[nabs-l] New Technology and Blindness

Sun May 1 23:02:58 UTC 2011

Really? Stretch? The ADA? I'd doubt that one.  It guarantees the 
right of all people with disabilities to access many pieces of 
technology along with other things.  But, I do agree that there 
is still a lot of work to be done, hence the Technology Bill of 
Rights.  Just FYI, I was at the LAW Program this year and talked 
to a few members of Congress.  With some persuasion, Congressman 
Don Young from Alaska offered right then and there to not only 
cosponsor our Technology Bill of Rights when it is introduced in 
the House, but also take the lead in support of the bill.  And 
big shocker, he's a Republican! At first he was doubtful of it, 
but once we told him that there are about 3.1 million blind 
people in the country who need this bill passed to access 
essential technology in home and work, he changed his mind.  
Awesome, isn't it? Also, my Congressman, Congressman Rosco 
Bartlett of Maryland will likely cosponsor the bill.  We're 
making progress! Now, hopefully, the bill will be introduced.
P.S.  You can find the fact sheet and draft language at 
www.nfb.org.  Please talk to your member of Congress and join in 
the fight for technology rights! Two is a start, but we need 
more! Please check out the draft language and fact sheet and talk 
to your member of Congress.

Chris Nusbaum

"A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com
To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sun, 1 May 2011 14:34:31 -0700
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] New Technology and Blindness

Ashley:

Acting as Devil's advocate, what law gives us the right you say 
we have?  It
isn't in the Cponstitution nor is it in the civil Rihgts Act of 
1964 as
amended.  The ADA *might* be stretched to cover it but probably 
not in that
it was felt necessary to pass the Twenty-first Communications and 
Video
Accessibility Act last year and even that doesn't guarantee you 
access to a
large portion of technology.  That's why we're proposing our 
Technology Bill
of Rights.  But, as Ignaci says, it's a moral right, not a legal 
right.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org 
[mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of bookwormahb at earthlink.net
Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2011 6:48 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] New Technology and Blindness

Chris,
Agree there!  I'm tired of hearing oh we're the minority; true; 
but we have
the right to access like everyone else.  Touch screens are 
everywhere from
airports to now, know where? The doctor's office!  you can now 
self check in

at the doctor's  office via a screen and enter your social 
security number
or something to prove you're that person!  But we have no choice 
but to wait

in line because we can't use the self check in without 
assistance.
I want accessible technology and I want companies to consider 
nonvisual
access at the beginning; not an after thought.  IMO remember
that most low vision people now are seniors or those adults 
losing vision
from diabetes; so this would help lots of people out.  The access 
should be
audio because most people with vision loss do not know braille.
It does us no good to say oh we're the minority so we're just 
going to have
to deal with i t and inconvenience someone to act as a reader.  
No, no.  They

need to make goods and services more accessible to us.

Ashley
-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Nusbaum
Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2011 8:51 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] New Technology and Blindness

I'll say this again.  So, we're a minority.  Who cares? Should
that discourage us from at least trying to get all technology to
be accessible? My answer is a resounding, "No!" We have as much
of a right as anybody to have access to technology.  We just need
a few adaptations.  Come on, guys, where's the NFB philosophy
here? I can't be the only one on an NFB-NET list who believes
that we deserve the right of access to technology and we need to
fight for it!

Chris Nusbaum

"A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com
To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:24:46 -0700
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] New Technology and Blindness

Patrick et al:

I wouldn't count on increased numbers of visually impaired people
to drive
technology development.  Even if the number were to double,
visually
impaired people would still constitute a minority of the
population.  Short
of legal requirements, development of technology is
market-driven.  And
although *we* don't like touch-screens and complaints of senior
citizens
about them strike a chord with us, most people tend to like them
and they
are far easier to maintain than are devices with buttons and
dials that,
being mechanical devices, wear out easily.

I agree that we should strive to educate technology vendors about
our needs
but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to respond short
of legal
sanctions.  In this connection, while not the whole answer, our
Technology
Bill of Rights would go a long way toward solving the problem.
Even then,
however, we will still face some technology barriers in that
innovation goes
on and, like it or not, it is geared toward the needs of the
majority so we,
the blind, are and probably always will be playing catch-up.

Mike Freeman

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Patrick Molloy
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2011 5:20 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] New Technology and Blindness

Nicole,
I agree with you.  New technology continues to be a stumbling
block, at
least in part.  However, I think the answer is twofold: First, we
should strive to educate the people in charge of leading
technology
companies with regards to blindness.  Second, there really should
be a
law mandating all touch screens be accessible.  However, I feel
that
progress will come.  As the number of Americans with vision
impairment/vision loss increases, technology will HAVE to be made
accessible.
Just my thoughts,
Patrick

On 4/29/11, Nicole B.  Torcolini at Home
<ntorcolini at wavecable.com> wrote:
It continues to amaze me in how inaccessible new technologies
can be.  I
don't think that the people who design them are purposefully
making them
inaccessible, but it is still very frustrating.  For example, I
just read a
paper about a virtual nurse agent that is designed to help
patients
understand medical information before being discharged from the
hospital.
Although the system does talk, it has several other features,
including a
touchscreen and pointing at places in a print booklet, which
would be
completely inaccessible to the blind.  My question then is,
besides
educating
people about blindness, is there something else that could be
done? For
example, should there be a law that all touch screen devices
have to be
accessible or have an option for accessibility?
The paper can be found at:
http://relationalagents.com/publications/CHI09.VirtualNurse.pdf

Nicole
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