Last updated at 1997 Apr 28 by Omer Zak . The following information is of concern to anyone involved in manufacturing, desigining, distributing or using CD-ROMs. You are urged to bring it to the attention of anyone whom it may concern. The goal is to prevent a new technology from becoming an handicap and curse to people with hearing problems.
Serious barriers result when they do so without accommodating the needs of deaf and hoh people.
Fortunately, the leading software manufacturers such as Microsoft and IBM are aware of the needs of deaf and hoh people. The new ShowSounds software switch would enable application developers to display on-screen captions so the words sent to the system speaker become visible. There is an Internet mailing list dedicated to closed-captioning, audio description, and other Media Access issues. As the use of sound is incorporated more and more into these systems, individuals who are deaf are going to face increasing difficulties in accessing and using these systems. Since these will appear in education and employment as well as daily living, access to these systems is essential.