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From Dublin's fair city In Ireland over 70% of people with disabilities of working age are unemployed, luckily Gerry Ellis, software engineer at the Bank of Ireland in Dublin, isn't one of them. I was born in 1959 in a working class area of Dublin. Being partially sighted, I attended segregated education in what was quaintly called Saint Joseph's School and Asylum for the Blind. This was near my home, but the wisdom of the time meant that I remained there as a boarder until I was 18. A second-level school opened up in its grounds and I was one of the lucky few who attended it. When I left in 1977, my use of technology amounted to a monocular to help see things like bus numbers. My interest, however, lay in this direction. Another person from Dublin and I were the first from Ireland to attend a course run by the RNIB in London to teach computer programming to people with severe visual impairment. We got jobs with the two largest banks in Ireland in 1980, and are both still there. Technology was my means of employment, but pen and paper with strong magnification were my means of communication. Suddenly, in 1986 I lost the remainder of my sight. Strangely, having attended a school for the blind, I had never been taught braille. This happened around three months before I was due to start a night degree course in economics, so quick and decisive action was required. Technology suddenly became my premier means of communication. Without technology I am technically illiterate. With it, I can write sophisticated and visually appealing documents, I can read vast amounts of information in many formats and, with the aid of a scanner, I can even read the written word. Technology allowed me to complete my degree in the same time scale as everyone else and allows me to continue my employment. It has also helped me to contribute at a local, national and international level to discussions on the development of technology and society in general. It even lets me join in play with my two young sons. All this is fine when I am sitting at a computer at work or at home. However, the weight, limited battery life and complication of using a laptop has often made attending meetings and conferences a problem, and carrying it all over Europe there were often times when I could not use it because access to a power point was limited. Some portable devices for use by blind people were developed, but until recently they were quite primitive and restricted in functionality. Now, we can use lighter laptops and newer, PDA-type devices based on industry standard operating systems. GPS systems are now being introduced into these devices and these will open up a whole new era of mobility. How do I know the right bus stop in an unfamiliar area? How do I find the precise building that I want. Portable GPS capability offers the best hope of overcoming such obstacles. Of course, not everything in the garden is rosy. In Ireland there is still over 70% unemployment among working-age people with disabilities. Physical barriers and attitudinal attitudes are still not conducive to full inclusion into society. Legislation exists, but is weak. Technology is a tool at our fingertips that can empower access to information, mobility and, above all, employment opportunities. And the even better news is that not only people with disabilities can gain. Products and services which are designed with our needs in mind are typically easier to use for everybody. If we can get employment we are no longer a draw on social services, we pay our taxes, and our disposable income can help to encourage designers and developers of products and services to make them accessible. This approach is known as Universal Design or Design for All, but that's something for another article. Posted: 4 July, 2002
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