[NFBMT] Missoulian Article on George Kerscher and Technology

Wed Aug 30 02:53:11 UTC 2017

Thanks so much,

I was hoping you folks would.
I thought for sure you or Julie would have a pair.
I will keep dreaming smile.

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

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>> --
>> --Dar
>> skype: dmgina23
>>   FB: dmgina
>> www.twitter.com/dmgina
>> every saint has a past
>> every sinner has a future
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> --
> Dan Burke
> My Cell:  406.546.8546
> Twitter:  @DallDonal

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