I am an assistive technology (AT) specialist with a state vocational
rehabilitation (VR) agency. The mission of the agency is to promote and enable
persons who are blind or visually impaired to pursue independence, employment,
and accomplishment of life goals. In order to best assist consumers of VR
services obtain their goals I’m responsible for keeping an eye, or ear if you
will, to the ground and watch for trends that could provide consumers with a competitive
edge when setting, pursuing and obtaining goals.
I am also a consumer of the technologies that I train people
to use. I feel that it is my personal responsibility to ensure that they
receive access to the best, most common, tools for pursuit of their goals. I
would expect nothing less if I were in their shoes.
In 2013 I began the Assistive Technology Studies and Human Services
M.S. through California State University, Northridge in an effort to better
meet my personal goal of keeping a closer eye on trends, and improving my
professional network. By the fall of 2014 I had observed the increase in use of
Google products for education and business. So began this project of creating
accessible, and meaningful, training materials to help my consumer’s access,
and leverage, all of the advantages Google has to offer.
The big question is why Google, and not Microsoft or Apple?
The simple answer is simply experience and exposure. When I began my studies in
2013 I attended a Google Accessibility workshop at the #InternationalPersonswithDisabilities
(#CSUN) conference. Apple and Microsoft were not offering such pre-conference
workshops. CSUN uses Gmail, and #GoogleWebAppsforEducation. I also use Gmail as
my primary personal e-mail service, because of the ease of setup a few years
back.
While I do not feel as though Google has yet reached the
same level, quality, consistency of access to products and services as Apple,
or that companies like #FreedomScientific or #AISquared offer to Microsoft products,
I cannot ignore the price tag, the availability or facts like:
5 Million Businesses use #GoogleWEbAppsForWork (https://www.google.com/work/apps/business//)
Google’s share of the U.S. search
market is 67.5% and 87.1% of the mobile search market. (Smith, 2014).
In 2012 Google reported that 7 of
the 8 Ivy League schools, and 70% of the top 100 schools in the U.S. were using
Google Web Apps (Schneider, M. (2012).
Another consideration I have recently been
exposed to is the concept of telework, or telecommuting. “Telework
continues to be associated with greater accountability, job satisfaction, and
empowerment. … fewer teleworkers intend to leave their agencies for a new
position, and more teleworkers report feeling accountable for achieving results
and would recommend their place of work” (Archuleta, K (2013). It is estimated
that employers who allow their employees to work from home just 50% of the time
could see an annual cost savings of $11,000 per year, and employees who work
from home only 50% of the time could see a cost savings of $2,000 - $7,000 per
year. (Global Workplace Analytics)
Considering the incredible advantages
for employees and employers, in the form of cost savings, that telework/commute opportunities offer employers
the demand for information technology (IT) services to make telework a reality
are in high demand. Google Web Apps meet that demand. They are available anytime,
anywhere there is an Internet connection. There is less money and effort, on
the part of the business owner, to maintain IT infrastructure and employees
have the opportunity to save money and give more to their personal commitments
at home. It sounds like a win – win, and for my consumers in a rural state, who
desire the rural life-style, and have limited access to reliable transportation
for employment I could not overlook Google tools.
Now, to my own experience. When I began
my studies in 2013 I was unable to collaborate, in real-time, with class mates.
We were required to work in groups for some activities, and I was left out of
this experience because of a lack of access to Google Tools like Docs, Drive
and Hangouts. I made due with e-mail communication, discussion boards available
through the course management system and use of the BlackBoard Collaborate software
that is only minimally usable with a screen reader. By the time I finished my
studies, just a year and 10 months later Drive, Docs, Slides, and Hangouts were
my preferred method of communicating and collaborating with my peers. The
access to the web apps, that are a core component of Web Apps for education and
Work, provided a more complete, and fulfilling, educational experience.
I have been following the Google
Accessibility train, and I simply like where it is going. I struggle to learn
to use tools like Google ChromeVox, but I have to keep in mind that the system
is not intuitive to me because I have experience with, and have mastered, other
systems. In addition, Google Tools are under development, and in transitional
phases.
This is why I have decided to focus
on, and share my experiences.
References:
Archuleta, K (2013) Telework Report: Status of Telework in
the Federal Government. Retrieved from http://www.telework.gov/reports_and_studies/annual_reports/index.aspx
Google (n.d.) https://www.google.com/work/apps/business/
GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com (2013). Latest telecommuting
statistics. Retrieved from http://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/telecommuting-statistics
Schneider, M. (2012). A New Way of Doing Things On Campus.
Official Google Blog. Retrieved from http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-new-way-of-doing-things-on-campus.html
Smith, C.
(2014, October 28). By the Numbers: 60 Amazing Google Search Statistics and
Facts.
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