[NFB-Idaho] I Just Found Something That Changed How I Use AI
tj at tjsquires.net
tj at tjsquires.net
Sun Jul 5 17:59:40 UTC 2026
I often find myself reflecting on the essence fo Don’s message below, and think it’s a very facinating concept.
While I do agree that we must worry that AI is taking away much (I didn’t considered the disability angle, but will think about it for certain), I find that, sometimes, doing things for me is the only acceptable solution. I have yet to find a way for me to edit a photo, a video, or interact with visual media in such a way that, without reliable accessibility—and even then—full interaction and understanding is not within grasp. If I am able to use AI to determine whether or not a video is in portrait orientation and, if it’s not, edit that video to be so, is that such a bad thing?
We all must accept help, blind or sighted, and accept things being done for us. Not all of us are Plummers, electricians, sprinkler technicians, after all, and utilize those that are to do a job for us. I am using a computer to describe a picture, get visual details of a photo, and in some cases, edit them for me. Is that such a bad thing? It is a slightly disconcerting and amazingly helpful one, I can tell you that!
What concerns me is the over-use of AI. It is clear, once you know the signs to look for, that things are done with AI.
AI is a tool, first and foremost. I’d argue a very good one, if used correctly. I can go on about how AI makes mistakes or hallucinates or gives you the requested information you ask for, but that’s a lot of typing. I’d be up for chatting about it though as AI, because I have to in work and enjoy the technology personally, have a deep interest in how it works and the limits and benefits. I think those of us that are still looking at decades of work left in our lives have to be.
> On Jun 27, 2026, at 11:03 AM, Donald Winiecki via NFB-Idaho <nfb-idaho at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> We will benefit from AI. We will feel the bad sides too. It's not the doing
> of AI, it's the doing of us.
>
> Self driving cars, artificial vision, artificial hearing, innovations in
> mobility, drugs that modulate neurodivergence, can all be very good. Many
> will benefit from those things, but they also reinforce a medical model of
> disability and further normalize able-bodied-ness. Two things *can* be true
> at the same time.
>
> Marshall McLuhan was to have said, "We create our tools and our tools
> create us. We become what we behold." I think he was right.
>
> The NFB and what it stands for is a part of a remedy that allows us to
> acknowledge both so we can guide toward the good and mitigate the other
> side. Be the good user of technology and guide us away from the opposite.
>
> Best,
>
>
>
> DON WINIECKI
>
> Handid Braille Services
>
>
> - a 501(c)(3) non-profit producer of braille & accessible media
> - specializing in languages that don't use Latin symbols systems
> - winner of the 2024 Jacob Bolotin Award from the National Federation of
> the Blind, for work producing braille in languages other than English
> - Notary Public, State of Idaho 20252314
>
> Email: dwiniecki at handid.org
>
> Web: https://www.handid.org <https://www.handid.org/>
>
> Tel: +1 208/571-8096 <+1+208+571+8096>
>
> Fax: +1 844/646-1568
>
>
> - Your donations make braille free for others!
> - Donate tax-deductible funds to Handid by clicking here
> <https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LW9KZFRKQY67C>!
>
> [image: logo for "security metrics," showing that Handid Braille Services
> uses high reliability security processes and tools.]
>
>
> On Sat, Jun 27, 2026 at 10:29 AM President of NFB Idaho via NFB-Idaho <
> nfb-idaho at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>> I saw an interview with two college professors who discussed how they can
>> tell that a student has used AI to write their papers. AI has to be
>> trained and can only operate on its training. It often uses phrases that
>> give the clue that AI is being used.
>> Yesterday I listened to several musical selections of music from the 60's
>> that were generated by AI. They were horrible, and I finally asked the
>> activity director who was playing them to turn them off and find the real
>> artists. I don't use AI except for "Be My AI" because I don't know how and
>> don't know what to trust. I think we could do a break-out training for
>> people interested in learning more. The smart phone could probably be
>> used.
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NFB-Idaho <nfb-idaho-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Donald
>> Winiecki via NFB-Idaho
>> Sent: Friday, June 26, 2026 9:04 PM
>> To: Kevin Pirnie <kpirnie77 at gmail.com>
>> Cc: Donald Winiecki <dwiniecki at handid.org>; NFB of Idaho Discussion List <
>> nfb-idaho at nfbnet.org>
>> Subject: Re: [NFB-Idaho] I Just Found Something That Changed How I Use AI
>>
>> I can say what I don't use AI to do.
>>
>> I don't grade student assignments with AI, even if they produce their
>> assignments using it.
>> I don't ask AI to summarize academic articles and books for me.
>> I don't ask AI to analyze research data, or write the first draft (or any
>> draft) of a research report or grant proposal for me.
>> I don't skip Zoom meetings and then ask AI to give me a synopsis of the
>> video recording.
>> I don't ask AI to agent my E-mail for me.
>>
>> But yes, I tested AI on all those things. I can also say that I know
>> faculty members at BSU and other places who use AI to do all of those
>> things.
>>
>> It'll get better. It can certainly make us more productive, for what
>> that's worth.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>>
>> DON WINIECKI
>>
>> Handid Braille Services
>>
>>
>> - a 501(c)(3) non-profit producer of braille & accessible media
>> - specializing in languages that don't use Latin symbols systems
>> - winner of the 2024 Jacob Bolotin Award from the National Federation of
>> the Blind, for work producing braille in languages other than English
>> - Notary Public, State of Idaho 20252314
>>
>> Email: dwiniecki at handid.org
>>
>> Web: https://www.handid.org <https://www.handid.org/>
>>
>> Tel: +1 208/571-8096 <+1+208+571+8096>
>>
>> Fax: +1 844/646-1568
>>
>>
>> - Your donations make braille free for others!
>> - Donate tax-deductible funds to Handid by clicking here
>> <https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LW9KZFRKQY67C>!
>>
>> [image: logo for "security metrics," showing that Handid Braille Services
>> uses high reliability security processes and tools.]
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Jun 26, 2026 at 4:20 PM Kevin Pirnie <kpirnie77 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Great question Don. I use AI in my work flows, research, creating
>>> reports on specific processes and instructional guides, coding and
>>> debugging code, optimizing the formatting of HTML, deep research for
>>> both personal interests and professional projects, automating data
>>> management, vibe coding apps and software, image and video creation,
>>> grammar and spell checks and so much more.
>>>
>>> How are you using AI?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Jun 26, 2026 at 3:06 PM Donald Winiecki <dwiniecki at handid.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Kevin,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I'm curious what you are using AI to do. Could you give us a debrief
>>>> in your words?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Best,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> DON WINIECKI
>>>>
>>>> Handid Braille Services
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> - a 501(c)(3) non-profit producer of braille & accessible media
>>>> - specializing in languages that don't use Latin symbols systems
>>>> - winner of the 2024 Jacob Bolotin Award from the National Federation
>>>> of the Blind, for work producing braille in languages other than
>> English
>>>> - Notary Public, State of Idaho 20252314
>>>>
>>>> Email: dwiniecki at handid.org
>>>>
>>>> Web: https://www.handid.org <https://www.handid.org/>
>>>>
>>>> Tel: +1 208/571-8096 <+1+208+571+8096>
>>>>
>>>> Fax: +1 844/646-1568
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> - Your donations make braille free for others!
>>>> - Donate tax-deductible funds to Handid by clicking here
>>>> <https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LW9KZFRKQY67C>!
>>>>
>>>> [image: logo for "security metrics," showing that Handid Braille
>>>> Services uses high reliability security processes and tools.]
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, Jun 26, 2026 at 3:55 PM Kevin Pirnie via NFB-Idaho <
>>>> nfb-idaho at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Good Afternoon,
>>>>>
>>>>> I wanted to share something with you I just discovered.
>>>>>
>>>>> Those of us that are using pro versions of the latest AI tools are
>>>>> paying $20, $30, even $50 a access to a single AI tool? I've been
>>>>> doing it for a while — paying for one professional subscription and
>>>>> occasionally paying for temporary access to others as needed.
>>>>>
>>>>> Well, I just discovered something called Magai — and I honestly
>>>>> couldn't believe what I was looking at.
>>>>>
>>>>> For what I'm currently paying for access to just ONE premium AI
>>>>> tool, Magai gives you access to 50+ of the most powerful AI
>>>>> platforms on the planet.
>>>>> All in one place. One login. One subscription.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm talking about pro versions of:
>>>>>
>>>>> • ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Perplexity, Meta AI —
>>>>> and dozens more
>>>>> • AI image generators for stunning visuals, graphics, and creative
>> work
>>>>> • AI video creation tools — product demos, social reels, explainer
>>>>> videos
>>>>> • A built-in document canvas to write, edit, and export content
>>>>> without leaving the platform
>>>>> • 130+ integrations with tools like Gmail, Slack, Notion, HubSpot,
>>>>> and Google Drive
>>>>> • Scheduled AI tasks that run automatically — zero coding required
>>>>> • The ability to switch between AI models mid-conversation without
>>>>> losing any context
>>>>>
>>>>> What really impressed me is the sheer versatility. Whether you're
>>>>> creating content, debugging code, building accessible apps, running
>>>>> a marketing campaign, or just trying to get more done in less time —
>>>>> there's an AI model inside Magai purpose-built for exactly that.
>>>>>
>>>>> And here's what makes it genuinely different from just signing up
>>>>> for each tool separately: Magai lets you use all of them together,
>>>>> in the same conversation, with full context preserved. You can start
>>>>> a project with ChatGPT, refine the copy with Claude, and generate
>>>>> visuals — all without opening a new tab or losing your train of
>>>>> thought.
>>>>>
>>>>> For those of us who have been using some of these AI tools or for
>>>>> those who've been curious about AI but felt overwhelmed by the
>>>>> number of tools out there, or frustrated by the cost of accessing
>>>>> more than one — this is the answer. It's one of those rare things
>>>>> that actually delivers more than it promises.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you want to explore what 50+ of the world's best AI tools can do
>>>>> for you — all for less than the price of one — head over and take a
>>>>> look:
>>>>>
>>>>> You'll find it here https://www.newplana.info/magai
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Best,
>>>>> Kevin
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> NFB-Idaho mailing list
>>>>> NFB-Idaho at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-idaho_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
>>>>> for
>>>>> NFB-Idaho:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-idaho_nfbnet.org/dwiniecki%40h
>>>>> andid.org
>>>>>
>>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> NFB-Idaho mailing list
>> NFB-Idaho at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-idaho_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> NFB-Idaho:
>>
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-idaho_nfbnet.org/pres.nfbidaho%40gmail.com
>>
>>
>> --
>> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
>> www.avast.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> NFB-Idaho mailing list
>> NFB-Idaho at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-idaho_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> NFB-Idaho:
>>
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-idaho_nfbnet.org/dwiniecki%40handid.org
>>
> _______________________________________________
> NFB-Idaho mailing list
> NFB-Idaho at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-idaho_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFB-Idaho:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-idaho_nfbnet.org/tj%40tjsquires.net
More information about the NFB-Idaho
mailing list