Disability Accessibility in the field

[Damien Moody]

	I'm someone who totally understands the need for accessibility 
for disabilities. I'm majoring in Audio Technology at American University in 
Washington, D.C. I'm also deaf! Talk about confronting disability issues! 
Lots of people ask me "how can a deaf person be involved with audio and 
music?". I respond "there's no reason why I can't!" And the same applies 
for anyone with any "difference" or "disability". Just because a 
disability might make something difficult does not mean that it 
cannot be done. People have to do what they want to do, and if they want 
it badly enough, they will find a way! It pays to be realistic, but at 
the same time, never give up on your dreams!

Damien Moody
This mail was sent from dmoody at capaccess.org
Alternate email: damwei at nicom.com | monument1 at usa.net
The Monument Home Page: http://www.nicom.com/~damwei/monument1.html

On Sun, 27 Jul 1997, J.G. Wong (Fiveman) wrote:

> Hey Jim I must tell you that accessability for the blind is the furthest
> thing from the minds of almost anyone making a commercial product.  If
> you would like to piss someone off in just about any field mention
> accessability for the blind.  Several years ago I ruffled a lot of
> feathers at a major gear manufacturer because they wouldn't give me
> enough info to modify an LCD display so that it would talk (not
> unreasonable since they took the knobs away)  someone actually said that
> instrument isn't really for the blind.  I voided the warranty and
> modified it without their precious cooperation.  
> 
> When it comes to software and access you will find that people are very
> concerned and they hope you will go away.  You will rarely find anyone
> competent in access even writing most programs. Sad but true.
> 
> My project studio is set up for disabled access only (except for me) and
> I have had to  make everything myself.  There are only a few people in
> the software or music worlds who know or give a damm about disability
> even though 80% of us will end up with a disability at some point in our
> lives. 
> 
> Fiveman
> >
> Jim Stevenson Ph.D wrote:
> > 
> > Last I checked this utility was NOT accessable to the blind, because it
> > could ONLY be controlled by mouse. It is easy enough to incorperate command
> > control if this is made an objective from the start, but unfortunatly
> > often a pain to retrofit.
> > 
> > I do hope that designers of new programs will consider accessability from
> > the start.
>