[blindkid] Wii Device Teaches Visually Impaired to WalkwithCanes
Richard Holloway
rholloway at gopbc.org
Tue Jun 8 03:18:45 UTC 2010
Your point is well taken Mike, but I suggest that any tool that may
offer a chance to isolate even one particular aspect of an activity
that some find challenging or frustrating (such a can travel) and
offer a chance to improve that area may be useful and helpful for
some. My daughter, and I suspect many of our kids who are cane
travelers, could certainly stand to improve her straight-line travel,
just like she needs to learn to swim in a straight line.
What about just walking on a treadmill? Could we not make similar
arguments against using those? Where is the skill and challenge and
delightful experience of going for a walk on a treadmill? My daughter
loves to use a treadmill, but she doesn't use a cane for that (for
what I suspect are obvious reasons). That doesn't make that a bad
thing for her. In fact what it does is allows her to walk and build
muscle strength and stamina far faster than when walking (at a much
slower pace) with her cane.
For my daughter, I say whatever helps any piece of her mobility
advance is a good thing-- I know over time all these components will
mesh together and all serve to help her become more independent and
successful.
Richard
On Jun 7, 2010, at 10:40 PM, Mike Freeman wrote:
> I think part of the problem here is that those of us who oppose the
> WII device are not making the reasons for our opposition clear -- at
> least this applies to me. Use of a cane implies active determination
> of terrain; ups and downs and textures tell us quite a bit about
> what's around us and where we are with respect to our surroundings.
> The WII device would give no such information so is, in our view,
> almost worse than useless, however "fun" the device may be. One is
> certainly practicing a skill when using the device but it surely
> isn't cane travel.
>
> Mike
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