WEBVTT 00:00:00.506 --> 00:00:02.999 [ Music ] 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:05.999 Every day, it's a bit of a miracle. 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:08.465 Millions of people go to work, 00:00:08.466 --> 00:00:10.675 interacting in a complex web of interdependency. 00:00:10.676 --> 00:00:15.885 We communicate across cubicles and across country with equal speed. 00:00:15.886 --> 00:00:18.315 In a world of technology-based global connections, 00:00:18.316 --> 00:00:21.885 equal access defines success. 00:00:21.886 --> 00:00:25.225 Having assistive technology available makes it possible 00:00:25.226 --> 00:00:29.595 to have people on your workforce who may not have been able 00:00:29.596 --> 00:00:32.025 to work before, not because they weren't qualified, 00:00:32.026 --> 00:00:36.015 but because the necessary tools weren't available. 00:00:36.016 --> 00:00:37.475 And now they are. 00:00:38.476 --> 00:00:39.405 These are the stories of four people 00:00:39.406 --> 00:00:42.515 who make technology work for them. 00:00:43.516 --> 00:00:52.075 [ Music ] 00:00:51.076 --> 00:00:52.075 I have my dream job. 00:00:52.076 --> 00:00:55.605 I have the job I've wanted and loved 00:00:55.606 --> 00:00:57.585 since I knew how to write. 00:00:57.586 --> 00:00:58.695 I mean, I wrote my first short 00:00:58.696 --> 00:01:01.125 story at seven, that's how much I've loved writing. 00:01:01.126 --> 00:01:04.545 Nan Hawthorne is a freelance writer. 00:01:04.546 --> 00:01:07.515 She works at home, but not really alone. 00:01:07.516 --> 00:01:10.075 The people I work with are terrific, and it's all Internet, 00:01:10.076 --> 00:01:12.505 I've never laid eyes on any of them. 00:01:12.506 --> 00:01:15.785 The main office is in Manhattan, 00:01:15.786 --> 00:01:19.925 and my editor is in Baraboo, Wisconsin; we have our meetings 00:01:19.926 --> 00:01:23.595 via Yahoo Messenger, which works for him because he has 00:01:23.596 --> 00:01:25.485 cerebral palsy and doesn't speak well. 00:01:25.486 --> 00:01:29.725 Nan has a form of macular degeneration which left 00:01:29.726 --> 00:01:31.585 her with no central vision from an early age. 00:01:31.586 --> 00:01:36.755 Generally, in my experience, people think about blindness 00:01:36.756 --> 00:01:41.125 in terms of how it would impact them, not how you experience it. 00:01:41.126 --> 00:01:44.175 And they assume they would not be able to do their jobs, 00:01:44.176 --> 00:01:48.065 but these days, with computers and high technology and the Internet, 00:01:48.066 --> 00:01:53.455 that's really not an issue anymore, simply because your eyes are not 00:01:53.456 --> 00:01:57.065 always necessary for everything, there's quite often another 00:01:57.066 --> 00:01:58.495 way of doing it. 00:01:59.496 --> 00:02:01.075 Nan uses several types of assistive technology, 00:02:01.076 --> 00:02:05.855 including screen magnification software and products that read the text 00:02:05.856 --> 00:02:06.495 on the screen aloud. 00:02:06.496 --> 00:02:09.765 "Keeping up to date with present technologies 00:02:10.766 --> 00:02:11.050 available to the blind..." 00:02:13.086 --> 00:02:15.645 She uses a scanner for printed materials such as 00:02:15.646 --> 00:02:19.265 magazine articles, then listens as her screen reader delivers the 00:02:19.266 --> 00:02:21.385 content with a synthesized voice. 00:02:21.386 --> 00:02:22.205 "Scanning..." 00:02:22.206 --> 00:02:25.845 The independence of having equipment like that is really wonderful. 00:02:25.846 --> 00:02:29.365 I use it for books, I use it for articles, I use it for web sites. 00:02:29.366 --> 00:02:33.405 I use this magnification to look around a website to find 00:02:33.406 --> 00:02:37.125 what it is I want to read, and then I use a screen reader to read it. 00:02:37.126 --> 00:02:40.465 Most graphic Web browsers have built-in features 00:02:40.466 --> 00:02:41.815 that help people with low vision. 00:02:41.816 --> 00:02:45.205 They allow fonts to be resized so that users 00:02:45.206 --> 00:02:48.165 can view Web content in a font that works best for their eyesight 00:02:48.166 --> 00:02:49.865 and screen resolution. 00:02:49.866 --> 00:02:50.745 This benefits everyone, 00:02:50.746 --> 00:02:54.485 but Web designers have to support it by using fonts that are resizable, 00:02:54.486 --> 00:02:56.585 rather than fixed font sizes. 00:02:58.186 --> 00:03:00.575 Nan also uses a closed circuit TV monitor 00:03:00.576 --> 00:03:02.555 to read papers or to fill out forms. 00:03:02.556 --> 00:03:06.075 I came up with a saying once that disability isn't a problem, 00:03:06.076 --> 00:03:08.135 it's a solution in progress. 00:03:08.136 --> 00:03:10.615 And I think that's very accurate. 00:03:10.616 --> 00:03:13.605 Nan is quite right: solutions are in progress. 00:03:13.606 --> 00:03:14.925 More and more 00:03:14.926 --> 00:03:17.045 mainstream products have built-in features such as the 00:03:17.046 --> 00:03:20.245 assistive technology Nan uses, and often these features are 00:03:20.246 --> 00:03:22.885 used by people with and without disabilities. 00:03:27.886 --> 00:03:30.195 Mia Lipner is a software tester at Microsoft. 00:03:30.196 --> 00:03:35.955 What Microsoft does, and what I think is a best practice 00:03:35.956 --> 00:03:39.945 for any company, is when you're interviewing a potential employee, 00:03:39.946 --> 00:03:42.865 and they are a person with a disability, that you are 00:03:42.866 --> 00:03:46.655 paying attention to their strengths and talents and the reason you 00:03:46.656 --> 00:03:48.525 were interested in them in the first place. 00:03:48.526 --> 00:03:51.925 And have less attention 00:03:51.926 --> 00:03:55.375 to what might be perceived as drawbacks or limitations. 00:03:55.376 --> 00:04:00.925 Assistive technology allows a user with a disability to access 00:04:00.926 --> 00:04:05.645 elements of a software application, especially if they 00:04:05.646 --> 00:04:09.355 can't use the standard modes of interacting with the software. 00:04:09.356 --> 00:04:12.695 00:04:12.696 --> 00:04:16.165 I use a screen reader; If I need to read a document, 00:04:16.166 --> 00:04:21.205 I can use the screen reader and it speaks it aloud with 00:04:21.206 --> 00:04:23.090 a synthesized speech output. 00:04:23.091 --> 00:04:26.165 00:04:26.166 --> 00:04:31.915 I have a Braille display that also works as a notetaker, 00:04:31.916 --> 00:04:35.645 so it's more like a little notebook computer, but it also has a 00:04:35.646 --> 00:04:40.455 single-line Braille display that I can use either as a stand-alone 00:04:40.456 --> 00:04:44.595 device to take to meetings so that I can write notes without 00:04:44.596 --> 00:04:45.165 speech output. 00:04:45.166 --> 00:04:49.595 The other things that are possible with this device 00:04:49.596 --> 00:04:52.975 is that I can hook it up to my computer and have it actually be 00:04:52.976 --> 00:04:54.865 a Braille display. 00:04:54.866 --> 00:04:57.895 Again, it's important for everyone to consider accessibility, 00:04:57.896 --> 00:05:00.825 including employers who are making purchasing decisions; 00:05:00.826 --> 00:05:03.625 and mainstream software and Web developers must create 00:05:03.626 --> 00:05:07.245 products and content that are compatible with assistive technology. 00:05:07.246 --> 00:05:09.375 Thinking about these issues from the beginning 00:05:09.376 --> 00:05:11.185 helps avoid costly redesigns later. 00:05:11.186 --> 00:05:14.355 [ Sound of door code ] 00:05:14.356 --> 00:05:19.385 It's been improving, really; I've seen many more companies, 00:05:19.386 --> 00:05:23.985 many more Web sites starting to think about it a little more. 00:05:23.986 --> 00:05:27.545 But as far as accessibility is concerned, there's room for 00:05:27.546 --> 00:05:28.715 improvement for everybody. 00:05:28.716 --> 00:05:32.985 For some organizations, technology has to be accessible by law. 00:05:32.976 --> 00:05:36.855 For example, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires 00:05:36.856 --> 00:05:40.265 that electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used 00:05:40.266 --> 00:05:44.505 by the federal government must be accessible. 00:05:44.506 --> 00:05:50.325 This includes websites, computer hardware and software, information kiosks, and virtually everything else 00:05:50.326 --> 00:05:53.515 you can think of as electronic and information technology. 00:05:53.516 --> 00:05:58.135 [ Music ] 00:05:58.136 --> 00:06:02.505 You can feel lost, lost in the communication environment; 00:06:02.506 --> 00:06:04.815 you know, everybody's talking, you're not hearing what they're 00:06:04.816 --> 00:06:07.675 saying; you can't hear what's happening on TV, you can't hear 00:06:07.676 --> 00:06:11.885 the radio, you know, just average conversations in the hall, ambient conversations; 00:06:11.886 --> 00:06:17.835 I wish we'd had some technology for that when I was younger. 00:06:17.836 --> 00:06:20.245 Today, Mark Tauscher is an Account Manager at Sprint. 00:06:20.246 --> 00:06:24.965 He covers three western states, monitoring contracts, 00:06:24.966 --> 00:06:27.535 providing customer support, and offering outreach information. 00:06:27.536 --> 00:06:32.845 His favorite technology is the video relay service, 00:06:32.846 --> 00:06:34.215 a way of making phone calls through his computer. 00:06:34.216 --> 00:06:38.775 The video relay service allows me to use sign language 00:06:38.776 --> 00:06:40.965 with an interpreter, through the computer. 00:06:40.966 --> 00:06:42.415 And we have a web cam set up, 00:06:42.416 --> 00:06:45.135 the interpreter can see me and I can see the interpreter. 00:06:45.136 --> 00:06:49.105 The interpreter calls to a hearing person and I sign to them 00:06:49.106 --> 00:06:52.565 my message and he voices what I say and then he responds, 00:06:52.566 --> 00:06:54.085 he signs it back to me. 00:06:54.086 --> 00:06:56.325 Technical issues that come up 00:06:56.326 --> 00:06:59.675 with the video relay service, there are, you know, a lot of 00:06:59.676 --> 00:07:03.115 different things that can cause some kind of technical glitches, 00:07:03.116 --> 00:07:10.115 for example firewalls, firewall issues, that would block me from 00:07:10.116 --> 00:07:11.465 seeing the interpreter. 00:07:11.466 --> 00:07:14.035 So we have to work around the firewalls 00:07:14.036 --> 00:07:15.915 sometimes to resolve that issue. 00:07:15.916 --> 00:07:16.865 That's one possibility. 00:07:16.866 --> 00:07:17.885 Another one 00:07:17.886 --> 00:07:20.745 is that the picture quality may not be as good as it could be, 00:07:20.746 --> 00:07:24.125 we have to tweak it a little bit and set it up right, check the line; 00:07:24.126 --> 00:07:27.315 there's a lot of troubleshooting involved there. 00:07:27.316 --> 00:07:30.485 The video relay service requires a high speed internet connection 00:07:30.486 --> 00:07:32.165 and a web cam. 00:07:32.166 --> 00:07:35.015 [ Phone ringing ] 00:07:35.016 --> 00:07:38.825 Mark also uses Sprint Relay On-line, 00:07:38.826 --> 00:07:40.455 which needs only a phone and a computer. 00:07:40.456 --> 00:07:42.765 He uses it with his laptop while traveling. 00:07:42.766 --> 00:07:45.695 If I need to make a call, I just have an operator there, 00:07:45.696 --> 00:07:48.755 I can call to a hearing person and have a conversation. 00:07:48.756 --> 00:07:49.725 I just have to type. 00:07:49.726 --> 00:07:51.365 And then they'll read what I type to the hearing person, 00:07:51.366 --> 00:07:54.505 the hearing person will respond, and the relay will type that to me, 00:07:54.506 --> 00:07:56.215 through the computer. 00:07:56.216 --> 00:07:58.835 I think the team pulled together 00:07:58.836 --> 00:08:00.595 and did an excellent job... 00:08:00.596 --> 00:08:03.445 For meetings or for conference calls, 00:08:03.446 --> 00:08:04.715 Mark may use an interpreter. 00:08:04.716 --> 00:08:07.425 And for quick access, his pager is always available. 00:08:07.426 --> 00:08:11.215 This pager is an alpha-numeric pager, I can use it 00:08:11.216 --> 00:08:14.275 to communicate with other team members. 00:08:14.276 --> 00:08:18.245 We can go back and forth and it has a keyboard on it which I can type, 00:08:18.246 --> 00:08:23.125 and it sends an e-mail; other people tend to use cell phones; 00:08:23.126 --> 00:08:24.965 I use my pager as my cell phone. 00:08:24.966 --> 00:08:28.415 One problem Mark has is with video, which is not accessible to him 00:08:28.416 --> 00:08:30.745 unless captions are provided. 00:08:30.746 --> 00:08:31.615 For federal government offices, 00:08:31.616 --> 00:08:35.345 this is a requirement under Section 508; 00:08:35.346 --> 00:08:38.355 and many state governments, schools, and universities require that 00:08:38.356 --> 00:08:40.585 multimedia be captioned as well. 00:08:40.586 --> 00:08:45.225 Captions are also helpful for people who are working in noisy environments, 00:08:45.226 --> 00:08:48.665 or for those whose first language is different than the one spoken in the video. 00:08:48.666 --> 00:08:51.825 And captioning helps in indexing and archiving multimedia, 00:08:51.826 --> 00:08:54.515 so that it can be searched in the same way as text documents. 00:08:54.516 --> 00:08:59.715 [ Music ] 00:08:59.716 --> 00:09:02.615 Mark Fristo is a rights and responsibilities counselor 00:09:02.616 --> 00:09:05.155 for students at Renton Technical College. 00:09:05.156 --> 00:09:08.304 It's not the fact that I'm in the wheelchair, or that I have a disability, 00:09:08.306 --> 00:09:11.515 that prevents me or anybody else with a disability 00:09:11.516 --> 00:09:17.745 from being part of the greater work force if you will; I think it's 00:09:17.746 --> 00:09:22.065 more about people's attitudes and the ability for those individuals 00:09:22.066 --> 00:09:27.155 to see us, to see people with disabilities as being equals. 00:09:27.156 --> 00:09:31.025 "A number of students..." 00:09:31.026 --> 00:09:34.115 Since Mark has limited use of his hands, he prefers 00:09:34.116 --> 00:09:37.935 using speech recognition software rather than a keyboard. 00:09:37.493 --> 00:09:41.545 He uses a headset both for talking to his computer and 00:09:41.546 --> 00:09:42.685 talking on the telephone. 00:09:42.686 --> 00:09:46.085 I would consider that assistive technology, 00:09:46.086 --> 00:09:48.715 considering at one time nobody used headsets. 00:09:48.716 --> 00:09:49.675 Even if you don't have 00:09:49.676 --> 00:09:52.815 a disability problem, if you're trying to do this with the telephone 00:09:52.816 --> 00:09:55.335 and trying to write stuff, you know, and then the thing's falling down 00:09:55.336 --> 00:09:57.375 and all that kind of stuff all the time. 00:09:59.376 --> 00:10:03.525 Many of the accommodations or technology innovations, 00:10:03.526 --> 00:10:08.035 if you will, that were originally for people with disabilities, 00:10:08.036 --> 00:10:10.295 have actually helped the public in general. 00:10:10.296 --> 00:10:12.945 Automatic door openers help people when their arms are full. 00:10:12.946 --> 00:10:15.065 Ramps, so that you can 00:10:15.066 --> 00:10:20.695 get things in and out of buildings, probably have been as great a help as anything. 00:10:20.696 --> 00:10:24.035 In the office, shared equipment is within Mark's reach. 00:10:24.036 --> 00:10:26.495 You want the copier machine at least at a level that 00:10:26.496 --> 00:10:29.345 you can reach all the controls on. 00:10:29.346 --> 00:10:31.675 Also be able to lift up the plate 00:10:31.676 --> 00:10:34.855 where the copy goes and things of that nature. 00:10:34.856 --> 00:10:36.535 Those are all important things. 00:10:36.536 --> 00:10:40.965 Copiers with easy-to-access controls and a light-weight lid, 00:10:40.966 --> 00:10:44.105 captioned multimedia, software that's compatible with a wide variety 00:10:44.106 --> 00:10:47.755 of input and output devices, and websites with resizable fonts 00:10:47.756 --> 00:10:50.845 are some of the many good design practices. 00:10:50.846 --> 00:10:54.415 They make technology accessible to people with disabilities, 00:10:54.416 --> 00:10:56.175 and they benefit other workers as well. 00:10:56.176 --> 00:10:59.725 Built-in accessibility features make everyone's job easier. 00:10:59.726 --> 00:11:02.845 You really can't talk about being a diverse workplace, 00:11:02.846 --> 00:11:08.295 and all those kinds of things, if you don't have the ability 00:11:08.296 --> 00:11:10.735 to accommodate a variety of different things. 00:11:10.736 --> 00:11:13.875 And disability just happens to be one of them.