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Accessible News #13 — January 2002
Should you be using these old newsletters, please bear in mind that the web addresses were correct when the newsletter was created but that they may not be accurate now. We do not plan to change the back issues of the newsletters.
Contents:
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Compusult to Manufacture and Market JOUSE for Neil Squire Foundation
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Bank Note Reader for Blind, Visually Impaired and Deaf-Blind Canadians
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Accessible Procurement Toolkit Makes an Impression in Europe
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Standards to Address the Needs of Elderly and People with Disabilities
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New Event Brings Canadian A.T. And Medical Research Community Together
Championing the Assistive Technology Industry
ADIO continues to promote the development and use of Canadian assistive technology, both in Canada and abroad. The Federal Budget of December 10, 2001 placed security as a key priority and while it did extend support to students with disabilities, it did not set out new funding for assistive technologies. We remain committed to working to secure this funding to further the development and promotion of technologies that will enhance independence for persons with disabilities. Rest assured steps are being taken to achieve our goals to help bring to fruition new assistive technology-related activities within Industry Canada. In the meantime, we will continue to champion the Canadian AT industry, advocating and promoting the use of assistive and inclusive technologies and best practices, whenever and wherever we can.
Come and See Us at CSUN
ADIO will be exhibiting at this year's CSUN "Technology and Disability Conference" in Los Angeles, March 20-23. Come and see what's new with the Accessible Procurement Toolkit, Web-4-All and what else is happening in Canadian assistive technology. We'll be in the LAX Marriott, Booth Number 336, the booth with the nice big Canadian flag.
As of January 30, CSUN organizers had identified the following Canadian exhibitors: Betacom, Braille Jymico, Compusult, D.J. Technical Sales, Daedalus Technologies, Madentec, ORTC, Tactile Vision, Tash, TECSO and VisuAide.
Compusult to Manufacture and Market JOUSE for Neil Squire Foundation
Compusult Limited (www.compusult.nf.ca) of Mount Pearl, Newfoundland completed agreements in December 2001 with the Neil Squire Foundation (www.neilsquire.ca) of Vancouver, B.C. and American company Prentke-Romich, to take over manufacturing and sales of the Jouse. The Jouse is a joystick-based system for head/mouth control of a computer mouse and keyboard. The partnership was announced January 18 at the Assistive Technology Industry Association conference in Orlando, Florida. Compusult has begun processing orders for Jouse sales and rentals and has plans for enhancements to the Jouse electronics and computer interface. For more details, contact Compusult or visit www.jouse.com.
Compusult also unveiled several new systems and products at ATIA. The ScanTELL P100 is a battery-powered and completely portable unit with a handheld CCD bar code scanner that allows blind and visually impaired employees to scan bar coded items at work and hear the corresponding description spoken to them. This makes it ideal for product stock picking and confirmation in warehouse and retail environments. An AC-powered desktop version, ScanTELL P100AC, provides the same capabilities, but uses an omni-directional laser bar code scanner so that the bar code can be located more easily on an item, without knowing the bar code's exact location.
A new version of Compusult's FasseTrack Inventory Control System software has also been released recently. This Microsoft Windows based software is part of the FasseTrack line of automatic identification and data collection software products the company has been producing for more than five years. The new system is directly speech-enabled so that print handicapped users can operate almost all system functions independently. The accessible version is now being offered as part of the standard package. With a single key press, users can select from detailed speech output, navigation/acknowledgement output only, or no speech output.
Coming soon will be a new Microsoft Windows based software product called KeyPrompt, which is designed to assist computer users with cognitive and/or learning disabilities. KeyPrompt alerts users with displayed and/or spoken messages when they've pressed a keyboard key for too long and reminds them to stop. KeyPrompt remains in the background and will work with any Microsoft Windows application. It can be configured for the type of displayed/spoken message, key repeat duration and display message duration.
For more information on Compusult's products, contact them at: Compusult Limited, 40 Bannister Street, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland A1N 1W1 Canada, tel: 709-745-7914 or toll-free in Canada and the US at 1-888-388-8180, fax: 709-745-7927, e-mail: info@hear-it.com.
Bank Note Reader for Blind, Visually Impaired and Deaf-Blind Canadians
Brytech, a leading developer of products to assist visually impaired, blind and deaf-blind people (www.brytech.com) has launched its new Bank Note Reader (B.N.R.). Developed for the Bank of Canada, it recognizes all Canadian bank notes currently in circulation, namely the Birds of Canada Series 1986, the new Canadian Journey series $10 bill and the upcoming denominations of that Series, to be released over the next few years.
After reviewing the needs with the CNIB, the Bank of Canada and potential users, Brytech's design team came up with an ergonomic solution that is compact and easy to use. Its two-tone colouring provides high contrast in the areas that matter. The user may select an appropriate output mode from bilingual-speech, tone or vibration, allowing for different levels of discretion when operated in public. There is a volume control for speech and tone announcements as well as a standard headphone jack.
The B.N.R. has integrated grips down the sides to prevent the unit from slipping out of the hand. Rubber pads on the underside help it to remain stationary on a table or counter. The battery door hinges rather than detaching, to prevent loss. The battery simply pushes in, without a connector that is usually associated with a 9v battery. The battery can go in either way, one way the unit speaks English and the other, French. Volume and output selection switches have a distinct feel. A wrist-strap can be attached securely to prevent loss and assist in locating the B.N.R. A protective pouch with Velcro flap is provided that has a leather loop to enable it to be conveniently carried on a belt.
Every B.N.R. is securely packaged with a battery and user instructions in bilingual Braille, in large print and on audio cassette. It is available through the CNIB (www.cnib.ca) free of charge to registered blind people in Canada.
Marina Ramp Rider Wins California Governor's Award
The prestigious California Governor's Excellence in Universal Design and Technology Award for 2001 has been awarded to Surrey, B. C.-based Marina Accessibility Products Inc.(www.marina-access.com), for its development of the Marina Ramp RiderTM (Ramp RiderTM). The award is the latest in a series of accolades the company has won for its design of the product.
The Ramp Rider is a unique gangway inclined lift system that offers marina facilities a low-cost way of providing people with disabilities with a safe and easy means to access floating docks. Other methods of access, such as switchback ramps, are costly and in some cases impossible to construct and can be difficult to use. The Ramp Rider's system is easy to use, occupies minimal space and consists of a specialized elevator car riding on parallel tracks. Because the design is based on stable principles of geometry, the self-levelling car remains horizontal regardless of the angle of the gangway.
As a result of the Ramp Rider's strict attention to safety issues, it has been accepted as an inclined platform lift by elevator safety authorities across the nation. It will also meet the requirements of the soon-to-be-released ADA Guidelines for Recreation Facilities.
For more details about Ramp Rider features, benefits and technical specifications visit the company's web site, or call Marina Accessibility Products at 604-576- 7752.
Visuaide — GPS Solution: Victor Escort
VisuAide (www.visuaide.com) is currently designing the next generation of GPS- based orientation and mobility product for the visually impaired, Victor Escort.
The Victor Escort will be a fully portable solution that will work with various computing platforms such as Braille note-takers, stand-alone computing platforms and eventually on personal digital assistant (PDA) devices. It will integrate off- the-shelf hardware for GPS input, voice output to provide instructions and optional voice input for entering notes. But the real advantages of Victor Escort will reside in its software features and full adaptation to meet the requirements of the visually impaired.
VisuAide will leverage the expertise the company gained in GPS-based systems from the successful development of the CityGo, a GPS guide for tourists, which will be commercially available early this year. The software core will be re-used and modified to support multi-platform hardware as well as augmented for build- in accessibility.
Victor Escort will build on the CityGo expertise, with the objective of guiding visually impaired people through their environment, augmenting existing aids (white cane and guide dogs), rather than replacing them. Visuaide wants to produce a design that is non-obtrusive and that will allow information to flow to the user in the most natural way possible while offering several levels of details. The system will come with a wide variety of maps that will cover most of the countries in the western world. These maps can be purchased on-line and downloaded, or ordered and delivered on CD or Flash cards, a city or a region at a time. Victor Escort is a fully scalable solution that will grow to accommodate new hardware computing platforms, more detailed geocentric information and special applications such as trekking.
Victor Escort will provide more autonomy to the visually impaired and increase their confidence in their ability to travel in their locality or further away for business and leisure. It will also increase their accessibility and enjoyment of the most useful and interesting opportunities found in their environment.
The Victor Escort's main features will be voice information control features; user- defined location marks; route planning and recording; access to GPS status information; flexibility in information presentation and guidance to allocate for various level of users (beginner, normal, advanced); and familiarity with a given environment.
VisuAide expects the first version of Victor Escort to be available on Braille note- takers in the second quarter of 2002, with other versions running on standalone computing platforms followed in 2003.
Using Technology? Positively!
Health Canada's Division of Aging & Seniors has published a series of Fact Sheets on everyday technologies and older Canadians. This series explores technologies that affect the daily activities of older adults. The fact sheets may be helpful to those who are new users or who may be considering using technology for the first time. The fact sheets take a close look at specific technologies and provide tips and strategies suggested by older adults. They also uncover myths about aging and seniors' use of technology and look at the challenges facing us as we all grow older and encounter new ways of doing things.
The fact sheets in the series include:
- Series Overview
- Telecommunications: Phones and More
- Looking After Your Money: Technology and Banking
- Computers: Getting Online -- Using the Internet
- For the Good of Your Health: Technology and Health Care
- How are Everyday Technologies Kept Safe?
- Older Adults Mean Business!
For more information, call or write to: Division of Aging and Seniors, Health Canada, Address locator: 1908A1 Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1B4, Tel.: 613-952-7606, Fax: 613-957-9938, E-mail: seniors@hc-sc.gc.ca Questions about specific content should be directed to: Joanne Veninga at Health Canada/Division of Aging and Seniors Tel.: (613) 952-9724.
Accessible Procurement Toolkit Makes an Impression in Europe
Industry Canada's Accessible Procurement Toolkit (strategis.ic.gc.ca/adio) was front and centre in a presentation given at a European Commission Round Table, marking the International/European Day of Disabled Persons, December 3. Deb. Finn of ADIO was one of the invited speakers at the Round Table held in Brussels, "Discrimination by Design", which explored the concept and implementation of design-for-all principles.
The "Business Case" session, in which Deb. spoke, opened with Margaret Hickish, a UK design consultant, who gave a fascinating presentation on the work that she has been doing in the design of accessibility features for the new Scottish Parliament, which is currently under construction. Right from the outset, input from a consulting team of people with various disabilities was sought, documented and incorporated in the building plans. The team has toured the building site at regular intervals to monitor progress. Their findings have precipitated some design changes to ensure that people with a range of disabilities, including mobility, vision, hearing and cognition will be able to access the building, which will when it is completed be the most accessible legislature in the world.
Dr. Jan Steyaert from Fontys University in the Netherlands spoke about the dislocation of usage of technology, for example, using a cellphone with one hand while steering a car with the other. He said that such dislocations lead us to expect more ease of use in the technology we use, so that we can use products under less than optimal conditions. This is a design philosophy that suggests a blurring of the line between assistive and mainstream technology: where mainstream technology is made easier to use, more people with disabilities can use it with minimal or no need for adaptation.
Francesco Aragall is a businessman from Spain who told the group about the recent establishment of a Design For All Foundation. This Foundation is made up of private sector for-profit companies who are demonstrating that the application and practice of design for all principles increases sales and market share. More than that, it also improves internal interaction in companies, thus reducing their operating costs.
The Toolkit was the focus of Deb's presentation, in which she addressed the business case for ensuring the needs of everyone are considered when purchasing anything from computers to office furniture to telephone equipment. The Toolkit generated quite a bit of interest among the audience. It is the kind of mechanism that many European countries have been looking for and it was quite clearly perceived as evidence of the leadership Canada is taking in the provision of innovative information tools to assist in the promotion and expansion of AT procurement. She also outlined a number of other activities that the Government of Canada has undertaken in support of providing accessible workplaces and accessible service to the public. It was noted during the summary of the day's events that Canada has moved beyond the "why" of accessible procurement and into the "how".
The afternoon session dealt with "The Need for Legislation". Cynthia Waddell of a US organization called the International Center for Disability Resources spoke about the recent American trend towards aligning technology and procurement requirements with civil rights law. She also explained the implications of the Rehabilitation Act's Section 508 for suppliers of products, systems and services.
Caroline Gooding, a special advisor to the UK's Disability Rights Commission outlined some of the contents of Britain's Disability Discrimination Act, including the designation of system or service adjustments as "reasonably difficult" or "unreasonably difficult". She said that the provisions regarding the duty to change property (physical) access do not come into force until October 2004. She also told us that the DDA doesn't apply to manufactured products, but to the providers of services so that for example, the manufacturer of a coffee dispensing machine is not required to make the machine accessible, but the organization that provides coffee through the use of that machine has a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure access to the coffee. She also said that housing is not covered by the Act.
Stefan Trömel, the Director of the European Disability Forum, made a plea for EU member states to introduce legislation with some bite so that companies and organizations that do not comply with accessibility legislation can be taken to court. He also suggested that non-compliant companies should be barred from profiting from public procurement processes.
The days was capped off with the Breaking Barriers Awards ceremony, at which several European companies and organizations were honoured for their work towards fashioning more inclusive communities.
To find out more about the European Day of Disabled Persons, visit the EDDP Web site at eddp.edf-feph.org/edf .
Dawson College Publishes Policy Paper
Dawson College's Adaptech Project announced the availability of "Six Conditions for Full Access to Computer and Information Technologies (IT) by Postsecondary Students with Disabilities. This policy paper, written by Christian Généreux, Maria Barile, Chantal Robillard, Daniel Lamb and Catherine S. Fichten, is a result of discussions with more than 800 Canadian college and university students with disabilities.
The paper describes six obstacles that currently exist that result in limited access to technological supports students need to successfully pursue postsecondary education. Recommendations to eliminate these obstacles, drawn from the responses of the students, are provided. The document's goal is to initiate discussions among decision and policy makers and to prompt an examination of current practices. The ultimate objective is to see federal and provincial policies and practices better reflect the realities of students' actual needs.
The document is available on the Adaptech Project Web site (www.adaptech.org) in English and French. It is also available upon request from Adaptech in various electronic formats. Contact adaptech@dawsoncollege.qc.ca for more information.
Standards to Address the Needs of Elderly and People with Disabilities
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) has just published a new guide to help standards writers address the needs of the elderly and people with disabilities.
The document provides guidance for writers of International Standards as well as users of standards — manufacturers, designers, service providers and educators — on how the needs of older persons and people with disabilities can be taken into account in standards under development. The guide was developed in partnership with the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), with input from the European standardization bodies, CEN and CENELEC.
"ISO/IEC Guide 71, Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities" is available from ISO national member institutes (in Canada, from the Standards Council of Canada, 270 Albert Street, Suite 200, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6N7, tel: 613-238-3222, fax: 613-569-7808, e- mail: info@scc.ca, URL: www.scc.ca) and from ISO Central Secretariat: sales@iso.org. The guide is currently available in English. French and Braille versions will follow.
"The increasing prevalence and complexity of technology in everyday life presents both opportunities and challenges," said Prof. Makoto Kikuchi, Chairman of ISO's ad hoc technical advisory group on the elderly and people with disabilities. "If older persons and people with disabilities are going to be able to participate in society on equal terms, we have to improve the accessibility of products, services and environments."
The issue of accessibility to products and services has become more critical with the increasing percentage of older people in the population worldwide. While not all older persons have disabilities, the prevalence of disability or limitations is higher amongst this demographic group.
"The intention behind Guide 71 is to inform, increase understanding and raise awareness about how human abilities impact on the usability of products, services and environments, to outline the relationship between the requirements in standards and the accessibility and usability of products and services," Prof. Kikuchi explained.
"Manufacturers are going to find that the guide will help them to design and produce more products and services that more people can use, at little or no extra cost. For older persons and people with disabilities, this guide should help by the effect it has on the standards developed."
Guide 71 is intended to be part of the overall framework that standards bodies can use in their efforts to support the need for more accessible products and services. It supplements the ISO/IEC 2000 policy statement, Addressing the Needs of Older Persons and People with Disabilities in Standardization, by identifying problem areas which must be addressed in standards, while recognizing the constraint that standards should not usually be design-restrictive. The aim is standards that enhance the quality of life of older persons and people with disabilities, reduce discrimination and, at the same time, generate user-friendly products for the entire population.
For more information, contact Roger Frost, the ISO's Press and Communication Manager, Public Relations Services, via e-mail at: frost@iso.org.
New Event Brings Canadian A.T. And Medical Research Community Together
London, Ontario will be the site for TechMed 2002, which takes place April 29- 30. This new event brings together Canada's AT and medical research community to present leading edge research. The focus of the event is on discoveries and innovative technologies that will spawn new business enterprises and products.
About 60 Canadian researchers and emerging companies will showcase their innovations to an audience that will include Chief Technology Officers and senior management from medical device, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Entrepreneurs searching for new business opportunities, scientists, healthcare purchasing agents, venture capital companies and hospital representatives are also expected to participate.
For researchers, TechMed 2002 will provide opportunities to commercialize research, learn key success factors from technology transfer and commercialization ventures and meet with key players in the innovation to commercialization chain. The business community will find this event an opportunity to create new products, learn about innovative new technologies, identify commercialization opportunities and arrange collaborations with researchers and institutions.
To find out more about TechMed, contact conference organizer Mary Beth Sullivan at (tel. & fax) 519-438-4662
News Bits
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Industry Canada has a new Minister, The Honourable Allan Rock, who was appointed to the portfolio on January 15.
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The Council on Access to Information for Print-disabled Canadians met in Ottawa on December 7-8. The Council approved the "Manager's Guide on the Production of Multiple Formats" which will be released shortly. There was discussion with RFB&D about increased Canadian collaboration and more discussion followup on the Resource Sharing Workshops held in October AccessInfo, the bulletin of the Council is now being distributed. The group said Goodbye to Gwynneth Evans, DG, National Programs at the National Library who retired from the Public Service on January 4, 2002. The next meetings will be in the spring with Ralph Manning taking over the Secretariat at the National Library. Information on the Council can be found at www.nlc-bnc.ca/accessinfo.
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Angelo Nikias has left his post as the CNIB's government liaison to join HRDC's Office of Disability Issues as the senior policy advisor. He took up his new position on January 7.
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The Canadian Human Rights Commission launched " A Place For All : A Guide to Creating and Inclusive Workplace" on November 16. The purpose of the Guide is to help employers and employees understand their legal rights and obligations regarding the duty to accommodate, and aid in the creation of workplace accommodation policies and procedures. This publication is available as a sound recording, in large print, in braille, and on computer diskette. You may obtain such copies of this document by contacting the Commission's National Office (344 Slater Street, 8th Floor, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1E1 Tel: (613) 995-1151, Toll Free: 1-888-214-1090, TTY: 1-888-643-3304, Fax: (613) 996-9661) or by sending an E-mail to: INFOCOM@chrc-ccdp.ca or you can find it on the Web at: http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/Legis&Poli/
InclusiveWorkplace_MilieuDeTravailInclusif/APlaceForAllTOC_UnePlacePourTousTDM.a sp?l=e. -
The Health Canada/Veterans Affairs Canada Falls Prevention Initiative has just approved a national project with the University of Victoria which will improve the knowledge and use of assistive devices among Canadian seniors and veterans. The project will explore Canadian seniors' experiences and values concerning assistive device use by holding focus groups across the country with seniors, veterans, health professionals and industry representatives working in the field of assistive devices. This information will be used to develop effective strategies to decrease the stigma of assistive device use and promote effective information dissemination on assistive devices for seniors and veterans across Canada.
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The Board of Directors of GLADNET and the Executive of the European and North American sub Commissions of the International Commission on Technology and Accessibility (ICTA) of Rehabilitation International are inviting participants to attend and submit papers to the "Information Technology, Employment and Daily Living" conference which will be held June 5 — 7, 2002. The conference will take place at the Salle Laroque, Ministry of Solidarité et Emploi, 8 avenue Ségur, Paris, France. It is fully accessible. The conference theme is to highlight concepts of accessibility and accessible information (e.g. barrier-free environment, the accessible internet and electronic networks, the Web Accessibility Initiative, accessible software and hardware products, procurement regulations and various pieces of national and international legislation, as well as human resource issues. This meeting is an opportunity to raise the awareness level of disability, accessibility, accessible environment and employment issues in the business community. Members of the ICTA and GLADNET communities, or others, wishing to make presentations are kindly asked to communicate with ICTA Europe Secretary, Maggie Ellis at westsqas@aol.com or GLADNET Executive Director, Carl Raskin at info@gladnet.org on or before March 1, 2002. Please provide a short summary (no more than 800 words) of your proposed talk. Presentations should be about 15-20 minutes including discussion. A draft agenda will be announced shortly and an announcement and registration form will be placed on the GLADNET Web site soon.
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NISO Digital Talking Book Standard Z39.86 is in the final stages of approval. A few questions remained to be answered and the standard will be passed on to ANSI for adoption. Canadians such as Gilles Pepin of Visuaide, Rosemary Kavanaugh, Lynn Leith and Karen Taylor of CNIB have had pivotal roles in getting this new standard in place.
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An International Conference for Universal Design is being planned to take place in Yokohama, Japan from November 30 to December 4, 2002. Conference organizers are looking for overseas participation, both in the form of conference attendance and papers to be presented. Presentations for each session will be chosen so as to enable it to become a forum for dialogue on different approaches and cultures, in relation to universal design. Further information, including dates for submission of abstracts of proposed presentations can be obtained by e-mail at: info@ud2002.org and information can also be found in Japanese and English on the conference Web site: www.ud2002.org .
- It is with sadness that we report that David Kostyshyn, the driving force behind Syntha-Voice, died November 23. His dedication to his clients and his expertise in the development of leading edge software for blind and low vision computer users will be sorely missed. Please note that at least for the time being, Syntha-Voice has closed its doors.
Our Web Site
The ADIO Web site can be found at strategis.ic.gc.ca/adio . At this site are all our old newsletters as well as different listings and links to other sites of interest. Should you be using these old newsletters, please bear in mind that the web addresses were correct when the newsletter was created but that they may not be accurate now. We do not plan to change the back issues of the newsletters.
Communications from ADIO
If you would prefer to receive our newsletter on disk or by e-mail, please contact us at the address below.
Where to Find Us
For more information, to discuss a project idea or to get on our mailing list, please contact:
Mary Frances Laughton or Deb Finn
Assistive Devices Industry Office
Industry Canada
P.O. Box 11490 Station H
Ottawa, Ontario
K2H 8S2
Phone: 613-990-4316 or 613-990-4297
Fax: 613-998-5923
Internet-mail: adio@crc.ca
Date last modified: January 2002
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