Steve Jacobs Bio

Steve Jacobs Bio

President, and CEO
IDEAL Group, Inc.
Home: https://ideal-group.org
Email: steve.jacobs@ideal-group.org
Cell: (614) 777-0660
Fax: (614) 522-1031
TTY (800) 750-0750

Steve Jacobs serves as the President and CEO of IDEAL Group, Inc., which was spun off from IDEAL at NCR Corporation in 2002. Jacobs has dedicated over five decades of his career to the high-tech industry. IDEAL Group has become a corporation that not only focuses on its business objectives but also on social responsibility and philanthropy.

From IDEAL’s evolution through IDEAL at AT&T, AT&T Project Freedom, and IDEAL at NCR Corporation, IDEAL Group has undergone a transformative journey to become a leader in developing accessibility products and services. IDEAL’s products have reached a remarkable milestone, boasting over 35 million installations in more than 150 countries. All of IDEAL’s products and services are provided to users at no cost.

Jacobs’ leadership led to the development of applications, showcasing advance technology, that were acquired by Sprint, Yahoo, Amazon, Samsung, Google, a Major Healthcare Provider, and 24 wireless carriers. More: https://ideal-group.org/?p=2437

For the past 18 months, Jacobs and his team have been researching and developing a break-through AI Education solution in support of Students with Specific Learning Disabilities. Jacobs is also authoring a reference guide focused on the same topic.

IDEAL Group Projects, Past and Present:

Achievements and Appointments

  • Recognition: Steve Jacobs was recognized by the White House in 2012 for leading education and employment efforts in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for Americans with disabilities.
  • Federal Appointment: From 2010 to 2012, Steve Jacobs served on the Federal Communications Commission’s Video Programming and Emergency Access Advisory Committee.
  • Congressional Testimony: In 2010, Jacobs testified before the House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties at a hearing on Achieving the Promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the Digital Age – Current Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities.
  • Federal Appointment: From 2005 to 2007, Steve Jacobs served on the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee.
  • Federal Appointment: From 2000 to 2002, Steve Jacobs served on the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer/Disability Telecommunications Advisory Committee (which has since been renamed the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee).
  • Federal Appointment: From 1998 to 1999, Steve Jacobs served on the Access Board’s Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee.
  • Federal Appointment: From 1997 to 1998, Steve Jacobs served on the Access Board’s Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee.
  • Congressional Testimony: In 1997, Steve Jacobs testified before the House Committee on Science Subcommittee on Technology at a hearing on Meeting the Needs of People with Disabilities Through Federal Technology Transfer.

List of Published Works:

  • In 2020, contributed a chapter to “Assistive Technologies and Environmental Interventions in Healthcare: An Integrated Approach 1st Edition, Kindle Edition.”
  • In 2019, a co-authored publication titled “The Market Drivers and Business Case for Designing Accessible Public Technology.”
  • In 2012, a paper titled “Developing Accessible, Mobile-Friendly Content for Students with Print Disabilities in Grades 4-9, with an Emphasis on Mathematics
  • In 2010, a whitepaper titled “The Corporate Social Innovation Model: Enabling Positive Societal Change through the Distribution and Use of Accessible ICT Products and Services”.
  • Also in 2010, a whitepaper titled “The Global Business Benefits of Accessible Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Design”.
  • In 2007, a co-authored publication titled “Department of Commerce’s STAT-USA/Internet Companion to International Business: Highlighting Accessibly-Designed Information and Communications Technology”
  • In 2004, a co-authored report titled “Design for Inclusion: Creating a New Marketplace” was published by the National Council on Disability.
  • Also in 2004, an industry white paper titled “Design for Inclusion.
  • Additionally, a co-authored report titled “Within Our Reach” published by the National Task Force on Technology and Disability.
  • In 2000, an object-oriented programming environment for designing human-computer interfaces for persons with disabilities.
  • One of the authors of a report titled “Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee Final Report” which was used by the Access Board to develop their Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines.
  • in 2000, the author published a report titled “An Object-Oriented Programming Environment for Designing Human Computer Interfaces for Person with Disabilities”

Jacobs attended The Ohio State University and graduated in 1973, with a BSc in Zoology.
https://artsandsciences.osu.edu/news/arts-and-sciences-alumnus-honored-white-house

On a personal note:

Jacobs and his wife, Pauline, have shared 49 years of marriage, during which they have raised two daughters—one working in the medical field and the other as a teacher for Columbus City Schools—and have a granddaughter who is currently attending Ohio University.

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