[Mt-blind] The Coming Cris

Wed Oct 24 14:40:30 CDT 2007

Hi Jerry,

I wonder if you wouldn't mind explaining your thoughts behind why you
forwarded this particular article to MT-Blind.  I am asking for your
thoughts in the hope of generating some dialogue like we had at the recent
Great Falls MAB Convention.  It would be good to discuss related issues, and
your opinions are welcome, as are everyone's.  Thanks!

Jim Marks
blind.grizzly at GMail.com 
-----Original Message-----
From: mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jerry Hutch
Sent: Sunday, October 21, 2007 2:53 PM
To: Montana Association for the Blind List
Subject: [Mt-blind] The Coming Cris

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

The Coming Crisis

By Mike Calvo

Doom and Gloom! There, we got it out. 

Actually this article is about hope and promise and a better life for
everyone, but the background is not very encouraging. And without the
background, the discussion doesn't make much sense.

Here's the basic premise. Vision loss and age are inextricably linked. There
are eight million visually-impaired people in the U.S. and 80% are age fifty
or greater. This shouldn't come as a big surprise. As we age our bodies
deteriorate and the eyes are specifically vulnerable to diseases like:
 Macular degeneration
 Diabetic Retinopathy
 Glaucoma
 Cataracts
 Corneal opacity

The current assessment is that 800,000 people age 65 and older in the U.S.
are totally blind. By 2015 it will be 1.5 million and by 2030 it will be 2.4
million. 

The cause is simply the aging of the population. As the "Baby Boomers" hit
retirement the graying population will increase dramatically and the
prevalence of blindness will likewise increase. We can and are making great
strides in attacking various causes of blindness, but we can't stop people
from getting older. 

Certainly everyone knows this "graying" is occurring. From AARP to Social
Security there is a great deal of planning and marketing going on relative
to the sharp growth anticipated among the nation's elderly. But there has
not been a lot written about what this means to the nation's blind services
structure. For the most part, and in most states, different organizations
manage issues regarding the elderly and those pertaining to vocational
rehab. But when it comes to dealing with the newly blind, many of the issues
are the same and the resources in place are not sufficient to respond to the
coming need. 

As things stand today, seniors losing their vision are going to be
hard-pressed to maintain their independence. And this is a real shame
because today, with the availability of resources of all kinds over the
Internet, there is no reason for a blind person not to live independently.
The digital lifestyle means liberation for people with blindness and low
vision and baby boomers, like no aging group before them, are well versed in
its benefits. Yet the supporting agencies are not prepared to help them make
this transition.

What are the benefits? Here's a list we've compiled:
 Community: individuals can interact and share information and experiences
with other like-minded individuals at will
 Awareness: The Internet provides nearly instant access to news and
information of all kinds. People using this source of information are
significantly better informed and aware of world events than those who do
not have access.
 Information: The Internet is the best single reference source for
information of all kinds. With the aid of a search engine, a user can access
the vast library of government publications plus an even larger library of
private information sources. There are few, if any, subjects that cannot be
successfully researched via the Internet.
 Employment: Computer usage is virtually essential for any meaningful
employment in the modern world. Via the Internet, persons can not only be
employed but often work from their homes.
 Entrepreneurial activities: The Internet makes it possible for any
individual to sell goods and/or services to a worldwide market.
 Education: A computer and computer skills are essential for modern
education. Via the Internet, a person can pursue a wide range of educational
opportunities ranging from acquisition of technical skills to completing
high school, to acquiring a bachelor's degree, master's degree, and/or Ph.D.
from accredited online universities.
 Entertainment: Via the computer and Internet one can enjoy virtually any
desired entertainment from described DVS's or downloads of popular movies to
thousands of Internet radio channels, to games of all types, and all manner
of hobby-related forums. 
 Health services: Self-care, healthy living programs, health coaching and
ask-the-doctor information is all available on the Web.
 Shopping: From necessities to luxuries, one can buy anything via the Web,
all without leaving the comfort of one's home.
 Finance: Online banking, investing, loans - almost any financial activity
can be carried out over the Web
 Creative arts: Writing and music are two creative activities that the blind
can enjoy using digital technology. 
 Counseling: Online support groups are available for a wide range of issues
from grief-management to depression to cancer survival.
 Spiritual: Whatever your path, the Web has resources to support you ranging
from virtually all conventional religions to a huge array of less
conventional spiritual paths. 

The simple ability to stay connected to family and friends via e-mail is
enough to make being online worth it to most seniors. Add Internet-based
telephone services like Skype and people can stay connected to loved ones
around the world, for peanuts. But today, in the world of conventional
assistive technology, it costs the elderly person (or the supporting agency)
several thousand dollars and weeks or months of study - with all the
necessary transportation - just to be able to send and receive e-mail.
That's insane.

And it's unnecessary.

Nationwide, blind services organizations march lockstep to the beat of
conventional screen reader technology. That is their sole solution to blind
accessibility and no matter the situation they apply it. As the saying goes,
"when your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." 

But as good as conventional screen readers are, they are without exception
complex and difficult to learn. They are expensive and they require weeks or
months of training to achieve proficiency. Once proficient, a blind person
can do amazing things. But most elderly people or new users lack the core
technical skills to master conventional screen readers and agencies lack the
resources to purchase the high priced software and training required.

But in fact, for the cost of rehabilitating a single blind person with
conventional screen reader technology, an agency can deliver full
accessibility to four to six blind people who are not looking to become
computer professionals. Assuming a conventional screen reader cost about
$1,000 and requires about $3,000 in training for the user to achieve
proficiency, Serotek's System Access Mobile cost $499 and a user can be
trained in about two to ten hours. You do the math.

Moreover, using Serotek's RIM (Remote Incident Manager) or Remote Training
and Support the user can be trained over the Internet, with no need to
travel and take up class room space. The service agency can provide
one-to-one, on-screen tutoring with the trainer and the student both working
from the comfort and convenience of their own homes.

Logic would suggest that state agencies and local rehabilitation
organizations would welcome tools like System Access Mobile and RIM with
open arms. With them they can help more blind people for less money. How can
they not be excited?

But logic doesn't take into account inertia. The entire organization is
structured for conventional screen readers. That's how budgets are
developed; that's where training skills are concentrated. There may even be
a vague fear that if it is that easy to give newly blind people
accessibility, training jobs will be in danger. Of course, nothing could be
further from the truth. Even with the six-fold (or greater) multiplier
effect that System Access delivers, the demand will continue to exceed the
supply as the population ages.

Unfortunately, the person with the least say in this decision is the newly
blind person. He or she basically gets what's he or she is given as decided
by the professionals. The result is that people in need of accessibility
tools are hugely underserved. A mere handful of blind people (perhaps eight
to ten) end up with the ability to access the digital lifestyle out of every
hundred or so who need accessibility help. And that is extraordinarily
costly. A blind person without accessibility consumes far more resources in
terms of personal care, medical care, social services, and welfare than a
blind person with full access to the digital lifestyle. And, sadly, the
person without access lives a much more enclosed life and is more apt to
fall prey to depression. Without accessibility, blindness is a prison
sentence; with it, it's a minor inconvenience.

There is, of course, no incentive for the producers of conventional screen
reader technology to make their products less expensive and easier to learn.
This isn't a "free market" where they must compete head-to-head against
alternate solutions. Rather it's a captive market where the buyer has no
choice. The in-place infrastructure has a bias towards maintaining the
status quo, even at the expense of the nation's ever growing population of
newly blind elderly people. We on the outside can call for a level playing
field, where consumers can make their own informed choices, but those who
have control of the playing field have no interest in making this a fair
contest.

At Serotek we believe that when you can't win through evolution, it's time
to start a revolution and we have one in the making. When an infrastructure
does not serve the people it was created to serve, it's time to look for
ways to make the infrastructure irrelevant. We have been pushing the
technology envelope for six years and our latest product, System Access to
Go, available directly over the Internet on demand, may be the catalyst for
change.

We are working with a number of people who have the interest of the
individual blind person at heart. We are close to making an announcement
that we believe will simply change the way accessibility happens - to the
benefit of all. We invite you to stay tuned. But in the meantime, don't
hesitate to rock the boat. Change won't happen unless we work to make it
happen. "Information without accessibility is tyranny!" Where the heck is
that tea?

Posted by Mike Calvo at 6:51 AM

http://blog.serotek.com/2007/10/coming-crisis.html

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