Register Now for the AFB Leadership Conference
Registration is now open for the 2013 AFB Leadership Conference and Illinois AER Annual Meeting. Visit the conference website to register, read the meeting agenda, and reserve your hotel room at the special group rate. Join experts and colleagues for intensive pre-conference sessions on April 18 and full-conference sessions on April 19 and 20.
Topics include:
- Leadership
- Technology
- Education
- Rehabilitation
- Research
AT&T Launches Corporate Accessibility Technology Office (CATO) and Further Expands Commitment to Customers with Disabilities
Christopher Rice Named Chief Accessibility Officer for AT&T
As part of AT&T's ongoing commitment to ensure that customers with disabilities are able to enjoy the opportunities that modern technology affords, the company is launching a new Corporate Accessibility Technology Office (CATO) that is designed to promote accessibility in AT&T products and services. The organization will be led by Christopher Rice, who has been named the company's first Chief Accessibility Officer.
From early work on relay services to current offerings such as the award winning U-verse® Easy Remote and AT&T Mobile Accessibility Lite, AT&T's commitment to supporting people with disabilities spans decades. This new corporate structure will help ensure that accessibility remains a top priority into the future as well as add defined accountability into the corporate governance structure to advance AT&T's efforts in this important field.
"Accessibility at AT&T is about more than just meeting the needs of our customers with disabilities, it is also about continuing to innovate and staying competitive," says Christopher Rice, AT&T Chief Accessibility Officer. "Our work on accessibility has led to innovative products and services that improve the lives of all of our customers, and I am honored to be leading the charge to continue these efforts."
"AT&T demonstrates its commitment to accessibility by working closely with the disability community to identify areas for improvement," says Claude Stout, Executive Director of Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. Stout further adds, "With its open-door policy, this new office will help ensure that AT&T's efforts continue to be a model for the industry, and we encourage other Fortune 500 companies to follow AT&T's example."
Monster.com First in Employment Industry to Make its Website Accessible for Job Seekers who are Blind or Visually Impaired
The popular job search website Monster.com will be the first job search and recruitment website in the industry to provide job seekers who are blind with full and equal access to all of its products and services including mobile applications, Attorney General Martha Coakley, Monster Worldwide, Inc., and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) announced recently.
The announcement is the result of an agreement with the Attorney General's Office and the NFB and provides meaningful benefit to individuals nationwide who are blind or visually impaired, including more than 35,000 residents in Massachusetts. As part of the agreement, Monster will contribute $50,000 to the Commonwealth that will be used to fund the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind's (MCB) job internship program. Monster will also make a $50,000 contribution to the NFB and serve as the title sponsor of the NFB's annual convention in 2013.
"Unemployment and underemployment in the blind community are significant problems, and given the extent to which computers and the Internet have become integral to our daily lives, it is essential that websites are accessible to everyone," Attorney General Coakley said. "We are pleased to have worked with the NFB and Monster to make the company's valuable products and services accessible and to provide better employment opportunities to job seekers who are blind, visually impaired, or have other print disabilities such as dyslexia. We are hopeful that with the ability to access written information in an audible text-to-speech format, these users will now have access to [more] jobs, and better jobs, than ever before. We want technology to improve people's lives, not create obstacles or barriers."
"Over the past year, a team at Monster has been working closely with teams from the National Federation of the Blind and the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office to enhance our Monster.com website in a way that will provide more opportunities for blind job seekers to find jobs," said Mark Conway, Chief Information Officer, Monster Worldwide. "Although portions of our site were already accessible, we all agreed we could do more. Based on the work of these teams, the Monster.com site will be enhanced to make its website and mobile applications accessible to blind job seekers. This has been an enormous undertaking and is an exciting accomplishment for which we can all be proud."
"We are excited to partner with Monster and the National Federation of the Blind to provide access to job opportunities available to individuals who are blind," said Commissioner Janet LaBreck of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. "The MCB internship program [gives] individuals the opportunity to access early work experience. Utilizing accessible technology available on Monster's website to conduct a job search ensures that individuals who are blind can independently and successfully perform the same tasks as other job seeking candidates."
To make its website and mobile applications accessible to job seekers who are blind, Monster is making them compatible with screen access software that renders on-screen information into braille or speech so blind individuals can use keyboard commands to access the same information as sighted users.
In accordance with the agreement, Monster is in the process of making its desktop and mobile websites fully and equally accessible and will have its mobile applications accessible within two years. Monster has also ensured the templates employers use to post job advertisements on its site will be fully and equally accessible within six months.
Monster will also train its customer service representatives to assist users who are blind and will establish a standing committee to oversee implementation of the agreement and other issues related to accessibility in the future. In addition, Monster has agreed to work with the NFB to encourage higher education programs to incorporate accessible design and assistive technology into their core curricula.
State and federal laws not only prohibit disparate treatment of individuals with disabilities in employment and housing, but also require that all businesses operating places of public accommodation provide people with disabilities with full and equal enjoyment of their goods, services, and facilities.
Perkins School for the Blind, Helen Keller National Center, and FableVision will Lead the iCanConnect Campaign
Many thousands of Americans who have combined loss of hearing and vision may soon connect with family, friends, and community thanks to the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program. Mandated by the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established this new program to provide support for the local distribution of a wide array of accessible communications technology.
The FCC is also funding a national outreach campaign to educate the public about this new program. The iCanConnect campaign will be conducted jointly by Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA, the Helen Keller National Center in New York City, NY, and FableVision of Boston, MA. iCanConnect will seek to ensure that everyone knows about the free communications technology and training that is now available to low-income individuals with combined hearing and vision loss. From screen enlargement software and video phones to off-the-shelf products that are accessible or adaptable, this technology can vastly improve quality of life for this population.
iCanConnect seeks to increase awareness about the availability of communications technology for this underserved population, so people who are deaf-blind and have limited income can remain safe and healthy, hold jobs, manage their households, and contribute to the economy and the community.
Information about the new equipment distribution program is available online at the iCanConnect website or by phone at 800-825-4595. Additional information is available through the online FCC Encyclopedia.
"With the right technology, people with disabilities can link to information and ideas, be productive, and move ahead," said Steven Rothstein, President of Perkins. "Perkins' most famous student, Helen Keller, exemplified the potential of a person who is deaf-blind. We are proud to have a role in this transformational program."
The CVAA, championed in Washington, D.C. by Congressman Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts and Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas, acknowledges that advances in technology can revolutionize lives. Nearly one million people in the United States have some combination of vision and hearing loss. People with combined loss of vision and hearing as defined by the Helen Keller National Center Act whose income does not exceed 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines are eligible to participate in the new program.
"The mission of the Helen Keller National Center is to enable each person who is deaf-blind to live and work in his or her community of choice," explains Executive Director Joe McNulty, adding, "This critical technology access program accelerates those efforts but only if people know about the resources. iCanConnect is poised to get the word out, coast to coast."
"FableVision's mission is to help ALL learners reach their full potential," said Paul Reynolds, CEO of FableVision Studios. "With this program we advance that mission, helping spread the word about equal access to tools that offer those with hearing and vision loss the transformational power of technology." Reynolds adds, "Now everyone is invited to the technology promise powering the human network."
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation awards UCI's Gavin Herbert Eye Institute $3 million for Retinal Degeneration Research
The Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, part of UC Irvine Health, has been awarded a $3 million grant from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation for fellowships and instruments that advance research to prevent blindness caused by such diseases as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.
"We are grateful to the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation for demonstrating confidence in the quality of scientific discovery taking place at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute," said Dr. Roger Steinert, professor and chair of ophthalmology and director of the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute. "Researchers here share the late Dr. Beckman's commitment to excellence and will use this grant to strategically support our bold goal of eradicating blindness by 2020."
The Beckman Foundation grant includes $1 million for state-of-the-art instruments designed to perform promising medical procedures such as stem cell transplantation for retinal degeneration.
Dr. Henry Klassen, associate professor of ophthalmology, and his Gavin Herbert Eye Institute team have shown that stem cells can repair damaged retinal cells in retinitis pigmentosa, the most common form of inherited retinal degeneration. If proven effective in humans, this treatment could change what it means to be diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, a disease that affects the vision of 1 in 27 Americans.
The other $2 million from the Beckman Foundation grant establishes fellowships for young researchers to contribute to stem cell studies and other exciting new avenues of eye research. Working alongside some of the nation's leading ophthalmologists, these fellows will participate in the discovery process and learn the latest clinical procedures in vision care.
An earlier grant from the Beckman Foundation provided $2 million to support construction of a new center for the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute on the UC Irvine campus. The 70,000-square-foot medical facility, which is slated to open for patients in September, includes design features recommended by the Braille Institute that will make it easier for patients with low-vision to navigate within the building. The first-floor clinical center will be named the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Center for Vision Care in honor of the late inventor and his wife. The building, which is funded entirely through local private philanthropy, will be Orange County's first university eye center.
About the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute
The faculty of internationally recognized physicians, surgeons and scientists at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute and UC Irvine's Department of Ophthalmology, part of UC Irvine Health, provide highly specialized training to future ophthalmologists, access to leading-edge clinical trials, and sight-saving treatments and therapies for virtually any eye disorder. The Gavin Herbert Eye Institute's mission is to develop educational programs, technologies, and clinical solutions that enhance visual health and performance for people in Orange County, the nation, and the world through cooperation with medical professionals, industry, and the community.
About the University of California, Irvine
Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship, and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UC Irvine is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with nearly 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,000 staff. Orange County's second-largest employer, UC Irvine contributes an annual economic impact of $4.3 billion
India's National Association for the Blind to Partner with Perkins: Enhanced Collaboration Will Bring More and Better Services to Indians Who Are Blind
Perkins and the National Association for the Blind (NAB) India have announced a new collaboration that will help to accelerate the growth of programs in India for people who are blind.
"NAB India is one of Perkins' oldest and most valued international allies," said Perkins president Steven Rothstein. "They are a model of commitment and vision not only in India, but for the world. Our mutual belief in the power of education to change lives brought us together and will sustain our energies in this newest chapter of our joint efforts."
"Twenty percent of the individuals in the world who are blind live in India," Rothstein noted. "The overwhelming majority of [Indian] students who are blind and deaf blind do not attend school."
For the first time in its 183 year history, Perkins will work with an international partner not only to build capacity and expertise to educate children who are blind or deaf-blind, but also to cultivate financial support outside the United States. By creating new opportunities for Indian donors to support the work of NAB India and Perkins International partners, those organizations will be able to deliver more services to more people more effectively. According to Dr. W. Aubrey Webson, Director of Perkins International, "Leveraging our longstanding affiliation with NAB India will help all of our partners here expand programs and reach a larger segment of the population who live with visual impairments and multiple disabilities."
"Strengthening partnerships has become even more important during difficult economic times where the face of philanthropy is changing dramatically," said Mr. K. Ramkrishna, Hon. Secretary General of NAB India. "The alliance between Perkins and NAB India will establish novel ways for partners to expand vitally needed services for individuals who are blind and deaf-blind."
About Perkins International
Perkins' most famous student, Helen Keller, visited Mumbai in 1955 to lay the cornerstone for NAB India's Workshop for the Blind. Perkins provides education, services, and products to people who are blind, deaf blind, or visually impaired with other disabilities to build more productive and meaningful lives. Perkins pursues this mission both locally and globally. Founded in 1829, Perkins reaches more than a 650,000 people each year in 67 countries around the world. The organization advances its mission through its various divisions: School for the Blind, International, Library, eLearning, and Products.
About the National Association for the Blind India
For more than sixty years, the National Association for the Blind India has maintained its vision of an empowered and well-informed population of people who are blind working for personal growth and development, thereby leading life to its optimum potential. Its mission is to prevent blindness as far as is possible while working to empower those who are blind with education and training.
Perkins and MassChallenge Encourage Innovations for People with Disabilities Assistive Technology Prize
The Perkins Assistive Technology Prize provides $25,000 in incentive grants to entrepreneurs who focus on improving opportunities and quality of life for people with disabilities as part of MassChallenge 2013. Perkins is offering the grants, drawn from a donation earmarked for technological solutions, to promote their global mission to empower individuals with disabilities to reach their personal potential.
All entries are due by April 3, 2013.
Founded in 1829 as the first school for the blind in the United States, Perkins now touches the lives of more than 600,000 individuals in 67 countries, far beyond the historic Watertown, Massachusetts, campus. Notably, MassChallenge draws entrants from around the world.
The Perkins Assistive Technology Prize encourages the development of new low- and high-technology devices or software that could significantly enhance the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. Such access technology could apply to any sector of life (education, transportation, recreation, communications, vocational, etc.). Entries may address a certain group of individuals with a disability (vision loss, hearing loss, mobility, etc.), or have a more universal market application. Details and applications are available at MassChallenge.
"Joining with MassChallenge is a natural for us," says Perkins President Steven Rothstein. "It's in everyone's interest to urge entrepreneurs to consider accessibility because better access for people with disabilities means better access for all."
MassChallenge is the largest-ever startup accelerator and competition, and the first to support high-impact, early-stage entrepreneurs with no strings attached.
Benefits for startups include:
- Four-month accelerator program. World-class mentorship and training, free office space, access to funding, legal advice, cofounders, media exposure, and more.
- Over $1M in Cash Awards. $10M+ in-kind support.
- Open to all. Any early-stage startup can enter, from anywhere in the world, in any industry.
- No equity taken. No restrictions applied.
Microsoft Offers New Service to Customers with Disabilities
Microsoft is offering a new service to customers with disabilities. Microsoft Customer Services and Support has launched an accessibility support offering that provides a tailored experience for people with disabilities and customers who use the accessibility features of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office.
As of February 1, 2013, this service is available throughout North America, providing trained support specialists via telephone (800-936-5900; TTY: 1-800-892-5234) and e-mail. The team is available in North America from 5 am to 9 pm PST during the week, and 6 am to 3 pm on the weekends. English language only.
