Last week was a real adventure in Mexico!  So far as we can discover it was
the first ever day-long presentation on adaptive computer technology for
people with disabilities.

One of EASI's students came from Mexico and took 6 of our courses.  She
influenced a foundation to which she belonged to make adaptive computer
technology a new focus, and it sponsored the day-long conference.  Dick
Banks went down a few days early, and they paraded him radio station to TV
station for interview promos.  My wife and I flew down on Sunday May 25 and
Monday was another day of promos including a large press conference.  (That
was an experience. . cell phones are verywhere and were ringing all through
the press meeting.)

Two other friends of ours from the University of Southern Maine cam also
and focused on universal design as well as cognitive disabilities and
computers.

We all talked in English.  Everyone in the audience, some 400, wore
headsets listening to simultaneous translation into Spanish.  When someone
in the audience asked a question, it was translated into English.  There
was also signing in Spanish sign for the Deaf.  We had two screens on which
to project our PowerPoint.

The audience included several people with disabilities, many parents of
people with disabilities and a number of teachers.  They all were excited
by the information and eager to learn more.

Mexico City has 25 million people!!!  No one pays any attention to stop
signs and seldom to red lights.  The traffic, however, is controlled by
speed bumps everywhere.  Drivers to take those seriously.

We spent a couple days at Queretaro a couple hours north of Mexico City
visiting our student.  She and a friend are translating some of our
material into Spanish and hope to teach that online in Spanish.

I was awed by the honor and opportunity.

Norm



                                                         ------------------------------
EASI's June, month-long online courses:
Barrier-free Information technology
Advanced Barrier-free Web Design
http://easi.cc/workshop.htm

                                         Norman Coombs, Ph.D.
CEO EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information)
22196 Caminito Tasquillo
         Laguna Hills CA 92653
home: (949)  855-4852
         Cell: (949) 922-5992
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
                 http://www.rit.edu/~nrcgsh