News
This is a great article inDisability Scoopwritten by Julio Ojeda-Zapata about how Comcast has developed new features to accommodate people who have visual impairments. In addition to the audio guide, Comcast is working on developing a voice controlled remote. These are awesome developments for people with disabilities.
With Eye On Disabilities, TV Gaining New Features
By Julio Ojeda-Zapata
When Comcast rolled out its Xfinity X1 cable boxes a few years ago, customers viewing experience took a major leap with a more-attractive interface, easier-to-navigate menus and other on-screen cues.
But such eye candy is of limited use to Comcast users who are blind or visually impaired.
Now the cable-television provider is taking a huge step to remedy this with the X1 Talking Guide, which it describes as the industrys first voice-enabled television user interface.
The guide features a female voice that reads aloud crucial TV-viewing information, such as show titles and network names. The voice serves as a guide as users hop from section to section including the show guide, recorded-show queue, on-demand directory and cable-box settings.
As you move across the menu bar, whatever is highlighted gets announced, said Tom Wlodkowski, a Comcast executive who spearheaded the project, and who happens to be blind. As you move horizontally across the program guide, it gives you the time, and as you move vertically within the grid it announces the new channel.
The voice reads aloud such things as show descriptions, the time remaining on a show, the price of a film rental, and ratings from Common Sense Media and Rotten Tomatoes. The Talking Guide also specifies which buttons the viewer should press on the remote while navigating menus.
X1 users will be able to activate the Talking Guide by tapping the remotes A button twice, or via the accessibility controls in the main settings menu. The option may not be available immediately, but Comcast said the Talking Guide should be broadly deployed by early December. All X1 users are set to get it eventually via automatic updates.
A company division dubbed the Comcast Accessibility Lab has been at work on the Talking Guide for more than a year as part of its broader mission to make Comcast technology more accessible to those with disabilities.
The Talking Guide remains a work in progress. Philadelphia-based Comcast said it will integrate searching capabilities into a future upgrade, along with the option to speed up or slow down the guides voice prompts.
The Talking Guide also helps unearth features for those with visual impairment that have been there all along, but were not easy to access. Some shows include auxiliary audio also called second audio program or SAP that describes what is happening on the screen for those who cannot see it. Getting at this feature via the Talking Guide is relatively straightforward, Comcast said.
SAP is available with roughly 50 hours of programming per quarter from each of the four major networks as well as from USA, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, TNT and TBS channels, it noted.
The Talking Guide is among a range of voice-related capabilities Comcast is perfecting. Others include the XR11 Voice Control Remote, which includes a microphone to issue spoken commands such as record, show me films about baseball or turn on closed captions. The company said it expects to release the remote later this year.
Comcasts mobile apps can tap into VoiceOver and Talkback, which are screen-reading features built into the Apple iOS and Google Android operating systems.
Comcast, in addition to creating new technology, said it runs a support center for the people with disabilities that fields about 10,000 calls per month.
Source: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/12/01/with-disabilities-tv-features/19879/
An article in Disability Scoopby Michelle Diament about how a vote on the ABLE Act is expected this week. This would potentially have a huge impact on the disability community.
Lawmakers Poised To Vote On ABLE Act
By Michelle Diament
Congress is set to act this week on legislation that would allow people with disabilities to save money without jeopardizing their government benefits.
Supporters say they expect the U.S. House of Representatives to vote on the Achieving a Better Life Experience, or ABLE, Act on Wednesday and theyre hopeful that the Senate will follow suit on Thursday.
This is historic for the disability community, said Sara Weir, interim president of the National Down Syndrome Society, which has pushed for the ABLE Act since 2006. I cant think of another piece of legislation that puts a stake in the ground that says that people with disabilities can work and save money.
The bill would allow people with disabilities to create ABLE accounts at any financial institution where they could deposit up to $14,000 annually under current gift-tax limitations. As much as $100,000 could be saved in the proposed accounts without risking eligibility for Social Security and other government benefits. Moreover, individuals could retain Medicaid coverage no matter how much money is deposited.
Modeled after the popular 529 college savings plans, interest earned on savings within the accounts would be tax-free. Money saved could be used to pay for education, health care, transportation, housing and other expenses.
With 85 percent of Congress co-sponsoring the bill, it is widely thought to have the votes needed for approval. However, the legislation is not without its critics.
Both the National Council on Independent Living and the National Disability Rights Network have taken issue with a requirement that an individuals disability must have occurred prior to age 26 in order to qualify for an ABLE account.
Its completely arbitrary, said Kelly Buckland, executive director of the National Council on Independent Living. Why 26? Why not 27, or 28 or 30?
Meanwhile, the conservative group The Heritage Foundation has attacked the bill as a decisive step in expanding the welfare state.
Weir from the National Down Syndrome Society said that assessment could not be further from the truth.
This is a bill that allows families and people with disabilities to save their own money. This is not a handout, she said.
Source: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/12/02/lawmakers-poised-able/19886/
Think College Seeking Public Comment
Think College is seeking public comment on Draft Program Accreditation Standards for Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities. The model Standards will be critical for financial aid and program approval in the future. Pleaseclick herefor the link to the survey and additional information. This online survey will be available until12/20/2014.
The Fifteenth Annual Multiple Perspectives on Access, Inclusion & Disability:
April 13 - 14, 2015
The Multiple Perspectives conference is an ongoing exploration of disability as a reflection of the human condition seen through multiple lenses (theory, discipline, social constructs, personal experience, shared experience). Presentations should encourage conversations across the typical divisions, boundaries and disciplines. Proposers are encouraged to consider parallels, distinctions and intersections with race, gender and ethnicity. This years conference will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ADA -out progress and the journey ahead. What have we learned? Where are we going? What are the important questions for the next 25 years?
The Multiple Perspectives Conference is hosted by Ohio State Universitys ADA Coordinators Office is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation Endowment Fund and ongoing support from The Ohio State Universitys Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Center for Disability Empowerment.
Proposals are dueJanuary 5th, 2015
Visithttp://ada.osu.edu/conferences/2015Conf/callforproposals2015.htmlfor submission details.
A great article in theWisconsin Rapids Tribunewritten by Liz Welter about how agencies in central Wisconsin received money from the state Department of Transportation. The grants will increase transportation options for people with disabilities.
Transportation grants to increase services
By Liz Welter
Nonprofit and government agencies in central Wisconsin received portions of $3.4 million in grants awarded by the state Department of Transportation recently.
The grants will enhance and support local transportation options for older folks and people who have disabilities, said agency officials.
"This is a blessing," said BrandonVruwink, Wood County Economic Support and Employment Services division manager.
A $117,600 grant will provide the county with two medium-sized wheelchair-accessible buses for its transportation program.
"These buses have a low floor design, which means there are no stairs, and we don't need a wheelchair lift for someone who uses a wheelchair. This makes it easier for everyone who uses the buses,"Vruwinksaid.
"The key thing is by upgrading the fleet, we will save on maintenance expenses, and this allows us to continue the service we currently have,"Vruwinksaid.
Opportunity Development Centers Inc. inMarshfieldand Wisconsin Rapids received $25,600 for a wheelchair-accessible minivan to transport clients. The centers serve disabled adults in the county and use the buses for transportation to job and work sites, said JenniferBlum, ODC director of community and donor relations.
"The reason we're so excited about this particular minivan is that throughout all of ODC, we only have one wheelchair-accessible van,"Blumsaid. She said ODC will pursue a similar grant in 2015 to acquire another minivan.
TheBethelCenter inArpinwas awarded $43,200 to purchase a medium-sized bus with wheelchair access, said JohnLey, center executive director.
TheBethelCenter provides medical treatment for many residents who also need to attend appointments with physicians and other health care providers,Leysaid.
"These residents must see their physician or undergo treatment on an ongoing basis, and this bus makes transportation possible," he said.
The $81,097 grant for Portage County will replace an aging bus used by the county's Aging & Disability Resource Center, or ADRC.
"This allows us to replace our bus purchased in 2005 that is barely running," said DavidAdamczak, ADRC mobility management director.
The bus service provides transportation for county residents who qualify for meal services at sites in the county,Adamczaksaid.
"Our community is aging and more people are needing transportation services," he said.
Source: http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/story/news/local/2014/11/29/transportation-grants-increase-services/19631951/
This is an interesting article inDisability Scoopwritten by James Lynch about the United Nations Disability Treaty.
Senate Unlikely To Reconsider UN Disability Treaty
By James Lynch
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin is dismayed that his effort to extend the protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act to the international community appears unlikely to gain the Republican support it needs to be ratified by the Senate.
Harkin, D-Iowa, who along with former Republican Sen. Bob Dole sponsored the ADA, which was signed into law by a Republican president in 1990, had hoped to win over another half-dozen Republicans to reach the 67 votes necessary to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
However, a GOP ally did a vote count and said there has been no movement among the Republican holdouts despite encouragement from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, veterans groups and disabilities groups.
Im telling you, Im really dismayed, Harkin said late last week. I think it is just unforgivable that we dont join the rest of the world when we are the leader, when the convention itself was based on the ADA, that we dont join with the rest of the world in helping other countries change their polices, their programs, their structures to be more inclusive of people with disabilities.
Harkin has made the expansion of opportunities and rights for people with disabilities a major emphasis of his 30 years in the Senate. He had hoped to win ratification of the CRPD before retiring in January.
Hes been working with Republican senators including John McCain of Arizona, Mark Kirk of Illinois and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire as well as Dole to persuade another five or six GOP senators to join eight or nine Republicans who either have voted for the treaty in the past or pledged their support this year.
Harkin thought he might win that support when earlier this month, the National Association of Evangelicals wrote Harkin to say it had dropped its opposition. It changed its position based on modifications of language on abortion and family issues in what are known as RUDs rules, understandings and declarations that would guide U.S. implementation of the treaty.
This is what gave me hope that we might change some hearts and minds on this, Harkin said. But it didnt do any good.
Based on the vote count, Harkin said, Theres no way we can bring it up.
So Im sad to say our veterans who are struggling with disabilities, other Americans with disabilities who want to travel overseas with their families or who might want to go to school overseas or work in a job overseas, well, if youve got a disability, you might forget about it, Harkin said.
A committee of representatives from the 140-plus nations that have ratified the CRPD will oversee implementation of the treaty.
But our voices will not be a part of it, he said.
If the U.S. had ratified the CRPD, the international committee would not have enforcement authority in the U.S. and interpretation of the treaty would be left to the Supreme Court, according to Harkin.
Im really dismayed, Harkin said. Its just not right to have this go down like this.
Source:http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/11/24/senate-unlikely-treaty/19868/
Disability.gov can help you find transportation options near you, includingpublic transportation, paratransit and accessible taxis.Disability.govs Guide to Transportationalso has information aboutmodifying a car or other vehicleandprograms that can help you buy a car. Learn about your transportation rights and find resources for air travelers with disabilities. Read 10 Things You Need to Know about Trains, Planes and Automobiles to learn more. There areguides on other important topicsas well.
This is a great story from WISC TV/CHANNEL 3000 written by Leah Linscheid about a piece of equipment that helps people who have limited mobility hunt. This all-terrain wheelchair makes it possible for people to partake in several outdoor activities. The wheelchair is located in Dane County.
Wheelchair helps those without mobility hunt
All-terrain wheelchair operates on tracks
By Leah Linscheid
A new piece of hardware is helping those with limited disability take part in Wisconsin's hunting tradition.
More than 300,000 people in the state have mobility issues and cant easily maneuver through the rough terrain encountered during a hunt. Access Ability Wisconsin is offering a solution to that problem -- an all-terrain wheelchair, purchased this month.
The enhanced wheelchair will be located in Dane County and can help people with handicaps access the states outdoor activities, like hunting. It runs on tracks and can quietly maneuver through any type of terrain.
Monica Kamal, a co-founder of Access Ability, took the wheelchair out Saturday.
"In a regular wheelchair, or if I had a cane or walker, being able to go around a terrain like this is very difficult, Kamal says.
Kamal is an avid hunter, despite a skiing accident 14 years ago that left her without motion.
"My skis hit the slope, it drug me down, I hit a tree, broke my back and paralyzed myself, she says. Im basically paralyzed from mid-waist to my toes.
Taking part in the hunt has been difficult for Kamal, as she was limited to a regular wheelchair. That wasnt the case Saturday.
The important thing about the all-terrain wheelchair is I have independence, she says. For one of the first times, I was able to go around through the woods and I didnt have to worry about anybody. They didnt have to push me over rocks or worry about me falling out I would do it just like I was a walking person again.
Kamal hunted for white tail Saturday side by side with her boyfriend, Steve something they havent been able to do before the all-terrain equipment.
The independence, the freedom and the not being dependent on someone, were really important," she says.
They didnt harvest any deer, or even see any Saturday, but Kamal says shell be out time and time again this week, thanks to the new wheelchair.
Source: http://www.channel3000.com/news/wheelchair-helps-those-without-mobility-hunt/29885412