About ATI
Access Technology Institute was born in the year 2000 on a bright spring day in Sacramento, California during a phone call between two good friends. I had just finished a 1-year contract with an agency serving blind consumers. After coming to a parting of the ways with the organization. I was faced with the prospect of living on a small stipend from the government or taking my knowledge of Access Technology and striking out on my own as an Access Technology Trainer. George Buys, of Audio-tips and I had been friends for many years and George always believed in my potential as a trainer and as a businesswoman. My initial attempts at writing tutorials had been met with some appreciation by the blind community in the mid 90's and he was sure that I could take the small bit of recognition I had acquired through that endeavor and build something that would provide me with an opportunity to be self-supporting. After walking away from the agency. I had $500.00 in the bank and no employment prospects. I was in a position where I had to jump off a pretty high cliff. I took a deep breath and put out an advertisement for the first on-line training course in Windows to be offered via live voice chat. While others had offered private tutoring on-line. ATI was the first to organized full-fledged training courses with syllabi, training materials, and a regular slate of scheduled class meetings. On May 8,2000, 6 students embraced the idea of on-line access technology training and helped forge a path that many would follow over the coming years. The students participated in the first on-line training course in Windows 98 with JFW and Window-eyes and, four months later, four of those students successfully graduated from the training course with a certificate of graduation from ATI. The concept of charging for internet training in Access Technology Training was met with quite a bit of shock and derision from many fronts within the blind community. The idea of charging for Internet services on the Internet in the sighted community was relatively new and the idea of a blind person charging for training classes on the Internet was something that many felt was exploitive and unfair to those who had limited resources. Faced with the choice of giving away my talents and living on the small stipend I could receive from the government or pursuing my dream, I opted to ride out the storm and continue to ask for compensation for the training I provided. There were many moments I felt a desire to respond to my critics publicly or give up and retreat back to the life that society felt I deserved but I remained quiet and let my actions and abilities speak for me. In the end, the critics were silenced as they went on to pursue their own projects and students who saw the potential of this powerful training medium continued to enroll in the classes and enrich their lives. I am proud of the unique approach ATI takes to training blind and visually impaired students. We teach the concepts and controls of Windows. Where many taught access to computers through the use of keystrokes and offered one way to accomplish a single task, ATI teaches students the ins and outs of Windows, offering a robust knowledge of the operating system and distinguishing among the screen readers, windows, and application commands. This empowers our students and spurs them to success in all aspects of their lives. Students learn how to access Windows independent of screen readers and can effectively work within the Windows environment, configure the computer and more through standard Windows commands. The screen reader augments access but is never used as a sole means to access. This unique approach continues to draw new students to the training programs of ATI. Courses in Web page design, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, and numerous free seminars followed this initial training experiment and on-line access technology training became a reality. People started to take notice, wanted to drop in and listen to a class, started to talk about the potential of the technology and the classes started to fill with students who were eager to embrace the future and all that the Internet had to offer. Shortly after graduating the first on-line training graduates, I produced the first completely digital independent study training course for blind and visually impaired students under the auspices of ATI. These courses were recorded in digital (Real Audio and mp3) format and offered on CD ROM. Students reacted with curiosity and skepticism. Textbooks and training materials came on cassette tape, not CD. Pressure came from many different directions to offer the training courses in audio cassette format as well but the digital format was more versatile, offering more opportunity for easy updating and could include textbooks in other accessible formats as well. Textbooks in Microsoft word, HTML, and plain text were included on the CDs and, for the first time, students had access to the printed word as well as audio recordings in one "compact" package. This format has now gained worldwide acceptance. ATI now offers all products as digital downloads through an online shopping cart. In the spring of 2001, ATI blazed another trail by offering the first on-line, live voice chat, training course for Access Technology Trainers. Individuals and Trainers from across the world came to ATI to improve their skills in teaching Windows, Window-Eyes, JFW, ZoomText and innovative ways in which to communicate these skills to their students. ATI uses the Voice Conferencing technology of Talking Communities as it pioneers the field of online training for blind and visually-impaired consumers. Because of the demanding curriculum and high expectations, the trainers course of ATI has a high attrition rate. Those who have graduated are among the most skilled trainers in the field of access technology.While some agencies and organizations seek to make a one-size-fits-all trainer and are working toward encompassing all possible technology from screen reading to notetakers and Braille displays, ATI concentrates on teaching students the concepts and skills necessary to continue their own education and explore other aspects of training on their own. By teaching self-sufficiency and encouraging students to explore and take chances, ATI empowers trainers and spurs them toward ultimate success in the field.
ATI has carved a comfortable niche on the Internet and is now seen as a respected authority within the field of Access Technology Training. Students seek out our services and attempt to emulate what they have seen within our classrooms and on our website. We take this as a compliment and hope that there will soon be a flourishing community of on-line access technology trainers offering quality training to those who have the drive and desire to succeed beyond mere keystrokes and take that extra step toward understanding and independence.
The future of ATI is bright as other projects and ground-breaking ideas rise to the forefront. George and I are still best friends and many of the ideas implemented at ATI were originally born of his inspiration and imagination. Initially dismissed, they eventually become "my" ideas and they take seed and flourish in the virtual halls of ATI.
At one time, I was afraid to dream. George stepped in and taught me the skills I needed to reach beyond what society had "given" me and ask for more. I have discovered that the world will give you what you need to be successful in life. You just need the courage to ask.