[Blind-Rollers] Potential Benefits of Super Lidar for Blind Rollers

Tue Mar 1 19:51:44 UTC 2022

Sheen dish hoping you can help out. I have your app turned on an iPhone 13 promax. It will tell me where people are, and where doorways are, but not werewolves are. Anything I can do?

Karen Rose MFT/LPCC www.career-therapy.net

> On Feb 28, 2022, at 9:34 AM, Shane Lowe via Blind-Rollers <blind-rollers at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> To be honest, this is baffling to me. I am the only community
> operations person at Mediate, and have no idea from where they are
> pulling information in regards to our budget. It seems to me there is
> little I can do to actually prove my sincerity, because it appears
> that the only satisfactory response is of monetary value. I fully
> respect and agree with your position, and it is correct as it pertains
> to many companies. I'm afraid it doesn't fit us.
> 
>> On 2/24/22, Starry_sky at live.com <Starry_sky at live.com> wrote:
>> Hello Shane, I floated your email to a friend who is a business
>> strategist (with disabilities).  Here is the reply:
>> 
>> Unfortunately, this is the typical answer "we would like to pay people
>> with disabilities but can't because of [insert excuse here]".  There are
>> different ways to compensate but doesn't sound like they are offering
>> anything.  At least that other company offered a meager gift card.
>> 
>> From what I can piece together, it seems that Mediate has enough funds
>> but it just isn't budgeted to compensate this user community. Mediate
>> chose to pay for a team of five or six "community engagement managers"
>> to find and convince members of the disability community to work for
>> free or to sort through community exchanges to glean ideas.  Then
>> Mediate sell those features and products back to us or profit in other
>> ways.  Then they want more free ideas and free testing from us. The
>> cycle continues as they spend those profits to find more ways to use us
>> without compensating us.
>> 
>> Everyone with and without disabilities should work to change that
>> business model and stop providing excuses to perpetuate it.  Is Shane
>> willing to be a part of the solution?  There needs to be a shift of
>> mindset at Mediate (and all other companies) so everyone benefits.  What
>> if Mediate allocates part of that budget for a program that respectfully
>> compensates people with disabilities' time, skills, and insights?  Then
>> Mediate won't need a team to glean our ideas and convince us to work for
>> free because there would be a line of people w disabilities ready,
>> willing, and able to work with Mediate.
>> 
>> On Feb 23, 2022, Shane Lowe via Blind-Rollers <blind-rollers at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> You have an excellent point, and as a blind person, I've seen that
>>> disparity in pay all too often.
>>> However, we are a small startup. We have very little funding to expand
>>> our team of developers, let alone pay an example price similar to
>>> $50.00 per hour. As much as I'd love to offer payment, We are
>>> currently too small to swing that without going under very quickly.
>>> 
>>> On 2/22/22, Starry_sky--- via Blind-Rollers <blind-rollers at nfbnet.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>> Hello Shane, there is no shortage of brilliant people with disabilities
>>>> who could work with you or other companies to design and test products.
>>>> The problem is that too many of these companies feel that we should work
>>>> for free.  There was a for-profit company that paid $50/hr for sighted
>>>> testers but then asked for Blind testers to spend half a day testing
>>>> that same app for one $20 gift card.
>>>> 
>>>> What is Mediate offering to people with disabilities to help design and
>>>> test products?  Do we get paid an hourly rate or one price for the
>>>> project?  Do we get profit-sharing, royalties, and/or owner-rights for
>>>> any of our ideas that sell or get patented?  Let us know what the
>>>> collaboration expectations are.
>>>> 
>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> 
>>>>> Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 10:36:30 -0500
>>>>> From: Shane Lowe <shane at mediate.tech>
>>>>> To: Blind wheelchair users list <blind-rollers at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Blind-Rollers] Potential Benefits of Super Lidar for
>>>>>    Blind Rollers
>>>>> 
>>>>> Karen and all,
>>>>> That sounds intense, and I'm glad to hear that you're on the mend!
>>>>> When I reached out to the list earlier this year, I didn't receive any
>>>>> feedback, so we weren't sure how to proceed or if users were
>>>>> interested in working with us to design something.
>>>>> I would love to know how you envision something like this working, and
>>>>> we can go from there! :)
>>>>> 
>>>>> On 2/18/22, Karen Rose via Blind-Rollers <blind-rollers at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> Well. Thank you :-)
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Karen Rose MFT/LPCC www.career-therapy.net
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Feb 18, 2022, at 11:17 AM, maureen Pranghofer via Blind-Rollers
>>>>>>> <blind-rollers at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> ?Hi Karen
>>>>>>> I'm in a power chair now but used a walker for a couple of years,
>>>>>>> Rather
>>>>>>> than leaning on my palms they put forearm troughts in the walker and
>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>> could lean on them with both arms and by extending one arm slightly
>>>>>>> use
>>>>>>> my
>>>>>>> can at the same time as I'm totally blind. It worked but was very
>>>>>>> hard
>>>>>>> on
>>>>>>> my shoulder because ultimately more weight went on my shoulder on the
>>>>>>> side
>>>>>>> where I was holding the cane. But it worked.
>>>>>>> Maureen
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>>> From: Blind-Rollers <blind-rollers-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of
>>>>>>> Karen
>>>>>>> Rose via Blind-Rollers
>>>>>>> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2022 12:01 AM
>>>>>>> To: Blind wheelchair users list <blind-rollers at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>>> Cc: Karen Rose <rosekm at earthlink.net>
>>>>>>> Subject: Re: [Blind-Rollers] Potential Benefits of Super Lidar for
>>>>>>> Blind
>>>>>>> Rollers
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Is anyone here using a walker or roller tour? If so how are you doing
>>>>>>> that? I am being discharged from a physical rehab center after
>>>>>>> breaking
>>>>>>> my
>>>>>>> hip, and will need to use a walker or realtor for a couple of months.
>>>>>>> Would love any advice since I cannot attach my white cane to this
>>>>>>> device.
>>>>>>> Thanks for any help
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Karen Rose MFT/LPCC www.career-therapy.net
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> On Jan 26, 2022, at 12:06 PM, Shane Lowe via Blind-Rollers
>>>>>>>> <blind-rollers at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> ?Hi everyone,
>>>>>>>> My name is Shane Lowe, and I am the Community Operations manager for
>>>>>>>> the company Mediate. You may know of us as the developers of
>>>>>>>> Supersense and Super Lidar.
>>>>>>>> Part of what I do is work with users to turn user ideas into
>>>>>>>> features
>>>>>>>> that are integrated into our apps, and a fellow member of this list
>>>>>>>> reached out to me about the potential benefits of a navigation app
>>>>>>>> for
>>>>>>>> blind wheelchair users.
>>>>>>>> In case you don't know, Super Lidar is our navigation app which
>>>>>>>> translate the depth and distance analysis of Lidar into navigation
>>>>>>>> features for the blind. I'd love to learn more about how everyone on
>>>>>>>> this list would like to use mobile technology in your navigation
>>>>>>>> experience so that maybe we can make some improvements for Super
>>>>>>>> Lidar.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> I'm excited to hear what you think!
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> All the best,
>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>> Shane Lowe.
>>>>>>>> Community Operations Manager @ Mediate Mobile (call or text): +1
>>>>>>>> 502-435-2671 Learn more at http://supersense.app
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
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>>>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Shane Lowe.
> Community Operations Manager @ Mediate
> Mobile (call or text): +1 502-435-2671
> Learn more at http://supersense.app
> 
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