SPN Special: A community Tribute to Steve Jobs
Listen to A Community Tribute to Steve Jobs
The SeroTalk Podcast network asked our listeners to send us commentary on the passing of Steve Jobs. It is clear that Steve had a tremendous impact on many lives, and we’ve compiled stories submitted to us in remembrance of him from listeners around the world.
Our tribute opens with a never-aired commercial narrated by Steve Jobs called Never Think Different. We then hear from Brad Hodges from The American Foundation For The Blind AFBTech, followed by Rick Harmon of the Blind Geek Zone podcast and web site. Next, Wade Wingler from Easter Seals Crossroads and the Indata Project shares his thoughts about Steve. Then we hear from Randy Rusnak of Accessible Devices followed by Rodney and Erin Edgar of the Tech Access Weekly podcast.
Listeners submitted their thoughts via the iReport feature of iBlink Radio, and we play several of those. Following that, we play the inspiring speech given by Steve Jobs to Stanford graduates in 2005.
Members of the SeroTalk Podcast network share their feelings about Steve. We hear from the hosts of Triple Click Home, and then from Mike Calvo, Michael Lauf, Ricky Enger and Joe Steinkamp of the SeroTalk podcast. You can read Mike Calvo’s blog post thanking Steve Jobs and Ricky Enger’s blog post remembering Steve Jobs.
Email Commentary
We received a number of emails from listeners as well. Here they are.
When Steve Jobs helped launch the Apple II, it created the computer accessibility revolution. Today, the Apple iMac, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch represent the best of built-in accessibility. It’s very appropriate to celebrate these two landmarks and the seminal contribution of Steve Jobs in ensuring that computers were a tool usable by everyone!
Jim Fruchterman
***
Steve Jobs was an amazing man with an unforgettable story. His ability to develop Apple from a home project in to one of the most valuable companies in the world and constantly revolutionizing one industry after another was nothing short of miraculous. He had a way of enriching lives through his love of science and art. I owe Steve my utmost gratitude for so much of what I have today: my job, my ability to communicate with the digital world, and my appreciation of science and art as a mutual concept. I am truly saddened at his passing.
Hai Nguyen Ly
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From universal access thru Voiceover to the blind girl in the iPhone 4S video. First we were helped, now we’re target consumers. RIP Steve.
Damon Rose
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Hello,
Here are a few thoughts about Steve Jobs. As I mentioned this morning, I’m working on an extended blog post that should go up sometime tonight. In the mean time, …
In the past, when asked about my personal heros, I’ve always refused to pick one-half flippantly, half seriously-because I thought I never needed one.
After all, there are so many people from whom I could learn. But the personal turmoil and the sadness of the past 24 hours after Steve Jobs’
death have made me realize how wrong I have actually been. It is true that, like all blind people, I owe a great personal debt to Steve Jobs for believing in my abilities. That is only incidental however. More important is the fact that, perhaps for the first time ever in this land of technological renaissance, the model that Steve Jobs put together allows a whole community of disabled people to ask all companies to be better -all this without shame and in open-haarted defiance of the conventional wisdom.
Pratik Patel
***
Dear SeroTalk,
I have been listening to your podcasts for the past few months already and must say that it’s great!
I am a visually impaired student who has learnt the code of Braille and live up in the cold province of Manitoba, Canada and have thought that I could contribute some insight of how a blind and visually impaired individual can benifit from using the Apple iPad.
A year ago I was not an Apple fan. I stuck with my Zoom Text and that was that, but have purchased an iPad last year and have found it to be better for a visually impaired person such as my self to use than a laptop or desktop PC.
This is because of VoiceOver. I’m aware that some people arn’t that familiar or used to using VoiceOver, but I have done many presentations and have tutored many students of how to do so. I actually got the Manitoba Education Department purchasing iPad’s for their students who are blind and visually impaired!
As a fond user of the Apple iPad and the VoiceOver and Zoom feature of Apple products, I just wanted to give a shout out for the next 2 podcasts about the iPad, as I know that 2 other podcasts talked about the MacBook Air.
From Michael Mielniczek
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I’ve been using Apple products since I was very young. My parents were teachers, so Apple computers were what I grew up with. I remember being so proud of the fact that we had an Apple2gs which had color. I played so many games on that 2gs. Then in the 90’s we got a Macintosh Performa followed by my purple IMac which I took to college. When my vision got bad enough to need a screen reader I abandoned my mac for a PC, but I always hoped I would be able to be a mac user again someday. I got my white macbook in 2009, and my iPhone 3gs in 2010. Apple is the leader in accessibility because they include it in all their products at no extra charge to those of us with disabilities. I think that Steve had a great role in making accessibility a priority, and it seems like with every new product, the accessibility only gets better. Steve Jobs plays a part in my independence, and his contributions to Apple will be missed. I think he led a great life, and I thank him for making a positive impact on the blind community.
Alena Roberts
***
Hello,
My name is Rammaditya from Indonesia. I am a totally blind, and right now I am working as a journalist, book author, trainer, and private teacher. My website is www.ramaditya.com.
It is probably too late for me to send my condolences to Mr. Steve Jobs, but I believe that this message will reach him and all of you soon.
Just to let people know that living in a developing country like mine is rather difficult compared to others, especially when we talk about assistive technology which is considered to be expensive.
I just want to say thank you to Mr. Steve Jobs that has developed such an awesome accessibility features built into the Apple product.
It is, currently, my best option to cover my assistive technology needs, and it sure cuts down the cost I need to provide myself with helping tools.
Again, it is probably easy for people in America for instance, to be provided with assistive technology, but that condition is not the same over here. Well, Mr. Steve Jobs, I just want to let you know that you have become one of the helping hands for me, and I hope, other blind folks around here can take benefit from what you have done.
To all my new blind friends, this is my first hello, and I hope we can keep in touch.
Regards,
Ramaditya
***
I am cross-posting this. I did not know Steve Jobs personally. However, I send my heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, both at Apple and elsewhere. My introduction to Apple came in the early 80’s when my parents purchased an AppleII computer for use by anyone and everyone living at home at the time. For those of us who could not see the screen, there was a speech option. Although it didn’t have quite the variety of features contained in today’s speech synthesizers, the Echo speech synthesizer was very good and we enjoyed using it. We had a little program called Textalker, which spoke text that we wrote. We enjoyed showing it off to family and friends who came to visit. There were 3 of us who used it. When my family and I moved to Illinois, an AppleIIGS computer was purchased by the school district. It had an external Cricket speech synthesizer, which sounded almost identical to Echo if not exactly the same. I have since heard the VoiceOver screen reader for the Macintosh demonstrated on a number of occasions, and my former roommate grew up on the Mac. He is legally blind and is now a very satisfied VO user. Although there are those who perhaps didn’t agree with Steve Jobs, he was a very forward-thinking man and will be missed. Thank you.
Best wishes,
Jake Joehl, IL
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