Internet cafe opens for disabled users (in the USA)

Thanks to Richard Bray for this alert (Senior Services Director, Disability Services Coordinator, Alameda County Library) from MSNBC.com news — Internet cafe opens for disabled users: Goodwill’s Good Bytes Cafe aims to make technology accessible .

Selected quotes:

… the computers — outfitted with a joystick mouse, magnifying software and equipment allowing people to point and click with their eye movements — make Good Bytes one of just a handful nationwide specifically designed for disabled users.

The cafe, which held its grand opening Friday, is a first for Goodwill Industries, the nonprofit best known for selling used clothing and furniture at its thrift stores nationwide.

The cafe, funded with a $125,000 grant from San Antonio-based AT&T Inc., will be supported by food sales and will double as a location to train disabled food service workers… The Good Bytes Cafe does not charge for access to the technology.

Full article at: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16228221/from/ET (last accessed 28 Dec 2006)

Personally, I have not thought through enough about this idea to decide just how feasible it would be to set up something like this in Singapore. For one, sustaining this requires corporate sponsorship. Second, I think some agencies serving people with disabilities already provide such computer services for their clients at the agency premise.

Some questions to think about:
- What’s the initial setup cost for such a centre in Singapore?
- What’s the cost for sustaining it?
- Is there a need for such a centre in Singapore? How would be complement similar services run by the various disability organisations. Or would we be duplicating efforts?
- How would be go about collecting data to answer item 3?

More about Down Syndrome

After posting the previous entry, I wanted to find out more about Down Syndrome.

From the 2006 Position Statement of the Down Syndrome Association (Singapore):

Down syndrome is a genetic condition. All persons with Down syndrome share the common characteristic of having one extra chromosome no. 21. Down syndrome occurs universally across race and gender in approximately one in 800 births. Down syndrome is not a disease, disorder, defect or medical illness. Down syndrome itself neither requires treatment nor prevention. When referring to persons with Down syndrome, avoid statements that could scar the person. Persons with Down syndrome are not afflicted or suffer from it. If there is any suffering, it is the imposition of negative attitudes of the community.

From their About page, the DSA provides the following services and activities:

1. New Parent Support Programme
2. DSA Youth Wing
3. Resource Library
4. Quarterly Talks & Meetings
5. Recreational Activities
6. Programmes for Young Adults with Down Syndrome
7. Information Technology
8. The Down Syndrome Advisory Boards
9. Toy Library
10. DSA Education Department
11. Fundraising and Public Awareness

The DSA site has more webpage links to their DSA affiliates and other organizations that deal with issues on Down syndrome and Intellectual Disability.
[Information is correct as of time of posting. Visit the DSA website for updates]

I found the information at MayoClinic.com useful in understanding the context of this genetic disorder and the issues that arise from it — Children’s Health: Down Syndrome. The Introduction page is followed by sections like, Signs and symptoms, Causes, Risk factors, Screening & Diagnosis, Complications,
Treament, Prevention, Coping Skills. I thought this quote from the “Coping Skills” section was quite important:

Don’t believe the myths about Down syndrome. Many people believe that children with Down syndrome must be placed in segregated special education schools and that older adults with Down syndrome usually live in institutions. These myths simply aren’t true. Most people with Down syndrome live with their families, go to mainstream schools, read and write, and perform various jobs as adults. People with Down syndrome can live fulfilling independent or semi-independent lives.

This site — www.ds-health.com - is also worth exploring. The author of the site says he’s a pediatrician and the father of a son with Down Syndrome. Inspired to write essays about children with Down Syndrome for other parents, he’s put up the website to publish the articles. The site also features articles by guest contributors. Having read a few of the articles, I find them to be written in non-medical terms, covering topics that are medical-related (e.g. Why Down Syndrome occurs)to pragmatic ones (e.g. on Toilet-training; issues of sexuality.

Over at the Wikipedia entry, there’s a section on Notable individuals and Portrayal in fiction of people with Down Syndrome.

I’m interested to know what other libraries are doing specifically with people with Down Syndrome. If you’ve any leads, I’d appreciate it.

Technorati Tag: Read more blog posts tagged with “Down Syndrome“.

Singapore Art Fringe 2007: Art & Disability

As alerted by one of the sgLEAD mailing list member:

The focus of next year’s Fringe is Art and Disability.
www.singaporefringe.com

Highlights include a symposium on inclusive design, and a 48-hr inclusive design competition.

More information about the competition:

Participants of the 48-Hour Inclusive Design Challenge will dedicate 48 hours to the conceptualisation of designs and prototypes of new products and environments which incorporate the inclusive design aesthetic. Entries will be showcased at VivoCity, with the following cash prizes awarded to three teams:
* A cash prize of $3,000 awarded to the winning team
* A cash prize of $1,000 each awarded to two Special Mention teams

Here’s the PDF file, for details.

“Natural” - A play by Down Syndrome Association

Late news, but news nonetheless. I learnt that the Down Syndrome Association (Singapore) is putting up a play:

This Saturday (16th December 2006), the Down Syndrome Association (Singapore) is staging the play “Natural”, to raise awareness on the presence of persons with special needs in the Performing Arts, in this case — persons with Down Syndrome.

Info via mrbrown.

Technology as Enablers - Vlogs by People with Hearing-impairment

[UPDATE 31 Dec 06: I've since learned that "Hearing Impaired" is not a preferred term. I should use "Deaf" or "Hard of Hearing". Thanks.]

Learnt about this blog — DeafRead.com/blog — via lenois.com, via Alvan’s post.

Thoughts:
1) The Vlogs are an excellent example of how technology/ social medium has been utilised to enable the Deaf to communicate with others and/ or serve as a means of self-expression.

2) As I watched the few Vlogs, I was thinking, “Here’s where Closed Captioning would help me, because I don’t know how to Sign!” I guess “disabilities” is a matter of perspectives, really.

3) I wonder if this statement is true — “People with Hearing-impairment who are deaf/ hard of hearing tend to take to mediums like Blogs/ Vlogs more readily than those with a different kind if disability”. I haven’t been actively seeking out blogs by people with disabilities, nor have I come across research that addresses that question. Hence, I can’t really verify that statement. Also, I don’t know many bloggers who are disabled. Mostly I get the leads from Alvan (who’s Deaf).

If anyone can educate or enlighten me in this area, I’d be most grateful. Feel free to comment at this post, or at RamblingLibrarian.

Technorati Tags: disability, blogging, people with disabilities

Video: “Breaking the Sound Barrier”

[UPDATE 31 Dec 06: I've since learned that "Hearing Impaired" is not a preferred term. I should use "Deaf" or "Hard of Hearing". Thanks.]

Thanks to Alvan for alerting the group to this video titled “Breaking the Sound Barrier“:

This is a short documentary on the hearing impaired Hard-of-Hearing and the Deaf. It explores the various ways available to them for overcoming the challenges to integration and communications. Due to the limited length, many issues, including Cochlear Implants, are not covered. This was produced primarily for the “Project Deaf-Initely Boleh!” and will be screened at the event to be held at the National Library in December 2006.

The video features interviews with people with hearing-impairment people who are deaf/ hard of hearing. Quotes and highlights from the video:

• “Integration with society requires Total Communication (TC)”
• “For many who are deaf, the Sign Language is the most viable and important means of communication.”
• Short segment on the process of getting a Hearing Aid (the service is available from SADEAF).
• Mobile-phones and SMS (Short Messenging Service) has been an enabler for the Deaf. Alvan was interviewed there as well. He comments on the language skills and issues faced by students at the Singapore School for the Deaf.
• “I worry about the future because it is difficult to find a job. I can’t communicate with Hearing-people at work”
• “Don’t think of your child as a Handicapped Child. Think of them as a Child first. The handicap is secondary.”
• “I can do anything… but hear”.

Nice video that gives an insight to what it means to be deaf or have a hearing-impairment hard of hearing. It may take a while to load but worth the wait (anyway, it wasn’t that long). Here’s the link to the video again.

Alvan adds that:

“The site is done by a pastor who does video work on social issues. It features interesting (and short, extremely watchable) videos, like the autistic chap who is supposed to have recovered, foreign workers who actually live in the rubbish collection depots in Singapore, the teen skaters a the Youth Park, the old malted candy woman in Holland V.”

Technorati Tags: deaf, hard of hearing, deaf awareness