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Features for Senior Citizens
Blind CEO, Race Car Driver Promotes Business
Communications for the Blind
Sharlyn Ayotte has built a business with seeing-eye
dog by her side
 July
21, 2006 - "Blind people are consumers too!" The lady making
the statement has a seeing-eye dog, is a corporate CEO, just competed as
a driver in an auto race for the blind and has spent the last fifteen
years convincing North America's major service industries that it makes
good business sense to address this particular market. Sharlyn Ayotte
lost about 90% of her vision in 1975 as the result of an eye disease,
and is president and chief executive officer of T-Base Communications
Inc.
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Statistics on the Blind |
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There are approximately 5.5 million senior
citizens (65 and older) who are blind or visually impaired. That
is more than half of the 10 million in the U.S. There are,
however, only 1.3 million that are legally blind. –
American Foundation for the Blind |
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Related Stories |
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Tips for Older People to Maintain Visual Abilities
May 2, 2005 - Are you like many senior citizens
having a harder time reading small print, navigating dimly lit hallways,
or attending public gatherings? Age-related vision loss could be the
cause. May is Healthy Vision Month and the American Foundation for the
Blind offers these strategies and devices that may help older people
with vision loss to maintain their independence and quality of life.
Read more...
Read more
Features for Seniors |
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With locations in Canada and the United States, T-
Base Communications works in partnership with companies such as American
Express, Citigroup, LaSalle Bank, MBNA, Merrill Lynch, Nokia, Royal
Bank, Symcor, TD, and Verizon Wireless to provide listen-ready and
touch- ready contractual and customer management materials for
government and industry in Braille, large print, e-Text and audio.
The goal is meeting the diverse information needs
of their blind and partially sighted customers. And it makes good
business sense, she says.
According to Ayotte, today's blind and partially
sighted consumer base is on the rise. Not only is it increasing in size,
but also in prosperity - directly influencing how leading financial
service organizations communicate to this influential group of
consumers.
Providing contractual and customer management
materials in alternative formats privately and securely is becoming
commonplace for banks and credit card companies who are increasingly
recognizing the rewarding impact of reaching a wider audience in
response to client needs. The statistics are compelling.
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Blind CEO Competes in Car Race |
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Sharlyn Ayotte,
president and CEO of T-Base Communications competed in the MIRA
Foundation annual car race for blind participants, (Défi-Vision),
in Granby, Quebéc on June 16, 2006 to help raise funds to
benefit the blind community.
With over thirty participants, each car
had a blind driver aided by a sighted co-pilot in an attempt to
achieve the 10 required laps. Ayotte sat behind the wheel guided
with auditory instructions by sighted navigator Dan Whall,
Director of Operations for T-Base, around the oval course at 40
km per hour.
"As participants, I think we redefined
the buzz phrase ~ Risk Management" jests Ayotte. "It was an
exercise in trust, providing both Dan and I as members of the
T-Base executive management team, with an interesting training
forum in the timely execution of decisions!" adds Ayotte with a
chuckle.
The annual event is accomplished with the
assistance of a group of dedicated volunteers in an effort to
raise much-needed funds for the MIRA foundation enabling blind
and partially sighted people to receive guide dogs free of
charge.
"It was all over after about five of the
ten mandatory laps for us... we hit the outside wall, popped the
hood, ricocheted across the track, and went through the inside
cement wall. There was no fear or hesitation, only the
exhilaration of driving," reports Ms. Ayotte.
"On a serious note, I was pleased to
support the MIRA Foundation in their fundraising efforts as a
recipient of Bizet, my MIRA guide-dog and trusted friend", says
Ayotte.
The MIRA Foundation was established in
1981 with the objective of bringing greater autonomy and
facilitate the social integration of people with visual,
auditory and physical disabilities by providing them with dogs
that have been fully trained to accommodate each individual's
needs of adaptation and rehabilitation. |
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There are 12.8 million blind and partially sighted
consumers in North America. According to the American Foundation for the
Blind, there are 10 million in the United States and based on an
extrapolation of the 1991 census by Statistics Canada, 2.8 million are
blind and print-restricted Canadians, with over one million residing in
Ontario alone.
However, what is alarming is how this figure is
expected to skyrocket over the next 20 years, as more and more Canadians
reach their senior years. In 2001, Statistics Canada identified 610,950
Canadians as having difficulty seeing ordinary newsprint or clearly
seeing the face of someone from just four meters away.
As the population ages, it is reasonable to expect
that the group of older individuals who are blind or have low vision
will grow. According to special business needs consultants Jeff Marquis
and Kerry Harrison, it is estimated that by the year 2010, senior
citizens are expected to make up about 60% of our North American
population and own about 70% of our banking assets.
A blind or partially sighted consumer requires
access to information in the same manner that a sighted person receives
it.
The difference? They require access to their
personal and confidential information in Braille, large print, e-text or
audio in order to make informed decisions. What is this financially
influential group of consumers looking for in alternate formats? Access
to banking services and payment options, information pertaining to
investments, retirement plans, pension plans and a wider access to
accountants and financial planners providing customized services,
according to Ayotte.
You may be saying to yourself, she says, "Most of
these services already exist".
If you were thinking this, you are half correct.
Most of these services are in place, but they are not very accessible to
this vastly growing market. It is estimated only 3% of printed material
is available in alternative formats, making access to information
extremely difficult, she says.
In light of these changes to the marketplace, more
and more financial organizations have become proactive in providing bank
account, credit card, mortgage and investment statements in an
accessible format to consumers who cannot access their information
through conventional means. In addition, everyday services such as
accessible ABMs, promotional information describing financial products
and services, bank correspondence, contractual agreements as well as
website accessibility are starting to become more prevalent in the
market.
In Canada, leading financial organizations such as
Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto Dominion Bank, CIBC, Bank of Montreal and
Bank of Nova Scotia all offer various banking services in alternate
formats. The banking industry has recognized that by integrating
accessible material in their marketing strategy, they are able to reach
a wider and financially affluent client base - simply by making their
products and services fully accessible.
"T-Base Communications was created to fill a void
in services - focused on communicating the understanding of written
materials for clients whose blind and partially sighted customers could
not access information in conventional print. What we quickly discovered
was that our service is a life line to many others as well," says Ms.
Ayotte.
"Our business also increases access for people with
hearing and learning disabilities, people with low literacy skills, and
new Canadians unfamiliar with Canada's official languages and many
others. The really exciting opportunity is that this technology is
adaptable all around the world.”
T-Base Communications has been providing
listen-ready and touch-ready contractual and customer management
materials for government and industry since 1994 in Braille, large
print, e-Text and audio, meeting the diverse information needs of their
blind and partially sighted customers. With locations in Canada and the
United States, T-Base Communications works in partnership with North
America's most progressive companies such as American Express,
Citigroup, LaSalle Bank, Merrill Lynch, MBNA, Nokia, Royal Bank, Symcor,
TD, and Verizon Wireless.
Website:
http://www.tbase.com
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