From AAPD (9.17.10):
‘Dear Silicon Valley,’ We’re Consumers Too!
By Allison Korotkin, AAPD Communications Intern
The National Summit on Disability Policy in Washington, DC, gathered on July 25-28 this year to talk about the “emerging opportunities to enhance Living, Learning & Earning.” One of the key topics of conversation, however, was about lack of accessibility for people with disabilities in regards to information and communication technologies. One filmmaker captured these hallway conversations on the topic by the NCD summit participants in a short film entitled “Dear Silicon Valley.”
The filmmaker – who desires to remain anonymous -- interviewed six people about their technological needs and the problems they face with their current cell phones and other technologies. In an email conversation with AAPD, this filmmaker explained her point of view: “The film enables the beginnings of a real conversation between user and designer/engineer and lays the groundwork for what those in the HCI (Human Computer Interaction) community describe as ‘participatory design’ (which is thought to be the gold standard of the design process today).” This is a conversation that obviously many designers and engineers have ignored for years.
The interviewees all have diverse disabilities. They include: Nancy Martin from NAV enterprises, Mark Landreneau from Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc., Selene Faer Dalton-Kumins from Washington Metro Access Services, Gary Norman an attorney and mediator, Camilla Martin-Proctor from Martin S. Lyons Foundation, and Dr. Ann Lemke from Winnard Community College. Each person interviewed had their own concerns and requests with the current state of information and communication technologies specific to their disabilities. However, the overlapping concerns and message of the film is very clear: accessibility is not so accessible and not as available as it should be.
Nancy Martin, who has cerebral palsy, stated that she has a hard time finding a phone that does not flip or slide. She is hanging on to an older model that has larger keys since that is the only kind of phone that she is able to use. Additionally, she would like to see a better form of Dragon Dictate to pick up her voice for voice activation software on her computer.
Selene Dalton-Kumins stated similar issues, however for different reasons. Despite describing herself as a technology junkie, one of her disability manifestations is lack of strength and this plays a huge part in what kind of cell phone she can use. She explained that as ‘smart phones’ get bigger and heavier, the more impossible they are for her to use. Most importantly, since touch screens are becoming increasingly standard, it proves to be potentially dangerous. If she sleeps on a particular side of her body, the touch pad does not give her easy access to emergency resources even if the smart phone has a keyboard (having to slide or pull the keyboard out to use it). Essentially, she uses phones that do not meet her consumer needs because she must buy around her disability needs.
Mark Landreneau, who is deaf and legally blind, is excited about the new video-to-video calling features on the new iPhone 4. However, the small screen makes signing difficult to see. Mark would like a plug-in or link of some sort that a consumer can use to hook their phone up to a larger screen (like a TV, iPad, or computer monitor) to allow for deaf people with limited vision the ability to adjust color, contrast, etc.
Camilla Martin-Proctor is visually impaired, as well, due to Multiple Sclerosis. Because she has trouble seeing if her phone is on and working (again because of the small screen and buttons), she would like the dial-tone back as an option, or some other indicators for when the phone is off or on.
Gary Norman, who is also a person with a visual disability, brought up several points surrounding the accessibility options in general. He believes that there are few companies that provide accessibility options and therefore these companies have a monopoly on the market, driving up prices for these products far beyond affordability. Furthermore, he states that there never seems to be one universally accessible program package or option with technology. Accessibility is often designed around one specific disability, forcing consumers to go to third parties in order to buy their specific need-based accessibility packs. He believes that if there was a universal access option already programmed into the phones and/or computers, it might cut down the costs immensely across the market.
The last of the film’s speakers, Ann Lemke, advocated for accessibility training courses for everyone on the newer products.
At AAPD, we see and hear a lot about advances with the iPhone, iPad, Android platform phones, etc. and we are advocating for these changes. But not enough has been done generally to ensure accessibility and usability.
AAPD asks if you have experienced problems with your technology services and devices because they aren’t fully accessible. If so, what problems have you faced? If you’ve tried to call 9-1-1 or other emergency services, have you run into trouble with the technology then? Do you have trouble closing phone calls due to bad design? Have you asked for more accessibility of a device and remain unsatisfied? AAPD would like to know what you would like to see the industry focus on, how they can meet your needs and better serve you as not only a consumer, but as another worthy human being.
>>View the (open Captioned) Film “Dear Silicon Valley”
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