I’ve been blogging for the past few weeks about BlackBerry® products and their impact on the public sector, and today I wanted to focus on accessibility for citizens who may have impairments. Accessibility is an issue everyone deals with as they seek to make their organizations open to a wide array of both employees and customers. Governments take this effort seriously and are leaders in the field — not only from a regulatory perspective, but because their customers are so diverse, and they can’t exclude anyone. With an eye to this leadership in accessibility, many government organizations are using the mobile platform as a key driver to improve the way citizens and staff access public services.

When it comes to making a difference, the BlackBerry platform offers accessibility features that help people communicate more easily and with more choices. The organizations referenced below either assess the value of accessibility technology by testing devices, or deploy accessible technologies to their clients. I thought their stories were interesting, and definitely inspiring.

The State of New Mexico Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CDHH) decided to give qualifying New Mexico residents BlackBerry smartphones because the devices offer features in one package that they couldn’t get anywhere else. All current BlackBerry smartphones meet or exceed certification requirements by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for hearing aid compatibility.

The BlackBerry solution was also attractive to the agency because it offers versatility in communications. The BlackBerry® Noise-Isolating Headset, for example, is designed to boost sound levels; BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) makes it easier to have instant communications; email and text offer more options for sending a message. The agency chose BlackBerry smartphones because they’re both a business and personal communication tool that can enhance the lives of clients at work and home.

Another organization has a similar point of view. Telecommunications for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TDI) staff use BlackBerry smartphones because they find that the devices make working much easier. TDI are also called on to recommend the best accessibility technologies to their members, and BlackBerry smartphones are one of the technologies that they recommend.

BlackBerry smartphones stand out for TDI for the same communications-enhancing reasons, but it’s also about the devices’ QWERTY keyboards and how suited they are to typing long messages. They also like that BlackBerry smartphones work with SIPRelay® by Sorrenson Communications and Wireless IP-Relay by Purple® technologies, which support text-based calling. Also, apps such as Twitter® for BlackBerry smartphones and Facebook® for BlackBerry smartphones are important for both social networking and the advocacy efforts of this lobby group.

Apps like Tap to Talk™ for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet offers accessibility features for children. Just tap a picture and the TapToTalk app “speaks”. Each picture can lead to another screen of pictures that can help a non-verbal child communicate.

I really like that Research In Motion® (RIM®) continues to break new ground with accessibility features for the BlackBerry platform. (Be sure to check out the Inside BlackBerry Blog’s post about BlackBerry® Screen Reader as well.)

Do you consider accessibility issues when deploying IT solutions? How do you address these concerns in a cost-effective manner?

Government Day at BlackBerry World™ is taking place on April 30th, 2012 in Orlando, Florida, and targets the unique needs of government organizations with content that highlights how BlackBerry solutions are used to help mobilize teams, streamline operations and efficiently deliver public service.

We have a great line up of speakers and sessions:

• Scott Totzke, Senior Vice President of BlackBerry Security at Research In Motion Limited (RIM®) will provide a welcome address and opening remarks
• Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of RIM will deliver an executive address
• Michael K. Brown, Director of Product Management at RIM will provide more insight about how RIM addresses the security and mobility challenges for public sector organizations
• Alan Panezic, Vice President of Enterprise Product Management & Marketing at RIM will speak about how BlackBerry solutions are meeting the needs of governments
• A variety of government customers representing North America, Asia Pacific and Latin America will share their experiences with deploying BlackBerry solutions and apps

Government Day is on us: all Government and Public Sector customers who have a full conference pass for BlackBerry World 2012 can attend Government Day at no additional charge.

For your calendars: Government Day will be held on Monday April 30, 2012 beginning at 8:30 a.m. EST.

For more information about BlackBerry World 2012, check out http://www.blackberryworld.com. We’ve also got more details on BlackBerry solutions for government.

Do you work in the government or public service? What are some of the mobility challenges that you’re currently facing? Share in the comments below.

At Wednesday’s BlackBerry World 2011 General Session keynote, the winners of the 2011 Wireless Achievement Awards were announced. This year we have some outstanding achievers. These are mobility leaders whose BlackBerry solutions are demonstrating innovation in the Public Sector, Private Sector and driving Business Impact.

Innovation in Private Sector: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

(YouTube link for easy mobile viewing)

BlackBerry World 2011 Wireless Achievement Award Winner for Innovation in Private Sector: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center patient-centric care improves with better communication, increased collaboration and efficient workflow.

Innovation in Public Sector: Chatham Kent Police Service

(YouTube link for easy mobile viewing)

BlackBerry World 2011 Wireless Achievement Award Winner for Innovation in Public Sector: Chatham Kent police service pioneers two-factor authentication for secure, mobile policing solutions.

Business Impact: Chiesi Farmaceutici

(YouTube link for easy mobile viewing)

BlackBerry World 2011 Wireless Achievement Award Winner for Business Impact: Chiesi Farmaceutici clinical drug trial utilizes BlackBerry smartphones to replace paper system with significant cost savings and high success rate.

Attendee Choice Award: Delta

The Delta mobile app has been designed to provide Delta air line travelers with a faster, more informed travel experience. Designed to make flying with Delta Air Lines even more convenient, travelers can see their SkyMiles balance and status, look-up flight schedules, complete mobile check-in, save and use e-boarding passes, track flights and view upcoming trips. With the BlackBerry® Push Service, customers get near real-time notifications, such as flight schedule and gate changes along with the capability to re-book a cancelled or delayed flight – all from within the app. The app also cleverly uses the BlackBerry smartphone camera to setup a parking reminder to help when returning from a trip. The Delta app was built in partnership with Kony Solutions.

Click here to read more about the 2011 Wireless Achievement Award finalists, and again, congratulations to this year’s winners!

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Hi! I’m Wes, and I work for Research In Motion® (RIM®) and I’m a BlackBerry® Segment Leader for Public Sector – which means I spend the majority of my time thinking about how mobile solutions can make a difference in government agencies today. Of interest to others in the same area of occupation is this year’s Public Sector Forum at BlackBerry World™, being held on May 5th, 2011. This annual event focuses on best practices in wireless mobility, networking with peers and the future of the BlackBerry solution for the Public Sector.

In particular, there are two breakout sessions I’d like to highlight:

WB22: Public Sector Leaders in Mobility

Meet the finalists of the Public Sector Wireless Achievement Awards in an interactive discussion on managing large-scale BlackBerry deployments, delivering mobile applications, and meeting business needs with mobility. In this session, we’ll cover the following topics: responding to the demand for mobile access to organizational data, deploying mobile applications, scaling deployments from small user groups to an enterprise-scale user population, balancing security needs with user demands and what makes a successful deployment.

For more details, view Session WB22 in the online session catalog.

WB24: Security in Government Roundtable

In this session, the Research In Motion® (RIM®) security group will discuss the current state of wireless security. As smartphones are more frequently used in Public Sector organizations, maintaining appropriate controls while giving employees the flexibility to fully leverage wireless technology is a challenge. This session will cover governance, regulatory concerns, best practices and industry trends that will assist your organization
in managing growth. Join this session to discuss security challenges and how controls in the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server – as well as third party solutions – can help to address these needs.

For more details, view Session WB24 in the online session catalog.

We’ll also be doing a general overview of BlackBerry solutions used in the Public Sector – sharing some insight into wireless trends and how different mobility solutions can help to drive your business needs (Session WB21). Also, the hot topic of Applications at Work in the Public Sector will explore how organizations at the federal, state/provincial and local levels of government are using the BlackBerry solution as a complete mobility platform (Session WB23).

If you’d like to find out more about our public sector offerings, check out the video above for a look at how the Baltimore Police Department is using BlackBerry today.

If you have questions about applications and deployments, hardware and software, and mobile solutions for field service to emergency responsiveness – we’d love to meet you this week at BlackBerry World 2011!  Register now, and we’ll see you soon!