We’ve added to our resources page an edition of the News Watch journal focusing on covering the disability community. It includes articles on being a reporter with a disability, how the media gets it wrong when it comes to covering disability and what it is like to be disabled and Muslim, among other articles and tips. Check it out under Disability Resources List.
Robitaille publishes new book on assistive technology
Feb. 22, 3:24 p.m.
By Cassandra Nicholson
When Suzanne Robitaille was first approached to write a book about assistive technology, she found the idea rather daunting.
The author, Suzanne Robitaille
In such a niche industry and with thousands of options for general consumers, it’s no wonder. Still, Robitaille, an advisory board member of the National Center on Disability & Journalism, is no stranger to the world of assistive devices. As the founder and editor of Abledbody.com, she is an expert on all things techie and a go-to resource for publications like The Wall Street Journal and Disaboom.
“The more research I did, the more I realized that this was a book I was meant to write,” Robitaille says. “There was nothing on the market that spoke about technology for people with disabilities, from a purely consumer lifestyle perspective.”
In short, it didn’t take long for the former BusinessWeek.com columnist to find her footing.
Robitaille’s book “The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology and Devices” mixes products and reviews to provide a useful roadmap for individuals with disabilities.
“The editors thought this would be a unique way to showcase the products, especially since it’s so hard to visualize technology,” she says. “I also felt that I needed to use real-life examples of people with disabilities (though names were changed) to really hammer home the point that there are people who are blind, deaf, mobility impaired – all going to work at their respective jobs and having to figure out innovative ways around their obstacles.”
Robitaille found her passion for writing at a young age. After losing her hearing at 4 years old, she had to adapt to a whole new world of communication. It wasn’t until after completing both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree that she encountered her biggest challenges.
“I couldn’t even take a job interview over the phone,” she says. “Having to lip-read made it difficult in meetings. I had note-takers and interpreters during college, but that’s not always available in the workplace.”
Forced to once again adjust her expectations, Robitaille turned to the most obvious and accessible medium.
“I tried to focus instead on the things I could do – like write,” she says. I also grasped new media very early on because it was such a visual enterprise.”
Suzanne Robitaille reads from her book at a recent event at the New York Public Library
In 2002, Robitaille received a cochlear implant, a surgically implanted electronic device. This “ultimate assistive technology” allowed her to hear on the phone and made her less reliant on lip-reading, she says.
She still needs captions for TV, “and I can’t enjoy the movie theater,” she says, but it’s a start, and more improvements are likely as the popularity of Web programming continues to grow and the industry changes.
Robitaille sees the digital glass ceiling for those with disabilities rising, if not exactly disappearing.
“It’s definitely going to be more Web-based, where a person will be able to download their unique profile from any computer or cell phone in the world,” she says. “I anticipate more mainstream companies will get in the accessibility game by following a universal design philosophy to make sure their products are useable by everyone.”
In her research for “The Illustrated Guide,” Robitaille found a number of flaws in assistive technology, the biggest one being high cost.
“[The cost of certain products] makes it hard for me to ‘recommend’ them, especially when they’re not covered by insurance, and I’m speaking to a demographic that’s traditionally lower-income,” she says. “These are specialized gadgets for a small population.”
Robitaille says insurance companies often aren’t willing to pay for newer devices that could help erase obstacles in everyday life or even help someone land a job.
“A speech-generating device costing upwards of $6,000 is only covered if the ‘cool’ parts, like e-mail and Web, are stripped out,” she says.
Is there a solution for the small marketplace and consumer divide?
“There are so many mainstream products that could be accessible if the manufacturer had thought about the principles of universal design, where a product is designed from the ground up to be accessible to everyone,” she says.
For example, the Kindle can provide books that are read aloud, but it is not navigation accessible for those who are blind. Amazon has said it will come out with an accessible version this summer, she says.
As technology improves, Robitaille is open to a potential “Illustrated Guide” sequel in the future.
“I’d like the opportunity to update the book every few years,” she says. “I can see a second or third edition, for sure, and I can also see myself writing related books on disability in the workplace and life-space. If not, I’ll keep on writing for Abledbody.com so that I can continue to inform and educate.”
To read more about Robitaille, visit Abledbody.com. For more information about “The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology and Devices,” click here or visit Amazon.com.
Robitaille and her publishers at Demos have made “The Illustrated Guide” available in Braille and synthesized audio formats here.
Cassandra Nicholson earned a B.A. In Journalism from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2008. In addition to freelance writing in her spare time, Nicholson now works for the Cronkite School and the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism.
Misunderstanding learning disabilities
Feb. 12, 8:04 p.m.
In a recent Los Angeles Times article, one reporter noted, “So the White House was knocked off-stride when Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was forced to issue a public apology for using a derogatory word for people with learning disabilities.”
It appears that this reporter, and undoubtedly many who will inevitably cover this story, aren’t aware of the difference between intellectual disabilities and learning disabilities. It might be surprising to many in the media and public to learn that many students with learning disabilities may in fact be twice exceptional — which means, that in addition to having a learning disability, they are also gifted.
The association with the word used by Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and learning disabilities is incongruent. An intellectual disability (old medical term “mentally retarded”) is not the same as a learning disability. In fact, the definition of dyslexia provided by the International Dyslexia Association states quite the opposite: “Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of languages often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities…”
In an effort to raise awareness and share resources regarding dyslexia, my daughter and I created the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHGo-64dXJc
Additional information on learning disabilities can also be found on the National Center for Learning Disabilities LD Basic’s web page: http://www.ncld.org/ld-basics
In recent years, much progress has been made in the ability to recognize and provide appropriate interventions, remediation and/or accommodations for person with learning disabilities. However, the recent commentary by many reporters over Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s poorly chosen words underscores that there is still much work to be done in raising awareness in the media and general public as to what learning disabilities are — and what they are not.
Darla Hatton, the mother of a child with dyslexia, is a presenter on reading and assistive technologies, and a certified reading specialist. Hatton wrote this blog entry for the NCDJ.
PAS Center webinar
Feb. 5, 2:03 p.m.
The Center for Personal Assistance Services is holding a webinar on Wednesday, February 10th. In this webinar, Terence Ng will discuss “An Analysis Of Medicare And Medicaid In Long-Term Care And Suggestions Of Reform.” Mr. Ng will look at issues involving long-term care programs, including spending, services, waivers, population groups involved, and how to reduce the fragmentation and lack of coordination in long term care services.
Health care reform is a hot topic in the media right now and issues involving Medicare, Medicaid and general health care are vitally important to many disabled persons. This webinar will provide an important perspective for the health care debate.
The 60-minute webinar will begin at 2.00pm Eastern; 1:00pm Central; 12:00pm Mountain; 11:00am Pacific; 10:00am Alaska and 8:00am Hawaii.
There is no fee and no pre-registration for this webinar which is open to everyone. To join the Webinar visit:
http://www.tinyurl.com/PASElluminate
It is recommended that you visit this link before hand, as the Webinar software (Elluminate) needs to be downloaded to your computer, which can take a few minutes.
The Dust-up over Braille
Jan. 18, 7:33 p.m.
by Suzanne Robitaille
The Poynter Institute is talking about braille and literacy, a topic jump-started by a recent New York Times Magazine article, “Listening to Braille,” by Rachel Aviv. The author writes that new technology may be undermining braille literacy as people who are blind are now “reading” via e-books, iPods, telephone news services and other text-to-speech devices.
Note to New York Times headline writers: People who are blind read braille. They don’t listen to it.
Aviv delves into scientific studies that say learning English by “visual” or “feeling” mode is far better than anything audio can provide. With new technologies, she asks, do blind people lose more than they gain?
Probably not. Most blind people would never be able to assimilate into modern society without “talking” books, computers, mp3 players and smart phones — even if they were fluent in braille. One reason is the cost of producing a braille book – about $1,000, due to the cost of labor and materials. Aviv writes:
“Braille books are expensive and cumbersome, requiring reams of thick, oversize paper. The National Braille Press, an 83-year-old publishing house in Boston, printed the Harry Potter series on its Heidelberg cylinder; the final product was 56 volumes, each nearly a foot tall.”
Alternatively, a person who is blind can read Web-braille. Such a book is translated into digital braille and “read” via braille on a computer or PDA using a “refreshable braille display,” which is like a braille keyboard. Still, these devices cost upwards of $6,000 and one must be fluent in literary braille to use them.
That’s why digital talking books make so much more sense for today’s modern person who is blind. Books can be read aloud on “DAISY readers,” which are like the Kindle — only much more accessible, or on MP3 players like iPods. Costs start from $350 and up. That’s more favorable economics.
The bigger problem is getting the major publishers to allow their books to be translated into audio for those with visual impairments. The New York Times and BusinessWeek have covered the recent dispute over Kindle 2’s ability to read its books aloud, which was intended for use by the blind. In a Wall Street Journal article, Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild says: “Kindle users don’t have the right to read a book out loud…that’s an audio right, which is derivative under copyright law.”
Technology has caught up with the times, but the marketplace is still mired in old-school thinking. This debate will continue. Meanwhile, people who are blind will try to get their hands on literature any which way they can.
Suzanne Robitaille is the founder and editor-in-chief of Abledbody.com, a consumer Web site that covers disability news and assistive technology. She was the assistive technology columnist for BusinessWeek.com in New York from 2001-2005.
She also worked at The Wall Street Journal Online and continues to write for print and Web publications, including The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek.com, Disaboom and Media Post. She is the author of the book “The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology & Devices.”
New Resource for Disability Statistics
Dec. 16, 2009, 10:59 a.m.
A new resource for disability statistics has been announced by disability.gov, the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium.
The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics compiled the data, which include statistics from federal sources and surveys on disability prevalence and population size, including breakdowns by state and disability type. The site also includes employment and earnings, education, health and health care coverage, rehabilitation and participation in benefit programs.
This resource is posted in the disability resource page.
RTDNF and Ivanhoe Broadcast News Call for Applicants
Dec. 16, 2009, 10:51 a.m.
The RTDNF and Ivanhoe Broadcast News has announced a call for applicants for a one-week health reporting fellowship for television and new media journalists. The fellowship is open to a working reporter or producer at a television station or new media newsroom with fewer than 10 years of experience. Applications are due by Feb. 1, 2010. More information and application forms are available on RTNDA.org.
E:60 Profile
Dec. 14, 2009, 9:22 a.m.
By Jake Geller
A few weeks back I came across a story that really stood out. The story is a profile that was featured on ESPN’s newsmagazine “E:60” about a high school football player who is blind.
I was impressed with both the production values and the storytelling. The majority of the 10-minute story is told by the subject of the profile, Charlie Wilks, who also conducts most of the interviews for the piece. By the end of the story, I felt that I knew and understood who Charlie really was. On the field, his nickname is the beast because he shows no mercy and expects the same from his opponents.
The producers of the story do more “showing” than “telling” about the challenges Wilks faces and how he adapts. For example, they show Wilks using assistive technology, a BrailleNote, for the interviews he conducts. Wilks briefly explains how the technology works, but the storytelling isn’t bogged down with all the particulars. Instead, viewers can see him using it during interviews.
Significantly, it is Wilks – not his mother or grandfather or even a doctor — who explains how a brain tumor led to his blindness. This shows us more about Wilks as a person than about Wilks as a medical condition.
I was inspired by this story, not because I was told to be inspired, but because I was shown.
Decide for yourself. The story is at http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/e60/columns/story?id=4637537.
Changing Language
Aug. 13, 2009, 3:14 p.m.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who died Aug. 11, made a huge impact on how intellectual disabilities are viewed through the Special Olympics and her other work on behalf of those with intellectual disabilities. This was evident in many of the articles documenting the life of Shriver.
The best example of how the perception of people with disabilities changed over her lifetime can be found in two stories about Shriver published by the Christian Science Monitor: a profile published in 1975 and her obituary published Aug. 11. The two articles reveal a stark difference in the language used to describe those with intellectual disabilities. The 1975 piece used words such as “retarded” and “handicapped,” which would no longer be acceptable, but which is typical of how people with intellectual disabilities were referred to in that era.
The obituary is a good example of the use of accurate language to refer to disabilities, employing the terms “intellectually disabled” instead of mentally retarded. Other news organizations didn’t do quite as well, using the term mentally disabled, which is the standard Associate Press style.
Here are some examples of the coverage of Shriver’s death:
I’d like to know how you view the coverage of Schriver’s death. Leave a comment and let me know.
Welcome to the Disability & Journalism blog
June 30, 2009, 3:12 p.m.
I’m hoping that this blog will be used to create a dialogue between journalists who cover disabilities and those who are the subjects of those stories.
I’ll start things off by sharing my own experiences as the subject of several news stories for newspapers and television.
The first time I was introduced to journalism was when I was 7 years old. It was 1986, and The Boston Globe profiled my family when the missing gene which is responsible for my Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy was discovered by a local researcher. I was portrayed as a victim with a grim future, and that depiction changed how I perceived myself.
Reading the article today, I can saythat it’s informative and talks about the challenges my family and I faced, but it painted a bleak picture just through the use of certain words and phrases, such as “diagnosed a victim of,” “darkens their son’s future” and “victim of muscular dystrophy.”
This is in contrast to another article in The Boston Globe in 1998 about my friend and I coming to ASU. Although it was an overcoming adversity story, which is one of the clichés of articles about people disabilities, the language expressed the actual situation and didn’t focus on pity and impending doom.
I think overall news coverage has evolved and so has the portrayal of people with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 has contributed to this change. Just the naming of the act has helped change how disabilities are viewed; it’s not about the disabled, but Americans who happen to have disabilities.
Immediately following the publication of the article, the local NBC station, WHDH-TV, wanted to do the same story for the evening news. A few months later, Extra! was interested in doing a similar story, but on a national level. I was surprised, Extra! did a better job by not sensationalizing the story and giving a fair representation of myself.
The biggest difference, I think, was the fact that the field producer was able to spend several days with me and was able to see what my life was really like as a freshman in college. Unfortunately, this luxury of time and resources was not available to the reporter at the local station who put together the story within a few hours to air on the news that night.
Ultimately, what I learned is how important it is to educate reporters and producers so that they aren’t stuck in stereotypes, that they’re able to see not just what people with disabilities can’t do, but what they can do.
Which brings us back to the National Center on Disability & Journalism. I’d love to hear your reaction to this blog, and I’d love to hear your own stories about media coverage of disability – or the lack of it. Hopefully, we’ll learn from each other and open up a dialogue that will help us all become better journalists.
Let’s get started.
NCDJ Interviewing Tips
» How can journalists do a better job interviewing people with disabilities?
