Accessible software disappearing
(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
While some commercial software packages have interfaces to work with screen readers and magnifiers, open source, or free applications cannot hook up to these helper applications. Because of licensing pricing and the inability of free software to pay for licensing for a large number of users throughout the world, open standards in file formats appears to be creating a perfect storm of problems. In order to keep companies like Microsoft from controlling file formats and applications that can create those formats Internet engineering groups have created the OpenDocument format. This format is completely free and has no licensing or royalty fees associated with it. Programs that use this format can read and write the files making it a Rosetta stone for programs across the enterprise.
Read the rest of this entry »
Cyber-Shockwave underscored disabled issues during emergency
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
A war game was played out about a week ago where the United States was attacked through the Internet and the electrical grid crashed causing immeasureable problems across the country. The game was re-broadcast by CNN and it was a chilling realization that not only were the able bodied in big trouble, but the disabled community was going to see serious casualties as nurses were unable to get to patients in homes, medication that required refrigeration went bad and hospitals were beyond overload with car accidents and crime waves that hit neighborhoods because the police could not respond. The actual war game did not take into account the disabled community or how they were going to be helped, but one could easily see that without electricity people in condominiums are stuck there with wheelchairs that slowly stopped without a way to recharge them. Even if you could get out stores were closed and you could not get to grocery stores, gas stations, or anywhere else that people go to for basic needs.
Read the rest of this entry »
Careers and the disabled in recessions
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Disabled workers have been shown over and over to be excellent workers. Many jobs like IT do not require anything more than someone with a college education that is sitting at a desk with a phone and a computer. Since many paraplegics can easily do work sitting at a desk there is no reason that they should not be considered for the job. Unfortunately many bosses assume that the disabled are brain damaged and are incapable of doing any real work in any capacity. Many of us see this in our lives as we go to the mall.
Read the rest of this entry »
Disabled community loses out on helping free software
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...Communication is sorely lacking in the disabled community not only to each other, but to virtually anyone in the able bodied community. This ends up creating products and services that are virtually impossible for the disabled to use. The sad thing is that with only a few changes virtually all products can be made so that the disabled could more easily use them. But the disabled community does a very poor job of communicating with companies, entering into groups that test products, or write letters or call companies to make things better. This is especially bad with the free and open source communities that write a multitude of software packages for free.
Read the rest of this entry »
Disabled demanding games they can play too
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Disabled gamers have had virtually no place to go to that writes up how well the games work for those with disabilities. In fact, some gamers have taken things into their own hands and are starting to sue large game companies that ignore the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to the law all companies are required to make their products useful to the disabled so that everyone can have access to them.
Read the rest of this entry »
New transport law in North Ireland
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...
For years the disabled have been complaining that taxis and bus drivers have refused service, charged extra to take them on board, or have just roared past them because they didn’t want to deal with a wheelchair on the bus. Finally a new law, the "Disability Transport Regulations" now require that taxis, buses and trains treat the disabled as any other able bodied passenger, including charging the same price and taking the as passengers. There have been many complaints over the years that mass transit workers refuse to help the disabled and many times drive past taxi and bus stops that people in wheelchairs are sitting in.
Read the rest of this entry »
Newly disabled in Haiti finding new life difficult
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Falling debris and collapsing building have created hundreds and perhaps thousands of disabled people. Many have have lost more than one limb, making it all but impossible to get around a country that never was very disability friendly. With few building standards to begin with, there are no ramps for wheelchairs and mass transit has no way of dealing with wheelchairs or those that use crutches or walkers to get around. Even those that are close to work or stores are finding movement to be difficult at best because of pot holes in roads and damaged sidewalks. Because Haiti is not a high tech country, most work is done with manual labor, the disabled are typically thrown aside and find that work is impossible to find. There are so many able bodied people looking for work that there is no reason for a businessman to hire a disabled person and deal with setting up a work environment to help that person. The earthquake has multiplied the problem because there are far fewer places to get work and there are now many more disabled people that are looking for work.
Read the rest of this entry »
Adaptive driving info
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...One of the main topics we try to deliver on is getting information to the disabled that is not readily available from other sites. To that end we periodically add its to the "Useful Goodies" section of the site. If you haven’t checked this out then we strongly recommend you do. In the mean time here are more places to check out to help:
Read the rest of this entry »
City cracks down on illegal placard use
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...San Francisco California is cracking down on illegal disability placard use by increasing the fine from $100 to $1000 and increased enforcement. The city is doing this because thousands of the placards are either used by people that are not disabled or are fake. Last year alone over 1000 placards were grabbed from people that were not disabled. Money is another big issue for the crack down as people with placards can park anywhere and not pay parking fees.
Read the rest of this entry »
The ever increasing doughnut hole
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...
The doughnut hole, or the payment that Medicare patients make when their medications cost more than $2700 a year is going to get bigger. The new bill in Congress is supposed to close the payments over the next 10 years so that all pharmacy payments will be covered by Medicare. However, because of increases in pills and decreases in money coming in to pay for federal programs those on Medicare can expect to pay more for the next three years. After that the new legislation, if it becomes law will eventually catch up with those increases and will start to close the doughnut hole.
Read the rest of this entry »
Loading ...