Steve, thanks so much for this email address. Elena from California
Michael S. Dunne, PRESIDENT
Elena Thomason, CEO
Equal Access & Associates, LLC
(916) 241-9591
EMPOWERING THE BLIND SINCE 1992 TM
-----Original Message-----
From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Steve Hoad
Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2020 2:13 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VICUG-L] Email Address Re: [VICUG-L] Winds of Change: Announcing Pneuma Solutions, a New Company From Mike Calvo
Here you Go:
[log in to unmask]
On 12/29/20, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hey Dan, do you have an email address for Mike Calvo? I'd like to get
> on his email list for future developments. I'm in the business of
> passing on info about blindness related products and services and I
> have nothing on this company. Thanks, Elena from California
>
>
>
> Michael S. Dunne, PRESIDENT
>
> Elena Thomason, CEO
>
> Equal Access & Associates, LLC
>
> (916) 241-9591
>
>
>
> EMPOWERING THE BLIND SINCE 1992 TM
>
>
>
>
>
> From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
> <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Dan TeVelde
> Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2020 7:37 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [VICUG-L] FW: [tech-vi Announce List] Winds of Change:
> Announcing Pneuma Solutions, a New Company From Mike Calvo
>
>
>
> I'm passing this along for informational purposes only. I don't see
> how he could do anything better than mainstream companies are already
> doing. The press release lays it on a bit too thick if you ask me. I
> won't be jumping up and down to buy his products.
>
>
>
> Dan
>
>
>
> From: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of David
> Goldfield
> Sent: Monday, December 28, 2020 12:20 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [tech-vi Announce List] Winds of Change: Announcing Pneuma
> Solutions, a New Company From Mike Calvo
>
>
>
> Original Source <https://pneumasolutions.com/winds-of-change/>
>
> From the list owner:
>
> The following announcement is from Mike Calvo regarding his new
> company, Pneuma Solutions. Please note that I have no additional
> information regarding this organization. This announcement is not
> meant as an endorsement. Please access the original source for additional information.
>
>
>
>
> Winds of Change
>
>
> Mike Calvo . December 23, 2020 . 5:37 pm
>
>
>
> As the weather turns chilly and we approach the start of a new year,
> it seems fitting we take advantage of the moment to announce the start
> of a fresh chapter. Much has happened in 2020. I hope that wherever my
> note finds you, you are warm, safe, and among loved ones, even if
> remotely. I hope my news will give you a spark of something to look
> forward to in the coming decade.
>
> The assistive technology landscape of today is vastly different from
> the environment we experienced even a decade ago. As I predicted in
> article after article, major companies in the Assistive Technology
> industry fell, merged, or tried reinventing themselves to keep pace
> with the demands of an evolving marketplace.
>
> Through it all, I patiently adjusted my approach to meet the
> inevitable change. Rather than fall victim to the evolution, I did
> some serious soul searching, asking myself: Was I still relevant? Was
> I still capable of creating change for our community? I concluded that
> there was more to be done and I chose to redirect my energy toward
> writing a new chapter in the quest to bring access to digital information in new and exciting ways.
>
> That probably sounds self-congratulatory. It's not meant to come
> across that way. But hey, accompanied by an incredible team at Serotek
> and some of the most hard-working leaders in the assistive technology
> industry, I put in the hard work and earned the right to brag on our
> efforts, especially with the latest undertaking in my World. For you,
> only the best is acceptable.
>
>
>
>
>
> Meet Pneuma Solutions
>
>
> Pneuma is a Greek word for wind or Spirit with intelligence. Think of
> it as the breath that binds everything together. Using the power of
> today's largest cloud infrastructures, machine learning platforms, and
> a commitment to leave no technological stone unturned, Pneuma
> Solutions is actively plotting to redefine outdated development
> practices and deliver maximum impact for you, our customer.
>
> In today's market, it is not enough to put up a website or develop an
> app and call it success. It's certainly a double-edged sword for
> consumers when anyone, for just a few bucks, can throw together a few
> services and call it a business. In order to do the job right, a
> company has to follow through with a strong foundation based on
> understanding of the market, committed leadership, an intimate
> knowledge of cutting-edge technologies and how to apply them, and
> flexible objectives that ensure we keep customer success at the
> forefront. Combining more than fifty years in assistive technology
> software development, training, and out of the box approaches to
> everyday tasks, Pneuma Solutions' mission is to develop powerful tools
> to augment essential access to the next generation of products that make previously inaccessible content widely available.
>
>
> The Triumphant Return
>
>
>
>
> Mike Calvo, Pneuma Solutions Cofounder and CEO
>
> Before we get much further, let's set the record straight. Yes, I,
> <https://pneumasolutions.com/mike-calvo-bio/> Mike Calvo, am back!
>
> If we have not had the pleasure of meeting, my name was most recently
> associated with Serotek Corporation, a company I founded in 2000. I am
> that guy that says "something should be done about this" and then does it.
>
> Back in the day I felt it was my mission to hold the accessible
> technology industry accountable for what I felt were unfair business
> practices. Their prohibitive pricing models restricted a person's
> access to screen reading and magnification software as well as the
> training on their use. Only educational and rehabilitation related
> funding sources provided these services to eligible clients. The blind
> person that did not fit in to this mold would never have affordable
> access to a computer and the independence it promised.
>
> The industry refused to listen to me as a blind consumer and respected
> trainer, so I started Serotek with the dream of giving the average
> blind user ubiquitous access to technologies that have always been a
> part of the sighted consumer's World. And, for almost two decades I am
> proud to say, we did it!
>
> As the CEO and Cofounder of Pneuma Solutions, I continue to beat the
> drum of equal access to digital information by the blind. I am laser
> focused on continuing to bridge the accessibility gap. But the
> challenges are different now. Before it was just the PC. Now, while
> accessibility is baked into consumer and corporate platforms to one
> degree or another, we still have much work to do on this new playing
> field, leveraging the power of The Cloud.
>
> I continue to be a blind person first. I've got ideas, and I intend to
> lead my team wherever we need to go to complete as many of those ideas
> as we can.
> But, one thing you can count on is that I won't hoard ideas. I don't
> care who does it, as long as our community benefits from it. Any
> entrepreneurial benefit born of my life's work is to the benefit of
> future development of other products that will improve the lives of
> persons with disabilities around the world. And trust me, we've got some wild ideas in our heads.
> Compared to the conventional ways companies still operate, isn't this
> refreshing?
>
>
>
> Matt Campbell, Chief Technology Officer and Cofounder
>
> Another familiar name joining the leadership team at Pneuma Solutions
> is my former lead developer at Serotek and good friend,
> <https://pneumasolutions.com/matt-campbell-bio/> Matt Campbell. Matt
> joins the new company as Chief Technology Officer after spending the
> last few years cultivating accessibility efforts at Microsoft. His
> contributions as part of the amazing accessibility team helped the
> Narrator screen reader become the robust option it is today. I cannot
> begin to express how grateful I am to have my old sidekick back for
> another round of innovation, and as Cofounder to boot!
>
> Matt and I have always made for a dynamic powerhouse. Where I feel I
> provide the roadmap and product ideas, Matt provides the expertise to
> see these dreams come to life. We once played a dual role in reshaping
> productivity, entertainment, and information for consumers and at-home
> employees. Now we are focusing our efforts on the enterprise where our
> collective talents can multiply the benefits to the end user. We do
> this by providing greater opportunities in access to digital
> information, broadening the quality and scope of educational and
> career possibilities.
>
>
> So What Rock Have I Been Hiding Under?
>
>
> Never one to sit still, in the last few years I have worked on several
> ventures. They have ranged in scope from the most recreational company
> imprinting selfies on chocolate to the most rewarding blindness
> advocacy projects in Colombia, Uganda, Kazakhstan, and Cuba. These
> latter endeavors I tackled as the director of the advocacy
> organization I founded in 2007, the Accessibility Is A Right
> Foundation. One of those projects was a pilot that actually led to a
> law that will forever impact the lives of thousands of blind students
> in Colombia. As a result of our efforts, the country will provide
> government financed computers preloaded with access technology
> beginning in elementary school.
>
> For the last few years, Matt and I have been working with various
> bleeding edge technologies in a variety of scenarios. We've completed
> the first phase of our work in our secret underground lab, developing
> a solution we feel will have maximum benefit for both the consumer and
> enterprise realms.
>
>
>
>
> Unveiling the Next Best Thing
>
>
> First to roll out of the lab is
> <https://pneumasolutions.com/products/scribe/> Scribe, our Augmented
> document remediation platform. Scribe is more than just about turning
> occasional images into readable text. When deployed, Scribe can power
> through millions of pages of data at a fraction of the time and cost
> it would have taken using legacy human remediation and desktop software.
> Combining machine learning technologies, and the most powerful cloud
> computing platform on the planet, the level of accuracy and speed is
> expected to increase exponentially from the already impressive results
> we have achieved.
>
> In plain English, if you thought scanning software for the blind was
> good, you ain't seen nothing yet!
>
> Everybody wins! By leveraging our platform's continually evolving
> features, lots of exciting changes are possible. For corporate,
> educational, and government entities, Scribe will result in the
> capacity to reach diverse customers and constituents at a competitive
> rate and faster than any other technology on the market. For the
> consumer, the new technology promises the ability to consume just
> about any digital content with the same ease and flexibility as any peer while using your access technology of choice.
>
> Closely following on its heels is <https://scribeformeetings.com/>
> Scribe for Meetings. Though only a beta at this stage, we are excited
> to make it possible for you to view shared documents on Zoom. With a
> simple keystroke you will be able to enjoy PowerPoint presentations
> and other file types at the same time as everyone else in the
> audience. We are working on expanding the functionality to other
> popular platforms to give presenters and participants greater flexibility.
>
> This is just a taste of what's to come.
>
>
>
>
> New Home, Traditional Values
>
>
> For anyone who knows anything about us, it should come as no surprise
> we want to maintain a connection to the community we planted and
> cultivated at Serotek. We do not believe in turning our backs on the
> community who placed so much trust in us. To that end, I'm proud to
> announce we will be providing a few of the Serotek products that still
> resonate with a lot of you.
>
> Existing Serotek customers should not fear a disruption in service.
> Sero, DocuScan Plus, RIM, and RAM will continue to evolve alongside
> Pneuma Solutions products. These traditional favorites will soon be
> powered by the same technology that has already made products like
> Scribe a noteworthy option for savvy users. Customers, old and new,
> can depend on a commitment to excellence at a reasonable cost.
>
> Best of all, we are doubling up our efforts to make new products like
> Scribe as intuitive as any of our previous contributions to the
> community have ever been. Despite the extraordinary technology at work
> here, for you the experience will remain as seamless as ever.
>
>
>
>
>
> Next Steps
>
>
> We never cease to be humbled by the thousands of current users of our
> previously developed technologies even twenty years after the launch
> of Serotek. Our combined efforts continue to be motivated by a moral
> obligation to the advancement of our community rather than a totally
> financial one. We do not believe any user, no matter how novice or how
> expert, should spend unnecessary time reading user manuals or getting
> trained to learn to use technology.
>
> Also, we have not forgotten our spirit of philanthropy. Starting in
> May of 2020, K-12 institutions have had access to a
> <https://pneumasolutions.com/scribe-for-education/> free version of
> Scribe to use immediately with students in order to make remote
> learning more inclusive for all. Everyone at Pneuma Solutions
> understands the unique challenges brought on by the pandemic, and we
> want to do what we can to make these challenges a little less
> exhausting.
>
> Pneuma Solutions is fully operational and ready to engage with you. In
> the next little while we will be releasing further information on
> product demonstrations to show how products like Scribe can blend into
> existing workflows.
>
> So what are we dreaming of that makes people think we're crazy? Our
> most audacious, ambitious objective? We are going to humanize
> technology, and it is going to serve you and me and make our lives more accessible everywhere!
>
> Stay tuned. The best once promised has only begun.
>
> - Mike Calvo, Pneuma Solutions Cofounder and CEO
>
> Filed Under: <https://pneumasolutions.com/category/scribe-news/>
> Scribe News
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> David Goldfield,
>
> Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist
>
> WWW.DavidGoldfield.org <http://WWW.DavidGoldfield.org>
>
>
>
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--
Steve Hoad
VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
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