Internet Cafe For Disabled Opens In San Antonio By Goodwill Industries

Internet Cafe For Disabled Opens In San Antonio By Goodwill Industries
December 15, 2006 1433
By MICHELLE ROBERTS

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- The Good Bytes Cafe has stained concrete floors,
jars of scones and a small bank of computers in the corner, making it
much like any Internet cafe.

But the computers _ outfitted with a joystick mouse, magnifying
software and equipment allowing people to point and click with their
eye movements _ make Good Bytes one of just a handful nationwide
specifically designed for disabled users.

The cafe, which held its grand opening Friday, is a first for Goodwill
Industries, the nonprofit best known for selling used clothing and
furniture at its thrift stores nationwide.

"We're the first, but we won't be the last," said Rebecca Helterbrand,
marketing vice president for Goodwill Industries of San Antonio.

Goodwill has long had job centers around San Antonio to help disabled
residents find work, but surveys found that 70 percent of the area's
disabled are unemployed and 60 percent don't have computer skills, she
said.

Because of the correlation between joblessness and lack of computer
skills, Goodwill wanted to build something that would give more
disabled people access to assistive technology. The nonprofit also
wanted to do it in a setting as likely to be filled with nearby office
workers and tourists as the disabled, Helterbrand said.

The cafe, funded with a $125,000 grant from San Antonio-based AT&T
Inc., will be supported by food sales and will double as a location to
train disabled food service workers, she said.

Typically, disabled users who need special technology or equipment to
operate computers or surf the Web must pay for it themselves, said
William Gribbons, a professor of human factors in information design at
Bentley College outside of Boston.

"There is some incredible stuff out there, but unfortunately, it's
expensive," he said.

Some of the technology, like software that magnifies and reads aloud to
help those who are visually impaired, is cheaper, because of a large
market of aging computer users. But technology that can aid rarer
disabilities can be considerably more expensive.

"It tends to be concentrated with the 'haves,'" Gribbons said.

The Good Bytes Cafe does not charge for access to the technology.

Two computers are outfitted with magnifying and reading software.

Another PC allows users with no physical mobility to control a mouse
with the movement of their eyes. The mouse follows their gaze and
clicks when they blink.

Another computer at the cafe allows those with limited mobility to
stick a silver dot to their nose or glasses. A screen-mounted reader
recognizes the dot's movement, and the user can navigate and type with
it.

Leticia Rodriguez, who is deaf, attended the opening and was playing
with the silver-dot navigator.

"This is absolutely awesome," she said through a sign-language
translator. "It's wonderful for people with other disabilities, and I
think it's about time."

___

On the Net:

Goodwill Industries of San Antonio: http://www.goodwillsa.org/


.... numbnutz tom doesn't need drugs to hallucinate.