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Marketers Show Support for the Disabled with Advertising

March 31, 2009 | by

According to the New York Times, more companies are advertising to the disabled market as the weakened economy has brought about a “shift in attitudes [that] represents an opportunity to connect with the public on less mercenary — and more altruistic — levels.” For example, On Sunday, American Airlines and the American Association of People With Disabilities announced plans to honor the best television commercials featuring what are deemed positive portrayals of the disabled. The winning spot will get free air time during the airline’s in-flight entertainment programming. The Special Olympics is also being assisted in its pro bono campaign by BBDO Worldwide in New York, part of the Omnicom Group, and Perfect Sense Digital in Reston, Va. Their work includes posters and a Web site where computer users can pledge their support to eliminate the demeaning use of the r-word. Perhaps instead of marketing to people with disabilities for altruistic reasons, companies ... keep reading »
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Skype for iPhone is A Good Start for Disabled, But More Needs to be Done

March 31, 2009 | by

Today Skype launched its free iPhone application, bringing its much-anticipated Internet-based phone service to Apple’s mobile platform. Generally, this is good news, as Skype has always held appeal for people with disabilities, particularly those with physical disabilities for whom using a computer is easier –and more affordable — than a telephone for making calls. People with other types of disabilities, however, won’t fare as well with Skype on the iPhone. One issue is accessibility with screen readers on mobile devices. Skype on the desktop has been modified to work with screen readers for visually impaired persons, though there are still some hiccups, like not being able to correctly read a contact list aloud. The iPhone and other mobile devices do not yet have screen-reader capability, and in any case touch screens aren’t accessible enough to people who are blind. “The Skype iPhone version doesn’t have any of the accessibility features that the ... keep reading »
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Obama Signs Paralysis Act into Law

March 30, 2009 | by

President Obama today signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, which is part of the Omnibus Public Land Bill. It represents the first legislation specific to the paralysis community, and was named for the late Christopher Reeve and his wife Dana, who were activists in the spinal cord injury field. The landmark legislation, which enjoyed bi-partisan support, will promote collaborative research, rehabilitation and quality of life initiatives for millions of Americans living with paralysis and spinal cord injuries. The Act was introduced in the Senate by Tom Harkin (D-IA), who worked closely together with Christopher and Dana Reeve to promote expanded research and quality of life for people living with paralysis, particularly spinal cord injuries. The Act will expedite the search for cures and treatments for millions of Americans living with paralysis caused by spinal cord injury, stroke, MS, Parkinson’s and many other diseases and disorders. “Advancements are made every day ... keep reading »
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YouTube Posts Online College Campus Tours

March 30, 2009 | by

YouTube has launched a handy new page that aggregates all the videos from more than 100 institutions of higher education around the US. YouTube.com/edu now serves up campus tours, free lectures, research and other college news all in one place. Search queries can be limited to the “.Edu” part of the site as well. This is a great idea to help prospective students make more informed decisions, as well as for people with disabilities — kids and parents — who may not be able to travel to all of these schools. Apple just enhanced its iTunes content with iTunes University, and made it available via voice to people with visual impairments. Putting video content online — captioned, of course — is a great way to reach out to all college-age kids, including those with disabilities. keep reading »
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Touch Screens “Wholly” Inaccessible

March 30, 2009 | by

Quadriplegic since a 1983 sports accident, Adam Lloyd has maintained an extremely active life in the academic, business, and writing fields. Currently a doctoral student in English at the University of Maryland, from time to time he writes freelance articles for Public Radio International’s Savvy Traveler, Abilities magazine, and his blog Gimp On The Go. He wrote to Abledbody with some advice on the iPhone and iPod Touch, saying that touch screen devices are still wholly inaccessible to people with mobility impairments. “As a quadriplegic I must use a mouthstick (a pointing device held in his mouth) to operate most electronic gadget. However, the screens on the iPhone and iPod will not respond to the touch of a mouthstick -– they require the electrostatic impulse from a human finger to work,” he says. “It’s a real shame, because these innovative, compact devices and their apps could be a great ... keep reading »
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Ignoring Accessibility is ‘A Costly Gamble’

March 27, 2009 | by

Today I had a column published in Media Post’s Marketing Daily, titled “A Costly Gamble”. I talk about how companies spend heavily on product development and marketing, but fail to consider people with disabilities who might use their products. Here’s an excerpt: “This oversight seems irresponsible: In the U.S., 54 million adults — or one in five Americans — have a physical or mental disability. People with disabilities have a combined income of more than a trillion dollars — and are willing to spend it on products and technologies that make their lives more productive. Brands that ignore the needs of this group relinquish an opportunity to reach this growing demographic. They also put their business at a higher risk for costly lawsuits, such as the $6 million in damages that Target paid in 2008 for failing to make some of its Web content accessible to blind people.” Please check it out ... keep reading »
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Hunter to Offer Captioned Classes for Deaf

March 26, 2009 | by

The City University of New York’s Hunter College, online course developer DigitalChalk and IBM have gotten together to make short work of accessible distance learning. Hunter, IBM Research and online course developer DigitalChalk will partner on a project that will add speech-to-text captioning capability for deaf or hard-of-hearing students. Hunter will be able to create a multi-media online “classroom” with a transcript synchronized with over 90 percent accuracy to an associated training video. The on-demand accessible learning project works by having the Hunter College professor create online course content, including video, and upload any standard-format video file to DigitalChalk, where it’s automatically transcoded into Flash video. At the same time, the audio portion of the video is transmitted to IBM, where it’s transcribed using advanced speech-to-text technology. DigitalChalk includes the transcribed text as captions in a Flash video along with any PowerPoint slides the professor chooses to include. The combined technologies provide ... keep reading »
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Gimme an A, P, P, L, E!

March 25, 2009 | by

Another neat iPhone application, this time in the form of a “Talking Email Keyboard” from G.P. Imports. The software uses speech to announce each key you type on the iPhone in a clear and understandable voice, preventing the user from needing to look at the screen while typing, according to technology blog ATMac. Interestingly enough, G.P. Imports is marketing the app for sighted users who might wish to compose a message while driving! A MacWorld journalist, John Fuller, sets the record straight, saying a more efficient use for the keyboard is for the visually impaired who may have a hard time seeing the iPhone screen. This is another small step in making the iPhone — the disabled population’s best bet for a smartphone thus far — more accessible. keep reading »
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Disability Group Reports on Veterans’ Brain Injuries

March 25, 2009 | by

More than 300,000 soldiers are expected to return from recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with either Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or a Traumatic Brain Injury. The National Council on Disability released a report recommending changes in the continuum of health care provided to service members and veterans with either condition. The report, titled Invisible Wounds, addresses the experiences of service members and veterans at risk of developing PTSD and TBI. Although PTSD and TBI have different origins—PTSD is caused by exposure to extreme stress, whereas TBI is caused by blast exposure or other head injury—they are closely related, NCD Chairperson John Vaughn says not enough is being done to prepare for the effects of TBS and PTSD on families and the healthcare system. “The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are resulting in injuries that are disabling many service members, and are potentially disabling for still more. These injuries ... keep reading »
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Special Olympics to Obama: “Words Hurt”

March 20, 2009 | by

Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver released a statement regarding President Obama’s comment on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where Obama said his recently low bowling score was akin to “Special Olympics or something.” The president then called Shriver to apologize. According to the statement, President Obama apologized to Shriver in a “sincere and heartfelt way,” saying “he did not intend to humiliate Special Olympics athletes or people with intellectual disabilities.” Still, Shriver remarked that “words hurt” and that “using ‘Special Olympics’ in a negative or derogatory context can be a humiliating put-down to people with special needs.” Shriver, whose mother, Eunice Kennedy of the Kennedy Family, founded the organization 40 years ago, went on to call the experience a “teachable moment for our country” and encouraged “open conversation and dialogue about how stereotypes can cause pain.” Shriver also highlighted the Special Olympics’ upcoming ‘Spread the Word to End the ... keep reading »
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