They're in a wheelchair and/or have mental/physical disabilities, but as new media advances further and quicker each year, those who could not take advantage of new media are now being given the opportunity to do so, and it has also become law for the use of new media to be available for persons with disabilities under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Subpart A of Section 508 states that "...individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public information or services from a Federal agency, have access and the use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency."
A less technical variation of this passage from the Section would be: "Disabled people have the right to use technology." Why shouldn't they? They're people just like the rest of us!
How does a person with disabilities use new media? Through "assistive technology". Assistive technology is technology that helps an individual perform a task that would otherwise be difficult or even impossible for them. Something as simple and as a walker or a wheelchair can be labeled as assistive ware. In terms of new media, texting can be called assistive ware as someone who is deaf can still chat with others over their mobile phone. Someone who has limited use of their hands might use a keyboard with enlarged keys. The possibilities for disabled persons to be included in today's society through the use of new media continues to grow as more assistive technology becomes available.
edited for spelling corrections
Friday, April 10, 2009
"Luckily I had my cell phone on me at the time."
Since their introduction into society, cell phones have become an essential tool in the live of millions of Americans, and many more all around the world. While corded phones have been here for far longer, they are unable to be moved to a different location without first being made incapable of service i.e having to be unplugged from the wall outlet. Now with cell phones, people can stay in touch even when they are no where near a wall outlet as long as that location has service or "bars".
According to Henry Jenkins in his article "Eight Traits of the New Media Landscape" (Nov. 6, 2006), two of the traits he lists are Networked and Global. Cell phones have enabled communication on the go while also being crucial in emergencies. As for families, they are a way for them to stay together vocally when they are apart physically by being "Networked" together, and similar to corded phones, they are bringing "Global" geographical separations down when communication is needed.
Cellular phones do everything that corded phones do, however they are also far more convenient and accessible. A nice example of the convenience of cellular phones is after an automobile accident and those involved are unable to call for emergency help. Witnesses to the event (assuming they wish to do their civic duty) often times use their cell phones to call 911 and get the injured persons the medical care they need, and as far as anyone knows, that quick call on a cell phone when a corded phone is unavailable may save someone's life. Not only are cell phones another way for people to stay in touch, but they are also handy in an emergency (assuming the service is reliable and available) and are also becoming all-in-one packages, for example: iPhone's and Blackberry's. The convenient all-in-one package can be used as: a cell phone, and iPod, and an Internet/Web accessible computer with full keyboard and touch screen, all for a price that is becoming more and more affordable to the average member of society.
According to Henry Jenkins in his article "Eight Traits of the New Media Landscape" (Nov. 6, 2006), two of the traits he lists are Networked and Global. Cell phones have enabled communication on the go while also being crucial in emergencies. As for families, they are a way for them to stay together vocally when they are apart physically by being "Networked" together, and similar to corded phones, they are bringing "Global" geographical separations down when communication is needed.
Cellular phones do everything that corded phones do, however they are also far more convenient and accessible. A nice example of the convenience of cellular phones is after an automobile accident and those involved are unable to call for emergency help. Witnesses to the event (assuming they wish to do their civic duty) often times use their cell phones to call 911 and get the injured persons the medical care they need, and as far as anyone knows, that quick call on a cell phone when a corded phone is unavailable may save someone's life. Not only are cell phones another way for people to stay in touch, but they are also handy in an emergency (assuming the service is reliable and available) and are also becoming all-in-one packages, for example: iPhone's and Blackberry's. The convenient all-in-one package can be used as: a cell phone, and iPod, and an Internet/Web accessible computer with full keyboard and touch screen, all for a price that is becoming more and more affordable to the average member of society.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Internet and Communities.
We all live in the 21st Century, and as technology advances faster and faster every year, so to do the ways that an individual can find others who share their views and interests without having to even leave the comfort of their own home. At ever increasing speeds with a single click of the mouse, a person enters a world where their voice can be heard by others around the world, all they need to do is have the knowledge to use the technology and the desire to do so.
Take for example last year's presidential campaign. On the first page of the article Web 2.0 Powers Political Campaigns - From Presidential Race to Local Elections, Chad Vander Veen analyzes how the Internet was a key factor for McCain and Obama to gather supporters to their cause, with his primary points being on social networking sites. Under the subheading Grassroots Made Easy, Veen states, "The Web has blossomed from a campaign novelty to an essential tool to reach voters." The message Veen is wanting his readers to understand is that the Web is now a requirement if a candidate is too have any hope of winning the election. In the same paragraph of his article, Veen says, "The difference during this election cycle for president is the advent of Web 2.0 applications; chief among these new applications are social networking sites, such as MySpace, Facebook, and Flickr. By integrating these new sites into their campaigns, presidential candidates create new avenues to reach voters." Looking at this statement from a voter's point of view, Veen is arguing that social networking sites have become necessary tools for voters to obtain information about the candidates based, not only on what the candidates say about themselves, but also what other voters say about them.
Further along in his article, Veen leaves the national level of politics and does a more local examination by speaking with Saundra McDavid, who is (or was) running for the Idaho State Senate. Venn quotes McDavid by saying, "The key to reaching the younger voters is to go online. That's their world. You're not going to get from a flier in the mail the same kind of personal touch that you can get using the Web site, blogs, and 2.0 technologies - where you are actually bringing your voters or people who are interested in hearing about you into your world." What Veen is saying by quoting McDavid, is that younger people (no age range was given in the article) are more likely to get their news and information from online, where it's easy to find. Even if a voter doesn't have access at home, they can go somewhere that has a computer with internet access, such as their local public library or a cybercafe.
In the next paragraph is his article, Veen quotes McDavid again by saying, "The next step, McDavid said, is to post campaign videos on YouTube. The candidate hopes this will open more venues for voters to connect with her campaign." This statement adds YouTube to the campaign trail. What sets YouTube apart from MySpace and Facebook is that YouTube is designed solely around videos instead of blogs or "quick thought" websites like twitter.com. In a video, a voter actually gets to see more than a candiates views, they also get to see important personal traits such as their personality, their tone of voice, how they present themselves, how they react to criticism, and so on and so forth. In regards to who a voter decides to vote for, the candidates' views are only one of the things a voter looks at, there is also the human aspect, meaning that a voter wants to vote for someone who not only shares their opinions about certain issues, but also someone who they would feel comfortable around were they given the oppurtunity to be with the candidate in person. YouTube videos can help alleviate concerns on the personal level that a voter might be feeling about a candidate, but it's up to the candidate to determine how they want to come across to others.
Take for example last year's presidential campaign. On the first page of the article Web 2.0 Powers Political Campaigns - From Presidential Race to Local Elections, Chad Vander Veen analyzes how the Internet was a key factor for McCain and Obama to gather supporters to their cause, with his primary points being on social networking sites. Under the subheading Grassroots Made Easy, Veen states, "The Web has blossomed from a campaign novelty to an essential tool to reach voters." The message Veen is wanting his readers to understand is that the Web is now a requirement if a candidate is too have any hope of winning the election. In the same paragraph of his article, Veen says, "The difference during this election cycle for president is the advent of Web 2.0 applications; chief among these new applications are social networking sites, such as MySpace, Facebook, and Flickr. By integrating these new sites into their campaigns, presidential candidates create new avenues to reach voters." Looking at this statement from a voter's point of view, Veen is arguing that social networking sites have become necessary tools for voters to obtain information about the candidates based, not only on what the candidates say about themselves, but also what other voters say about them.
Further along in his article, Veen leaves the national level of politics and does a more local examination by speaking with Saundra McDavid, who is (or was) running for the Idaho State Senate. Venn quotes McDavid by saying, "The key to reaching the younger voters is to go online. That's their world. You're not going to get from a flier in the mail the same kind of personal touch that you can get using the Web site, blogs, and 2.0 technologies - where you are actually bringing your voters or people who are interested in hearing about you into your world." What Veen is saying by quoting McDavid, is that younger people (no age range was given in the article) are more likely to get their news and information from online, where it's easy to find. Even if a voter doesn't have access at home, they can go somewhere that has a computer with internet access, such as their local public library or a cybercafe.
In the next paragraph is his article, Veen quotes McDavid again by saying, "The next step, McDavid said, is to post campaign videos on YouTube. The candidate hopes this will open more venues for voters to connect with her campaign." This statement adds YouTube to the campaign trail. What sets YouTube apart from MySpace and Facebook is that YouTube is designed solely around videos instead of blogs or "quick thought" websites like twitter.com. In a video, a voter actually gets to see more than a candiates views, they also get to see important personal traits such as their personality, their tone of voice, how they present themselves, how they react to criticism, and so on and so forth. In regards to who a voter decides to vote for, the candidates' views are only one of the things a voter looks at, there is also the human aspect, meaning that a voter wants to vote for someone who not only shares their opinions about certain issues, but also someone who they would feel comfortable around were they given the oppurtunity to be with the candidate in person. YouTube videos can help alleviate concerns on the personal level that a voter might be feeling about a candidate, but it's up to the candidate to determine how they want to come across to others.
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