[nfbwatlk] Bioptic Telescope

Mon Jun 9 18:21:31 UTC 2014

Amen. If our intrinsic worth is based upon whether we can drive safely, we,
the public, are in a bad way. (grin)

Mike Freeman

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From: nfbwatlk [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Don
Mitchell via nfbwatlk
Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2014 9:10 PM
To: goldbeckjm at comcast.net; 'NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Bioptic Telescope

I don't have e any problem with the article except for the statement that if
he did not have the technology he might be" I wouldn't be a productive
member of society. I could potentially just be a forgotten soul." Certainly
anything might be, but there are always alternatives and we each have the
opportunity to discover and use alternatives that avoid making us forgotten
members of society.

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Julie
Goldbeck via nfbwatlk
Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2014 7:12 PM
To: NFBWA; County, Clark
Subject: [nfbwatlk] Bioptic Telescope

Has anyone heard of this technology?  Please read the article before you
comment.  Thanks. 

This story aired on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday June 7, 2014 

A Small Device Helps Severely Nearsighted Drivers Hit the Road 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST: 

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. In nearly every
state now, visually impaired people can drive with the help of what are
called bioptic telescopes. Now these are tiny devices that drivers wear in
addition to their glasses. At the University of Alabama Birmingham, there is
a special training program where drivers are learning to use the telescopes.
And that's where Dan Carson - member station WBHM - met one young man who's
leading a fuller life because of this technology. 

DAN CARSEN, BYLINE: Twenty-four-year-old Dustin Jones merges a small white
SUV onto the interstate. He's clean cut and wears a light blue polo shirt.
There's a three inch black box attached to the frame of his metal rimmed
glasses. 

DUSTIN JONES: Unless you've been without it, you don't understand how
crucial it is. 

CARSEN: Jones has a genetic condition that reduces long-distance vision, so
he couldn't drive safely without this little device called a bioptic
telescope. 

JONES: Life without the ability to drive is exponentially harder. It's just
very difficult to do anything at all. 

CARSEN: Everything was harder growing up in a rural area with limited public
transportation. His mom has the same condition. 

JONES: We relied a lot on family or friends just for simple things like
groceries. 

CARSEN: Six years ago, Jones entered a University of Alabama at Birmingham
program that trains people to drive with bioptic telescopes. His teacher was
Jennifer Elgin. 

JENNIFER ELGIN: You're fitted for the bioptic, and then you go through some
training just for general mobility - so walking around, using it as a
passenger in a car. Once we feel pretty good about the passenger part, then
we move on to driving. 

CARSEN: A year later, Jones was trained and certified so he could take
Alabama driver's test. He passed on the first try. He started commuting by
car to an IT job and eventually landed his current higher-paying IT job at a
children's hospital. Jones says without his bioptic telescope... 

JONES: I wouldn't be a productive member of society. I could potentially
just be a forgotten soul. 

CARSEN: It's also easier to pick up a girl for a date. He's a little shy on
that subject, but Jennifer Elgin jokes about something else some new drivers
notice when they start driving with these telescopes. 

ELGIN: A lot of times with new drivers, especially young men, we'll be
stopped at a stop sign and I'll watch them and they'll be looking at the
girls walking across the crosswalk. And I'll look over and I'll say, I know
what you're doing. 

CARSEN: But this doesn't come cheap. Bioptic telescopes can cost more than
$2,000 depending on the model. State rehab programs sometimes pay for them,
insurance generally won't. Jones' grandmother paid for his. 

As he drives, every few seconds, Jones subtly dips his head and glances
through the eye hole of the scope. His bioptic magnifies objects like signs
and traffic lights four times. 

At the University of Alabama at Birmingham, in addition to training drivers,
specialists have done some of the first road-test studies on people with
bioptic telescopes. UAB's Cynthia Owsley coauthored a recent study of 23
bioptic users, showing the vast majority drove safely. 

CYNTHIA OWSLEY: As the evidence comes out on the research side, more and
more jurisdictions are willing to entertain the possibility of bioptic
driving. 

CARSEN: And that would give even more people opportunities like the ones
given to Dustin Jones, who still sees driving as a privilege. 

JONES: I didn't feel entitled to drive, having not driven my entire life. I
felt that the opportunity itself was gift enough. 

CARSEN: According to one estimate, about 10,000 visually impaired people in
the U.S. now drive with bioptic telescopes, and the number is growing as
more people learn about the technology. Until cars drive themselves, these
tiny telescopes will be out there helping people do what many take for
granted. 

For NPR News, I'm Dan Carsen in Birmingham. 

SIMON: And you can see what a bioptic telescope looks like on our Facebook
page, NPR WEEKEND EDITION _______________________________________________
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