I know that sounds really drastic but it is true. Why should we care though? Because, fact is, disabled people need the internet.

There are a lot of things that make me want to question all humanity, simply because it seems that common sense is becoming more and more a luxury than anything else today. Why? Today, I read an article that’s just promoting nothing more than false intentions.

I’m on twitter a lot and I read what my followers post a great deal. When I saw the article about the notion that Verizon was fighting against Net Neutrality to benefit the disabled populace, I didn’t have anything clever to say. I didn’t have a retort to utter. I didn’t even have a tweet to formulate in wake of this. Ladies and gents, there’s simply no other word to describe what they are claiming and the propositions that they claim, other than one. It’s a word that fits all, I believe, given this context and the huge array of just false debauchery that Verizon is trying to cook up.

LIES.

If you have not heard about the FCC and their latest plan to destroy the internet do a Google search for FCC and net neutrality. You will get some really interesting articles that basically outline what their new rules will entail.

It’s a proposal that would ban Internet providers from blocking or slowing down access to websites but may let them charge content companies for faster and more reliable delivery of their traffic to users.

It sounds good on paper and in a simple sentence like that. It’s not. I will briefly explain why.

Anything can be abused, including this new law. Internet service providers (ISPs), like Comcast or AT&T—believe that, as providers of internet access, they should be able to distribute bandwidth differently depending on the service.

They’d prefer, for example, to create tiers of internet service that’s more about paying for priority access than for bandwidth speeds. As such, in theory, they could charge high-bandwidth services—like Netflix, for example—extra money, since their service costs more for Comcast to provide to its customers—or they could charge users, like you and me, extra to access Netflix. They can also provide certain services to you at different speeds.

For example, perhaps your ISP might give preferential treatment to Hulu, so it streams Hulu videos quickly and for free, while Netflix is stuck running slowly (or we have to pay extra to access it). If you don’t think that won’t wrack up a huge bill, you are wrong.

How many people use cell phones and access Facebook, twitter, Netflix, ETC. This will affect everything that’s connected to the internet and they can all have a separate charge attached for that device to access websites and content.

This will also affect your tablets, game systems, ANYTHING that is hooked up to the internet. Knowing the USA, those fees can be taxed. enough said.

Imagine that Verizon or AT&T don’t like the idea of Google Voice, because it allows you to send text messages for free using your data connection. Your cellphone carrier could block access to Google Voice from your smartphone so you’re forced to pay for a texting plan from them. Or, they see that a lot of people are using Facebook on their smartphone, so even if they have the bandwidth to carry that traffic, they decide to charge you extra to access Facebook, just because they know it’s in high demand and that they can make a profit.

Obviously this will be great for people who have money spilling outa their pockets and who live in a financial bubble ignorant of the rest of us but I don’t think the FCC remembers that not everyone has money, If this rueling gets past it will ban some disabled people from using the internet. Let’s be real here.

Take SSI. How much is your internet bill per year now and how often do people on SSI rely on the internet and websites that host special content like Facebook, for social collaboration and school websites that often hold YouTube videos, which can have a steep price on it too on top of your internet bill if net neutrality is killed.

People on SSI or even SSDI won’t be able to pay all of that, given the fact that disabled people use the internet more than anything else for more than just socializing. People host teleconferences on Facebook, promote goods on blogs, the list goes on and I should not even have to point these out.

These ISP;s certainly won’t remember that not everyone has money because they want to have the money and they will want to have the money that they think they should have any way that they can get it, including charging people like you and I to use an email provider that isn’t with your default ISP like, for example, if you’re using Comcast and you look at your Gmail. Comcast could charge you to access Gmail even though Gmail is free.

The reason why blind people use Gmail is that it offers a lot of customization. For example, it offers free IMAP and POP3 access to mail clients. Yahoo does not.

This is why I say that Verizon is spewing illogical banter. There’s a stereotype about us Americans that say, frankly, we are greedy.

Verizon and Comcast really want to have this new rueling passed just so they can get more money and the fact that Verizon is using disabled people as a valuable excuse to justify why they want to kill Net Neutrality just so they can have more money really makes me, well, disappointed at my own country.

Hears the claim Verizon makes. Without a fast lane, disabled Americans could get stuck with subpar service as Internet traffic increases.

The issue that’s a constant problem isn’t even about the speed of access but, rather, the simple act of accessing something. I don’t understand how this will help us access something such as a website that isn’t designed to be accessible or obtaining some key information that’s in an accessible element on the inaccessible or partially accessible website. Since the internet often has inaccessible websites, even today, we would just turn to the phone, or, in my case, text one of my minions to look something up for me, adding a winking smiley at the end just because. The issue of speed doesn’t even culminate into a logical fit within this particular claim, if people really knew about screen readers and magnifiers and such. Instead of slower speeds dolling out a subpar service it’s the incomplete and botched content that we cannot access because developers didn’t make whatever accessible.

If there were, indeed, a way for ISPs to create two lanes of internet access, one slow, with costs to use all these demanding sites like Netflix and such, and one fast, combined with services like Facebook, it would ban a lot of disabled people from accessing some very key information all together all because of costs that would be designated by the ISP and then that would be yet another contender blind and visually impaired activists would have to constantly advocate for.

State rehabilitation will not pay for internet as is, and that’s just one monthly cost to access all websites and services. If this were to actually be enforced people with disabilities wouldn’t have access to certain sites at all because of the high costs that will, without a doubt, be determined by the ISP.

This could lead to loss of employment, fewer educational opportunities because this will affect schools too, and overall fewer productivity and would make the unemployment rate for disabled people increase because a lot of disabled people work from home, using many sites and services every day that wouldn’t be able to be accessed because, oh no! The bill is really high!

Speed is not the issue and it infuriates me that Verizon even uses that as a claim. If people know about screen readers, magnifiers, and accessibility issues with software and sites then they will see right through this fallacy. If they don’t know about disabled people and access technology it would be a simple conclusion that would make sense in their minds even though its hugely false, that speed would help us.

Access is an issue but the irony is access would be an even bigger issue, coupled with taxes and stuff, I’m sure, will be added onto these extra speed costs and costs to access content, thereby bridging the disabled homeless and otherwise on an even wider separation all because of money. Access won’t be an issue, it will morph into a barrier, one that will always be up.

This is just for work. Could you only imagine how disabled people wouldn’t have access to sites like twitter, where news is happening all day, every day? Oh my god!I don’t even want to entertain that nightmare.

I just cannot believe that Verizon would even say such a disingenuous thing. It won’t help disabled people at all. It would ban some from even using the internet, even some who are not disabled. I don’t think people who work at these companies know that not everyone works at Verizon or otherwise, but hey, in America, it’s all about the money. It’s all about the money.

Welcome to a very special SeroSpectives program for the month of August. For this podcast, we decided to turn the spotlight on ourselves. Whether it’s Lisa Salinger’s thorough training on how to use various aspects of SAMNet or our In It to Win It chats available exclusively to our SAMNet community, we offer you a glimpse into what we do here at Serotek. To learn more and become a part of our community, why not sign up for a 14-day free trial of our products right now!

You asked for more on Twitter. So here’s another interview from Baum USA

Jamie catches Jeff from Dolphin talking about their booth partner Irie A T

Perk up your ears to hear details from Guide Dogs for the Blind

Check out the services available from the Lutheran Braille Workers

Making drug bottles more accessible, listen to what Accessamed has to offer

Embossing all sorts of things with Enableing Technologies

Jamie tags in Braille Design

Find your way with GuideLights & Gadgets

View the Accessible Event archive of our SPN special: Accessibility Anywhere

Here are the links that accompanied the Accessible Event presentation of our SPN special: Accessibility Anywhere:

Our Story at Ten

Lack of Sight Doesn’t Mean Lack of vision.

System Access: the Alternative Commitment

What is the Future of Screen Readers Anyway?

” Mike Calvo at the General Session of the 47th Annual ACB Convention

” Mike Calvo Presents at the General Session of the 68th Annual NFB Convention

Remote Incident Manager

Mike Calvo reviews the iGrill.

Out of the Ghetto and into the Digital Lifestyle

Anywhere, Everywhere, That’s Accessibility

We were the first to say that Twitter would be important.

DocuScan Plus

SeroTalk Podcast Network

The Serotek Ultimatum

Rest in Peace SMA

SAMNet Vets

Anywhere, Everywhere, That’s Accessibility

First Ever Freedom Box Talk.

Please take this screen reader user survey and help spread the word about System Access.

Join us live on Accessible Event this Thursday, August 23, beginning at 9 PM Eastern.

Welcome to the final episode of our three 2012 ACB and NFB convention interview specials. We trust that you have enjoyed listening to all of the interviews from this year’s summer convention season as much as we enjoyed bringing them to you. Once again, we urge you to visit the links below to learn more about all of the wonderful companies featured in this episode.

Digit-Eyes

Irie-AT

Seeing Eye

Scentsy Flameless Candles

Travel One

Vanda Pharmaceuticals

Freedom Scientific

One of the misconceptions about Serotek is that we are a traditional software vendor. that is partially true. Our cloud-based screen reading technology, OCR package, webinar platform and social network are features that have each disrupted the way traditional assistive technology manufacturers meet and mingle with consumers, but for us, it was never enough to drop products into a supply and demand chain to feed our bottom line.

Serotek was launched in response to the elite class system that existed at the outset of the 21st century. If you could spare $1,200 in 2002, you could buy a copy of a screen reader, minus the cost of a software maintenance agreement. If you could fork over almost $1,500 more, you could buy the computer systems that worked best with the expensive screen reader. We rejected the idea that access had to come with a price tag, and we set out to build a line of products that would be equally attainable for all blind people regardless of their income status. It never made sense to us that the only people who could afford to keep their products up-to-date were those with well-paying jobs or active cases with their states’ rehab agencies. Ten years later a number of people continue to agree with us.

Our model of grassroots enterprise has propelled Serotek to a position of leadership in the assistive technology industry. We build products we ourselves use in our personal and professional lives. The fact that the majority of our staff is blind is key in that we know what our customers are looking for and understand what they can reasonably afford.. When we plant new products, we cultivate them with an eye to the community’s reaction, because our community was as responsible for our creation as it continues to be for our mutual success.

Our products are constantly evolving with emerging technology. What is relevant today may be forgotten next week. We count on our examination of breaking developments through our SeroTalk Podcast Network and feedback from you to tell us where we need to pull back and where we need to concentrate our efforts. That is the essence of a community-driven operation.

Today we are excited to see so many choices in how we approach daily tasks. There are several ways to read newspapers, listen to music, chat with friends, and play games alongside our sighted peers. It is now possible to walk into an Apple store and walk out with a fully accessible operating system, and for people who choose not to buy into Apple products, that’s okay because this too is your choice. Now, in a continuing effort to keep pace with the times, we want to give you one more option.

Serotek is a company by the people for the people, and that mentality took us back to the drawing board to think of an even better way to bring you the products you need at a price you can afford.

Consider this: How much will you get for $21.95 these days? Well, you may score a Friday night date to the movie theater if you skip refreshments. You could swing a nice dinner if the restaurant is not too nice and your date agrees to go Dutch. You could maybe buy a gift online for that special occasion, if free shipping is included. These days it seems our transactions are ruled by conditions, but at Serotek, we are going to give you the kitchen sink without sacrifices.

For $21.95 a month, or $240 a year, how would you like all the benefits of DocuScan Plus, System Access, and SAMNet? What would you say if we told you that this incredibly low price will see you through all future upgrades with absolutely no interruption in your service? And, what kind of 21st century operation would we be without these products coming to a mobile device near you?

When we speak of accessibility anywhere, we literally mean it is possible for you to take these tools on the go and have instant access to e-mail, documents, movies, your music library, and social networks from any available computer. Whether from a thumb drive or from the convenience of logging into SA to Go, you have as much access to the information you need as your neighbors. Gone are the days of paying a premium price for access that should by all accounts be affordable to the students, professionals and everyday consumers who demand instant access to online content, where ever they are..

Why step back from conventional pricing structures? Two reasons:

First, your time is valuable. When you call or write, you do not want half a dozen variations. You want a simple price and a compelling list of features to make that price worthwhile.

Second, we want to thank you for making us a leader in assistive technology. With so many choices, you have chosen to invest in our mission of putting cutting edge technology into the hands of as many blind consumers as we can reach. $21.95 a month grants you unlimited access to three competitive products and gives you a stake in the future course of a company devoted to keeping pace with emerging technology. We believe you deserve a permanent place at the table where innovative minds are busy bringing universal access one step closer.

At home, in school, at work, and on the streets, Serotek is working day in and day out to make accessibility anywhere a tangible reality. Will you join our thriving community of thinkers and doers? Visit this link to get started.

If you’ve read this article in AFB Accessworld, you’ll know I have firsthand experience with a ghetto. When my parents came to Miami from Cuba looking for new opportunities, they joined a community of other Cubans who were here for the same reasons. Our community was a place where we proudly celebrated our Cuban heritage and where the Cuban culture remained alive and well. But it was also a place that trapped us in poverty; a place where expectations were low; and ultimately a place which isolated us from the rest of society. It was a type of ghetto.

Did we prefer being poor, stereotyped, isolated and hopeless? Of course not! But there was an unspoken sentiment that leaving the ghetto would also mean leaving an important part of yourself behind, and that you would sacrifice the culture that made you who you were if you tried to blend seamlessly with mainstream society.

Over time, I came to realize that my cultural differences didn’t need to isolate me from those outside my community. In fact, those differences are a part of what make me interesting. I learned that there was a whole world full of people who had their own interesting differences to celebrate, and that despite all our differences, we were exactly the same in many ways.

This is a truth I had to learn not only as a Cuban American, but as a blind person as well. I spent much of my life listening to the stereotypes about blind people. We were socially inept. We were unemployable. We were to be pitied. We had to be provided with basic necessities to make our insular world habitable, but we were too different from the rest of society to ever be a part of it in any meaningful way.

I knew that I didn’t fit any of these stereotypes. I was sociable, I had talents, and I certainly didn’t want any pity. I didn’t need anyone to take the liberty of creating a world for me which contained only the things they thought I might need. I was perfectly capable of thinking for myself, and I wanted the freedom to choose what I would and would not do. I needed to bridge the gap between the blind ghetto the world thought I should live in and the place I really wanted to be.

Early on I understood that technology would play a huge role in bridging that gap, not just for me, but for the millions of other blind people like me. It isn’t just about bridging the gap to employment, which is certainly important. It’s about providing a way for blind people to have fun, to be entertained, and to communicate with the rest of the world without any geographical, social or economic barriers.

Over the years, I have watched mainstream technology evolve from something available to only an elite few to something completely ubiquitous. I have seen technology emerge from complex, bulky gadgetry comprehensible only to geeka to user-friendly, pocket-sized and smaller devices which can be enjoyed easily by those who have no tech savvy whatsoever. And during this time the price of mainstream technology has plummeted so that even the most budget-conscious consumer can pick up a state-of-the-art computer for $400 or less.

But has this trend carried over in to the assistive technology arena? Is there a push to provide compelling access to off-the-shelf products? Are AT companies designing easy and affordable products that don’t require hours of training to operate? The answer is a resounding no!

But why not? Is it because blind people are content to remain in the blind ghetto? Are we content to continue paying thousands of dollars for access to proprietary products which provide only a fraction of the functionality of mainstream products? Is it because we are content to remain a niche market rather than insisting on being seen as viable consumers who share the interests of our sighted counterparts? Is it because blind people simply don’t want access to entertainment or social networking? The answer to these questions is also a resounding no!

Ghettos, you see, not only keep insiders in, they keep outsiders out. The blind ghetto discourages mainstream technology companies from making their products accessible. A select group controls the sales to the ghetto and like it that way. The ghetto barriers protect their market share even though those walls can deny their customers access to the riches available to everyone outside the walls. It takes gutsy companies to build and market products that tear down the walls and it is these “disruptive” technologies that excite me.

Finally, in the past couple of years we have begun to see products that break down the ghetto walls. And each time a “ghetto-busting” product is introduced, its success enriches us all. Look at some of these products: Packmate from Freedom Scientific, runs on the Windows Mobile platform, and allows users to install their own software rather than depending on a specific group of preinstalled proprietary applications—exactly like mainstream PDAs.. Mobilespeak from Codefactory, puts blind cell phone users on a par with their sighted friends; and maybe the most fun “ghetto-buster” is the exciting Apple 4th generation Nano which, for the first time, gave blind folks the same accessibility to their “tunes” that every sighted teenager has enjoyed for years..

My company, Serotek, is a big participant in “ghetto-busting.” Today, Serotek introduced the Socializer, an application which provides access to instant messaging services such as MSN and AIM, as well as easy access to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The response has been overwhelming and runs the gamut from tech savvy users clamoring for MySpace to be added to the application, to technical neophytes who have no idea what Facebook and Twitter are, but are anxious to find out. In a world that is becoming ever smaller with instant and ubiquitous one to one communications, Serotek tore down the ghetto wall and invited blind folks everywhere to be full twittering members.

The response shows clearly that blind people do want to live the accessible digital lifestyle. We do want to share photos on Facebook and Flicker and keep in touch through Twitter and MSN. We do want to chat with friends and family about how cool the iPod is, instead of waiting for an AT company to produce something half as good for twice the price. So let’s be loud about it! Let’s make our voices heard. Whether you create a petition, write an email, twitter to your new social network, create a group on Facebook, or just pick up the phone, let it be known that you want to tear down the walls to the blind ghetto and proudly live the accessible digital lifestyle.