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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>I agree. I want one.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>However I think we'll transition in to an Uber-like world where nobody will own cars at all but you'll pay or subscribe to a service which sends you a car when you want one.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>The American Car Culture is already on life support. The days when a Kid could get a car to tinker with are already going. I have done care repairs myself including installing a starter on a small pickup truck. My son can still check oil, but his kid won't even know where the engine is located in his ultra-modern computerized car. Even if he still has to drive it himself.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Nd-talk [mailto:nd-talk-bounces@nfbnet.org] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Charlene Ota via Nd-talk<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, October 12, 2016 6:25 PM<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> 'North Dakota Talk Discussion List' <nd-talk@nfbnet.org><br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Cc:</span></b> Charlene Ota <caota4@gmail.com><br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [Nd-talk] FW: [ATI] The Blind Have High Hopes for Self-Driving Cars<o:p></o:p></span></font></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Hey, Jesse, guess you could say you’re a tab bit excited about that? Well, ME TOOOOOOOO!!!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Nd-talk [<a href="mailto:nd-talk-bounces@nfbnet.org">mailto:nd-talk-bounces@nfbnet.org</a>] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Jesse Shirek via Nd-talk<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, October 12, 2016 4:37 PM<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> 'North Dakota Talk Discussion List' <<a href="mailto:nd-talk@nfbnet.org">nd-talk@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Cc:</span></b> Jesse Shirek <<a href="mailto:jesseshirek@gmail.com">jesseshirek@gmail.com</a>><br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [Nd-talk] FW: [ATI] The Blind Have High Hopes for Self-Driving Cars<o:p></o:p></span></font></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Yes, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>awesome,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Wooooooo hooooooooooooooo!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>I love you!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Nd-talk [<a href="mailto:nd-talk-bounces@nfbnet.org">mailto:nd-talk-bounces@nfbnet.org</a>] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Sherry Shirek via Nd-talk<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, October 12, 2016 4:27 PM<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> 'North Dakota Talk Discussion List' <<a href="mailto:nd-talk@nfbnet.org">nd-talk@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Cc:</span></b> Sherry Shirek <<a href="mailto:sherrybeth7@gmail.com">sherrybeth7@gmail.com</a>><br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [Nd-talk] FW: [ATI] The Blind Have High Hopes for Self-Driving Cars<o:p></o:p></span></font></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>It looks promising…<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Let’s keep our fingers crossed that we will be driving real soon <smiles> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Sherry<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color="#1f497d" face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> ATI [<a href="mailto:ati-bounces@moblind.org">mailto:ati-bounces@moblind.org</a>] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Darrel<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, October 12, 2016 2:32 PM<br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> 'Adaptive technology information and support.' <<a href="mailto:ati@moblind.org">ati@moblind.org</a>><br><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [ATI] The Blind Have High Hopes for Self-Driving Cars<o:p></o:p></span></font></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>The Blind Have High Hopes for Self-Driving Cars<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>Advocates for the visually impaired are talking to companies and legislators about developing vehicles they will be able to drive independently.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>During a few days in August, the parking lot at the Perkins School for the Blind morphed into a test zone where a golf-cart-like vehicle transported students<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>and staff members, guided by a laptop. It was a prototype from <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>Optimus Ride,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>a startup in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that is developing self-driving technologies for electric vehicles.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>Though the trip was short and followed a programmed course, it generated excitement at Perkins, the country’s oldest school for the blind, which serves<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>200 blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind students on its campus and hundreds more through programs in local schools. Advocates for the blind—at Perkins<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>and beyond—say driverless cars could revolutionize their lives, provided the vehicles are designed to be accessible. As the promise of a truly autonomous<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>car draws closer, organizations representing the blind are taking a more active role in shaping the vehicles and software being developed.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>“Autonomous vehicles will be transformative for people who are blind,” says Dave Power, Perkins’s president and CEO. “For the first time, they will be<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>able to get to school, work, and community activities independently, regardless of distance. There is tremendous enthusiasm about it, both here and nationally,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>among the blind.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>Image: National Federation of the Blind president Mark Riccobono preparing to drive the car developed by the organization’s Blind Driver Challenge in 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>Advocates want companies to make their autonomous vehicles disability friendly rather than produce special cars for the visually impaired, which would<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>probably be extremely expensive. Power, a former technology executive, knows the blind community can’t assume that autonomous-vehicle makers will take<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>their needs into account. So he has begun inviting technology companies to Perkins’s campus to make presentations and gather feedback. “We want to help<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>these vendors build accessibility into their designs and think about blind people up front,” says Power.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>Optimus Ride was the first company to respond to Power’s invitation. During its visits, the startup test-drove its vehicle on Perkins’s 38-acre property.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>It also held a brainstorming session to learn how driverless cars can best serve blind people and whether they could be deployed as shuttles on large campuses.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>Perkins employees say they gave the startup numerous suggestions, such as making sure to provide adequate floor space for service dogs. They also emphasized<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>the need for a nonvisual interface that passengers could use to communicate with the car. For example, a touch-screen-controlled vehicle could accommodate<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>blind users by integrating voice-over technology or haptic feedback.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>The setup could mimic the gesture-based screen readers that blind people use to navigate their smartphones and apps. In fact, the Perkins group recommended<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>that Optimus Ride create an app for its future users. Jim Denham, Perkins’s educational technology coordinator, says he anticipates using an app to do<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>everything from summoning a car to instructing it to make an unscheduled stop and wait while he unloads his belongings. The app, in turn, could give users<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>periodic status updates about the vehicle’s progress and notify them when they’ve reached their destination.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>Beyond vehicle and software design, the blind community wants to influence regulations governing driverless cars. The National Federation of the Blind (NFB),<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>the country’s largest organization for blind people, has championed the idea of cars for the blind since the early 2000s, when it organized a <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>Blind Driver Challenge<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'> to encourage universities to create nonvisual interfaces for cars. NFB spokesperson Chris Danielsen says the group has since asked Google to incorporate<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>accessibility features into its self-driving car. The NFB also plans to attend an upcoming conference hosted by Daimler, at the invitation of the German<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>auto giant, and to submit comments on the automated-vehicle rules that the U.S. Department of Transportation <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>released recently.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>The American Council of the Blind (ACB), a national grassroots advocacy group, has been tracking state laws to ensure that they don’t prohibit blind people<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>from using autonomous vehicles. When Nevada included restrictive language related to blind people in its draft legislation, the organization asked lawmakers<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>to make the wording less specific, according to ACB president Kim Charlson. “We don’t think being blind should be a reason why we can’t take advantage<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>of these cars,” she adds. “On the contrary, we think it’s a reason we should use them.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>Charlson, like other advocates for the blind community, is looking forward to a future of fully autonomous vehicles in which a blind person would not need<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>to do any type of driving and authorities would be alerted if the car got into trouble. Blind people say that riding in semi-autonomous cars, alongside<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>sighted passengers able to serve as drivers, would not expand their current transportation options. After all, they can already get lifts from friends<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>or family members, take taxis or Ubers, or use paratransit vans, which provide shared door-to-door transportation to people with disabilities. “If we still<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>h ave to have another person in the vehicle, we’re no better off than now, regardless of how sophisticated the technology is,” points out NFB’s Danielsen.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt'>“Autonomous vehicles are going to be the future,” adds Charlson. “My objective is to make sure people who are blind get to equally be part of that future.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Thanks,</span></font><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Darrel</span></font><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>President, Adaptive Technology inc.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><a href="http://ati.moblind.org/">http://ati.moblind.org</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Please visit me and my friends at: <a href="http://ww4b.org/">http://ww4b.org</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p></div></div></body></html>