup.com.

See also ‘Accessible publishing – business case’ at www.rnib.org.uk. Page 30

For further information about TecAccess and their current endeavors, visit their website at SSB Bart Group