Do you:

• use text messaging?
• talk with a friend or relative in another city through video chat?
• follow audio turn-by-turn directions on your GPS? or
• tell your phone to “call home” through voice commands?

If you said “yes” to one of the above, I’d like to thank you.

Why the gratitude, you may ask? Well, because you’re supporting universal technology design. So when you’re using these applications, you’re encouraging Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc., to continue making these applications better. And better doesn’t just mean faster speeds and more features. Besides being great for calling your family or getting directions, these applications have developed as some of the most useful pieces of “adaptive” technology for people with disabilities. So by using them, you’re supporting the development of solutions with truly universal appeal – useful for all, accessible for many. Let me show you what I mean.

Want 2 go out l8r?

2 trillion texts have been sent this year, up from 50 billion in 2005, according to CTIA Semi-Annual Wireless Survey 2010. And people with and without disabilities like the medium for the same reason: it’s a fast way to get your point across. No muss no fuss. So imagine when it became the alternative to traditional relay services, where a deaf person would use a specialized machine to “call” into a center, where an operator then called the intended recipient and relayed the message. The speaker would then speak back to the operator, who would type back to the deaf person. Talk about awkward – what if you were trying to ask someone out on a date!? The deaf and hard of hearing population populartized text messaging when they found it to be a far easier solution than relay. Now, you can’t find a phone or a calling plan without text.

“Like my new haircut?”

McNally-video Chat

Catharine talks with her Dad on Video Chat

1 in 5 Americans have tried video-calling, or use it on a regular basis, according the Pew Internet & American Life Project. This is done through Apple’s FaceTime, iChat, Google Talk, and/or Skype. With the networks becoming more robust and richer, we can expect to see this number increase. Sure, it’s awesome to be able to see your far-away relatives and friends from the comforts of your living room. But for those who communicate through visual languages, or those who have caretakers who can check on them visually throughout the day, video calling is more than a fun gadget – it’s a vital component of the communication toolbox.

“At the next light, Find Greater Independence.”

Okay, so if your GPS says “Wrong turn. Rerouting you now…” after a wrong turn, you may be inclined to throw it out the window. But for those who are blind, that chipper voice giving directional commands that are spot-on accurate is the innovation of the century. Google just released two apps to improve the navigational experience for blind people, using highly-detailed voice commands. For you, voice commands may mean not missing a gas station. But for a blind person, voice command guided navigation creates true independence.

Touch Screen, Now in Touch

Ever consider what a challenge it would be to be handed the latest piece of technology, only to find that a completely touch-screen interface bars you from using it? Touch-screen is amazingly sleek and fun, but for those who are blind, a touch screen device is as good as a paperweight. Until now. Last year, Karen and I had a chance at Google to meet the creators of the Marvin Shell – an innovation in adaptive technology. The Marvin Shell is software that works on your touch-screen smart phone, and allows you to navigate the phone completely through voice commands and finger-tip tracking patterns. We watched in awe as these guys showed us how they could find contacts, choose numbers, make calls, perform internet search, all without ever seeing their phone screen. In fact, one of Marvin’s inventors is himself blind. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. I’m amazed every time.

Share the same screen.

These kinds of innovations serve as our inspiration at Keen. Yes, we’re focused on accessibility. It’s why we’ve invested a lot in developing a way to caption for mobile devices – we think it’s vital to creating a widespread solution, and we think it’s the right thing to do. But more than that, we’re focused on delivering through mobile applications and the web some of the most informational and educational content about places of interest out there, to those with and without disabilities. Technology’s allowing for hardware and software alike that reduce the need for so much separate technology by presenting applications that are universal. That’s the right direction – let’s support and grow the stuff that works for everyone, shall we?

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