Web Posted on: January 20, 1999
Installation, Configuration, and Training Issues for Individuals Who are Blind or Visually Impaired
Dean Hudson and Kenneth Frasse
This paper discusses the access technology installation, configuration, and training services that are critical to the successful implementation of workplace accommodations for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Technical recommendations made for workplace accommodations cannot be effected and a client's job can be threatened without the timely implementation of these services. The context in which these services are needed is discussed below.
One of SAF's most time-intensive and beneficial services to the community is its Access Technology Services department. This department of four Access Technology Specialists (ATS) serving the entire state of California includes professionals that are skilled in assisting individuals who are blind or visually impaired in retaining and obtaining competitive employment. The following statistic illustrates the magnitude of the problem for these populations and professionals providing services for them.
"Blindness and visual impairment lead to severe handicaps in education, employment and daily living. The National Health Interview Survey (LaPlante, 1988) indicates there are approximately 600,000 men and women between the ages of 18 and 69 whose work activities are limited due to visual disabilities including blindness, glaucoma, cataracts, and other visual impairments. Of this group, about 405,000 (67.5%) are unemployed." (Federal Register, July 5, 1990).
SAF remains one of the few agencies who has consistently been able to serve these populations and has successfully assisted thousands of individuals who are blind or visually impaired in obtaining or retaining employment since 1975. In providing such services to its clients, SAF applies a service delivery model that:
- assesses the client's functional vision,
- evaluates the client's job tasks and stated needs,
- considers the referral source's and employer's concerns and goals for the evaluation,
- determines technologies and strategies that will enable the client to perform their job duties effectively,
- identifies installation and configuration issues particular to the client's situation, and
- researches training resources the client will require.
The goal of the above services is to make specific recommendations for the client that can then be implemented either by SAF or service providers from other organizations. SAF has noted that once these recommendations have been determined, in many cases, the work has just begun. Specifically, once these recommendations have been made, the installation, configuration, and training issues dominate a case. The difficulties associated with providing installation, configuration, and training services are described below.
SAF's Access Technology Specialists have found that on average, clients, who must use mainstream and/or proprietary software on the job, may require: installation time between 2 and 5 hours, configuration time between 20-100 hours, and training time between 5 and 80 hours. Installation refers to the physical setup of a client's workstation including all hardware devices and software. Configuration refers to the process of customizing the client's access technology to work seamlessly with their mainstream or proprietary applications. Training refers to any instruction that is provided to the client or the client's employer that enables the client to use their recommended equipment effectively.
In general, a client cannot begin working without access technology installation, configuration, and training. Due to time and resource limitations, SAF is recommending that these services be provided by Access Technology Vendors from outside organizations. A great deal of team work and coordination is necessary to ensure a smooth transition from the original SAF service provider team to the professionals providing the installation, configuration, and training. For example, one professional may install the computer system at the client's site. A second professional, the configuration specialist, may perform just the customization required to enable the access technology to function more seamlessly with the client's mainstream and proprietary applications. A third professional, the Access Technology Trainer (ATT), may provide training to the client on the recommended access technology. A fourth professional, who is key to the success of the training, is the individual who performs in-house training to employees at the client's workplace. This person works in tandem with the ATT to learn how the access technology has been configured and to provide the appropriate instruction to enable the client to perform his or her job duties.
SAF has assumed the responsibility of coordinating the efforts of these individuals. SAF has noted that this coordination is time consuming and requires that the SAF team determine which of the professionals described above are available in the client's vicinity or that can travel to the client's worksite. Furthermore, once the recommendations have been made, the employer must be kept apprised of the role of these professionals and the approximate timelines each one will require to complete their services. This coordination often begins when the final recommendations are first being drafted by the SAF team. When proprietary software is involved, the first person that is contacted is typically the configuration specialist. Specific instructions are given to this specialist from the ATS team regarding areas of the software that need special attention. Often, the team will have started the configuration during their on-site evaluation. Concurrently, the individual that installs the client's workstation, who will need to coordinate this installation with the configuration specialist, is also contacted. The ATT, sometimes the same person as the configuration specialist, is also contacted regarding the training needs of the client on the recommended access technology and is apprised of the work of the configuration specialist. Finally, the employer's in-house trainer is contacted to advise him or her of the roles of the other professionals and to provide suggestions on how to coordinate the in-house training.
In summary, the above mentioned coordination of professionals illustrates the complexity of orchestrating the successful implementation of installation, configuration, and training services for clients using access technology in the workplace. SAF is considering dedicating a new staff member to installation and configuration in order to eliminate the excessive coordination needed. Dedicating such a staff member would allow SAF to provide a more timely response after the technical recommendations have been finalized. Not only would the services be more timely, but there would be greater continuity to the services provided to the client. SAF's training department is also working towards the dedication of one of its trainers to on-site training. Overall SAF has found that effective access technology installation, configuration, and training are a critical component to successful job retention services.