tale of courage

Tale of courage

By Shazia hasan
"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." ---
Helen Keller;

In my previous articles about JAWS published in these columns, I described how the software assists the visually impaired persons in making use of computer
programs, internet, etc.

In this article, I am writing about the person who created this software (JAWS). Apart from giving us a wonderful software to improve the quality of our
lives, he demonstrated that with determination and courage there is no obstruction which cannot be overcome.

Not many will easily comprehend that the author if this software Ted Henter is himself BLIND !! This article about his life will be a source of encouragement
for "special persons" and their parents and family members. Given the right environment and encouragement, special persons can easily blend themselves
in the society as an equal member.

Ted Henter, handsome, young 27 year old mechanical engineer was one of the worlds top ten motorcycle racers when in 1978 he met with an automobile accident
that left him blind. Just four years out of college at the time, Ted realized that career opportunities for blind engineers were limited. He began taking
computer courses at the University of South Florida and had his first job as a computer programmer, with Fortune Hotels in St. Petersburg, a year later.
Two years after that, in 1981, he began working for Maryland Computer Services developing the first talking computers for the blind and visually-impaired.
Ted had devoted his life to expanding opportunities for people who are disabled. A World and National Blind Water Skiing Champion, Ted has shown by personal
example that having a disability need not limit one's business or recreational pursuits. He believes there should be no obstacle to fulfilling one's potential.

Ted was fortunate to be in a society which provided encouragement and support for creating equal life for persons with disability.

The story of courage and success began in 1985, when Ted Henter, an engineer in the field of enabling technology and experienced software designer for speech
products, started his own company, EnTech.

Two years later, Ted was joined in the business by his friend, water-skiing partner, and successful businessman, Bill Joyce. Together they created Henter-Joyce
Inc. a company totally committed to providing access for people with disabilities to today's technologically oriented world.

Ted founded Henter-Joyce in 1987 on the premise that visual impairment need not hinder people's professional, creative or academic pursuits. Toward this
end, he developed JAWS (Job Access With Speech), a program that reads the content of a computer screen through the use of specialized software and simulated
speech synthesizers. Henter-Joyce grew slowly but steadily in the first seven years, enjoying an increasing share of the access technology market as time
progressed. In 1995,

Henter-Joyce introduced JAWS, or JAWS for Windows, and the market exploded. As word of JAWS spread through both the blind community and the computer industry,
Henter-Joyce became, as it remains, almost synonymous with computer use for the blind and visually-impaired. Using JAWS, blind or visually-impaired computer
users access a whole world of information, education and job-related applications including browsing the web, reading or writing e-mail messages, re-calculating
spread sheets or accessing information in a data base. Widely recognized as the industry leader, Henter-Joyce licensed their Off-Screen Model to Microsoft
in 1995. Microsoft plans to use the OSM as the basis of an open component architecture to develop their own access technology. A growing number of Fortune
1,000 and Fortune 500 companies use Henter-Joyce products, including AT&T, Commonwealth Edison, Federal Express, Honeywell, Marriott, Pizza Hut and Sears.
Top U.S. educational institutions, including M.I.T., Stanford, Harvard and U.C.L.A. have purchased site licenses so that their students may use Henter-Joyce
software. With the recent addition of MAGic (Magnification in Color) screen-enlargement software and unabated progress in JAWS development, the future
of Henter-Joyce is exceedingly bright. By re-investing financial and intellectual resources in the development of new and existing products, Henter-Joyce
will continue

to lead the computer industry in the development of screen reader and screen-magnification software and into an era of universal accessibility

Long before the advent of the Americans with Disabilities Act, many of America's most successful corporations had discovered the unique contributions to
be made by employing people with disabilities. Henter-Joyce was one of the first companies to offer the specialized products and technological expertise
which are the keys to unlocking the tremendous potential of these exceptional individuals. Henter-Joyce remains the leader in this field today and in 1993
was honored by the U.S. Department of Commerce with the coveted Adaptive Technology Vendor of the Year award.

The Henter-Joyce Staff

Blind and visually-impaired people are an invaluable component of the staff at Henter-Joyce. As both users of Henter-Joyce products and staff members, they
are driven to maintain our position at the forefront of assistive technology, ensuring their own progress in addition to that of the blind and visually-impaired
community at large.

1985 he won his first of six national championships for blind water skiers, and culminated his skiing career by winning the overall gold Medal in the 1991
World Championships. Ted has been selected "For outstanding contribution to the rehabilitation of citizens with disabilities" by the Florida Rehabilitation
Association, and is an "Up and Comer Entrepreneur" according to Price-Waterhouse and the Tampa Business Journal.

In the end I would urge on social workers and persons in authority to create conditions and provide encouragement so that many "Helen Kellers and Ted Henters
in Pakistan are able to play their creative roles"…

In my future articles I will narrate tales of Pakistanis who despite handicap have made significant achievement and created place for themseves in the society.

Shazia Hasan