Trailblazer Debra Ruh

Debra Ruh knew her daughter with Down Syndrome was capable of great things, even though some experts claimed otherwise. “I really felt like they were setting the bar very low. So I decided to start a technology company that recognizes the value in hiring people with disabilities.” By setting out to prove the experts wrong, Debra created a company that acknowledges the contributions of people with disabilities in both the workplace and the marketplace.

Technology as an Equalizer

Debra’s company, TecAccess, is a consulting firm that helps other companies ensure their technology is accessible to all. Her employees, many of whom have a varying range of disabilities themselves, test their clients’ products and Web sites to make sure that they are easy to use. “Technology is an enabler and an equalizer,” says Debra. “If it’s fully accessible it will allow people with severe disabilities to participate in society including employment, shopping, transportation, in so many ways.”

Using Special Needs Technology

TecAccess employees need laptops and desktops powerful enough to run the assistive software and tools they use, such as mouth sticks, head pointers, and speech recognition software. Durability is a huge factor as well. Says Debra, “We have one employee whose hands shake and his laptop has hit the floor multiple times. One thing that we liked about the Dell laptops was , in our experience, they could take a hit*. You don’t want to be throwing your computers on the floor, but it happens.”

Solution: Dell Laptops and Desktops

Debra chose Dell for all her desktop and laptop needs because they offer the performance necessary to run the special needs tools her employees require. Also, Dell allows her to customize each machine for each employee. “We can’t just go to the store and buy the computers that we need for our employees,” Debra says. “So one thing that we really like, dealing with Dell, is that we just call Dell up and say, ‘this is what we need.’ And they just build the machine that we need to meet our needs.”

Managing a Remote Workforce Challenge

Most of Debra’s employees are scattered throughout the country. She needs to make sure they have the technology to get work done from anywhere. As Debra puts it, “I made a deliberate decision to allow telecommuting because I wanted to get the best pool of candidates possible. That really opened up the world to me. But it was very important that I had the right technology behind that so people could be successful wherever they worked.” Debra wanted to ensure employees were focusing on their customers IT accessibility first before TecAccess internal IT service needs.

Solution: Dell Service Plan

“We purchased a Dell service plan. And we love it because we get very quick service,” Debra says. “No matter what’s wrong with a laptop, as long as the part is under warranty, they’ll either ship us a new one or send somebody out. So we’re not managing technology problems all over the country. We just outsource that to Dell.”

Following Your Passion

Debra definitely took the path less traveled to realize her success. And that’s just how she likes it. If it was too easy she couldn’t have accomplished what she set out to do: empower people with disabilities and level the playing field.

Of course, making technology accessible for people with disabilities improves the universal design for everyone. Says Debra, “If you make a laptop keyboard fully accessible and you really consider all the ergonomics of it, you’re going to improve the usability, the universal design and the accessibility of that product. And that is going to help people that don’t have disabilities.”

Through the ups and the downs Debra has maintained her vision and been true to her heart. “The advice that I would give anyone that wants to start their own business, and people ask me that question a lot, is you’ve got to follow your passion. We’re all here for a reason. Don’t be afraid. Look the fear in the face and move forward.”

* Results may vary