[NFBofSC] Article About Computers For The Blind From Spectrum Local News: North Texas Nonprofit Making Technology More Accessible

Mon Dec 21 11:27:03 UTC 2020

Original Source
<https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/austin/news/2020/12/15/computers-for-the-b
lind--the-north-texas-nonprofit-making-technology-more-accessible-> 

Computers for the Blind: The North Texas Nonprofit Making Tech-nology More
Ac-ces-sible

By Stacy Rickard Dallas PUBLISHED 6:44 AM ET Dec. 16, 2020 PUBLISHED 6:44 AM
EST Dec. 16, 2020

RICHARDSON, Texas  - A nonprofit in Richardson,
<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.comput
ersfortheblind.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C63d1266af05c481a7bc608d8a3b03544%7C8
4df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637439324485382380%7CUnknown%7CTWF
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7C1000&sdata=8Z7pAo6zjGqtXqdxMD%2FTRqhW6DiFnnRFXJjyn9nJOiA%3D&reserved=0>
Computers for the Blind, is equipping blind or visually impaired individuals
nationwide with the tools they need to be successful in today's competitive
work environment.

According to a Cornell University
<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disabi
litystatistics.org%2FStatusReports%2F2018-PDF%2F2018-StatusReport_US.pdf&dat
a=04%7C01%7C%7C63d1266af05c481a7bc608d8a3b03544%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaa
aaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637439324485382380%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAw
MDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=F6Sv6oeZ8Eop
JagvykZ%2F7P79UH9WucbcDKF9ivgBgcU%3D&reserved=0> Disability Status Report
for 2018, the employment rate for people with visual impairments was 45.4%.
That's up from the estimate in 2011, which was at 37.2%, but still a stark
difference from the 80% of working-age people without disabilities who are
employed. The study also indicates about 8% of people in the labor force
with a visual impairment are actively looking for work. The remaining
majority of the U.S. population with visual impairments are
<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjournals.s
agepub.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1177%2F0145482X19887620&data=04%7C01%7C%7C63d1266af05c
481a7bc608d8a3b03544%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C6374393244
85392338%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI
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G1Sg5E%3D&reserved=0> not in the labor force. These estimate are from data
obtained by the American Community Survey, a survey sent annually to a
random sample of more than 3.5 million households.

<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disabi
litystatistics.org%2Freports%2Facs.cfm%3Fstatistic%3D2&data=04%7C01%7C%7C63d
1266af05c481a7bc608d8a3b03544%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C6
37439324485392338%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMz
IiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=JHKwIsuKllBKUCW4mh6LEDAEyWS3vv
o16K%2Fjt0ve1SU%3D&reserved=0> A Cornell University database estimates that
in Texas, the rate of employed working-age people with a visual disability
was slightly higher than the national average, sitting at 48.1%.

Computers for the Blind is ensuring a lack of accessibility or affordability
to technology will never be an issue for its customers.

"Computers for the Blind (CFTB) plays a pretty big role and in helping a lot
of folks who don't have financial support otherwise to get into the race, to
get into the opportunities that having technology may afford them if they
work hard at it and are willing to do what they need to do to be
successful," said CFTB board member and McKinney resident Bobby Lakey. "When
CFTB founder Mr. Langford first started, he might have been selling 30-40
computers a year to individuals. This year and past years, we're up to in
the neighborhood of 1,200 to 1,400 computers nationwide a year."

CFTB receives donated computers and refurbishes them in order to install
customized accessibility software. The computers are sold to the blind or
visually impaired, oftentimes for less than just a couple hundred bucks.
JAWS, a screen reader, and ZoomText, a screen magnifier, are available to be
installed - software by Freedom Scientific that helps consumers navigate
computers. This year, more computers were sold than any other month in the
nonprofit's history, likely spurred by people working from home or virtual
learning. 

"Obviously, Windows has product built into it, a feature called Zoom, which
will do the same things, but it won't do it as much. It's kind of an entry
level accessibility. And it has Narrator, which is getting better and
better. And it will talk, but it still doesn't do the same things as if you
add JAWS, or ZoomText or Fusion to the situation," Lakey said. ""Ultimately,
we want to see blind and visually impaired people get a laptop, get a
machine in front of them, so that they can begin to learn it and be able to
utilize it and hopefully have that be a life changing experience for them."

Accessibility software has been a game changer for Lakey, who has been blind
since the age of 7. But back in his college years, this technology hadn't
yet been developed. Lakey originally wanted to focus on computer science at
University of North Texas, but had to switch to business.

"If I were going to stay a computer science major to do my computer
programming and do those things, I was going to have someone sit next to me
and read the screen. So I ended up changing my major because of a lack of
accessibility," Lakey said. "It's a very challenging and sad situation when
a person can't major in what they want to major and because of a lack of
accessibility."

Bobby Lakey and seeing eye dog Walker at home in McKinney. (Stacy
Rickard/Spectrum News 1)

Lakey doesn't want anyone to have these kinds of limitations like he did.
Along with his position on the board of CFTB, Lakey is the VP of sales and
marketing for Christal Vision, an assistive technology distribution and
support company based out of San Antonio.

"You know, there's started to be a few medical doctors who do research that
are totally blind. Lots of programmers, folks in customer service, myself
being VP of sales and marketing for a company. You know, it is becoming a
new world. And as technology advances, we are, as blind or visually impaired
people, able to to be productive and compete in today's competitive
environment," Lakey said. "It takes a village to raise children. It also
takes a village to put all the pieces of the puzzle together to have a blind
person able to be productive and successful in their life and in society."

Computers for the Blind's computers
<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.comput
ersfortheblind.org%2Fapplication.php&data=04%7C01%7C%7C63d1266af05c481a7bc60
8d8a3b03544%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637439324485402297%
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LCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=ZKhx8h3aYCw1RjKLdw%2Bbdr1wvFk6GKO1CI0aCfk%2BKXI%
3D&reserved=0> are available to any visually-impaired individual in the
United States, and there are no income or age requirements. Grants may be
available. The nonprofit also welcomes
<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.comput
ersfortheblind.org%2Fdonate.php&data=04%7C01%7C%7C63d1266af05c481a7bc608d8a3
b03544%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637439324485402297%7CUnk
nown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXV
CI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=n0lZnsqSYLyjEbb0r9uGyM2zKCp36kv04idY2Db4ZkY%3D&reserv
ed=0> donations of computers or computer parts, and monetary donations.
There are also
<https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.comput
ersfortheblind.org%2Fdonate.php%23volunteer&data=04%7C01%7C%7C63d1266af05c48
1a7bc608d8a3b03544%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637439324485
402297%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6I
k1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=%2FUj5NsX4BdYrmPUqgPsvvwq0fE%2BIaW7Q6I900
z6NbMQ%3D&reserved=0> volunteer opportunities for who may be able to donate
their time.

 <http://nfbofsc.org/?p=1985> Click here to access the membership form for
the National Federation of the Blind of SC

Steve Cook

District 2 State Board Member of the National Federation of the Blind of SC

President Elect of the Columbia chapter of the National Federation of the
Blind of SC

1st Vice President of the Computer Science & Technology Division of the
National Federation of the Blind of SC

The National Federation of the Blind of SC owns and operates Rocky Bottom
Retreat & Conference Center.  Below is a link to read more about Rocky
Bottom and to make a reservation for a mountain retreat!

 <http://rockybottomofsc.com/> Rocky Bottom Retreat & Conference Center

Please join the National Federation of the Blind of SC on Face Book at any
of the below links!

 <https://m.facebook.com/NatFedofSouthCarolina/> National Federation of the
Blind of SC on Face Book

<https://m.facebook.com/Computer-Science-Technology-Division-of-the-NFB-of-S
C-343263089815304/> Computer Science & Technology Division of the National
Federation of the Blind of SC

 <https://m.facebook.com/RockyBottomofSC/> Rocky Bottom Retreat & Conference
Center 

South Carolina Association of Blind Students

 <https://m.facebook.com/groups/375092969314880?_rdr> South Carolina Parents
of Blind Children

The National Federation of the Blind welcomes all blind people, parents of
blind children, blind students, those losing vision, and more. We are a
family of members and friends that knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. You can live the life you
want.

How to Join

Federation of the Blind is to attend a chapter or division meeting in your
local area. You can find your nearest chapter or division meeting by
reaching out to your state affiliate president. Membership in a chapter or
division will automatically grant you membership in your state affiliate and
the national organization. 

 <https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/join-us> Come join us!

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