Accessible Tech – Page 2

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By Debra Ruh, CEO and Founder of Ruh Global Communications

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

Amazon logo from: amazon.com

My family has been an Amazon customer for many years and I use the Kindle application. I was discouraged to learn that Amazon’s latest Kindle the Kindle Fire is once again NOT accessible to people with vision loss. I was shocked to read the NFB and AFB press release and blogs noting that Amazon Kindle Fire was not accessible to people with vision loss? How can that happen again? Accessibility has built accessible products and this process should have been built into the process life cycle?

National Federation of the Blind Condemns Lack of Access to New Kindle Fire, Baltimore, Maryland (September 29, 2011): Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “Blind Americans have repeatedly asked Amazon to include accessibility for the blind in its Kindle product line. The feasibility of including accessibility in similar products has been demonstrated. The Department of Education and the Department of Justice have made it clear that Kindle devices cannot be purchased by educational institutions, libraries, and other entities covered by this country’s disability laws unless the devices are fully accessible. Despite all this, Amazon has released a brand new Kindle device, the Kindle Fire, which cannot be used by people who are blind. Enough! We condemn this latest action by Amazon and reiterate that we will not tolerate technological discrimination. The National Federation of the Blind seeks nothing less than equal access to all technology for blind people. It is one of the most critical civil rights issues facing blind Americans in the twenty-first century, and we will do everything in our power to see that this right is secured.”

National Federation of the Blind - Image from: nfb.org/kindle-books — National Federation of the Blind – Image from: nfb.org/kindle-books

Darren Burton writes a blog for AFB: “I have written several articles in AFB’s AccessWorld Magazine chronicling the lack of accessibility of Amazon’s Kindle electronic book reading devices as they have evolved over the last few years. The original Kindle was completely inaccessible to blind people, and our community protested loudly and clearly. Amazon responded by adding some text-to-speech functionality to the second and third versions. Although that still did not lead to what I would call an accessible Kindle, the incremental improvements did give us some hope for the future.

Bookshare - image from www.bookshare.org — Bookshare – image from www.bookshare.org

Unfortunately, that appears to have been wasted hope as Amazon recently announced the impending release of the new Kindle Fire. The Fire is a touch-screen version of their popular device, and I understand that this version will again be completely inaccessible to blind people. To be blunt, I am absolutely disgusted with Amazon, as they apparently have no shame. They have no excuse in this day and age, as it has already been proven by Apple that a touch screen tablet can be made accessible. Amazon knows very well that we expect equal access to their devices, and they turned their backs on us once again. It is simply outrageous that Amazon and others who create many of today’s electronic books also create barriers for millions of potential customers who are blind. For people with vision loss eager to read, I recommend ebooks from Apple’s iBooks app on the iPhone/Pod/Pad. Bookshare is also a great resource.” 1

As noted by NFB and AFB, the community has been through this situation with Amazon several times before. The first version of the Kindle was accessible and was applauded by the community of people with disabilities. The community also bought many of these devices. We were dismayed when they next version was inaccessible and the community voice their concerns.

“Arizona State University’s decision to use the Kindle 2 in a pilot program has drawn criticism from advocates for the blind, who say the electronic book reader is inaccessible to blind students. The National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind are seeking a preliminary injunction in federal court to stop ASU’s plan to use the device in place of traditional textbooks in three class sections. They say ASU’s decision to pilot the Kindle discriminates against blind students because they cannot access all of the device’s features. At issue is the Kindle’s navigation menu, which contains no audio option. A blind person cannot select a book or activate features such as the function to have the book read aloud. Advocacy groups want ASU to hold off until the device is fully accessible. They worry that if the pilot succeeds, more professors will start incorporating Kindles into their classrooms.”2

The debate raged and got international attention and Amazon finally decided to make the Kindle 2 accessible.

Kindle Text to Speech- Image from www.wikihow.com

“The Authors Guild has objected to the Kindle 2’s text-to-speech feature and Amazon — which also sells audiobooks — is giving publishers the ability to stop it working. Following objections from the Authors Guild in the US, Amazon has caved on the text-to-speech features of the new Kindle 2 ebook reader. It will now enable publishers and authors to disable the text-to-speech (TTS) function if they want. There shouldn’t be anything controversial about TTS: it’s been available on personal computers since the 1970s. It’s important to people who have impaired or no vision, but little used by anyone else. However, the Authors Guild argues that the audio rights for a book are different from the reading rights, even if the audio is provided by a software robot.”3

The community also took the time to praise Amazon after the made the Kindle accessible and we rewarded them by purchasing their products and services. See the following note by the NFB after Amazon released an accessible version.

“National Federation of the Blind Commends Amazon on Unveiling of New

A Kindle in a Bike Basket - Image from www.beyond-black-friday.com — A Kindle in a Bike Basket – Image from www.beyond-black-friday.com

Accessible Kindle, Baltimore, Maryland (July 29, 2010): The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) today commended Amazon on the unveiling of a new, accessible Kindle. Amazon announced Wednesday that the new Kindle will come equipped with a voice guide that reads all menu options aloud so blind and other print-disabled people can navigate the device menus. Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “We commend Amazon on the unveiling of a new Kindle that blind and print-disabled people can use. In order to compete in today’s digital society, blind and print-disabled people must be able to access the same reading technologies as the sighted. The National Federation of the Blind has long been urging Amazon to make its reading device accessible, and we are pleased that our efforts have come to fruition.”4

It is a shame when the next version of an accessible product was released in an inaccessible version. 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. 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 any organization afford to lose this audience?

Amazon is a wonderful company and I am sure they will make the new Amazon Kindle Fire accessible but it would be nice if it could become part of the process so that all future released will be accessible. It sends mixed messages to the community for the products to be released inaccessible and then after we make a fuss the product is made accessible. Why not just make is accessible from the beginning? We all want to buy and enjoy your products, please consider making all products and services accessible during the development life cycle.

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

References:

1. The Latest Amazon Kindle: Lighting a Fire of Outrage by Darren Burton on 10/5/2011 2:32:50 PM
http://www.afb.org/blog/blog.asp?BlogID=7&BlogEntryID=196

2. Advocates for blind students sue ASU over Kindle use. Anne Ryman – Jul. 27, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/07/27/20090727nobooks0724lawsuit.html

3. Amazon caves to Authors Guild over Kindle’s text-to-speech reading

4. National Federation of the Blind Commends Amazon on Unveiling of New Accessible Kindle7/29/2010
http://www.nfb.org/nfb/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=625

5. The Latest Amazon Kindle: Lighting a Fire of Outrage by Darren Burton on 10/5/2011 2:32:50 PM
http://www.afb.org/blog/blog.asp?BlogID=7&BlogEntryID=196

TecAccess, Making the world of technology accessible

Debra Ruh, CEO of TecAccess and her daughter, Sara Ruh

For many, the ability to telework — working remotely, usually from home, via computer — is viewed as a pleasant convenience, a benefit offered by progressive employers to enhance the work environment. But for the employees of TecAccess, it is a necessity of professional life.

“Commuting to work is annoying for many of us,” said TecAccess founder Debra Ruh. “But for most of my employees, it’s impossible.”

TecAccess, an electronics and information technology (E&IT) company, employs more than 30 associates, nearly all of whom have disabilities ranging from quadriplegia to cognitive disabilities. Many TecAccess employees, including market analyst Rosemary Musachio, require access to assistive technologies or personal care assistance that makes it difficult to work outside the home. Musachio, who has cerebral palsy, cannot speak or use her hands, but uses a word board and headpointer to communicate, both in her work for TecAccess and as a regular columnist for Sun Newspapers.

According to a 1997 U.S. Census Bureau report, the employment rate for adults aged 25 to 64 with a severe disability is just above 30 percent (and has hovered at this level for the past 12 years), with median earnings of $13,272, compared with an 84 percent employment rate for adults without disabilities, who also draw nearly $23,000 in median earnings. But constantly improving assistive technologies and a global telecommunications infrastructure have made access to higher paying, flexibly scheduled jobs more achievable.

And broadband, said Ruh, has made it practical.

About 70 percent of TecAccess associates use broadband to telecommute, collaborating with one another and with their clients. The remaining 30 percent, including Ruh herself, are dialing up and waiting not-so-patiently for broadband to become available in their areas.

“Broadband is so important to where we’re going. Some people think broadband is trendy, that it’s a nice convenience, but not really necessary,” Ruh said. “But not for TecAccess associates and for the millions of other people with disabilities.

“Broadband isn’t a luxury. Broadband is the difference between quality of life or not. It’s about being able to work and being able to interact in ways that haven’t always been possible for people with disabilities. One of our associates said to me, ‘You gave me my life back. You gave me my respect back.’ “

TecAccess specializes in information technology (IT) accessibility as well as compliance solutions for Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and 1998, providing accessibility testing and assessment, training, engineering, policy review and consulting. Section 508 requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. The quickly growing company’s clients include some well-known corporations, including Avaya, Wachovia, Verizon, Canon and Circuit City, not to mention U.S. government bodies, including the Navy, the Social Security Administration and the Department of Agriculture.

Sara Ruh, Chief Inspiration

Ruh, who started TecAccess in the late 1990s, was inspired by her daughter, Sara, who has Down Syndrome. Ruh, a former telecommunications and IT professional, realized that the future employment options for Sara were limited, so she decided to create an IT company that would hire mainly people with disabilities.

“People said, ‘Oh, open up a bakery, open up a T-shirt shop,” said Ruh. “But what do I know about cakes or clothing?”

Instead, Ruh created a company with a specialized mission and a compelling logic: evaluation and development of disability-accessible technologies by people with disabilities.

Originally, the company’s focus was on building accessible Web sites for companies, work that is clearly a perfect fit for the telecommuting model. But as the company expanded, they found an increasing number of their clients were looking for assistance in Section 508 compliance and the accessibility of technologies beyond the Internet. From there, growth has been rapid and exciting.

For example, one corporation that was working with TecAccess on various accessibility projects asked the company for its recommendation on the “dream copier.” If money were not a consideration, what would a totally accessible copier look like? Sean Stapleford, a TecAccess associate who is paralyzed from the neck down, came up with 15 pages of ideas, from symmetrical voice automation (the copier both responds to voice commands and provides voice prompts to assist users with tasks) to a copier that senses when it needs to be repaired and automatically contacts the technician, or in some cases, repairs itself.

“The client brought Sean’s ideas to their engineers in Japan, who were really excited by what he suggested,” Ruh said. “They are actually building some of his ideas into their next design.”

Ruh is counting on broadband to continue to open doors for people with disabilities. True high-speed connectivity not only supports a “virtual office,” by allowing video conferencing and transmission of large files and applications between locations, but provides people with disabilities — typically a more isolated and under-served population — with more opportunities to interact socially, learn marketable skills and achieve increasing fiscal and social independence.

Ruh is excited about the possibilities for herself and her employees with fiber to the home. For now, she’d settle for access to a DSL line (she estimates that she’s contacted her local carrier no fewer than 30 times in the last year or so to see if broadband is available in her area yet!), but for the long term, she knows her associates, and millions of other individuals with disabilities, will need as much bandwidth as they can get.

“The technologies that assist people with disabilities are constantly improving, offering more options, more independence and more accessibility,” said Ruh. “If telecommunications can’t keep up with our technology, we might as well just slow down our technology. And that’s not going to happen. That can’t happen. So let’s make sure the telecommunications can keep up with us.”

As for TecAccess, Ruh and her associates continue to draw big corporate clients, with the dual goals of both improving technology accessibility as well as growing the employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Ruh has set her sights on developing a curriculum for training people with disabilities for information technology professions.

“It’s time for more companies like this, don’t you think?” said Ruh. “And without broadband, without the Internet, we could not have this company. We would not exist.”

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