[blindkid] Looking forward

Albert J Rizzi albert at myblindspot.org
Fri Mar 5 21:32:17 UTC 2010


Lol, I like that story. But, advocating  is a key in all things. It is
simple economics  101 supply and demand. If we do not demand products which
adhere to our accessibility  needs, they will not be supplied. Or in the
worst case scenario we will be given what others think we need. And then we
are right where they want us, rather then us being where we want and need to
be. each technology can be tweaked and customized as our preferences desire
yet without working on corporations and federal offices to comply with
writing programs taking into consideration our accessible technologies, we
will always have tools that do half the job. We must move to compliance of
accessibility codings for inter and intra net if we are to be able to use
our technology tools to the best of their intended design.

Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
CEO/Founder
My Blind Spot, Inc.
90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
New York, New York  10004
www.myblindspot.org
PH: 917-553-0347
Fax: 212-858-5759
"The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
doing it."


Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn



-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Susan Harper
Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 11:46 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Looking forward

Hi All,
     I think it is important that we look at all technology and ask
ourselves is this usable and how can we access it for ourselves and our
children.  I have to agree that specifically targeted adaptive equipment,
regardless of what it is aimed at, has a significantly higher price tag and
doesn't always deliver.  Grandstanding or not, we as a community must make
ourselves heard and be specific about what we want.  Companies will not know
what we want or need unless we ask!  It is not a one size fits all.
Unfortunately, those who stand back and wait are going to wait a long time.
It still holds true that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  Keep on
advocating!  Don't worry as you can't please everyone all the time and end
up pleasing no one.

    Story to illustrate my point:  I have given the condensed version, from
a story  that was used in a second grade home school English book
yesterday.  A man and a boy walked with their donkey to town  the to sell
him.  They met a man/woman who said, "Don't be foolish, let the boy ride the
donkey."  Next they met a man/woman who said, "Lazy boy, let the old man
ride the donkey and walk."  Next they met a man/woman who said, "That donkey
can carry you both."  Next they met a man/woman who said, "That poor donkey
carrying the two of you, you should be carrying him."  So the man and the
boy carried the donkey into town, where everyone laughed at them and said,
"Why are you carrying the donkey instead on riding him?"  The man became
angry and said,  We will do what I though best the first time.  The point of
the is, "When one tries to please everybody, he/she pleases nobody, not even
himself/herself."

Blessings,
Sue H.

On Fri, Mar 5, 2010 at 9:14 AM, Albert J Rizzi
<albert at myblindspot.org>wrote:

> I would have to disagree with you on the universality approach to
> accessibility I have yet to find reason to believe that by addressing a
> broad array of disabilities or that products being sold as accessible
ready
> would do anything but open doors of opportunity. I wish the phone
companies
> of this country would understand how important speech to text and
> accessible
> phones are to the blind and disabled. While I do not like band standing on
> products, which does happen from time to time on these threads, I do feel
> that we as a community need to take a long hard look at why technologies
> are
> not following the same compliance regulations  as purportedly required by
> law. Even the federal government and local municipalities  and schools
turn
> a blind eye to the disability communities technological needs. At least
> there are players out there making strides to adhere to section 507 and
> section 504 guidelines of the rehab act or the ADA.
>
> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> CEO/Founder
> My Blind Spot, Inc.
> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> New York, New York  10004
> www.myblindspot.org
> PH: 917-553-0347
> Fax: 212-858-5759
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
> doing it."
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Mike Freeman
> Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2010 10:14 PM
> To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Looking forward
>
> I agree. And Steve is right; there was far more than a great deal of
hidden
> marketing in Calvo's diatribe. And this is what bugs me about his doings;
> he
>
> tends to try to push his products while appearing to be a knight in
shining
> armor. I'd much rather have a straightforward sales pitch.
>
> Although I applaud Apple's efforts toward accessibility, I think we, the
> blind, should think long and hard before we espouse so-called "universal
> design" willy-nilly. Why? Because it is almost inevitable that products
> designed for a range of disabilities will not serve any one of them
> optimally. So we'll end up in a world of accessibility mediocrity.
>
> AS I say, Steve's post has much to recommend it.
>
> Mike
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Deborah Kent Stein" <dkent5817 at worldnet.att.net>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2010 5:33 PM
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Looking forward
>
>
> >
> >
> > As a dedicated Braille reader I am wary of the idea of eliminating
> > companies that design technology exclusively for the blindness market.
I
> > highly doubt that mainstream companies will ever come forth with devices
> > that include Braille displays.  Refreshable Braille has expanded Braille
> > access beyond my wildest dreams, and I worry that a shift to purely
> > mainstream products could turn out to be a giant step into speech access
> > only.
> >
> > Debbie
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Steve Jacobson" <steve.jacobson at visi.com>
> > To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> > <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> > Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2010 4:45 PM
> > Subject: Re: [blindkid] Looking forward
> >
> >
> >> Sally,
> >>
> >> I have hesitated to say anything because I feel that Serotek has very
> >> nice products but somewhat questionable marketing techniques.  The fact
> >> is that to talk you
> >> away from JFW, HAL, or Window-Eyes right now is really talking you into
> >> his products in my opinion.  He over-simplifies the situation with
> >> braille displays, too.  He is
> >> using our frustrations and civil rights to direct frustration against
> his
>
> >> biggest compettitors without letting you know that he is doing that.
> >> This is also coming out just
> >> before the large CSUN conference which I feel makes the timing
> >> interesting.  Let me be clear, he makes some good points, and his
> >> products tend to be good
> >> values, but this hit me wrong, too.  There are some reasons that many
of
> >> us have felt that we have been better served to have some competition
in
> >> the screen
> >> reader arena even though it cost us more, rather  than to push
Microsoft
> >> to create a screen reader, and I'd be glad to explain that sometime if
> >> you are interested.
> >> The picture is complicated.
> >>
> >> We should push to raise awareness of accessibility within mainstream
> >> software, and we need to watch how it works to do what Apple is doing.
> >> The writer is correct
> >> that things will be changing over time, but I think there was a good
> deal
>
> >> of hidden marketing here.
> >>
> >> Best regards,
> >>
> >> Steve Jacobson
> >>
> >> On Thu, 4 Mar 2010 08:31:24 -0600, Sally Thomas wrote:
> >>
> >>>Do you think he's self serving?  It seems to me that supporting
> >>>technology
> >>>that is accessible right out of the box is a good thing.  I bought my
> son
>
> >>>a
> >>>Victor Reader and it languishes beside his iPod Touch which is used
> every
> >>>day.  The Touch is smaller and more useful to him but both technologies
> >>>cost
> >>>me about the same.  I also thought that the NFB Technology Bill of
> Rights
> >>>was along these lines--equipment accessible right out of the box.
> >>
> >>>I would believe that his motives aren't pure since he is a businessman
> >>>but I
> >>>am a bit tired of buying very expensive equipment only to find out a
> >>>couple
> >>>of months later that it is obsolete.
> >>
> >>>Sally Thomas
> >>>----- Original Message -----
> >>>From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
> >>>To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> >>><blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> >>>Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2010 11:01 PM
> >>>Subject: Re: [blindkid] Looking forward
> >>
> >>
> >>>> Pure demagoguery.
> >>>>
> >>>> Mike
> >>>>
> >>>> ----- Original Message -----
> >>>> From: "Sally Thomas" <seacknit at gmail.com>
> >>>> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> >>>> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> >>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2010 9:16 AM
> >>>> Subject: [blindkid] Looking forward
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>>I received the following email from the TABS list.  I hope this isn't
> >>>>>redundant for you.  I'm really excited by Serotek's plan.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Subject: [leadership] Serotek declares war on the traditional
> adaptive
> >>>>> technology industry and their blind ghetto products
> >>>>> This is no warm fuzzy of a read, but something well worth the read
> and
> >>>>> in my opinion long over due. Kudos to SeroTekCited from
> >>>>> http://blog.serotek.com/
> >>>>> The Serotek Ultimatum
> >>>>> Serotek declares war on the traditional adaptive technology industry
> >>>>> and their blind ghetto products. With this announcement we are
> >>>>> sending out a
> >>>>> call to arms to every blind person and every advocate for the blind
> to
> >>>>> rise
> >>>>> up and throw off the tyranny that has shaped our lives for the past
> >>>>> two
> >>>>> decades. It is a tyranny of good intentions - or at least what began
> >>>>> as
> >>>>> good
> >>>>> intentions. But as the proverb says, "the road to hell is paved with
> >>>>> good
> >>>>> intentions." And for the past two decades the technologies
originally
> >>>>> conceived to give us freedom have been our shackles. They have kept
> us
> >>>>> tied
> >>>>> down to underperforming, obscenely expensive approaches that only a
> >>>>> small
> >>>>> percentage of blind people can afford or master. They have shackled
> us
>
> >>>>> to
> >>>>> government largess and the charity of strangers to pay for what few
> >>>>> among
> >>>>> us
> >>>>> could afford on our own. And we have been sheep, lead down the path,
> >>>>> bleating from time to time, but without the vision or the resources
> to
> >>>>> stand
> >>>>> up and demand our due.
> >>>>> That time is past.
> >>>>> We stand today on the very edge of universal accessibility.
> Mainstream
> >>>>> products like the iPod, iPhone, and newly announced iPad are fully
> >>>>> accessible out of the box. And they bring with them a wealth of
> highly
> >>>>> desirable accessibility applications. The cost to blind people is
> >>>>> exactly
> >>>>> the same as the cost to sighted people. It's the same equipment, the
> >>>>> same
> >>>>> software, the same functionality, and fully accessible.
> >>>>> What Apple has done, others are doing as well. The adaptive
> technology
> >>>>> vendor who creates hardware and software that is intended only for
> >>>>> blind
> >>>>> folks, and then only if they are subsidized by the government, is a
> >>>>> dinosaur. The asteroid has hit the earth, the dust cloud is
> >>>>> ubiquitous,
> >>>>> the
> >>>>> dinosaur's days are numbered.
> >>>>> But dinosaurs are huge, and their extinction does not happen
> >>>>> overnight..
> >>>>> Even as they die, they spawn others like them (take the Intel Reader
> >>>>> for
> >>>>> example). Thank you, no. Any blind person can have full
accessibility
> >>>>> to
> >>>>> any
> >>>>> type of information without the high-cost, blind-ghetto gear. They
> can
> >>>>> get
> >>>>> it in the same products their sighted friends are buying. But let's
> >>>>> face
> >>>>> it;
> >>>>> if we keep buying that crap and keep besieging our visual resource
> >>>>> center
> >>>>> to
> >>>>> buy that crap for us, the dinosaurs of the industry are going to
keep
> >>>>> making
> >>>>> it. Their profit margins are very good indeed. And many have
invested
> >>>>> exactly none of that profit in creating the next generation of
access
> >>>>> technology, choosing instead to perpetuate the status quo. For
> >>>>> instance,
> >>>>> refreshable braille technology, arguably the most expensive
> >>>>> blindness-specific(and to many very necessary) product has not
> changed
> >>>>> significantly in 30 years. Yet, the cost remains out of reach for
> most
> >>>>> blind
> >>>>> people. Where's the innovation there? Why have companies not
invested
> >>>>> in
> >>>>> cheaper, faster, smaller, and more efficient ways to make
refreshable
> >>>>> braille? Surely the piezoelectric braille cell is not the only way?
> >>>>> And
> >>>>> what
> >>>>> about PC-based OCR software? It's still around a thousand dollars
per
> >>>>> license, yet core functionality hasn't changed much; sure, we get
all
> >>>>> sorts
> >>>>> of features not at all related to reading, along with incremental
> >>>>> accuracy
> >>>>> improvements, but why are these prices not dropping either,
> especially
> >>>>> when
> >>>>> you consider that comparable off-the-shelf solutions like Abby
> >>>>> Finereader
> >>>>> can be had for as low as $79? ? And let's not forget the screen
> reader
> >>>>> itself, the core technology that all of us need to access our
> >>>>> computers
> >>>>> in
> >>>>> the first place. Do we see improvements, or just an attempt to mimic
> >>>>> innovation with the addition of features which have nothing to do
> with
> >>>>> the
> >>>>> actual reading of the screen, while maintaining the same ridiculous
> >>>>> price
> >>>>> point.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> This maintaining of the status quo will, inevitably, face an
enormous
> >>>>> crash,
> >>>>> worse than the transition from DOS to Windows based accessibility.
> You
> >>>>> can
> >>>>> expect a technology crash that will put users of the most expensive
> >>>>> accessibility gear out of business.
> >>>>> Why? I won't bore you with all the technical details, but the basic
> >>>>> story
> >>>>> is
> >>>>> that some of these products have been kept current with patches and
> >>>>> fixes
> >>>>> and partial rewrites and other tricks we IT types use when we
haven't
> >>>>> got
> >>>>> the budget to do it right, but we need to make the product work with
> >>>>> the
> >>>>> latest operating system. That process of patching and fixing creates
> >>>>> an
> >>>>> enormous legacy barrier that makes it impossible to rewrite without
> >>>>> abandoning all who came before. But you can only keep a kluge
working
> >>>>> for
> >>>>> so
> >>>>> long before it will crumble under its own weight. That, my friends,
> is
> >>>>> exactly where some of the leading adaptive technology vendors find
> >>>>> themselves today.
> >>>>> There are exceptions. Serotek is an exception because we have
> >>>>> completely
> >>>>> recreated our product base every three years. GW Micro is an
> exception
> >>>>> because they built their product in a highly modular fashion and can
> >>>>> update
> >>>>> modules without destroying the whole. KNFB is an exception because
> >>>>> they
> >>>>> take
> >>>>> advantage of off-the-shelf technologies, which translate ultimately
> >>>>> into
> >>>>> price drops and increased functionality.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> But even we who have done it right are on a path to obsolescence.
The
> >>>>> fundamental need for accessibility software is rapidly beginning to
> >>>>> vanish.
> >>>>> The universal accessibility principles we see Apple, Microsoft,
> >>>>> Olympus,
> >>>>> and
> >>>>> others putting in place are going to eliminate the need for these
> >>>>> specialty
> >>>>> products in a matter of just a very few years.
> >>>>> Stop and think. Why do you need accessibility tools? To read text?
> >>>>> E-book
> >>>>> devices are eliminating that need. None of them are perfect yet, but
> >>>>> we
> >>>>> are
> >>>>> really only in the first generation. By Gen2 they will all be fully
> >>>>> accessible. To find your way? GPS on your iPhone or your Android
> based
> >>>>> phone
> >>>>> will do that for you. To take notes? Easy on any laptop, netbook, or
> >>>>> iPad.
> >>>>> Heck, you can record it live and play it back at your convenience.
> >>>>> Just
> >>>>> what
> >>>>> isn't accessible? You can play your music, catch a described video,
> >>>>> scan
> >>>>> a
> >>>>> spreadsheet, take in a PowerPoint presentation - all using
> >>>>> conventional,
> >>>>> off-the-shelf systems and/or software that is free of charge.
> >>>>> There are still some legacy situations where you need to create an
> >>>>> accessibility path. Some corporations still have internal
> applications
> >>>>> that
> >>>>> do not lend themselves to modern devices. There will certainly be
> >>>>> situations
> >>>>> where a specialized product will better solve an accessibility
> problem
> >>>>> than
> >>>>> a mainstream one, especially in the short term. We don't advocate
> >>>>> throwing
> >>>>> the baby out with the bathwater, but we do advocate that we begin to
> >>>>> hasten
> >>>>> the inevitable change by using accessible mainstream solutions
> >>>>> wherever
> >>>>> possible. Even now, the leading edge companies are reinventing their
> >>>>> internal systems with accessibility as a design criteria, so the
> >>>>> situations
> >>>>> that require specialized products will certainly become fewer as
time
> >>>>> goes
> >>>>> on.
> >>>>> If our current Assistive technology guard's reign is coming to an
> end,
> >>>>> why
> >>>>> the war? Why not just let it die its own, natural, inevitable death?
> >>>>> Because
> >>>>> nothing dies more slowly than an obsolete technology. Punch cards
> hung
>
> >>>>> on
> >>>>> for twenty or thirty years after they were completely obsolete. The
> >>>>> same
> >>>>> is
> >>>>> true for magnetic tape. Old stuff represents a comparatively large
> >>>>> investment, and people hate to throw away something they paid a lot
> of
> >>>>> money
> >>>>> for even if it's currently worthless. But that legacy stuff obscures
> >>>>> the
> >>>>> capabilities of the present. It gets used in situations where other
> >>>>> solutions are cheaper and more practical. The legacy stuff clogs the
> >>>>> vocational rehab channel, eating up the lion's share of the
resources
> >>>>> but
> >>>>> serving a tiny portion of the need. It gets grandfathered into
> >>>>> contracts.
> >>>>> It
> >>>>> gets specified when there is no earthly reason why the application
> >>>>> requires
> >>>>> it. The legacy stuff slows down the dawning of a fully accessible
> >>>>> world.
> >>>>> It hurts you and it hurts me.
> >>>>> To be sure, I make my living creating and selling products that make
> >>>>> our
> >>>>> world accessible. But first and foremost, I am a blind person. I am
> >>>>> one
> >>>>> of
> >>>>> you. And every day I face the same accessibility challenges you
face.
> >>>>> I
> >>>>> have
> >>>>> dedicated my life and my company to making the world more accessible
> >>>>> for
> >>>>> all
> >>>>> of us, but I can't do it alone. This is a challenge that every blind
> >>>>> person
> >>>>> needs to take up. We need to shout from the rooftops: "Enough!"
> >>>>> We need to commit ourselves in each and every situation to finding
> and
> >>>>> using
> >>>>> the most accessible off the shelf tool and/or the least-cost,
highest
> >>>>> function accessibility tool available. With our dollars and our
> >>>>> commitment
> >>>>> to making known that our needs and the needs of sighted people are
> 99%
> >>>>> the
> >>>>> same, we can reshape this marketplace. We can drive the dinosaurs
> into
> >>>>> the
> >>>>> tar pits and nurture those cute fuzzy little varmints that are
> >>>>> ancestors
> >>>>> to
> >>>>> the next generation. We can be part of the solution rather than part
> >>>>> of
> >>>>> the
> >>>>> problem.
> >>>>> And all it takes is getting the best possible solution for your
> >>>>> specific need. Once you have found the solution to fill that need,
> let
> >>>>> the company know you appreciate their work towards better
> >>>>> accessibility. Let your friends (sighted and blind) know about these
> >>>>> accessibility features; they probably don't know that such features
> >>>>> exist. Make your needs known to the vocational rehab people you are
> >>>>> working with, and don't allow them to make recommendations for a
> >>>>> specific technology for no other reason than that it's been in the
> >>>>> contract for years. Make sure your schools and your workplace
> >>>>> understand the need to push technology in to the accessible space.
> >>>>> Show them the low-cost alternatives. In this economy some, the
> >>>>> intelligent ones, will get it and the tide will begin to turn. And
> >>>>> then in short order the tsunami of good sense will wash away the
old,
> >>>>> and give us the space to build a more accessible world for all of
us.
> >>>>> Let the demand ring out loud and clear and the market will follow.If
> >>>>> this message rings true to you, don't just shake your fist in
> >>>>> agreement and leave it at that. let your voice be heard! Arm
yourself
> >>>>> with the vision of a future where there are no social, conceptual,
or
> >>>>> economic barriers to accessibility, and let your words and your
> >>>>> actions demonstrate that you will not rest until that vision is
> >>>>> realized. Take out your wallet and let your consumer power shine!
You
> >>>>> do mater as a market people! You have kept this company alive with
> >>>>> your money for 8 years this month! I believe that if we all get
> >>>>> together and do our part, we will finally say "NO more!" same old
> same
> >>>>> old! Join the revolution! Together we can change the world!Posted by
> >>>>> Mike Calvo at 2:15 PM
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>>> blindkid mailing list
> >>>>> blindkid at nfbnet.org
> >>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
> >>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
for
> >>>>> blindkid:
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> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> _______________________________________________
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> om
> >>
> >>
> >>>_______________________________________________
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> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
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