[il-talk] Fwd: Nfb-announce Digest, Vol 94, Issue 7

Wed May 30 01:42:10 UTC 2012

Hello all,
I thought the second announcement in this message regarding cab accessibility might be of interest to all of you. The system described is being used in New York, and the announcement says that it could be coming to other major cities including Chicago.

Denise Avant
dravant at ameritech.net

P.S.  Please give to the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois Annual
Appeal by sending your tax deductible donation to NFBI c/o Glenn Moore III,
Treasurer P.O. Box 1065 Elgin, IL 60121.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: nfb-announce-request at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Nfb-announce Digest, Vol 94, Issue 7
> Date: May 29, 2012 12:00:03 PM CDT
> To: nfb-announce at nfbnet.org
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> Today's Topics:
> 
>   1. Convention Agenda in Calendar Formats (David Andrews)
>   2. Taxi Technology for Passengers who are Blind or	Visually
>      Impaired (David Andrews)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 28 May 2012 21:09:00 -0500
> From: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>
> To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Nfb-announce] Convention Agenda in Calendar Formats
> Message-ID: <auto-000062850620 at mailfront3.g2host.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
> 
> 
>> 
>> All:
>> 
>> For those of you who would like to use the convention agenda in
>> something other than Microsoft Word, here are a few different formats
>> that I created after putting all the events on a Google Calendar:
>> 
>> iCal (for adding to your Google Calendar, Outlook, or other calendar
>> program): http://j.mp/LYvrXo
>> HTML (view in your browser): http://j.mp/LCiH28
>> Microsoft Excel: http://j.mp/JIWoxN
>> 
>> you can use the iCal link if you use a Google Calendar, or a device
>> like an iPhone or iPad that supports it, to add the calendar to your
>> mobile device. If you are using Google Calendar in a web browser,
>> adding the ical feed will allow you to toggle on and off the display
>> of the agenda. You can also copy events directly to your calendar, and
>> not sync the Agenda to your mobile device, but view it in the browser
>> if you find you need to see what else is happening in addition to your
>> own plans.
>> 
>> For those of you using iDevices, it is best if you have your google
>> account added as a Microsoft Exchange account, not a Google Account (I
>> know, it seems strange, but this will allow you to sync mail,
>> contacts, and calendars between your phone and Google without using
>> another app). Once you have done this, you can go to
>> http://m.google.com/sync (from your phone) to control which items are
>> synced to your phone.
>> 
>> I know some of this may be confusing if you haven't done it before, so
>> if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll certainly try to
>> help.
>> 
>> Also, be aware that the Texas affiliate has placed the entire agenda,
>> in an HTML file suitable for computers, mobile phones or notetakers,
>> on their website at http://j.mp/LMtElc
>> 
>> Tony
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 29 May 2012 11:50:32 -0500
> From: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>
> To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Nfb-announce] Taxi Technology for Passengers who are Blind
> 	or	Visually Impaired
> Message-ID: <auto-000062936371 at mailfront3.g2host.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
> 
> 
>> 
>> The following press release is forwarded to you by the Great Lakes ADA
>> Center (
>> <http://www.adagreatlakes.org>www.adagreatlakes.org
>> ) for your information:
>> Press Release:
>> Taxi Technology for Passengers who are Blind or Visually Impaired
>> Contact: Don Hoffman (Lighthouse), 212-981-5118
>> Partnership leads to accessibility improvements for blind and visually
>> impaired taxi
>> riders in New York and around the nation
>> April 17, 2012, New York - In partnership with Creative Mobile
>> Technologies (CMT)
>> and Lighthouse International, Council Member James Vacca, Chair of the
>> Council Transportation
>> Committee, and former New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced
>> groundbreaking
>> software enhancements designed to enable blind and visually impaired taxi
>> riders
>> to independently access the credit card payment system and other
>> technology features
>> in New York's yellow medallion taxicabs as well as taxi fleets around the
>> nation.
>> CMT created adaptive software that will allow blind or visually impaired
>> taxi passengers
>> to hear the fare changing in regular intervals during the trip and
>> facilitate all
>> aspects of the credit card or cash payment functions upon reaching their
>> destination,
>> including selection of payment options, verification of fare and selection
>> of tip
>> percentages. CMT's audible touch screen system, which can be activated by
>> a special
>> card or by simply asking the driver, will transform the screen into large,
>> easy-to-navigate
>> sections that are operated by touch and prompted by step-by-step spoken
>> instructions.
>> "I consistently hear that New York City is one of the most difficult
>> places for blind
>> and visually impaired individuals to navigate," said Vacca. The payment
>> system in
>> taxicabs has been a great improvement for passengers, and visually
>> impaired riders
>> deserve to enjoy the same benefits of that system. This nationwide
>> initiative to
>> make taxis more accessible for visually impaired riders is a major
>> achievement, both
>> for the industry, and for this community. I want to commend CMT and
>> Lighthouse for
>> making this a priority. This technology will make a real difference for
>> people who
>> need it."
>> This software is critical to the blind and visually impaired community's
>> ability
>> to independently pay taxi fares. Prior to implementation of this new
>> software, blind
>> and visually impaired passengers who chose to use credit cards were forced
>> to rely
>> on cab drivers to swipe their card and enter the correct amount, including
>> tip. Not
>> only is this a violation of current TLC rules, but also it exposes the
>> visually impaired
>> passenger to the potential for fraudulent transactions, including
>> overpayment.
>> "As a blind New Yorker I am part of a community that until now did not
>> benefit from
>> the convenience of being able to use a credit card in the city's cabs when
>> the technology
>> was first mandated in 2008," said David A.Paterson, 55th Governor of the
>> State of
>> New York. "I applaud CMT for extending electronic payment to an often
>> underserved
>> community by making New York City taxis independently accessible for the
>> vision impaired.
>> Council Member James Vacca and Lighthouse International also deserve a
>> great deal
>> of gratitude for their undying stewardship of this significant issue."
>> In addition to its NYC rollout, CMT also plans to introduce software in
>> 4,500 credit
>> card and payment systems in taxis around the country including Chicago,
>> Boston, San
>> Francisco, Philadelphia, Anaheim, Detroit, Kansas City, Columbus and
>> Charlotte.
>> CMT and Lighthouse International will issue blind and visually impaired
>> individuals
>> a card, compatible with any CMT taxi nationwide, that will activate the
>> adaptive
>> software, though an activation card will not be required to engage the
>> system.
>> "CMT is excited to work alongside Chairman Vacca and Lighthouse
>> International to
>> produce these innovative software solutions that will revolutionize the
>> taxi experience
>> for our blind and visually impaired customers," said Jesse H. Davis,
>> President of
>> Creative Mobile Technologies. "We are very proud of the CMT team for
>> developing
>> this innovative technology, and we praise the hard working advocates at
>> Lighthouse
>> International who provided us with invaluable feedback in shaping its
>> development
>> and to Chairman Vacca who has demonstrated great leadership on this issue.
>> We look
>> forward to rolling out this feature in New York City and in CMT markets
>> throughout
>> the nation."
>> "This is an excellent example of the private sector working with
>> government leaders
>> and advocates to voluntarily change a system that has excluded the
>> independent participation
>> of thousands of people who are blind or visually impaired for far too
>> long," said
>> Mark G. Ackermann, President and CEO of Lighthouse International. "We are
>> delighted
>> to have played a role in this nationwide initiative and will continue
>> working to
>> ensure that every taxi in the nation is accessible to people with a visual
>> impairment.
>> Many thanks to Council Member James Vacca for his continued leadership on
>> behalf
>> of people who are blind and visually impaired and to Creative Mobile
>> Technologies
>> for their willingness to make this a reality."
>> "Having a credit card system that talks will make riding in a taxi more
>> accessible,
>> enabling me to pay by credit card independently. I applaud the efforts of
>> Council
>> Member Vacca and Creative Mobile Technologies for making this possible,"
>> said Ellen
>> Rubin, independent access consultant.
>> "We applaud this innovation, which we believe will enhance the ability of
>> visually
>> impaired New Yorkers to more independently use taxis and to pay for their
>> trips with
>> credit and debit cards," said Commissioner David Yassky, Chairman of the
>> Taxi and
>> Limousine Commission. "This is another good example of leveraging
>> technology to help
>> overcome barriers to accessibility, and we look forward to working with
>> the tech
>> community to bring further innovation to taxis with the goal of making
>> taxis more
>> accessible to everyone."
>> Lighthouse International estimates that the prevalence rate of vision loss
>> in New
>> York City is 362,000. This number will only increase because of the aging
>> population
>> and age-related causes of visual impairment and blindness, as well as
>> blindness due
>> to uncontrolled diabetes.
>> This announcement is the latest in a string of pro-accessibility measures
>> championed
>> by Vacca, whose own father was blind. On March 28, the New York City
>> Council passed
>> three bills aimed at improving mobility for blind and low vision
>> individuals navigating
>> the city. Vacca's bill, Introduction 745, requires the Department of
>> Transportation
>> to post maps of major street redesigns on its website in a format
>> accessible for
>> people with sight and hearing disabilities. Lighthouse International
>> played a major
>> role in securing the passage of this legislation, which Mayor Bloomberg
>> will sign
>> today at 5 p.m. in the Governor's Room at City Hall.
>> *About Lighthouse International:*
>> Founded in 1905, Lighthouse International is a leading non-profit
>> organization dedicated
>> to fighting vision loss through prevention, treatment and empowerment. It
>> achieves
>> this through clinical and rehabilitation services, education, research and
>> advocacy.
>> For more information about vision loss and its causes, contact Lighthouse
>> International
>> at 1-800-829-0500 or visit
>> <http://www.lighthouse.org>www.lighthouse.org
>> .
>> *About Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT):* Founded in New York City in
>> 2005 by taxi
>> industry leaders, Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT) provides more than
>> 20,000 taxicabs
>> in 60 cities and 35 states with a variety of taxi technologies and
>> enhancements including
>> credit and debit card processing, media and advertising content, text
>> messaging,
>> interactive passengers maps, GPS, electronic trip sheets and back-office
>> fleet management
>> systems. CMT has more than 6,600 units in New York City alone. CMT's
>> unique "for
>> the industry, by the industry" business model has empowered taxi fleets
>> and individual
>> taxi operators throughout the country with customized solutions born out
>> of the company's
>> deep roots in the taxi industry. CMT's FREEdom Solution integrates all of
>> the technology
>> including dispatching, banking and media components that has helped to
>> bring the
>> American taxi industry into a new era of efficiency and innovation.
>> Source:
>> <http://www.lighthouse.org/news/press-releases/vacca>http://www.lighthouse.org/news/press-releases/vacca
> 
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