[blindkid] Technology and Little Kid

[Heather]

Oh, you mentioned the slow issue.  I have a fun thought.  A braille off, 
where kids on braillers compete with kids on slates.  It would be an 
interesting test.  Forgive me if that is part of the braille challenge.  I 
think that is just for braille reading, but please do correct me if I am 
wrong.  It is a toss up.  The slate is painfully slow compared to typing on 
my laptop, but I also hate waiting for word to open or to get a new document 
or folder created.  That is why I like the braille note, it is 
technologically infirior to a lap top, but light years ahead of a slate, and 
it is significantly faster than a slate or a lap top, because it's less 
complicated aps make it possible to bring up a file with three taps of the 
space bar, and no wait time for a program to open.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Holloway" <rholloway at gopbc.org>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 8:52 AM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid


>I actually know quite a number of blind people adults who carry these 
>around like a note pad. They are a fine solution to record a few words  or, 
>a phone number, or even a short list.
>
> They are slow and inconvenient, but they never lock up and fail to  work, 
> their batteries don't die and they don't require some involved  startup 
> procedure to get them working or require you to get into "the  right 
> document", etc. before you can use them.
>
> A slate and stylus are tools in the arsenal, so to speak. I don't  think 
> they are often the best solution for complex needs, but I would  not 
> discount their use entirely. There is nothing wrong with making  them 
> available for a child. Several of our 7-year-olds sighted friends/ 
> classmates have their own slates and styli and they actually use them  to 
> write notes to Kendra when they do not have access to  braillewriters, so 
> there are many uses for them indeed.
>
> Richard
>
>
>
> On Feb 18, 2010, at 8:05 AM, 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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>
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