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Accessible News #16 — March 2003
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:
Come See Us At CSUN!
Visitors to the 18th Annual "Technology and Disability" conference sponsored by California State University, Northridge (CSUN) will find the Assistive Devices Industry Office in its traditional location in the main exhibit hall of the Marriott Hotel: Booth #336. We will be demonstrating the Accessible Procurement Toolkit (www.apt.gc.ca), showing off our information on theAssistive Technology Links site (www.at-links.gc.ca) (French: www.liens-ta.gc.ca) and introducing you to AssistiveX (www.assistivex.com)
AssistiveX is an assistive technology exchange web portal designed to elevate the profile of Canada's R&D activities in the assistive technology field and to provide additional marketing opportunities for individual companies in the industry. Through the use of the portal companies, researchers and consumers will draw further linkages within the sector.
So drop by our booth and say "hello". In addition to the systems and technology we will be showing, we will also have product literature on display from various Canadian AT companies and organizations. We're pretty easy to find too: we're the booth with the nice big Canadian flag.
Canadian Angel Investors Form An Association
The National Angel Organization (NAO) (http://www.angelinvestor.ca), a new national association of Canada's angel investors, was announced at the second annual Angel Investor Summit in October 2002. The group has several goals including creating an inventory of angel investors in Canada, pressing for changes on tax and regulator to encourage investing; and providing advice and training for its members.
Assistive Technology developers looking for investors should note that the NAO is a non-profit organization and does not itself make any investment in early stage businesses. Rather than a matchmaking service that marries investors and entrepreneurs, the NAO is an organization dedicated to improving the effectiveness of early stage investors and thereby the lot of all related economic stakeholders. Fund seekers should visit the NAO's Library page, which is regularly updated with links to organizations that make early stage equity investments. Each of these organizations has its own decision-making criteria.
The potency of early angels only meetings inspired a core group to attempt a more ambitious larger social gathering that would also serve a philanthropic purpose. In May, 2001, Henry Vehovec chaired the first CHIN UP Angel Investor Golf Invitational in support of children's injured nerve research at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. By gathering more than 100 angels a critical mass was reached that created recognition for the group as the largest ever dedicated gathering of angel investors in Canada.
A strong demand emerged from within the group to reconvene with an educative, professional development agenda, which resulted in the first Angel Investor Summit held in October 2001. The Summit saw the emergence of special interest groups develop largely along industry cluster lines. Following this initial Summit, a market research study was conducted by several Rotman MBA students under the direction of Dean Roger Martin and Angel Investor Summit Chair, Henry Vehovec in the summer of 2002. Survey results were analyzed and reviewed and were presented at the second Angel Investor Summit held on October 30, following which angels voted overwhelmingly in favour of creating the non-profit NAO.
"The NAO was formed by angels for angels, with a mission and mandate to provide an educational framework, encourage best practices, and stimulate cross- pollination among Canada's emerging regional angel groups," said NAO's President Henry Vehovec.
The NAO's founding members believe their organization will have a positive impact on Canada's economy by helping to increase the quality, quantity and success of angel investments, thereby increasing the pool of available capital for innovative start-ups. SMEs may find it easier to locate seed financing and the group is confident that the net result of increased investment activity will be both the generation of new jobs and the retention of Canadian skills and talent.
To learn more about the NAO, visit their Web site at www.angelinvestor.ca
Wrap-Up: ATIA Conference
- Mary Frances LaughtonThe Assistive Technology Industry Association held its 4th annual conference in Orlando from January 15-18 with over 1000 people in attendance. It was my first time at this event which next year will be moving to site at Disneyworld to accommodate more exhibitors and attendees.
Canadians are prominent on the Board of ATIA as well as providing some of the most exciting booth exhibits. Madentec, Visuaide, Betacom, Tash, Daessy and Compusult were all showing new and exciting products. The client base for this conference seemed to me to be more from the education and OT side. I gave a paper on the AT industry Canada and was among a number of Canadian speakers providing their perspectives on the industry and persons with disabilities in Canada.
Florida was cold but welcoming and Canada certainly shone at this show. For another person's perspective on this conference, check out www.at508.com/archives.cfm/jw_011.asp
Canadian Hearing Society: A Well-Kept Secret
- by Deb. Finn, with Donna McAllister and Christina NarducciJust before Christmas 2002, the TTY in my office stopped working. Fifteen minutes later, I had ordered a new one on-line and it was delivered six days later. I didn't have to dig around on the Web, guessing which keywords would help me locate what I needed. I knew that one place to look was the on-line store at the Canadian Hearing Society(CHS) Web site (http://www.chs.ca). Many Canadians have no idea where to purchase devices such as TTYs, Voice Carry-Over phones, alerting systems, smoke detectors, assistive listening accessories and other assistive devices used by and with deaf, deafened or hard of hearing people. Knowing about organizations such as the CHS can cut short the often frustrating task of tracking down and purchasing such equipment.
The CHS was incorporated in 1940 to impartially serve and support deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people, parents of deaf and hard of hearing children and to educate the hearing public. While many of its services are only available to residents of Ontario, the CHS does provide support of consumer groups in advocacy; consultation and training; mail order assistive devices and educational materials; and public education on a nation-wide basis.
With the inception of the Technology Initiatives Department (TID) two years ago, the CHS began to take a proactive role in the research and development of communication technology and a new sub-department called Northwind Communications was established.
The last few years have seen the development of a videoconferencing network that spans Ontario from Fort Frances to Windsor and provides Deaf people with the ability to communicate in sign language. The building of the network was unique: it was built on the needs of the Deaf community which is thereby enabled to communicate using technology of sufficient quality to allow smooth transmission of visual communication. The network was a huge success and CHS has never looked back. With the first network built on the needs of deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people, Northwind Communication is now in the unique position to develop the first Video ISP in the country. Indeed, it may be the only Video ISP in the world. Using broadband technology, Northwind Communication wants to provide the same quality of videoconferencing it now has in its 26 offices, to people in their own homes.
Marc Serré, Director of TID and his team have been nominated for numerous awards over the past two years and have been asked to present their work in the United States and Canada. Video streaming media services, wireless communication and accessible web technologies are also being researched with the emphasis on people's needs, not technology's limitations. For more information on TID and Northwind Communication, contact Marc Serré at mserre@northwindcom.chs.ca.
Christina Narducci is a Technical Devices Specialist with the Ottawa Chapter. I met with her just after the New Year and she filled me in on some of the recent activities of the CHS. She told me about the CHS' "Residual Inhibition" project, which was funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and is aimed at people who have tinnitus, a condition that affects more than 5 million Canadians, who perceive sounds that are present in the ears and/or head when no external sound is present. A professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of New Brunswick named Don Lyon has developed what he believes to be the first commercially available technique to correctly diagnose and treat tinnitus. He has developed a software package that allows the audiologist to use the computer for a hearing test that will pinpoint both the frequency and tone of the ringing. The audiologist then duplicates that sound on a CD so the patient can take it home to listen to. This method of dealing with the incessant ringing is called "Residual Inhibition", which occurs when tinnitus sufferers listen to a specific sound for a short while and then notice that their tinnitus is gone, or is significantly reduced in volume. The Residual Inhibition Treatment Program consists of an initial appointment that includes a tinnitus assessment, an audiological evaluation and counselling. A follow-up session is conducted after the sufferer has spent a week listening to each of the three tracks. CHS has performed trials of this method, the results of which are being compiled and are not yet published.
CHS endeavours to ensure that people with disabilities no longer are the last ones to benefit from new technological advances. CHS has shown that it can manipulate existing technology into providing accessible communications that benefit deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people. For further information on the above or any other device, do not hesitate to contact the Canadian Hearing Society at (613) 521-0509 (Ottawa Chapter), or visit the CHS Web site at www.chs.ca.
IMHA On The Move
- by Mary Frances LaughtonOn January 31 and February 1, 2003, I was privileged to attend "IMHA on the Move" in Calgary. IMHA is the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/institutes/imha), one of the 13 CIHR institutes and the one which is the obvious home to the Rehabilitation Sector. The meeting was to celebrate the achievements of the institute and to contribute to the planning for the health research agenda in this vibrant scientific field.
In attendance were the leaders in R&D in the science of arthritis, rehabilitation, bone, muscle, skin and oral health. There were several Canada Research Chairs, Deans of Canadian Faculties and researchers of all kinds. Several members of the CNCERE (the Canadian Network of Rehabilitation Engineering Research) planning team were there and gave compelling presentations on the need for R&D into assistive technologies.
Out of the two day sessions came the planning for developing research questions and initiatives for future Requests for Applications under the three IMHA research themes: Physical activity, Mobility and Health; Tissue injury, Repair and Replacement; Pain, Disability and Chronic Diseases. Planning is also underway for a number of workshops and consensus conferences for longer term strategies. A number of New Emerging Teams will be supported. I will continue to monitor and participate in this planning process and we will let our readers know about advances and new programmes of activities.
For more information on IMHA, check out its site at:
www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/institutes/imha
Canadian Company Leads Un-Sponsored Iinternational Seminar On Accessibility
North Vancouver B.C.-based Vision Office (www.visionoffice.com) will head a presentation team at the Interregional Seminar and Regional Demonstration Workshop on Accessible Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and Persons with Disabilities, March 3-7, in Manila, Philippines. (http://www.worldenable.net/manila2003)
The UN-sponsored seminar and workshop will bring together practitioners and experts in disability policy and of ICT in social life and development from around the world. Leo Valdes, Managing Director of Vision Office, will serve as the main facilitator for the five-day event.
The seminar will provide a forum for the exchanges of knowledge and experience in promoting awareness, and in planning and developing accessible ICT solutions in the context of sustainable and equitable development. Attention is directed to interested Governments of least developed countries, low income countries and countries with economies in transition. The seminar's theme is "Empowering Persons with Disabilities through ICT".
The presentation team includes Cynthia Waddell, Executive Director of the San Jose, California-based International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet and an international expert in law, policy and technology. Joining the seminar using accessible media and online collaboration is Maria Cristina Sara-Serrano, President of New York-based Associates for International Management Services and an advocate of human rights for persons with disabilities.
"We are fortunate to have a lot of talent in international policy and technology in our team," says Leo Valdes, "and equally fortunate to have country experts in disability issues within our audience. The synergies in these workshops benefit presenters and participants alike." Participants will be preparing strategic frameworks in promoting awareness, creating policy bases and building national capacities for accessible ICT for all.
The event is organized by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP) in the Philippines. Funding and resources were provided jointly by a United Nations Development Fund and the government of the Republic of the Philippines.
Vision Office Support Services, Ltd., is an IT consulting company specialising in training and support of end-user systems. Vision Office has been involved in UN-sponsored accessibility courses in Bangkok, Mexico City, New York and Ljubljana, Slovenia. Vision Office is also part of the WorldEnable consortium (www.worldenable.net), an Internet Accessibility initiative.
The seminar workshop website is at www.worldenable.net/manila2003.
AT Applications Certificate Program Now Offered In Canada
The Center on Disabilities at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is proud to announce the 2003 offerings of the "Assistive Technology Applications Certificate Program (ATACP) " (http://www.csun.edu/codtraining) in Toronto this summer. This 100-hour certificate course consists of a combination of online, live and project venues to address timely applications of today's technology for various disabilities, in a variety of settings. In addition, the online workshop will address Canadian AT issues.
The ATACP workshop will consists of 52-hours of online coursework which will give participants many needed resources, along with case studies of AT Applications within a variety of settings. The format of the online curriculum is as follows:
- Introduction of Assistive Technology
- Guiding the Process with AT Assessment
- Leadership Challenges with High School and Higher Educational Settings
- Funding and Policy Issues
- Applications of AT via Case Studies
During the live training, which will be held at Novotel Toronto Center, June 16 — 20, CSUN trainers and consultants will be facilitators to cover curriculum and best practices that will enable students, teachers, faculty and staff to address students needs and apply tools/technology appropriately for both Canadian and American service providers.
An eight-hour project will also be required in order for participants to apply the knowledge they have gained through the certificate program. An action plan or project will need to be submitted by September 20, 2003. Registration forms are being accepted now. The sooner your registration is received, the sooner you can gain access to the 52-hours of online curriculum.
For more information and a registration form, please contact Kirk D. Behnke, M.Ed., ATP, Coordinator of Training, Grants, & Contracts, Center on Disabilities, California State University, Northridge (CSUN), tel/TTY: (818) 677-2578, fax: (818) 677-4929, Web: www.csun.edu/codtraining.
No More Alphabet Soup!
Tired of trying to figure out the strings of initials you find in some government documents? Industry Canada(www.ic.gc.ca) has a new feature on its Web site, designed to take the guesswork out of some of the department's commonly-used acronyms. The page can be found in the "Help" section as well as on the "Site Map". To go directly to the Acronym page, visit:
- English Acronyms: http://www.ic.gc.ca/cmb/welcomeic.nsf/ICPages/Acronyms
- French Acronyms: http://www.ic.gc.ca/cmb/welcomeic.nsf/icPages/Acronymes
There is an interesting feature you can access when you look at the page in Internet Explorer. If you mouse over the acronym, the full name will appear. Also, beside each item, is the acronym of the corresponding item in either English or French (a handy feature when you don't immediately know what it is). For example:
ABC — Aboriginal Business Canada (EAC)
"EAC is the corresponding French acronym for "ABC" and if you
mouse over "EAC" when in Internet Explorer, the phrase
"Entreprise autochtone Canada" will appear.
News Bits
- The first Assistive Technology Application and Integration
Nova Scotia (ATAINS) Assistive Technology "Best Practices"
Conference takes place in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia from April
3-5. Mary Frances Laughton will be one of the featured speakers.
To register, visit the ATAINS Web site at
http://atains.ednet.ns.ca.
- The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications
Commission (CRTC) is inviting public comment on issues relating
to pay telephone service in Canada, including access by
hearing-impaired and speech-impaired consumers. Comments are due
at the CRTC by May 1, 2003. The Commission invites all parties to
provide their views, with reasons and supporting information,
where appropriate, on access to pay telephone service, including:
the extent to which consumers rely on pay telephone service; the
availability of pay telephone service to meet consumers' needs;
the rate at which pay telephones have been or will be removed
from service; the impact of the removal of pay telephones on
consumers; and whether there is a need to establish a regime for
public interest pay telephones. The Commission will only consider
pricing policy issues and rate proposals relating to public
interest pay telephones and to pay telephones equipped for deaf
consumers, as part of this proceeding. The Commission intends to
address other pricing policy issues and rate proposals in a
separate proceeding. Any members of the public who only wish to
file written comments, without receiving copies of the various
submissions, may do so by submitting their comments in writing to
the Commission, at CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, by fax at
(819) 953-0795 or by e-mail at
procedure@crtc.gc.ca. For more information, see
the Public Notice on the CRTC Web site at:
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2002/pt2002-6.htm.
- A draft version of the proposed new edition of The Canadian
Standards Association's (CSA) Standard B651, "Barrier-Free
Design" is now available for public review. The proposed new
edition of B651 has undergone extensive revisions from the 1995
version of the Standard. The public review process is part of the
CSA's standards development directives. It provides the
opportunity for individuals and organizations not involved in the
development of the standard to comment on the technical content.
To download a PDF version of B651 in English or French, go to:
www.csa-intl.org/english/infoupdate/dispatcher_en.asp?gotosection=public_review#dra
ftslist. To receive a copy in print or in WordPerfect format,
e-mail Ian Brodie at: ian.brodie@csa.ca. The
public review period closes April 7, 2003.
- The first meeting of the new sub-committee CSA B651.2
"Barrier-Free Design for Dispensing Machines" was held in Ottawa
on December 5, 2002 and work has begun on developing a format
that will anticipate technical developments as they arise. The
committee meets again on March 10.
- Robert S. Trimbee, the Executive Director of the National
Broadcast Reading Service (www.accessdome.com/nbrs) which
operates both VoicePrint Canada (www.voiceprint.ca) and
AudioVision Canada (www.AudioVision.ca), was one of the speakers
at the 2003 Canadian Satellite Users Conference. The conference
was held in Toronto on February 18. He told conference-goers that
there is an exciting commercial future for described programming,
pointing out that in addition to becoming an entrenched part of
Canada's television regulations, description costs have fallen as
much as 70% in the last two years and it is now becoming a
competitive business. Mr. Trimbee noted that in January,
ExpressVu set aside up to eight channels to broadcast the
described version of programs aired by conventional TV
broadcasters. Open format broadcasting will allow all viewers to
hear the described soundtrack without the need to use special
equipment. He said he hopes to reach an agreement with ExpressVu
whereby the channels they have set aside can also be used for
open format broadcasting of films that AudioVision Canada has
described. But Mr. Trimbee cautioned that "much of the good that
has happened to date could slip away if an accessible electronic
program guide continues to be unavailable, making it impossible
at any given time for vision-restricted viewers to independently
check to see what's on each channel." He reminded his audience
that the inclusion of described programming can enhance the
future success of specialty television services distributed by
direct-to- home satellite and terrestrial relay services. "If you
include described programming in your rotation and do so in open
format", he said, "you remove many of the access costs and
challenges and create the time continuum needed to allow DTH/HDTV
to be established as the distribution technologies of
choice."
- Dr. Euclid Herie has joined the Board of Directors of
VisuAide. Dr. Herie is a past President and CEO of the CNIB and
is now the Institute's President Emeritus. He was also President
of the World Blind Union (WBU) from 1996 to 2000 and continues as
an officer of the WBU. Commenting on the appointment, company
President Gilles Pepin noted that "Mr. Herie's track record of
success, extensive experience, and worldwide recognition will
provide VisuAide with even stronger corporate leadership and
identity."
- In December, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) (
http://www.w3.org) released the User Agent Accessibility
Guidelines 1.0 (UAAG 1.0) as a W3C Recommendation. A W3C
Recommendation indicates that a specification is stable,
contributes to Web interoperability and has been reviewed by the
W3C Membership, who favour its widespread adoption. UAAG 1.0 is
written for software developers and addresses requirements such
as accessibility of the user interface, rendering of
accessibility information and user choice in configuring browsers
and media players. It is the third in a set of complementary Web
accessibility guidelines which includes Version 1 of both the Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines and the Authoring Tool
Accessibility Guidelines.
Commenting on UAAG 1.0, Mary Frances Laughton noted that its release "will make it much easier for Government bodies to define their needs in procurement documents, in the same way that we reflect that Web content created must conform to the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Now the accessibility of technologies used to access the Web can be defined as well."
- MarvelSoft Enterprises, a Nanaimo B.C.-based company, has
released Talking Typing Teacher for Windows (TTT), an interactive
program for Windows that teaches keyboarding skills to blind and
visually impaired computer users. The system uses pre-recorded
digitized human speech to guide the typist through every aspect
of learning to type. In addition to such features as detailed
lesson curricula at three different levels of instruction, TTT
also provides seven separate functions to test and enhance typing
skills between each lesson, including typing games and a talking
word processor that allows students to practice their new typing
skills on a practical application. It will also support multiple
student use. For more information, contact MarvelSoft at
www.marvelsoft.com or call them toll-free at
1-800-987-1231.
- The London Speech and Language Centre is now offering a "Jump
Start Learning" program for children ages 3 to 6 with average and
exceptional learning skills. The program offers preschool and
Kindergarten- age children language, literacy and learning
enrichment. It features small group instruction (maximum 3
children per teacher) and one-on-one teaching/therapy each day.
All children are pre-tested by a college registered
speech-language pathologist, who designs and supervises all
teaching and therapy programs. To find out more about the
program, contact Kerry Erle, M.Cl.Sc., Speech-Language
Pathologist, President, or Sue Ciphery. B.A., B.Ed., Director of
Educational Services, London Speech and Language Centre, 1589
Fanshawe Park Road East London Ontario N5X 3Z9, tel: (519)
642-7370, fax: (519) 642-2470 or e-mail them at
www.londonspeech.com.
- Uplift Technologies, a Dartmouth, N.S. company has recently
launched a new product called the Uplift Power Seat. The company
describes it as "the affordable alternative to an expensive
electric lift chair", lifting 100% of a person's weight, up to
300lbs. The product is portable and can transform practically any
armchair or sofa into an automatic lifting chair. For further
information, contact Jamie Lee O'Neill, Brand Manager, Uplift
Technologies Inc toll-free at 1-800-387-0896.
- Curo Interactive is looking for suitable strategic alliances,
partners and additional financing. The company, which is basesd
in Kelowna, B.C., recently announced a product they describe as
the world's first One Button Cellular. It's a one-touch operation
with a simplified user interface technology that allows cellphone
accessibility, not otherwise available. The One Button Cellular
Phone allows the user to audibly browse through multiple options
until the user chooses a command or feature, engaging the phone
into action. The company says that prompts, features and
applications are easily programmable and then accessible by the
user without the user ever having to remember how to use the
device. The Curo Cellular will have all the regular GSM features
as well as additional entertainment, security, monitoring, and
tracking applications for specific target audiences. For more
information on this product or the company, visit their Web site
at www.curointeractive.com, call them at (250) 317-0440 or fax
them at (250) 765- 2784.
- VoicePrint plans to coordinate "Accessibility Day" in
conjunction with the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in
Toronto on August 19. The organizing committee is looking at a
wide variety of potential interactive activities including
demonstrations, featured speakers, challenge races and
opportunities for the public to experience what it's like to live
with a disability. Participants will be responsible for
organizing their own event and the CNE will provide basic
production packages of lights, sound, stage management and crew
at the various locations around the Exhibition site. To find out
more about how to participate in this event, contact Vanessa
Morgan at (416) 422-4222, ext. 225 or e-mail her at
vmorgan@nbrscanada.com.
- The first announcement of the Call for Abstracts for next
year's 10th International Conference on Mobility and Transport
for Elderly and Disabled People (TRANSED 2004) has been issued.
The conference will be held in the Japanese city of Hamamstsu
from May 23 to 26, 2004 and is expected to serve as a forum to
introduce new strategies for implementing economically
sustainable accessible transportation and to encourage continued
research in this field. The deadline for submission of abstracts
is May 15, 2003 . Acceptance will be mailed to authors by August
31 with the deadline for submission of papers and poster outlines
due on December 31. Guidelines for preparing papers and posters
will be posted on the Web at http://transed.jp and further
enquiries can be e-mailed to info@transed.jp.
Enquiries in French should be addressed to the TRANSED 2004
Outreach Desk at the International Centre of Accessible
Transportation: access@icat-ciat.org (Web:
www.icat-ciat.org)
- You can find information on major AT or disability-related
conferences through the "Conference Listings in Assistive
Devices" link on the ADIO Web site:
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/adio.
Our Web Site
The ADIO Web site can be found at strategis.ic.g.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
TTY: 613-998-3288
Internet-mail: adio@crc.ca
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