Virtual Helping Hands (VHH) is a coalition of four groups, united in their mission “to bring people who have disabilities into Second Life so everyone can enjoy what Second Life offers—entertainment, education, and employment. Everyone can explore and enjoy the same virtual worlds of the Immersive Internet”….with just a teensy weensy li’l bit of code tweaking.
According to an article written by Heather Claybrook:
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Read Irked posts tagged “disability”
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Thanks to a tip-off from Karen Putz’s frequently-updated Twitter feed, we recently stumbled upon this fascinating article written by Lizz Carroll, (published on diversityinc.com):
If you’re someone with a non-visible disability, you are entitled to your privacy and are under no obligation to bring it up in the workplace. But are there times when you should tell your employer—particularly if you need an accommodation such as flex time or a specific work environment? DiversityInc spoke to several experts to help you weigh your options and guide you through the process of disclosing a non-visible illness in the workplace.
In our last post, we said that “We think (Broadway-bound) Abigail Breslin will make a PHENOMENAL Helen Keller, even though she’s neither deaf nor blind.”
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Disabled advocate Gilbert Smith, a former police officer, works to spread awareness and equality for the disabled. The disAbility Resources Center recently presented him with a lifetime achievement Award. (Photo by Tyrone Walker)
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Even sitting in a wheelchair, his hands not fully functional, there’s a physical presence about Gilbert Smith, the former police officer who was shot on duty and left paralyzed from the waist down.
Maybe it’s left over from his rough-and-tumble days as a bouncer in his dad’s bar. Or maybe it’s just the force of his spirit.
“He’s left his stamp on a little bit of everything here,” Gwen Gillenwater, executive director of the disAbility Resource Center, said last week when presenting him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for making Charleston more accessible to the handicapped. “He’s one of the real giants in our community.”
Smith will be 63 in December. He was paralyzed Dec. 12, 1970, nearly 40 years ago.
“I’ve outlived the statistics,” he said.
Before he became a police officer, Smith worked as a bartender and bouncer at his dad’s nightclub. It was called the Coconut Grove on Pittsburgh Avenue in North Charleston. Smith also collected loans for his dad.
“I was big and strong back then,” he said.
His dad died in a tractor accident when Smith was 20. He went to work for the Charleston Naval Shipyard before joining the police department.
He took a test in the morning and was given his badge, gun and handcuffs that evening. He spent the first two weeks riding around with an older officer, who was also shot on duty but survived without any permanent damage, and then was sent out on his own.
Fewer than four months on the job, Smith got a call that a man was passed out in the middle of the road in rural Charleston County. Smith loaded him in the back of the patrol car to take him to the jail. He didn’t handcuff him because the man didn’t have a right hand.
Smith would learn later that the man lost his hand in a shootout. He previously had served time for robbing a bank.
The man woke up in the back of the car, grabbed Smith’s gun, shot him in the back and pushed him out of the car. The man later said he saw the devil.
Smith would never walk again.
As a result of the incident, the department installed cages in all the patrol vehicles and instituted a training program … Continue reading this article
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Read Irked posts tagged “wheelchair”
Read Irked posts tagged “emergency response”
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According to Orbit Research promo materials:
Orbit Research recently announced the introduction of the iBill, billed as “the world’s first affordable Talking Banknote Identifier for the blind and the visually impaired.” Priced at $99, the 1.5 ounce iBill is pager-sized. It enables the blind and the visually impaired community to achieve independence in the everyday necessity of using paper currency, which sighted people take for granted.
Measuring just 3 inches by 1.6 inches by 0.7 inches, the ultra-slim and compact design allows it to be carried unobtrusively in a pocket, purse, clipped to the belt or attached to a keychain or lanyard. Among the features that set it apart from other such devices are the extremely high accuracy (better than 99.9%) and the near-instantaneous speed (less than one second in most cases) with which it identifies banknotes.
The iBill is designed with the sole purpose of providing the simplest, fastest and most accurate means to identify U.S. banknotes. Its unique ergonomic design permits easy and intuitive use without the need for any training or practice. Upon insertion of a banknote into the device, its denomination is identified at the press of a button. Based on the user’s preference, the denomination is announced by a clear and natural voice, or by tone or vibration for privacy. The unit identifies all U.S. banknotes in circulation and recognizes them in any orientation. Banknotes in poor physical condition are indicated as unidentifiable and are not misread. The unit is also upgradeable to recognize new banknote designs.
The iBill achieves all of this while operating on a single, commonly available AAA battery which lasts for over a year with typical use. Its durable construction and sealed design ensure trouble-free use. The unit is backed by a one-year warranty from Orbit Research, and toll-free customer support.
Samples of the iBill are available for evaluation now and Orbit Research is accepting orders.
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Quoting Nomensa.com:
Nomensa have created an accessible media player, capable of playing audio and video content. The player can also pull in content from YouTube, making it the perfect accessible YouTube player for embedding into any website. A standard Flash media player has been wrapped in HTML/CSS content, to give it an accessible interface. Advanced techniques, including Accessible Rich Internet Application (ARIA) code, have been used to produce this revolutionary media player. The media player is keyboard accessible, making it enjoyable for people to use without a mouse. It’s screen reader friendly as well, and also offers an unparalleled experience for people using the latest screen readers with ARIA support. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can also enjoy using the media player, as it has the ability to display captions as standard. It really offers an inclusive experience for everyone visiting the website. Most Flash based media players use a fixed interface, but the accessible media player from Nomensa can be adapted to suit any website. The HTML/CSS interface provides great flexibility for branding and styling. Compared to other options, such as the standard YouTube player, the Nomensa accessible media player really offers some tremendous benefits. It’s accessible, can be uniquely branded, and offers a truly inclusive experience. The Nomensa accessible media player is perfect for public, private or third sector websites wanting to participate in the social media scene. To find out more about including content without excluding people, please contact us.
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Kathie Snow is a highly-acclaimed public speaker, trainer, author, filmmaker, and consultant on disability issues. In addition to being Benjamin’s mom, she also runs the excellent website disabilityisnatural.com.
Karen Putz is an insightful, talented and entertaining freelance writer. She provides early intervention services to families with deaf and hard of hearing children. She serves as a board member for Hands & Voices (www.handsandvoices.org) and runs Illinois Hands & Voices in her state. She’s also a deaf mom to three deaf and hard of hearing children, and her husband is deaf, too. Learn more at karenputz.com.
