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Presenter(s)
Daniel A. Aunspach
CompSolution Assistive Technology
1249 Mall Drive
Richmond, VA 23235
(804) 897-8347
Email: dan@compsolutionat.com
While computers have opened doors to thousands of persons with disabilities, three problems for the rehabilitation engineer exist that have been brought about by the ubiquity of computer technology and the alacrity of development in the information marketplace. Those problems are: complexities of post-employment intervention, product designs usually don't include accessibility and development tools for specialized equipment are limited.
The traditional role of the rehabilitation engineer in the process of work site accommodation and product delivery has been to recommend and implement modifications to existing tools and procedures. The process of post-employment intervention is, by nature, invasive and can be somewhat disruptive to the work environment.
Manufacturers of traditional business products like computers and PDA's would benefit from having their own assistive technology specialist involved at the design stage, but this would be cost prohibitive. Often, I, as a rehabilitation engineer, have been advised by producers of mainstream technologies that the market for products that have been made accessible is too narrow to justify the expense of accessible design.
Development tools for the rehabilitation engineer have been limited or cost prohibitive. Manufacturers of specialized equipment like note takers for the blind, are cautious about making development tools available to the masses. Even where those tools exist, building on a proprietary product ensures a limited lifespan for the solution.
The proactive approach of involving the engineer in the process of product and application design reduces or eliminates the need for post-employment, post-production intervention.
The evolution of proactive development has occurred in three stages; employer training, developer education and vendor partnerships. As far back as 1990, with the enactment of the ADA, employers began soliciting assistance from technology specialists and rehabilitation professionals in making their existing technology infrastructure accessible. Emphasis was placed on reasonable accommodation and the focus remained on compliance with the newly enacted ADA law.
The first evolutionary step: employer education.
As time progressed, more employers hired their own technical staff, and, eventually, it became the norm to have at least one person on the job site who owned responsibility for recommending, developing and maintaining the technology. Those specialists were often charged with building their own in-house productivity tools and databases to be used company-wide. I began teaching these key specialists about the tools used by persons with disabilities and how to include accessibility at the development stage with little or no additional cost. This proved to be an enormous value to the employer, as they would be one step closer to ADA compliance with no additional outlay required of them. The benefit for the in-house technologist was that they gleaned knowledge and experience that gave them an edge in a marketplace full of "paper engineers." It made their jobs more interesting and fulfilling. More persons with disabilities could be hired because the work place was now accessible to them. More persons with disabilities could become customers, as business developers now had the ability to implement some of the same strategies used for program development in the online world to foster customer service - even self service. The pressure on the rehabilitation professional of having to quickly retrofit or adapt quirky software was now greatly reduced or eliminated.
Many persons with disabilities are working today because of this single pre-emptive step, alone. One Industries for the Blind location, a court debt collections office, employs eight or more persons with legal blindness at any given time who were referred by our state agency. Most of these blind employees are screen reader or speech users. Their continued employment was made possible by the partnership between our engineering staff and the employer. We provided the assistive technology expertise during program design and assisted them with curriculum development for adapted training. Employees using adaptive technology began using the newly developed productivity software at the same time as their sighted peers.
The second evolutionary step: manufacturer/developer education. As an engineer, I encounter obstacles in the process of developing highly customized solutions for my customers. One such obstacle presented itself when I began developing a barcode identification system for the blind. I was quickly able to build a prototype on a desktop computer, but it wasn't portable. The user would need to carry the tools of the trade with him or her for use in industrial field conditions. Similar technology exists for the sighted world in the form of a scanning gun with a Pocket PC integrated into the design. I built a prototype talking barcode reader with a Pocket PC, but could not license the speech technology to give away to my customers. One licenser insisted that I purchase an expensive development kit, when I had already built a working prototype with their product.
During this same period of time, I was working with note taking device manufacturers to request the inclusion of some basic productivity tools in their devices, like a checkbook program. Checkbooks weren't as glitzy as GPS Global Positioning Systems, so requests like mine took a back seat. Meanwhile, developer tools for these note takers were either unavailable or cost-prohibitive.
I contacted a local computer dealer, CompSolution Assistive Technology, who specializes in custom computer design, and explained my dilemma. It so happened that this vendor has business ties to ASUS North America, so they invited an engineering representative to meet with me to discuss designs for a notebook system that would cost about the same as an adaptive note taker, about $2,500.00, but offer the power of a desktop. I submitted recommendations for ways to make the product more efficient, reduce power consumption and ensure compatibility with commonly used adaptive software. The Portico was born. The device has a much longer battery life than a traditional notebook, is lighter and smaller than any other notebook, and runs the current Windows® operating system. The Portico may be provided with the display detached, further reducing power consumption, without violating the warranty. Numerous vendors have tried to offer notebooks without a display that they removed themselves, voiding the warranty. Since this was a co-operative venture where the display was removed at the manufacturing level, the operation was approved by ASUS, and, therefore, does not void the warranty. Lastly, the Portico was UL and FCC approved, another co-operative effort by CompSolution Assistive Technology and ASUS.
Rehabilitation professionals can now make anything they design on a desktop computer portable and customized to the customer's specific needs. Working with CompSolution Assistive Technology, a service provider can include a specific warranty and insurance package to ensure that down-time is kept to a minimum. CompSolution Assistive Technology allowed our state agency to purchase the unit at a reduced cost in exchange for advice received at the design stages, saving the taxpayer thousands of dollars. CompSolution Assistive Technology has opened up a new venue of product sales for themselves. Our customers now have tools that were previously out of reach and avenues to jobs that were inaccessible. CompSolution Assistive Technology has taken the lead in design and is using the Portico as a platform for additional development
The third evolutionary step: vendor/developer co-operation and partnership.
While exploring the Internet for a producer of check writing software for the blind, I found Premier Assistive. Their web site revealed that they offer a suite of basic, yet powerful, adaptive software at a very low cost. I contacted the folks at Premier Assistive and arranged to evaluate all of the software they produce. I was very pleased with what was available for a low cost. The idea then struck me that CompSolution Assistive Technology and Premier Assistive might mutually benefit from a co-operative effort.
By introducing the key decision makers or developers at both companies, a mutually beneficial agreement was arranged - a symbiotic partnership. As a result, Premier Assistive software is often bundled with the sale of a Portico, increasing the Portico's value to the customer. Software distribution has been increased because of this co-operative arrangement which allows the developer to drive costs down. The user of the technology benefits because they now have low cost alternatives to some otherwise very expensive software.
In conclusion, by building co-operative relationships and offering pre-deployment developer training, the rehabilitation professional engages in a proactive approach to problem resolution. Throughout the process, opportunities for the advancement of knowledge, increased revenues and access to otherwise inaccessible employment opportunities develop as a result of creative, collaborative problem solving.
In a world where computers are no longer the domain of those with advanced technical training, and where the novelty of computerized adaptations has diminished, computer manufacturers, vendors of assistive technologies and rehabilitation professionals need to offer greater value at a significant cost savings. Especially where budgets are becoming more and more constrained for those providing accommodations for persons with disabilities; pre-production, pre-employment co-operative development and planning are required to ensure continued success and survival.
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