Why Help?

Once Upon a time, computers came in all sizes. I fondly

remember unloading a particular computer - the size of a fridge into our unofficial pantry office that was the meeting place for members of HcUG ( an acronym for HK computer User Group for People with Disabilities - started in the late 80s it was awarded the Outstanding Self-help Organization by the Hong Kong government in 1994). We were the beneficiaries of generous individuals and companies who donated used computers for our consumption. Looking back 20 years now, we had no clues how to boot this fridge size metal beast into functionality. In tears I asked if HcUG has become a receiving dumping ground for corporate social responsibility act on electronic waste disposal? Can disabled person be equal with the right assistive tools? How things have changed over the 20 years. Today, the reality of a $25 bootable computer bundled with free open-source software (see http://www.raspberrypi.org and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ7N4rycsy4) is being tested. Engineers can make computing power available to the masses in wearable form a One Laptop Per Keychain (OLPK) assessibility project is in the waiting for innovators. Perhaps our long retired dial-in Bulletin Board System (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSyTFvrihkM) can be made alive again given that connected computers and devices are everywhere now. Today the Internet is the new great equalizer for people with disabilities. Growing up children must have connected computers as an extension of their body and mind. In 2008 I fell in love with the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) XO laptop and its mission for providing educational learning experience for deprived children (http://www.laptop.org). It opened my past dream of packing dozens of laptops into a car boot or even a legpowered trishaw (http://www.thetrishawman.com) for educational roadshow and training. The XO fits well - designed for play and work in harsh living environment. Recently the OLPC Paraguay team (http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/File:Accessibility_control_panel_2.png) has improves its functionality for accessibility by children with disabilities through software improvements. While testing a modified Memorize activity in the XO Sugar operating system I discovered single-switch ( http://youtu.be/oN5FofYeJro) and virtual keyboard access (http://youtu.be/O34btug-YkE) in the XO. This has ignited my interest in helping children with disabilities. I asked if we can prioritized disability accessibility

in OLPC mission? With that I coined the One Laptop Per DisAbled Child (OLPdisAbledC) initiative to kick start interests in a very specialized area of work.

I renamed the HcUG of my past into a new acronym: Holistic computing Usability Group. This nurture group promote holistic One2One educational computing in Asia. Through digital technologies (e.g laptops, netbook, tablets) and access to the Internet, children with disabilities can now have equal opportunities to participate. HcUG support the ongoing global One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project with focused vision of targeting special needs children and individuals with OLPdisAbledC. Educational computing provide ways of learning and living that enhance children cognition, action, relation & emotion. We know disAbled children and individuals need the tools NOW. This is a campaign to recycle used XO into to the hands of children in need. Note: BTW the XO fit the size of a medium pizza container box!

Let me have some ideas and your support.

T.K. Kang, Clinical Psychologist tkkang@nurturingasia.com http://www.121educomputing.com/