Access and Technology briefly
American Council of the Blind Brings Suit to Mandate Change in Design of U.S. Paper Currency
On May 2, 2002, the American Council of the Blind brought a lawsuit against the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and the Treasurer of the United States to require changes in the design of U.S. paper money. For millions of Americans who are blind or visually impaired, it is impossible to distinguish one denomination from another. Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, individuals with disabilities may not be excluded from or denied the benefits of participation in any program or activity conducted by the U.S. government. The issuance of banknotes is clearly an activity conducted by the U.S. government on behalf of its citizens. However, people with visual disabilities are largely excluded from enjoying the benefits of this activity due solely to their physical limitations. For more information, visit http://www.acb.org/press020502.html.
Canada Continues Introduction of Currency with Braille
Canada recently released $5 bills with Braille in the upper-right-hand corner of the face side, so blind and visually impaired people can easily identify its denomination. This is the second denomination put into circulation with Braille, following last year's introduction of the embossed $10 bill.
U.S. Visually Impaired Students Ask Congress for Equal Access to Textbooks and Other Instructional Materials
In April, "The Instructional Materials Accessibility Act" was introduced to both houses of the U.S. Congress to ensure that elementary and high school students who are blind and visually impaired can receive textbooks and other instructional materials in accessible formats at the same time as their sighted classmates. The bill is the result of an initiative by textbook publishers and organizations which advocate for the rights of people who are blind, as well as blindness-related agencies and schools and mandates the adoption of one standardized, national electronic file format for a range of elementary and secondary instructional materials. Publishers will be required to submit files for all instructional materials in this format which will facilitate straightforward conversion of materials in Braille, digital audio files, and large print more easily. For more information, please visit http://www.acb.org/washington/textbooks-fact02.html.
New Line of Slot Machines Allow Access for Visually Impaired
Bally Gaming Systems recently unveiled the first slot machines accessible to blind and visually impaired gamblers. The machines have a Braille button console, provide audio cues to the player, and also feature Ray Charles, the legendary American entertainer who has been visually impaired since the age of six, singing "America the Beautiful."
Global Positioning Satellite Information Made Accessible for Visually Impaired
Two companies recently announced the development of portable systems that make global positioning satellite information accessible for blind or visually impaired people. One new product tracks the users' location in relation to designated landmarks, such as department stores, office buildings, schools, theaters, bank ATM's, transport stations, etc. The device presents the information as a verbal map, using speech synthesis or Braille output to announce nearby landmarks, both on demand and as a running commentary. It also calculates speed, identifies direction and distance to a destination or turn, announces stops along a bus or train route, and can even direct a user visiting an unfamiliar city. For more information about this technology, visit the Pulse Data HumanWare web site at http://www.pulsedata.com.
Another orientation and mobility product in the design phase is fully portable and 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 also integrate off-the-shelf hardware for GPS input, voice output to provide instructions, and optional voice input for entering notes. The first version of this device is scheduled to debut by the end of 2002. For more information, visit http://www.visuaide.com/gpssol.html.
White Paper Issued on Problems Blind and Visually Impaired People Have Accessing PDF Documents
Three American organizations representing the interests of blind or visually impaired people recently issued a White Paper addressing access problems with PDF and are calling for alternative, accessible formats to accompany PDF documents and forms whenever PDF is used. The White Paper states that problems with PDF documents often are due to a combination of factors, including: the prevalence of authoring tools that cannot produce accessible PDF; the misuse of authoring tools that could produce accessible PDF; authoring security features that block access to PDF; the lack of accessible PDF support for all OS platforms and assistive technologies; and usage difficulties even with the accessible tools. Although Adobe has met with the groups authoring the paper and has committed to working on resolving accessibility issues, the paper concludes that alternative, accessible formats must accompany PDF documents that are made available to the public. To read the paper on-line, visit http://www.afb.org/info_document_view.asp?documentid=1706.
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