Guerra Access Technology Training

 

On September 19, 2019, Apple is set to release iOS 13 for iPhone’s, iPad’s and iPods.
Updates also are coming as well for Apple Watch, Apple TV, Mac and more in the near future.

 

If you would like to participate in a discussion about all the announcements made at the Apple event on September 10, and ask questions regarding Apple devices and how the updates effect you, read on!

Event: Apple Q&A

Date: Sunday, September 15, 2019
Time:
6PM Eastern
5PM Central
4PM Mountain
3PM Pacific

Ways you can join this conference

Join this conference using the Zoom App

Download the Zoom conferencing App from either the Apple App store or the Google Play Store
Use Access Code: 653 364 411

Join this meeting by dialing-in by phone

You can dial in by calling:
Phone: 720.707.2699
Use Access Code: 653 364 411

Join this meeting using One Touch Mobile

+1-720-707-2699, 653 364 411#

Participation

If you would like to participate and notify the organizer of this meeting, Stephen Guerra, of your attendance, you can drop him an email at gaccesstt@gmail.com

 

Change is good

For over 20 years, products such as JAWS (Job Access with Speech) have always been unaffordable for the general consumer and user of the product.  JAWS is a screen reading solution which provides access to using Windows computers for those who are blind or for those who vision is extremely low.  Someone who generally needs to use software that will magnify a screen 600% more then normal according to professionals in the Access Technology field should be using speech.
JAWS provides speech feedback while navigating and using the windows operating system.
JAWS was originally invented by a company in the 1990’s (henter-Joyce).  Ted Henter, one of the original founders, was blind and wanted a way to use a computer.  Freedom Scientific was then founded and Henter-Joyce, Arkenstone and Blazie Engineering was rolled in to the Freedom Scientific corporation.

From the early creation of JAWS, which was JAWS for DOS (Disk operating System) which was the way computers operated prior to Windows, cost in the neighborhood of about $400.00.  In the early to mid 1990’s, this was an astronomical cost and yet to the regular consumer, an undefined solution for using computers.

 

Freedom Scientific which began in the year 2000, announced a price increase to allow for research and development and to account for the labor that went in to developing a product which now worked with Windows operating systems.  The price increased to approximately $895.00.  Yet again, a needed cost but for the ordinary consumer not affordable.  As years went on, the price increase and the stability of the product decreased.  This caused consumers to locate and use other affordable options.

 

Fast forward to November 2018.  VISPERO, the company which now has taken Freedom Scientific, AI Squared, Optelec and others, and has rolled them all in to one large company, created potentially a company who might be seen as a monopoly in the access technology industry.

The positive which has come so far with VISPERO is that in place of the software maintenance agreement (SMA) many have come to know as users of JAWS and Zoomtext, are now being eliminated.
Read more about this and what you as a JAWS or Zoomtext user should know going forward.
JAWS and Zoomtext Licensing for the future.