Tim Cook may be the Apple CEO we picture when we think of the mission to make Apple a “force for good” in the world, including enhanced accessibility for deaf users. But Steve Jobs was the person who first got the ball rolling.
During the Tampa Bay Business 100 awards last night — an event dedicated to honoring the 100 largest private companies in Tampa Bay, Florida — the CEO of a company which makes Internet video communication tools recalled how Jobs helped him use the so-called ZVRS technology with FaceTime.
ZVRS is a visual relay service which allows a specially trained agent to take a phone call and then relay it to a member of the hearing impaired using sign language.
Not knowing the best way to approach Apple CEO Sean Belanger emailed Steve Jobs directly, explaining who he was, what he did, and why he needed help.
“In four days, I get a call from a guy who said ‘I’ve been told to help you, I don’t know why, I don’t know who you are, I work for Apple and I can’t tell you who told me to call you,'” Belanger told the Tampa Bay Business 100 audience.
Apple then flew three of engineers to Clearwater to meet with Belanger, and within a week the service was working. It was launched on July 26, 2010 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
This isn’t the last time Apple has worked to improve the accessibility of its services. It has also added features like VoiceOver, which allow for descriptions of apps to be read aloud, while earlier this year it patented a new graphical interface designed for the visually impaired.
FaceTime, meanwhile, was considered a breakthrough in allowing deaf people to communicate with one another using a mobile device, since it made it possible for signing to be carried out by video. This was the concept behind one of Apple’s ads around the time of the iPhone 4.
Tim Cook has also spoken about the importance of making Apple devices to everyone, saying during his 2013 IQLA Lifetime Achievement Award speech that, “I receive hundreds of e-mails from customers every day, and I read them all. Last week I received one from a single mom with a three year old autistic son who was completely non-verbal, and after receiving an iPad, for the first time in his life, he had found his voice. I receive scores of these incredible stories from around the world and I never tire of reading them.”
Source: Bizjournals
