Enabling the Disabled

Internet resources for web-challenged surfers

By Dr. Steve O'Neil, N'Fusion, Inc.

During this spring's National Manufacturing Week in Chicago I was amazed at the amount of effort that is now being put into medical initiatives. At the risk of hyperbolizing, I would guestimate that about 15% of the people I encountered had a physically or mentally challenged relative or friend that could benefit from the advances that now seem imminent.

Unfortunately, those who are Web-challenged do not have a unified body of advocates working on their behalf, but some digging can produce an amazing body of works that address this increasingly important issue. The profile of this issue was also raised by Business Week, which featured "The New Workforce" in their March 20, 2000, issue. Just as a heads-up, they estimate in this piece that one-third of all Americans will have a disability at some point in their adult lives.

Much of the hustle in this emerging area lies in the passage of the Work Improvement Incentive Act late last year. This allows a large pool of workers to work without losing social security or Medicare benefits. So far, companies such as Microsoft, Honeywell, IBM, Caterpillar, and Intel have joined the fray; some with jobs, others with technology for disabled access. Interestingly, it wasn't until 1968 that IBM invented the first Braille typewriter. Since then, we have seen a parade of technology that includes large type and voice synthesizing software, telecom aids for the deaf, amazing advances in prosthetics, and even the possibility of vision-giving implants. Another provocative statistic I ran across in an Associated Press dispatch recently (citing the American Council of the Blind) was the fact that fewer than half of all Americans have access to computers while more than three-quarters of the disabled do!

A good starting place for help is the National Federation of the Blind at http://www.nfb.org/ . You may remember this as the organization that sued AOL in November of 1999 over blind access to the Internet. Their (NFB's) statement of position is that "the real problem with blindness is not the lack of eyesight. The real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of information which exist." Find links here to chapter Web sites, aids and appliances such as Braille monitors and CCTVs, jobs, and large print software. If you are on the site-building end of the equation, check out Guidelines for Web Page Accessibility at http://www.nfb.org/webacc.htm. You can also use the free tool "Bobby" that analyzes Web pages for disabled access. Just submit a URL and Bobby will report accessibility and/or browser incompatibility issues on that page. If you pass muster, you can even put a Bobby Approved icon on your page! Find it at http://www.cast.org/bobby/. Another good resource in this area is the Trace Research & Development Center site at http://trace.wisc.edu/.

For those who need access tools, check out the TextHELP Screen Reader and other hardware and software solutions at http://www.discovertechnology.com . They have a free demo, as well as writing and reading skills software, Web TV products, alternative keyboards and switches, and a free newsletter. The Web Accessibility Initiative is also in the forefront of the access issue. It is their position that "the emergence of the World Wide Web has made it possible for individuals with computers and telecommunications equipment to interact as never before. For people with disabilities, the Web holds great promise of transforming past barriers to information access...." Find their links at http://www.w3.org/WAI#Guidelines and get the low-down on projects and research, other enabling resource links, and resources aimed especially at the issue of Web accessibility.

Voice command software is included on the Philips site.

Speech recognition and synthesis offer attractive options to those unable to manage the physical tasks of typing or manipulating keyboards. It still, nonetheless, has a way to go. For a taste of what is available, new servies such as Tellme Networks http://www.tellme.com  and TelSurf http://www.telsurfnetworks.com/ preview the potential of speech recognition technology via third party vendors. Other packages in the $100 to $150 range include IBM's ViaVoice and Dragon Systems' Naturally Speaking. The former is at http://www-4.ibm.com/software/speech/ while the latter can be found at http://www.naturallyspeaking.com. There are dozens of others, but these seem to be the most popular. For the FreeSpeech Browser from Philips, surf over to http://www.speech.philips.com/. This is an Internet Explorer add-on which lets you access the Web via voice commands. If you have $59.95 and a lot of computer memory, you can also get Mercury Mobile that lets you check and respond to email by calling your PC from a touch-tone phone, or have your PC call you and read you your email. Of the many other clever inventions out there, potential hits include mouse alternatives http://www.logitech.com or http://www.mindmouse.com, The Interactive Finger Spelling & Braille Guide at http://disserv.stu.umn.edu/AltForm , The Low Vision Gateway at http://www.lowvision.org , The Disability Link Barn at http://www.accessunlimited.com/links.html, and We magazine at http://www.wemagazine.com/.

Steve O'Neil, Ph.D. is President of N'Fusion, Inc., an editorial and Internet consultancy which aids technology companies in integrating their print and online strategies, improving advertising and branding accountability, and building end-to-end e-commerce solutions. The company is headquartered in the Tampa Bay, FL, area with offices and affiliates throughout the US, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. Steve can be reached at stephenjo@earthlink.net or 727-742-9169.