[Quietcars] NFB article you should read.

Fri Jul 16 05:23:31 UTC 2010

Hi. This is a great message Mike. I don't say much on here because I tend to 
get myself in to trouble. But... You hit on a lot of the issues. And I agree 
with you and Chuck.
thanks
bb
Brett Boyer
Production / Program Director
KZBR 97.1 FM
Alamosa Colorado
www.kzbr971.com
Morning show. Comedy Block. Rockin Hits 24 / 7
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "michael townsend" <mrtownsend at optonline.net>
To: "'Discussion of new quiet cars and pedestrian safety'" 
<quietcars at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, July 09, 2010 1:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Quietcars] NFB article you should read.


> Chuck, I don't mean to belittle any of the legislative efforts that have
> been put forth by our house and senate, nor to demean those who have 
> worked
> tirelessly on crafting the hybrid legislation that is now before the
> representative for whom we voted, however, straying away from a mission on
> projects that will ultimately benefit a few peole and probably never 
> become
> reality for all but a minute few seems pretty wasteful in time and money, 
> as
> you've indicated.
>
> When the employment rate is about 30 percent of blind people, and the
> transit systems, home and business designs, accessibility in the 
> workplace,
> on the streets and in theaters and on television haven't been improved
> significantly, this does seem a bit far fetched.
>
> While interesting, it's not a really mind blowing event that would allow 
> me
> to stand up and cheer.  Having said that, however, I love cars, and have
> been around them since I was a kid.,  Driving a Ford Escape four cylinder
> automatic really doesn't send me, if you know what I mean.
>
> I am sure that students worked hard on this, and the accomplishment 
> deserves
> applause and recognition.  But, I don't think that people who drive while
> blind, or DWB, are going to be a great percent of our nation's driving
> populous.
>
> I'll say no more on the project, as I've exhausted my thoughts.
>
> Thanks for writing in, chuck, and whether we agreed or not, this is a 
> great
> discussion; unfortunately, not for this list, although the sponsor of the
> effort is your organization.
>
> ?this is why I thought that it was okay to post here.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
> On
> Behalf Of ckrugman at sbcglobal.net
> Sent: Friday, July 09, 2010 2:32 PM
> To: Discussion of new quiet cars and pedestrian safety
> Subject: Re: [Quietcars] NFB article you should read.
>
> I have to agree with you completely. Having been blind since birth I think
> that much more emphasis could be spent on improving public transit and
> working toward such things as personal rapid transit which is being
> experimented with in Europe and other places. I can only wonder how much
> money is spent on this activity that could be spent more effectively with
> greater results.
> Chuck
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "michael townsend" <mrtownsend at optonline.net>
> To: <quietcars at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, July 09, 2010 7:32 AM
> Subject: [Quietcars] NFB article you should read.
>
>
>>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
>>
>> "I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself...but I
>> think I have a right to resent, to object to, libelous statements
>> about my dog."
>> -Franklin D. Roosevelt
>> Mike Townsend and Seeing Eye dog Brent Dunellen, New Jersey 08812
>> emails: mrtownsend at optonline.net <mailto:mrtownsend%40optonline.net>
>> <mailto:mrtownsend%40optonline.net> ; michael.townsend54 at gmail.com
>> <mailto:michael.townsend54%40gmail.com>
>> <mailto:michael.townsend54%40gmail.com>
>> Home Phone: 732 200-5643
>> Cellular: 732 718-9480
>>
>>
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