Inclusive Technologies

Well, they had a good run.  But it’s unfortunate that both major wireless carriers have ceased selling the Migo and Firefly, two phones with reduced keypads and functionality.  They were designed for kids, but served well for people with impaired dexterity and/or cognitive disabilities.  We talk a lot about universal design and how products that serve both disabled and non-disabled customers should be able to sustain themselves in the market.  In that context, this news looks like failure.  What do you think is going on?
AT&T and Verizon kick kid phones to the curb - Engadget Mobile

There is now a public videophone in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.  Sign language users can place video relay calls, connecting them with an interpreter so that they can communicate with hearing, non-signing people.  Great idea.  I know that ‘1′ is larger than ‘0′, but Pennsylvania is a pretty large state!

Public Videophone Available in Central Pennsylvania - Government Technology

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service cannot automatically detect where you are, because you could be calling from anywhere on the Internet.  There is no single set of wires that carries your calls, so there’s no way to trace it to your location. In order to provide 911 location service, VoIP companies must tell their customers to register their locations, and then collect that information and forward it to E911 agencies. This article mentions that Vonage has succeeded in registering 94% of its customers’ locations, which is pretty darned good. Just goes to show that when industry is motivated by regulatory requirements and oversight, it can move quickly and efficiently.
Stephen Seitz Honored by E9-1-1 Institute - Government Technology

More than 10 years ago the UN agreed to 22 “rules” which national governments should follow to improve the lives of their citizens with disabilities. These rules cover medical care, educational opportunities, social integration — all the usual, important areas. During the last few years to UN has performed a survey, asking both national govvernments and 2 disability organizations in each country how much progress has been made. The results appear in “Global Survey on Government Action on the Implementation of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities”. It’s shocking — shocking I say! — to discover that only half the responding countries have taken any significant action regarding assistive technology or accessibility. Those of us in advanced countries that certainly answered ‘yes’ to every question on the survey know only too well how piecemeal our programs are, and how insufficient.
UN Enable - Global Survey

Disabled or not, many mobile users are lost in a world of features they never wanted and can’t use.  Worse than that, these unwanted “bonuses” make products so complicated that basic functions are hard to find.  This is especially true for people with visual or cognitive disabilities.

A new survey shows how dissatisfied consumers are, and how clueless technomarketers are.
Cellphone users complain about ‘function fatigue’ - Yahoo! News

“Digital inclusion” is a phrase we may be hearing more often (and using ourselves).  In the case of San Francisco, it’s part of their municipal wireless program.  And alone among US cities, San Francisco seems to be paying the right amount of attention to the needs of its citizens with disabilities.  It’s more than just lip-service.  They understand that getting online can pose specific barriers to people with disabilities, and they’re going to be using technical and outreach resources to make sure no one is unnecessarily excluded.  Good for them — one more time the Bay Area leads in technological implementation.
San Francisco Mayor Announces New Digital Inclusion Plan - Government Technology