[nabs-l] A cane for the blind to improve social interactions

Tue Nov 29 23:15:19 UTC 2011

Amen Bridgit!
Arielle

On 11/29/11, Bridgit Pollpeter <bpollpeter at hotmail.com> wrote:
> In and of itself, this cane isn't necessarily bad, and a lot worse
> products have been on the market supposedly to make the lives of blind
> individuals "better."
>
> My problem is that one, it appears that this woman is sighted, and while
> I have absolutely no problem with sighted people assisting in the
> innovation of products for us, I think it best they work with us along
> the way. The article takes the slant that while a car for the blind is
> great and all, this cane is better. Translation: Classic example of the
> sighted world thinking they know best. God forbid we work towards goals
> that actually could, and would, improve our lives; the sighted still
> know better because they have secret information we, the blind, don't
> have so therefore they must step in and provide that information.
>
> Now, don't argue the car issue with me because I know we all have
> varying opinions on it; I am strictly speaking to what is in this
> article. I have my own pros and cons about the car, but it is what is
> addressed in this article in terms of what is best for the blind. Smile.
>
> Look, I was sighted, so yes, there are things I miss such as recognizing
> people from across a room, but I don't feel I'm missing out on social
> interactions, or that my life experience is so devoid of certain things
> now. Just because I miss something doesn't mean I feel empty or
> uninformed.
>
> It also bothers me when anyone, blind or sighted, suggest a GPS will
> help us avoid running objects. If using a white cane properly, we don't
> run into anything. When our cane hits something, it is suppose to
> because it's protecting our body from hitting and running into the
> object. Yes, we have those moments when we graze things, or are at just
> the right angle that we goof up, and of course we all have tapped a
> person, or slid a cane between a persons legs, but sighted people will
> bump others, or bags and totes will slam into people. It's not such a
> problem that we need a device to tell us every little move. And
> personally, I don't count stairs or how many feet to something, so it's
> funny to me that a part of this canes "job" is to inform when a person
> we know is nearby, then give us exact steps to them, then we count the
> steps until we find the person. Sorry, but that's ridiculous.
>
> Now, it would be helpful to avoid hanging objects or things high enough
> that it's out of a canes reach, but low enough for us to run into with
> our upper body. We all have done it, and it's the one thing a white cane
> can't assist us with.
>
> My problem is not so much the cane itself, but the reasoning behind it
> that bothers me. As I said before, while not the worse item to be
> developed for the blind, it seems to imply that our ability to interact
> socially is not great, and that we are missing out on this huge
> experience in life. It's the common idea that we are severely lacking in
> so many areas that we require special devices and technology so we can
> "fit in." Social interaction can be difficult for anyone. Sighted people
> can lack this just as much as blind people can be the life of a party.
> There's no tip in the scales making one group more socially aware than
> another. Trust me; I've been sighted and blind so I know about both
> worlds.
>
> I don't think there's anything wrong with a person who might use such a
> cane. It does have some unique features that would be helpful like how
> it can warn about head-level objects. It's just the reasoning behind
> it's development that bothers me. And how, according to this article, it
> makes it seem as though we don't know what is best for us. I'm tired of
> people who have never been blind thinking they know what is best, and
> what my needs are. I'm not lacking in the social department, and though
> it's a nice luxury to be able to see and approach friends from across a
> room, we're not missing a chunk of the human experience because we lack
> this ability. If you lack social interactions, perhaps you need to look
> at yourself and wonder why. Do you initiate conversation? Do you join
> gatherings or participate in activities? Do you show up to events and
> sit by a wall all night? We may not be able to "see" people across a
> room, but we can approach people, engage in conversations and make
> friends just like anyone else. We don't need a special device to help
> us.
>
> And by the way, we're becoming way to reliant on technology. Blind and
> sighted alike, but especially blind people. I know so many of us who
> refuse to learn and/or use alternative skills because we now have
> technology to do it for us. If you have poor travel skills and opt to
> rely on an accessible GPS (which is god-awful expensive) what happens if
> the GPS breaks, or screws up, or is stolen, or you forget it? Lacking
> solid travel skills, how do you get around? Hmmm... Shows you that
> lacking social skills, or at least allegedly, is the worse of our
> problems.
>
> Sincerely,
> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
> Read my blog at:
> http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
>
> "History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
> The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:16:59 -0700
> From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com>
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nabs-l] Fwd: [LCA] a cane for the blind improves social
> 	interactions]
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> Curious what y'all think of this. Would anyone actually use it? Arielle
>
>
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