two points. Having used mobile geo, it is not necessary to use a
bluetooth headset for it, a fact that was glossed over is that in
order to use mobile geo on your phone, you must also have mobilespeak
so the total price for this combined package alone regularly sells for
1,000.00 dollars not including the phone/pda.
My other point is that it does not tell you how far to walk and does
not tell you to "walk" anywhere.
On Jan 8, 2009, at 4:46 PM, Peter Altschul wrote:
For the Disabled, More Power for Play
GPS devices and airport videophones are just some of the latest
gadgets that can help people with disabilities enjoy travel and leisure
By Suzanne Robitaille
Assistive technologies are prevalent in the workplace, but when people
with disabilities gear up to have some fun their options are more
limited. This may seem like an oversight, but it's not: Disability
protections have mostly focused on boosting jobs for this group, and
employer demands for computers, mouse alternatives, and similar
assistive technologies have soared over the last decade.
With the New Year, the landscape will be altered-for the better-for
the nation's 56 million disabled Americans. President Bush in
September signed the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act, which
will go into effect Jan. 1, 2009. The act will expand on the original
1990 law to include more disabilities that affect "one or more major
life activity," such as learning disorders, among many others. It will
also clarify that a major life activity doesn't just include work. The
act expands this definition to include communicating, reading, and
other activities of central importance-such as plain old fun. The new
requirements for businesses have not yet been spelled out.
Big Market
The ADA Amendments Act marks an important milestone for Americans with
disabilities, and also offers new opportunities for companies to
design and market more accessible products and services . Even without
the law, doing so makes good business sense. One in five Americans has
a disability, representing a $200 billion market of consumers eager to
spend on technologies that will improve their lives.
A handful of technology providers have taken the lead in putting more
pleasure into pastimes for people with disabilities. Some companies,
such as Microsoft (MSFT), already have a foothold in workplace
assistive technologies, and they're now expanding into new scenarios.
Others came to the assistive technology market by accident-having
realized their products were life-changers for the disabled at play.
Either way, they've all had a hand in opening the market for
technologies that are making life more playful and productive for
people with disabilities.
The travel industry is at the forefront of providing accessible
technologies, partly because airports and airlines are public spaces
and must comply with many ex isting ADA rules. Chicago's O'Hare and
Midway airports are exceptionally innovative. In September 2007,
O'Hare began offering public videophones that let deaf and hard-of-
hearing travelers place calls in sign language with the help of a 24-
hour, free video relay service. At the push of a button, a human sign-
language interpreter comes up on the screen to help the customer place
the call and communicate their message. These multilingual,
touchscreen videophones also provide tourist and transportation
information and read airport announcements. Midway began offering the
videophones in early 2008, and Phoenix Sky Harbor International
Airport now provides a similar service. "If the travel industry
doesn't adapt, its customers will be literally stuck at home," says
Eric Lipp, founder of Open Doors, an organization that
promotes accessible travel. The cost of each videophone to the
airport: $8,500, but they're free to use by anyone in the airport.
As many road-trippers know, traveling in unfamiliar territory can be
an exercise in frustration, one that's made easier with global
positioning systems. Unfortunately, most GPS programs are designed for
car travel, not pedestrian travel, which renders it useless to people
who are blind. One solution: Mobile GEO from Barcelona-based Code
Factory, which makes the only GPS navigation software for Microsoft
Windows' Mobile-based smartphones, pocket PC phones, and PDAs. With
Mobile GEO the listener, using a Bluetooth headset, hears a voice give
detailed instructions on how to get from here to there, like so: "Walk
200 yards south, cross the street, and Starbucks (SBUX) will be on the
northwest corner of 18th Street and Broadway." Landmarks are
preprogrammed, but users can insert their own notes to help them avoid
scaffolding or blockades. Mobile GEO, which was released in July in
the U.S., runs on devices from AT&T Wireless (T), Sprint (S), Verizon
Wireless, T -Mobile,
Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Motorola (MOT), Samsung, and other
manufacturers. It costs around $900 for the mobile phone, software,
and headset.
Temporary Help
Even those who don't have a permanent disability-a bad fall on the ski
slopes, perhaps?-can benefit from assistive technology. Take Arel
Wente from Livermore, Calif., who broke her foot and considered
canceling an upcoming cruise with her husband. Instead, she used a
wheelchair, and luckily, she sailed on Royal Caribbean's Celebrity
Solstice, which has introduced new accessibility standards for the
high seas: pool and whirlpool contraptions that lift wheelchair users
in and out of the water; automatic doors for the ship's 30 accessible
staterooms; and for the deaf, lights that flash when a restroom stall
is occupied.
Walt Disney World (DIS), quite possibly the epitome of fun, "goes
above and beyond what the ADA requires in it s theme parks," says
Stephen Ashley, author of Walt Disney World with Disabilities. Deaf
and hearing-impaired park-goers can follow the thrills at Magic
Kingdom, Epcot Center, and Hollywood Studios in Orlando with a PDA-
sized closed-captioning device that's free to use with a $100
refundable deposit. The sleeker, lighter 2008 version of the narration
device now has descriptive audio for visually impaired guests. Disney
also offers several wheelchair-accessible rides.
Those looking for a more mature experience can enjoy many national
parks and zoos with the GPS Ranger, a handheld that uses GPS
coordinates to trigger an audio and video commentary of the immediate
area. Software designer Lee Little, founder of BarZ Adventures,
invented the GPS Ranger after a family visit to Yellowstone National
Park, where there was no ranger available to answer his questions
about the park's geysers. Little realized his new device could also be
useful for for people with all kinds of disabilities, including those
with hearing, sight, and mobility impairments. The GPS Ranger is truly
a multitasking gadget. Since March 2008, deaf users have been able to
watch a sign-language video interpretation of a park or zoo tour on
the device's four-inch screen. Those with mild or moderate hearing
loss can watch with subtitles. Real-time audio descriptions aid
visitors with vision impairments, and for wheelchair users, an
interactive GPS map provides the location of
accessible ramps, parking, and restrooms. The GPS Ranger can be rented
at two dozen zoos and parks, including the Dallas Zoo, Zion National
Park in Utah, and Independence Hall in Philadelphia. It costs about
$15 to rent for the day.
Apple (AAPL) has been making a serious footprint with accessibility,
including improvements in September to the latest version of its
popular iPod music player and the iTunes 8 music library. The fourth-
generation iPod nano now has speech capability that can be enabled via
iTunes on a Mac or PC during the sync process that creates spoken
names for everything on the iPod. The font sizes can also be enlarged
from the settings menu. Apple also plans to install technology in
iTunes by June 2009 that will make the entire library accessible,
guided by a voice that calls out whatever a mouse pointer slides over,
including file commands and music and movie titles. The price for the
iPod nano starts at $149.
From Word to Audio
Not to be outdone, Microsoft opened its Inclusive Innovation Showroom
in October to demonstrate how various assistive technologies can work
as a system. One popular technology is "Save as DAISY," a free plug-in
for Microsoft Word that allows text to be converted into voice and
searched with vocal commands using the digital accessible information
system format, or DAISY. This is the standard audio file for the blind
and is consider ed superior to MP3 because DAISY uses metadata to find
chapter headings, bookmarks, and page numbers. "There's no way to tell
an audio file to go to page 20 unless it's in DAISY format," says
Daniel Hubbell, accessibility technical evangelist for Microsoft. The
best use for "Save as DAISY" is for blind students seeking audio
versions of class lessons, or avid readers seeking a talking version
of say, the latest Oprah book pick, which usually can be found on
Audible.com and Bookshare.org for a small membership fee. Using DAISY
format, a talking book
can be played using Windows software such as EasyReader, which is $60,
or on a portable DAISY player.
Readers with dexterity issues may appreciate the electronic page
turner on Kindle, Amazon's wireless book reader, which costs around
$350. However, there's currently no DAISY support to aid people who
are blind, though this could change as Amazon (AMZN) purchased
Audible.com in Janu ary. Under the new ADA amendment, the disabled can
expect more accessible options if Kindle becomes the de facto e-reader
for students and professionals.
Due out in 2009, the Survivor Speech Companion System from Kessler
Foundation and O'Brien Technologies will offer a new communications
option for people who cannot speak, often because of a stroke or brain
injury. Speech Companion is a handheld touchscreen device that comes
preloaded with a list of places, conversations, and pictures, such as
popular phrases, stores, and restaurants. Basically, it is a talking
machine that's customized to resemble the user's natural voice while
he recovers. Survivor Speech Companion is best used with a family
member or caregiver who can intercept specific requests, such as
"Please take me to Best Buy so I can purchase a TV." It can also, for
example, ask a waitress, "Can I have a hamburger, cooked medium well,
with lettuce and American cheese?&quo t; Many insurance plans,
including Medicare, will cover the cost of the device, which will run
around $6,000.
Larger technology providers may already have an edge-and an audience-
for bringing new assistive technologies to disabled consumers. Yet the
field is wide open for companies seeking a lucrative new niche in a
growing market that would undoubtedly welcome more fun and games.
Suzanne Robitaille writes on disability issues and assistive
technology. Her blog is Profoundly Yours http://profoundlyyours.blogspot.com/
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG.
Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.5/1882 - Release Date:
1/8/2009 8:13 AM
Leave list: [log in to unmask]
VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at http://listserv.i cors.or
g/archives/vicug-l.html
Send questions on list operation to [log in to unmask]
VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
Archived on the World Wide Web at
http://listserv.icors.org/archives/vicug-l.html
Signoff: [log in to unmask]
Subscribe: [log in to unmask]
|
