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Accessible News #35 - Winter 2009

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Accessible News is Back!

- by Deb. Finn

After an interval that was longer than originally planned, Accessible News is back. I've been on an extended secondment, working in the Accessible Transportation Directorate at the Canadian Transportation Agency. That's why you haven't seen a Summer of Fall issue of the Newsletter. We've gone straight from the Spring 2008 issue to Winter 2009. Regular service will now resume.

Working at the Canadian Transportation Agency (the Agency) has been really great. It's given me the opportunity to apply the accessibility-related knowledge I've gained over the past 21 years in a different context from assistive devices.

The Agency's mission is to assist in achieving a competitive, efficient and accessible transportation system through dispute resolution, essential economic regulation and communication in a fair, transparent and timely manner.

The Agency is one of many Canadian partners helping achieve transportation that works for everyone. It ensures that the transportation system is competitive, economic, efficient and accessible, meeting the needs of those who provide or are affected by transportation services.

The Agency's responsibilities include:

Dispute Resolution, to resolve complaints about transportation services, rates, fees and charges;

Accessibility, to ensure that our national transportation system is accessible to all persons, particularly those with disabilities;

Economic Regulation, to provide approvals, licences, and make decisions on a wide range of matters involving federally regulated air, rail and marine transportation; and many other services that support economic vitality and benefit all Canadians.

In my time at the Agency, I learned a great deal about the day-to-day realities involved in using our national transportation networks when you have a disability. Seeing how the dedicated people who work in the Agency handle accessibility issues that are often both complex and sensitive, I have gained a strong appreciation for the work that organizations such as the Agency undertakes to ensure that everyone has equitable access to and can use our national transportation systems efficiently, independently and in a fair and dignified manner.

Now that I am back at Industry Canada, I hope to continue to provide you with news about what's going on in the assistive device industry, as well as updating you on new and exciting initiatives within the government, the private sector and of course in academia.

Contents.

Happy 200th, Louis Braille

This year, 2009, the world marks the bicentennial of the birth of Louis Braille, the blind Frenchman who created and perfected a simple, effective and efficient system of reading and writing by touch. The impact the invention of braille has had on the world's blind, deafblind and visually impaired people has been compared to the impact of the invention of the printing press. Braille200 is the Canadian banner for special events which are being planned and organized by the World Braille Foundation in cooperation with CNIB, the World Blind Union, the Canadian Braille Authority and other literacy groups in Canada. Activities are planned across Canada, including conferences, dedicated scholarships and awareness and advocacy events. For more information, call 1-800-563-2642 or email the CNIB [info@cnib.ca].

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New Products or Services

Since the last issue of Accessible News, a number of Canadian companies have announced the launch of new products, new versions of existing products or launched new Web sites. Here's a brief summary. The companies have been presented in alphabetical order.

  • Afforda Speech (www.affordaspeech.com) has released its new USB version of the award-winning KeyboardCommunicator KC200. KeyboardCommunicator is a compact (22x18x4 cm) and portable (0.5 kg) type-to-talk DecTalk Speech Generating Device (SGD). Its mini-keyboard can be detached to allow you to plug in your own keyboard so that users of special-needs keyboards such as large-print keyboards, ergonomic keyboards or low-force keyboards can have a portable speech solution they can take along. KeyboardCommunicator KC200 was the winner of the 2008 da Vinci Award that recognized innovation in design and technology that empowers people. Afforda Speech is a Canadian manufacturer of augmentative communication devices based in Ottawa. For more information, please email info@affordaspeech.com or call toll-free 888-866-1668.

  • HumanWare (www.humanware.com) has introduced four new portable video magnifiers for people with low vision. The SmartView Pocket, SmartView Graduate, SmartView Nano and SmartView Mobile were launched in July at Vision 2008, an international conference on low vision that took place in Montreal. Ted Judge, HumanWare's Product Manager said "Users want to be able to read regular or small print wherever they are and these new additions to the SmartView family help people see and read, whether at home, the store, the office or out on the town.

    In December, HumanWare also began shipping their new Deafblind Communicator (DBC), a portable and integrated device that provides a TTY (with answering machine) and a face-to-face communication system for dealing with sighted/hearing people on buses, in restaurants and shops, at school, or with colleagues and customers in the workplace. The DBC consists of two components: a BrailleNote with Braille display and either a standard or Braille keyboard and special DB software; and the DBC Companion phone. The two units communicate wirelessly with each other using Bluetooth technology and special software built into the BrailleNote also enables it to operate as a TTY when connected to a landline.

  • Madentec (www.madentec.com) has released Envoy Create for Mac OS X, the long-awaited editing software for Discover Envoy. This will allow users to open, create and edit full content of any Discover Setup, including previous OS 9 Setups. Magic Cursor for Mac OS X is also now available and the company's new Joystick Receiver and Mouse Receiver sends a common trigger signal that works with many switch input software packages, including Madentec's own DiscoverPro and Discover Envoy. The company has also announced that the Access on the High Seas Training Cruise 2009 will sail from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas in November.

  • Smart Move Training & Development Inc. (www.smartmovetraining.ca) has just launched its new Web site. Among the services the company offers is its Customer Service Training Programs, which are based on the accessibility requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. The company's "Physical Access Audits for the Built Environment" is also offered, to provide clients with an accessibility check list to meet the needs of their organizations.

  • Save On Security Systems Inc. has introduced the new Stove Guard PRO (www.stoveguardintl.com), a new version of their kitchen stove fire prevention unit, which now incorporates additional safety features that have been suggested by fire marshals, home care workers, senior care homes and occupational therapists.

For more information about any of the above products or services, please visit the companies' web sites.

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CRTC Hearings on Accessibility

- by Mary Frances Laughton, ADIO

From November 17 to 21 and again on November 26, six CRTC commissioners listened to submissions on "Unresolved issues related to the accessibility of telecommunications and broadcasting services for persons with disabilities". The final decisions will be released sometime in the winter of 2009.

Thirty-two organizations presented over the 6 days. The list of presenters, their submissions and the hearing transcripts can be found at:

www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/process/2008/nov17_t.htm

The hearings were real-time captioned in both official languages and available in ASL and LSQ. It was obvious that the commission staff had been well trained in how to work with the various disability groups that were participants. Two of the participants presented from CRTC regional offices.

The major discussion items included video and message relay services, captioning and video description of television broadcasts, conversion of television broadcasting to digital, customer service issues, access to 911 emergency services, access to the service provider websites and the availability of accessible or universally designed telecommunications equipment.

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WCAG 2.0 Recommendation Published

On December 11, 2008 the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) (www.w3.org) announced the publication of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) Recommendation. Nine years in development, WCAG 2.0 replaces the venerable WCAG 1.0 Recommendation with a new set of guidelines, techniques and supporting material that will enable Web developers and content providers to deal with the inherent inaccessibility of the complex and media-rich modern Internet. While WCAG 1.0 dealt mainly with the accessibility of HTML coded Web sites, WCAG 2.0 guidance covers a much wider range of Web technologies. As well, WCAG 2.0 techniques and success criteria are designed to be more reliably testable by both automated and human investigators. As a prerequisite to release by the W3C, WCAG 2.0 accessibility techniques had to be implemented on numerous real-world Web sites to prove the reliability and usefulness of the Recommendation.

WCAG resources

Please see additional information linked below:

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News Bits

  • In May, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC: www.cmhc.ca) released a research document called "Impacts of the Aging of the Canadian Population on Housing and Communities", which is available for free from the CMHC website. Go to the CMHC home page, click on the following links: Order Desk, Research Highlights, Socio-economic Series, 2008. The document number is 65913 in English and 65914 in French.

  • On May 26, the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA: www.chha.ca)/CHHA Foundation announced the addition of a third scholarship to their already established scholarship program. Dr. Doreen Laszlo announced the establishment of the Charles A. Laszlo Scholarship to honour the commitment and work of her husband on behalf of hard of hearing people. The announcement was made at the CHHA Awards Banquet in Edmonton, Alberta. Dr. Charles Laszlo is Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Past-Director of the Institute for Hearing Accessibility Research at the University of British Columbia. Charles, who has been hard of hearing since his 20's, was the founding President of the CHHA and served on its Executive and Board of Directors in various capacities for 16 years. He also served as President of the International Federation of Hard of Hearing People. He recently completed a six year term as the President of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association Foundation whose mission is to create a legacy that will secure an independent financial future for the mother association. He served as a Director of the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, is the President of the British Columbia Family Hearing Resource Society and also served on the Minister of Industry's Advisory Committee on Assistive Devices and Persons with Disabilities.

  • In October, the CNIB presented Hiroshi Kawamura, the president of the DAISY Consortium, with the 2008 Dr. Dayton M. Forman Memorial Award. The presentation took place at a reception during the International Federation of Library Associations' World Library and Information Congress in Quebec City. Mr. Kawamura was recognized for his dedication and commitment to the development of equitable information access for people with print disabilities throughout the world and specifically for his work to establish DAISY (Digital Accessible Information SYstem) as an international standard for accessible information. Currently, only 5% of published material in Canada is available in an accessible format such as DAISY, that someone with a print disability can read.

  • On October 20, Bill Laidlaw was appointed Executive Director of the Canadian Assistive Devices Association (CADA: www.cadaonline.ca). CADA was formed to work with all homecare stakeholders in the assistive devices sector as they build a stronger capability to meet the assistive device needs of Canadians. CADA members include manufacturers, distributers and retailers of homecare products that are used by people to maintain and improve the quality of their lives. "Bill brings a wealth of experience in the healthcare industry to this role", stated Brian Ellacott, Chair of CADA. "He has a proven track record of success in government relations and association management. The entire membership looks forward to working with Bill as he leads our industry forward in representing the interests of stakeholders in the assistive devices industry.

  • In November, James Watzke announced that he has left his post of Dean, Applied Research and director, Technology Centre & Dr. Tong Louie Living Laboratory at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (www.bcit.ca/appliedresearch) to become Dean of Research at the Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (www.humber.ca)in Toronto. We wish him well in this exciting new job.

  • The Call for Papers for the Canadian Vision Teacher' Conference 2009 is currently under way. The theme of the conference, which will be held in Banff, Alberta from October 18-20, 2009 is "Climb High Lead the Way". If you are currently involved in work you feel others could benefit from in areas such as Orientation and Mobility, early education, literacy, inclusive education, assistive technology or family and parent issues, you may wish to submit a proposal to the Program Committee. To obtain a copy of the Call for Papers submission form or to get more information, contact Pam Rannelli at pam.rannelli@gov.ab.ca or Brian Yee at bgyee@cbe.ab.ca . The deadline for submissions is January 31.

  • In December, Sinclair, Nicholson and Associates (www.snaconsulting.ca) announced the launch of the VLTI (Visible Language Translation Initiative), available as part of the Nextalk TTY system. This accessibility feature is the brain child of the Canadian Association of the Deaf. It allows clients with the Nextalk system to provide sign language interpreters on demand via the Internet. VLTI is designed for counter service, or for any situation where a hearing person and a Deaf person are meeting in the same room. The interpreter is dialled up via the Internet to allow communication between the two. The Nextalk system is designed to allow a text alternative to the telephone via a server and can provide TTY capability to any workstation on the server. For more information, contact Rick Sinclair at rick@snaconsulting.ca .

  • The Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES) recently held its first general meeting in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates in early December. The meeting was generously and graciously hosted by the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS). GAATES members from Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Brazil attended, with US and European members participating by telephone. GAATES is focusing on applying the wide expertise of its membership to aid countries with implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. GAATES does this by helping governments and organizations design policies and programs that will help them meet their obligations as signatories to the convention. GAATES members are also active participants in international standardization efforts for accessibility in both the Built Environment and Information and Communications Technology fields. For more information, including membership information, please visit the GAATES Web site at www.gaates.org .

  • On December 3, Celebration of People presented their 2008 awards. Among the 12 honourees was Career Award-winner André Demers, who manages Human Resources Development Canada's Adaptive Computer Technology Centre. The Celebration of People Awards are presented annually to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Award recipients include individuals and organizations whose innovations and vision of an inclusive future enable more and more people with disabilities to live, work and play on an equitable footing in their community. Celebration of People is an Ottawa initiative whose sponsors include corporate, government and community organizations.

  • Also in December, PDG (www.PDGmobility.com) made a number of changes in the sales team representing the company across Canada. In Ontario, Theracare Marketing Network, a team including Jeff Fishbein [GTA], Cathy Maguire [Eastern/Northern Ontario], Walter Enns [Central Ontario], and Chad Doiron [S.W. Ontario and Niagara] will take responsibility for this territory beginning February 1. In Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and BC, Shawn Ross-Harms, PDG's direct Representative based in Vancouver has been covering BC for several years and will now manage these provinces. Many PDG customers in these provinces know Shawn as he has worked in the industry for several years and covered this territory in the past. In Atlantic Canada, (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Nfld, PEI), new representation is currently being established but is not yet in-place. For the present, please direct enquiries to PDG Customer Service. New representation is also currently being established in Quebec but is not yet in-place. For the present, please direct enquiries to PDG Customer Service. If you have questions or concerns relating to any PDG product and/or their commitment to supporting your product needs, please contact PDG customer service at 1-888-858-4422 or send your questions/concerns to Orderdesk@pdgmobility.com .

  • For the 6th consecutive year, T-Base Communications (www.tbase.com) has partnered with Canada Post to make it possible for blind and partially sighted children to send Santa their Christmas wish lists, and have them responded to, in Braille. "Not only does this initiative promote independence and braille literacy, but also brings the magic of Christmas to a greater number of children," said Sharlyn Ayotte, President and CEO of T-Base. Canada Post receives more than one million letters to Santa each year, and the number of braille letters arriving increases annually. Last year, T-Base assisted Canada Post in breaking the Guinness World Record(TM) for responding to the largest volume of letters to Santa. Letters are received and responded to in a variety of languages and formats, including braille, and the program has been as far-reaching as Belgium, France and India. T-Base Communications proudly supports the Canada Post Letters to Santa program for another year, an initiative that ensures a greater number of blind and partially sighted children are touched with the Christmas spirit.

  • The University of Alberta has announced that Dr. Al Cook, the former Dean of Rehabilitation Medicine will be awarded an Excellence in Leadership Award. Nominated by his first line administrative team at the time, Dr. Dave Magee, Dr. Paul Hagler and Anita Yates, Dr. Cook was recognized for his contributions to the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. In the letter informing Dr. Cook of the award, Dr. Carl Amrhein, Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and Phyllis Clark, Vice-President (Finance and Administration) wrote, "It is clear from the nomination submission that your colleagues think very highly of the strong leadership you have brought... and recognize the contributions you have made to the Faculty, the university as a whole, and the broader health-care community." A date for presentation of the award has not yet been announced.

  • Congratulations to Gary Birch, Executive Director of the Neil Squire Society (www.neilsquire.ca). He was named in the Governor General's 2009 New Year's Honours List as an Officer of the Order of Canada. Gary was the Chair of the Minister of Industry's Advisory Committee on Assistive Devices and Persons with Disabilities.

  • After 37 years in the Federal Public Service, Mary Frances Laughton, Chief of the Assistive Devices Industry Office at Industry Canada, has decided to retire. A driving force behind the participation of Industry Canada and its predecessor Communications Canada in the National Strategy for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities, Mary Frances oversaw a five-year, $6 million project that provided seed money to Canadian companies to develop assistive technologies for which there was a documented need. More than a decade later, many of those products and services and their direct descendants are still on the market and in use by people with a variety of disabilities, both in Canada and in many other countries around the world. More recently, Mary Frances has been instrumental in the ongoing work to provide print material in alternative formats for print-disabled people. Her crowning achievement in accessibility, though, is the development and ongoing improvement of the Accessible Procurement Toolkit (APT: www.apt.gc.ca), an online resource that assists people in determining the technical requirements to ensure that mainstream technology, services, products and even physical environments are accessible right off the shelf or with minimal adaptations. Use of the APT has been required by the European Union in their procurement processes since very early in this century. Her many friends and colleagues will miss Mary Frances' insightful mind, her practical wisdom, her passion for improving accessibility to both the physical environment and the digital world and most of all, her joy, kindness and her smile. We wish her well in all of her future endeavours.

Contents.

Our Web Site

Our Web site can be found at www.at-links.gc.ca. 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.

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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:

Deb Finn
Assistive Devices Industry Office
Industry Canada
P.O. Box 11490 Station H
Ottawa, Ontario
K2H 8S2

Tel: 613-990-4297
fax: 613-998-5923
TTY: 613-998-3288
email: deb.finn@ic.gc.ca

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Date Modified: 2010-03-01

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