Re: [AI] Featured Article on Accessibility in USA Today: Rajesh from Noida
thanks for such an informative and contemporary needful article. On 3/25/16, Reach Now wrote: > Greetings: > > > > Here is a fascinating article on the State of the Accessibility Challenge > which appeared yesterday in USA Today. The total length of the article is > 1401 words. If the article is any indication, Facebook should be able to > catch up with Google with respect to accessibility in no more than a year or > two. > > > > I will be speaking with Mr. King at 9:30 PM today local time. If there are > any questions you would like me to ask on your behalf, please send them > across to me at the email address which appears in the header of this > message. Happy reading and now the featured article. > > > > Rajesh from Noida > > > > > > > > Matt King, a software engineer who has been blind > > since college, came to Facebook last summer with a mission: to make > > websites and mobile apps friendlier for people like him with disabilities. > > > > King, 50, uses screen-reader software that turns Web pages and documents > > into synthesized speech. The challenge he confronts every day: As many as > > half of websites are nearly impossible for him to browse. > > > > "There are not many products out there where you can say — actually it's > > hard to name any — that the experience of using them as a person with a > > disability is as good as it would be if you didn't have a disability," says > > King who is part of a team at Facebook that focuses on accessibility, such > > as providing closed captions for videos and keyboard shortcuts for people > > who can't use a computer mouse. > > > > Accessibility is a major problem that looms larger as the world's > > population grows and ages and as more of everyday life — applying for > > college or jobs, making a major purchase, getting health information — > > happens online. > > > > Websites are too seldom built with people with disabilities in mind. But > > increasingly, tech giants from Microsoft to Yahoo are focusing on making > > technology more accessible to everyone. > > > > A major push is underway to add accessibility curriculum to computer > > science programs and to educate software developers on how to build sites > > and apps that don't shut out people with disabilities, whether they use > > screen readers, mouth-controlled joysticks, closed captioning or > > eye-tracking technology. > > > > "There is certainly more of an interest in just the last five years from > > these big companies in Silicon Valley," said Geoff Freed, director of > > technology projects and Web media standards for the WGBH National Center > > for Accessible Media. > > > > It's also a hot topic at the 31st Annual International Technology and > > Persons with Disabilities Conference being held in San Diego this week. > > > > 'SEE' A FACEBOOK PHOTO WITH CAPTIONS > > > > Facebook is re-engineering its website and mobile apps, and it's > > brainstorming a new generation of futuristic products that harness the > > power of artificial intelligence to improve the experience of Facebook for > > people with disabilities. > > > > The first is an automated captioning tool launching in April that will help > > the visually impaired "see" a photo on Facebook by describing what's in it. > > > > The ever-quickening torrent of photographs and videos flooding Facebook > > presents a big challenge for the visually impaired. King says he gleans > > clues from the captions and comments, but "you really feel excluded when > > you can't see the picture." > > > > Even small bits of information can be helpful, King says. When a friend > > uploads a new profile picture without a caption, the tool tells him there > > is a person smiling in the photo. When a friend uploads a photo from her > > phone, it says: "Image may contain: two people, one toddler, smiling, > > outdoors." > > > > "These are our very first baby steps," he says. In time, Facebook hopes to > > provide a much fuller automated description of photographs and then videos. > > "It's really the idea that we are including everybody in the conversation," > > he says. > > > > ONE BILLION PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES > > > > Tech companies aren’t focusing on disability access simply out of altruism. > > Dependent on growth, they can’t afford to overlook large swaths of the > > population. In the United States, one out of every five adults has a > > disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. > > Some 15% of the world's population, an estimated 1 billion people, have > > disabilities. > > > > Another factor: legal risk. Courts are divided on whether websites and > > mobile apps are legally required to provide equal access to people with > > disabilities under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, which was > > enacted before the Internet became as ubiquitous as it is today. But > > advocates are increasingly filing lawsuits, claiming companies have a legal > > obligation to make their websites as accessible as a retail s
[AI] Featured Article on Accessibility in USA Today: Rajesh from Noida
Greetings: Here is a fascinating article on the State of the Accessibility Challenge which appeared yesterday in USA Today. The total length of the article is 1401 words. If the article is any indication, Facebook should be able to catch up with Google with respect to accessibility in no more than a year or two. I will be speaking with Mr. King at 9:30 PM today local time. If there are any questions you would like me to ask on your behalf, please send them across to me at the email address which appears in the header of this message. Happy reading and now the featured article. Rajesh from Noida Matt King, a software engineer who has been blind since college, came to Facebook last summer with a mission: to make websites and mobile apps friendlier for people like him with disabilities. King, 50, uses screen-reader software that turns Web pages and documents into synthesized speech. The challenge he confronts every day: As many as half of websites are nearly impossible for him to browse. "There are not many products out there where you can say — actually it's hard to name any — that the experience of using them as a person with a disability is as good as it would be if you didn't have a disability," says King who is part of a team at Facebook that focuses on accessibility, such as providing closed captions for videos and keyboard shortcuts for people who can't use a computer mouse. Accessibility is a major problem that looms larger as the world's population grows and ages and as more of everyday life — applying for college or jobs, making a major purchase, getting health information — happens online. Websites are too seldom built with people with disabilities in mind. But increasingly, tech giants from Microsoft to Yahoo are focusing on making technology more accessible to everyone. A major push is underway to add accessibility curriculum to computer science programs and to educate software developers on how to build sites and apps that don't shut out people with disabilities, whether they use screen readers, mouth-controlled joysticks, closed captioning or eye-tracking technology. "There is certainly more of an interest in just the last five years from these big companies in Silicon Valley," said Geoff Freed, director of technology projects and Web media standards for the WGBH National Center for Accessible Media. It's also a hot topic at the 31st Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference being held in San Diego this week. 'SEE' A FACEBOOK PHOTO WITH CAPTIONS Facebook is re-engineering its website and mobile apps, and it's brainstorming a new generation of futuristic products that harness the power of artificial intelligence to improve the experience of Facebook for people with disabilities. The first is an automated captioning tool launching in April that will help the visually impaired "see" a photo on Facebook by describing what's in it. The ever-quickening torrent of photographs and videos flooding Facebook presents a big challenge for the visually impaired. King says he gleans clues from the captions and comments, but "you really feel excluded when you can't see the picture." Even small bits of information can be helpful, King says. When a friend uploads a new profile picture without a caption, the tool tells him there is a person smiling in the photo. When a friend uploads a photo from her phone, it says: "Image may contain: two people, one toddler, smiling, outdoors." "These are our very first baby steps," he says. In time, Facebook hopes to provide a much fuller automated description of photographs and then videos. "It's really the idea that we are including everybody in the conversation," he says. ONE BILLION PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES Tech companies aren’t focusing on disability access simply out of altruism. Dependent on growth, they can’t afford to overlook large swaths of the population. In the United States, one out of every five adults has a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some 15% of the world's population, an estimated 1 billion people, have disabilities. Another factor: legal risk. Courts are divided on whether websites and mobile apps are legally required to provide equal access to people with disabilities under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, which was enacted before the Internet became as ubiquitous as it is today. But advocates are increasingly filing lawsuits, claiming companies have a legal obligation to make their websites as accessible as a retail store, movie theater or restaurant. The Department of Justice delayed a plan to issue accessibility regulations until 2018, but in November said: "The inability to access websites put individuals at a great disadvantage in today's society, which is driven by a dynamic electronic marketplace and unprecedented access t
