I Dream of Software! Jim Fruchterman, Benetech

Dr. King’s Legacy He charged us to pursue justice and equality  Being asked to give a “I Have a Dream” presentation Not possible to achieve that power But, honoring Dr. King’s legacy means dreaming about opening the doors of opportunity to all I will try to help us all dream about how to open doors for people with disabilities

Envisioning an Accessible Future Dreaming is the first step  Community leaders dream of an accessible future Civil rights Social attitudes The destruction of barriers Equal access to employment and education

Building the Accessible Future Technology Plays an Important Role  Technologists dream of how to make it so Making tools Building bridges Improving capabilities Lowering cost Creating access  Technology is not the end, but the means

I Have a Software Dream Changing the lives of people with disabilities  I dream of universal access  Equality and opportunity are tied to fundamentals: Education Literacy Communication Employment opportunity  The community needs tools to achieve these

Software is the Key Built on ubiquitous networked hardware  The ingredients for an accessible future Powerful, inexpensive devices Adaptations can be added to mainstream products Cheap, high bandwidth communications Access to services

Dreaming of Devices Mainstream Gadgets  I have a dream That all devices are usable by people with every kind of disability That these devices are affordable by everybody who needs them throughout the world That people with disabilities will have the tools they need to fully participate in our technological society

Dreaming of Design Changing the way designers think  I have a dream That technology will be designed to adapt to each of us, rather than the reverse That designers of technology design universally, for the whole population, rather than for themselves That Open Source technology delivers basic access That off-the-shelf products work great for everybody

Dreaming of Content The World of Ideas  I have a dream That the web be an instrument for empowering all people with disability That the intellectual and cultural legacy of humankind be available to all humans That nobody will drop out of school or lose a job because they can’t get the information they need

Conclusion Software Means Easily Achievable  We’re on the brink of a fully accessible future  The tools for greater opportunity will be widely available  If we can dream it, software can do it!

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