A breath of fresh air.

How many times a day do you use a computer or are on the Internet? Whether it's for work or for pleasure, we are constantly surfing, downloading, emailing, scanning, printing, and saving without a thought to the ease or convenience of it all. But imagine if you had a sensory limitation, such as vision impairment, and easy use of a computer was not possible without a screen reader or some other type of expensive, assistive technology. If what was easy and convenient for everybody was difficult and expensive for you due to a disability, I'd bet you'd be thinking accessibility should be available to everyone.

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Well, you would not be alone in your thinking. Launched in January of 2008, the AIR Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to providing advocacy, education, and delivery of information accessibility tools for individuals with blindness, low-vision, and mobility impairments. The foundation's mantra is "accessibility is a right," believing accessibility is a basic human right, not a privilege, and that everyone's needs deserve to be accommodated. The AIR Foundation is accomplishing this by working with corporations and organizations on a global scale to break down financial barriers and deliver free accessibility for everyone.

Did I say free? Yes, free. The AIR Foundation is providing products and services that are free, easy to use, and mobile. Whether an individual is at home, work, or an Internet cafe in Sweden, free accessible technology is available instantly at their fingertips without having the extra hassle and worry of lugging along any special equipment. AIR's first corporate sponsor, the Serotek Corporation, is a technology company that develops software along with accessibility solutions. They allow AIR to provide free access to its Web 2.0 screen reader using their product, System Access To Go, to anyone in the world with Internet access. SA To Go is a web-resident application of Serotek's System Access Mobile that makes Web 2.0 accessible to individuals challenged with blindness and anyone with visual difficulties. SA To Go is currently offered in English, and the foundation is negotiating with two additional companies who have offered to translate the software into other languages. With today's fast-paced lifestyle, people all over the world can enjoy accessibility anywhere by using SA To Go.

An organization of such caliber could only have the finest, most accomplished individual at its helm, and you find that individual in Art Schreiber, AIR's Executive Director. From traveling with policitcal figures to covering The Beatles on their first cross country tour of America, it is safe to say Art has been a part of history, up close and personal, in a way that most people only dream of. The majority of Art's professional life has been in television and radio news. He has filled the role of reporter, anchorman, news director, national correspondent, bureau chief and Vice President and General Manager of eight major radio stations coast to coast. During the tumultuous 1960s, Art was on the scene at every major civil rights riot, reporting and traveling with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President John F. Kennedy, and James Meredith. As if this weren't impressive enough, Art was also a member of the White House Press Corps, covering President Lyndon B. Johnson. His most famous and thrilling assignment by far, however, was traveling across America with The Beatles. It is even said that he spent many nights playing Monopoly with John Lennon and George Harrison.

Art became blind in 1982 due to torn and detached retinas. After 16 surgeries in seven months, Art returned to work, managing the KOB radio stations in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's hard to imagine the physical and emotional adjustment Art went through learning how to live as a person who is blind, and Art credits joining the National Federation of the Blind in turning his life around. In addition to his life in the media, Art has served on the faculties of Muskingum College in Ohio and the University of Southern California. In 1993 he retired from broadcasting to run for the mayor of Albuquerque, albeit unsuccessfully. In 1995 and 1996, Art directed the New Mexico Commission for the Blind and then began operating Schreiber Enterprises, a consulting company. He has since devoted his life to helping those who are blind or losing their sight by serving on a number of non-profit boards and federations. Art is currently hosting a radio show in Albuquerque, which consists of issues and interests that affect the lives of seniors and people with disabilities.

The AIR Foundation is an organization that is pioneering a path for others to follow. Two of the greatest hurdles they face, as any non--profit foundation does, are funding and exposure. For more information on the AIR Foundation or to support their efforts, visit their Web site at www.accessibilityisaright.org. Lenovo, a global manufacturer of personal computers, has signed on with the AIR Foundation as a corporate sponsor and is committed to doing all they can to assist in marketing and promotion. You can help too, by telling your friends, your family, your community, or your company about the work AIR is doing. By spreading the word of AIR, you will help people get what they deserve, because accessibility is indeed a right.

Amy Alexander is an inspirational speaker and recently completed her first memoir, Life at Breakneck Speed. She lives in Upstate New York, next door to the horse farm where she was raised. She says that although she has "enjoyed living all over the country, there is no place like home!" Amy will also be contributing her quarterly column "An Expressed Perspective" to EP and will have a regular blog entry on the EP Web site (www.eparent.com) To read more about Amy and her nonprofit foundation, check out her Web site at www.Spinaltimes.org.