From: empower@smart.net
Subject: NFB written testimony for Senate hearing on assistive tech
                             PREPARED STATEMENT OF
                                 JAMES GASHEL
                     THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
           BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND HUMAN RESOURCES
                           WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 1998
 
 
                            
  Mr. Chairman, my name is James Gashel. I am appearing in this
  hearing today
  on behalf of the National Federation of the Blind. My address is
  1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230.
  I want to begin by thanking you for the opportunity to testify on
  reauthorization of the Technology-Related Assistance for
  Individuals With Disabilities Act because concerns regarding
  technology have become crucial for blind people. Before I explain
  that statement in greater depth, I think it would be helpful for
  you to have some relevant background information on the National
  Federation of the Blind. First and foremost, the Federation is a
  membership organization of blind people. All of our leaders and
  the vast majority of our members are blind. Therefore, we are
  often referred to as the "voice of the nation's blind."
  In the terms in which the Tech Act identifies the various
  interests, the National Federation of the Blind represents the
  organized consumer of assistance and services. "Organized" is one
  of the key words in our vocabulary, because the Federation
  consists of state affiliates representing every state, the
  District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. We also have local chapters
  in most sizable population areas in the United States. Then in
  addition to this, we also have several special interest divisions
  which blind people join to address particular concerns and needs.
  Overall, our total membership is more than 50,000 strong
  nationally.
  Turning to technology, which is the subject of this hearing, as
  far as blind people are concerned, the issue is "access." In fact,
  I think there would be wide agreement that this is perhaps the
  most compelling and challenging issue of the times for us. In
  speaking of access, I am referring to the capacity to receive,
  use, and send information. Since we live in an age in which
  information and the ability to compete for jobs and opportunities
  have become interrelated, it should be obvious why access has
  become a matter of compelling concern for blind people, but there
  is more to the issue than that alone.
  The pessimist would tell you that the world of video screens and
  graphical presentations is exploding around us to the extent that
  if you can't see it, you can't use it. But, from the point of view
  of the optimist, the possibility of access through alternative
  nonvisual technologies is a reasonable and realistic expectation.
  This is why the National Federation of the Blind takes the
  optimistic view, although the fears of the pessimist have plenty
  of support.Mr. Chairman, I realize that access in using
  information technology is not necessarily the focus of the present
  law. However, the need for statutory provisions on access (and
  particularly on nonvisual access) could not be more compelling. I
  say this because of the growing extent to which the effective use
  of information technology is a controlling factor in our ability
  to communicate.
  Speaking to this situation as a blind person, I can tell you that
  the prospect of being locked out technologically from
  professional, commercial, and social interaction is a frightening
  and very real possibility. I confronted the fact that this could
  happen quite recently when I checked into a hotel, got to my room,
  and found that I was completely unable to operate the television
  set. The reason was that just moving from channel to channel was
  not possible without being able to see and read the on-screen
  menu. So, at least on that occasion, I couldn't even listen to C-
  Span.
  In the latter part of the 1960's when I was preparing to go to
  work, a great many of my blind friends and colleagues were
  encouraged to pursue employment opportunities in computer
  technology. This occurred to such an extent that computer
  programming was actually becoming a modern-day stereotyped
  occupational placement for the blind.
  But now, in an environment in which nonvisual access may be
  impossible or difficult at best to achieve, the same people who
  have worked successfully on a par with their sighted peers for
  many years have become technological casualties. Also, the
  prospects for young blind people to pursue careers in systems
  development and programming are surprisingly more limited, even
  though many employers complain about a need for trained personnel
  in this area.
  I point this out to illustrate how access has become the crucial
  issue of the age. Just sit down at any computer or walk up to a
  public information kiosk, close your eyes, and try to use it.
  Then, think about the fact that devices such as these are. rapidly
  becoming the centerpiece of information exchange.
  Since the situation as I have described it is unquestionably
  becoming a fact of everyday life, the barriers to full
  participation of blind people in the society of the future must be
  faced today. In the view of the National Federation of the Blind,
  that challenge--the challenge of leading our society toward
  universal access in information technology--ought to be part of
  the reauthorized legislation.
  With this as a foundation, Mr. Chairman, I would now like to
  describe two important contributions which consumer-led
  initiatives can make toward achieving the goal of universal
  access, including nonvisual access. The first of these is
  consumer-led evaluation of technology, and the second is consumer-
  led development of technology. When I use the term "consumer," I
  am referring in our case to leadership provided by blind people
  who are in positions of accountability to blind people. This is
  something which is fundamental to the National Federation of the
  Blind, because blind people are the members and leaders of our
  organization at all levels.Evaluation of technology in a setting
  which is entirely controlled by blind consumers is something which
  we value as a top priority for our movement. This is why we
  established the International Braille and Technology Center for
  the Blind and have continued to support the Center through its
  growth since it opened in November, 1990.
  The present facility occupies 20,000 square feet and includes two
  hundred separate work stations. The equipment and software which
  is installed and operational includes Braille embossers; computers
  with synthesized speech; Braille and speech- output note takers;
  stand-alone reading machines; computer-based text-to-speech
  reading systems; computers with access to the Internet; and a
  variety of other single-purpose devices to meet particular needs.
  Our operating protocol in maintaining the Center is to buy at
  least one of every Braille and speech-output device or system
  which is sold for the specialized purpose of nonvisual access. The
  challenging word is "buy"--not "accept" or "receive"--but "buy."
  And the commitment we have made is to continue to buy the devices
  and relevant software which are being introduced to the market as
  access technology for blind people each and every year.
  Our investment in technology to date is about $2 million and
  climbing. We find the money to support this effort because we want
  to be completely independent from manufacturers or marketing
  interests. This is essential if the advice we give or reports we
  publish are to be regarded as credible. Also, the evaluation work
  which occurs day-in and day-out at the Center is entirely in the
  hands of blind people. This is true of our members who volunteer
  their time and talents to this effort and the staff who devote
  their full time and attention to support the effort.
  As a result, anyone who may want to know about the device or
  software best suited to meet a particular individualized need can
  contact the Center to obtain the information or visit the Center
  for a personal inspection and on-site comparison of features.
  Inquiries by telephone, mail, and the Internet are handled in a
  growing volume every day. Personal inspection tours by visitors
  from everywhere in the U.S. and many foreign countries occur in a
  steady stream as well.
  If I had to pick just one important contribution that has been
  made by this facility, I would point to the comprehensive
  presentation of access devices and software in a non-marketing
  context, where consumers--not inventors--are the experts. While
  such activities are possibly envisioned under the present
  authority of the Tech Act, I would say that greater emphasis
  should be placed on support for model consumer-led evaluation
  programs such as this.
  But consumer-led evaluation, without moving to the next step of
  consumer-led development, may not be sufficient. At least this is
  our experience. So, the National Federation of the Blind has
  decided to lead by example in the creation of technology as well
  as in its evaluation.Several examples of this come to mind, but
  our service known as Newsliner and another application of the same
  technology known as Jobliner are perhaps the most prominent
  current initiatives now underway. I will describe this technology
  briefly and be happy to show it to you during the exposition being
  held this afternoon. Once again, the leadership provided by blind
  consumers has made this technology possible.
  Remember what I said about "access." That's what Newsliner and
  Jobliner are all about. Newsliner means access to newspapers. We
  created that service to place blind people on an equal footing
  with others in access to the print media, and we are now working
  hard to get communities of every size throughout the nation
  connected to the service.
  This, in fact, is happening because Newsline uses the standard
  touch-tone telephone as the means of distribution. So, we are hard
  at work in the effort to establish local dial-in sites in every
  state and as many local dialing areas as possible. At present
  there are 38 (and soon to be 42) Newsliner centers.
  Areas currently served include New York; Los Angeles; Chicago and
  most of Illinois; the District of Columbia; Maryland and Northern
  Virginia; Columbus, Ohio; the major cities in Iowa; Dallas,
  Houston (and other parts of Texas); Salt Lake City, Utah;
  Chattanooga, Tennessee; Boise, Idaho; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and
  many more. States in which the service will soon be added include
  Connecticut, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
  The papers carried on Newsliner include USA TODAY, the Washington
  Post, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Chicago
  Tribune, the Toronto Globe and Mail, and several other papers
  which are distributed in local areas only. The technology which
  makes Newsliner possible involves receiving news text from
  cooperating media partners over the Internet, converting the text
  for presentation in a synthetic speech format, and distribution of
  the converted text files to the appropriate local access points.
  When the process is working as it should-which it does most of the
  time-everything occurs automatically. Therefore, when I sit down
  to read the morning paper in Baltimore, I am able to choose from
  most of the papers listed, and the editions just reaching the
  newsstands for that day are immediately available to me at the
  touch of a button. Moreover, I can read the sports page, the
  editorials, the national news, or whatever I choose, when I
  choose.
  In fact, as Newsliner has developed and grown, we have probably
  outdone ourselves in demonstrating the great potential of
  nonvisual and universal access. How many of you have your local
  paper plus five or six national papers all at your finger tips
  each day at 6:00 a.m? Besides, the editions that I receive never
  end up in the rose bushes or the mud!
  Before I talk briefly about Jobliner, I should mention that
  Newsliner has benefited from support provided through the Tech
  Act. This has been true in Maryland where the state Technology
  Assistance Program helped us with funds to develop a method for a
  local-content channel to supplement the newspapers.
  This support and the encouragement we have received in working
  with personnel from the Maryland Technology Assistance Program
  provide a model relationship for the advancement of nonvisual
  access. To their credit, the program officials in Maryland have
  been outstanding in their outreach on behalf of our consumer-led
  access initiatives. Partnerships such as this speak to the
  potential of the Tech Act and should be replicated throughout the
  country.
  This brings me to the most recent version of the Newsliner-type
  technology, which is Jobliner. Again, the concept is universal
  (and particularly nonvisual) access, and the content of the
  service is not news text but job orders. The data base which is
  used is input from the public job service, known on the Internet
  as America's Job Bank.
  With Jobliner, America's Job Bank can talk to anyone on a standard
  touch-tone telephone. We solved the problem of searching a
  national data base of 70,000 jobs by means of a personal profile
  which each caller sets up independently in using the service.
  Then, at literally the touch of a button, the system selects and
  presents only those job announcements which match the job-seeking
  caller's profile. Its truly a wonderful system, and I hope you
  will come and see or listen to it this afternoon.
  As for implementation, this service would not be possible without
  cooperation from the U.S. Department of Labor. I realize that this
  cooperation should be expected, but I want you to be aware of it
  all the same. And speaking of cooperation, the Congress, too, has
  played a part in this development by setting aside $3 million from
  the amount appropriated for labor market information for the
  current fiscal year.
  As a result, we can now anticipate that this service will become
  available statewide in as many as forty states within the next
  several months. Once again, I should say that Maryland has been
  the first to install it. This shows that a commitment to nonvisual
  access is becoming a source of pride in that state, and the
  Technology Assistance Program is working with us to make it that
  way.
  Mr. Chairman, you have asked me to comment on factors which impede
  the use of universal access principles in the design of new
  technology. This would be a good question for a company of the
  size and influence of Microsoft, but here is what I would say. It
  all comes down to commitment and priority.
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