[nabs-l] New Technology and Blindness

Jedi loneblindjedi at samobile.net
Mon May 2 02:14:55 UTC 2011 

No, it's an alliance of several disability-related organizations made 
of people who can't read standard print for whatever reason. The NFB is 
one group in this alliance.

Respectfully Submitted

Original message:
> Okay, I'm gonna be like * really * NFB ignorant here, but what's
> the Reading Rights Coalition? Is that part of NAPUB (National
> Association to Promote the Use of Braille?"

> Chris Nusbaum

> "A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)

>  ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Sun, 1 May 2011 14:29:22 -0700
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] New Technology and Blindness

> Yup.  Can you say "Reading Rights Coalition"?

> Mike


> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Nicole B.  Torcolini at Home
> Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2011 8:01 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] New Technology and Blindness

> And it's not just with technology.  It's with so many other
> things, such as
> books.

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2011 7:51 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] New Technology and Blindness


>  We don't have that right; that's what we are trying to
> establish.

>  Mike Freeman
>  sent from my iPhone


>  On Apr 30, 2011, at 17:51, Chris Nusbaum
> <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:

>  I'll say this again.  So, we're a minority.  Who cares? Should
> that
>  discourage us from at least trying to get all technology to be
>  accessible? My answer is a resounding, "No!" We have as much of
> a right
>  as anybody to have access to technology.  We just need a few
> adaptations.

>  Come on, guys, where's the NFB philosophy here? I can't be the
> only one
>  on an NFB-NET list who believes that we deserve the right of
> access to
>  technology and we need to fight for it!

>  Chris Nusbaum

>  "A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities
> motto)

>  ----- Original Message -----
>  From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com
>  To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
>  <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>  Date sent: Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:24:46 -0700
>  Subject: Re: [nabs-l] New Technology and Blindness

>  Patrick et al:

>  I wouldn't count on increased numbers of visually impaired
> people to
>  drive
>  technology development.  Even if the number were to double,
> visually
>  impaired people would still constitute a minority of the
> population.
>  Short
>  of legal requirements, development of technology is
> market-driven.  And
>  although *we* don't like touch-screens and complaints of senior
> citizens
>  about them strike a chord with us, most people tend to like them
> and they
>  are far easier to maintain than are devices with buttons and
> dials that,
>  being mechanical devices, wear out easily.

>  I agree that we should strive to educate technology vendors
> about our
>  needs
>  but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to respond short
> of legal
>  sanctions.  In this connection, while not the whole answer, our
>  Technology
>  Bill of Rights would go a long way toward solving the problem.
> Even
>  then,
>  however, we will still face some technology barriers in that
> innovation
>  goes
>  on and, like it or not, it is geared toward the needs of the
> majority so
>  we,
>  the blind, are and probably always will be playing catch-up.

>  Mike Freeman


>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>  Behalf
>  Of Patrick Molloy
>  Sent: Friday, April 29, 2011 5:20 PM
>  To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>  Subject: Re: [nabs-l] New Technology and Blindness

>  Nicole,
>  I agree with you.  New technology continues to be a stumbling
> block, at
>  least in part.  However, I think the answer is twofold: First,
> we
>  should strive to educate the people in charge of leading
> technology
>  companies with regards to blindness.  Second, there really
> should be a
>  law mandating all touch screens be accessible.  However, I feel
> that
>  progress will come.  As the number of Americans with vision
>  impairment/vision loss increases, technology will HAVE to be
> made
>  accessible.
>  Just my thoughts,
>  Patrick

>  On 4/29/11, Nicole B.  Torcolini at Home
> <ntorcolini at wavecable.com
>  wrote:
>  It continues to amaze me in how inaccessible new technologies
> can be.  I
>  don't think that the people who design them are purposefully
> making them
>  inaccessible, but it is still very frustrating.  For example, I
> just read

>  a
>  paper about a virtual nurse agent that is designed to help
> patients
>  understand medical information before being discharged from the
> hospital.
>  Although the system does talk, it has several other features,
> including a
>  touchscreen and pointing at places in a print booklet, which
> would be
>  completely inaccessible to the blind.  My question then is,
> besides
>  educating
>  people about blindness, is there something else that could be
> done? For
>  example, should there be a law that all touch screen devices
> have to be
>  accessible or have an option for accessibility?
>  The paper can be found at:
>  http://relationalagents.com/publications/CHI09.VirtualNurse.pdf

>  Nicole
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