[Nfbc-info] [Fwd: RE: Funding for Businesses and nonprofits to become ADA compliant?]

[tim at timeldermusic.com]

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: RE: [Nfbc-info] Funding for Businesses and nonprofits to become
ADA	compliant?
From:    "Tim Elder" <tim at timeldermusic.com>
Date:    Sat, April 27, 2013 10:52 am
To:      "'NFB of California List'" <nfbc-info at nfbnet.org>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think there are federal tax incentives and state tax credits, but that
doesn't really help nonprofits that are tax exempt.

You might point out that they are legally required to make the scrolling
text accessible to blind patrons.  Grants are not often given to entities
for doing things that they are required to do by law.  I also wouldn't
really consider the SF Opera a low-income nonprofit comparatively
speaking.  You would be surprised how fast money gets reallocated to a
project under legal compulsion.  That's why we have civil rights laws in
the first place: many establishments won't voluntarily dedicate resources
to make their services accessible for a relatively small minority of the
population.  And thus the discriminatory service reinforces exclusion
because disabled people become discouraged and less likely to patron the
exclusionary establishment.  I also don't think you're the only blind
person who has gone to the opera and wanted access to subtitles, though
you're probably the first to bring it to their attention.

Legal issues aside, maybe you can connect with an engineering student at
your school who is interested in creating an app.  Then hack/stream the
text of the subtitles to the app and use a braille display or
text-to-speech in headphones.  The student could then offer the app to
operas, theatres, and other performing arts orgs or vendors who serve
subtitling technology to such clients.  For example, the California
Shakespeare company has similar technology.

Regards,

-----Original Message-----
From: Nfbc-info [mailto:nfbc-info-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Brandon
Keith Biggs
Sent: Saturday, April 27, 2013 10:42 AM
To: NFB of California List
Subject: [Nfbc-info] Funding for Businesses and nonprofits to become ADA
compliant?

Hello,
I'm wondering if there are grants or funders who assist nonprofits or low
income businesses to become ADA compliant? I've been working on making San
Francisco Opera's Subtitles accessible for about three years and it has
not really changed from the first beta. Probably part of it is demand, I'm
the only blind person who even goes to SFO wanting to know the subtitles.
But their Tec guy is only there for two or three months out of the year. I
know the Opera's budget for anything is super tight as all their money
comes from donors, so I'm wondering if I can point them to some funds that
can get this product rolling again.
What would be optimal is if they got some blind programmers in there who
knows how screen readers work on different platforms and who could develop
something that could be made to work with other Opera houses.
If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.
Thank you,

Brandon Keith Biggs


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