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Computer added at the House Building

On March 3, 1999, The Able Trust celebrated the addition of an accessible computer terminal at the Florida State Capitol. The computer, which was purchased and installed by The Able Trust, is located on the fifth floor of the House Building where legislators and lobbyists convene. Special guests at the ceremony included Speaker of the House John Thrasher, Representative Steven Wise, Tamara Allen, Director of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Randy Touchton, Director of the Division of Blind Services and Kurt Ponchak of the Governor's Office. Chair of The Able Trust Nancy Koepke and Director Warren Jernigan helped cut the ceremonial ribbon.

The computer will assist individuals, particularly those with physical or visual disabilities, with accessing updated legislative information. It is maintained on an adjustable table to accommodate all types of wheelchairs. It is also equipped with the JAWS program, which uses a voice synthesizer to speak what is seen on the computer screen. The "Buddy Button" is available for persons with dexterity problems, which uses four large round buttons as a substitute for a mouse, allowing the person to move the cursor on the screen to the desired selections. Other programs will also be installed to make the typing process easier.

The computer will be tied into "On-Line Sunshine", the State's legislative homepage on the Internet. This includes the same data that resides in the Capitol's mainframe computer concerning the legislative process and all updated bill information. This data provides a useful tool to keep Florida citizens informed of all bill activity. The accessible computer will be available for use throughout the Legislative Session.