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Assistive Technology Links (AT-Links)

Accessible News #22 — Winter 2005

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: 

Visit us at CSUN

ADIO will be back again this year at the annual Technology & Disability Conference, which is presented by California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in Los Angeles. If you are attending CSUN (March), drop by and say hello. You'll find us in Booth Number 336 in the Marriott Hotel's main exhibit hall. Just look for the booth with the big Canadian flag.

This year, our booth will again have product literature on display from various Canadian AT companies and organizations, along with a peek at some of the new and exciting changes we are making to the Accessible Procurement Toolkit.

Contents.

Pulse Data International and VisuAide Merge

The Directors of New Zealand-based Pulse Data International and Canadian-based VisuAide announced the merger of their companies on January 20, and the creation of a new organization to serve the needs of people with visual impairment. The merged entity will be known as the HumanWare Group.

The HumanWare name has been widely used in North America since it was adopted as the name for Pulse Data's North American subsidiary in 1989. The new company combines two of the industry's most innovative companies, both recognised as world leaders in their respective fields. Products like the SmartView video magnifier and more recently myReader (the world's first low vision auto-reader) are redefining the way people look at low vision while the Victor Reader family of digital talking book players has been at the forefront of the industry since its inception. The BrailleNote is the best-known solution in the notetaker market today, and this market will be expanded with the introduction of Maestro. Finally, the companies produce the world's only commercialised GPS based orientation solutions for the blind — Trekker and BrailleNote GPS.

Pulse Data International's CEO, Dr Russell Smith, will head the new organization. "We strongly believe that unifying the two organisations will accelerate the achievement of the companies' common vision and goals," Dr Smith said. "VisuAide shares our dream of developing, manufacturing and marketing world leading products that enable people with sight related disabilities to attain their greatest potential."

Following the merger, Gilles Pepin will become President and CEO of HumanWare's Canadian subsidiary. Both Mr. Pepin and Yves Boisjoli, VisuAide's CFO, will become significant shareholders of the HumanWare Group. Mr. Pepin will also join the HumanWare Group's Board of Directors.

For many years, Pulse Data and VisuAide have shared a similar research and development philosophy and have invested heavily in ongoing product development. HumanWare is committed to retaining this focus on innovation and will maintain the existing R&D operations in both New Zealand and Canada. The combination of these units will create the largest R&D capability in the industry.

With a team of over 200 employees worldwide, HumanWare is one of the largest companies in the low vision and blindness industry. Sales offices are located in the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, while the parent company will be based in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Contents.

Global Television Commits to 100% Closed Captioning of its Programming

The Global Television Network Inc. announced a new policy on November 16 that will increase closed captioning levels for the deaf, deafened and hard-of-hearing communities of Canada to all its programming, 24 hour a day and seven days a week. The policy will also apply to all Global owned television stations.

The new policy, which exceeds the captioning levels required by the CRTC, took effect on January 1, 2005. It is the result of collaborative work between Global Television, Mr. Henry Vlug, a lawyer and an advocate for deaf people who is himself Deaf and the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC).

This settlement was reached through the use of mediation, a voluntary approach that allows parties to get a better understanding of each other's positions and to address the needs and interests that are key to finding a solution. Mediation is being increasingly used by the CHRC to help parties craft creative solutions and reach a speedy resolution to their dispute.

"Global is very proud of its new policy" said Doug Bonar, Senior Vice President, Technology and Broadcast Operations. "It will ensure that members of the deaf, deafened and hard-of-hearing communities have access to and can enjoy the programming of Global Television as fully as any other member of our society" he added.

"Canadians who are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing have as much right to access television programming as their fellow Canadians" said Henry Vlug. "Today's settlement is another important milestone for all of us" he added.

Mr. Vlug was also pleased that Global Television will take additional steps to inform its advertising clients of the importance of captioning their commercials to reach this valued segment of the viewing audience.

Mary Gusella, Chief Commissioner for the Canadian Human Rights Commission indicated that the Commission was very pleased with this positive outcome and congratulated the parties who dedicated their time and efforts to make things happen.

Contents.

International Round-Up — by Mary Frances Laughton

On the invitation of DG-INFOSOC (Director General, Information Society), I flew to Brussels on October 14 to attend the "International Workshop on Accessibility Requirements for Public Procurement in the ICT Domain" which was held October 19-21. The Workshop was co-sponsored by the European Commission, the US Access Board, the European ICT Standards Board and the European Disability Forum with the support of the eInclusion@EU project.

Copies of the eInclusion@EU project agenda and presentations are at: (http://europa.eu.int/information_society/policy/accessibility/regulation/pubproc_ws_2004/index_en.htm)

The goal for the workshop was to identify how standardisation and legislation can be used to harmonize ICT public procurement to support accessibility to the information society by people with disabilities and older persons. I was the only Canadian present. My presentation, "Towards Accessible ICT Procurement in Canada", was given on the third day and it generated considerable discussion.

After the conference and some one-on-one meetings, I then flew to London where I met with the Accessibility and Usability Working Group of the British Web Designers Association. They are setting up a certification scheme for web companies and are looking for Canadian participation. I will follow up with them on my return to Canada. It is not clear if there is a good match for the Canadian way of working.

From November 7-10, 2004, at the invitation of Microsoft and with the support of the DAISY Consortium and the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) Section for the Blind, I was privileged to be one of just under 80 leaders of the world's libraries for the blind and related policy organisations who came together in Redmond, Washington at the Microsoft Headquarters to develop the roadmap to a Global Digital Library for the Print-Disabled. There were over 25 countries and 30 organizations represented as the vision of the Global Library was fleshed out.

Day one included a session with Bill Gates outlining his vision followed by several Microsoft engineers describing their related research. We were challenged by all levels of Microsoft to develop a clearly defined, prioritized list of issues/features that we would like to see addressed in Longhorn (the next MS OS) which was to be feature locked in about two months.

By the end of day one, the group had agreed upon five over-arching principles for the development of the Roadmap. They are: Cooperation; Act Now; Focus on the DAISY standard; Set up clearly defined projects with stated objectives and keep the end-user at the centre of the planning. Day two and three moved to the establishment of a number of sub-principles and projects.

Margaret McRory of the CNIB was on the planning group and as can be expected, CNIB will be involved in much of the implementation. John Kelly, the new Director of RFB&D (Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic) was in attendance and was very supportive of the sharing regime.

The Council on Access to Information for Print-disabled Canadians will keep a watching brief on this activity and participate where appropriate. A number of its working groups are active in elements that will support this vision.

The last event of the session was a tour of new Main Branch of the Seattle Public Library, a modern bright institution.

In December, I was privileged to be invited to attend the 10th anniversary celebrations of the World Wide Web Consortium held in Boston on December 1. The presentations given are found on the web at:W3C presentations (www.w3.org/2004/09/w3c10.html)

During the event, the Government of Canada was thanked for its continued involvement in the Web Accessibility Initiative by both Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the Founder and Director of the W3C as well as Steve Bratt, the COO.

Contents.

Compusult Expands its Line of AT Products -- Again and Again!

Compusult Limited (www.compusult.nf.ca), the Mount Pearl, Newfoundland company that expanded its geomatics business in the mid-1990s to include Assistive Technology (AT -- they developed the ScanTELL talking barcode reader to identify items such as grocery products for blind users), continues to add to its AT product line and to improve its existing AT products.

In September, the company took over manufacturing and distribution of the Scotty LapTop Tray Systems from British Columbia's Product Design Group (PDG). Scotty LapTop Tray Systems (www.scottylaptop.com/cslt_prod_at_scotty.html) are a versatile collection of attachment hardware, connectors, supporting links and work surfaces for many uses.

In October and November 2004, Compusult installed workplace adaptations at the Columbia and Kansas City, Missouri VA Medical Centers, based on Compusult's Responder, Vindicator, DigiCite and TeleTalk products. These systems allow blind and visually impaired switchboard operators to independently carry out all work tasks, especially critical alarm system monitoring. Compusult has completed similar installations at several Federal facilities across the United States.

January saw the formal launch of the latest version of the Jouse2 (www.Jouse.com) at the Assistive Technology Industry Association conference in Florida. The Jouse2 is an alternative mouse and text input device for computer users with disabilities. The new version of Jouse2 provides several new features, including support for one or two external switches; two types of mouthpieces for sip and puff control; new mounting options for ancillary equipment such as microphones, switches and Webcams; support for four user-selectable versions of Morse Code text input via the sip-and-puff controller; JoyWrite, Compusult's new text input technology that uses the joystick and simple sip-puff combinations to generate characters more quickly than with Morse code; dual-tone audio feedback for sips and puffs when using JoyWrite or Morse Code; built-in dwell cursor capability; and several new user-selectable options. All these features are provided directly through the Jouse2 electronics, so no software is required. The Jouse2 is USB plug-and-play for Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, Linux and UNIX based computer systems, as well as augmentative communication devices with a USB port.

The company also now manufactures two USB-based multi-switch controllers, the U-Switch, a USB-based switch controller for mouse actions that supports up to 6 standard switches and/or one multi-switch and provides Morse Code input capabilities; and the 2-Switch, a miniature USB-based switch controller for two selected mouse actions or two selected keyboard inputs that supports up to two standard switches.

For AAC users, Compusult offers the Outspoken Communicator series of Tablet PC based augmentative communications systems. Both ruggedized and non-ruggedized versions are available with various options, including Compusult's Scotty LapTop Tray wheelchair and/or desktop mounting systems; wheelchair power adapters; portable speaker systems; Compusult's Jouse2; and Compusult's 2-Switch for one or two switch based scanning.

Last but not least, the company is now shipping the Outporter, a portable dedicated notetaker for blind users. The base system includes screenreader software, keypad, screenreader-friendly applications, high quality keyboard, and easy access to all ports and controls.

Coming this April, Compusult will begin shipping FasseTrack POS, the first fully accessible Point-Of-Sale (POS) system for blind merchants. It's speech-enabled and screenreader-friendly.

Contents.

News Bits

  • Tash Inc. (www.tashinc.com) announced in April 2004 their partnership with Michigan State University to manufacture the digital version of the SCATIR switch. The SCATIR switch is a Self-Calibrating Proximity Switch that allows individuals with limited fine motor abilities to access a single switch for communication or independence within their environment. In May, the company announced the launch of a new interactive training CD that helps take the guesswork out of choosing a switch. Available free to practitioners and users, A Step-by-Step Guide to Assistive Technology, Switch Edition, is the first of its kind in the industry. The CD was developed in response to a growing number of inquiries from clients and clinicians about how to select the correct switch for users with physical disabilities and limitations, from neck and spinal cord injuries to ALS and Muscular Dystrophy. With over 25 different switches to choose from, Tash now offers one of the widest range of options on the continent. "We encourage Occupational Therapists, Assistive Technology Practitioners, Teachers, Speech Language Pathologists, Rehabilitation Engineers and, of course, end-users and their parents to call and request a copy of this complimentary CD," said Tash's President, Colin Wheeler. "We've developed it as a tool to ensure that users get the right switch or switches to achieve their goals, whether for work, leisure or day-to-day living." To find out more about Tash's computer access products, environmental control systems and switches, visit their Web site, e-mail Tash Inc. at tashinc@aol.com or call them toll-free at 1-800-463-5685.

  • In October, Madentec Ltd. (www.madentec.com) launched its Tracker(R)Pro miniaturized head-operated mouse at the 22nd annual Closing the Gap conference on Computer Technology in Special Education and Rehabilitation. "Customers were asking for a smaller version with the same great features as our other Tracker products", stated Madentec's President and CEO, Randy Marsden, noting that the new device manages to retain both the mounting and adjustability features of Tracker "in something less than one quarter of the original size."

  • The Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (www.torontorehab.com), a teaching hospital of the University of Toronto, was one of the eight institutions chosen in November to receive funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation's new Research Hospital Fund (RHF). The $6,253,296 in RHF funding will be used to support the costs for laboratories and workspaces for scientists and graduate students engaged in the iDAPT Research Program at the Institute. Led by Dr. Geoff Fernie, Toronto Rehab's vice president of research, in collaboration with investigators at the University of Toronto and other academic centres across Canada, the $36 million iDAPT initiative will significantly change the landscape of rehabilitation research in Canada and beyond. It will be one of the most advanced rehabilitation research facilities in the world where new therapies and assistive technologies will be developed for people recovering from and living with disabling injury or illness.

  • On November 16, US-based FrogPad Inc. announced the development of the Bluetooth FrogPad, in a strategic partnership with Canadian high tech company Gennum Coporation (www.gennum.com). FrogPad is a portable one-handed keyboard with an ergonomic layout designed around the 15 most-used letters of the English alphabet. The Bluetooth version of the FrogPad can be used in a variety of applications where mobility and portability are critical elements, such as mobile phone, PDAs, wearable PCs and GPS devices. Gennum designs, manufactures and markets silicon integrated circuits, modules and systems solutions for a variety of specialized processing applications.

  • Also in November, Aurora Systems announced the launch of Aurora Suite 2005 for Windows, a software package that helps people with learning disabilities write and spell better. It includes a talking spellchecker that is designed to help even the most creative spellers. It can automatically correct many common spelling mistakes and makes it easy to automatically correct yours. It provides spoken feedback so you can hear when you make mistakes, and it can even read e-mail and web pages to you right off the screen, highlighting each word as it is read. The package is designed to work in the applications that the user currently has installed on his or her computer and a number of speed and ease-of-use improvements to the company's word prediction software and added UNICODE support for better language support. Aurora Talk can import a presentation from a word processor, split it into sentences so the rate of presentation can be controlled and allow the user to a presentation to answer questions. Aurora Suite supports Windows 2000 and XP and comes in three editions: Professional, Standard and Value. For more information contact Aurora Systems, Inc. toll-free at 1-888-290-1133, e-mail Aurora Systems at service@aurora-systems.com or check out the Aurora Systems website (www.aurora-systems.com).

  • The 2004 IWAY Award in the category of Adaptive Technology went to the Centre de recherche informatique de Montréal (CRIM) for its design of a prototype system that integrates voice recognition with simultaneous closed-captioning in French. Although similar voice recognition/real time transcription systems are available for use in English, CRIM believes this is the first such system intended for Canadian French captioning.

  • The EnableLinker, a free monthly electronic newsletter packed with disability news and information, published its 30th issue in December. The EnableLinker arrives by e-mail at the beginning of each month and is a quick, effective way to keep up-to-date with issues and events affecting Canada's disability community. Also included in the newsletter are classifieds, jokes, quotations and website links. To sign up at no cost or to view the current issue, visit: Enablelink website (www.enablelink.org/Ezine/Main.html).

  • Also in December, Sinclair, Nicholson and Associates (SNA — www.snaconsulting.ca) of Ottawa was the successful respondent to a Request for Proposal for work it will be performing on behalf of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC). The CHRC is reviewing government communication with people who are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing and people who have a speech impediment. The objective of the assignment is to assess whether federal government departments and agencies are able to communicate effectively with people who are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing and people who have a speech impediment. The selection of SNA to participate in this study has been welcomed warmly by the Canadian Association of the Deaf (CAD), the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) and the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS).

  • The Report of the Technical Advisory Committee on Tax Measures for Persons with Disabilities, "Disability tax Fairness", was released in December. The Technical Committee was announced in the 2003 Federal Budget to advise the Ministers of Finance and National Revenue on disability-related tax measures and was composed of members of organizations representing persons with disabilities, health practitioners, and human rights and tax experts. Included in its membership was Gary Birch, who is also the Chair of the Minister of Industry's Advisory Committee on Assistive Devices and Persons with Disabilities (ACAD). To obtain copies of the report, which is available on request in accessible formats, contact the Distribution Centre, Department of Finance Canada, Room P-135, West Tower, 300 Laurier Ave. West, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G5, call 613-995-2855. fax 613-996-0518 or visit the Web at: Disability Tax website (www.disabilitytax.ca), where the report is available (in both Official Languages) in PDF, Text format (TXT) or Text only HTML.

  • VoicePrint Canada announced in January that a national research firm, POLLARA Inc., has been asked to collect the names of persons willing to participate in research projects involving products and services that are designed for persons with disabilities or those people who live with persons with disabilities. There are several studies that will be conducted over the next two years which will require varying levels of participation. Respondents may be asked to complete an on-line survey or respond to questions over the phone. There may even be an option for attendance at a focus group. All participants selected to be in any of these studies will receive compensation, sometimes in cash. If you are interested, please call 1-888-765-5272 and ask for JOHN WONG. If John is not there, you can leave a message and he will call you back. Or you can contact them using the internet at email John Wong jwon@pollara.ca . The purpose of this recruitment is strictly research and there is no intention to sell you anything.

  • Starling Access Services' (www.starlingweb.com) Chuck Letourneau was an invited speaker at the conference of the "Petroleum Convenience Alliance for Technical Standards" in Clearwater, Florida this January. He spoke on the importance of applying national and international accessibility standards including the W3C's Web standards and the various Canadian Standards Association accessibility standards as well as applicable US standards and laws. His message included a plea for harmonization where competing standards exist. Chuck also attended a conference last fall of US state and federal accessibility and procurement professionals in St. Louis Missouri on behalf of the ADIO. The Accessible Procurement Toolkit was demonstrated and garnered favourable comments from attendees. The sharing of experiences and techniques for starting and sustaining accessible procurement programs in different levels of government was invaluable and should find direct applicability in Canada.

  • Galbraith Communications (GC — www.galbraithcommunications.com), a firm specializing in accessible web-based applications, has developed a new web-based video conferencing system that features a range of multiple formats. GC President Cory Galbraith says, "Now, people with low vision or blindness and people who are hard of hearing or deaf can attend presentations and information sessions from the comfort and safety of their home. They can also interact with the presenter and other participants in real time using the format of their choice, including text, voice and sign language". Mr. Galbraith believes the new "G-Meeting" system has special applications for federal government agencies operating under the Treasury Board Communications Policy. "This tool can help government departments share public information with all members of the public, not just some." The G-Meeting interface includes special translator and interpreter channels so that online sessions can be conducted in both official languages at the same time. For more information on the multiple format G-Meeting system, contact Cory Galbraith in Ottawa at (613) 228-9920. He can also be reached toll-free from anywhere in North America at 1-877-580-9915 and by e-mailing Cory Galbraith at: cory@galbraithcommunications.com .

  • PDG Group (www.prodgroup.com) has announced that as of February 1, the company will begin independent operations from their Blaine, Washington office. As of that date, all US orders and inquiries should be directed to the company's new Blaine facility at PMB# 173, 1124 Fir Ave., Blaine, WA 98230, USA toll-free phone: 1-888-858-4422, toll-free fax: 1-877-323-9093. PDG Canadian and other international customers will continue to order through PDG's Vancouver, B.C. office.

  • The Bloorview Research Institute (www.bloorviewmacmillan.on.ca) has established an endowment fund to honour Dr. Mickey Milner, one of Canada's foremost researchers on technology for children with physical disabilities. The Mickey Milner International Professorship Endowment Fund will provide the necessary financial resources to support International Visiting Scholars, Professors and Researchers to develop and broaden knowledge sharing information relevant to the field of Developmental Pediatrics. Dr. Milner retired in 2004 as Chairman, Rehabilitation Medicine at the Bloorview MacMillan Children's Centre. He is a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, chairs the Canadian Standards Association's Strategic Steering Committee on Public Safety and Well-being and is a member of ACAD.

  • Betty Dion, the Chair of ICTA — Global, the International Commission on Technology and Accessibility, was invited to give a presentation on "International Accessibility Standards" to the United Nations' Fifth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, January 26. Human rights and accessibility was the theme of her presentation, which included an historical overview of the development of international accessibility standards and the movement towards accessibility as a human rights issue. A global analysis of the similarities and differences in accessibility standards and codes highlighted diverse technical and cultural approaches. The costs of including accessibility into the initial design and construction of buildings and the long term benefits to society provided an economic perspective on accessible design.

  • The Neil Squire Foundation has changed its name to the Neil Squire Society. Their Web address remains the same, Neil Squire Society website (www.neilsquire.ca), and they continue to provide innovative programs and services to Canadians with physical disabilities, through their offices in Vancouver, Regina, Ottawa, Fredericton and Moncton.

  • The organizing is well underway for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games and accessibility is there as a requirement and a policy. There is a Federal Secretariat and various clusters which are focussing on the myriad of issues around holding a huge event such as the Winter Olympics. Mary Frances Laughton is sitting on the Social Development Cluster which looks at issues around accessibility and volunteerism. She will update us in each Accessible News as the planning proceeds.
Contents.

Our Web Site

Our Web site can be found at (www.at-links.gc.ca/as/) 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.

Contents.

Communications From ADIO

If you would prefer to receive our newsletter on disk or by e-mail, please contact us at the address below.

Contents.

Where To Find Us

For more information 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

Tel: 613-990-4316 or 613-990-4297
fax: 613-998-5923
TTY: 613-998-3288
Internet: adio@crc.ca

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Date Modified: 2010-03-01

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