May 1, 2002 (Vol 2, Issue, 4)

In This Issue:

NEWS FROM THE FCC

1. FCC Ruling on IP Relay Reimbursement
2. Telecommunications Relay Service Public Forum and Technology Expo - May 3, 2002

NEWS FROM GSA

1. Accessibility Forum Meeting June 3 - 5

BLINDNESS GROUPS TAKE A POSITION ON PDF

EMERGING ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES WITH UNIVERSAL APPEAL

1. Global Positioning Satellite Information Made Accessible

SPEECH TO TEXT TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORKS

TEXT TO AUDIO PRODUCT ANNOUNCED

NEWS FROM THE FCC

1. FCC Ruling on IP Relay Reimbursement

On April 22, 2002, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Declaratory Ruling and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the matter of IP Relay (TRS) Cost Recovery Funds. The Commission ruled that IP Relay falls within the statutory definition of TRS and that such services are eligible to recover their costs from the Interstate Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund. The implications of this ruling were aptly expressed in a statement by Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy: “Granting TRS providers technological flexibility will continue to lead to substantial innovation in the marketplace. Now users of TRS need not restrict their telephone communications to places equipped with TTYs or specialized software; all they need is a connection to the Internet. Moreover, when conversing over IP Relay, there are more activities available to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. They can participate in a conference call, or go online while holding a conversation. These added services come at a lower price to digital consumers, individuals who use IP Relay need only invest in a computer, instead of a computer and a TTY.”

The full Declaratory Ruling and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking can be found on the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau's Disabilities Rights Office's web site at: www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/headlines.html .

2. TELECOMMUNICATIONS RELAY SERVICE PUBLIC FORUM AND TECHNOLOGY EXPO -- MAY 3, 2002

The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) of the Federal Communications Commission will host a Public Forum and Technology Expo on Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) on Friday, May 3, 2002, from 10:00 AM. - 3:00 PM in the Commission Meeting room (Room TW-C305) and adjacent rooms, at 445 12th St., SW, Washington, DC 20554.

The purpose of this Forum and Expo is for TRS administrators, consumers, providers, and Commission staff to share information on, among other things, the current state of TRS, renewal of state TRS certifications and new TRS technologies. The Forum will offer an opportunity for everyone, including consumers and industry representatives, to exchange ideas with the Commission and TRS administrators, and to have their comments become part of the formal public record in CC Docket 98-67. In conjunction with the Forum, the CGB will hold a Technology Expo to showcase TRS and other accessibility technologies.

Those unable to attend the Forum can watch and listen to it live over the Internet with open captioning in Real Audio/Real Video format at: http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/.

Or hear it via telephone, for a fee, from National Narrowcast Network, (202) 966-2211 (voice/TRS) or (202) 966-1770 (fax). Individuals can send their views and/or questions before or during the Forum to the following e-mail: TRSFORUM@fcc.gov.

The e-mails should have the heading, "Ex Parte Submission in CC Docket 98-67." These views will be included in the record of the TRS proceeding.

A transcript of the forum will be available 10 business days after the event on the FCC's Internet site at the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau web page at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb.

Transcripts may also be obtained from the FCC's duplicating contractor, Qualex International, 445 12th St., S.W., Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, telephone 202-863-2893, facsimile 202-863-2898, or via e-mail qualexint@aol.com.

Audio and video tapes of the forum can be purchased from Infocus, 341 Victory Drive, Herndon, VA 20170, by calling Infocus at (703) 834-0100 or by faxing Infocus at (703) 834-0111.

Written ex parte submissions will be accepted if received by May 10, 2002. Ex parte submissions may be filed using the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) or by filing paper copies. See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 Fed. Reg. 24121 (1998).

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NEWS FROM GSA

1. ACCESSIBILITY FORUM MEETING--JUNE 3-5

The next meeting of the Accessibility Forum is scheduled for June 3-5, 2002 at the Gallaudet Kellogg Conference Center in Washington, DC. Registration closes May 20, 2002.

Registration Details are posted at: http://www.accessibilityforum.org/meetings/june2002/announcement.html.

You can direct questions to the Accessibility Forum at 843-760-3310 or forumstaff@aticorp.org .

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BLINDNESS GROUPS TAKE A POSITION ON PDF

1. BLINDNESS GROUPS TAKE A POSITION ON PDF

Three national organizations, representing the interests of people who are blind or visually impaired, have issued a White Paper outlining access problems with PDF and calling for alternative, accessible formats to accompany PDF documents and forms wherever PDF is posted. According to these groups, problems with PDF documents for people who are blind or visually impaired are often due to a combination of factors, including:

• The prevalence of authoring tools that cannot produce accessible PDF
• The misuse of authoring tools that could produce accessible PDF
• Authoring security features that block access to PDF
• The lack of accessible PDF support for all OS platforms and assistive technologies
• Usage difficulties even with the accessible tools

EMERGING ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES WITH UNIVERSAL APPEAL

1. GLOBAL POSITIONING SATELLITE INFORMATION MADE ACCESSIBLE

At the recent CSUN conference in Los Angeles, two companies announced the development of portable systems that make global positioning satellite information accessible for people who are blind or visually impaired.

1. Pulse Data International unveiled a new product that tracks the users’ location in relation to established landmarks or "waypoints," such as department stores, office buildings, schools, theaters, bank ATM’s, Convention centers and bus and train stations. The GPS module presents the information it contains as a verbal map, using speech synthesis or Braille output to announce nearby landmarks, either on demand of as a running commentary. It can calculate speed, identify direction and distance to a destination or turn, announce stops along a bus or train route, and even direct a user visiting an unfamiliar city for the first time.
   
   The Pulse Data HumanWare web site is: . The phone number is: (800) 722-3393. The e-mail address is: usa@pulsedata.com.
   
   
2. VisuAide, Inc. announced it is currently designing a GPS-based orientation and mobility product for the visually impaired called the Victor Trekker. The Victor Trekker will be a fully portable solution that will work with various computing platforms such as Braille note-takers, stand-alone computing platforms and eventually on personal digital assistant (PDA) devices. It will integrate off-the-shelf hardware for GPS input, voice output to provide instructions, and optional voice input for entering notes. The first version of the Victor Trekker is expected to be available by the end of 2002. VisuAide plans to leverage its expertise in GPS-based systems resulting from the successful development of the CityGo, a GPS guide for tourists.

SPEECH TO TEXT TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORKS

1. SPEECH TO TEXT TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORKS

For over six years, a team at AT&T Labs has been developing technology that will convert voice mail messages into text. Known as SCANMail, the technology is designed to combine the advantages of voice mail and electronic mail. It delivers transcriptions of voice messages to users, which they can access through a graphical user interface, playing and reading just what's important. These messages can also be searched by content. They are also delivered to users via email so users can "read" their voice mail without ever picking up a phone.

While this technology will make managing voice mail more efficient for most people, it could revolutionize voice mail for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Currently, people who are unable to hear their voice mail messages must rely on others to translate the messages into text or sign language. Technology that translates voice into text, such as SCANMail, would finally make voicemail accessible, and independently usable, by people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. It is not known when the SCANMail technology will be released.

For a brief SCANMail tutorial, visit:
www.fancentral.org/~isenhour/scanmail/demo.html.

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TEXT TO AUDIO PRODUCT ANNOUNCED

1. TEXT TO AUDIO PRODUCT ANNOUNCED

On May 1, 2002, Premier Programming solutions, a Michigan-based software development company, announced the introduction of a new version of its text-to-audio product - Text - To - Audio Version 5.0. It converts documents, books, web pages or other printed material into audio files, which can then be downloaded to an MP3 player or a compact disk. The Text-To-Audio program allows users to choose any of five natural voices developed by AT&T, which can then be adjusted to read the text at any speed.

Steve Timmer, president and founder of Premier Programming Solutions, notes, “While our products are designed to address the special needs of some people in the marketplace, their uses are as wide as the marketplace itself. People who need to read for study, research or just the sheer pleasure of it can download an electronic version of a book or other material and read much more in less time with Text-To-Audio.”

For more information:
www.readingmadeeasy.com.

For a review of text-to-speech programs, see the May 2, 2002 New York Times article, ”Hearing Text Not Tunes on Your MP3 Player” by David Pogue.

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