Speech Technology for Persons with Disabilities: Are We Breaking Down
  Barriers or Creating New Ones?
From: Speech Technology - 05/03/2005
By: Terry Thompson

University of Washington senior computer specialist Terry Thompson writes
that speech technologies' mainstream penetration can make lives easier for
persons with disabilities, but it can also complicate them because some
disabilities may limit the technologies' usefulness. For example, a person
with impaired speech may not necessarily be able to use devices or systems
that operate by speech input, while a hearing-impaired user could have little
use for devices or systems that supply speech output. A universal design
approach is needed to address such limitations, and Thompson recalls that
three out of nine speech applications developed by teams at SpeechTEK 2004
were successful in this regard by providing the user with multimodal
functionality, enough time to respond to questions, and the means to pause
and resume the application when necessary. Universal design also has legal
precedent, as dictated in legislation such as Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act and Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Technologies that include software applications and Web-based intranet and
Internet information and applications are covered by amendments to Section
508 requiring accessibility of electronic and information technology
purchased, maintained, or employed by the federal government. Section 255,
which encompasses voice mail and interactive voice response (IVR) systems,
requires telecom equipment manufacturers to ensure the accessibility of their
products to people with disabilities. Accessibility issues, especially those
pertaining to IVR systems and services, are the focus of a forum organized by
the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions. Thompson says the
future of universal accessibility is sunny as the mainstreaming of speech
technology gains momentum. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.speechtechmag.com/issues/industry/11877-1.html

Links and related articles:
Speech Technologies Impact the Accessibility Market
http://www.speechtechmag.com/issues/9_9/cover/11848-1.html

Speaking of the Internet - Speech Equals Access for All
http://www.speechtechmag.com/issues/9_9/cover/11855-1.html

Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions
http://www.atis.org/

SpeechTek
http://www.speechtek.com/

Terry Thompson
http://staff.washington.edu/tft/