[blindkid] Wii Thoughts

[Bonnie Lucas]

Amen!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Holloway" <rholloway at gopbc.org>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 12:48 PM
Subject: [blindkid] Wii Thoughts


> 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 conventional cane with a chunk in the middle that has been replaced by  a 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.
>
>
>