Introduction:

Steve Jacobs has been in the computer industry for 35 years. Jacobs is President of IDEAL Group, Inc. IDEAL GROUP is a 2002 spin-off from IDEAL at NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR).  IDEAL Group has four subsidiary companies:

1. Online Conferencing Systems Group, Inc.
   http://onlineconferencingsystems.com
   Online Conferencing Systems Group provides fully accessible, 508 compliant, online conferencing, distance learning and Webinar services and has tens-of-thousands of users worldwide.

2. InftyReader Group, Inc.
   http://www.inftyreader.org
   InftyReader Group provides applications that recognize and translates scientific documents (including math symbols) into LaTeX and MathML in addition to a talking math editor. See our Accessible math resource: http://www.accessiblemath.org/ Also see our Speech Recognition-Based Math Accessibility Project: http://inftyreader.org/speech-recognition.htm

3. Apps4Android, Inc.
   http://apps4android.org
   Apps4Android is an Android smart phone software development company dedicated to developing free/low-cost, high-quality, mobile applications that enhance the quality-of-life, independence and employability of individuals with disabilities. Apps4Android applications are being used by more than 600,000 users in 25+ countries.  See our Android Accessibility Project: http://accessibility-android.info/. Apps4Android recently purchased a controlling interest in Onymous Heroes, Inc. See: http://apps4android.org/onymous_press_release.htm

4. EasyCC, Inc.
   EasyCC (Beta service currently) offers real-time closed captioning for hearing impaired. Make your event accessible with live closed captions without installing any software
   http://easycc.org/

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 heading IDEAL Jacobs had responsibilities as NCR’s global accessibility program manager and managed a wide-range of technical support, application development, technical education, hardware product management and commercial industry marketing groups.

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 use of interactive video technology in support of sign-language communication over the Internet. Today this service is referred to as video relay services (VRS). See the video of this historic work:
http://www.ideal-group.org/ag_bell/History_Video_Relay_Services.htm

Jacobs is a 1973 graduate of Ohio State University. He and wife, Pauline, have been married for 35 years.  Pauline and Steve have two daughters and a grand daughter.

Federal and State Appointments and Expert Testimonies:

• 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
  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:

• Co-author: Update to the 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/newsroom/publications/2006/emerging_trends.htm

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

• Author: "Design for Inclusion: Industry White Paper" [2004]
  http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2004/inclusion_whitepaper.htm

• 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

IDEAL Group Projects:

http://www.ideal-group.org/initiatives