The AT Network salutes the members of YO! Disabled and Proud for their ACR 162 Victory!

written by Mazuri Colley, CFILC's Information & Assistance Advocate

Congratulations to all of the youth organizers who worked tirelessly on the Disability History Week Campaign. The bill passed unanimously by both the Assembly and Senate because of all of their hard work and dedication! The bill was introduced by Assembly Member Beall.

The 2nd week of October is now California's official Disability History Week!

The significance of this victory will benefit our state for years and years to come; it will begin the process of infusing the importance of Disability History in our schools and other institutions. Soon people of all ages and abilities will be more aware of the many important contributions made by people with disabilities. The youth that were mobilized through this campaign have done great work. Hopefully their dedication and professionalism will inspire advocates of all ages to take action.

Read the bill here: ACR 162

Learn more about: YO! Disabled and Proud

Learn more about the: Youth Leadership Forum

Please join us in congratulating the members of YO! Disabled and Proud on their accomplishment!

What disability history resources have you encourntered that you would like to share with the community? Please share resource names and/or links in the comments section below.

Enjoy the wonderful world of Disney through Assistive Technology!

Summer time is a great time to take trips and visit new places. Read one Disney aficionado’s review below of the assistive technology features at Disney World. Disney is planning to unveil the same audio description technology at Disneyland Resort in California in 2011.

Sample Disney’s new theme park outdoor audio description assistive technology

by Ricky Brigante

On June 27, Walt Disney World began a new advancement in assistive technology allowing guests with visual disabilities to “see” theme park surroundings by way of highly-detailed audio description.

The descriptions are delivered to guests by way of Disney’s patented handheld device (pictured above), which has been in use at the Walt Disney World resort for several years. In addition to providing closed captioning and assistive listening for rides, shows, and other attractions, the device is now being updated to include the important and interesting information about outdoor theme park areas.

Read the rest of the article here Inside the MAGIC!

Have any of you visited a theme park that used Assistive Technology to make the park accessible? If so which ones? What was your experience?

Reuse and Recycle: Expanding Access to Assistive Technology

Written by Allan Friedman, CFILC's Technologies Manager

In a time of severe budget cuts that imperil the ability of Californians with disabilities to live independently, the reuse and recycling of assistive technology is a moral imperative. Reuse is one of the most effective ways to enable more low income individuals to acquire devices that empower them to participate in their communities and retain their independence.

California is the birthplace of the Independent Living Movement. We’ve always been on the leading edge of public accommodations and integration of people with disabilities in our communities. But we lag behind many other states when it comes to the reuse of assistive devices. Successful reuse programs flourish and thrive in places such as Salt Lake City, Austin and Atlanta. Georgia, Kansas and several other states have shown that AT, which is often customized to meet the unique needs of users, can be successfully refurbished and reused without compromise for the individuals who receive the devices.

So why not here? While there are several programs that refurbish computers and get them to low income users with disabilities, only a handful of organizations in California accept donations of communication devices, durable medical equipment and other AT for reuse. True, there are challenges to running a reuse program, including issues around liability, sanitation and space. But programs in other states have met those challenges, and California can too.

We need to increase the supply of used AT. Not only will more reuse programs increase access to AT for people with disabilities who would otherwise go without, reuse programs can also be an important part of our state's disaster preparations; a resource that can be readily tapped in an emergency to replace devices left behind by people affected by our all too common forest fires, earthquakes and other natural disasters.

It will take action by the whole disability community to take reuse to the next level. We need a coordinated system that encourages reuse, provides a means for consumers to donate devices, as well as support for organizations willing to take on the challenges of turning one person’s trash into another person’s saving grace.

Are you interested in learning more about AT reuse? If you want more information about plans for AT reuse in California, or if you want to be part of the planning process, please let us know in the comments section below.

This article reflects the opinion of the author.

Dangling participles get ready to be undangled! (A review of the Ginger Software spelling and grammar checker)

By Luke Hsieh, AT Advocate at the Community Access Center in Riverside


I first saw this software at the CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference in San Diego. I was so impressed by the demonstration that as soon as I got back to Riverside, I purchased a copy of my own and ran it on a 96 page document (the novel that I happen to be working on).

Let’s just say, it was a vast improvement over traditional grammar and spelling checkers and for $70.00, it is an affordable vast improvement. Any lover of this language will tell you that English is very analytical; it’s notorious for its many grammatical exceptions and prepositional oddities. This means that the vast improvement on traditional grammar checkers still requires human tweaking here and there. So don't expect Ginger to perform a miracle, the 96 page document still took a little less than three hours to correct.

Furthermore, its heavy dependence on the Internet server means it may not function properly without an Internet connection. Ginger Software will also be a hard sale when trying to convince an I.T department that may see it as making the system vulnerable. Other than that, I think the software has much potential.

Who knows? Maybe in the near future, Ginger will even correct my subject-verb agreement, dangling participles, and split infinitives. Since I’m not too paranoid about Internet security, I consider my $70.00 well spent.

Check it out by clicking here.

Have you tried Ginger Software yet? What did you think? Has anyone tried another type of software that is similar? Let us know in the comments section below…

It's the ADA's 20th Anniversary!

By Mazuri Colley, CFILC's Information & Assistance Advocate

The Americans with Disabilities Act turns twenty this year! This milestone means that there is a whole generation of youth in the United States of America who never experienced life before the ADA. Every year and with every victory for the disability community the task of making our country a better place for new generations becomes more of a reality than a dream deferred.  The signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 was the culmination of decades and decades of advocacy powered by the disability rights movement. 

By ensuring equal opportunity and access for people with disabilities in areas of employment, transportation, public institutions, commercial establishments and governmental entities the ADA changed the social and cultural landscape of our communities. Finally cities and towns across the country were altered and policies were changed in order to accommodate all members of the community.

Every aspect of life requires participation on the part of every individual. Before the Americans with Disabilities Act people with disabilities were discouraged from participating in life due to lack of an inclusive infrastructure in our laws. No one was required to think outside of their own experience when creating policy, which was an unacceptable reality. This is why representation of people with disabilities by people with disabilities is so important and is why there is an ADA.

On July 26^th, 2010 the Americans with Disabilities Act will celebrate twenty years of changing our country for the better.  There are still many barriers that need to be broken, voices that need to be heard and more victories to come!

Join CFILC in supporting, Senate Joint Resolution No. 35, Introduced by Senator Corbett.  “This measure would commemorate the 20th anniversary of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, encourage all Californians to recognize and celebrate the important historical significance of the act, and reaffirm the Legislature’s commitment to, and urge Congress to reaffirm its commitment to, the civil and constitutional rights of Americans with disabilities.” Read the resolution in its entirety here: Senate Joint Resolution No. 35

Be Informed:

The U.S. Department of Justice provides information about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) through a toll-free ADA Information Line. For general ADA information, answers to specific technical questions, free ADA materials, or information about filing a complaint, call: 800 - 514 - 0301 (voice) 800 - 514 - 0383 (TTY), or log on to www.ada.gov
 

Celebrate! :




Check out CFILC’s event calendar for ADA events in your area:
CFILC's ADA Event Calendar

Click these links for more ADA events!
DOR's ADA Event Calendar
American Association of People with Disabilities ADA Event Calendar

Please join us this July as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the ADA in Sacramento on July 26, 2010! For additional information please go to www.cfilc.org.