[blindkid] Wii Thoughts

[Richard Holloway]

I'm wondering if any of us has actually had "hands on" this device,  
and who among us has actually seen that video or had it described to  
us...

 From what I can discern, this "electronic cane" is basically a fairly  
conventional cane with a chunk in the middle that has been replaced by  
a pair of shafts with what appears to be some sort of a motion-sensing  
device that hangs between the the shafts. I suspect it would feel like  
a slightly awkward and heavier-than-usual cane. This is not some crazy  
alternative-to a-cane contraption. It is also (from what I can tell)  
FAR closer to a typical cane than the Wii Guitar is to an actual  
guitar, for whatever that may be worth. Despite it's similarity with a  
"proper" cane, it also does not appear to be offered as a replacement  
to a cane in any way.

My guess is that (much like with the knfb reader) among so many other  
pieces of technology, over time the device would shrink and could  
ultimately feel (and in fact be) a typical cane that happens to offer  
the features of a Wii input device as well. (Perhaps you could even  
attach a small device around a personal cane for this at some point.)

I keep hearing so much apprehension and resistance to what this device  
claims to offer but no evidence that it really won't work or certainly  
anything that shows this to be detrimental to cane travelers' skills.  
What I did hear however, is that it apparently has inspired and  
pleased a number of the kids who have been trying it out. Again, I'm  
not picking up an anything bad there. I hear that some people  
apparently think learning to use a cane should NOT be fun. Well, let  
me tell you-- if my daughter thinks something is fun, she's going to  
do it a lot more often and a lot better than something she dislikes  
and I'm suspecting this is not unique to Kendra. In my experience,  
Kendra really enjoys reading and writing braille. She has fun doing it  
now, because she actually had fun learning to read braille and it has  
nearly always been associated with positive experiences for her. Many  
of the ways she learned to read were very much game-like, Now she  
reads several years ABOVE grade level and she's only just finished  
first grade. Does anyone want to suggest to me that while it is okay  
if she enjoys reading NOW, she should NOT have enjoyed LEARNING to  
read? Does that make sense to anyone?

I was recently looking at a braille compass in a store. Then I saw an  
electronic compass. I don't know how well it works, but the concept is  
interesting. So consider this-- put the electronic compass into a cane  
which tells you which way you're pointing at will. Or why not a GPS in  
a cane? Does that sound excessive or overly complicated? Well it may  
be, but what is much more likely is that things like this Wii cane  
could develop into something like a conventional cane (or cane  
attachment) with a bluetooth interface that could send whatever data  
the sensors in the cane are made to pickup, then you could interface  
that with whatever you wanted-- a compass system, a GPS, or probably  
any number of other devices.

There was a time when telephones were not mobile, then some people had  
the "crazy" idea of putting them in cars and then briefcases. Those  
became "bag phones" that became the "brick" cell phones which became  
pocket sized phones like many of us have now. Ultimately, a pocket  
phone can encompass everything from a PDA to a GPS system to a knfb  
reader and who knows what else?

It looks to me like the Wii system, in many ways is actually at least  
part of something somewhat like a simulator for cane travel. You can  
actually travel with it (at least a bit) but not in a "real world"  
environment. Well, the simulator concept is a proven one. People learn  
to do all sorts of things in them all over the world. Often it keeps  
them safe, makes learning faster, and saves time and money. Again, I  
have trouble seeing the down side. Every time I get on a airplane, I'm  
delighted to know the pilot may have spent a lot of time in a  
simulator AS WELL AS actually flying. All of that is hopefully keeping  
me safer in the air!

The NFB really is working towards cars that would be reasonable for  
blind people to drive on their own. Not just an autonomous vehicle a  
blind person could own and ride in, but one that my child might be  
able to get in and drive on her own one day. It troubles me to observe  
other bashing ideas that may not only be useful and helpful right now,  
but which may very well lead to all sorts of additional helpful  
technologies for all of our kids in the future. I hope we can all keep  
this in mind when we're exploring and discussing new developments in  
technology.

Once upon a time someone came up with a strange and awkward concept  
for sending messages that could be read in the dark in combat areas.  
It didn't work very well at all and it needed a lot of refining. I  
expect many people thought it was a ridiculous concept, and a waste of  
time, but today I don't think so many of us would announce that  
Braille is a foolish or useless invention.

Just my thoughts on the matter.