[nabs-l] Device Helps Blind See with Tongue

[Brandon Keith Biggs]

Hello,
It was my feeling that most blind people going to college were doing STEM 
things, but the number of blind people going to college was negligible. It's 
a piece of cake getting into a STEM college, but not everyone goes to 
college... Especially if they became blind later in life.
On another note, I was stopped the other day by an     engineer who asked me
if I had any suggestions for a piece of technology that could help the 
blind. He was doing it for a school project, so I'm not sure if he took my 
suggestion or not, but there are at least some smart people out there!
Thank you,

Brandon Keith Biggs
-----Original Message----- 
From: Humberto Avila
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 2:57 PM
To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Device Helps Blind See with Tongue

Maybe one of you students needs to go into the field of engineering so you
can help these uneducated researchers with their projects that "fix
blindness." we need more and more and more blind people in the STEM fields
that's for sure! And yes, we also need a blind celebrity that really can
apply the philosophy of blindness of the NFB in all public appearances and
performances, including TV shows and movies.

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Brandon Keith Biggs
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 1:54 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Device Helps Blind See with Tongue

Hello,
True, the sighted people in engineering often want to develop things for
blind people to use, but very few of them know blind people to ask, or know
of any professionals on blind people that could answer their questions. I
think the root of the problem is that there aren't enough of us to go around

and the professionals or people informed about blindness are even more rare
than we are.
I have often brought up to my college that they should start a TVI program
and they kind of chuckle and ask me where I'll find the teachers... But
there are so many students who are going in to special Ed that have heard of

being a teacher of the blind, but they know nothing about it. There is one
or two places in the special Ed program that talk about blindness related
subjects in passing, but that is often very small and obscure.
I wonder if there could be a project/class system  or something that could
be developed that a blind student could take to their college that teaches
people a little about what it's like working with blind people. That way
colleges may start taking notice of this important field and make it a part
of the class catalogue. The information just needs to get out there to the
public.
The best way for myths about blindness to be dispelled is for a TV show with

a blind person as the lead, acting as a blind person, to go on the air. But
idk of very many directors who would be able to find someone who could write

a good pilot script or direct the movie to show a blind person as they
really are.
Blindness is like Opera, people truly just don't know about it! (Les Miz and

Phantom are NOT OPERA and Dare devil and all those other blind movie
characters aren't blind!
Thank you,

Brandon Keith Biggs
-----Original Message----- 
From: Justin Salisbury
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 12:41 PM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Device Helps Blind See with Tongue

I think some of you are focusing on the technology and its possible uses.
What made me want to post this article were the philosophies on blindness
expressed in the article and news story.

In no connection to the previous discussion of cancer on this thread, I feel

like the researchers think their discovery is analogous to finding a cure
for cancer when they come up with this technology.  They appear to me to be
trying to tackle tasks that any graduate of an NFB training center can
already handle.  If I don't know what is on the counter in front of me, I
reach out and touch it.  Let them research whatever they want to research,
but I think these people are marked by a profound misunderstanding of
blindness.

I don't try to fix the fact that I'm blind (as if it's something wrong with
me); I try to fix the misunderstandings about blindness.

Justin

Justin M. Salisbury
Class of 2012
B.A. in Mathematics
East Carolina University
president at alumni.ecu.edu

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change

the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."    -MARGARET MEAD


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