[Doug]: Hello, and welcome to the first annual Helen Keller Services AccessAbility Awards tonight is about recognizing companies who are doing work to support individuals who are DeafBlind, blind, or have low vision. My name is Doug Roland. I'll be your host for this evening, and I'm going to kick things off with an image description. I'm a white male in my thirties with short dark hair and a short dark beard. I'm wearing a light blue button up shirt. And behind me is a bookshelf, a framed picture and a lamp. I'm so honored to be a part of this evening. I've had the great pleasure to work with Helen Keller Services over the past few years in a number of ways I've learned so much from this organization, but one of the things I've learned the most about is accessibility. I had heard a while back the saying that accessibility is for everyone, but I've gotten a chance over the last few years to really learn what that means. And we're so thrilled to be honoring some amazing organizations this evening who really understand that as well. I'm going to turn things over to Dr. Sue Ruzenski, who is the CEO of Helen Keller Services and someone who's been with the organization for over 40 years.
[Sue]: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Sue Ruzenski and I’m the Chief Executive Officer at Helen Keller Services for the Blind. And let me take a moment and describe myself. I am a middle aged female white. I have shoulder length, blonde hair. I'm wearing black rimmed glasses. I have a black dress on and behind me as a black backdrop. So let's begin. It has been such an extraordinary year in so many ways. And we had a landmark year for change and improvement towards diversity equity and inclusion and the blind and the DeafBlind communities were no exception to witnessing this progress. And the shift in perspective that has taken place across many industries. This year, we celebrate DeafBlind Awareness Week emphasizing the collective power among us to bring about meaningful change with respects to accessibility and inclusion. Helen Keller Services is humbled and excited to celebrate five of our revered partners who are making a difference. It's my pleasure to welcome our partners and all of you, everyone who has joined us today, Helen Keller Services is honored to have the shared experience and introduced the trailblazers who are using their talents and resources to make our society more inclusive and accessible. I would like to begin by sharing about our first award recipient, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Helen Keller Services in collaboration with filmmaker Doug Roland. We're so grateful this year to be nominated for an Oscar for a short film Feeling Through which casted the first time DeafBlind actor in a co-leading role. Robert Tarango attended the Oscar ceremony with us, and it was a joy beyond our dreams. This award today is to recognize the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for their outstanding work in providing accessibility to Robert Tarango the DeafBlind actor during their 93rd Oscar ceremony. The team at the academy were amazing. They were so responsive in providing accommodations to Robert that allowed him access to the event. And he had such a very positive experience. We want to thank the Academy for showing a worldwide audience, the value of being inclusive and demonstrating. What's doable to ensure that a person who is DeafBlind can fully participate and engage in such a inspiring and enriching event.
[Christine]: Welcome to the 93rd Oscars. I'd like to thank you for joining us tonight at the 93rd Oscars, there's nothing like celebrating our movie love together.
[Doug]: Doug speaking accepting the award for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is Christine Simmons, the Chief Operating Officer.
[Larry]: Hello, as you heard, my name is Christine and I am a tall brown skin black woman with a long, straight ponytail, some big ol' hoops. And I'm sitting in front of two barn doors and some beautiful art representing a protest. It is truly an honor to be here today. And on behalf of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and our Oscar broadcast. We sincerely thank you from the bottom of our heart. This award means so much to us. We set out to make sure that this was indeed the most accessible, but also the most normalized live broadcast possible. And we feel that we did that as much as we could. Of course, there's always improvements. There's always more to learn and we're here to listen in partner, but we truly wanted to thank you because we've set out to make sure that the nominees had the most beautiful experience possible in this once in a lifetime, maybe not, experience that they had for their performances. We are honored again to have this award and on behalf of Jeanell English who leads our office of Representation, Inclusion and Equity, Randy Haberkamp, who also was one of our staff liaisons at the show. We all really thank you for this award and look forward to the future where everyone is welcome at the Academy and enjoys their experience in the most accessible way possible.
[Doug]: Hi, Doug speaking, let's now hear from Maricar Marquez, who is the supervisor for the Independent Living Department at Helen Keller National Center. In this video Maricar is wearing a black shirt, she has dark shoulder length hair and is standing in front of a backdrop of green grass and trees.
[Tanner]: Accessibility is important because of four reasons, participation, integration, equality, and self-esteem accessibility provides all of these qualities to DeafBlind people. They're included in a variety of different employment opportunities, recreational activities. We're all the same. We're all integrated. It's not like, oh, the DeafBlind person is alone just hanging out with their own community. No, we love the diversity. We love to be integrated and part of the community and equality. We want to be treated equally. People have jobs, people have homes. DeafBlind individuals want to have fair access to get the information. There are three methods. The first being utilizing sign language, American sign language through spoken word, and also through tactal means. DeafBlind individuals use those three ways to gain access to information and knowledge, to know what's happening in their environment for a person who's sighted in hearing, they can hear what's happening around them in the environment. A DeafBlind person has no idea they're behind naturally because they don't have that access. So those three ways between signs spoken word and tactile information, if they gain access to that they understand what's happening fully around them. And that creates the equality and the access that other individuals have. Fourth self-esteem the fourth quality.
[Tanner]: Some DeafBlind individuals have a lot of challenges with isolation because they have no information access. They have no individuals who could communicate with them so that if you provide that information, that access to communication and they're involved in all these activities, it increases self esteem and pride for the individual, and they know that they can do anything. DeafBlind individuals also have goals and they attain those goals. Goals for work, goals for recreation, whatever they are, they can attain those goals. They can be successful.
[Sue]: This is Sue speaking. And now for our next recipient, Microsoft. Microsoft has demonstrated an exceptional commitment and focus on the accessibility of its products and services, keeping accessibility first in mind and not just an afterthought. Microsoft is changing the mindsets of how we think about accessibility. Accessibility is as you say, a benefit to everyone and Helen Keller Services would like to thank you for empowering people who are DeafBlind, blind, and have low vision by creating accessible and inclusive tools for the workplace, and for broadening your inclusive hiring programs. It is truly an honor to acknowledge and celebrate your impactful work and commitment.
>> More than 1 billion people have a disability around the world. And while some disabilities are visibly apparent, others are not. The truth is most of us will experience disability at some point in our lives temporarily or permanently, still people with disabilities face higher unemployment rates, and only one in 10 have access to the assistive devices. They need to be active in their communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this disability divide here at Microsoft. We've been on a journey to design technology with, and by people with disabilities. As the world changes, our approach to accessibility is changing too. That's why we're upping our ambition over the next five years. Not only do we want to scale accessible and affordable technology, we're investing in skilling opportunities and talent development and doubling down on our promise to build and model inclusive workplaces, but we can't close the disability divide alone. As communities around the world prepare for post pandemic life. We want others to join this global cause to make society more inclusive. Disability is a strength and society is stronger when it's accessible to everyone. To learn more, visit aka.ms/accessibilitycommitment
[Doug]: Doug speaking, accepting the award on behalf of Microsoft is Jessica Rafuse.
[Jessica]: Hello, I'm Jessica Rafuse. I'm a white woman with long blonde hair and I'm wearing a pale pink shirt with black flowers. I'm sitting here in my home office and there's a bookshelf behind me. I lead strategic partnerships and policy for accessibility at Microsoft. And wow, what an honor. Thank you so much to Helen Keller Services for this tremendous recognition as the first annual first annual AccessAbility Awards, knowing all of the amazing companies, nonprofits, individuals who are DeafBlind, who have accomplished so much, we are so grateful to all of those who have paved the way for the work we do in accessibility at Microsoft. And there's really so much more that we need to accomplish to truly bridge the disability divide with, and for people who are DeafBlind, blind, and low vision, we renewed our commitment to accessibility this year because the reality is that people with disabilities are being left behind even more so considering the impact of COVID-19 on the disability communities, the disability divide is expanding and digital accessibility has never been more important. And this is also really personal for me. I am a part of this cool gang of people with disabilities. I have muscular dystrophy and I use a power wheelchair. I know that disability is a strength and that disabled talent brings so much innovation to our work. At Microsoft, we will not stop pushing the boundaries of what technology can do to empower people with disabilities to achieve more, but we need your help. So thank you to each of you who is blind, low vision, DeafBlind , everyone who has called our disability answer desk, who has been a part of a disability user study, or just giving us feedback on accessibility. This feedback is a gift and the disability feedback in particular, it's the pixie dust that will make our products, our company, our culture soar. Lastly, happy birthday to the late, the great, the profoundly impactful Helen Keller Together, we blow out the candles and wish you all a fantastic DeafBlind Awareness Week. So from all of us at Microsoft, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[Sue]: This is Sue speaking. And now for our next recipient, Usablenet. Useablenet has been on the forefront of challenging and advocating among businesses everywhere to place a value on improving their website, accessibility, your dedication, and helping businesses far and wide acknowledge that when one person who is blind using a screen reader cannot access their website. That's not acceptable and you're there as a resource to help them bridge that gap. Thank you for your expertise and advocacy in supporting companies with creating accessible websites and making a commitment to improve website accessibility, not only for the sake of compliance, but because it's the right thing to do.
>> Useablenet is a digital accessibility pioneer and industry leader. We created some of the first tools and platforms to make websites accessible and usable for all people starting out. We worked with government agencies as well as universities and corporation. Today digital accessibility has become important to almost all companies. We provide accessibility solutions to fortune 1000 companies, small and medium enterprises, government and education organizations across industries including retail, travel, hospitality, food services, automotive, financial services, and healthcare. Our focus at Useablenet is to make the digital world more accessible and usable. We aim to make websites, apps, and other digital platforms more accessible, inclusive, and user-friendly for everyone through technology, deep expertise, constant innovation and collaboration with the disability community. We help businesses improve their digital content for customers with disabilities.
[Doug]: Doug speaking, accepting on behalf of Useablenet is Jason Taylor and Tanner Gers.
[Doug]: A white male in front of a white backdrop followed by a white male in front of a green backdrop.
[Tanner]: My name is Tanner Gers, I'm the head of partnerships here at Useablenet, I am on this team and work really closely with everybody from top to bottom, from the VP of sales down to our frontline sales development representatives. I am totally blind and use a screen reader, but I'm also using all the technologies and tools that our team is using Salesforce, joining Zoom meetings, Microsoft Teams, and even closing out contracts and negotiations.
[Jason]: Thank you guys. Thank you for the award. We're absolutely honored to get the award from Heller Keller Services. We have worked in a variety of ways with Helen Keller Services over the years, including hiring some amazing people from their network. So thank you for that too. We've always been admirers of Helen Keller Services mission of making sure that everybody from the blind, the low vision and the blind-deaf community can live and thrive in any community that they choose. Our mission at usable and acne is to make sure that digital accessibility is available to everybody in work in education, in health care, in your finance. So our missions are aligned. We're looking forward to working with Helen Keller Services for a long time and creating a fruitful relationship. We'd really like to thank the people that work at helicopter services and the supporters of helicopter services. So the passion that they bring to this area.
[Doug]: Hi Doug again, let's take a moment to hear from Megan Dausch who's Helen Keller services accessibility specialist. In this video, we'll see Megan, who's a white woman with a blue face mask, shoulder length hair, and a purple shirt. And she's standing in front of a backdrop of green bushes and trees. My hope certainly is that companies become more aware of accessibility and ultimately I would love every company be so aware of accessibility that it becomes that they don't even think about it or that they think about it from the inception of their design and it's not an afterthought. I think that's one of my biggest hopes is that accessibility becomes so integral to the way we do things, the way we live that we realize that everyone is going to have different access needs and we become more flexible as a society to really allow people to choose the modalities for them that work best. And, and I think that would be my hope for companies in the future going forward, that they just continue to become aware of accessibility and realize that accessibility should be integral, not just an add on afterthought.
[Sue]: This is Sue speaking, and now for our next recipient Sunrise Credit Services. The team at Sunrise Credit Services exemplifies what it means to be a trailblazer when it comes to providing training and employment opportunities to people who are blind, DeafBlind, and have low vision, your approach to diversity and welcoming and inclusive workforce has resulted in fulfilling careers for individuals who are members of the blind, DeafBlind, and low vision communities. Having a fulfilling and successful career is sometimes more about the culture and our relationships at work that allow us to be our best. Thank you for your commitment to joining our mission so that people who are DeafBlind , blind and have low vision have an equal opportunity to live, work, and thrive in their community of choice.
[Doug]: Doug speaking to accept the award on behalf of Sunrise Credit Services is Elizabeth Vidas and Dawn Simmons.
[Elizabeth]: Hi, I'm Elizabeth Vidas. I am a 40 year old white female with blonde hair and a black shirt I'm with the Sunrise Credit Services. And we are so honored to accept this award. We work for a great company that's always been inclusive of all of our employees, and we're so proud that we've partnered with Helen Keller to share that with you guys too. Thank you.
[Dawn]: And hi, I'm Dawn Simmons. I am a black 52 year old female. I am wearing a black shirt and glasses, and I'm sitting in our office at the Sunrise Credit Services. And again, we are so happy to accept this award. It means a lot to us, and we definitely thank Helen Keller. People who are differently-abled are special to us. We both have brothers who have developmental disabilities. So this means a lot to be able to help people, to train people. We love training and to be awarded for it. It almost seems unfair because it's just something we love to do. We just want to say thank you, this means so much to us. It means so much to our company. Everyone's excited for it and we can't wait to go more. We can do in the future.
[Doug]: Hi, Doug speaking. Now we're going to hear from Chris Woodfill, who's the Associate Executive Director of Helen Keller National Center. In this video. Chris has a short graying hair and a short gray beard. And he's standing in front of a backdrop of green trees and grass.
[Chris]: Definitely people push the idea of accessibility. We're pushing accessibility. We want everyone to have access, and it's not just beneficial for us as a DeafBlind community. It's beneficial for all because what's accessible for us is also accessible from many other individuals. So it's like a universal accessibility and it has a ripple effect and it benefits really many individuals and society in general.
[Sue]: This is Sue speaking. Last but not least our final recipient Be My Eyes. Christian, your company has been such a game changer, for in among individuals who are blind and have low vision, not only in the United States, but internationally. We want to applaud you for making the world a more accessible place through your app and your exceptional services for providing people who are blind and have low vision with volunteers who assist them in navigating life situations. We are truly in awe of Be My Eyes and the over 300,000 lives that you have touched through your services, with over 4.8 million volunteers since your company's inception in 2015. It's a great pleasure to share this award with you.
>> If you can't see very well, some tasks can be a little challenging, like cooking.
>> Is this the tomato can, or is it the baked beans?
>> Or trying to pick clothes that match.
>> Is this tie red? Does it go with that shirt?
>> For people who are blind or have low vision, some everyday tasks can be tricky. Having quick and easy access to assistance would be really helpful. Hans Jorgen Wiberg had a vision to help the visually impaired like himself in such daily challenges. He created an app which connects people who need assistance with a pair of friendly eyes. Since our launch in 2015, Be My Eyes has seen an outpouring of support with millions of volunteers signing up to assist their peers. A user can ask for help anywhere in the world in 180 languages with a quick video call to a friendly volunteer on the other end of the line.
>> Hello?
>> Whatever time of day it is, she connects to someone
>> Could you help me find my keys?
>> He was more than happy to spare a few minutes to assist her in solving a problem.
>> Sure thing.
>> But sometimes more challenging issues arise that call for a more expert set of eyes like your computer making spooky sounds. In 2018, we introduced specialized help connecting users to customer support specific to their needs, to troubleshoot and solve more complex issues. Microsoft and Google were the first to come on board and we're now inviting more companies to join us, to create a healthy ecosystem of value and purpose. Together, we can make the world more inclusive to people with disabilities companies, more accessible with enhanced customer support centers and Be My Eyes can continue to offer this valuable free service to its users. If you are blind or low vision and think Be My Eyes could be a helpful tool. If you are sighted and want to volunteer, or if you're a company which wants to provide enhanced and inclusive customer support, we welcome you into the Be My Eyes community. Let's make the world a more accessible place for everyone. Visit www.bemyeyes.com.
[Doug]: Doug speaking, accepting the award on behalf of Be My Eyes is co-founder and CEO Christian Erfurt, a white male with dirty blonde hair and beard is sitting in front of a bookshelf wearing a dark polo shirt.
[Christian]: Thank you. It's an honor on the entire behalf of the Be My Eyes team and our community. I want to thank you for the AccessAbility Award. It's an honor to be recognized by our peers and in particularly by the community who knows why we are doing this and why it is important. I want to share with you a brief history about how Hans, my visually impaired co-founder and I met one another. So years back I was organizing a startup competition and Hans came there pitching an idea that seemed very, very simple, but had a powerful element to it. It was the idea of connecting sighted volunteers to visually impaired and blind people via live video connection. And I immediately fell in love with this simple, powerful random act of kindness idea. So I had to leave the organizing team and I came over to Hans and I said, I'll do anything I can to help you over the next 72 hours to prove this concept. We didn't win the competition, but we did get a honoree award from the judges who made up that award on the spot, saying that this needs to be in existence and they encouraged us to carry on and build the app. And fast forward to a couple of years later, we did just that we launched Be My Eyes in January of 2015 and were amazed to see that we had 10,000 volunteers signing up within the first 24 hours and a thousand blind and visually impaired users. Within six weeks, we had users signing up in more than a hundred countries. And for the past six years, we've been doing everything we can to make the world more accessible, and we'll be continuing to do this as a free service. And our service will always remain free, unlimited, and globally available. It's an honor to accept this award and I thank you all for it.
[Doug]: Doug speaking, now we will hear from the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Helen Keller Services, Mr. Larry Kinitsky. Mr. Kinitsky previously served as the HKS board for more than 10 years as the Chairman of the Development Committee. Over the past decade, Larry has devoted his business expertise, time, energy, and commitment to Helen Keller Services, working tirelessly as a board member to help guide the organization to fulfill its mission. A white middle-aged male with short gray hair, wearing a light blue button up shirt and a dark blue jacket behind him is a bookshelf.
[Larry]: I'd like to offer my congratulations and heartfelt thanks to each of the companies being recognized today. The contributions that you have made and your commitment to improving the everyday life of those who are DeafBlind, blind, and have low vision is truly remarkable. You are true leaders in the field and have demonstrated that anything is possible. While today we recognize your amazing accomplishments, we are truly thankful that so many companies are working towards improved accessibility and look forward to more innovation in the future. Thank you so much.
[Sue]: All of us at Helen Keller services are so inspired and excited by each and every awardee today. We're extremely appreciative of the steps that have been taken this past year by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Microsoft, Useablenet, Sunrise Credit Services, and Be My Eyes. Sometimes the leaders in our industry, first lead by taking the road less traveled and clearing a path for all of us. Congratulations to everyone. You all have made the road by walking and we're so grateful to be able to join you on the journey. We want to invite others to join us in our collective commitment. If we can put a man on the moon, we can certainly make our earthly environments services and products accessible. And as a result, promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our lives and the lives of everyone, including people with disabilities. Thanks to all for being with us this afternoon to celebrate DeafBlind Awareness Week, and to also honor five outstanding leaders.
[Doug]: Doug speaking, thank you so much for joining us this evening, and there you have it for the first annual Helen Keller Services AccessAbility Awards. What an amazing way to celebrate DeafBlind Awareness Week honoring some incredible organizations on their achievements and accessibility. It's been an honor to host tonight and if you're an organization that would like to learn more about accessibility, you can connect with Helen Keller Services at helenkeller.org. Thank you, and we'll see you all next year!