The Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure

The Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII) will combine cloud computing, web, and platform services to make access simpler, more inclusive, available everywhere, and more affordable. When completed it will provide the infrastructure needed to make it possible for companies, organizations, and society to put the web within reach of all -- by making it easier and less expensive for consumers with disabilities, ICT and AT companies, Public Access Points, employers, educators, government agencies and others to create, disseminate, and support accessibility across technologies.

Want to learn more about GPII, how it's being developed, and how it will work? EASI is hosting 2 webinars in February; use the links to see more

information and register:

February 14 at

4 PM Eastern, for a general interest audience

<http://raisingthefloor.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=6>

February 22 at

1 PM Eastern, for K-12 Educators

<http://raisingthefloor.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=4>

Both webinars will have time for Q&A, with a focus on what you think about

the idea and how it should be built to meet your needs. A survey afterwards will let you have a longer say, and a way to engage with the project.

To read more, please click on the above title.

To access the Center for Disability Resources Library and its materials, please click this link

Top Tech Tidbits - VHA Section 508 Resources

This came recently from David Bundy.

The Veterans Health Administration Section 508 office created an innovative set of tutorials that explains portable document format (PDF) accessibility barriers and provides solutions that address them. The tutorial is "Creating Accessible PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Professional" and it is available at:
http://www.ehealth.va.gov/508/tutorials/pdf/index.asp

The VHA Section 508 office also has training on developing accessible Flash. The course is available at:
http://www.ehealth.va.gov/508/flash/index.asp

This Information is provided from the Top Tech Tidbits Newsletter: Visit the 2012 Tidbits Archive at http://www.flying-blind.com/tidbits2012.html where you can get back issues. You can subscribe to Top Tech Tidbits on the Flying Blind, LLC Website at: http://www.flying-blind.com. Here you will find an accessibly friendly and secure form into which you can enter your email address, click submit, and begin receiving Tidbits weekly.

To access the Center for Disability Resources Library and its materials, please click this link

Fallout From Fatigue Syndrome Retraction Is Wide

NY Times (Feb. 6, 2012)-When scientists reported in 2009 that a little-known mouse retrovirus was present in a large number of people with chronic fatigue syndrome, suggesting a possible cause of the condition, the news made international headlines. For patients desperate for answers, many of them severely disabled for years, the finding from an obscure research center, the Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease in Reno, Nev., seemed a godsend.

“I remember reading it and going, ‘Bingo, this is it!’ ” said Heidi Bauer, 42, a mother of triplets in Huntington, Md., who has had chronic fatigue syndrome since her 20s. “I thought it was going to mean treatment, that I was going to be able to play with my kids and be the kind of mom I wanted to be.”

Patients showered praise on the lead researcher, Dr. Judy Mikovits, a former scientist at the National Cancer Institute. They sent donations large and small to the institute, founded by Harvey and Annette Whittemore, a wealthy and politically well-connected Nevada couple seeking to help their daughter, who had the illness.

In hopes of treating their condition, some patients even began taking antiretroviral drugs used to treat H.I.V., a retrovirus related to the murine leukemia viruses suddenly suspected of involvement in chronic fatigue syndrome.

More recently, however, the hopes of these patients have suffered an extraordinary battering. In a scientific reversal as dramatic and strange as any in recent memory, the finding has been officially discredited; a string of subsequent studies failed to confirm it, and most scientists have attributed the initial results to laboratory contamination. In late December, the original paper, published in the journal Science, and one other study that appeared to support it were retracted within days of each other.

To read more about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, please click on the above title.
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Columbia Parkinson's Support Group

Meeting Reminder - Save The Date of February 19th!

Our February 19th meeting is one that you will not want to miss! We will be having two excellent, well-known, and respected doctors from the Georgia Health Sciences University (formally called the Medical College of Georgia - MCG). We know that you will find this meeting very informative, not only about the DBS procedure and process, but also about Parkinson's disease. DBS is "Deep Brain Stimulation" - a type of surgical management of Parkinson's disease.

Date: February 19, 2012

Topic: What You Need To Know About The DBS Process -- From determining who is a DBS candidate - the evaluation process - the surgery/surgeries - and the on-going treatment after surgery.

Time: 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm With time after the meeting for additional discussion and socialization

Speakers: Doctor Cole Giller and Doctor Shyamal Mehta

Dr. Giller is the Director of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery; Clinical Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Georgia Health Sciences University (formally called the Medical College of Georgia - MCG)
Click below for more information about Dr. Giller
http://georgiahealth.edu/medicine/neurosurgery/faculty/cgiller.html

Dr. Mehta is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Staff Member of the Movement Disorder Clinic
Click below for more information about Dr. Mehta
http://www.georgiahealth.edu/neurology/faculty/profiles/shyamal_mehta.html

Don't Forget To Visit Our Website Often - http://www.columbiaparkinsonsupportgroup.org/

The "NEWS FOR YOU" web page, which has "new" news and information that may be of interest to you http://www.columbiaparkinsonsupportgroup.org/news.htm

Our "2012 MEETING & EVENTS CALENDAR" web page at
http://www.columbiaparkinsonsupportgroup.or/meet_calendar_2012.htm is updated often with new events, seminars, symposiums, and of course our monthly meeting information.

Contact Us - Contact either Carol or Dottie if you need additional information.

Carol Baker, Vice President & Program Chair
Telephone 803-781-6193
Email: caroltbaker@bellsouth.net

Dottie Gantt, President
Telephone: 803-604-0061
Email: contact@columbiaparkinsonsupportgroup.org

We look forward to seeing you at the February 19, 2012 meeting.

To access the Center for Disability Resources Library and its materials, please click this link

South Carolina Assistive Technology Expo

This year's SC Assistive Technology Expo will have a special event that can impact the lives of South Carolinians with disabilities and age-related limitations.
We'll be having our first Equipment Donation Drive! The SC Assistive Technology Program and the Disability Action Center are sponsoring this event. Bring your used equipment to the Expo, as well as any assistive technology youd like to see passed on to someone in need. Your donation will be tax deductible.

Take the time to clean out your closets and garage. If youre not using or have outgrown equipment, theres a good chance it would be useful to another person. Declutter your life and help someone else at the same time! This is a once-a-year opportunity to provide equipment and technology to people who cant otherwise afford it!

Here's the information you'll need to participate:

March 13, 2012
Brookland Banquet and Conference Center
1066 Sunset Boulevard
West Columbia, S.C. 29169
9 am - 4 pm

For more information about the AT Expo, call 803-935-5263 or 1-800-915-4522, or see the SC AT Expo Website.

The Donation Drive is being sponsored by the SC Assistive Technology Program and the Disability Action Center. If youre planning to bring equipment or have questions about the Equipment Donation Drive, contact:
Janet Jendron - (803)935-5273
or
Kimberly Tissot - (803)779-5121 or 1-800-681-6805 (Toll Free)

Below are some examples of items that are in high demand:

Tub benches
Transfer benches
Manual wheel chairs in good condition
Powered mobility with batteries that work
Rollator walkers
Portable ramps
Vehicle Lifts
Adapted Computer Technology
Pediatric equipment such as gait trainers
Adapted recreational items such as hand bikes, beach wheelchairs

To access the Center for Disability Resources Library and its materials, please click this link

Autism Society Rocked By Suspected Fraud

Disability Scoop (Feb. 9, 2012)-The former head of an Autism Society chapter is accused of stealing as much as $80,000 from the group, but that’s not stopping her from hosting a conference later this month keynoted by Temple Grandin.

Law enforcement in Suwanee, Ga. have charged Cynthia Pike, the former executive director of the Autism Society of Greater Georgia, with 16 felony counts of theft by conversion, according to documents obtained by WSBTV in Atlanta. The charges come after an audit found thousands of dollars missing from the group’s coffers.

Police say that Pike was giving herself extra pay without consent from the autism organization’s board and spent the group’s money on her personal cellphone bills. So far, authorities said they found as much as $40,000 was misused and they’re still working to identify where another $40,000 went, according to the television station.

Pike, however, said the charges are baseless.

“I unequivocally state that I am innocent of these false charges,” Pike said in a statement posted on the website of Georgia Autism Conferences — a company Pike formed last September.

Pike is scheduled to host her new group’s first autism conference later this month, featuring several nationally-known speakers and exhibitors. The event will be keynoted by famed autism self-advocate Temple Grandin and exhibitors scheduled to participate at the event include everyone from Autism Speaks to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and assistive device maker DynaVox Mayer-Johnson, according to the conference website.

Click on the above title to read the entire article.

To access the Center for Disability Resources Library and its materials, please click this link

AAC and Literacy

Presenter: Kenneth P. Whitley, President, Key Technologies, Inc.
Date: Friday, February 10, 2012
Time:8:30am-10:30am
Location: SC Assistive Technology Program
Poplar Building Conference Room
Midlands Center,
8301 Farrow Road,
Columbia, SC
Cost: Free, but pre-registration is required. This workshop is limited to 20 participants.
Description: A wide variety of AAC and Literacy devices will be shown. Typical users and practical features of the devices will be discussed. Participants will have opportunities for hands-on use and question-and-answer. The following AAC and Literacy devices will be demonstrated.

* Ablenet: QuickTalkers, Boost Video Magnifier, TalkTrac Wearable Communicator
* Attainment: GoTalk Express 32
* Freedom Scientific: WYNN 6
* Inclusive TLC: MyZone, Matrix Maker
* Jabbla: Mobi 2 w/Mind Express 4, Allora
* Saltillo: NOVA chat 7, SpeakOut
* Unlimiter: The VoicePen w/VoiceSymbol and VoiceInk
* Words+: Freedom Lite Convertible, Conversa Convertible
* Zygo: Zygo Voice Amplifier, Optimist-MMX-V2, DigiCom 2000

To register for this demonstration:
* Complete the online registration form

For questions, call Will McCain at (803) 935-5004 or Lydia Durham at (803) 935-5263 or 800-915-4522.

NOTE: To register online, click on the title above.
To access the Center for Disability Resources Library and its materials, please click this link

2012 Accessible Technology Webinar Series

The Great Lakes and Pacific ADA Centers on behalf of the ADA National Network are pleased to announce the 2012 Accessible Technology Webinar Series. Electronic information and communications technology have become essential tools in all areas of our lives and working environments today, and are particularly important to people with disabilities by providing equal access to the workplace and social media.

Please join us for our 2012 webinar series as we explore some of the latest technological trends and their accessibility to people with disabilities.

All sessions are free and scheduled for 2-3:30pm Eastern/1-2:30pm Central/12-1:30pm Mountain/11-12:30pm Pacific utilizing the ElluminateLive! webinar platform.

2012 Schedule:

February 14, 2012 – Making Tactile Graphics featuring Clara van Gerven, National Federation for the Blind

April 10, 2012 - Improving the Web Accessibility Game Plan featuring Karl Grove, Deque Systems

June 12, 2012 - 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act featuring Jim Tobias, Inclusive Technologies

August 14, 2012 - Accessibility of Web Authoring Tools featuring Jutta Treviranus, Inclusive Design Research Center

October 9, 2012 - Using the WAVE Web Accessibility Toolbar featuring Jared Smith, WebAIM

December 11, 2012 - Mobile Accessibility - The Status of Accessibility in Mobile Devices featuring Representatives from the Mobile Manufacturers' Forum

Registration is available on-line at http://www.ada-audio.org/Webinar/AccessibleTechnology/

Questions regarding these programs should be directed to:

ADA Conferences

877-232-1990 (V/TTY)

adaconferences@adagreatlakes.org

To access the Center for Disability Resources Library and its materials, please click this link

PRO-Parents

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Individual Education Program

(IEP Workshop)

For: Parents/Others of children with Special Needs

Facility Provided By: Orangeburg DDSN

Presented By: Parents Reaching Out to Parents of South Carolina

PRO*Parents

Tanya M. Inabinet

Regional Education Coordinator

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 16.2012

10:00am-2:00pm

Orangeburg County DDSN

2785 Magnolia Street
Orangeburg, SC 29116

Workshop Content

___________________

IDEA Changes to the IEP

The Initial Evaluation

What is Special Education?

What is an IEP?

What happens during the IEP meeting?

Seating is limited

Call 1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

To access the Center for Disability Resources Library and its materials, please click this link

Encouraging Results With Stem Cell Transplant for Brain Injury

ScienceDaily (Feb. 1, 2012) — "Experiments in brain-injured rats show that stem cells injected via the carotid artery travel directly to the brain, where they greatly enhance functional recovery, reports a study in the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
The carotid artery injection technique -- along with some form of in vivo optical imaging to track the stem cells after transplantation -- may be part of emerging approaches to stem cell transplantation for traumatic brain injury (TBI) in humans, according to the new research, led by Dr Toshiya Osanai of Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
Advanced Imaging Technology Lets Researchers Track Stem Cells
The researchers evaluated a new "intra-arterial" technique of stem cell transplantation in rats. Within seven days after induced TBI, stem cells created from the rats' bone marrow were injected into the carotid artery. The goal was to deliver the stem cells directly to the brain, without having them travel through the general circulation.
Before injection, the stem cells were labeled with "quantum dots" -- a biocompatible, fluorescent semiconductor created using nanotechnology. The quantum dots emit near-infrared light, with much longer wavelengths that penetrate bone and skin. This allowed the researchers to noninvasively monitor the stem cells for four weeks after transplantation.
Using this in vivo optical imaging technique, Dr Osanai and colleagues were able to see that the injected stem cells entered the brain on the "first pass," without entering the general circulation. Within three hours, the stem cells began to migrate from the smallest brain blood vessels (capillaries) into the area of brain injury."
NOTE: To read the entire article, click on the title above.

To access the Center for Disability Resources Library and its materials, please click this link

F.D.A. Approves New Cystic Fibrosis Drug

New York Times (Jan. 31, 2012)- The first drug that treats an underlying cause of cystic fibrosis, rather than just the symptoms, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday, more than 22 years after the gene responsible for the disease was first identified.

The drug, called Kalydeco and developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, counters the effect of one specific mutation in the gene that accounts for 4 percent — or about 1,200 — cystic fibrosis cases in the United States.

“This is a breakthrough therapy for the cystic fibrosis community because current therapies only treat the symptoms of this genetic disease,” Dr. Janet Woodcock, the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the F.D.A., said in a statement issued by the agency.

The F.D.A.’s approval, while expected, came nearly three months before its deadline. The drug is approved for patients age 6 and older with the G551D mutation.

Kalydeco, known generically as ivacaftor and during its development as VX-770, will cost $294,000 a year, a price roughly in line with those of some other drugs for extremely rare diseases. Vertex said it would have various programs to help patients pay for the drugs or obtain them free.

At such a price, sales of the drug could reach hundreds of millions of dollars a year, even with so few patients.

To read the entire article please click on the above title.

To access the Center for Disability Resources Library and its materials, please click this link

Hyperconnectivity In Brain's Hearing Center Caused By Gene Mutation In Autism

Medical News Today (Feb. 2, 2012)-New research from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) might help explain how a gene mutation found in some autistic individuals leads to difficulties in processing auditory cues and paying spatial attention to sound.

The study has found that when a suspected autism gene called PTEN is deleted from auditory cortical neurons - the main workhorses of the brain's sound-processing center - the signals that these neurons receive from local as well as long-distance sources are strengthened beyond normal levels. These effects, the study shows, can be blocked by a drug currently in use as an immunosuppressant.

"It's long been hypothesized that autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) arise from a partial disruption of long-range connections in the brain during development," explains Professor Tony Zador, who led the study. "Our finding that PTEN-deficient neurons receive stronger inputs suggests that one way this disruption can be caused is by signal enhancement." His team's work appears in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Although ASDs could arise from mutations in any of dozens of candidate genes, a core triad of symptoms defines all cases: impaired language, impaired social interaction, and restricted and repetitive behaviors. "The challenge therefore has been to understand how this diverse set of candidate genes and the pathways they control converge to cause the common signature of ASDs," Zador says.

The auditory cortex, which plays a critical role in auditory attention and perception, forms functional connections with other sensory cortices and critical brain areas. The neural network within the auditory cortex has therefore been a target of studies aimed at understanding how alterations in neural circuits contribute to dysfunction in ASDs.

Zador's team focused for several reasons on the role of one suspected autism candidate gene, PTEN, on circuit alterations within the auditory cortex. Well known for its role as an anti-cancer gene that powers down cell growth, proliferation and survival, this gene has also been linked to ASDs by a slew of studies in humans and mice. PTEN mutations have been found in autistic individuals with extreme macroencephaly - an increase in brain volume. PTEN loss in mice has been found to boost cell size and the number of neuronal connections in the brain.

To decipher the role of PTEN on functional connectivity in the auditory cortex, Zador's group selectively disrupted the function of the PTEN gene in adult mice, only in a subset of neurons of the auditory cortex, while leaving the gene intact in neighboring neurons. The scientists then assessed the effect of the loss of PTEN on connectivity within the auditory cortex using techniques that involve stimulation by laser or flashes of blue light to trigger neuronal activity either locally or in other brain areas that send neuronal projections into the auditory cortex.
To read the entire article on autism, please click on the above title.

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More Web Accessibility Network

WCAG 2.0 and Transcripts

The word "transcript" doesn't appear in WCAG 2.0 because it is strictly interpreted as being only the verbatim text version of that which is spoken. For optimal web accessibility for users with auditory disabilities, information in addition to the spoken content (such as indications of laughter or explosions, or the presentation of visual-only content) are necessary. WCAG uses the term "alternative for time-based media" to describe this descriptive transcript. WCAG 2.0 Success Criterion 1.2.3 (Level A) requires synchronized captions and either audio descriptions or an "alternative for time-based media" (i.e., descriptive transcript).

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Auto-playing Audio

Audio, such as background music, that automatically plays when a user comes to a web page can be very distracting and will interfere with screen reader audio. WCAG 2.0 Level A requires that "a mechanism is provided to stop, pause, mute, or adjust volume for audio that automatically plays on a page for more than 3 seconds". It is usually better to not automatically play audio, but allow the user to manually play the audio if they choose.

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Pop-up Windows

Pop-up windows (new windows that are triggered automatically or when a user activates a link) can cause confusion and disorientation for all users. While screen readers typically indicate that a new window has opened, managing multiple windows can be complicated, especially for blind users. Because of the various difficulties with pop-up windows, they should generally be avoided. If pop-up windows are triggered via a link, the user should typically be informed within the link text that the link opens a new window.

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Layout Tables

Tables in HTML are intended for tabular data. Although using tables for page layout is not considered best practice, this typically has minimal impact on accessibility, as long as two primary guidelines are kept in mind. First, do not use any markup that is typically used to identify data tables. This includes table headers

To access the Center for Disability Resources Library and its materials, please click this link