opinion – Page 2 – Blind Access Journal

First Impressions: A New BookSense Owner Compares the New Audio Player and Book Reader to HumanWare’s VictorReader Stream

July 11, 2009 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

This article compares the new BookSense product sold by GW Micro and manufactured by Hims Co, LTD.” with the well-established VictorReader Stream manufactured and sold by HumanWare. Both products are ultra-portable devices that enable the blind to read audio books, access books in several electronic text formats and listen to music. I have presented this… Finish Reading First Impressions: A New BookSense Owner Compares the New Audio Player and Book Reader to HumanWare’s VictorReader Stream

Categories: BookSense, opinion

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Thought Provoker: Accessibility Evangelism or Something Else?

July 6, 2009 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

A reader shared with me her thoughts on the term “accessibility evangelism” as a description of the work I do to promote equal opportunity for the blind through access to information and technology. I have honored her request to remain anonymous. I don’t like the term evangelism because of the connotation.Â By definition, evangelism is associated… Finish Reading Thought Provoker: Accessibility Evangelism or Something Else?

Categories: accessibility, advocacy, opinion, thought provoker

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NFB Streams 2009 Convention Using Inaccessible Silverlight Technology

July 5, 2009 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

In an overwhelming display of hypocrisy, the National Federation of the Blind, claiming to be the representative voice of all blind people in America, has chosen to stream its 2009 national convention using inaccessible Silverlight technology. While blind people can listen, they can’t control the volume, mute or use any of the player’s controls. While… Finish Reading NFB Streams 2009 Convention Using Inaccessible Silverlight Technology

Categories: accessibility, National Federation of the Blind, opinion

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The SMA May be Dying, But I’m Not Celebrating

January 29, 2009 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

Serotek has just announced that it will no longer charge its customers for a software maintenance agreement (SMA) in order to keep their products updated. This development is, of course, good for consumers in that it eliminates a nagging cost of owning assistive technology. It can, unfortunately, also be bad for us. At this point,… Finish Reading The SMA May be Dying, But I’m Not Celebrating

Categories: opinion, Serotek

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Thomas Jefferson: Founding Father of an Evolving Natione!

September 14, 2008 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

I made this post in my History (HST) 109 course discussion forum in response to the following class discussion question: â€œWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.â€… Finish Reading Thomas Jefferson: Founding Father of an Evolving Natione!

Categories: human rights, opinion

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Delphi Programmer Says Freedom Scientific Does Not Play Nice with the Mainstream Developer Community

July 3, 2008 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

We already know that Freedom Scientific’s JAWS end user license agreement is not friendly to mainstream developers and testers as they work to implement accessibility into their products, services and web sites. As a follow on to this concern, we now hear from Craig Stuntz who reports that no developer program exists for those who… Finish Reading Delphi Programmer Says Freedom Scientific Does Not Play Nice with the Mainstream Developer Community

Categories: accessibility, JAWS, Nonvisual Desktop Access, opinion, Serotek

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Accessibility Evangelism and Unfortunate News From America Online (AOL) Radio

June 7, 2008 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

Hello Everyone, As an accessibility evangelist, of course, I disagree with any and all those who frequently make statements emphasizing our "smallness" and insignificance in the world at large as a means to justify doing little or nothing about accessibility challenges. Yes. We are very tiny in number in comparison with the rest of the… Finish Reading Accessibility Evangelism and Unfortunate News From America Online (AOL) Radio

Categories: accessibility, advocacy, opinion

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Response to David Pogue: Are Efforts to Acquire Accessibility by the Blind Being Lumped in with Piracy?

May 25, 2008 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

May 25, 2008 Dear Mr. Pogue, It is really disappointing to see blind people mentioned categorically in a negative light through your article entitled Can e-Publishing Overcome Copyright Concerns? in the New York Times. Unless there have been piracy convictions in a court of law, you have no absolute proof that those two blind people… Finish Reading Response to David Pogue: Are Efforts to Acquire Accessibility by the Blind Being Lumped in with Piracy?

Categories: accessibility, advocacy, Bookshare, opinion

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Bookshare Volunteer Coordinator Position: Putting the Rumor Mill to Rest

May 4, 2008 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

In January of this year, I learned of an opening at Benetech to fill a position as volunteer coordinator for the Bookshare project. Of course, since Bookshare is an initiative I strongly support and have featured several times in these pages over the past three and a half years, I immediately applied for consideration. Six… Finish Reading Bookshare Volunteer Coordinator Position: Putting the Rumor Mill to Rest

Categories: Benetech, Bookshare, opinion

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Concerted, Multidisciplinary, Organized and Systematic Approach to Accessibility Evangelism Needed

March 1, 2008 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

I’ve been thinking long and hard about accessibility evangelism in general as of late. Although a few positive differences have been made along the way, the overall results of our efforts here at Blind Access Journal have represented significantly less than the proverbial drop in the bucket. Once in awhile, an online petition is initiated,… Finish Reading Concerted, Multidisciplinary, Organized and Systematic Approach to Accessibility Evangelism Needed

Categories: accessibility, advocacy, opinion

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