IT Accessibility Review
Volume 1, Number 8
Breaking News
Canon Copier Technology Recognized for Promoting Independence among Blind and Visually Impaired
Canon´s innovative copier and imaging technology has earned the company this year´s Louis Braille Corporate Award, to be presented by Associated Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired (ASB). Since 1959, ASB has honored outstanding individuals and organizations with the Louis Braille Award in recognition of significant contributions on behalf of those who are blind or visually impaired.
Canon U.S.A. will be honored during ASB´s 46th Annual Louis Braille Awards Ceremony taking place at the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia, Wednesday, November 9, 2005. ASB selected Canon U.S.A. to receive the Louis Braille Corporate Award based on the company´s accessibility technologies for almost its entire line of industry-leading business office products, including its imageRUNNER® devices, CLC® and NP® Copier products, and its LASER CLASS® facsimile lineup.
"Canon has a long heritage of pioneering and extending quality business technology to users of all abilities, and we are honored to receive such high recognition from ASB," said Tod Pike, senior vice president, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. "Building on this legacy of quality means promoting access and approaching product development with a view to usability, barrier-free design, and always thinking about what we can do for the customer."
According to Patricia C. Johnson, CEO and President, Associated Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired, "The Louis Braille Corporate Award recognizes companies, organizations, and individuals that demonstrate a strong commitment to access for all, and support people who are blind or visually impaired as fully participating members of today´s business environment. This year´s corporate honoree selection focused on ´accessibility´ technologies, which led the ASB to honor Canon´s portfolio of office and imaging equipment."
Canon´s accessibility technology includes the development of the following: a Dual Control Panel kit for CLC digital color solutions, an Accessible Offset Reader kit for Color imageRUNNER devices, improved Remote User Interface for several imageRUNNER models, and Braille Label kits for many of Canon´s business office solutions.
Canon U.S.A. recently announced the availability of the new imageRUNNER 5570 and imageRUNNER 6570 digital multifunction imaging systems, which are uniquely positioned to provide device access to disabled users. Users can operate system functions from a laptop or desktop PC using the optional Remote Operator´s Software Kit, which emulates the device control panel screens.
In addition, visually impaired users can receive audible job confirmation of Copy functions through the optional Voice Guidance Kit (available 2H-2005). Leveraging a new technology platform, plus Canon´s unique MEAP" (Multifunctional Embedded Application Platform) technology, these devices represent the next evolution in Canon´s award-winning imageRUNNER Series.
Source:
eSight Members Debunk 20 Myths About Disability Employment
eSight members are giving employers their thoughts about which myths job seekers with disabilities call the biggest roadblocks to gaining meaningful employment.
During July 2005 (the ADA´s 15th anniversary), nearly two dozen participants on eSight´s "Swimming in the Mainstream" (SiM) blog examined their own misconceptions and used that insight to understand and address the false assumptions an employer may have about their ability to thrive in a mainstream job.
The myths about employing people with disabilities eSight members wish to dispel are summarized in a new article currently featured on the Employer Resources section of eSight Careers Network (http://www.eSight.org).
The article, "20 False Assumptions to Tackle as an Equal Opportunity Employer," is available at http://www.esight.org/View.cfm?x=1805.
In summarizing the group´s comments for the Employer Resources article, Jim Hasse, eSight´s Senior Content Developer, observed, "In 2005, perception, fear, myth, and prejudice continue to artificially limit understanding and acceptance of disability as a form of human diversity, especially in workplaces, around the globe."
The Employer Resource article includes quotes from SiM bloggers to illustrate each of the 20 false assumptions the discussion generated.
Available at http://www.tabinc.org/sim/, eSight´s SiM blog is designed to help:
- eSight members share their personal experiences as individuals with a disability in the workplace.
- Job seekers showcase their accomplishments to prospective employers.
- Employers expand their awareness of disability employment issues.
The blog is made possible by a grant the American Express Foundation has awarded to The Associated Blind, Inc.
The Associated Blind, Inc., a 66-year-old non-profit organization, has been providing members of eSight Careers Network opportunities to collaborate on disability employment issues through accessible online discussions and resource building since October 2000.
Source: The Associated Blind, Inc.
Contact: Nancy O´Connell, Executive Director
Tel: (212) 683-4950
E-mail: MemberServices@eSightCareers.net
Online Community:
Blogs:
IBM Contributes Open Source Code to Make Firefox Browser More Accessible
IBM announced that it is contributing software to the Mozilla Foundation´s Firefox Web browser to make it easier for more users-- including those with visual and motor impairments-- to access and navigate the Web.
In addition to contributing code that will make it possible for Web pages to be automatically narrated or magnified, and to be better navigated with keystrokes rather than mouse clicks, IBM is contributing Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language (DHTML) accessibility technology to the upcoming Firefox Version 1.5. This will allow software developers to build accessible and navigable "Rich Internet Applications" (RIAs)-- a new class of applications that are particularly visual and interactive. DHTML will also allow users to efficiently navigate content more easily using keystrokes rather than a mouse.
This is being done in support of ongoing work at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative, and as part of IBM´s commitment to open standards and open source.
This software will make Firefox 1.5, running on Windows, the only browser to give developers the ability to add accessibility functions to RIAs that will make them more "accessible" to the disabled or elderly. As interactive, responsive, intuitive, and feature-laden as programs installed on a PC desktop, RIAs can run without requiring users to install additional programs on their PCs. However, the features that make graphical applications so popular are difficult for many users with disabilities to use.
With the new accessibility features in Firefox 1.5, all users can more easily navigate Web-based applications via the keyboard. With the adoption of DHTML accessibility code, Web developers can create pages that reduce, for example, the amount of tabbing required to navigate a document, such as spreadsheets and tabbed sections, to help minimize keystrokes for users with mobility disabilities.
IBM and Mozilla´s work is an important step in helping to make the increasingly popular browser acceptable for adoption by governments. As an example, Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act requires that federal agencies´ electronic and information technology be accessible to all employees and citizens regardless of their abilities.
The advances in Firefox 1.5 will also enable Internet companies, such as Yahoo!, to respond quickly to the marketplace and to reach new customers.
"The Accessible DHTML Technology offers great advantages to disabled users and we will continue to leverage the technology to provide visually-pleasing and content-rich web browsing experiences to users," said Victor Tsaran, Accessibility project manager, Yahoo!. "Having such a powerful technology at our disposal will enable Yahoo! to make more of its services accessible to people with disabilities worldwide."
IBM has built the key pieces of accessibility into Firefox, including support for Microsoft Active Accessibility, Microsoft´s accessibility API standard for Windows. This allows Firefox to work with screen readers such as GW Micro´s Window-Eyes and Freedom Scientific´s JAWS. Screen readers are software programs that read software and content aloud and provide Braille access.
"IBM´s commitment to further Firefox´s capabilities and reach people who have disabilities marks an important technical advancement for Firefox. On a larger scale it is necessary to make the Web and all of its content accessible to everyone," said Mitchell Baker, president of the Mozilla Corporation.
The contribution of accessibility code to Firefox is the latest development in IBM´s 76-year history of supporting employees and customers with disabilities through easy-to-use software, hardware, and consulting services.
The market for accessible information technology is large and growing. Between 750 million and 1 billion of the world´s 6 billion people have a speech, vision, mobility, hearing, or cognitive disability, according to the World Health Organization.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one quarter of the U.S. population will reach 55 by 2008, and about two-thirds will experience a disability after age 65. (In other developed countries, including Italy, Spain, and Japan, 45 percent of the population will be over the age of 60 by the year 2040.) With American workers staying on the job far beyond the traditional retirement age of 65, more employees can make use of accessible information technology, including the Firefox browser.
And, according to research by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in Washington, D.C., seniors, who are more likely to have a visual or motor disability, have been the fastest-growing group to go online in the last few years. In 2000, only 15 percent of seniors went online. By 2004, it was 22 percent.
Source:
Access Board Publishes Editorial Corrections to the ADA and ABA Guidelines
On August 5th the Board issued corrections to the updated guidelines it published last year under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). The revisions are editorial in nature and do not change the substance of any provisions. For example, defined terms are italicized consistently throughout the document, and in several instances this convention was inadvertently omitted.
The published amendments cover these and similar corrections and are posted on the Access Board´s website at http://www.access-board.gov/ada-aba/corrections.htm.
Source:
Access-Board.Gov
Access Currents
Volume 11, No.4
July / August 2005
