OpenSolaris and Dismantling The Digital Divide For People With Disabilities
A recent post from Sun Federal (creators of OpenOffice, Solaris and OpenSolaris) on the digital exclusion of individuals with disabilities, information on Section 508 and a crazy statistic about unemployment.
The digital divide does not stop at mere access to IT and online information though; it is also about being able to afford access. Over 70% of blind and low vision citizens in the United States are unemployed. People with other severe disabilities have similar employment statistics. Assistive technology software costs as much as $1,095 for a screen reader that enables blind people to use their computers, which means that access to computing is out of reach for the majority of Americans with disabilities.
Read the full article here.
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Tech and what makes us tick
Technology can be intimidating.
Trying to understanding technology by ourselves can be intimidating.
Most individuals avoid people, places, and things that are scary.
Avoiding something is a way to protect oneself from harm.
If we fear technology, we will avoid technology for as long as we can.
Avoiding technology is very difficult, it’s everywhere because it is effective.
Personal computers are very helpful tools.
Many tasks in the workplace, and in our personal lives are computer-based tasks.
If we understand what makes a piece of advanced technology a helpful tool, we are more likely to make room for it in our lives.
Relying on someone else to provide education and support is very common.
Many people who have home computers now, rely on a kind neighbor, relative, or friend to help them trouble shoot and fix their computers.
Most companies have tech support resources at their disposal, and rely on them to troubleshoot or fix computers, but their company pays for the service.
New technology is very complicated to understand.
The fast pace of innovation is difficult to keep up with.
If a person misses out on some new technology paradigm, it is often difficult to catch up later.
Not knowing something that everybody else seems to know is often embarrassing and overwhelming.
It is difficult to avoid technology as it becomes more and more prevalent in our everyday lives.
Many of us use a computer at work.
Many of us use a computer everyday.
New computers are expensive.
Used computers are affordable, but often unreliable.
Affording any computer is difficult, and there are usually other necessities that take precedence.
Computers make our lives easier overall.
Everyone deserves to be on a level playing field.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to have access to common tools.
Many of us, because of our financial status, do not have equal and meaningful exposure to technology.
Those of us that can afford new technology, have an upper hand.
Understanding how to use computers can make us more efficient in our daily tasks.
Abundant information is available online to learn new skills, and understand the world around us.
If we can be more efficient and more intelligent, we can potentially get better, more high paying jobs, and our quality of life will improve.
If we know how to use technological tools, we have a greater opportunity to get higher grades in school, which leads to great opportunities for college and education.
Having access to the internet and the tools to digest the information available online is beneficial to us.
Having access to the internet allows us to research, purchase items, sell items, publish information, digest information and communicate efficiently.
Having access to the internet allows us to communicate with one another in high volumes, in many different ways, over long distances, and at a low cost.
If we are exposed to each others cultures through sharing information on the internet, we can understand each other better.
If we are able to express ourselves through digital means in high volumes, in many different ways, over long distances, and at a low cost, those who did not have a voice previously can now be heard.
ellohay! West Michigan 
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