[NFBMT] Missoulian Article on George Kerscher and Technology

[d m gina]

how kind of you to share this,
I would love to put my pretty hands on a pair of those glasses to take a walk.
I can't afford the price for the month.
Sure would be fun to try them at the convention?
Do you have a pair to try?

Original message:
> Here is a link to a Missoulian article published yesterday about George 
> Kerscher and his use of emerging smart phone technology:


> http://missoulian.com/news/local/monday-s-montanan-blind-missoula-man-develops-tech-for-those/article_bb4d4fc0-f097-53f8-b7ba-3aa56117ae5c.html


> Monday's Montanan: Blind Missoula man develops tech for those with disabilities

> From the Monday's Montanans are making a difference series

> DAVID ERICKSON david.erickson at missoulian.com
>   Aug 27, 2017

> As guide dog Kroner looks on Thursday afternoon, George Kerscher of 
> Missoula explains how a new technology called Aira allows him and other 
> blind people to talk with a live navigator who can see what he would be 
> seeing through smart glasses. “The integration of speech output to 
> control things, everything with GPS navigation, it was all developed 
> for blind people for years and years before it got applied to your car 
> telling you which turn to make,” he said.

> Kerscher, who has been blind since 1977, holds an honorary doctorate of 
> humane letters from the University of Montana, and is a pioneer in the 
> field of digital technology, according to former UM President George 
> Dennison, who introduced Kerscher at the 2007 commencement ceremony.

> If you like using your smart phone to find your way in a new city, you 
> have blind people to thank.

> George Kerscher of Missoula wants people to realize that much of the 
> technology they take for granted — such as the Google Maps software 
> that gives voice commands for GPS navigation — was developed by and for 
> visually impaired people long before it was available to the masses.

> As an advocate for people with disabilities and a senior employee at a 
> large company that specializes in accessibility technology, Kerscher is 
> at the forefront of developing ways to make simple tasks like reading 
> books and nutrition labels as easy for blind people or those with 
> learning disabilities as it is for everyone else.

> Kerscher has been blind since 1977.

>  New set of eyes

> “The integration of speech output to control things, everything with 
> GPS navigation, it was all developed for blind people years and years 
> before it got applied to your car telling you which turn to make,” he 
> explained. “It was all in the hands of people with disabilities long 
> before it was introduced to the mainstream.”

> Kerscher, who holds an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the 
> University of Montana, is a pioneer in the field of digital technology, 
> according to former UM President George Dennison, who introduced 
> Kerscher at the 2007 commencement ceremony.

> “Kerscher led the process of identifying and implementing specific 
> standards to make digital audio text inclusive and universally 
> accessible, establishing him as perhaps the foremost authority on 
> accessibility standards in the world," Dennison, who died in January, 
> said at the time.

> "His understanding and knowledge of the social implications as well as 
> the emerging scientific trends in technology and information 
> presentation for the blind, combined with his energy, enthusiasm and 
> boldness, inspire and garner respect around the globe."

> Kerscher was selected by U.S. News and World Report as the 1998 
> Innovator of the Year, and was the 1999 Montana Association for the 
> Blind Member of the Year.

> He can often be seen around town with his loyal and playful guide dog 
> Kroner, with whom he walked the 2017 Missoula Half Marathon. He lives 
> here with his wife Gail, and they have a long list of children and 
> grandchildren to keep them busy. When he’s not working for the DAISY 
> Consortium (Digital Accessible Information Systems) or Benetech, a 
> company that specializes in software for social good, Kerscher is 
> travelling to places like Amsterdam to speak on behalf of those with 
> disabilities and how technology should be all-inclusive.

> Although fewer than 1 percent of the U.S. population is blind, 
> according to Kerscher, nearly 14 percent cannot read print due to 
> various disabilities such as dyslexia. Technology like refreshable 
> Braille displays, which allow blind people to read on a touch screen, 
> gives people like Kerscher the power to educate themselves and 
> integrate into the community.

> “It leads to a more inclusive society,” he said. “In many ways, people 
> with disabilities lead in a lot of ways.”

> Self-driving car technology is being led by people with visual 
> impairments, he said, as is a new technology called Aira that allows 
> blind people to talk to a live navigator through smart glasses. 
> Kerscher can dial up a woman named Cassie who works from home in the 
> Midwest, and she can tell him what a person in front of him is wearing 
> or what’s on the menu at a local bagel shop.

> “It’s a very interesting new technology and it seems to be very popular 
> in the blindness community,” he said. “The only problem is it totally 
> fails if network connectivity is not available.”

> For Kerscher, it’s been a lifelong mission to revolutionize the way 
> that people with disabilities get access to the same information 
> everyone else has.

> “I advocate for everybody, all different disability groups,” he said. 
> “Everyone needs to be included in society and there’s lots of things we 
> can do to make sure everybody is included.”

> Jim Marks
> Blind.grizzly at gmail.com
> (406) 438-1421



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