[blindkid] Technology and Little Kid

Heather craney07 at rochester.rr.com
Thu Feb 18 22:39:56 UTC 2010


I agree with you that compitant, well-rounded blind people should always 
have options for when their technology poops out on them at the worst of 
times.  I know how to use a slate, I have one in my closet, but I haven't 
needed to use it in fifteen years.  If I had no option and had to use it I 
could, and I would, no pride here if it gets the job done, but the truth is 
that really very few people use it as a primary or even secondary form of 
jotting notes.  I think kids should deffinitly be taught the skill, but not 
at the sacrafice of other technologies, and it is important that the general 
public and the text books for educators keep up with the times.  I just read 
a text book, published in 2008 that asserted that all blind people use a 
slate and styalis as the primary form of communication, and used the opticon 
for reading documents.  Holy out of date bat man.  lol  I will teach Jeremy 
how to use one, but I will not force the issue.  There are somethings I will 
require that he be more than just compitant at, namely, reading braille, 
writing using a braille writer and using the basic aps. for a windows 
computer, but not using a slate.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Jacobson" <steve.jacobson at visi.com>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 11:23 AM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid


>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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>
>
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