Not Just Taking Up Space: Almost-Infinite Job Possibilities at NASA
By Kendrick, Deborah; Access World, Vol. 5, No. 1Publication Date: January 2004
Article discusses workplace accessibility at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Three case examples are provided, and examples of adaptive technology that each individual uses are discussed. A Business Information major who had been completely blind since childhood worked in the area of web-site accessibility. She uses a computer equipped with JAWS for Windows and an 80-cell PowerBraille display, which she uses to study web sites, write accessibility instructions, and monitor sites as they are updated. Another employee with Stargardt’s disease who has been legally blind since the age of 18 uses the ZoomText Xtra screen magnifier/screen reader on the computer. He also favors a collection of hand-held magnifying devices, and a head-mounted device called the Jordy. The Jordy resembles a pair of binoculars, offering a display to magnify print for each eye so he can read printed forms and documents. He also uses the JAWS screen reader and an 80-cell ALVA refreshable Braille display. Another employee who is blind uses JAWS for Windows and a 70-cell Tieman Braille Voyager refreshable Braille display. The author concludes that NASA is a place where people who are blind or have low vision can be recognized for a wide range of talents.
Assistive Products Discussed: JORDY
ZOOMTEXT XTRA LEVEL 1 & ZOOMTEXT XTRA LEVEL 2
JAWS FOR WINDOWS
Published by: AFB Press (Website:http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=46)
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) (Web Site: http://www.afb.org )
Link to text: http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw050102
