--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 233 NFB BLIND NEWS Ref: F5G00153Date: 04/29/98 From: KELLY PIERCE Time: 06:52pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: 02:computer and info. access at u. of il18:52:3604/29/98 From: Kelly Pierce Subject: computer and info. access at u. of illinois mathematics," the Department of Education states. =20 2. Develop a written procedure that complies with the cited laws that permits effective and timely production of written course materials. At a minimum a replacement system to provide access to course materials should permit the receipt of production requests following course registration or admission to the university. The textbook should be available on tape in digital form, or in braille at the same time the reading assignment is made to the class, or if the reading assignment is made after the semester commences, at least one month before the due date of the assignment. Handouts should be made accessible at the time they are handed out to the classmates of the student. =20 3. Provide proctors who have some background and/or familiarization in the course the student is being tested for.=20 These could include departmental graduate students or others familiar with the chosen field of study with the student.=20 Additionally, the request for auxiliary aids extends to the examination and the answers to the same degree provided to non- disabled students. This could be accomplished by recording the test on an audio cassette, followed by the answer, and a description of the accuracy of the response or by professors or teaching assistants reviewing the test and its answers personally with the student. Any policy developed that requires the student to make an appointment with the disability services office may be unworkable as it may not provide the explanation and context needed for the student to learn from inaccurate responses on the examination. =20 4. Establish written procedures of how course materials and exams will be provided in specialized languages, such as mathematical notation. The procedure includes identification and selection of readers and proctors as well as textbook production. 5. Provide in class readers or note takers in classes to read blackboards, equations, charts, graphs and elsewhere where needed. =20 6. Provide access to the universities computer labs, classrooms, and software using screen reading software, and electronic speech synthesizers. Specifically, I request that the business computer lab be equipped with speech synthesis and be accessible to the blind, including any instruction or documentation of software. I believe that I should be accommodated with adaptive technology and not merely supplied with a reader. The Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education has stated in a letter of finding dated January 15, 1992 that a state university has a responsibility under Section 504, as set out in 34 C.F.R. 104.44(d) to "make its computer services accessible to the visually impaired student upon request." This accommodation should include that access to the software for students to use be available during the same hours and in the same conditions in an integrated setting that is available to non-disabled students. =20 In a letter of finding dated January 25, 1996 (Docket Number 09-95-2206) the Office of civil rights in the U.S. Department of Education notes that "the 'information superhighway' is fast becoming a fundamental tool in post-secondary research. Rather than implementing adaptive software, some institutions have attempted to utilize personal reader attendants as the exclusive or primary way of making this form of computer information accessible to persons with visual impairments. In most cases, this approach should be reconsidered. One of the most important aims in choosing the appropriate auxiliary aid has been to foster independence and autonomy in the person with a disability. When reasonably priced technology is available that will enable the visually impaired computer user to access the computer, including the World Wide Web, during approximately the same number of hours with the same spontaneous flexibility that is enjoyed by other nondiabled computer users, there are many reasons why the objectives of Title II will most effectively and less expensively be achieved by obtaining the appropriate software programs. (An institution's reliance on adaptive software to provide access includes a responsibility to provide the special training necessary to teach the computer user with the disability how to use such software programs." I am currently registered in the following classes for fall 1997: Accounting 111, Math 205, and IDS 371. For Math 205, I have two textbooks that are not available from any source and request that UIC provide them to me in an accessible format in a timely manner. The texts are "Introductory Linear Algebra with applications, by B. Kolman, 6th ed. Prentice Hall, New Jersey; 1997 textbook #2 for Math 205 Prof. Raghavan Chapters 1-5 from Mathematical Statistics with applications by Mendenhall, et. al.=20 I authorize UIC to communicate with Kelly Pierce regarding this matter or any related claim. He is assisting me with this complaint. He can be reached by e-mail at kelly@ripco.com or by telephone at (773) 472-7206. If there is no response that substantially resolves this complaint within 30 days, I will assume that UIC is not willing to provide the accommodations requested above or change its practices that would allow me to participate on a basis of equality. Respectfully, Robbie L. Miller 7651 South Hoyne Ave. Chicago IL. 60620 Voice: 773 723-1403 Internet: robb@netcom.com ********************* 3257 N. Clifton Ave.=20 Chicago, IL 60657-3318=20 (773) 472-7206=20 Internet: kelly@ripco.com=20 Saturday, 28 June 1997=20 David Broski, Chancellor =20 University of Illinois=20 601 S. Morgan=20 Room 2833=20 Chicago, IL 60607=20 Chancellor Broski: I was disheartened to discover the barriers and hostility faced by people with disabilities described in an Americans with Disabilities Act complaint filed recently with your university.=20 I have enclosed a copy. I am highly concerned about the charges raised given the expertise and vast resources of the University of Illinois. Your university is one of the leaders in developing advanced computing and information technology. It is one of the leaders in Internet II--a high-speed computer network that is a generation beyond today's Internet. Through the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, the University of Illinois has helped develop graphical browsers that make access to the World Wide Web possible for millions of Americans. The university and its technological expertise has been featured in recent months in such elite media as the "New York Times" and on the BBC.=20 Additionally, the University of Illinois has been highly involved in efforts for access to advanced technology for people with disabilities. =20 On January 6, 1997 Joseph Hardin of the University of Illinois met at the White House with Tom Kallil, Senior Director of the National Economic Council and top officials from the Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the World Wide Web Consortium, Microsoft, and Netscape Communications among others. The meeting discussed a project, in which the university participates, designed to expand the access people with disabilities have to the World Wide Web. While such high-end access efforts as Java Applette interoperability and robust HTML standards are laudable, it is apparent that through its policies and practices, such resources are not available in your classrooms so that blind students can participate on an equal basis. To what benefit is the effort and handsome expense on access to technology for people with disabilities if it cannot be used to produce a textbook for a blind student or allow him to participate on par with his classmates in a computer classroom? It is incredible that an institution with some of the world's top scientists cannot find a single person to read a test in statistics or advanced mathematics in scientific notation to a blind student. Is this an example of the University of Illinois being only interested in federal grants and contracts and the status and prestige of White House meetings? Whether it is your intention or not, the failure to translate mathematical symbols and equations into a means of communication for the visually impaired has the result of preventing blind students from taking certain courses and excluding them completely from certain fields of study. =20 Attitudes that blind persons have no place in the fields of math, science and engineering are evident with your professors and in their classrooms. This includes the IDS 270 professor identified in the complaint who apparently told the student on the first day of class that he could not give a passing grade to the student because he was blind. =20 I urge you to take every possible step necessary to eradicate the disgust and derision facing blind students studying in math, science, and technology at the University of Illinois.=20 I became blind at age 20, while a junior in college. Despite accessibility barriers that cannot exist today, I finished my degree and now work at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.=20 In my job I use a computer equipped with speech synthesis and a scanner that converts printed documents into computer files that I can read. For me, such access is essential to do my work on par with my sighted co-workers. =20 Respectfully, Kelly Pierce=20 **************** August 6, 1997 Mr. Robbie Miller 7651 South Hoyne Ave. Chicago, IL 60620 Dear Mr. Miller: I am writing in response to your letter of June 21, 1997 regarding accommodations for yourself and other students with visual impairments at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). I do appreciate that you have given us the opportunity to remedy the difficulties you had during your previous semesters at UIC and I believe Jane Moore has worked diligently in identifying the solutions outlined below as beginning steps towards ensuring full access to the programs, services and activities at UIC in your future semesters here. The following is our response to your enumerated requests for accommodations:=20 1. The University agrees that it must make a good faith effort to provide textbooks, workbooks and related course materials in a timely manner with competent and qualified readers. To obtain qualified readers who are familiar with the scientific notation, UIC will make every effort to hire graduate assistants or upper level undergraduates in the area of study to do the reading. In addition UIC agrees in the alternative it may scan text into ASCII text files with enhancements for scientific notation for use with a computer with a voice synthesizer. UIC has had a policy whereby students are to bring the texts to the Office of Disability Services (ODS) for taping when they were unable to obtain their texts on tape from outside sources.=20 Students were to bring these texts not less than four weeks in advance of the beginning of the semester in order for them to be taped in a timely manner. The policy which was agreed upon in an Office for Civil Rights Resolution agreement is attached. We are currently reviewing it so that it ensures that textbooks and other educational materials are provided to students in alternate formats.=20 2. The current written procedure is being reviewed with a draft rewrite of the policy expected to be completed by Tuesday August 12, 1997. Working on the policy revisions are the Office for Access and Equity and the The Office of Disability Services. The revised policy will address the concern for providing qualified and competent readers in specialized languages of certain subject areas and back-up systems for ensuring that materials are provided in a timely fashion if equipment breaks down. In addition the policy will address how faculty members have a responsibility to provide in advance any printed materials that will be used in the class so they can be made available in an accessible format prior to their use or assume the obligation of providing the material in an alternate formate, i.e. either through scanned textx of the provision of reader services. 3. UIC will make a good faith effort to provide you with proctors who have background and familiarization in the course the student is being tested for. We will aggressively attempt to hire graduate assistants or senior level undergraduates as proctors for exams that require specialized knowledge of language and scientific notation. Currently the College of Business Administration has agreed to assign a Graduate Assistant to proctor your exams and sit with you in your Accounting and IDS class to serve as a reader and notetaker. We are presently working to have the same arrangement with the Math Department in LAS. =20 4. In our review of the current policy for providing text materials in alternate format we will be including a section regarding how course materials will be provided in specialized languages. Procters will be selected in accordance with their ability to perform the duties in an accurate manner for the student. 5. In-class readers and notetakers will be provided to read blackboards, equations, charts, and graphs. =20 6. The University is meeting with consultant Dave Porter on=20 August 7, 1997 to discuss making our computer labs accessible to students with visual impairments. In attendance at this meeting will be the Manager of the Student Computer Labs and the Manager of the Business School Computer Lab as well as a representative from the Office for Access and Equity. From this meeting we will put together a proposal for the funding necessary to provide access to the University=FEs computer labs and classrooms. We are in agreement that UIC has an obligation to make our computer labs accessible to people with disabilities including individuals with visual impairments. In reviewing your textbooks for the Fall 1997 semester we have received assurances that all the textbooks will be available in a timely fashion for your use.=20 For Math 205 the textbooks =FEMath Statistics=FE by Mendenhall, =FECalculus for Business=FE by Hoffman and =FEIntroduction to Linear Algebra=FE by Kolman are all available from the Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFBD). Tiffany of RFBD confirmed that ordered them on July 16, 1997. We also were assured by the Executive Director and Mair Ben-Koil at RFBD that Chapter 14 of the Accounting textbook would be available to you in a timely fashion for the course Accounting 111. You did not indicate in your letter that you were having any difficulty obtaining texts for the IDS 371 class. =20 If during the semester any of the arrangements break down or you feel you are not being accommodated appropriately, you should --- * Origin: NFBnet <--> Internet Email Gateway (1:282/1045) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 233 NFB BLIND NEWS Ref: F5G00154Date: 04/29/98 From: KELLY PIERCE Time: 06:52pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: 03:computer and info. access at u. of il18:52:3604/29/98 From: Kelly Pierce Subject: computer and info. access at u. of illinois contact our office immediately so the issue can be investigated and hopefully resolved. While the Office of Disability Services is the service provider for you as a student with a disability, we are the office that handles complaints should you be dissatisfied with the services or the system breaks down. We will then make every effort to expeditiously resolve your concerns so they do not interfere with your course of study. Sincerely, Patricia A. Gill Associate Chancellor cc: Roy Golden Ahmed Kassem Lawrence Officer Kelly Pierce John Wanat ********** Patricia Gill=20 ADA compliance Officer=20 Office of the Chancellor=20 University of Illinois at Chicago=20 802 S. Marshfield=20 Room 717=20 Chicago, IL 60612=20 Dear Ms. Gill, Thank you for the August 6, 1997 letter outlining steps the university is taking to eliminate the problems I have had at UIC as indicated in my accessibility complaint with the university.=20 It is obvious that we have come a long way since June and that my needs and those of others will now likely be met when the semester begins later this month. I appreciate the work and effort that you, Jane Moore, Roy Golden, and others have done in the past month to make UIC a place where I and others with disabilities can learn and grow. Your letter is a gigantic leap forward in resolving the problems that I outlined in the complaint. While I recognize that additional work is necessary on such areas as policy and computer accommodation, I will share some feedback on the progress so far in the hope that it will bring us even closer to closure in this matter. 1. I am pleased that UIC has agreed to provide course materials in alternative formats in a timely manner. I am pleased as well that UIC recognizes the benefits of scanning technology for this purpose. While it may not be appropriate for every request, it adds flexibility and increased access for students. I was never aware of any policy that UIC has or had regarding the production of course materials and textbooks. Despite claims in the letter, the policy was neither included in the printed information mailed to me at my home nor provided=20 in the accessible electronic version that was sent by e-mail. I request a copy of this document for my records. I believe that one of the difficulties in obtaining accommodations from UIC was the failure to communicate various services, policies, and procedures applicable to students with disabilities. While aspects of these documents may have been communicated to me orally in a piecemeal fashion from time to time, such a practice cannot substitute for providing students with a written copy that is explanatory and can be reviewed independently. =20 2. I look forward to reviewing the revised policy and ask that it be e-mail to me and Kelly Pierce for our review. =20 3. The arrangement described in this section and in the first section seems to satisfy my needs for qualified readers and proctors. =20 4. I am pleased that the university recognizes the need for qualified readers and proctors in certain areas of study, and that the university will provide them as outlined in your letter. 5. I am satisfied with this point and consider it resolved. 6. I am pleased that UIC has taken steps to provide computer access for me and other students with disabilities for the fall 1997 semester. I am pleased that the university is now committed to providing computer accommodations in an integrated setting with the spontaneity and flexibility that nondisabled students have. =20 Again, I am pleased at the effort so far in resolving this matter and look forward to continued partnership on the unresolved issues above. Respectfully, Robbie Miller=20 =20 ************ 3257 N. Clifton Ave.=20 Chicago, IL 60657-3318=20 (773) 472-7206=20 Internet: kelly@ripco.com=20 Monday, 11 August 1997=20 Patricia Gill=20 ADA compliance Officer=20 Office of the Chancellor=20 University of Illinois at Chicago=20 802 S. Marshfield=20 Room 717=20 Chicago, IL 60612=20 Dear Ms. Gill: I am pleased that the University of Illinois has worked extensively in bringing the issues raised in a June 21, 1997 discrimination complaint to a close. Most of the issues if not fully resolved are close to being so. I appreciate the university's willingness to cooperate with the complainant and the disability community to develop solutions and remedy stated problems. However, I remain concerned about computer access for people with disabilities at the university. I am unclear if the university will develop a policy of how it will provide computer accommodation and how it will define the term "access" as it applies to computers. While I realize that work is ongoing on this issue as UIC awaits recommendations from a consultant, it is important to recognize that computer access for the blind requires more than plugging in speech synthesizers and installing screen readers. It often means the coordination of various service units of a university who have defined roles and responsibilities in providing computer accommodations. In the case of Robbie Miller, after making a request for computer accommodation in the business computer laboratory/classroom to the disability services office, he was referred to the university's computer services office. He was then bounced back to the disability office, with no one eventually taking responsibility for either providing or coordinating the accommodation. =20 The generalized approach outlined in your letter recognizes the affirmative duty that a public entity has to establish a comprehensive policy in compliance with Title II in advance of any request for auxiliary aids or services [see Tyler v. City of Manhattan, 857 F. Supp. 800 (D. Kan. 1994)]. While this approach overall is positive as it dramatically departs from the prior practice of simply responding to individual requests for accommodation in an ad hoc fashion, an ADA violation, it may not eliminate the need to make specialized or specific requests or inquiries for computer accommodation altogether. How will people with disabilities be able to make specific requests for accommodation or learn about the computer accommodations available? =20 The June 21 complaint demonstrated that the university has an obligation under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act to make its communication for people with disabilities as effective as those for nondisabled persons. The complaint documented that the term "communication" in this context meant the transfer of information, including computer software and computer networks such as the Internet. It should be noted that in determining what type of auxiliary aid and service is necessary, a public college shall give primary consideration to requests of the individual with a disability [28 C.F.R. ss 35.106(b)(2)]. Sometimes open, responsive, and direct communications about complex accommodations can be as important as the specific accessibility tools themselves. Again, I appreciate the work and effort that you, Jane Moore, Roy Golden and others have invested in the past month and a half to increase opportunity and make UIC a welcome place for students who are blind or print impaired. Sincerely, Kelly Pierce=20 cc: David Broski=20 Roy Golden=20 Ahmed Kassem=20 Robbie Miller=20 Jane Moore=20 John Wanat=20 ************ From=20jmoore@uic.eduFri Aug 22 23:18:02 1997 Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 12:26:56 -0500 To: ROBB@NETCOM.COM Cc: KELLY@ripco.com Robbie Miller 7651 South Hoyne Ave. Chicago, IL 60620 ROBB@NETCOM.COM Dear Mr. Miller: I am writing to confirm the accommodations that UIC will make for you this Fall semester of 1997. 1. Graduate Assistant Felice Chang will serve as a reader and note taker for you in your IDS 371 Business Statistics course and your Math 205 Advanced Business Math course meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She will also proctor your exams for these courses. 2. A fellow student, Michelle Garcia will serve as a reader and note taker in your Accounting 111 course. She will also proctor your exam after she has taken it herself. 3. During the first week of classes a student from the Office of Disability Services, Juana Gonzalez, will serve as note taker and reader for the Math 205 classes that meet Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3:00 pm. We will continue to solicit advanced math students in graduate programs , the Honor's College or a student who is in your course to serve in this capacity on a permanent basis. 4. Faculty members and teaching assistants will still be asked to read what they are writing on blackboards or overheads so you can follow along with them as well. 5. The Business Computer Lab at ECSW has purchased Window Eyes software and a voice synthesizer for use in both the lab and in the classroom. The software is on stand alone computers for which you will have priority. You can obtain the synthesizer from the graduate assistant who is on duty. There is always a graduate assistant available suring the hours the computer lab is open. If you have questions about the lab, the equipment or the software please feel free to contact the lab manager Jan Sunjaya at (312) 996-3775 and he will be able to assist you. 6. All of your course text books were available from RFBD and we have not had any indication from you that you have not received them. Please let Roy Golden know immediately if there is a problem in any of the textbooks you are using. 7. Roy Golden, Kelly Pierce and myself will review the Policy on Alternate Print Format in a conference call on Wednesday, September 3, 1997 at 2:00 pm. I would suggest you contact Roy Golden on Tuesday, August 26, 1997 to obtain your letters of accommodation for your faculty members and make sure arrangements are set for the first week of classes. Also, if you have any questions about the above accommodations or if problems arise concerning them please feel free to give Roy Golden (3120996-8332 or myself (312)413-8145 a call so we can quickly resolve the issue. I do hope this semester at UIC proves to be a more positive one for you. Sincerely, Jane A. Moore Deputy Associate Chancellor Office for Access and Equity *********** University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Disability Services 1200 W. Harrison, 1190 SSB, m/c 321 =20 Chicago, IL 60607-7163 Phone: (312) 413-2183 =20 Fax: (312) 413-7781 OBTAINING TEXT MATERIALS IN ALTERNATE FORMATS The information in this document is available in alternate formats upon request. Students who, due to their disability, may need text materials in an alternate format, will be provided with this document upon registering as a client with the Office of Disability Services. A copy may also be obtained by request. There are several sources from which UIC students may request alternate format text materials. This policy statement outlines what those sources are, how to qualify for and use them, and under what circumstances to use which. QUALIFICATION CRITERIA Alternate format text materials are made available to print- impaired UIC students. The Office of Disability Services (ODS) will determine, based on a student's disability and accommodation needs, if s/he qualifies for alternate format text services.=20 Students who qualify will need to apply for membership or verify current membership in Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFBD), Educational Tape Recordings for the Blind (ETRB), and National Library for the Blind (NLB.) DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS Documentation of print impairment is frequently available from your Department of Human Services counselor and can be mailed or faxed (312-413-7781) to ODS. =FE For persons with visual impairment or total blindness: An ocular report from a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist or documentation from a physician must be provided along with membership =20 application or current membership in RFBD, ETRB, and NLB (as noted on page 5, ODS will pay for membership fees as needed.) =FE For persons with other types of print impairments:=20 Written verification and related testing reports from a physician, neurologist, licensed learning disability specialist, or licensed psychologist must be provided along with membership application or current membership in RFBD, ETRB, and NLB. SOURCES (see attached directory for more detailed information) =20 =FE American Printing House for the Blind (APH) =FE Repository which lists alternate format text holdings of over 200 agencies and organizations (including Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic and Johanna Bureau for the Blind and Physically Handicapped listed below) =FE Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFBD) =FE Primary source for taped text materials (books only) =20 =FE Books recorded in four-track format =FE Educational Tape Recordings for the Blind (ETRB) =FE Secondary source for taped text materials (books only) =20 =FE Books recorded in standard cassette format =FE Books not already in the libraries of RFBD or ETRB can typically be recorded more quickly at ETRB than at RFBD =20 =FE No math or statistics books available =FE National Library for the Blind (NLB) =FE Good source for literature, fiction, periodicals, and general library materials =FE UIC Office of Disability Services (ODS) =FE Alternative source if materials are not available from any of the above sources in a timely fashion =FE No library; materials are recorded as needed by a student PROCEDURES FOR OBTAINING ALTERNATE FORMAT TEXT MATERIALS 1. Register with UIC's Office of Disability Services (ODS) upon being accepted for admission to UIC. Registering with ODS allows its staff to assist students with any of their accommodation needs. Students who need to apply for membership in RFBD, ETRB, or NLB can receive assistance from the ODS staff. Bringing medical/clinical documentation of disabilities to ODS upon registering will expedite the provision of any services. 2. After registering with ODS, begin the process of obtaining alternate format text materials as soon as possible. Register for classes as early as possible to determine what books will be needed for the coming semester. By registering with ODS, students will be eligible for priority (i.e., early) registration. 3. Once registered for classes, students should request titles of books they will need from the appropriate academic departments; in some cases, this may require some =20 --- * Origin: NFBnet <--> Internet Email Gateway (1:282/1045) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 233 NFB BLIND NEWS Ref: F5G00155Date: 04/29/98 From: KELLY PIERCE Time: 06:52pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: 04:computer and info. access at u. of il18:52:3604/29/98 From: Kelly Pierce Subject: computer and info. access at u. of illinois persistence. Students having difficulties obtaining book titles from academic departments should contact ODS for assistance. 4. After obtaining book titles, contact APH (phone or World Wide Web) to determine availability of the books. Contact individual agencies with desired books and order them in preferred format (as available.) 5. For any books not available through APH's listing, contact ETRB to determine availability there. Order tapes of books available at ETRB. 6. For any books not available through APH or ETRB, contact NLB to determine availability there. Order tapes of books available at NLB. 7. If a book is not available through any of the above sources, contact ETRB, Guild for the Blind, or Johanna Bureau for the Blind and Handicapped to request that the book be tape recorded. A. Students are responsible for providing ETRB, Guild for the Blind, or Johanna Bureau for the Blind and Handicapped with a copy of the book to be taped. Books provided to an organization by students are returned to the students after =20 recordings are completed. B. Arrange a schedule with the organization for recording the book and ask for a written copy of that schedule. Specify that tapes of individual chapters are made available weekly rather than upon completion of the entire book. Arrange for actual acquisition of the tapes (e.g., mail, pick-up, etc.) C. Periodically check on the progress of taping.=20 Contact ODS for assistance with any difficulties. Note: If services by any of the above agencies do not meet your needs, contact ODS for further assistance. 8. If ETRB, Guild for the Blind, or Johanna Bureau for the Blind and Handicapped cannot record materials by the date requested or will not record them, contact ODS to request that its staff produce alternate format text. A. Students are responsible for providing ODS with a copy of the materials to be =20 converted to an alternate format. (To check out materials on reserve from the UIC Library, contact Veronda Pitchford [2nd flr. Reference desk, 996-2728.]) B. Materials must be delivered to ODS at least four (4) weeks prior to the start of =20 the semester to enable its staff to prepare initial reading assignments. If materials are not available four weeks prior to the start of the semester, deliver them to ODS as soon as possible (if quicker, faculty may send materials directly to ODS.)=0CC.If audiotaping, ODS will make every effort to use readers with an appropriate background in the subject matter being recorded. If ODS cannot identify a graduate student or upperclass undergraduate student in a particular major as a =20 reader, they will ensure that materials are recorded by someone with at least some background in the subject (e.g., a classmate of the student making the request.) D. If a student provides ODS with the materials to be converted into alternate format within four weeks prior to when they are needed ODS will take the steps necessary within their control to ensure that applicable textbooks will be made accessible to the student no later than the start of the semester. If either the student or ODS cannot meet the time frames required, both parties will make a good faith effort to accommodate the request for alternate formats by exploring alternative accommodations (e.g. requesting a delay in a test, using another type of format that may not be the student's preference). Upon timely notice any handouts, journal articles or portions of texts that are provided to students in class will be made accessible to the student at the time the reading assignment is made to the class or if the assignment is due more than one month after the date the semester commences, then at least one month before the due date of the assignment. Upon timely notice materials will be provided in alternate format on an earlier basis if this is part of the accommodation plan. Timely notice for the above purposes does not require that notice be given more than once for each piece of course material in a given course. =20 F. Periodically check on ODS's progress with converting text. =20 G. Converted materials held at ODS for two (2) weeks or longer will be erased in order to recycle media and reading will cease. NOTE: All taped materials must be returned to the loaning agency at the end of each semester. A fee of up to $2.50 will be charged to the student for each tape not returned to the appropriate agency. This charge will come directly from the agency and UIC will not be responsible for the missing tapes.=20 ODS will charge a fee of $1.00 for each tape/disk not returned at the end of each semester. FEES Membership fees in RFBD and ETRB (see attached directory) will be paid for by UIC unless they have been paid for by the student prior to registering with ODS or if fees are being paid on behalf of the student by another funding source. UIC will also pay for any usage fees imposed by agencies external to UIC. DIRECTORY American Printing House for the Blind (APH) 800-223-1839 502-899-2363 (fax) HTTP://WWW.APH.ORG No fee. Repository of alternate format text holdings of over 200 agencies and organizations nationally. APH's database will be directly searchable via their World Wide Web site as of 11/1/97. Searches for fewer than five books may be called in to their toll-free number; for five books or more, please fax in your search request. Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFBD) 18 S. Michigan, Suite 806 Chicago, IL 60603 Local Office: 312-236-8715 312-236-8719 (fax) Main Office : 800-221-4792 609-987-8116 (fax) Membership fee (one-time): $50 Annual fee: $25 Books only. Call or fax the national office with book requests because the local office has to check with the national office and this delays the response. Recordings made in four-track format, requiring special device to play tapes (see information on the National Library for the Blind or the Talking Book Center below.) Educational Tape Recordings for the Blind (ETRB) 3915 W. 103rd Street Chicago, IL 60655 773-445-3533 Annual fee: $50 Books only. No math or statistics books available. Recordings made in standard cassette format (can be played back on standard cassette player.)=0CNational Library for the Blind 1055 W. Roosevelt Road = =20 Chicago, IL 60608 312-746-9210 or 800-331-2351 =20 No fee. Located just south of the campus about 3 blocks west of PEB.=20 Good source for literature, fiction, periodicals, and general library materials. Also lends four-track tape players. Blind Services Association (BSA) 22 W. Monroe - 11th floor Chicago, IL 60603 312-236-0808 No fee. Live readings or tape recordings of books, articles, or other written materials. Ideal for reading articles and handouts. Guild for the Blind 180 N. Michigan, Suite 1700 Chicago, IL=20 60601-7463 312-236-8569 Nominal fees based onrequest. Records or enlarges text. Johanna Bureau for the Blind and Physically Handicapped 8 S. Michigan Chicago, IL 60603 312-332-6076 Nominal fees based onrequest. Records text or converts it to braille.=0CTalking Book Center (H= arold Washington Library) 400 S. State St. =20 Chicago, IL 60605 312-747-4001 Lends four-track tape players for free on a long-term basis.=20 Users must borrow at least one taped book per year from the library (free.) UIC Library For library assistance with any issues related to your disability, contact Veronda Pitchford at 996-2728. If you know that you will require special services from the library, contact Ms. Pitchford as early in the semester as possible to discuss your needs. CRIS Radio=20 Reads newspapers and magazines on the air. A free service which also lends free receivers . To join CRIS, call: 312-541-8400.=0CODS ALTERN= ATE FORMAT TEXT REQUEST FORM Date __________ =20 Semester __________ Student Name _______________________________ Phone Number (___) ____________ Class ________________ Instructor _____________________ Text Book Title =20 ____________________________________________________ Author ___________________ Publisher _____________________ Copyright ______ Edition ______ =20 =20 Date contacted: APH ________ ETRB ________ NLB ________=0CGuild for the Blind ________ Johanna Bureau for the Blind and Handicapped ________ Preferred medium: Disk ______ Audiotape ______=0CLarge print ______ Braille = =20 ______ Comments _________________________________________________________________ ____________ _________________________________________________________________ ____________ ______________ Submit request form and syllabus to ODS in 1190 SSB or fax it to 312-413-7781. ********** Final 3/2/98 Policy on Access to Computers for People with Disabilities The University of Illinois at Chicago is committed to providing equal access to computer services to people with disabilities.=20 This access will occur in an integrated setting and the same conditions of use that apply to the non-disabled will apply to people with disabilities.=20 Where computers are equipped with accessible software or hardware, people with disabilities will be given preference over nondisabled clients and this will be enforced by the Computer Center personnel up to the University police if necessary. =20 1. Primary responsibility for coordinating computer services =20 for people with disabilities rests with the Office for =20 Disability Services (ODS), working with the Computer Center. 2. If a student first contacts a faculty member, department, =20 college, the Computer Center or any other office on campus =20 regarding computer access in a lab or classroom, they will =20 be referred to ODS. ODS will work with the student to =20 assess the needs and determine if existing access is available or whether the University must look for alternative or individualized solutions. 3. The Computer Center will designate an individual to work =20 with ODS and the student to ensure access to computer services. ODS will offer guidance to this individual and =20 the individual will work with ODS to coordinate the provision of services. The designated individual will also =20 be available to the student for training, information and =20 demonstration of equipment. 4. ODS will contact the college or department operating the =20 classroom with computers to ensure access. ODS will provide =20 guidance to the department on how to make the equipment =20 accessible to students with disabilities. The department or =20 college is ultimately responsible for ensuring the accessibility. 5. UIC has an affirmative duty to continually increase the =20 number and quality of accessible computer hardware and =20 software for individuals with disabilities. To begin to =20 meet this duty UIC will make accessible through speech =20 synthesis one third of their computer labs by the beginning =20 of the fall semester 1998. In addition installation of at =20 least one screen reader for all applications applied will be =20 provided. If network installation is not possible, than a =20 non-network based solution will be put in place. Finally =20 the installation of at least one screen magnification software program for all applications will be installed on =20 the network. If network installation is not possible, then =20 a non-network based solution will be put in place.=20 6. As new computer labs and services are planned and existing =20 labs are renovated, equipment and software will be upgraded =20 or purchased so as to incorporate accessibility requirements. This will be the responsibility of the Computer Center in most cases or whomever is responsible for=20 the purchase of equipment, upgrades or design of the lab. 7. ODS has a speech synthesizer available during regular office=20 hours available for students who need access to this equipment in other settings not described above. In addition ODS has Dragon Dictate which will be upgraded by =20 Fall 1998. ODS plans to upgrade their scanner software as =20 well. 8. ODS will send within two weeks after final approval of this =20 policy a copy of such to all students registered with them. =20 ODS will provide automatically all students with disabilities that contact their office for the first time a =20 copy of this policy in a format of their choice. In addition reference to this policy will be made in the orientation materials provided by ODS to the entire campus. =20 ODS will also inform students with disabilities of the =20 Computer Center=FEs Disability Web Site for computer accessibility. =20 9. This policy will be distributed to all Deans, Directors and =20 Department Heads asking them to distribute it to their =20 faculty and staff in the fall of each academic year. 10. ODS, the Computer Center, the department or college will =20 assess the computer needs for the upcoming academic year =20 during the summer before the semester. The Computer Center =20 will work towards making speech synthesizers and screen =20 magnification available in as many labs as necessary as the =20 demand rises. The Computer Center will give highest priority to the most used labs, balancing the availability =20 between the east and west sides of campus. 11. Financial responsibility for making computers accessible =20 will rest with the Computer Center, department, or college. =20 If the department or college cannot afford the accommodations, an appeal for funding should be made to =20 their appropriate vice chancellor. 12. If a student believes that the current software and hardware=20 available does not meet his/her needs, the following process =20 will be followed: =20 A. The student should be referred to ODS regarding computer needs. An assessment will be conducted to =20 determine whether the campus Computer Center or --- * Origin: NFBnet <--> Internet Email Gateway (1:282/1045) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 233 NFB BLIND NEWS Ref: F5G00156Date: 04/29/98 From: KELLY PIERCE Time: 06:52pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: 05:computer and info. access at u. of il18:52:3604/29/98 From: Kelly Pierce Subject: computer and info. access at u. of illinois classrooms currently meet the accessibility needs of =20 the student. B. If ODS finds that the Computer Center or classrooms do =20 not currently meet the needs of the student, ODS will =20 contact the Computer Center designee, department or =20 college and coordinate the provision of accessible =20 computer services for the student. For students who =20 request accessible computer services four weeks in =20 advance of the semester every effort will be made to =20 ensure access when the semester begins. If a student =20 requests accommodations during the semester, ODS, the =20 Computer Center or an individual department will act =20 upon the request immediately and make every effort to =20 provide the service within four weeks. =20 C. The Computer Center, with assistance from ODS will make=20 every effort to meet the needs of the student, including the possibility of setting up stand alone =20 machines, purchasing additional or different software, =20 or training the student to use what is available. 13. A current list of what is available on campus may be found =20 on the Computer Center web page at http://www.uic.edu/depts/adn/disabilities.html or at ODS in =20 a format of your choice. This page will be maintained by =20 the Computer Center. 14. If a student has any complaint regarding access to computer =20 services in the Computer Center or in the classroom they =20 should contact the Office for Access and Equity at (312)996- =20 8670. End of Document=20 --- * Origin: NFBnet <--> Internet Email Gateway (1:282/1045) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 233 NFB BLIND NEWS Ref: F5G00157Date: 04/29/98 From: HARVEY HEAGY Time: 10:29am \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: Re: windows 95 seminar From: Harvey Heagy Subject: Re: windows 95 seminar On 1998-04-29 NFB-Talk@NFBnet.org said: NF>Hi Harvey. Windows'98 will be out by then. I wonder if the seminar NF>will take that into account. Otherwise, it will be kind of like the NF>French military philosophy of always being prepared for the NF>previous war. NF>Andy Baracco I don't know if the International Braille and Technology Center has received an advance copy or not, but I'm sure if they have they will incorporate it into the seminar, but as far as it being released prior to the convention, maybe, aybe not. There have been some serious problems with Windows 98. Last I heard, t was supposed to be released on June 25th, but when Bill Gates was demonstrating it at a recent trade show in Chicago, it crashed the entire system. Also, some states are trying to block its release because of what they feel are Microsoft's monopolistic practices. So there is a chance that its elease will be delayed. I know everyone has other commitments at the convention, but I think a repeat of that particular seminar would be far better than recorded tapes of it. It is very hard to get the feel of an interactive presentation on tape as unlike other presentations which are listened to by the audience, this is far more interactive and that is hard to capture on tape. Harvey --- # Origin: NFBnet <--> Internet Email Gateway (1:282/1045) * Origin: The Playhouse TC's Gaming BBS/www.phouse.com/698.3748 (1:282/4059) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 233 NFB BLIND NEWS Ref: F5G00158Date: 04/29/98 From: HARVEY HEAGY Time: 10:29am \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: Re: 60 minutes From: Harvey Heagy Subject: Re: 60 minutes On 1998-04-29 NFB-Talk@NFBnet.org said: NF>I'm surprised that Tim didn't correct her. Maybe he did after the fact, or maybe they chose to use that footage anyway, but if I were in his shoes knowing that anything I said or did had the potential of getting on the air I would not have allowed it to happen if at all possible. Harvey --- # Origin: NFBnet <--> Internet Email Gateway (1:282/1045) * Origin: The Playhouse TC's Gaming BBS/www.phouse.com/698.3748 (1:282/4059) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 233 NFB BLIND NEWS Ref: F5G00159Date: 04/29/98 From: PETER DONAHUE Time: 11:41pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: Re: windows 95 seminar From: Peter Donahue Subject: Re: windows 95 seminar Hello Harvey and listers: Have you contacted President Maurer Curtis Chong or someone else at the National office with this idea? Otherwise I might suggest that you look up a local blind person in your area that is a competant Windows 95 user and ask them to train you. that is exactly what I am doing. Lisa Hall is one of our member and recently got a new pc with Windows 95 and she is showing me how it works. I'm not waiting around for no seminar although I plan to attend it and perhaps maybe even help teach others. In the federation we have a proud tradition of learning from thowe who have gone before us and in turn passing that knowledge on to those who will come after us. We have done this with respect to teaching the basic blindness skill such as Braille and cane travel so why not do the same where computer skils are concerned. Now go and do it and we'll see you in the World of windows 95. xAM 4/29/98 +0500, you wrote: > > >In the Convention Attractions article in the April Monitor, there >is listed a "Windows 95," seminar for Saturday July 4 from 1-5 >P.M. I think serious consideration should be given to repeating >that seminar for the benefit of those not able to arrive at the >convention early enough to attend this one. Windows 95 is >becoming a serious factor in all our lives and while this seminar >won't make anyone a windows whiz it will give us some idea how to >use it. > >Harvey > > > > Never underestimate the power of a dream. Peter donahue --- # Origin: NFBnet <--> Internet Email Gateway (1:282/1045) * Origin: The Playhouse TC's Gaming BBS/www.phouse.com/698.3748 (1:282/4059) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 233 NFB BLIND NEWS Ref: F5G00160Date: 04/30/98 From: KELLY PIERCE Time: 07:01am \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: senate panal told disabled left behind i07:01:3604/30/98 From: Kelly Pierce Subject: senate panal told disabled left behind in technology Senate Panel Is Told Disabled May Fall Behind in Information Age By JERI CLAUSING Bio W ASHINGTON - The information technology explosion threatens to leave the disabled behind, so Congress must ensure that the infrastructure being built now has accessibility features at the outset, advocates for the disabled told a Senate committee Wednesday. "Just sit down at any computer or walk up to a public information kiosk, close your eyes, and try to use it," said James Gashel of the National Federation of the Blind. "Then, think about the fact that devices such as these are rapidly becoming the centerpiece of information exchange." Gashel was among a number of witnesses testifying before the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources about extending and redefining the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals Act, or Tech Act, which for the past 10 years has provided grants to states to improve access to technology, services and information for the disabled. The committee is now drafting a sequel to the act. Gashel and other panelists urged the committee, headed by one of the law's original sponsors, Senator James M. Jeffords, a Vermont Republican, to make universal access to fast-developing information technology a focus. "The need for statutory provisions on access, particularly non-visual access, could not be more compelling," he said. "I say this because of the growing extent to which the effective use of information technology is a controlling factor in our ability to communicate. "Speaking to this situation as a blind person, I can tell you that the prospect of being locked out technologically from professional, commercial and social interaction is a frightening and very real possibility." Judith E. Heumann, the assistant education secretary who heads the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services , also stressed the need for new legislation to address universal access to information technology for the blind, the deaf and those whose mobility is impaired during the development phase of the product, not after barriers have already been erected. "New software applications replace currently marketed applications at a pace that exceeds current research capability to keep up with them," she said. "Blind people, for example, are having difficulty using the Internet" because of the increased use of graphics and visuals that can't be read by screen-reading software. Representatives of Microsoft Corp. reviewed for the panel the steps it is taking to increase accessibility to its products. But Sam Jadallah, vice president for the company's customer unit, said significant challenges remain. Companies developing new technology need to make accessibility a higher priority, he said. "One of the challenges is, when you are upgrading products on short time cycles, things on a lower priority are going to fall behind ... That's what brought it to a head for us," he said of Microsoft's release last year of an Internet Explorer browser software upgrade that omitted the accessibility features of earlier versions. After that, Microsoft's founder, Bill Gates, called 3,000 employees to an awareness day to emphasize that accessibility must be a fundamental part of software design. Jadallah said the company now has 25 employees devoted full time to making sure products developed by both Microsoft and its partners are accessible. Windows 95, he said, has features specifically designed for individuals who have difficulty typing or using a mouse or who have hearing or vision problems. Windows 98, he said, will have even more features, including a new magnifying option. The company has also developed Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange - known as SAMI - that enables webmasters and software developers to easily add captions and audio descriptions to multimedia that is sent over the Internet. But he and all the witnesses stressed that more financing for research by small companies and increased awareness are needed to make sure more barriers aren't erected as technology develops. In addition, Jaddah said, the government needs to make sure that it only buys products that can be used by everyone. "Once commercial enterprises see that major agency purchases are based on accessibility ... we will see great innovation in this area," he said. Heumann said her office has been holding public meetings to help define the goals new legislation should take. The administration, she said, will present Congress a proposal later this spring. "A vision of our continuing role in assistive technology in the 21st century must support crucial systemic change and the removal of barriers," she said. "But it also has to provide the framework to meet and lead in the information age." Copyright 1998 The New York Times Company --- # Origin: NFBnet <--> Internet Email Gateway (1:282/1045) * Origin: The Playhouse TC's Gaming BBS/www.phouse.com/698.3748 (1:282/4059) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 233 NFB BLIND NEWS Ref: F5G00161Date: 04/30/98 From: EMPOWER@SMART.NET Time: 03:34pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: NFB written testimony for Senate hearing15:34:3404/30/98 From: empower@smart.net Subject: NFB written testimony for Senate hearing on assistive tech PREPARED STATEMENT OF JAMES GASHEL THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND HUMAN RESOURCES WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 1998 Mr. Chairman, my name is James Gashel. I am appearing in this hearing today on behalf of the National Federation of the Blind. My address is 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230. I want to begin by thanking you for the opportunity to testify on reauthorization of the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals With Disabilities Act because concerns regarding technology have become crucial for blind people. Before I explain that statement in greater depth, I think it would be helpful for you to have some relevant background information on the National Federation of the Blind. First and foremost, the Federation is a membership organization of blind people. All of our leaders and the vast majority of our members are blind. Therefore, we are often referred to as the "voice of the nation's blind." In the terms in which the Tech Act identifies the various interests, the National Federation of the Blind represents the organized consumer of assistance and services. "Organized" is one of the key words in our vocabulary, because the Federation consists of state affiliates representing every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. We also have local chapters in most sizable population areas in the United States. Then in addition to this, we also have several special interest divisions which blind people join to address particular concerns and needs. Overall, our total membership is more than 50,000 strong nationally. Turning to technology, which is the subject of this hearing, as far as blind people are concerned, the issue is "access." In fact, I think there would be wide agreement that this is perhaps the most compelling and challenging issue of the times for us. In speaking of access, I am referring to the capacity to receive, use, and send information. Since we live in an age in which information and the ability to compete for jobs and opportunities have become interrelated, it should be obvious why access has become a matter of compelling concern for blind people, but there is more to the issue than that alone. The pessimist would tell you that the world of video screens and graphical presentations is exploding around us to the extent that if you can't see it, you can't use it. But, from the point of view of the optimist, the possibility of access through alternative nonvisual technologies is a reasonable and realistic expectation. This is why the National Federation of the Blind takes the optimistic view, although the fears of the pessimist have plenty of support.Mr. Chairman, I realize that access in using information technology is not necessarily the focus of the present law. However, the need for statutory provisions on access (and particularly on nonvisual access) could not be more compelling. I say this because of the growing extent to which the effective use of information technology is a controlling factor in our ability to communicate. Speaking to this situation as a blind person, I can tell you that the prospect of being locked out technologically from professional, commercial, and social interaction is a frightening and very real possibility. I confronted the fact that this could happen quite recently when I checked into a hotel, got to my room, and found that I was completely unable to operate the television set. The reason was that just moving from channel to channel was not possible without being able to see and read the on-screen menu. So, at least on that occasion, I couldn't even listen to C- Span. In the latter part of the 1960's when I was preparing to go to work, a great many of my blind friends and colleagues were encouraged to pursue employment opportunities in computer technology. This occurred to such an extent that computer programming was actually becoming a modern-day stereotyped occupational placement for the blind. But now, in an environment in which nonvisual access may be impossible or difficult at best to achieve, the same people who have worked successfully on a par with their sighted peers for many years have become technological casualties. Also, the prospects for young blind people to pursue careers in systems development and programming are surprisingly more limited, even though many employers complain about a need for trained personnel in this area. I point this out to illustrate how access has become the crucial issue of the age. Just sit down at any computer or walk up to a public information kiosk, close your eyes, and try to use it. Then, think about the fact that devices such as these are. rapidly becoming the centerpiece of information exchange. Since the situation as I have described it is unquestionably becoming a fact of everyday life, the barriers to full participation of blind people in the society of the future must be faced today. In the view of the National Federation of the Blind, that challenge--the challenge of leading our society toward universal access in information technology--ought to be part of the reauthorized legislation. With this as a foundation, Mr. Chairman, I would now like to describe two important contributions which consumer-led initiatives can make toward achieving the goal of universal access, including nonvisual access. The first of these is consumer-led evaluation of technology, and the second is consumer- led development of technology. When I use the term "consumer," I am referring in our case to leadership provided by blind people who are in positions of accountability to blind people. This is something which is fundamental to the National Federation of the Blind, because blind people are the members and leaders of our organization at all levels.Evaluation of technology in a setting which is entirely controlled by blind consumers is something which we value as a top priority for our movement. This is why we established the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind and have continued to support the Center through its growth since it opened in November, 1990. The present facility occupies 20,000 square feet and includes two hundred separate work stations. The equipment and software which is installed and operational includes Braille embossers; computers with synthesized speech; Braille and speech- output note takers; stand-alone reading machines; computer-based text-to-speech reading systems; computers with access to the Internet; and a variety of other single-purpose devices to meet particular needs. Our operating protocol in maintaining the Center is to buy at least one of every Braille and speech-output device or system which is sold for the specialized purpose of nonvisual access. The challenging word is "buy"--not "accept" or "receive"--but "buy." And the commitment we have made is to continue to buy the devices and relevant software which are being introduced to the market as access technology for blind people each and every year. Our investment in technology to date is about $2 million and climbing. We find the money to support this effort because we want to be completely independent from manufacturers or marketing interests. This is essential if the advice we give or reports we publish are to be regarded as credible. Also, the evaluation work which occurs day-in and day-out at the Center is entirely in the hands of blind people. This is true of our members who volunteer their time and talents to this effort and the staff who devote their full time and attention to support the effort. As a result, anyone who may want to know about the device or software best suited to meet a particular individualized need can contact the Center to obtain the information or visit the Center for a personal inspection and on-site comparison of features. Inquiries by telephone, mail, and the Internet are handled in a growing volume every day. Personal inspection tours by visitors from everywhere in the U.S. and many foreign countries occur in a steady stream as well. If I had to pick just one important contribution that has been made by this facility, I would point to the comprehensive presentation of access devices and software in a non-marketing context, where consumers--not inventors--are the experts. While such activities are possibly envisioned under the present authority of the Tech Act, I would say that greater emphasis should be placed on support for model consumer-led evaluation programs such as this. But consumer-led evaluation, without moving to the next step of consumer-led development, may not be sufficient. At least this is our experience. So, the National Federation of the Blind has decided to lead by example in the creation of technology as well as in its evaluation.Several examples of this come to mind, but our service known as Newsliner and another application of the same technology known as Jobliner are perhaps the most prominent current initiatives now underway. I will describe this technology briefly and be happy to show it to you during the exposition being held this afternoon. Once again, the leadership provided by blind consumers has made this technology possible. Remember what I said about "access." That's what Newsliner and Jobliner are all about. Newsliner means access to newspapers. We created that service to place blind people on an equal footing with others in access to the print media, and we are now working hard to get communities of every size throughout the nation connected to the service. This, in fact, is happening because Newsline uses the standard touch-tone telephone as the means of distribution. So, we are hard at work in the effort to establish local dial-in sites in every state and as many local dialing areas as possible. At present there are 38 (and soon to be 42) Newsliner centers. Areas currently served include New York; Los Angeles; Chicago and most of Illinois; the District of Columbia; Maryland and Northern Virginia; Columbus, Ohio; the major cities in Iowa; Dallas, Houston (and other parts of Texas); Salt Lake City, Utah; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Boise, Idaho; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and many more. States in which the service will soon be added include Connecticut, Wisconsin and West Virginia. The papers carried on Newsliner include USA TODAY, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Toronto Globe and Mail, and several other papers which are distributed in local areas only. The technology which makes Newsliner possible involves receiving news text from cooperating media partners over the Internet, converting the text for presentation in a synthetic speech format, and distribution of the converted text files to the appropriate local access points. When the process is working as it should-which it does most of the time-everything occurs automatically. Therefore, when I sit down to read the morning paper in Baltimore, I am able to choose from most of the papers listed, and the editions just reaching the newsstands for that day are immediately available to me at the touch of a button. Moreover, I can read the sports page, the editorials, the national news, or whatever I choose, when I choose. In fact, as Newsliner has developed and grown, we have probably outdone ourselves in demonstrating the great potential of nonvisual and universal access. How many of you have your local paper plus five or six national papers all at your finger tips each day at 6:00 a.m? Besides, the editions that I receive never end up in the rose bushes or the mud! Before I talk briefly about Jobliner, I should mention that Newsliner has benefited from support provided through the Tech Act. This has been true in Maryland where the state Technology Assistance Program helped us with funds to develop a method for a local-content channel to supplement the newspapers. This support and the encouragement we have received in working with personnel from the Maryland Technology Assistance Program provide a model relationship for the advancement of nonvisual access. To their credit, the program officials in Maryland have been outstanding in their outreach on behalf of our consumer-led access initiatives. Partnerships such as this speak to the potential of the Tech Act and should be replicated throughout the country. This brings me to the most recent version of the Newsliner-type technology, which is Jobliner. Again, the concept is universal (and particularly nonvisual) access, and the content of the service is not news text but job orders. The data base which is used is input from the public job service, known on the Internet as America's Job Bank. With Jobliner, America's Job Bank can talk to anyone on a standard touch-tone telephone. We solved the problem of searching a national data base of 70,000 jobs by means of a personal profile which each caller sets up independently in using the service. Then, at literally the touch of a button, the system selects and presents only those job announcements which match the job-seeking caller's profile. Its truly a wonderful system, and I hope you will come and see or listen to it this afternoon. As for implementation, this service would not be possible without cooperation from the U.S. Department of Labor. I realize that this cooperation should be expected, but I want you to be aware of it all the same. And speaking of cooperation, the Congress, too, has played a part in this development by setting aside $3 million from the amount appropriated for labor market information for the current fiscal year. As a result, we can now anticipate that this service will become available statewide in as many as forty states within the next several months. Once again, I should say that Maryland has been the first to install it. This shows that a commitment to nonvisual access is becoming a source of pride in that state, and the Technology Assistance Program is working with us to make it that way. Mr. Chairman, you have asked me to comment on factors which impede the use of universal access principles in the design of new technology. This would be a good question for a company of the size and influence of Microsoft, but here is what I would say. It all comes down to commitment and priority. --- # Origin: NFBnet <--> Internet Email Gateway (1:282/1045) * Origin: The Playhouse TC's Gaming BBS/www.phouse.com/698.3748 (1:282/4059) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 233 NFB BLIND NEWS Ref: F5G00162Date: 04/30/98 From: EMPOWER@SMART.NET Time: 03:34pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: 02:NFB written testimony for Senate hear15:34:3404/30/98 From: empower@smart.net Subject: NFB written testimony for Senate hearing on assistive tech Take for example the creation of a public service such as America's Job Bank on the Internet. According to one person who was candid enough to say it this way, disability (not to mention blindness) did not even make their radar screen. That was the case until Secretary Reich appeared before an audience at Gallaudet University in October, 1996, and committed his Department to a one-stop service delivery system that is fully accessible to all with state-of-the-art technology. Jobliner is at least one result of that commitment. Could the presentation of information in electronic forms be generally accessible to persons who cannot see? With the experience we have had in creating products such as Newsliner and Jobliner, my answer would be not just "yes," but emphatically "yes." In my opinion this will not be done, however, until the prominent leaders in technology today make the commitment such as Secretary Reich did. Then, having made the commitment, they must back it up with the resources needed so that universal access becomes a corporate priority. The challenge of getting to that point is substantial but not beyond our reach. The challenge is substantial because developments in technology are largely being driven by the goal of beating the competition to the market. Therefore, since most consumers can see and respond to visual cues, visual display technology has top priority in product design. Alternative access for nonvisual use may be considered at some point, but usually (if ever) as an afterthought. This will continue to be the case until the leaders in technology development are compelled to include nonvisual access features in the design of new products from the beginning. I use the term "compelled" advisedly, because designing alternative access features competes with the need to sell and invent more products. That's what technology companies are all about. If it would ever be possible to concentrate the total resources which blind people can bring to the table in buying information technology, the combined purchasing power would be insignificant to a company of the size of Microsoft or other major leaders. However, the combined strength of governmental entities is not insignificant in this market. Also, it is reasonable to expect governmental entities to insist upon having nonvisual and other universal design features included in the information technology which they buy. This is reasonable because of the use of public funds. Therefore, laws, such as the proposed revisions to section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act must be passed, although the loopholes should be closed and the language should be stronger. States, too, should commit themselves to procurement of information technology which must include nonvisual and other universal access features in the design. Acceptance of funds under the Tech Act should also mean that the state will join the effort to put such procurement requirements in place. Returning to my statement about the observable trend in information technology, the consequences of failing to plan for universal design are really quite frightening. Just consider the challenge still being met in our society to overcome barriers to persons with disabilities that were caused in the design of the physical environment. Dealing with situations such as this is always far more expensive and often less effective than anticipating the problem and solving it before the fact. In the case of our evolving technology, Mr. Chairman, the chance to plan for universal use still exists, and there is hope. That hope will die, however, unless there is a genuine national commitment to access which is backed by government and joined by the industry and consumers. Creating the leadership needed to support and fulfill this commitment must be a goal which the technology assistance program both expresses and embraces. In fact, I would say that the expression and enforcement of a commitment to access ought to be the central purpose of the amendments presented and passed this year. On behalf of the National Federation of the Blind, I thank you. ---------- End of Document --- * Origin: NFBnet <--> Internet Email Gateway (1:282/1045)