Re: Looking Back on 20 Years of Assistive Technology: Where We've Been and How Far and Fast We've Come, AccessWorldR, May 2018
Thx for posting this article. Very interesting to read. Yes, we've come a long way during the last 20 years! Katie Sent from my iPhone > On May 22, 2018, at 4:44 PM, M. Taylor wrote: > > Hello All, > > I thought the following article would be a nice piece to post to the list if > for no other reason but that it definitely helps lend perspective as to > where we've been, where we are, and where we need to go in terms of > accessible tech. > > Enjoy, > > Mark > > Looking Back on 20 Years of Assistive Technology: Where We've Been and How > Far and Fast We've Come > By Bill Holton > AccessWorldR, May 2018 > > They say the future is coming at us faster than ever, and this is true even > for accessibility. I will be 65 years old this July, and (cue grumpy old man > voice here) back in my day, we didn't have any of these dang computers and > phones were attached to a wall. I threaded large reel-to-reel tapes to > listen to my "Recordings for the Blind" textbooks--when they were > available--and turned in many a blank page because I didn't realize the > ribbon on my manual typewriter had run out of ink. And we liked it that way > (exit grumpy old man voice). > If you are 25 years old or younger, you probably don't even remember a time > when there wasn't a computer in your home, and when you didn't have at least > rudimentary access to it. But as I said above, the future is coming faster > than ever, and one of the best ways to gain perspective is to take a quick > look back at some of the technologies that are now utterly out of date, and > just how few years have passed since they were first introduced. > Five Years Ago > Let's start just five years ago, in the May 2013 issue of AccessWorld. > Besides including my second AccessWorld article, it also includes A First > Look at the Accessibility of the Google Chrome Operating System by J.J. > Meddaugh. In this article, Meddaugh demonstrated the new ChromeVox screen > reader using a Google ChromeBox. Yes, a ChromeBox, not a ChromeBook. The > ChromeBox was basically a Chrome OS desktop computer, very small and > compact, sort of like a Mac Mini in that you had to provide your own > keyboard, display, and other USB devices. Meddaugh experienced difficulties > with the ChromeVox screen reader, especially when it came to status screens > and typing in Google Docs. Also, ironically, the first screen of the > ChromeVox tutorial would not speak. Meddaugh concluded his first look this > way: "While the web browser and parts of Chrome are quite usable now, much > work still needs to be done. We look forward to the results and possible > improvements from this beta program and will closely follow its > development." > Ten Years Ago > In this current issue Shelly Brisbin offers us a roundup of the 2018 CSUN > adaptive technology conference. Ten years ago Deborah Kendrick filed our > CSUN roundup, reporting: "One of the hottest products of interest to blind > consumers was the KNFB Mobile, a Nokia N82 mobile phone with the Kurzweil > reading software on board. HumanWare introduced the Trekker Breeze, a new > GPS product, and announced a new upgrade for the Victor Reader Stream that > includes, among other features, compatibility with Serotek's System Access > Mobile Network." > Fifteen Years Ago > In 2003, AccessWorld was just a pup, mostly limited to accessibility news, > such as: "In February 2003, Bonnie O'Day of Alexandria, VA, filed a formal > complaint with the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) against Audiovox > Communications Corporation, a manufacturer of wireless products, and Verizon > Wireless, a service provider, regarding the lack of accessible features in > one of their high-end cell phones. This is the first formal complaint to ask > the FCC to enforce the rights provided under Section 255 of the > Communications Act (as amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996), which > requires telecommunications equipment and services to be accessible to and > usable by people with disabilities, if readily achievable." > I wonder how that worked out. Are you reading this article on your iPhone or > Android tablet? > 20 Years Ago > The May 1998 issue of AccessWorld included an in-depth look at mobility > training. There was not a single mention of GPS, because back then the > system was US military only. In 1998 Vice President Al Gore announced a plan > to make the GPS satellites transmit two additional signals to be used for > civilian (non-military) applications, especially to improve aircraft safety. > Congress approved the plan (called "GPS III") in 2000. > The issue also included a report of a survey on the availability of > accessible alternatives to print materials on college campuses: "Kwan's > study of 18 public universities in California revealed that the majority of > universities that were surveyed required 2 to 6 days to provide basic > instructional materials in braille or electronic text or on audiotape. Five > of the universities stated th
Looking Back on 20 Years of Assistive Technology: Where We've Been and How Far and Fast We've Come, AccessWorldR, May 2018
Hello All, I thought the following article would be a nice piece to post to the list if for no other reason but that it definitely helps lend perspective as to where we've been, where we are, and where we need to go in terms of accessible tech. Enjoy, Mark Looking Back on 20 Years of Assistive Technology: Where We've Been and How Far and Fast We've Come By Bill Holton AccessWorldR, May 2018 They say the future is coming at us faster than ever, and this is true even for accessibility. I will be 65 years old this July, and (cue grumpy old man voice here) back in my day, we didn't have any of these dang computers and phones were attached to a wall. I threaded large reel-to-reel tapes to listen to my "Recordings for the Blind" textbooks--when they were available--and turned in many a blank page because I didn't realize the ribbon on my manual typewriter had run out of ink. And we liked it that way (exit grumpy old man voice). If you are 25 years old or younger, you probably don't even remember a time when there wasn't a computer in your home, and when you didn't have at least rudimentary access to it. But as I said above, the future is coming faster than ever, and one of the best ways to gain perspective is to take a quick look back at some of the technologies that are now utterly out of date, and just how few years have passed since they were first introduced. Five Years Ago Let's start just five years ago, in the May 2013 issue of AccessWorld. Besides including my second AccessWorld article, it also includes A First Look at the Accessibility of the Google Chrome Operating System by J.J. Meddaugh. In this article, Meddaugh demonstrated the new ChromeVox screen reader using a Google ChromeBox. Yes, a ChromeBox, not a ChromeBook. The ChromeBox was basically a Chrome OS desktop computer, very small and compact, sort of like a Mac Mini in that you had to provide your own keyboard, display, and other USB devices. Meddaugh experienced difficulties with the ChromeVox screen reader, especially when it came to status screens and typing in Google Docs. Also, ironically, the first screen of the ChromeVox tutorial would not speak. Meddaugh concluded his first look this way: "While the web browser and parts of Chrome are quite usable now, much work still needs to be done. We look forward to the results and possible improvements from this beta program and will closely follow its development." Ten Years Ago In this current issue Shelly Brisbin offers us a roundup of the 2018 CSUN adaptive technology conference. Ten years ago Deborah Kendrick filed our CSUN roundup, reporting: "One of the hottest products of interest to blind consumers was the KNFB Mobile, a Nokia N82 mobile phone with the Kurzweil reading software on board. HumanWare introduced the Trekker Breeze, a new GPS product, and announced a new upgrade for the Victor Reader Stream that includes, among other features, compatibility with Serotek's System Access Mobile Network." Fifteen Years Ago In 2003, AccessWorld was just a pup, mostly limited to accessibility news, such as: "In February 2003, Bonnie O'Day of Alexandria, VA, filed a formal complaint with the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) against Audiovox Communications Corporation, a manufacturer of wireless products, and Verizon Wireless, a service provider, regarding the lack of accessible features in one of their high-end cell phones. This is the first formal complaint to ask the FCC to enforce the rights provided under Section 255 of the Communications Act (as amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996), which requires telecommunications equipment and services to be accessible to and usable by people with disabilities, if readily achievable." I wonder how that worked out. Are you reading this article on your iPhone or Android tablet? 20 Years Ago The May 1998 issue of AccessWorld included an in-depth look at mobility training. There was not a single mention of GPS, because back then the system was US military only. In 1998 Vice President Al Gore announced a plan to make the GPS satellites transmit two additional signals to be used for civilian (non-military) applications, especially to improve aircraft safety. Congress approved the plan (called "GPS III") in 2000. The issue also included a report of a survey on the availability of accessible alternatives to print materials on college campuses: "Kwan's study of 18 public universities in California revealed that the majority of universities that were surveyed required 2 to 6 days to provide basic instructional materials in braille or electronic text or on audiotape. Five of the universities stated that the braille production of such materials would require more than seven days, and 11 reported that electronic texts were not available." Need to read that handout your prof just passed out? Open one of several mobile OCR apps and give it a quick scan. Then start Nearby Explorer and head to the closest coffee shop for a cappuccino. Then.and Can You
