User Generated Content by Mike May

I attended a very interesting conference yesterday in Paris, the 8th eAccessibility conference. The theme this year was user generated content. I presented this from Sendero and a blind person's perspective as I also did at the CSUN conference with Josh Miele from Smith Kettlewell.

As you may know, Sendero has had the ability to add user Points of Interest since its first product in 2000. Actually, it even goes back to Atlas Speaks in 1995. Now of course, adding points is more automatic but the value remains the same. When I went to the conference in an Uber, the nearest access for a vehicle was about 1000 feet from the door of the Science Museum where the conference was held. I was able to navigate straight to the main door because of a user point recorded there by one of our users, with initials, PB. Thanks Peter!

I know many of you have points you have recorded but you haven't bothered to figure out how to share them. The value in all this is only significant when many people contribute. I implore you to make your contribution. Think of it like voting. You may feel insignificant in the greater scheme of things but you aren't. Each vote counts as each user POI helps you out and it helps out another blind user.

I will send a link to the papers from eAccessibility when they are published. I shared a session with a French guy in a chair who has a site called Jaccede.com This is another community action approach. I think if we are really going to make a difference, then Jaccede, Blindsquare, Sendero, Smith Kettlewell and others on the disability front must get together so we can collectively make our voice felt with international guidelines to be adopted by mainstream companies like Foursquare or others.

Ok, off my soap box.

Now, upload your points please.

Mike