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| Newsletter for January 2006 |
IN THIS ISSUE… “In the so-called “real” world, where manufacturers of new products, especially consumer package goods, face vicious competitive pressures, the failure rate for new products has held steady at nearly 90% for many years. Manufacturers of assistive technology devices, however, confront a very different reality: the need, sometimes desperate, for their products by a customer base that consists of individuals with disabilities and their families. In that world, compassion, not competition, is the driving force behind new product decisions and product pricing as well. Keeping their collective fingers on the pulse of their customers, AT manufacturers create products aimed at anticipating and meeting real needs in an all-too-real world where their customers are often financially hard-pressed and not informed about the AT products they may need. With this reality always in mind, AT manufacturers strive to enrich the lives of end-users while also avoiding device abandonment by the very individuals they seek to help. Yes, they create products with high costs, but scale, not gouging, is the reason. AT manufacturers are far less numerous and much smaller than their high tech cousins and individual use, not mass production, is the reality they live with and price by. The hope is that, as inclusive classrooms create a demand for technology devices that can benefit those with and without disabilities alike, prices will decline. This issue examines assistive technology companies and the resources currently available to better appreciate their unique relationship with their customers. David Dikter Speaks He fed his passion for teaching for 15 years following his graduation from Boston’s Wheelock College by teaching elementary school students with disabilities in the Boston public school system and even overseas, at the Frankfurt International School in Germany. His passion for technology was touched off in college and came in the form of an Apple 2 computer. From the beginning, he recalls, “I inherently understood the power of technology as a tool that would enrich my life and the lives of others.” Both passions have propelled him through two careers. He left the classroom, but not teaching, when the city of Boston embarked on an ambitious program to place computers in classrooms. He signed on with Boston’s Office of Instructional Technology to manage professional development for teachers experiencing the shock of their first-ever encounter with computers. Desiring a career opportunity in the for-profit world – “my son had just been born” – he joined a high tech start-up company as a training manager in the waning days of the dot.com boom, a move, he says, “that gave me a broader understanding of the business world after all those years in a school system/city government environment.” The boom quickly went bust, however, opening the way to his present position as head of the nation’s premier trade group for AT manufacturers, providers and sellers. Supporting our interview with Mr. Dikter are resources to assist parents and others in learning about AT vendors and their products. We also feature members of our Knowledge Network. The members spotlighted this month focus on various aspects of AT manufacturing. We invite you to contact these members for further information. Please share this newsletter with other organizations, families and professionals who may benefit from it. We invite you to contact us at http://www.fctd.info. We welcome feedback, new members and all who contribute to our growing knowledge base. A Special Relationship: AT Manufacturers and Their Customers They are an odd coupling in today’s business world: AT manufacturers and their customers, individuals with disabilities and their families – those who manufacture and sell, and those who must buy. Perhaps in other industries, where a captive customer base might be exploited to the customer’s disadvantage, such a coupling might produce unsavory results. In the AT community, however, the results reflect a positive symbiotic relationship between those who make and those who need, according to David Dikter, Executive Director, Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA). “There are, of course, similarities between AT manufacturers and other industries,” Mr. Dikter concedes. Like companies in other industries, AT vendors are in business to earn a profit and, like all technology companies, they must remain abreast or ahead of state-of-the-art developments. Yet there are substantial differences. Explains Mr. Dikter, “Among the most substantial differences is the breadth of products and disabilities and constituent groups and consumers that we focus on. Unlike most manufacturing industries, ours is not a not a single-product or single-market focus because of the scope of the marketplace we serve.” A Believer in the Cause While the bottom line is important to the AT industry, he notes, “serving individuals with disabilities and their families, making their world a bit better, is at least as important.” Those ethical and moral considerations, he states, “make our industry different from almost any other.” “I was a special ed teacher for 15 years before I entered the vendor side [of the AT community]. I worked with kids with disabilities. There’s urgency to that. That’s what it is still about for me. On a personal level, that’s why I do what I do. I’m here not just because I run an industry association but because I believe deeply in the cause.” Enhancing AT Awareness ATIA, he says, also seeks to strengthen the relationships between the AT industry and the government, research, and academic communities. In the past, he notes, “there was not a compelling voice for AT vendors. Currently, however, there’s a significant opportunity – and a necessity – for the research and government communities to understand that working with the AT industry and the business community is important so that research dollars go where consumers need them to go and, in turn, businesses can bring to the market products that are viable and appropriate for individuals with disabilities.” Bringing consumers, practitioners and professionals together Individual AT consumers need assistance from trained, skilled and informed professionals, he notes. “We provide one of the major avenues for that education.” The conference, he adds, also helps consumers by bringing together constituents and stakeholder groups that might not otherwise have the opportunity to directly interact. These groups address several vital topics, including NIMAS (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard). New within the reauthorized IDEA, NIMAS sets the standard for electronic accessible textbooks and will accelerate their development for K-12 students. The ATIA conference hosts the annual meeting of the NIMAS development committee and also provides educational information to the broader AT community about NIMAS, information that is valued for its timeliness. “We’re hosting meetings like this throughout our conference, which attract a diverse group of practitioners and professionals as well as consumer representation,” Mr. Dikter says. Other organizations, he notes, choose to conduct their own meetings at the ATIA event. “One of the things I’m very proud of is the goal of our conference, which is to be broad in our partnerships so that other organizations can join us.” These organizations, he adds, “not only get the benefit of the educational aspect of the meeting but also the benefit of networking on topics that relate to their needs.” ATIA, he states, provides space for organizations, including those that are non-profit and consumer-based. “These organizations include AT Act programs, Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST) and the National Center on Disability and Access to Education (NCDAE), among others. We tend to have more professionals and practitioners at the conference. We believe that part of our role in educating them enables them to go back to educate and work with consumers.” The conference features close to 300 educational sessions. Says Mr. Dikter, “I’m often asked, ‘Don’t many of the attendees just go to Disneyworld?’ And I reply, ‘Thursday, Friday and even Saturday morning at 8 a.m. are crazy with activity. Attendees are so hungry for knowledge and education. They believe – and they are correct – that their jobs are really important because they are responsible for educating individuals with disabilities. They feel they have a moral and ethical obligation to do their jobs well and conscientiously.’” He hopes to see a steady increase in the number of individual consumers who attend the annual ATIA event. “I know that it’s economically difficult for consumers to get to Orlando for a conference on AT. We have a free Saturday for the exhibit hall. That’s the big consumer day. We have families and individuals in attendance. People come from all around the Orlando area. For me, it’s the best part of the entire conference, because that’s what we are all there for. While we work a lot with professionals, we in this industry, all of us, are about working to solve major problems for consumers. That’s the mission of this entire industry, all parts of it.” A Focus on Outcomes and Benefits Externally, he explains, the organization’s policy and legislative efforts at the federal and state level help ensure that government understands the role that the AT industry plays in the overall development of AT. “Internally, within the industry, we help our members develop relationships and partnerships among themselves.” The end result of this effort, he adds, “is the formulation of solutions around product interoperability issues.” Within the business-to-business community, he notes, “the partnerships our members forge help the consumer because the consumer gets the best of breed in individual products or in products that work together.” In the past year alone, he continues, “There’s been a great deal of partnership activity via mergers and general partnerships, even among competitors.” The result: “These combinations are producing some very powerful AT products.” Two Major Industry Challenges: Funding and Awareness Despite the ongoing proliferation of AT devices, there remains insufficient awareness among consumers that such devices exist, according to Mr. Dikter. “If someone is unable to walk in our society, or in most societies, we understand there is a device, a wheelchair, for example, that can help them. If an individual has a communication disorder, there is a very low level of knowledge and awareness that there are technology tools that can help that person communicate.” The same is true, albeit a little less so, in the blindness and low vision field as well as in the learning and physical disabilities fields, he insists. “There are many, many people who would be shocked if they were told that an individual with cerebral palsy was fully capable of full computer use and that there was technology available to help that individual access and use computers.” He adds, “The entire AT community – all of its components and stakeholders – have a responsibility to continue to build awareness, not only for children with disabilities and their families but also for students without disabilities and for adults undergoing the aging process.” Bringing an AT Product to Market Some assistive technologies are products of formal research, he concedes, but more often new AT products are created to meet an individual’s need. For example, he explains, a blind or vision-impaired individual may require access to a computer. “A first step would be to develop a computer that talks, because a blind person cannot read the screen.” In terms of how a creation goes to market, he explains, most AT companies have a distinct internal process. “Most companies have many, many more ideas than they can fund.” Some, he notes, make use of small amounts of federal seed funding to conduct initial research and development via FDIR (fault detection, isolation and recovery) programs. Others conduct technology transfer for the federal government. Most, however, “fund R&D on their own and then bring the product to market.” Not the Same Long Odds The smaller scale of the AT marketplace also plays a role in the lower failure rate – but also creates a marketplace where products cost more. “For a big company that’s looking to sell millions of a piece of software, or hundreds of thousands at least, the development time is, let’s say, 1,000 hours.” For an AT company, he adds, “the same development time may be required but that company is not looking to sell hundreds of thousands of units of that product.” Consequently, he concludes, “the only way for AT companies to remain in business is to price their products so that these companies can continue to develop more products.” Device abandonment, not new product failure, is the major concern of AT manufacturers. AT vendors deal with several issues related to abandonment, he explains. One issue is the lack of professional support available for individuals looking to use a newly acquired AT device. “Sometimes AT users need training before they can effectively use their product,” Mr. Dikter remarks. “It’s not like plugging in your standard mouse and it just works.” For many AT products, he adds, skill training is necessary if the product’s utility is to be maximized by the user. A communication system, for instance, requires mastery of several skill levels, he points out. “The speech and language pathologist, the family and whoever else supports the user of the device need to be educated on how the product is used. When that support is not present, there’s an excellent chance that abandonment will occur.” To minimize abandonment, even in the AT selection process, “it is important for consumers to obtain good support from those professionals who ought to be providing it for them. Consumers need to know that the technology being purchased is right for them.” Furthermore, he adds, “Consumers need to research the product’s manufacturer to see if that manufacturer has a good track record of product success.” As an industry, he adds, “we do not need that much additional support from the federal government. However, as an industry, we do deserve what other industries receive in terms of federal government support. We need a commitment around regulation, not over-regulation. I think we need continuing support for research and development efforts and a commitment from federal and state government to AT manufacturers that form productive partnerships that result in new, relevant AT products.” Currently, he claims the bulk of that funding goes to academic and university research-based organizations. Until recently, he points out, there was not a very strong connection between the research being funded and the business community. The end result: “A lot of money was going into research but the researchers do not move products to market, and the business community does. We can come up with a lot of ideas, but if they do not fit in line with a concept that can work in the business world, there’s something lost. Righting that situation is the core of the ATIA’s efforts with all levels of government.” Not Like Buying a DVD Player at Best Buy It’s important to recognize that often an AT product is decided on specifically for the needs of an individual, Mr. Dikter says. “It’s not like going to Best Buy, for example, and getting a DVD player from a selection of 50 that may range in price from $50 to $1,000 and you pick out the bells and whistles that you want and pay the price for them.” When matching an individual’s needs to a product, “it’s vital to make sure that the product will serve the user well over time,” he adds. Next, he notes, it’s advisable to make contact with the AT manufacturer and keep the company informed about the device’s utility. Contact Parents won’t be rebuffed when they approach an AT manufacturer, he insists. “This feedback provides information that can result not only in the improvement of a current product but also in the creation of a next generation product.” Like their packaged goods cousins, some AT vendors use focus groups to gain consumer feedback prior to a product’s launch. In terms of testing and learning about their current and future products, many vendors also work through various organizations that have access to individuals with disabilities. Some AT companies go directly to their consumers. “Different segments market differently, Mr. Dikter explains. Some market directly to consumers. “In the low-vision field, for example, most marketing is direct to consumers. It’s different in augmentative communication. In order to have insurance pay for AAC devices, a speech and language pathologist must conduct an evaluation. For consumers, there must be a process in place to help access the right kind of AAC device. AAC devices are complex. They must be programmed correctly.” Future Trends: Interoperability, Miniaturization and Convergence Emerging inclusive education, he notes, “is pushing the envelope socially in terms of access to AT. When we talk about inclusive education in schools, we are talking about a much broader constituency of students with disabilities. The social ramifications of AT, and its convergence with educational technology, will ultimately push AT into the mainstream. As a result, AT products will not be restricted to special needs students. That process is already well underway.” In terms of the technical trends, including miniaturization, “it’s clear that general electronics and technology, like hand-held, mobile and wireless technology, will continue to proliferate and its utility will be crossover.” Companies are already looking into how these technologies might be incorporated into AT, he reveals. “There are examples of hand held technologies that are being utilized to serve a variety of disability areas, from cognitive, to blindness/low-vision, to augmentative communication. We see this on our convention floor every year.” The wireless technologies, he remarks, “are pretty cool.” Individuals who use switches and other devices, that often require a proliferation of wires, will increasingly rely on. Blue Tooth and other wireless solutions that can be integrated into cell phone, wi-fi and computer technology. This technology, he says, “may be exactly what an individual with disabilities needs.” Because of their smaller size and better agility, he expects AT manufacturers to be quicker to incorporate innovations into their devices. Any difficulty they experience in incorporating innovations, he comments, derives from the higher expense of new technologies. “AT vendors may have the ability to incorporate cool technology but lack the financial platform to afford it, which acts as an impediment to quickly bringing innovative AT to market. This is a real economic issue. This goes back to the major difference between AT vendors and their larger cousins: How many devices for a specific disability or a specific need can be sold? Again, the issue is scale.” Convergence Is a Passion In the future, he expects to see converging technologies that will be boons to students with disabilities. This convergence, he says, “is a passion of mine.” When he ceased classroom teaching, as part of his career transition, “I worked for several years in an instructional technology group within a large urban school system. One of the reasons I was brought in to do professional development around education technology was to determine which technologies best serve the student with disabilities in the digital divide. I was able to bring assistive technologies into regular classrooms and did not have to categorize the AT devices as anything other than technologies that can address classroom issues.” To make convergence work, he says, “many individuals and groups must be brought together that represent numerous relevant stakeholder groups in school systems and within the business world.” Whether it’s universal design or using an AT product for a broader purpose, “it’s all acceptable if we’re reaching a greater population that might be made more successful and productive in our society. This is our contribution. Our The 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) places significantly more emphasis on mediation between schools and families when there is disagreement on an aspect of a child’s education. Access to assistive technology (AT) devices and services is one area in which schools, school systems, and families sometimes find themselves at odds. Please join us throughout the month of February, for an online discussion of: Effective Assistive Technology Mediation Moderated by mediation experts Bring your questions, comments, anecdotes and experiences to this very important discussion. Learn about the new emphasis placed by IDEA on mediation and discuss with others throughout the country the impact this may have on a child’s access to AT. There is no cost, no registration, no prior knowledge required. February 1 - 28, 2006 We hope to see you there! RESOURCES Articles Selecting, Buying and Maintaining Adaptive Equipment, or What to Do Before You Buy Addressing the Special Needs Student Through Technology Selecting and Obtaining AT In selecting a vendor, the authors recommend answering the following questions: Best Practices for Vendors of Assistive Technology The goals of these interactions are to: Blogs HearingMojo.com Publications Assistive Technology Outcomes and Benefits
Special Needs Tech News Websites Access and Productivity Tools Vendors Specializing in Technology for the Blind Assistive Technology Solutions Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) Looking for information about assistive technology? Check out the Family Center on Technology & Disability’s AT Resources There are more than 600 reviews of and links to You can search the FCTD’s AT Resources database by category, disability, and type of material. It’s free, easy and up-to-date! Just click on AT Resources on the FCTD’s homepage. KNOWLEDGE NETWORK MEMBERS Prentke Romich Company (PRC) PRS has produced multiple AT products since its inception in 1964. In 1995, the company developed strategies for standardizing the vocabulary, which evolved into the development of Unity, the foundation for vocabulary in all PRC products. PRC-produced AAC devices include Pathfinder, Vanguard, Vantage and Springboard. The company offers an extensive product support program which includes on-line information as well as phone technical support. The PRC website includes customer success stories. For more information on PRC, please contact:
Advanced Multimedia Devices, Inc. (AMDi) Stressing quality control, the company also offers a stream of new products backed by customer service. For more information on AMDi, please contact: Adaptivation, Inc. To help ensure device utility, the company educates customers on product use via workshops and seminars and assists with customized device set-up. Adaptivation also collaborates closely with families through therapists and educators. The company’s repair service is responsive to customer use imperatives. For more information on Adaptivation, Inc., please contact:
Attainment Company, Inc. Device information is available on the company’s website and via a toll-free customer service line. Attainment also provides product support, free catalogs and free software demos. For more information on the Attainment Company, Inc., please contact: Laureate Learning Systems Two Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grants from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) support the development and clinical testing of two new product series. Rather than creating less expensive ‘home’ versions of its products, LLS offers its software to parents and families at a 50% discount. Laureate provides several customer feedback vehicles via its website but has learned many parents prefer to call its 800 number to speak directly to Laureate’s co-founders. For more information on Laureate Learning Systems, please contact: Mayer-Johnson, LLC Today, approximately 10,000 PCS symbols are available in 40 languages worldwide. The Boardmaker is a symbol-based desktop publishing software used in the creation of printed materials and is offered on Windows and Mac in 11 languages. The company also offers additional software, add-on applications, animated symbols, sign language symbols, digital photo sets, access switches, touch screens, AAC devices, books and ready-made materials. Mayer-Johnson is a division of DynaVox Technologies LLC and is based in San Diego, CA. M-J offers tech support on all products to ensure customer usability. For more information on Mayer-Johnson, please contact:
Abilitations Many Abilitations products are customer-generated. Consequently, the company provides an inventor royalty program enabling consumers to submit product ideas. For more information about Abilitations, please contact: Assistive Technology Industry Association For more information about ATIA, please contact: AbleNet, Inc. For more information about AbleNet, Inc., please contact: Project Director: Jacqueline Hess |
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