Take the AFB Described TV Survey
Please take just a few minutes to participate in the AFB Described TV Survey, and let us know about your experiences accessing and enjoying television programming with video description. (Description is oral narration of on-screen visual elements and actions, spoken during natural pauses in program dialogue.)
In the survey, you'll be invited to tell us what your favorite described programs are and which programs you would very much like to have described that aren't currently. By taking this survey, you will help AFB and our field as we work to better understand how well the major broadcast and cable networks are complying with the law and how satisfied viewers with vision loss are with their program offerings.
Your answers will be completely anonymous. You may choose, however, to provide your zip code when prompted. The law requires that video description be provided in the top 25 television markets, and all broadcast stations and cable companies must pass description through to customers unless some exception applies. Providing your zip code will help us better track how well broadcast stations and cable companies in specific TV markets around the country are doing to comply with the law.
We will be collecting survey responses until July 15, 2013.
Take the AFB Described TV Survey.
Odin Mobile Announces the First Mobile Service Dedicated to the Blind and People with Low Vision
Odin Mobile, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) on the T-Mobile network, recently announced the country's first mobile service designed for the sole purpose of improving wireless accessibility for the visually impaired.
Beginning in July, Odin Mobile will offer comprehensive cell phone service for the visually impaired, including accessible handsets, rate plans for most budgets, and a unique customer service experience designed to address the needs of its customers. This unique experience will include sending user guides to each of its customers via e-mail in Word and HTML formats, and providing customer support representatives who are expert in the accessibility features of its phones.
Odin Mobile will offer a range of accessible handsets, including the RAY, an innovative mobile device developed by Project RAY Ltd, which features a unique user interface built from the ground up for eyes-free operation. This device offers users a range of capabilities, such as calling and SMS, contact list services, calendar, GPS, advanced Web remote assistance, voice recorder, emergency services, and more. In addition, the RAY provides access to audio books, newspapers, and magazines with one user interface across all services and applications for ease of use.
Odin Mobile will also offer mobile phones for those who are visually impaired and simply want to make calls and text message. These mobile phones, manufactured by Emporia, will be easy to use and have accessibility features, including buttons and functions that speak as well as a high-contrast display.
Odin Mobile will donate two percent of its voice and text revenue to organizations dedicated to serving the needs of the visually impaired.
Nussbaum and Lewis, Former National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) Librarians, Receive ASCLA Awards
Ruth J. Nussbaum, retired reference librarian, NLS, Library of Congress, and Jill Lewis, retired director of the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (MDLBPH), an NLS network regional library, are recipients of two Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) awards.
ASCLA, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), selected Nussbaum for the 2013 Cathleen Bourdon Service Award for exceptional service and sustained leadership and Lewis for the 2013 Francis Joseph Campbell Award, which recognizes a person or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of library service for the blind and physically handicapped.
Nussbaum worked as a reference librarian at NLS from 1987 to 2012. An ASCLA member since 1990, she has been chair of the Librarians Serving Special Populations Section of ASCLA, a member of the Century Scholarship committee, a representative to the ASCLA Board of Directors, chair of the Francis Joseph Campbell Award Committee, a member of the ASCLA Awards Committee, and representative to the ASCLA board. Nussbaum also served as an ALA councilor-at-large from 2004 to 2007 and has long been involved in the American Indian Library Association. She has made significant contributions to professional documents and guidelines, including accessibility policies for both ALA and ASCLA, fact sheets, bibliographies, and other publications addressing library services for people with disabilities.
Lewis served as the director of the MDLBPH from 2003 to 2012. Under her leadership, the library developed partnerships that provided a community center for library users with print disabilities. The center includes adaptive technology, cultural programs, and an interactive children's reading center. She previously worked as a reference librarian for NLS, where she conducted a study of educational reading services for individuals with print disabilities and prepared publications for the Reference Section. In 2012, Lewis was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland and was presented with a Governor's Citation for Outstanding Service. She has been active within ALA and ASCLA since the 1990s and serves on the board of the Montgomery County Public Library in Maryland.
Both women were presented their awards during the ALA 2013 Conference at the ASCLA/COSLA reception on Saturday, June 29, at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago.
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."
