Accessible Cell Phones for People with Special Needs
      
      Most people use their cell phones everyday and think nothing of it.  The ability to contact friends, family, coworkers, and clients is right there in our pocket, purse, or on our hip.  As much as most people are able to enjoy the benefits of owning a cell phone, others are only left frustrated by the experience.  People with special needs such as the elderly, blind, and hard of hearing have a difficult time making use of a product that others simply take for granted.  A new company in Cary, NC hopes to change all that by specializing in selling accessible cell phones to people with special needs.  Accessible Cell Phones started in January 2005 with a motto, It All Starts with Communication.  The owner Ray Gonzales explains. “Communication is the basis for just about everything we do as humans.  With cell phones however, many people are unable to take advantage of this new communication technology.”  
      According to the latest census information, approximately 1 out of every 10 Americans has a reportable disability.  Whether we realize it or not, we all know someone who can’t use a standard cell phone effectively because of a vision, hearing, or mobility disability.  As cell phones become more common in the workplace, this also creates a huge burden for an employer trying to meet the communication needs of all employees.  Cell phones and service plans are complex enough but a person with special needs faces even more difficulties when trying to find a solution.  The special needs consumer ends up running around to different stores looking for that one phone or accessory that they can use successfully.  Add unhelpful or unknowledgeable salesmen, public transportation problems, and the shear amount of time and energy involved and it can leave anyone frustrated.       
      The federal government has many laws which are intended to allow the disabled equal access to wireless technology.  Among these are Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act, and the Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988.  In reality, consumers and business owners are often left uninformed or unaware of what is available to someone with special needs.  This is in part because the cell phone industry is still largely focused on attracting the young twenty something mobile phone consumer.  Another reason is that the wireless industry changes so rapidly that it’s hard for the consumer to keep up with the latest developments and solutions.    
      Working as an independent contractor of the North Raleigh cell phone retailer, Cellular Images, Ray Gonzales is an authorized sales agent of many of North and South Carolina’s cellular service providers.  He is also an affiliate of many online cellular retail stores as well enabling ETO Engineering to sell solutions nationwide.  Ray serves individual consumers and their families as well as employers who are obligated to meet section 508 requirements or just want to make sure all of their employees are best able to utilize their company’s wireless communication products.  Accessible Cell Phones has solutions for the elderly, blind, deaf, hard of hearing, cognitively disabled, and mobility disabled.  Ray adds, “If someone is unhappy using their current cell phone because of a special need or wants access to wireless technology like their peers, we will work with them to come up with the best solution to fit their needs, abilities, and budget.”  Ray Gonzales can be contacted by phone at 919-523-0205 or by email at ray.gonzales@etoengineering.com.  Please visit their website at www.etoengineering.com.  
© Ray Gonzales, P.E. ETO Engineering, PLLC, May 2005 

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