Steve Jacobs Bio

President, IDEAL Group, Inc. and,

CEO, Apps4Android, Inc.

steve.jacobs@ideal-group.org

steve.jacobs@apps4android.org

(614) 777-0660

Last Updated on October 10, 2011

Steve Jacobs has been in the computer industry for 36 years. Jacobs is President of IDEAL Group, Inc. IDEAL Group is a 2002 spin-off of IDEAL at NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) where Steve served as President. IDEAL Group's mission is to enhance the independence, quality-of-life, educational success and employability of individuals with disabilities through the development of accessible information and communications technology. IDEAL Group is the parent company of Apps4Android, Onymous Heroes, EasyCC, InftyReader Group; and, Online Conferencing Systems Group. http://ideal-group.org

IDEAL Group Subsidiaries:

1. Apps4Android, Inc.
   http://apps4android.org
   Apps4Android is the world's largest developer of Android mobile accessibility applications with millions of installations in 100+ countries. Apps4Android offers 24 (soon to be 28) applications on Android Market. Apps4Android’s mission is to “enhance the quality-of-life, independence, educational success and quality of health care of under-served individuals, through fully-accessible, high-quality, low-cost, mobile applications.”
   http://www.apps4android.org/?p=1347

2. Onymous Heroes, Inc.
   http://onymousheroes.com
   Onymous Heroes develops Android utilities, browsers, application installers, icon packs, image animation applications and much more. Onymous Heroes offers 66 applications on Android Market with nearly 500,000 installations worldwide.
   http://www.apps4android.org/?p=1975

3. EasyCC, Inc.
   http://easycc.org
   EasyCC is a telecommunications company that supports people with hearing impairments, individuals with mobility disabilities and consumers with print disabilities. From conferences and classrooms to the corporate world, EasyCC cost-effectively delivers real-time text streaming services that are accessible on any platform, including mobile devices. EasyCC's infrastructure provides the ability to generate captions using speech recognition technology.

4. InftyReader Group, Inc.
   http://inftyreader.org
   InftyReader, a sophisticated optical character recognition application, is used by thousands of universities around the world to recognize, convert, and enable the editing of math documents into accessible formats in support of students with print disabilities. Converted formats include LaTeX, MathML, Human Readable TeX, and Word XML.
   Process flowchart: http://inftyreader.org/images/math-flowchart-100.jpg
   Speech Recognition-Based, Math Editor Development Project: http://www.inftyreader.org/?p=67

5. Online Conferencing Systems Group, Inc.
   http://onlineconferencingsystems.com
   Online Conferencing Systems Group offers fully-accessible, 508-compliant, online conferencing and distance-learning services, systems and support. Every month thousands of people from every corner of the world use IDEAL Conference to meet, participate in, and deliver accessible webinars.

Jacobs served as President of IDEAL at NCR until his retirement from NCR, at the end of 2002, after 25 years of service.

Previous to NCR’s spin-off from AT&T (NYSE: T) at the end of 1996, Jacobs served as Chairman AT&T Global Information Solution's Project Freedom. In 1992 Project Freedom pioneered the development and use of interactive video technology for sign-language communications over telephones. This technology has evolved into what is not known as Video Relay Services (VRS). 

What follows is a link to a video of Project Freedom's first pilot test.  This video captures a gathering of students from Horace Mann Montesory School for the Deaf using ASL to communicate with each other, over telephones, for the first time in history. This video also contains video footage of Alexander Graham Bell. First ASL Communication Over Telephones

Appointments and Congressional Testimonies:

• U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s Video Programming and Emergency Access Advisory Committee (VPEAAC) [2010]
  http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-10-2320A1.pdf

• Expert Witness: House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties hearing on Achieving the Promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the Digital Age – Current Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities [2010]
  http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/hear_100422_1.html and http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/Jacobs100422.pdf

• U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee [2005-2007]
  http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/cac/

• Ohio Governor's Council on People with Disabilities [2002-2005]
  http://governor.ohio.gov/Appointments/102502appts.htm

• U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Consumer/Disability Telecommunications Advisory Committee which has since been renamed the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee [2000-2002]
  http://www.mdtap.org/tt/2000.05/announcements.html#Link9

• U.S. Access Board's Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee [1998-1999]
  http://www.universaldesign.net/news/apr00.htm#us1

• U.S. Access Board's Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee [1997-1998]
  http://trace.wisc.edu/docs/taac_intro/taac.htm

• Expert Witness: House Committee on Science Subcommittee on Technology hearing on Meeting the Needs of People with Disabilities through Federal Technology Transfer [1997]
  http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/legaff/disabled.html

Publications:

• Enhancing the Accessibility of Technology-Based Work Environments with the Support of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) [2010]
  http://apps4android.org/ERG-ICT_Accessibility_Whitepaper.doc

• The Corporate Social Innovation Model: Enabling Positive Societal Change through the Distribution and Use of Accessible ICT Products and Services [2010]
  http://apps4android.org/Corporate_Social_Innovation_Whitepaper.doc

• The Global Business Benefits of Accessible Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Design [2010]
  http://apps4android.org/Business_Case_Whitepaper.doc

• Co-author: Department of Commerce's STAT-USA/Internet Companion to International Business: Highlighting Accessibly-Designed Information and Communications Technology [2007]
  http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps111387/Companion_Final_TL.pdf

• Co-author: "Over the Horizon: Potential Impact of Emerging Trends in Information and Communication Technology on Disability Policy and Practice [2006]
  http://www.ncd.gov/publications/2006/Dec262006

• Co-author: National Council on Disability report entitled, "Design for Inclusion: Creating a New Marketplace" [2004]
  http://www.ncd.gov/publications/2004/10282004
  http://www.ncd.gov/publications/2004/Oct282004

• Author: "Design for Inclusion: Industry White Paper" [2004]
  http://www.ncd.gov/publications/2004/Oct2004
  Co-author: National Task Force on Technology and Disability report entitled, "Within Our Reach" [2004]
  http://ntftd.com/index.htm

• Co-author: the U.S. Access Board's Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee Report that was used to develop the Access Board’s Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards [2000]
  http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/commrept/eitaacrpt.htm

• Co-author: the Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee Final Report that was used, by the Access Board, to develop their Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines [1998]
  http://www.access-board.gov/telecomm/commrept/taacrpt.htm

Sampling of Historical IDEAL Group Projects:

• Bush 54th Inauguration Technology Project:
  Integrated technology into George W. Bush's Inauguration Program and Guidebook. The project repurposed technology being used by the Israeli military to come up with a method that enables a person who is blind to scan 77 pages of text... with only one pass of a scanner, with 100% accuracy.

  • 54^th Program Book (See Page 32):
    http://www.ideal-group.org/initiatives/inauguralprogram.pdf

  • 54^th Guide Book (See Page 77)
    http://www.ideal-group.org/initiatives/inauguralguidebook.pdf

  • Edgar Online: Bush Presidential Inauguration Publications Use High-Tech Code:
    http://sec.edgar-online.com/2001/01/17/13/0001093197-01-500011/Section6.asp

  • IDEAL at NCR and Intacta Technologies, Inc. Demonstrate New Accessibility Technology:
    http://www.ventegis-capital.de/beteiligungsnews/news2000/26-9-2000.htm

• Fifty-Fourth eNaugural.com Ball Webcast:

  • Hosted fully-accessible 54th eNaugural.com Ball Webcast:
    http://www.ideal-group.org/initiatives/eNaugural_Ball_Broadcast.htm

• AT&T Bell Labs Project Freedom:
  From 1990-1994 Steve Jacobs served as Chairman of AT&T Project Freedom. It was during this time that Steve's engineering group pioneered the development and use of interactive video technology for sign-language communications over telephones.  This technology is now referred to Video Relay Services (VRS). What follows is a link to a video of Project Freedom's first pilot test.  This video captures a gathering of students from Horace Mann Montesory School for the Deaf using ASL to communicate with each other over telephones, for the first time in history. This video also contains video footage of Alexander Graham Bell.

  • Video: First ASL Communication Over Telephones:
    http://www.lead-the-way.org/Horace_Mann.wmv

  • Although a competitor, Sprint used Project Freedom's Vistium Video System for their first VRS pilot test in Texas.  Here is a 1995 flyer announcing the pilot test:
    http://www.ideal-group.org/initiatives/sprint.jpg

  • Here is a GA-SK Newsletter article about Sprint's pilot test:
    http://www.ideal-group.org/initiatives/ga-sk.jpg

  • Here is a photo of Reid Huntt (Chairman of the FCC at that time) and Steve Jacobs, Chairman, AT&T Project Freedom demonstrating their video system to FCC Commissioners.
    http://www.ideal-group.org/initiatives/Reid_Huntt.jpg

• Smithsonian Institution:
  Designed, developed and implemented accessible prototype kiosks for the Smithsonian Institution's American History Museum

  • Link to showcase: 
    http://americanhistory.si.edu/disabilityrights/index.html

  • Photos: 
    http://www.ideal-group.org/initiatives/smithsonian_kiosk_project_photos.htm

• President Clinton's Digital Divide Tour:

  • Photo: 
    http://www.ideal-group.org/initiatives/clinton_photo.htm OK

  • Technology Demonstrations: 
    http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/new/html/Tue_Oct_3_133607_2000.html

• Vice President Gore's Digital Talking Book:
  Published a Digital Talking Book in support of a reception held at the residence of Vice President Gore.

  • Business Week Article:
    http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/aug2000/nf20000830_822.htm

  • Photo: 
    http://www.ideal-group.org/initiatives/photo_gore.htm

• Internet Resource Center:
  53rd Presidential Inauguration

  • Photos:
    http://ideal-group.org/initiatives/inaug/53rd_photos.htm

• Clinton's 53rd Presidential Inauguration:
  Integrated technology into the 53rd Presidential Inaugural Program Book.

  • Inauguration Program Book:
    http://ideal-group.org/initiatives/53.htm

Jacobs is a 1973 graduate of Ohio State University. Steve and wife, Pauline, have been married for 36 years. Pauline and Steve have two daughters and a granddaughter... who is Steve’s boss. :-)