Lexington, KY - In Kentucky, there are more than 134,000 people who are either blind or report vision loss, which is defined as having serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses or contacts. According to the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), more than half of those Kentuckians (76,000) are between the ages of 18 and 64, the prime working years of their lives.
Other statistics suggest that about 70 percent of people who are blind or visually impaired are also unemployed.
"We did research about what barriers there are in office settings, for example, and the telephone and the printer are things that are mentioned a lot. One reason why we are not employable is that technology is not accessible," said Darren Burton, who works for the Foundation for the Blind.
Lexmark International, the global printing giant based in Lexington, is one company developing ways for the blind to set up copy, fax and scan jobs from a network-connected computer or handheld device. The Lexmark Accessibility Solution is web-based software that allows this category of worker to easily achieve those goals.
Using their keyboards, users can access and control more than 120 settings or options that are available on the touch screen of the Lexmark multifunction printer. After the user submits the job, a simple shortcut is provided, which the user enters on the MFP's accessible keypad to complete the task.
"Lexmark is the best at this that we've seen in the marketplace. It's what we use at the foundation and in all of our offices around the country," said Burton.
Earlier this year, the American Foundation for the Blind named Lexmark the winner of one of its Access Awards, thanking Lexmark and the other industry recipients for their "bold and successful strides toward creating new standards of accessibility and a better quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired," according to Carl Augusto, AFB president and CEO.
"Too often, swift advances in technology bring the rewards of convenience and entertainment to an eager world while inadvertently leaving those who are visually impaired behind," Augusto said.
Lexmark sees the advantages of accessibility - keeping every potential customer happy.
"One of Lexmark's keys is to optimize productivity for everyone, and that includes those with disabilities. So this just levels the playing field for some and gives them the opportunity to be independent and to get their work done," said Erin Childress, software engineering manager, device-based solutions, at Lexmark.
Burton, who is blind, administers AFB's product evaluation lab in Huntington, W.V. The lab examines and tests today's technology to see if it is usable and accessible to others who are blind or visually impaired.
"I get to bring in toys and play with them," he said, jokingly. Well, not really. But Burton does consult with companies to improve their products.
"Lexmark, IBM, Adobe, Apple - you name it," he said. "We work with today's mainstream communication technologies. Cell phones are big now. The AT&Ts and Motorolas of the world are big clients of ours. We also do a lot with medical devices, like blood glucose meters. We gather everything to see which are accessible to blind people."
Burton repeatedly asks whether the screen information talks to customers. "Mainly because of that little touch screen that controls everything, blind guys are out of luck," he explained.
The lab's findings on various devices appear on the AFB's website and in its magazine to advise people on what works or what doesn't.
Burton praised Lexmark because it built a web interface that connects to its printers and is designed to work with screen readers, which are assistive devices for the blind.
"With the Lexmark software, I can set my copy settings, fax settings, my email and my scan settings and do whatever I want," he said.
Helping the disabled be more productive in the workplace is admirable for Lexmark and other companies; but it is also the law.
Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act establishes requirements for electronic and information technology developed, maintained, procured or used by the federal government. Section 508 requires federal electronic and information technology to be accessible to people with disabilities. According to the act, an accessible information technology system is one that can be operated in a variety of ways and does not rely on a single sense or ability of the user.
A system that provides output only in visual format may not be accessible to people with visual impairments and a system that provides output only in audio format may not be accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
"For example, (the act) officially requires that devices be readable for people who are sight-challenged so that they are able to work with a screen reader or are able to adjust the font size or the color," Childress said.