360-Access is an online service that allows businesses to submit dependable information regarding the accessibility of their establishment for those with disabilities to review on mobile and desktop devices prior to making personal arrangements. 360-Access will officially go live on July 26, 2020 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with a percentage of every 360-Access sale donated to disability organizations.
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I think we are back, bringing more TechVibe Radio having a good old time. This is Jonathan Kersting.
This is Audrey Russo. So I'm really pretty excited about this next set of guests we have going on here. You know, these books have been hanging out in the tech Council for quite a long time. They're I'd say they're very loyal tech council members, that's for sure. And they're building a really cool company that's solving some pretty tough problems.
Right. So how about they introduce themselves and I like to write in, doesn't have in the house.
I'm Joanne Peterson. I'm CEO and president of avatar Information Services. You're a woman in technology company and have been since 1983.
That's so great. Well, we have here I'm Marian Nielsen. I'm CFO, daughter because we're a family owned and operated.
She calls herself the geeky grandmother of technology!
Now tell us about the company real quick so we can jump in and, and have some fun.
Yeah. We're 37 year old company we started doing primarily work for people like Westinghouse moved into government contracting, supporting things like women and children.
Child Support, yeah, Medicaid, all those applicants, public aid, application, all the fun stuff, right? Yeah. In 2009. We developed a customer certified in 28 states, a woman in business, certified.
Five years ago, we started working on a software application called 360. Access, which is our current passion. Launching in July 26. I know not that far off. It's the big day.
That's a really very, very cool. Can you give us some details about this? I think this is some pretty cool stuff you're working on.
Okay. Oh, well, the purpose of 360 access is to not be accessible features of public page, sorry, public places for people with disabilities so they can know before they go. And sort of born out it was born here in Pittsburgh because Joanne and I were at an event and we met Madonna long over I think was still a black girl at the time. And she had been talking to library visit Pittsburgh, about wanting them to be able to market the accessible features were there. Their members, so because remember, Pittsburgh had that disability was it the Paralympian in the town? Yeah, it's been it's probably been a eight or nine years, but right. There's no real way to know what's truly accessible. People on their websites were accessible.
Yeah, exactly.
There is no one disabilities we like to say and everybody has their own needs, like Madonna is in a wheelchair. Joanne uses crutches and it has oxygen machine.
So, so everybody's needs are different. So everybody wants to know different things about places they want to go.
Right. Right. And so you think you can cut your your solution accommodates this, right.
Yeah, our solution is to say to businesses, and in fact, because the Technology Council is nonprofit, you're entitled to a free license, and I'll show you how to sign up. We want you Up to
that would be fabulous. So when people but we're really interested in you getting business right so we want people who are listening to by what it is that you have made. So like, yeah, licensed or registered by a license. And what kind of companies would it be any kind of companies,
any place you or a disabled person might want to go?
We've been in conversation with some of the hospitals about mapping hospitals. We've talked to people in HR about, you know, if you have a job description or a job posting, and if you have a link to the 360 access information, it would perhaps draw more disabled.
Right, you could reach a wider audience.
Exactly. You could be the restaurants and the hotels, grocery stores.
You know, We have, and we have questions based on like, there are certain things that not a certain place is gonna have like an elevator, per se. So if you don't have an elevator, you don't answer questions about the elevator, but all that is based on what's in the ADA law. Right? So it's there. Yes, I have it or No, I don't. And so it's as simple as that. Yes or no questions.
We're coming upon a big milestone, right? Or isn't there a big milestone coming up? Like in a few weeks? Right.
Yeah, the 30th anniversary of the ADA is July 26th, which is why that's our lunch date. So we're doing that. It's sort of our, because everybody in the community needs better information. And we thought what better gift to give the community then, you know, that type of information, you know, that really gives me an idea at the tech council Johnson. We should do something special on that day.
I think it's a great idea on the 26th. Yeah. Do something to really acknowledge because I'm now feeling very old because I remember when that was passed. Remember the accommodations that had to be made. And I remember the issues that people have to push through. I remember the issues, just even buildings, right? Just think about buildings and compliance there, and how people were freaking out. And today it's embedded into our fabric, in terms of that, but it's not embedded in our fabric in terms of technology.
It isn't the problem that you experience it. Everybody talks about compliance and like, yes, we'd like the world to be 100% accessible. I don't think that's going to happen in my lifetime. Probably not Maryann's either. But we can't make decisions on where to go. If you don't have access to information about what is right and we're missing out on on a wide population of people. Who have just as much value as anyone else does. And we don't want to miss those opportunities for including them in in the work that people do.
Exactly what the recent CDC finding said that there was 161 million adults in the United States who had a disability. So that is that's a lot of people. A lot of people that's a that's a big number.
The definition of disability is is far and wide. Yeah, yes, really have to go to the American Disabilities Act and look through all the all the information before you realize what it means. And the one other thing is I want to I want to ask you, I the term disability, is that still a term?
That is the way the way people seem to prefer it is a person with a disability. Okay, that's part etiquette. And it'll probably change to something else to say Back then when we were going through this was just the all of us are just temporarily able bodied.
Yeah, yes. That's a good way of thinking about it.
some point you're gonna need some help with something, right? I mean, that's the way it rolls.
Yeah, break leg, you know, break your arm, you might need assistance, even if it's only temporary that you might not have before and get access to that information available. Exactly. So how long did it take you guys to get this thing set up? I have to admit that it was a couple years in the making to get this put together and you get to this launch date, the 26th. It became it became an idea that we kicked around in 2015, which was the 25th anniversary of the ADA right. We were probably three quarters of the way to launch on an old platform in 2018. But we had a death in the family which also affected our our business because it was our chief technology officer. Who am I? Wow, we had to pivot. Yeah. I mean, we had to pivot big time. So we completely changed the platform. We're no longer based on Microsoft, but eating based on Google. Okay.
Alright, so we have two women who talking about the American Disabilities Act coming into its third decade. Absolutely. New technology. What's the website? Tell me what the website is for everyone to go through because they really need to go and understand. Are they providing accessibility for all people?
The website is 360 hyphen, access, and that's the numbers 360 hyphen, access dot com, okay?
So it's important work. It is. We need to embrace that in each and every day and people who are listening me to understand that affects all of us does.
I just think it's so cool that only in Pittsburgh Give to women like this building a company like this to build a solution like this. I now remember on July 26 2020 marks 30 years of the American Disabilities Act you to Jonathan that's in your lifetime.
I know. It's 100% right there and I'm just like I said, I just think it's great. Now there's a resource where you can go and find this stuff out. And we need people to go and get licenses so they can fill this stuff out. So we can build a complete database. So no matter what you do, you know what there's a ramp with or stairs, there's an elevator or whatever it is, you know, what, what's what's waiting for you on your destination. And it's Pittsburgh tech ingenuity that's making that happen. And I freaking love it. So I think everyone needs to go to that site and check it out. absolutely free. 60 hyphen access.com. So Audrey. Great stuff. guys. Thank you so much for being part of tech by radio tonight. You are making Pittsburgh proud. That's 100% true. So you're so glad to be part of it. Thank you. Hey, excellent. Everybody, we're taking a quick quick break over coming back with some more tech five radio more awesome stories just like this. I swear this is Jonathan Kersting and this is Audrey Russa here from the Pittsburgh Technology Council, check out our new website at PGH tech.org for all kinds of resources, be a member like these folks here at a Bader and you can really make crazy cool stuff happen. We'll be right back after this quick break.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai