[nabs-l] Penn State DiscriminatesAgainstBlindStudentsand Faculty

Mon Nov 15 00:26:03 UTC 2010

Hello Dennis and everyone,

    It's not a speed demonstration but an exhibission of technology that 
will enable a blind person to drive a vehicle independently. And as the 
material on: www.blinddriverchallenge.org points out a springboard from 
which other technologies will be developed to further enhance the lives of 
the blind.

Peter Donahue
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dennis Clark" <dennisgclark at sbcglobal.net>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2010 5:37 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Penn State DiscriminatesAgainstBlindStudentsand 
Faculty

Hi George,
Thanks for the update.  Will it be driven at 90 MPH by someone totally
blind?  Also, I saw your other question about LLC filing.  As I recall you
are in New York, is that correct?  I am licensed to practice law in New
York, but I have never set up a corporation there.  If this is something you
want to do, I would suggest that you use LegalZoom.  I am pretty sure that
they operate in New York.  They will take care of all the filing
requirements including newspaper posting if that is required.  There fees
are quite reasonable for such a service.
All the best,
Dennis

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jorge Paez" <jorgeapaez at mac.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2010 3:00 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Penn State DiscriminatesAgainstBlindStudentsand
Faculty

> Dennis:
> The status is that there is one prototype built, and 2 more being worked
> on.
> One is to be driven this January at more then 90 mph on a racetrack down
> in FL.
> Other than that, I don't know.
>
> Jorge
>
>
>
> On Nov 14, 2010, at 5:54 PM, Dennis Clark wrote:
>
>> Hello Peter,
>>
>> I went to the link you provided in your email, because I thought I would
>> be able to read about the current status of the project.  All I saw there
>> was marketing and PR verbiage, which doesn't provide much concrete
>> information. It appears from your post that you have actual knowledge as
>> to the present status of the project since you said that it is further
>> along than many people think.  Can you share your source of information
>> about the project with me so I can read about it, or alternatively just
>> tell me what you know as to how far along the project is?
>>
>> I will admit that I am troubled by many aspects of this project.  I guess
>> my first question is if this is something which blind people see
>> themselves actually owning and being permitted to drive in their
>> lifetimes.  If so, I do not want to ever take away someone's hope and
>> optimism for a better life.
>>
>> At the risk of doing what I just said I do not wish to do, please
>> consider the following.  Even if the engineering challenges were to be
>> overcome and such a car could be built for a price that people, other
>> than the military could actually afford, do you think the legal system
>> would ever allow a blind person to man such a vehicle on the open road?
>> For example, one of my engineering professors designed the automatic
>> control system for the Boeing 767 aircraft.  The 767, along with many
>> other commercial aircraft, can actually fly and land itself using the
>> planes automatic control system. Despite this fact, there are no blind
>> pilots today, nor are there any pilots with less than perfect eyesight
>> flying these planes.  Flying and landing a jet using automated controls
>> is substantially easier than driving a car on the open road, and yet the
>> FAA and the legal system does not permit this to be done.  The reason is
>> of course that automated systems sometimes fail or crash, and when this
>> happens, a person who is fully capable of operating the vehicle without
>> the automated system must be at the controls to avoid a disaster.  A 3000
>> pound object flying down a freeway at 60 MPH with a blind person at the
>> helm, when the "accessible navigation and instrumentation interface"
>> crashes, would result in many deaths.
>>
>> There is no question that the military does want a ground vehicle like a
>> car which can be driven using automated controls.  We are currently using
>> automated control pilotless airplanes called drones for reconnaissance
>> and to drop bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the military does want
>> similar ground vehicles for the same type of operations.  If VMI can
>> demonstrate some success with this project the military money will come
>> flowing in like water from a river whose dam has failed.
>>
>> Perhaps the NFB has lots of money and if so there is no problem funding
>> such projects.  However, most businesses and 501C3 organizations are
>> struggling presently, and they are forced to prioritize expenditures to
>> get the most bang for the buck.  If the NFB is not in this position, that
>> is wonderful and leadership should be commended for their managerial
>> abilities.  If a time does come when funds are tight I would hope that
>> the NFB and any other 501C3 organization would prioritize its spending so
>> as to address today's issues, and leave the funding of longer term and
>> more speculative goals to a better financial time.
>>
>> Obviously reasonable people can disagree on such matters, and all the
>> foregoing is just one guys opinion.
>>
>> All the best,
>> Dennis
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Donahue"
>> <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2010 6:55 AM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Penn State DiscriminatesAgainstBlindStudentsand
>> Faculty
>>
>>
>> Good morning everyone,
>>
>>   Get your rear end to the Rolex 24 in Daytona Beach in January and we'll
>> discuss it after you've been there and seen the prototype demonstrated.
>> Learn more at:
>> http://www.blinddriverchallenge.org
>>
>>   It's further along than you think. See you there.
>>
>> Peter Donahue
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dennis Clark"
>> <dennisgclark at sbcglobal.net>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2010 5:44 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Penn State Discriminates AgainstBlindStudentsand
>> Faculty
>>
>>
>> Hello Peter,
>> I think your point is valid.  However, speaking as an engineer, I think
>> it
>> would be as easy, and perhaps easier, to develop an artificial eye than
>> to
>> develop the type of car you are suggesting.  An artificial eye would of
>> course solve many more problems than the car.  Just a thought.
>> Dennis
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Donahue"
>> <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2010 2:49 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Penn State Discriminates Against BlindStudentsand
>> Faculty
>>
>>
>> Hello everyone,
>>
>>   Some of us contemplated the possibility of the blind being able to
>> drive
>> as far back as the 1960s and will do whatever is necessary to make it
>> happen. If you think this is a waste of time remember this exchange the
>> next
>> time you must travel to an area where there is no public transportation
>> or
>> the next time your bus, taxi, or paratransit vehicle is late picking you
>> up.
>> It's not just about blind people driving but about blind people being
>> empowered to live their lives as they choose.
>>
>> Peter Donahue
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Jacobson"
>> <steve.jacobson at visi.com>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2010 3:20 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Penn State Discriminates Against Blind Studentsand
>> Faculty
>>
>>
>> I don't understand, are you mad because we did take a stand on this?
>> While
>> I think that blind people driving is a long shot, there is a lot of
>> technology
>> that can spin off from that effort that will help us in other areas,
>> particularly in the area of possible travel aids and even tactile
>> graphics.
>> The fact is,
>> whether you or I like it or not, something like blind people driving
>> pries
>> loose funding from sources that would not be interested in anything less
>> dramatic.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Steve Jacobson
>>
>> On Sat, 13 Nov 2010 09:56:26 -0800 (PST), William ODonnell wrote:
>>
>>> What elce is new when you live as a blind person in the U.S.  This is
>>> what
>>> the NFB should take a stand on, not a fabrication that the blind can and
>>> will
>> drive today.  Have that dream for the next 100 years when the problems of
>> today are solved.  With these continuing problems, we should focus on the
>> problems of today without falsifying reality.  The blind can and will not
>> drive when our culture still thinks so little of us.
>>
>>
>>
>>> --- On Fri, 11/12/10, Freeh, Jessica <JFreeh at nfb.org> wrote:
>>
>>>> From: Freeh, Jessica <JFreeh at nfb.org>
>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Penn State Discriminates Against Blind Students and
>>>> Faculty
>>>> To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
>>>> Date: Friday, November 12, 2010, 7:38 PM
>>>>
>>>> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> CONTACT:
>>>>
>>>> Chris Danielsen
>>>>
>>>> Director of Public Relations
>>>>
>>>> National Federation of the Blind
>>>>
>>>> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
>>>>
>>>> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
>>>>
>>>> <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Penn State Discriminates Against Blind Students and
>>>> Faculty
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> National Federation of the Blind Files Complaint Against
>>>> Penn State
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Baltimore, Maryland (November 12, 2010): The National
>>>> Federation of the Blind (NFB), the nationâ¬"s oldest and
>>>> largest organization of blind people, announced today that
>>>> it has filed a complaint with the United States Department
>>>> of Education, Office for Civil Rights, requesting an
>>>> investigation of Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)
>>>> for violating the civil rights of blind students and
>>>> faculty.Â  The NFB filed the complaint because a variety
>>>> of computer- and technology-based services and Web sites at
>>>> Penn State are inaccessible to blind students and
>>>> faculty.Â  Title II of the Americans with Disabilities
>>>> Act requires public state universities to offer equal access
>>>> to their programs and services.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The accessibility problems at Penn State include:
>>>> Â Â Â * The library at Penn State hosts a Web
>>>> site with access to the library catalog that is available to
>>>> any registered student.Â  The Web site, however, is not
>>>> fully accessible to blind students due to improper coding
>>>> that prevents screen access software used by the blind from
>>>> properly interpreting the site.
>>>> Â Â Â * Many of Penn Stateâ¬"s departmental Web
>>>> sites are not fully accessible to the blind, including,
>>>> ironically, the Web site for the Office of Disability
>>>> Services.
>>>> Â Â Â * Penn State utilizes the ANGEL course
>>>> management system.Â  ANGEL is an integral part of the
>>>> learning and teaching experience at Penn State that allows
>>>> students and professors to interact with each other online
>>>> and perform variousÂ  course-related functions. This
>>>> course management software is almost completely inaccessible
>>>> to blind users.
>>>> Â Â Â * Many teachers at Penn State use a
>>>> â¬Ssmartâ¬ˇ podium, which allows the professor to connect
>>>> his/her laptop to a computer at the podium and display
>>>> images and videos loaded from the laptop on a screen at the
>>>> front of the room.Â  The podium is operated by an
>>>> inaccessible touchscreen keypad that controls almost all
>>>> podium functions.Â  Thus, blind faculty members must
>>>> rely on assistance from a sighted person to utilize the
>>>> podium.
>>>> Â Â Â * Penn State contracts with PNC Bank to
>>>> enable students to use their identification cards as debit
>>>> cards.Â  The PNC Web site is nearly inaccessible with
>>>> screen access software, and there is only one ATM on the
>>>> entire Penn State campus with audio output through a
>>>> headphone jack so that blind students can use it privately
>>>> and independently.
>>>>
>>>> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of
>>>> the Blind, said: â¬SThe number and scope of the
>>>> accessibility problems at Penn State demonstrate the
>>>> institutionâ¬"s blatantÂ–and unlawfulÂ–lack of regard for
>>>> the equal education of its blind students and failure to
>>>> accommodate its blind faculty members and employees.Â
>>>> There is simply no excuse for blind students and faculty to
>>>> be denied the same access to information and technology as
>>>> their sighted peers.Â  Sadly, this cavalier attitude
>>>> toward accessibility is found not only at Penn State, but at
>>>> many of our nationâ¬"s colleges and universities.Â  That
>>>> is why we have asked the United States Department of
>>>> Education to act swiftly and decisively to ensure that blind
>>>> students and faculty members are given the same access and
>>>> opportunity to succeed as their sighted peers.â¬ˇ
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The National Federation of the Blind is represented in this
>>>> matter by Daniel F. Goldstein, Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum, and
>>>> Brooke Lierman of the Baltimore firm Brown, Goldstein, and
>>>> Levy.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ###
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 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.Â  The
>>>> NFB improves blind peopleâ¬"s lives through advocacy,
>>>> education, research, technology, and programs encouraging
>>>> independence and self-confidence.Â  It is the leading
>>>> force in the blindness field today and the voice of the
>>>> nation's blind.Â  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.
>>>>
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>>
>>
>>>
>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
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