No Limits to Life Blog

Since June 20, 2008, over 50,000 tickets have been sold to attend events in the paralympics which are scheduled for September 7th through the 16th in Beijing. It is interesting to note though, that American TV networks don’t seem to see them as a ratings grabber enough to broadcast them.

In an article by the IPC (International Paralympic Committee), a list of the countries and networks covering the paralympic games did not include the U.S. The list included the BBC which will cover the opening/closing ceremonies  and athletics, swimming, wheelchair basketball, and equestrian events which will be covered daily.

Other countries include China, which will show the events via closed circuit TV, Canada, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Japan, South Africa and Spain. Over 32 EBU (European Broadcast Union) locations and the Eurosport Network will be covering the games. Maybe one day the United States will get a clue and allow us to view too.

Disabled World has a piece in an article about the upcoming event stating that ESPN will do a 1 hour special on the events, other than that, in the U.S. we are out of the picture. I just want to say that in my mind, to be able to perform as a world class athlete and have a disability has to be the most incredible example of achievement by the human spirit. To all the athletes, I say “Thank you” and want you to know we appreciate you!

All the best to you!

Lon

Creature Discomforts is a UK-based site which has developed its’ second wave of ad campaigns. The sponsor, Leonard Cheshire Disabiity, has taken real audio interviews of folks sharing about their disability and then matched the voice with a “claymation” type critter who tells the story. Their site states that they support over 21,000 disabled people in the UK and works in 52 countries.

“We campaign for change and provide innovative services that give disabled people the opportunity to live life their way.”

The videos are an entertaining and effective way to spread the message of how society impacts folks with disabilities through real stories with real voices of the actual storyteller. The goal is to create more awareness and educate folks on the feelings, dreams and struggles of those with a disability.

The Creature Discomfort site also has a blog and a forum as well as links to see behind the scenes on how they made the videos, etc.

All the best to you!

Lon

More information and support are needed for adults with autism, who can have a range of symptoms and needs, RN Amy Feldman says. The Autism Center at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, where she works, plans to use a grant to expand education and cultural outreach in its “Bridging the Gap” program for adolescents, adults and families dealing with autism. You can read the article here on Nurse.com (June 16th).

All the best to you!

Lon

I spent the weekend in Portland, Oregon. The city has a growing number of dragon boat racing teams. Portland embraces its’ dragon boat racing. When I was in Singapore years ago, I remember being there during the Dragon Boat Racing International Finals. The day of the finals, Portland, Oregon’s team won first place.

While on the streetcars going here and there for the Portland Rose Festival this weekend, I read a free city paper that had an article on teams of Dragon Boat racers that will compete June 7 and 8 in the Rose festival Dragon Boat Races. The teams are: Sound Waves, Blind Ambition and Lethally Blind. There are teams with breast cancer survivors (Pink Phoenix), deafness (Silent Dragon), and developmentally and physically disabled (the Special dragons).

The blind captain of “Sound Waves”, Mark Francis, says it is a level playing field. They are not distracted by the visuals either. They can focus on the commands. “When we beat’em, we really beat ‘em!” He said. What a wonderful thing to be able to do!

You can read the full article on the Portland Tribune website.

All the best to you!

Lon

While at a state meeting this past month, I heard that Microsoft was adding the DAISY format as an option in their “SAVE AS…” pull-down menu in MS Word. This means that the digital talking book standard is finally coming to the consumer in a widely used computer application. I am glad to hear that they are adding this option. It is much overdue. I did some research and found the actual release date to be May 7. It looks to be a plug-in that you can download to add this feature.

You can get the entire scoop at Microsoft at their release article and more in this article by NISO, “NISO Standard at the Heart of Microsoft Plug-in.” These articles share how this feature will convert Open XML-based word processed documents into DAISY formatted XML. This means that word processed XML files can be saved in the DAISY XML format and now opened on any device that reads a DAISY file. These files can also be read and converted into braille and large-print. Imagine what the impact will be on the visually impaired to have this tool more readily available.

The plug-in tool can be downloaded at this Open XML Community link. They are calling it the Open XML to DAISY XML Translator.

If you are someone that uses this format regularly and has been using the plug-in, your input and comments on this would be appreciated.

All the best to you!

Lon

I learned something new today. I do most everyday - and this one was important. If I am writing about disability and assistive technology, I need to support issues that move those with disabilities further forward.

I received a comment concerning the AT Blog Carnival we have started. I was so grateful to be made aware of the issue. The issue is this: CAPTCHA is the little widget that filters spam and lets sites know that the submission is a real person. You have used it - the curvy and wavy letters you decipher and type into the window? Well, a blind person can’t see that and if a site is dependent on the CAPTCHA tool for you to order anything or submit anything, a blind individual is just out of luck. There is a tool called RECAPTCHA that does the same thing, but it has a speaker icon on it so you can click on that to hear the code word and then type it in. The widget is free and open to anyone to imbed in their site. The site is here: recaptcha

My understanding is that several emails have been sent to the main blog carnival site asking them to fix this on their submission link process and no one has received a reply. I credit the site for sponsoring and starting the blog carnival idea, but they need to fix this issue. I have already taken the submission widget off my blog that had it. You can still submit through the service, but you can also submit through the email I have for the AT blog carnival at: lonthornburg@nolimits2learning.com

I am asking you to send an email to the blog carnival site asking them to support access for the blind and visually impaired. Ask them to use the RECAPTCHA tool, which will allow access by the blind. The email is: support@blogcarnival.com

All the best to you!

Vote for a leader to spend a day in a wheelchair…What a Great Idea!

I read an article today from New Jersey about a program at Rowan University. The students voted to have the President and Assistant Vice President of the University spend the day in a wheelchair to help create an awareness of the needs of those using them around campus. In the “Wheelchair Apprentice” program, the president agreed to pretend he couldn’t use his legs and spend the day doing all his normal duties in the chair. He noticed potholes, cracks, uphill sidewalks, automatic doors that wouldn’t open, doorways and obstacles to navigation.

The “Wheelchair Apprentice” program could be a great way to increase awareness in a school, job site or church, etc. I would like to see it used at more universities and schools. You can read the article at Today’s Sunbeam, local news from New Jersey. 

All the best to you!

February 25-28 of 2008, our neighboring cities (less than 3 hrs away), Caldwell and Boise, Idaho area hosted the special Olympics world invitational to over 300 athletes world-wide. The invitational was used as a way to test the venues and systems for the 2009 Special Olympics Winter Games.

One of the unique pieces to this year’s competition was having host communities. It gave Idaho families and communities a chance to meet athletes. The impact was self-evident in the comments by the families that hosted. There was a deeper appreciation for those with intellectual disabilities and a “blossoming relationship” between the athletes and the communities that will host the 2009 winter games.

For more on this article go to: Special Olympics in Idaho