[Nfb-science] Introduction and Other Stuff

Sun Jul 17 00:44:17 UTC 2016

Mr. Moore,

My legal name, the one that is printed on my birth certificate and
California ID among other things, is Cricket. There's nothing special
about me besides my love of physics and computer science. I enjoyed
reading your success story about the Federation. You proved the point
I was trying to make in my last email, and that is that technology
isn't always the most integral thing.

As for accessibility, I think that everyone would agree that
everything made by every company must be made accessible. For example,
I noticed that the SAT site has some difficulties, namely the Question
of the Day section. The math is mostly inaccessible. That is neither
Google, Microsoft, nor Apple. Accessibility is an all-encompassing
issue, and fingers should not be pointed at individuals or companies,
but at the issue itself. Therefore, let our battles not be with Apple,
Google or Microsoft. Let this battle be about accessibility.

I try to remain professional in all things, so I apologize if that is
not the answer you were looking for.

Best,
Cricket Bidleman

On 7/16/16, David Moore via Nfb-science <nfb-science at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Cricket,
> I am on this list, and am honored to hear from you. My name is David Moore,
>
> and I am a member of the Columbus, Ohio chapter of the NFB. I teach
> mathematics to sighted people as my own business. I worked at Columbus,
> State for a while. I received my BS in Math, and my MA in Math education
> both at The Ohio State University. I have light perception, and until I was
>
> 15, I could see large print. I learned everything and did my school work by
>
> seeing and writing in print. After that, I learned Braille, and I learned
> how to do calculus and much more using Braille. I have a Braille display, an
>
> iPhone, two laptops with JAWS and NVDA, a free screen reader, and I also use
>
> a tablet. I always loved math and science, but I grew up in a very small
> town an hour away from Columbus. I was blessed, because there was a special
>
> Ed teacher in this small town who was certified to teach Braille. I was way
>
> behind though. I never held a cane until I was 17 when the state agency for
>
> the blind found out about me by calling the regular public school I went to.
>
> This small public school I went to, did not have much for the sighted, much
>
> less for the blind. Mom had to read to me three hours a night, and I felt so
>
> guilty as a child. I thought that I would have to live with my parents for
> the rest of my life. When someone from the state agency called the school to
>
> see if anyone with a disability attended. there, someone came to our small
> town and really told off the school I went to. Going into my Senior year of
>
> high school, I went to Columbus and received some training at the Vision
> Center. I thought that I had been born again physically. However, my
> councilor told me that if I associated with an organization call the
> National Federation of the Blind, my funds for going to Ohio State might be
>
> cut off. They told me that these blind people are radical and only want to
> stir things up and be a pain in the neck. I worked a summer job at the state
>
> agency for the blind while I went to college at Ohio State. My boss told me
>
> that the federationists did not appreciate all that the state wanted to do
> for them, and they were just a bunch a whiners. that This was in 1986. I
> turned 18 in 1984, and that is when my councilor for the Ohio state agency
> told me to just stay away from these blind people who wanted to cause
> trouble, because they do not appreciate what they have as Blind people. I
> had not heard of the federation. My state counselor came right out and told
>
> me this. I was told that the NFB are just a bunch of whiners who weren't
> happy with what they were getting. I met someone in the NFB on campus, and
> they changed my mind. I have been a member since 1988. I dropped out of
> school at that time anyway. I tutored in the 90's, and went back to Ohio
> State in 2001 and finished my BS in math, and then received my ma in 2008.
> What a surprise! I could not find a job, and the state agency for the blind
>
> in Ohio wanted me to take a job doing telemarketing or working at a pizza
> place. In 2008, they told me that no one would hire me for a teaching job,
> because too many sighted people were looking for jobs. The state agency does
>
> not pay for anyone to go to college anymore, and they tell blind kids in
> high school that they must get a job right after school or they will get no
>
> help. The state of Ohio will not help anyone unless they do it on their own
>
> if they do not take a menial job. Well, I was on my own, because I wanted to
>
> use my Masters in math education, not work at a pizza place. In 2008, the
> NFB stepped in and helped me get my job at a community college actually
> teaching. I do not have the room here to tell you all about what the NFB did
>
> for me, but they really did a lot. I owe my life to the Lord and the NFB.
> Now, I am married to my wife, and I can provide for her, just like a sighted
>
> man. I have many of the benefits of a sighted person because of the NFB. I
> just had to tell you all of this, Cricket. Your name is very special to me,
>
> because my first love was Cricket, and it will always be a special name to
> me. Is your name Christy! That was her real name, but she went by Cricket!
> Take care all who reads this and here is my personal email:
> jesusloves1966 at gmail.com
> Email me at any time all of you. I am very up set about what happened over
> those two propositions 16-04 and 16-09. I have been following the convention
>
> and after the convention, on Twitter, and many people said they are leaving
>
> the NFB, because they think that Microsoft and Google should have been the
> ones that should be made to make their products accessible and not Apple.
> All blind people I know, think that Apple is so much better at making
> everything accessible. Two people I know have left the Federation.
> Take care, all, and let me know if there is anything I can do!
> David Moore
> Math Tutor
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Cricket Bidleman via Nfb-science
> Sent: Saturday, July 16, 2016 4:34 PM
> To: NFB Science and Engineering Division List
> Cc: Cricket Bidleman
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-science] Introduction and Other Stuff
>
> Hello Mr. Rasmussen,
>
> Thank you for the very nice email. I was honored to have been chosen
> to speak at convention, and am fervently hoping that it's not the last
> time I do so. It was quite a learning experience and the perfect way
> to spend my first real week away from school!
>
> I really can't describe the caliper in much more detail than was
> provided in the article. I can, however, provide more resources on
> Vernier scales if you're interested. Let me know ... Thanks!
>
> Best,
> Cricket Bidleman
>
> On 7/16/16, Lloyd Rasmussen via Nfb-science <nfb-science at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> That was a great article. I don't have a picture in my head of how this
>> caliper works, and I'm not in a position to build one right now. After
>> reading the article you co-wrote, I read a couple more articles from that
>> issue of Future Reflections.
>> You gave a great speech at the NFB convention, and I'm glad to see you
>> and
>> Jordan on the NFBCS e-mail list also.
>> The NFB continues to be where it's at!
>>
>>
>>
>> Lloyd Rasmussen, Kensington, MD
>> http://lras.home.sprynet.com
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Cricket Bidleman via Nfb-science
>> Sent: Saturday, July 16, 2016 1:59 PM
>> To: nfb-science at nfbnet.org
>> Cc: Cricket Bidleman
>> Subject: [Nfb-science] Introduction and Other Stuff
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I wanted to introduce myself. Some of you may remember me from
>> Convention... I'm Cricket Bidleman. I live in Morro Bay, California,
>> and approaching my senior year of high school. I'm very interested in
>> physics and computer science, though I'm open to just about everything
>> STEM at this point. I very much enjoyed the Science and Engineering
>> Division meeting at convention and am looking forward to getting to
>> know all of you in the coming months.
>>
>> I suppose, since the subject of this email is "introduction and other
>> stuff", I should address the "other stuff". A problem that I've had
>> recently, especially with upper-level physics, is collecting precise
>> data. I got the Talking LabQuest, which I really love, so that
>> helps... But what about short-distance measurements? My AP physics
>> teacher, student teacher, and I think we may have found a low-tech
>> solution to this problem, and I thought at least some of you might be
>> interested. We published an article on this in the American Physics
>> Teacher magazine, but this one (which was published in Future
>> Reflections) is far more accessible. It's a good reminder that even
>> though technology has come a long way, sometimes it's important to
>> remember and use more
>> old-school methods for collecting data. I hope someone will find this
>> useful, and that perhaps some of you will even consider trying this
>> out some time.
>>
>> https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/fr/fr35/2/fr350207.htm
>>
>> Feel free to email me about anything on or off list--I love a good
>> conversation!
>>
>> Best,
>> Cricket X. Bidleman
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
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>>
>
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