[Quietcars] NFB article you should read.

[michael townsend]

I am a car nut and have loved cars since I was a young child.  I listen to
car radio and television shows, read all I can on the net and ride in and
work on as many cars as possible, but here are my thoughts about the below
article which I have posted.  This is a great idea, however, it will benefit
few in the long run.  

Mike T in NJ

  

Rather than concentrating efforts on ludicrous things like driving a car,
which is a one person accomplish or an accomplish which will see fw doing
it, concentrate on training that will allow blind persons to function in
regular atmospheres, like corporations, or to allow one to be self-employed
to then lower the 70 percent jobless rate of the blind or sight impaired. 

My thoughts, solely.
Below is an article that a TSE handler posted to another list. What do you
think.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314
, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281
(Cell)
cdanielsen at nfb.org <mailto:cdanielsen%40nfb.org>
<mailto:cdanielsen%40nfb.org> National Federation of the Blind to Debut Car
That Can Be Driven Independently by the Blind at Rolex 24 NFB, Virginia
Tech, and Grand-Am Form Historic Partnership to Advance Innovative
Technology Daytona Beach, Florida (July 2, 2010): The National Federation of
the Blind
(NFB)
and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, College of
Engineering (Virginia
Tech) announced today that they have partnered to demonstrate the first
street vehicle equipped with technology allowing a blind person to drive
independently.
The vehicle
is scheduled to be demonstrated to the public as part of the pre-race
activities at the 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona. The Ford Escape, equipped with
nonvisual interface technology, will be driven by a blind individual who
will navigate part of the famed Daytona International Speedway course on
January 29, 2011.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
"The National
Federation of the Blind is dedicated to the development of innovative
technology to improve the lives of blind Americans, and Virginia Tech has
accepted our challenge to apply nonvisual interfaces to the task of driving,
which has always been wrongly considered impossible for blind people. But we
are not trying to build a technology alone. We are trying to build a
technology that can be combined with an intellect to do things that neither
could do alone. We are pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate the
fruits of our efforts before the automobile enthusiasts and racing fans at
the Rolex 24 At Daytona. This demonstration will break down the wall of
stereotypes and misconceptions that prevent our full integration into
society by showing the public that the blind have the same capacities as
everyone else.
Our
only challenge is access to the information we need."
Dr. Dennis Hong, Director of the Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory at
Virginia Tech,
said: "Three years ago we accepted the NFB Blind Driver Challenge to develop
a vehicle that can be driven by a blind person. The challenge was not the
development of an autonomous vehicle that could drive a blind person around,
but rather the creation of nonvisual interfaces that would allow a blind
person to actually make driving decisions. The first-generation prototype
was demonstrated with a modified dune buggy at the NFB Youth Slam in the
summer of 2009. We are pleased to work with NFB and Grand-Am to demonstrate
the second-generation prototype at the Rolex 24 festivities."
"GRAND-AM is honored to lend its support to this intriguing-and
inspirational-project,"
said GRAND-AM Spokesman Herb Branham. "The Rolex 24 At Daytona is a showcase
for the latest automobile technology, making this race an appropriate
backdrop for the first public demonstration of a car that can be driven by
the blind."
The NFB Jernigan Institute-the only research and training facility on
blindness operated by the blind-has challenged universities, technology
developers, and other interested innovators to establish NFB Blind Driver
Challenge (BDC) teams, in collaboration with the NFB, to build interface
technologies that will empower blind people to drive a car independently.
The purpose of the NFB Blind Driver Challenge is to stimulate the
development of nonvisual interface technology. Undergraduate students at
Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, under the direction of Professor
Dennis Hong, have been actively working with the NFB on the challenge.
During the summer of
2009 the
Virginia Tech BDC team worked with blind students in the NFB Youth Slam on
the first-generation prototype of a blind-drivable vehicle, and many of the
NFB students had the opportunity to drive using the first generation of the
nonvisual interface. Dr. Hong and his students are currently working with
the NFB on the second-generation prototype vehicle, which will integrate new
and improved versions of the first-generation nonvisual interface
technologies into a Ford Escape.
For more information about the NFB, please visit www.nfb.org . For our
digital news release about the Blind Driver Challenge and the planned debut
of the BDC car at the Rolex 24, including audio and video clips for
television and radio, please visit www.DigitalNewsRelease.com/?q=NFB_CarKit
.
###
About the National Federation of the Blind With more than 50,000 members,
the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential
membership organization of blind people in the United States.
The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy, education, research,
technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is
the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's
blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind
Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the United
States for the blind led by the blind.
C2010 All Rights Reserved - Copyright 2010 NFB Site Powered by xCatalyst

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