[nfb-db] Fwd: [nfbwatlk] Device opens doors of communication (for deaf-blind), Olympian 6-15-09 Device opens doors of communication

[Maurice Mines]

hi this comes fron Washington state, used wish permishen

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Nightingale, Noel" <Noel.Nightingale at ed.gov>
> Date: June 18, 2009 8:51:27 AM MDT
> To: "'nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org'" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [nfbwatlk] Device opens doors of communication (for deaf- 
> blind), Olympian 6-15-09 Device opens doors of communication
> Reply-To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ESD GP GCDE-INFO [mailto:GCDE-INFO at ESD.WA.GOV]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 8:49 AM
> To: GCDE-INFO at LISTSERV.WA.GOV
> Subject: FW: FYI: Olympian 6-15-09 Device opens doors of communication
>
> ________________________________
> From: Stevenson, Jim H. (DSHS/HRSA)
> Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 2:33 PM
> Subject: FYI: Olympian 6-15-09 Device opens doors of communication
>
> June 15, 2009
> Device opens doors of communication
>
> By ADAM WILSON
> The Olympian
>
> People who are both deaf and blind still have ways to communicate.  
> Carrying cards with messages such as "Which is bus is number 54?"  
> can help them communicate with strangers.
>
> Many deaf and blind people can understand letters traced on their  
> palm to spell out an answer. But the method isn't perfect.
>
> "Most deaf-blind people do use print-on-palm communications," but  
> not everyone in the public understands how to communicate with them,  
> said Ryan Bondroff, a program manager in the state Office of the  
> Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
>
> The new DeafBlind Communicator is aimed at fixing that. The user  
> hands a cell phone to whomever they wish to communicate with, and  
> what follows essentially is text messaging, but on an unprecedented  
> device developed jointly by the state and private industry. It was  
> released this month.
>
> Demonstrating the new equipment, Bondroff typed a message on the  
> keyboard of a book-sized device slung around his shoulder.
>
> "Deaf-blind people who need to use it for communication in a variety  
> of settings on a daily basis," reads the message on the cell phone.
>
> Replying was as simple as typing on the cell phone's full keyboard  
> and hitting the send button.
>
> The device Bondroff held also has a Braille board. Pegs rise up in  
> sequence to spell out the reply. He read it with his fingertips.
>
> The DBC, as it is called, replaces telephone-based equipment for  
> deaf-blind users that is largely out of use, said Colleen Rozmaryn,  
> an agency manager in communication technology.
>
> Those were Tele-type Text Telephones, adapted to translate the  
> spoken word on one end to Braille on the other. The manufacturer of  
> the 1980s technology disbanded years ago, according to the department.
>
> A combination of deafness and blindness is rare, and there is a  
> limited market for even the new communicator.
>
> The state received its first shipment of 35 communicators this month  
> and has received 13 requests for them.
>
> "I ran around for years talking about orphan technology: highly  
> sophisticated technology that is needed with a small group of  
> people," Rozmaryn said. "We had to partner with some company in the  
> industry that saw past the bottom line."
>
> HumanWare, a Canada-based company that specializes in products for  
> the blind and vision-impaired, took up the project.
>
> The Department of Social and Health Services guaranteed the company  
> a contract and expects to deliver more than 100 of the cell phone- 
> based devices in the next two years.
>
> The DBC costs $8,000, but the state negotiated a price of $6,000  
> based on its role in developing the device. For qualified clients of  
> the state, it will be free.
>
> So far, the response has been rewarding, Rozmaryn said. She said an  
> 11-year-old deaf and blind student who hadn't been using state  
> services contacted the agency last week to ask about the DBC.
>
> "Blogs are abuzz with this. Twitter, too. People in the deaf-blind  
> community are talking to each other about the DBC," agency  
> spokeswoman Deborah Schow said.
>
> Adam Wilson: 360-753-1688 awilson at theolympian.com<mailto:awilson at theolympian.com 
> >  www.theolympian.com/adamwilson
>
> ON the Net
>
> To learn more about HumanWare's device for deaf and blind people: Go  
> to www.humanware.com<http://www.humanware.com> and type "deafblind  
> communicator" into the search box in the upper right. Select the  
> device name in the results.
>
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