[Nfbf-l] How Cloud Computing Creates Employment Opportunities for the Visually Impaired

[Alan Dicey]

How Cloud Computing Creates Employment Opportunities for the Visually 
Impaired
From: [blind-philly-comp]
This piece is from Cloudwedge.
It's no secret that adults who live with a disability frequently struggle to 
find their place in the workforce - not because of their impairment, but 
frequently because of the lack of jobs that can accommodate their 
challenges.
Over the past several years a significant amount of money, time and 
resources has been dedicated to developing technologies that improve the 
quality of life for disabled individuals, from the ibot stair climbing wheel 
chair to Apple's VoiceOver. Yet beyond improving just quality of life, 
finding a 'home' in the workplace for this demographic, where they can be 
accepted and thrive, has remained a challenge.
Luckily the gaining popularity of cloud-based technologies and applications 
is opening up new opportunities of employment for the disabled. Cloud 
computing can mean increased independence and a way to provide an accessible 
working environment for adults with a disability.
Cloud services can make it possible for people to work from home by:
. Eliminating the issue of to-and-from work transportation for those who 
struggle with mobility;
. Allowing disabled individuals to take advantage of the assistive 
technology they're already using at home for work tasks;
. Synchronizing multiple devices and services so they automatically adjust 
to the assistive preferences pre-set by a user with a disability.
Microsoft for example has a cloud-supported feature called a 'roaming 
profile' that allows  users to access their settings regardless of which 
device they're working on. This could mean that a low-vision employee would 
be able to work more efficiently across devices whether on a work computer, 
tablet or personal laptop, as long as they were signed into their profile.
With the help of another new cloud-based assistive technology, one job that 
is becoming readily available, specifically for visually impaired workers, 
is the role of a call center agent. According to the National Federation of 
the Blind, 63 percent of blind people in the U.S. are still unemployed, 
oftentimes held back by a lack of opportunity and workplace tools that can 
accommodate their disability.
TCN, a leading provider of cloud-based call center technology, has recently 
developed Platform 3 VocalVision, a call center technology platform designed 
specifically for blind and visually impaired call center agents. TCN 
optimized its software with JAWS (Job Access With Speech), a popular screen 
reader, to help blind call center agents perform their day-to-day tasks 
smoothly and productively. VocalVision is helping companies hire blind or 
low vision individuals and train them quickly as call center agents.
With VocalVision, visually impaired employees experience increased autonomy 
and efficiency and are able to better serve callers. This new addition to 
the TCN software has been extremely beneficial for these individuals as well 
as call centers. For example, one call center that has implemented the 
technology experienced lower employee turnover rates (among those who are 
visually impaired) and increased productivity of 25 percent.
According to research by Gartner, cloud-related purchases will make up the 
majority of new IT spends by 2016 - and it's no wonder why. Beyond the 
obvious benefits the cloud brings to organizations, such as the ability to 
work remotely or securely store data, the potential it has to benefit and 
change disabled individuals' lives is still largely untapped. As companies 
like TCN and Microsoft however explore how they can harness the power of the 
cloud, the future looks ripe with solutions and innovation.
Disclaimer: This article was written by a guest contributor in his/her 
personal capacity. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's 
own and do not necessarily reflect those of CloudWedge.com.
Jesse Bird
-
Feel free to visit my Web site
> http://www.davidgoldfield.info
David Goldfield,
Assistive Technology Specialist
With Best Regards,
God Bless,
Alan
Plantation, Florida