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Caesar Eghtesadi Is a Change Agent Entrepreneur
By John M. Williams
Dr. Khosrow (Caesar) Eghtesadi is a change agent entrepreneur!
From his work as a U.S. scientist, visionary Caesar sees more and more people worldwide using the web for personal and commercial purposes. He believes the web unites the world and revels when he conceptualizes everybody worldwide accessing the World Wide Web. A dynamic entrepreneur, he has turned web accessibility into an enterprising business that he believes is in its embryonic business development.
What does Caesar do? He assists in designing and developing universal access Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) products and services. He spearheads and directs initiatives for corporations, educational institutions, or government agencies seeking to research and develop products for usability and accessibility. He is also internationally recognized as an authority in Universal Design Methodology.
Universal Design is the practice and methodology of designing products and applications in such a way that all consumers can use them.
Caesar’s thoughts on web accessibility parallel owning a community business. “As a community owned business I want everybody in my community, including people with disabilities, to come into my store so I can serve them and increase my business,” he says.
Caesar believes the same business philosophy applies to web accessibility. “I see universal access to the world wide web reaping benefits to businesses and other Information Technology service providers.” To assist commercial, government, and nongovernment organizations maximize the accessibility and usability of their products, services, web sites, and intranets for people with disabilities achieve universal accessibility, he has applied his science and business acumen to produce products and services with universal applications and benefits.
He accomplishes these goals through his company Tech For All (http://techforallinc.com/ ). His staff includes highly skilled experts, many of whom have disabilities, to perform evaluations, develop recommendations, conduct research, and advise his clients on accessibility and usability matters.
He combines multi-faceted technical knowledge with business savvy to conceptualize, develop, and launch products.
One of his major achievements was leading the Pitney Bowes team that developed the Universal Access Copier System (UACS), the world’s first voice-activated copier that complies with Section 508 Standards. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals.
His counsel is vigorously sought by organizations in the public and private sectors and in the business and non-profit areas. He served on the Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee advising the U.S. Government on technology for people with disabilities. He contributed to the development of Section 508 Standards. He is a Managing Consultant to AFB Consulting (AFBC), the consulting arm of the American Foundation for the Blind. He has assisted numerous start-up and Fortune 200 companies, as well as to government agencies and non-profit organizations in business and technology development, product conceptualization, and standardization.
A major project where Caesar exerted recent leadership was with the National Center for Accessible Media’s three-year program to make airline entertainment, communications and information accessible to flyers with sensory disabilities. Solutions and resulting recommendations will include the integration of captioning for video and audio, descriptive narration for visual images and audio navigation for system menus and interface design.
Since 2003, Caesar has served as an Innovations Judge for the International Consumer Electronic Show (CES) Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase. He has judged in several categories from Mobile Office to Wireless Communications
His achievements include the American Foundation for the Blind’s 2001 Helen Keller Technology Achievement Award; 2000 Access Technology Award, Industry Week Magazine 1999 Technology of the Year Award, and the Smithsonian Institute 1999 Computerworld Smithsonian Medal.
Other recognitions are from Blinded American Veterans Foundation 2000 Corporate Volunteer Award, and the City of Los Angeles’ 1998 Corporate Service Award.
A prolific writer, Caesar has published more than 60 technical papers. An inventor he has been awarded six patents. An entrepreneur, he co-founded Voice Communication Interface, the company that developed the first full-duplex RF wireless headset. In 1999, Caesar received the patent for that invention and one for the UACS.
His academic achievements include a Ph.D. in Applied Acoustics from the University of London, UK, and a master's degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bradford, UK.
Tech For All’s Projects and Clients
Tech For All’s clients and works cover a wide array of products and services: telecommunication devices, web and software applications, medical devices, transaction kiosks, office equipments, electronic voting machines, and even elevator control system.
Through its partnership with AFB Consulting, numerous consulting engagements were executed with companies and institutions such as: Adobe Systems, AMTRAK, California State University, Cisco Systems, Dolphin ComputerAccess, Hewlett Packard, Kaiser Permanente, Marriott International, Microsoft, Motorola, Otis Elevator, Pfizer, Roche Diagnostics, Sony Ericsson, and University of Pittsburg.
Tech for All serves small and large corporations, from start ups to Fortune 200 companies, seeking to develop and promote products accessible to people with disabilities based on the Universal Design concept.
Caesar’s company provides business and technical leadership to management and technical staff on assistive technologies, accessibility and usability issues.
Caesar is aware of the cognitive, sensory and physical challenges that the aging population confronts worldwide. He knows that the aging population is the fastest growing market in the world, and that aging individuals face many of the information challenges that people with disabilities face daily.
Caesar’s experience and foresight convinces him that access to electronic and information technology can enrich the quality of life among boomers. He has made himselfknown to aging organizations, government agencies working on aging issues and companies marketing to the senior citizen populations. He’s confident that he can develop products, programs and marketing strategies to improve the delivery of electronic information services to our senior population.
Caesar has spoken at conferences worldwide dealing with accessibility and other issues related to disability and information technology. He can be reached at keghtesadi@aol.com.
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