Broad Range of Topics at CTIA 2010 Wireless Accessible Apps Panel

March 24, 2010. COAT commends CTIA for holding a "Wireless Applications & People With Disabilities" educational session at the recent CTIA 2010 conference in Las Vegas, NV.With mobile access to broadband a hot topic, this was a timely conversation. Dane Snowden of CTIA opened the discussion noting that the “applications world is exploding with 150,000 apps available now and new ones being introduced every day” and added that there are some specific ones already developed for use by people with disabilities. He also stated that "80% of people with disabilities now have wireless connection or access to it" and this will surely grow. Over forty people attended the panel including representatives from wireless carriers, VRS providers, app developers, device manufacturers and others.

Panelists included COAT co-chair Jenifer Simpson of AAPD; Hamish Caldwell, AT&T Product Development Manager; Jane Jackson, Associate Bureau Chief in the FCC Wireless Bureau; and Oren Levine, Senior Technology Marketing Manager at Nokia. The panel was hosted by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (“(Wireless RERC”).  Jim Mueller  of the RERC introduced the panel noting "how the line between assistive technology and mainstream technologies is disappearing and how this will lessen and lower barriers to access for everyone."

Panelist Hamish Caldwell stated that AT&T is committed to universal design for people with disabilities and averred that they ask vendors and suppliers – presumably this includes applications developers -- to do the same. He also said that AT&T looks for way to lower rates for wireless plans for seniors and for people with disabilities who are low income. He cited to their national center for customers with disabilities as part of their commitment to customer service in answering questions about hearing aid compatible (HAC) phones and other accessibility concerns. He noted that one application that AT&T is looking at to assist people with disabilities were devices that can read the barcode on products. This would allow users to read prices and learn about the item before purchasing it.

Panelist Jane Jackson talked a lot about the disability-specific recommendations in the FCC National Broadband Plan sent to the U.S. Congress March 16. She noted there was a recommendation in there for a Chairman's Award on Accessibility & Innovation and this might help stimulate wireless application developments for people with disabilities. She noted that the process at the FCC for developing the broadband plan included “unprecedented levels of outreach and involvement of people with disabilities to ensure inclusion.” She said she was especially pleased to see the concerns of people with intellectual disabilities and autism were addressed in some of the FCC workshops.

Jenifer Simpson told the group that "people with disabilities want to use all the apps in marketplace just like everyone else, not just applications that are developed to assist and facilitate living with disability, although these clearly support and facilitate independent living."  She encouraged one participant, an app developer, to continue his dream of working with others to ensure accessibility and usability of apps. This participant stated that “the only reason I’m attending CTIA2010 was because of this Accessibility & Applications Panel.”

Nokia's Oren Levine asserted that “there are three wireless trends that will help people with disabilities, and these are open platforms/standards, wider distribution, and continuing lower costs.” In response to questions about how to develop applications for people with disabilities he noted that “Mobile Monday Camps & Unconferences held by wireless industry worker groups are a great place to raise the design-for-accessibility issues and concerns."  Levine added that at Nokia’s development summit June 9-10, to be held in San Francisco, there will likely be a session on 'design-for-accessibility.'

Audience discussion raised topics such as building accessible websites for mobile devices and the need for a group to work on standards/protocols. Motorola engineer Heather Dowdy reported they are looking at accessible apps for Android platform devices. There was some discussion about the relationship of carriers to app developers and the extent to which networks themselves could be opened for accessibility & usability purposes.  There was also some discussion about how to market to people with disabilities such as using electronic media and involving people with disabilities directly in sales, marketing surveys and other consumer outreach activities.

COAT thanks the Wireless RERC for sponsoring and  organizing a panel on this crucial subject as our nation launches itself into a wired broadband world.

CTIA 3/10/10 statement on wireless and broadband and people with disabilities.

New York Times images from the conference.

Some blog sites that list some "apps" for people with disabilities:--

Stoloff law

Patti Dudek