[NFBMT] Missoulian Article on George Kerscher and Technology

Tue Aug 29 02:57:00 UTC 2017

Dan,
Do you folks have those glasses we could try at the convention?
I would love to get my pretty hands on a pair just to try them.
Thanks,

Original message:
> Excellent article. Thanks for sharing it.

> On 8/28/17, Edward Robbins via NFBMT <nfbmt at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> It mentions in the article about him running the mini marathon.  I visited
>> with a school mate of mine a couple of weeks ago who ran this race at the
>> same time.  (a 75 year old lady, about the size of a 12 year old).  If only
>> I could.  Maybe if I quit setting around and got back in condition.
>> Ted

>> EDWARD C "TED" ROBBINS, E-MAIL:  ecrobbins517 at gmail.com
>> CEO MBEI & Treasurer NFB of Montana
>> PHONE & FAX:  406 453 6678, CELL:  406 799 6268
>> 104 RIVERVIEW 5 E
>> GREAT FALLS  MT   59404

>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NFBMT [mailto:nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jim Marks via
>> NFBMT
>> Sent: Monday, August 28, 2017 9:24 AM
>> To: 'NFB of Montana Discussion List'
>> Cc: Jim Marks; 'violet'; 'marjorie'; kerscher at montana.net
>> Subject: [NFBMT] Missoulian Article on George Kerscher and Technology

>> 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

>> _______________________________________________
>> NFBMT mailing list
>> NFBMT at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmt_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFBMT:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmt_nfbnet.org/ecrobbins517%40gmail.com

>> _______________________________________________
>> NFBMT mailing list
>> NFBMT at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmt_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFBMT:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmt_nfbnet.org/burke.dall%40gmail.com

> --
> Dan Burke
> My Cell:  406.546.8546
> Twitter:  @DallDonal

> _______________________________________________
> NFBMT mailing list
> NFBMT at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmt_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFBMT:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmt_nfbnet.org/dmgina%40mysero.net

-- 
--Dar
skype: dmgina23
  FB: dmgina
www.twitter.com/dmgina
every saint has a past
every sinner has a future