Archive for the 'Advocation' Category

Tim’s Place: Restaurant Owned By Person with Down Syndrome

So I was just ending up my workday, and I came across a video that gave me an awesome dose of positive energy.

Here is the video:

So, of course I had to look a little more into this… Here is a link to the restaurant’s webpage: http://www.timsplaceabq.com

Tim’s positive attitude flies through this video, and you can tell why his business is successful. It also seems that he has a great support team, which is important for any business.

The restaurant is in Albuquerque, New Mexico, so if you are there, support this restaurant!

Good luck Tim, and keep up the great work!

Also, next time I am in Albuquerque, I fully expect a hug…

Dragon Success Story for Person with Multiple Sclerosis #MS

I just was reading through my Dragon NaturallySpeaking Newsletter for February, and I came across a great article in it. It talks about how Evan Upchurch, a former Microsoft Employee, uses Dragon NaturallySpeaking to help make computers more accessible for him to use.

It talks about how he was able to really concentrate on his writing, and not his typing.  Evan said that like in many other jobs, Microsoft had a high volume of emails.  Using Dragon, he was much better at getting back to emails.  I specifically appreciated his quote, “At Microsoft, email is lifeblood. If you can’t do email, you do’t exist.”

To check out the full article, check this link out:

http://www.nuance.com/ucmprod/groups/dragon/@web-enus/documents/collateral/nc_019870.pdf?elq=712b7f4b330247c4a6974ab342817552&elqCampaignId=677

Capabilities provides training on Dragon NaturallySpeaking in our Computer Assistance and Training Service.  Contact us today to find out how we can help you use Dragon and many other accessibility programs.

Education Report

Recently, Belinda Bockrath, Southern Area Manager, and I were interviewed on the Education Report with Gary Honert on a few radio stations near Dayton, OH.

Luckily, Justin Draper, the new Driver’s Education Manager at Capabilities, has a knack for doing some video editing. He kindly put together the audio from the event into some great videos. Here they are for your viewing pleasure.

First Segment

Second Segment

Third Segment

Capabilities Staff Interviewed

Here is a picture of station where we recorded at.

Just wanted to let everyone know that Belinda Bockrath, our Southwest Area Manager, and I were recently interviewed for a few Clear Channel stations. We are going to be on the Education Report, with Gary Honnert. Here are the stations, times, and dates that you can listen to us:

Date: Sunday, October 14th, 2012
Station and Time:

We talked for about a half hour about a lot of interesting things, so please be sure to tune in!

If you can’t listen in at any of these times or are out of their coverage area, I am trying to get an audio version of this that we can share out to everyone.

Interesting New Design for Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles

I received an email from one of our Career Consultants today, and she sent me this picture:

So, naturally, I had to find out more about this vehicle…

It turns out that the Kenguru was actually developed in Hungary, but they assemble units for the United States in Pflugerville, TX (near Austin).

Here is a quick video about the car where you can see how it works.

Here is a more full feature video that talks about the company that makes them in the US (Community Cars), the CEO of that company (Stacy Zoern), and information regarding the joystick driven version that they are creating.

They are actually still trying to find funding for the joystick model.  They are crowd sourcing the development through Rockethub.  Here is a widget where you can find out about the current funding and get a link to the full Rockethub page.

Here is the website where you can find out more about the vehicle here in the US:

www.kenguru.com

You can also follow the Kenguru vehicle on Facebook. Find their page here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kenguru/252668804823810

Android PoliceHulu Plus, HBO GO, And MAX GO All Updated With Closed Caption Support

Check out this link for some great news about how a few streaming services on Android now offer closed captioning. http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/09/20/hulu-plus-hbo-go-and-max-go-all-updated-with-closed-caption-support/

The Future…

So if Google gets this to work for the masses, accessibility issues for people who cannot drive vehicles in rural areas may be a thing of the past.

From Perception to Perfection

Check out this link for a great story about an individual who is legally blind, but has overcome that to be a winner on a reality television show. http://www.aisquared.com/blog/2012/09/from-perception-to-perfection/

Greater Accessibility for Google Apps

Check out this link to find out how Google is making sure that their forms apps are accessible to people with disabilities. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/greater-accessibility-for-google-apps.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/MKuf+(Official+Google+Blog)&m=1

Woman Who Cheated Death, Disability Resumes Classes At Ohio State

Check out this link for an interesting story : http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2012/08/29/columbus-ohio-state-woman-returns-after-crash.html