In SeroTalk Tech Chat 52, our focus was effective advocacy. We covered advocating for internet and web site access, ATM and banking, education, creating effective letter writing and email campaigns, using radio and print media, online petitions, social networking, contacting elected officials and giving presentations. We were honored to have a distinguished group of threeaccomplished guests:
and
each successful in a variety of different initiatives.
Kelly Pierce works as an advocate for victims of crime with disabilities at the prosecutor’s office in Chicago. He has been active in helping people get adaptive technology at their college, obtain free talking cell phones and free cell phone screen readers, training and equipment from rehabilitation agencies, high quality audio interfaces for transit bus stop calling systems, voting machines and meaningful and useful ATM access at large banks; has written several guides on choosing adaptive technology and qualified trainers, and on forming assistive technology teams for acquiring technology.
Listen to 45 Minute Presentation by David Lepofsky on Advocacy, November 7, 2007
David Lepofsky, located in Toronto Ontario Canada, successfully navigated the complaint process to force the Toronto transit agency to install automatic stop calling equipment on its buses. He also worked to include people with disabilities into Canada’s Charter of rights and Freedoms.
Brian Charlson has been one of the driving forces behind several of
the transformational legal settlements in the past few years. Recently he was one of the claimants that worked extensively with Major league Baseball on making its website and digital services fully accessible
to the blind. There was a profile in the Boston Globe in the past week
regarding this effort. He also worked with Fleet Boston financial on
ATM and banking access. Brian was one of the most visible disability
leaders that challenged the claims of Sun Microsystems and
International Business Machines Corp, (IBM) regarding the
accessibility of the OpenDocument file format and the Open Office
software suite that the State of Massachusetts wanted to use instead
of Microsoft Office. Sun, IBM and the state said the technology was as
accessible as MS Word and MS Office. Brian currently works at The
Carroll Center for the Blind and serves as vice President of Computer
Training Services. Brian has been instrumental in developing the
training program for the Adaptive Technology Center. His work has led
to the successful employment of many persons with visual impairment
who had been considered unemployable. Previously, Brian was a Vice
President of Talking Computer Systems. He attended Willamette University in Salem, majoring in
political science. He also served as Assistant Sergeant at Arms during
three terms of the Oregon State Legislature. He also worked as the
Human Rights Coordinator for the city of Salem and ran a food service
stand in the state agriculture building. Brian has used his nationally
recognized leadership and consensus building skills to advance the
employment and education of persons who are blind through the use of
adaptive technology. He is currently a director and Chairman of the
Budget Committee, American Council of the Blind (ACB); member,
Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the American
Foundation for the Blind (AFB); Chair, Information Access Task Force,
(Washington, DC); member, Statutory Advisory Board of the
Massachusetts Commission for the Blind; and a member of the World
Blind Union North American Regional Board.
Tech chat 52 – learn to Effectively Advocate for Change, Via Accessible Event.
Listen to Tech Chat 52 – Strategies for Effective Advocacy
Read Show Notes with Links, for Tech Chat 52 – Strategies for Effective Advocacy