<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small">Absolutely yes! Accessibility is essential across the spectrum. <br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br clear="all"></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><font size="2">_don<br></font></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr">On Wed, Jun 6, 2018 at 10:45 AM Ali via AutonomousVehicles <<a href="mailto:autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org">autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Something that should be kept in mind is that the interface <br>
should be able to be voice controlled by the blind person.<br>
<br>
Ali<br>
<br>
----- Original Message -----<br>
From: Donald Winiecki via AutonomousVehicles <br>
<<a href="mailto:autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org" target="_blank">autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org</a><br>
To: <a href="mailto:autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org" target="_blank">autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org</a><br>
Date sent: Wed, 6 Jun 2018 10:25:24 -0600<br>
Subject: Re: [AutonomousVehicles] hello from a very <br>
interestedandexcitednfbmember<br>
<br>
Yes. A blind individual could not address a situation visually.<br>
<br>
However, if the car were narrating things that it was 'seeing' <br>
and how it<br>
was making decisions, the driver would have more information <br>
about what is<br>
happening. This information might be somewhat analogous to what a <br>
sighed<br>
driver would have -- sort of like what we get with a screen <br>
reader for your<br>
computer. In some circumstances, I can imagine a self-driving <br>
car would<br>
require decisions to be made by the driver, and if the car was <br>
continually<br>
updating the driver with relevant information he or she could <br>
respond and<br>
command the car, rather than expecting that the car is making all <br>
the<br>
decisions. (I would expect that there would be settings that <br>
allow the car<br>
to be more or less `chatty` in this regard. Some individuals <br>
would want<br>
lots of information, while others would want a functional minimum <br>
of<br>
information from the car.<br>
<br>
For example, if you are driving to work in the morning and <br>
encounter heavy<br>
traffic or a stoppage, the car could tell you this and ask for <br>
your<br>
decision on whether to continue the same route, or offer one of <br>
several<br>
alternative routes. You would have to tell the car what to do.<br>
<br>
Similarly, in the event of any accident of any sort, the car <br>
would have to<br>
be able to tell the driver what has happened and advise the <br>
driver on<br>
options, as well as automatically contacting relevant <br>
authorities.<br>
<br>
What I am getting at, is the idea that no matter who is <br>
`driving,` the<br>
human will still have to be in the loop somehow, and to be a <br>
responsible<br>
agent in some circumstances. So far this has not been emphasized <br>
in the<br>
development of autonomous vehicles, but I will say that I expect <br>
this to<br>
become an important feature in the future.<br>
<br>
Designing an interface that permits these things will absolutely <br>
require<br>
active participation from drivers who are blind or <br>
visually-impaired.<br>
<br>
_don<br>
​<br>
​<br>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br>
Don Winiecki, Ed.D., Ph.D.<br>
*Professor of Ethics & Morality in Professional Practice*<br>
Boise State University, College of Engineering<br>
E-mail: <a href="mailto:dwiniecki@boisestate.edu" target="_blank">dwiniecki@boisestate.edu</a><br>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~d​<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On Wed, Jun 6, 2018 at 10:02 AM Ali via AutonomousVehicles <<br>
<a href="mailto:autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org" target="_blank">autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
If the systems were ever to require the driver to take control,<br>
this would be impossible for a blind person to safely do.<br>
<br>
Ali<br>
<br>
----- Original Message -----<br>
From: Donald Winiecki via AutonomousVehicles<br>
<<a href="mailto:autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org" target="_blank">autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org</a><br>
To: <a href="mailto:autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org" target="_blank">autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org</a><br>
Date sent: Wed, 6 Jun 2018 08:25:44 -0600<br>
Subject: Re: [AutonomousVehicles] hello from a very interested<br>
andexcitednfbmember<br>
<br>
As a faculty member in a College of Engineering, my primary<br>
responsibilities are in the areas of ethics and morality in<br>
engineering.<br>
Autonomous vehicles are a principal interest of mine.<br>
<br>
All of the crashes of autonomous vehicles that have been<br>
publicized, have<br>
been as a result of failures not of single systems, but in the<br>
intersection<br>
of systems in the vehicles. In the case of the Uber crash in<br>
Arizona that<br>
killed a cyclist/pedestrian, the LIDAR (laser radar) 'saw' the<br>
person early<br>
enough to brake and to steer around her. However, the system<br>
that 'makes<br>
sense of' what the LIDAR detects, was switched to a mode that<br>
delayed such<br>
a reaction -- it was in a very conservative mode where the car's<br>
systems<br>
would have had to be closer to 100% certain of what was being<br>
detected by<br>
the LIDAR before automatically responding.<br>
<br>
In the TESLA crashes, early analysis of the cars' black-boxes<br>
indicates<br>
that systems were attempting to alert the drivers to take <br>
control<br>
because<br>
the cars' systems were detecting situations that they were not<br>
designed to<br>
handle. In these cases, the handoff of control from car to human<br>
driver was<br>
missed.<br>
<br>
Looking outside the cars and their technology, Arizona has<br>
established the<br>
most lax regulation on testing of autonomous vehicles, of any<br>
state that<br>
allows such testing. It was as a side-effect of this lax<br>
regulation that<br>
Uber was able to get away with only one safety-driver in the<br>
vehicle.<br>
Other states that allow testing of autonomous vehicles on public<br>
roadways<br>
require two safety-drivers (one behind the wheel ready to take<br>
control, and<br>
one who monitors the car's systems in real time). Uber's history<br>
of<br>
business practices that take large risks may have been a<br>
contributing<br>
factor somehow.<br>
<br>
In the cases of Tesla crashes, we know that marketing <br>
information<br>
has<br>
heavily hyped what Tesla calls its 'auto pilot' autonomous<br>
driving mode.<br>
There have even been television commercials with Elon Musk<br>
driving/riding a<br>
car with his hands out the window, yelling and boasting of its<br>
autonomous<br>
capabilities. Compare this with the safety information that <br>
comes<br>
with the<br>
cars that cautions drivers to not treat 'auto pilot' as a safe<br>
autonomous<br>
mode.<br>
<br>
A lot of what we are seeing with autonomous vehicles has to do<br>
with the<br>
fact that the companies and consumers are not necessarily<br>
prepared to deal<br>
with the intersection of so many technical and social systems<br>
that we are<br>
suddenly faced with. In fact, no engineering innovation is ever<br>
'only<br>
technical'. Every engineering innovation pushes small or large<br>
impacts on<br>
us in terms of how we know and behave in the world. Those who<br>
adapt to the<br>
new limits of technologies are able to benefit, but those who do<br>
not<br>
understand those limits will run the risk of the failure of <br>
these<br>
multiple<br>
systems.<br>
<br>
There is absolutely no question in my mind that successful<br>
development in<br>
the technologies of autonomous vehicles will occur. However,<br>
successful<br>
social adaptation may not be so clearly possible for everyone.<br>
This is why<br>
every stakeholder group -- including and perhaps especially <br>
those<br>
with<br>
visual impairments that prevent them from getting a driver's<br>
license<br>
currently -- has to be active in the latter. This listserv is a<br>
touchpoint<br>
for all of us who are stakeholders in this particular way. Your<br>
involvement locally, in your State policy-making branches, and<br>
even more<br>
broadly, is very needed!<br>
<br>
_don<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On Wed, Jun 6, 2018 at 7:50 AM Ali via AutonomousVehicles <<br>
<a href="mailto:autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org" target="_blank">autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
Probably just because I'm extremely afraid of accidents LOL.<br>
<br>
----- Original Message -----<br>
From: Daniel Perry via AutonomousVehicles<br>
<<a href="mailto:autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org" target="_blank">autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org</a><br>
To: "autonomous Vehicles Discussion"<br>
<<a href="mailto:autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org" target="_blank">autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org</a><br>
Date sent: Wed, 6 Jun 2018 08:18:18 -0400<br>
Subject: Re: [AutonomousVehicles] hello from a very interested<br>
and excitednfbmember<br>
<br>
me too, but I've been told not to wurry since everyone seems to<br>
be behind<br>
them. I think the crashes are all just a part of the process<br>
morbid as that<br>
sounds.<br>
<br>
--------------------------------------------------<br>
From: "Ali via AutonomousVehicles"<br>
<<a href="mailto:autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org" target="_blank">autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org</a><br>
Sent: Tuesday, June 5, 2018 11:13 PM<br>
To: "autonomous Vehicles Discussion"<br>
<<a href="mailto:autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org" target="_blank">autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org</a><br>
Cc: "Ali" <<a href="mailto:aliherky@gmail.com" target="_blank">aliherky@gmail.com</a><br>
Subject: Re: [AutonomousVehicles] hello from a very interested<br>
and excited<br>
nfbmember<br>
<br>
I have high hopes for the future, but right now am too worried<br>
about the<br>
multiple crashes that have been had.<br>
<br>
Ali<br>
<br>
----- Original Message -----<br>
From: Daniel Perry via AutonomousVehicles<br>
<<a href="mailto:autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org" target="_blank">autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org</a><br>
To: <<a href="mailto:autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org" target="_blank">autonomousvehicles@nfbnet.org</a><br>
Date sent: Tue, 5 Jun 2018 14:59:30 -0400<br>
Subject: [AutonomousVehicles] hello from a very interested and<br>
excited<br>
nfbmember<br>
<br>
Hello everyone, my name is Daniel Perry and I found this list<br>
and<br>
immediately signed up because I'm extremely excited about the<br>
prospect of<br>
autonomous vehicles being a reality as well as we the totally<br>
blind being<br>
able to use them. I can't wait to own one as soon as they're<br>
afordable<br>
enough for your average blind person to purchase and own. I'll<br>
be very<br>
excited to see how Waymo progresses after its launch later on<br>
this year.<br>
What's the latest in our efforts to make these vehicles<br>
accessible to the<br>
blind? have a wonderful day and I look forward to hearing from<br>
you soon.<br>
<br>
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</blockquote></div>