[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16919]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



      A TRIBUTE TO PITNEY BOWES' COMMITMENT TO DISABLED AMERICANS

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                         HON. JAMES H. MALONEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 27, 2000

  Mr. MALONEY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, this week marks the 10th 
anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which has helped 
all our fellow Americans to realize their full potential. In this 
regard, I was pleased to attend a ceremony last month here in the U.S. 
Capitol Building at which Pitney Bowes, a worldwide leader in messaging 
technology based in Connecticut, received the Blinded American Veterans 
Foundation's Corporate Award for their development of the Universal 
Access Copier.
  This revolutionary copier incorporates many leading technologies, 
including the first-ever use of advanced speech recognition in a 
copier. This speech recognition software can ``learn'' any user's voice 
pattern, including those with speech disabilities, and respond to any 
language. This enables users to operate every feature of the copier 
merely by stating simple commands. In addition to voice activation, a 
touch screen and Braille keyboard allows operators to choose how they 
prefer to operate the system. The copier also adjusts to different 
heights allowing people with mobility limitations, including those in 
wheelchairs, to operate it. The Universal Access Copier assists those 
with disabilities in enjoying employment opportunities that may not 
have been previously available to them.
  At the ceremony, John Fales, Jr., President of the Blinded American 
Veterans Foundation (BAVF), presented the award to Michael Critelli, 
CEO and Chairman of Pitney Bowes. This was the 15th annual George 
``Buck'' Gillispie Congressional awards ceremony held as part of the 
2000 Flag Week events. For those who may not know, BAVF was launched in 
1985 by three American Veterans who lost their sight during service in 
Korea and Vietnam--John Fales (USMC), Don Garner (USN) and Dennis Wyant 
(USN). All of these individuals had achieved successful careers despite 
their blindness but they realized that many sensory disabled veterans 
had not had the same opportunities afforded them. Accordingly, they 
determined to form the foundation and pursue its goals of research, 
rehabilitation, and re-employment.
  I am proud to say the Universal Access Copier was developed at the 
Pitney Bowes Technology Center, which serves as the company's 
``innovation incubator,'' and symbolizes Pitney Bowes' ongoing 
commitment to excellence in research and technological development. The 
Technology Center sits on a nine-acre site in my congressional district 
in Shelton, Connecticut and provides a consolidated engineering campus 
for several hundred engineers, scientists and programmers. The company 
was previously honored for development of the copier when it was 
presented the Computerworld Smithsonian Award which recognizes vision, 
leadership and innovation through outstanding use of information 
technology. Pitney Bowes' Universal Access Copier was singled out for 
the help it offers 34 million Americans with disabilities of working 
age in living and working more independently. The copier has also been 
inducted into the permanent Smithsonian Institution's Research 
Collection alongside such famous technological innovations as Samuel 
Morse's original telegraph.
  The copier is only one of many Pitney Bowes' technological 
innovations. For the last 14 years, the company has ranked in the top 
200 companies receiving U.S. patents. Pitney Bowes has received over 
3,000 patents worldwide, with an average of more than 100 issued every 
year.
  Mr. Speaker, Pitney Bowes' unwavering commitment to bring innovative 
technologies to all, including those with disabilities, truly stands 
out. I commend them on their work and look forward to their continued 
success.




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