[blindkid] Technology and Little Kid

[Steve Jacobson]

I must respectfully disagree with you on this while acknowledging that times do change.  When sighted people stop 
using a pencil, we should stop using the slate and stylus.  Too many blind people are 
helpless to write down the simplest information when their technology fails.  i've seen blind people keep everyone 
waiting to write down someone's phone number while they deal with something unexpected with their technology.  If 
we're going to compete, we need to have options, and the slate and stylus is still one.  I'm not saying it is as important as 
it once was, but to write it off is premature.  Slate and stylus and modern technology are not mutually exclusive.  For a 
number of reasons, I don't know if it is right for a four-year-old necessarily, but you are painting this with a pretty broad 
brush and devaluing the experience of many successful blind peopl who are over fifty and are, regardless of your 
comments, keeping up with technology.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:05:04 -0500, Heather wrote:

>No disrespect, but you've got to be kidding me.  No blind people I know, 
>children or adults, down right brilliant to mentally challenged, men or 
>women use those anymore.  Many own them, and could use them in a pinch, but 
>honestly, no one uses them as a main means of writing or on a regular basis. 
>Some people in the fifty or older set still rely on them, because they were 
>not able to keep up with the changing technology, which I can understand and 
>sympathize with, but even my sixty year old blind mother laughed when I 
>showed her this, or rather told her that this had come up on list.  For 
>confidentiality reasons I never show any one who is not on the list, list 
>emails, and never give names or any spacifics..  I could honestly say that I 
>know over two hundred to three hundred blind people, and I asked on a list 
>serve for guide dog users, one for blind parents and one for blind students, 
>and the uunanomous answer was "You've got to be kidding"  I think her four 
>year old would best be served to learn how to use a cell phone or home phone 
>to call his mother and to dial 911.  I think he should be learning on a 
>braille note, voice recorder or how to use a victor reader or ipod touch. 
>Things like that, plus basic braille and print literacy.
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
>To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
><blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 10:46 PM
>Subject: Re: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid


>>A slate and stylus!
>>
>> Mike
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
>> To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 7:01 PM
>> Subject: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid
>>
>>
>>>I got asked a question, the other day, and since most of my experience is 
>>>with blind adults -- I didn't know quite what to say.  A woman said she 
>>>had a four year old totally blind daughter, and she wanted her to keep up 
>>>with her peers in technology, so what assistive technology/technology is 
>>>here  -- should she start using with her child?
>>>
>>> Dave
>>>
>>>
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>>
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