IFB Beat – Week of July 29, 2024

A Message from the Editor

Greetings all!

In this week’s edition we have some important reminders pertaining to workplace safety and maintaining a clean work environment. Also, don’t forget to support the NFB fund raiser, and for those who enjoy riddles, put your thinking cap on: what gets wet while drying? Stroll the IFB Beat to find the answer.

Thanks for reading the IFB Beat and have a wonderful week!

Anastasia Powell

IFB Solutions Communications Manager

apowell@ifbsolutions.org | 336-245-5698

Quick Links:

New this Week

– Safety Reminder for Every Employee
– Maintaining a Clean Manufacturing Work Environment
– See what S.E.E. is Doing!
– IFB Support Group Updates
– Community Low Vision Center Updates

From Our Community

– Four Everyday Innovations

HR and Opportunities

– New Job Openings

Support Group Zoom Meeting Links

Safety Reminder for Every Employee

At IFB Solutions, ensuring a safe workplace is important for both our team’s well-being and that of our operations. From the moment you step onto our campus, safety guidelines apply to protect you and your colleagues. It starts with awareness—be mindful of your surroundings while walking around the campus, and don’t hesitate to report any suspicious activity. Our door badging is designed with your safety in mind: All tours must be scheduled and led by an IFB tour guide, and visitors are required to check in at the front lobby and be accompanied by an employee while in our buildings. Please do not allow entry to other individuals, such as friends, UPS delivery personnel, or even employees. Employees should use their own access cards for entry. Additionally, never leave doors propped open unattended or unlatched in any way.

Why are these measures so critical? Firstly, for general safety reasons—the world presents unforeseen risks, and precaution is our best defense. Secondly, our government contracts demand stringent security to protect access during vulnerable manufacturing periods and to keep certain government information secret. Lastly, our community includes visually impaired individuals who are particularly vulnerable to silent deception, making it imperative to prevent unauthorized access.

Failure to comply with these safety guidelines isn’t just about following rules—it’s about preventing potential harm to yourself, your colleagues, and the integrity of our mission. Your coworkers thank you for your cooperation.

 

Maintaining a Clean Manufacturing Work Environment

To maintain cleanliness in our work environment, eating is prohibited on the manufacturing floor. We ask that you utilize the designated eating areas. Please ensure all trash is properly disposed of, and when drinking on the manufacturing floor, all liquids must be contained in bottles or containers with secure lids. These measures will our manufacturing floors presentable, especially since we frequently host visitors, and they will also help prevent any potential damage to products and materials. Thank you, your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

See what S.E.E. is Doing!

S.E.E. Day campers painted leaves fall colors with spices. Leaves from 5 different trees were made into raised line drawings on the Picture in a Flash machine. A little vegetable oil was poured into 5 small bowls and spices were added to create fall colors: cinnamon for brown, dill for green, mustard for gold, paprika for red, and turmeric for orange. Campers painted their leaves using a cotton swab. They could smell the scent and know which color they wanted to use.

 

IFB Solutions Support Group Updates

Update from the NFB Support Group – NFB Fundraiser

Don’t miss our exciting raffle at the National Federation for the Blind State Convention! Join us for a chance to win big prizes: $500 for first place, $300 for second, and $100 for third. Raffle tickets are $5 each and will be available for purchase from now until the convention. Contact any NFB member such as Angela Haynes, Teresa Norway, Winter Robinson, Tracy Gould, or Morgan Dugan to buy your tickets. Get your tickets and support our cause today!

Upcoming Support Group Meetings

• None this week

 

Community Low Vision Center Updates

CLVC Item of the Week:

Elastic Strap Accessory for Talking Food Cans for $0.99. This Elastic Strap is intended for use as a replacement or extra strap to affix talking food caps to cans as part of the Talking Food Can System.

If you have questions or are interested in any of the weekly items, please contact your local CLVC for assistance.

 

The Beat Riddle

Thanks for strolling! You found the answer.

Question: What gets wet while drying?

Answer: A towel.

 

From Our Community

Four Everyday Innovations You Probably Didn’t Know Came from the Disability Community

Submitted by Kim Shoffner

These technologies were created to solve real-life accessibility challenges for people with disabilities but ended up making the world better for everyone.

Disabilities (innovative products and services that improve the lives of people with disabilities) is projected to be a $40 billion industry by 2030 and was already valued at ~$25 billion in 2022. There is huge market potential, as people with disabilities and their family and friends account for $13 trillion in annual disposable income. Building technologies for this growing group offers enormous opportunity — for people with disabilities, tech companies, and the population at large.

Perkins is home to the Howe Innovation Center, which serves as an incubator for the disability space.

Did you know that these technologies (and the start-ups innovating on them) came from the disability community?

1. Audiobooks

Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) was established in 1931 to distribute braille and audio books using postage-free mail. In 1932, the American Foundation for the Blind launched the “Talking Book Program.” The program aimed to make literature accessible through recording books onto 12-inch vinyl records. Two years later, the Perkins Library began offering Talking Books.
Today, audiobooks and audiobook apps such as Audible have become widely popular. The Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library offers over 75,000 digital and cassette titles. The audiobook industry is growing as well — according to the Audio Publishers Association, audiobook sales reportedly increased by 10% in 2022, reaching $1.8 billion in the US alone.

2. Closed Captions

While first created to make television more accessible for people with hearing impairments, closed captions enhance the experience for everyone. WGBH, a public broadcasting organization in Boston, was a pioneer of closed captioning. The Caption Center at WGBH was established in 1972 to “provide the widest possible access to television and video for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.” In 1972, PBS aired “The French Chef” with Julia Child with open captions (captions that cannot be turned off), making it the first regularly captioned TV program.

The closed captioning space has many innovative companies, including:

• Ava is a startup leveraging cutting-edge AI for professional-grade live captioning. Their captions can be used for making online work, school, healthcare appointments, as well as live shows and presentations more inclusive. Their text-to-speech technology enables non-voicing Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to engage in two-way conversations through the use of natural-sounding voices. Ava’s solutions are over 99% accurate and have been used by over 150,000 people.
• Voiceitt is a startup aiming to create fully accessible closed captioning and audio output for people who want to make their speech easier to understand, including people with brain injuries and Parkinson’s disease. Voiceitt has built an AI voice for people with speech disabilities and aging adults. Their next-gen technology is currently being used to help people with disabilities fulfill their potential in the (remote) workplace and classroom.

3. Automated Doors

In the 1970s, the first access doors for people with mobility disabilities were built. By the 1990s, automatic doors with motion detectors had become widespread. Automated doors can now be found everywhere, from schools and supermarkets to stadiums.

Today, the next generation of accessible doors has arrived. We Hear You is a start-up company developing innovative technology to increase doorway accessibility. By leveraging Bluetooth, the Push™ App will allow users to remotely open accessible doors with the tap of a smart device screen or voice command. The app aims “to give even more autonomy and provide the power to open doors with voice activation for more ease of mobility.”

4. Text-To-Speech (TTS)

In 1976, the National Federation of the Blind unveiled the Kurzweil Reading Machine, the first technology that converted printed characters into synthetic speech. By the 1990s, Apple was developing a speech synthesis and recognition system called “PlainTalk.” In 1995, text-to-speech went mainstream with the addition of TTS technology to the Windows 95 operating system.

Today, almost all digital devices have built-in TTS tools, helping people access messages, websites, social media, and more. iPhones, mobile assistants, GPS apps, e-readers, and smart TVs have TTS functionality, so users can access the device without needing to see the screen. Apple’s Siri, which was introduced in 2011 and utilizes TTS, can be used to set reminders, manage calendars, and read texts aloud.

TTS technology continues to revolutionize the reading experience for people with disabilities. With the VoiceDream reader app, users can upload any e-book or Word document to the app, which then reads the text, shows it on the screen, and allows users to pause at any time. Intended for people who are blind or have low vision, VoiceDream Reader is an alternative to textbooks.

https://perkinsaccess.org/disability-tech/

 

HR & Opportunities

New Job Announcements

For all current openings, visit https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs?clientkey=8B43E6E34C5D5C9AA3D07BB04DBEB909

Project Manager – Workforce Services

Education and Work Experience

• Project and product management experience
• Customer relationship management
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in business/IT or related field
• A minimum of 5 years management experience is required.
• Call center management experience a plus.

External candidates may apply at https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=94064&clientkey=8B43E6E34C5D5C9AA3D07BB04DBEB909

Internal candidates may apply at https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=94065&clientkey=8B43E6E34C5D5C9AA3D07BB04DBEB909&jpt=ce8685cef740a6280b5fcb492b556fa5

For more information, please contact a member of the recruitment team at careers@ifbsolutions.org.

 

Zoom Meeting Links

Adult Support Groups Zoom

https://ifbsolutions.zoom.us/j/99498078576?pwd=ODJzK0sxcXZrME9yN25YRTdiNXBSQT09
Meeting ID: 994 9807 8576
PASSWORD: 92638
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Meeting ID: 994 9807 8576