Going Full Circle: Using AT to Provide Services to Needing AT to Provide Services

By Rhett Simmons of West Coast Captioning

Assistive Technology (AT) has been a major part of my life for the last 23 years. 

In 1991, I started using AT to provide captioning services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals. In case you don't know, captioning is the black box with words in it that you see on the television screen when you are at the gym or in a restaurant. So, even if you can’t hear the sound, you can read the captioning which puts the English words being spoken in the box. Without AT, this would not be possible. Sometimes captioning is broadcast over television and sometimes it is provided live at events or in classrooms. Now, we can also even provide remote captioning through the internet. Our agency provides all these services, and we use AT for all of them.

In the beginning as captioning was just coming to the forefront, software was developed to allow the key strokes from a steno machine (typically used by court reporters) to be recognized as English words. Those words were then projected to a computer screen which allowed the Deaf or Hard of Hearing individual to have communication access to whatever setting they may be in. With the advancement of the captioning software and the use of a computerized steno machine and a laptop, students could then be interactive in their university courses or in work meetings - which they had not been able to do previously. This AT was a huge advancement for the community.            

U.C. Davis wanted to try this cutting-edge technology, and they set up a pilot program. I was the captioner that was contracted to provide services for this pilot. Fortunately, the pilot program was a success! After that I started my captioning agency, West Coast Captioning. We started out in  colleges and universities providing educational captioning, but as requests grew, the agency grew as well. It has been exciting to see how AT technology has changed over the years. With each change, we can provide better services with easier access for our consumers. Being located in a capital city (Sacramento), our agency has evolved to specialize in governmental captioning. We also have captioners on staff who specialize in various other areas.

             

Rhett providing captioning at DCAD 2014 - Rhett and her daughter are in the bottom right

Over the last two years, AT has taken a different role in my life. I am a diabetic and now legally blind. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at the age of 28. After the birth of my daughter, the diabetes went away. But, at the age of 35, it returned and I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Years later, diabetic complications started and have not stopped. At the age of 48, I had a stroke. At 50, I developed congestive heart failure and kidney problems, both of which have made Kaiser South Sacramento Hospital my home away from home. At 52, I was declared legally blind. I am now 54, and this - being legally blind - is the complication that I have struggled with the most.            

As a captioner, it is so important to be able to read what you are captioning so that you can correct errors and have the  captioning be as near to perfect as possible. Well, obviously without vision that can’t be done - at least not done in the way I had been accustomed to doing it for 21 years - or so I thought. Miraculously, the good news is that I am STILL doing my job. Unbelievable, huh?            

With the help of the AT, I have been able to continue captioning. Has it been difficult? Absolutely. Has it required a lot of flexibility and change? Yes, it has. But I am doing it! 

Rhett's two captioning screens

I still use the same captioning equipment I always have, but I now have a large (and I mean LARGE) screen attached to my computer. With specialized software for individuals that have low vision or are blind, I am able to enlarge the captioning I am doing on the larger screen while the captioning on the smaller screen stays the same. It is a miracle that, with the enlarged font and the inverted colors, I am able to see the words.            

With my agency, I also have a lot of office work. I currently use a CCTV to help me read my mail, sign pay checks, pay bills, and do invoicing. I didn’t even know about CCTVs until I became blind. This is something that can oftentimes be found in the AT Network Device Lending Library to borrow, should anyone wish to try it out themselves. I can no longer read text such as mail, books, or anything printed but the CCTV allows me to continue to see those things. It is the most amazing piece of AT that I use. I also have a portable CCTV that fits in my purse. I can take this to a restaurant and read the menu. Without this assistive technology, I would not have been able to continue to work or continue to do the many things that running an agency requires.            

What I am particularly thankful for is the fact that going into the field of captioning has allowed me to be exposed to the disability community. This has made my new journey so much easier. I have several blind friends that have inspired me with their professional and personal success and the way they live their lives. At times, I felt like giving up, as I got so weary. During those times, someone always came through to help lead me through it. It has been hard and I have changed a lot.            

I think being willing to change is the key here. The best advice came from a wonderful friend of mine, who also has vision loss. She said to me, “Rhett, if you are willing to do things differently, you are going to be fine. Step out of the box and be open to change.” 

Since then, several people have given me that same advice and this is where the AT comes in. I always go back to that solid advice when I feel defeated. I do things very differently now than I did just two years ago. I am sure that in two years from now I will be doing things differently again. I feel so fortunate to live in a time when AT is here to help me with these changes. If this had happened even 20 years ago, I would have had to quit. Perhaps someday I will reach that point, but it won’t be because of this disability. It will be because I am getting too old and it is time to retire.           

And actually, being blind is not all bad. At first I thought it was but now that I have settled in a bit, I am finding more and more good things about it. Yes, it is sad that I cannot see my daughter’s beautiful smile anymore. But on the flip side, she is apparently dying her hair every color of the rainbow right now and that, in particular, is a thing this mom doesn’t need to see – I’m good. Just sayin’…

Hooray for Independent Living Centers - Happy Independence Day!

by Emily Flynn, Youth/Independent Living Specialist, Solano County

I started working for Independent Living Resources of Solano and Contra Costa County in May of 2013.  In the past year I have learned so much! I have learned how people with all different disabilities can live independently in their own way.  This may mean getting them tools to budget their finances or to be able to travel on their own to appointments.  It can also mean giving individuals the ability to practice and hone their advocacy skills, know and understand their rights, and how to navigate the institutional systems dedicated to protecting their rights. 

 When I started as our center’s Independent Living Youth Specialist, I had very little knowledge of what Independent Living Centers (ILCs) had to offer.  Being a student with a disability I received the accommodations I needed throughout my schooling, but I had no help outside of school.  Now, one of my biggest goals is to make sure people with disabilities have all the support -both in and outside of school- that they need to be successful in their chosen goals.  

Emily and Rachel setting up an outreach event for Ability Tools

An amazing benefit to my job is how rewarding it is to teach a consumer some of the skills they can utilize to reach their full potential. Our ILC has several different facets, offering  support, education, advocacy, and outreach. The direct services we provide to consumers include independent living skills training, educational support, assistive technology services, peer support, housing referral services and benefits counseling.  

My favorite work experience at our ILC is the one-on-one work I get to do with the consumers.  Sometimes this consists of just sitting with the individual and sharing our experiences and struggles we have both encountered as a person with a disability, and providing advice to one another.  At times I have the opportunity to do some advocacy work with the consumer in different situations such as housing and school accommodation rights. Or, I might receive a call from individuals who don’t know where to turn or simply have no idea what kind of help is out there and I get to point them in the right direction and give them helpful resources.   

 At our center we are also fortunate to have a benefits specialist on staff that is WIPA certified to answer questions and guide individuals  through the Social Security process.    

Another great service provided by ILCs that I myself have used, is the assistive technology service.  Ability Tools, California's Assistive Technology program, has a network of AT advocates across the state that work in ILCs. These AT specialists are able to find or loan out durable medical equipment and other AT to individuals with disabilities that may not be able to find or afford the equipment they need. They also assist consumers with connecting to the AT Exchange to find AT equipment for free, low cost or to borrow or for free.  The services at your local ILCs can provide you the support and skills to enable you to live a more independent life.

The services provided at Independent Living Centers can really change people’s lives.  I am grateful for the opportunity to assist people every day.   It has changed my life and hopefully it can change yours as well. My hope is that  consumers won’t  go through the same struggles that I have experienced with my disabilities. Since ILCs are managed by mostly people with disabilities, this gives them a uniqueness that not all other nonprofits have. The goal of ILCs is to empower individuals and promote independence.  I would encourage any person living with a disability that may have questions to contact their local Independent Living Center.  

E-Book Access For All

by guest blogger Laurie Hoirup, author of I Can Dance: My Life with a Disability
 
Within the business world, financial success is the driving force for both concept and product design. Numbers matter and sadly, for the disability community, those numbers can have a detrimental effect upon independence and ability. Technology is a wonderful asset for both businesses and disability, making money for one while creating independence for the other. However, sometimes certain aspects of technology don't make enough money for the business world and therefore, are lost to the disability community.

E-books fall into this category; though extremely popular within the general population and, thus, a huge moneymaker for businesses, they are only accessible to a portion of the disability community - though I must admit a fairly large portion.

However, this article is about the small proportion of people with disabilities who have limited to no use of their hands or uncontrolled use and, for this reason, don't have access to e-books. Whether or not an e-book has a button to push or a touchscreen to scroll, both are inaccessible to individuals with dexterity/mobility disabilities. Individuals with cerebral palsy, quadriplegia, paralysis, amputation of their upper limbs, or severe rheumatoid arthritis are just a few examples of the types of disabilities that affect people's ability to use an e-book as they currently exist.

I fall into this category and am completely frustrated with what is available and what could be made available. I know the technology exists, either to add a jack for a micro switch, which could be positioned for access or having voice activation as an option. Both of these additional features considered to be "assistive technology," might add to the price, but if done at the development/manufacturing stage, the additional cost would be little to nothing. And, at the same time, would open up a world of reading for everyone with disabilities.

Laurie Hoirup, author of I Can Dance: My Life with a Disability

I realize that voice activation might be disturbing to some and a bit awkward for the person using it in a quiet area such as a library, an airplane or a classroom, as having to say, “turn page” out loud could certainly be disruptive. However, in many situations this option would work out just fine. On a more personal level, I have not been able to read a book on my own since my college days, some 35 years ago. Up until about 10 years ago, I would sit next to my husband, child, or friend while they were reading and have them turn my page, which was quite a nuisance for both of us. Needless to say, I stopped reading for pleasure shortly thereafter.

Though page turners exist, they are bulky, cumbersome and not at all user-friendly. Luckily for me, I have a voice-activated computer and can therefore, read things that are in electronic format, but it is difficult in terms of reading novels. I long for the luxury of sitting somewhere; my bed, my family room, or my backyard while reading a good book.

I'm sure the thought process for most would be to utilize a laptop or a NetBook, which I agree, is one form of compromise, but I have lived through a lifetime of compromise, waiting for a product to be designed that I can use it in every aspect of my life.

I am pleading with the business world; product designers and developers, manufacturers, and marketing/advertising executives to consider promoting equal access on all e-book readers. This access only involves some slight modifications with minimal cost and at the same time, will expand the world of books and magazines to many more consumers.

Life experience for people with disabilities is often limited and for many, reading a book is their only path to seeing the earth they live on, their only way to participate in a large number of life's activities, their minds eye to the larger world around them. Reading becomes a way to expand their knowledge and their imaginations.

As a final note, I would like to remind my audience that literature was meant to be read by all; not just those who can physically pick up a book, hold it, turn the pages and read the contents, but for everyone. There have been great strides made in the field of education to ensure that America overcomes illiteracy, with “No Child Left Behind.” I would like to see the same effort incorporated by the business world to make certain that physical access does not become a deterrent to the wonderful world of words, thus overcoming inaccessibility having “No Person with a Disability Left Behind.”

Have you found an accessible E-book solution? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

DCAD 2014 - A Day of Disability Unity, Education, Celebration... and AT!

Disability Capitol Action Day 2014 took place on May 21^st in Sacramento and we thought it would be nice to share some photos from this successful and enjoyable event! 

The day started off with a Solidarity March from the Capitol Rose Garden to the West Lawn. Participants made signs to express what they thought was important for legislators and the public to consider, and then they marched all together toward the Capitol chanting with signs in tow. 

During this time, the Annual Disability Resource Fair was open, which featured forty outdoor booths with information and resources for people with disabilities and their allies. 

Next up was the Education Rally on the Capitol West Steps, where a variety of speakers spoke about the important topics of the day. After the Educational Rally, music was enjoyed; provided by the “Dream Achievers,” a band of young adults who performed live music.

DCAD 2014 was truly a success and we know that next year’s celebration of the 25^th anniversary of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) will be even better. We hope to see you there!