[NFBMT] Missoulian Article on George Kerscher and Technology

[Dan Burke]

There are a couple of people in Colorado using or testing them, but we
don't have any here at the Center.

On 8/28/17, d m gina via NFBMT <nfbmt at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 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
>
>
>
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>
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>
>> --
>> Dan Burke
>> My Cell:  406.546.8546
>> Twitter:  @DallDonal
>
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> --
> --Dar
> skype: dmgina23
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> every saint has a past
> every sinner has a future
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-- 
Dan Burke
My Cell:  406.546.8546
Twitter:  @DallDonal