[nfb-talk] sonar for blind

Fri Jul 22 20:00:08 UTC 2011

I've said it many times before: I figure I've got only two choices.  
I can look like I'm blind, or I can look like I'm stupid.  I'll take 
looking blind every single time.

Joseph - KF7QZC

On Fri, Jul 22, 2011 at 09:15:24AM -0400, David Evans wrote:
>
>Dear All,
>
>This is just my opinion on this.
>What ever works and helps a person to get around in their environment 
>is okay with me, as long as it is dignified.
>The problem is with the parents thinking that this behavior is more 
>acceptable than appearing Blind and using a long White cane.
>The schools use this argument with parents when they try to talk 
>parent's out of having to teach their children Braille or mobility 
>skills.  " you don't want them to look Blind do you?"
>Parents, and people in general, try to avoid,"looking Blind."
>This is the very reason that we have such a problem getting seniors 
>to carry a long White cane.  They do not want to appear Blind to 
>their peers and other people.  They are frankly just ashamed of the 
>thought of being considered Blind.
>They would rather fall down the stairs or trip over the parking lot 
>bumpers than carry a cane and look Blind, even though most of their 
>friends already know they are Blind.
>They will resist any thing that even remotely makes them appear Blind.
>They all know that society attaches a stigma to being Blind and they 
>want to avoid this at all cost.
>This attitude is what keeps them from learning the skills of 
>Blindness, such as cane travel because they will have to walk around 
>with this big old sign in their hand that screams, "I am Blind."
>
>This is why it is important that we, the NFB, get involved in the 
>schools and help parents with I.E.P.s and the indoctrination of 
>seniors if we are to really change society's attitudes and 
>conceptions about Blindness.
>This is why NFB training centers give trainees a rigid long White 
>cane and have them wear sleep shades during their training.  The 
>rigid cane can not be folded up and hidden away easily and the sleep 
>shades prevent the person from cheating and using their remaining 
>vision instead of the skills of Blindness they are there to learn.
>Many seniors fight to keep from using the  term"Blind" in reference 
>to themselves and insist on using a term such as "visually Impaired" 
>instead. Anything but the word "Blind."  The "tags" matter to them 
>and it is a clear indicator to me of their level of acceptance of 
>their vision condition and their mental state of mind.
>
>People arrive at this level of acceptance at their own time.  The 
>only way we can help to hasten this is by setting a good example for 
>them to accept and follow, by mentoring them in acceptance of good 
>positive attitudes and methods and by demonstrating to them that they 
>will be better off with good skills and acceptance of their Blindness 
>than stumbling around and hiding their condition from no one but 
>themselves.
>
>There is no shame in being Blind, just in trying to hide it or from it.
>
>David Evans, NFBF and GD Jack.
>President, Palm Beach County Chapter
>Peer Counselor
>Consumer Advocate MV Transit
>----- Original Message ----- From: "T. Joseph Carter" 
><carter.tjoseph at gmail.com>
>To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Friday, July 22, 2011 12:06 AM
>Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] sonar for blind
>
>
>>Chuck, that’s the real travesty right there—the notion that at age 
>>12 you finally need to start learning how to walk on your own!  
>>This is a pet peeve of mine (I have so many!) so I’ll stop before I 
>>get started.  *grin*
>>
>>Joseph - KF7QZC
>>
>>
>>On Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 05:19:19PM -0700, ckrugman at sbcglobal.net wrote:
>>>Actually, I remember doing similar things as a small child to go 
>>>around the house or the neighborhood berfore beginning mobility 
>>>training at about age 12. I have a small amount of vision where I 
>>>can see objects and shadows but no detail or color.
>>>Chuck
>>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Bullis" 
>>><bullis.michael at gmail.com>
>>>To: "'NFB Talk Mailing List'" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>>Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 10:12 AM
>>>Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] sonar for blind
>>>
>>>
>>>>As I have indicated in other articles, I think we disparage this kind of
>>>>thing far too quickly.  It works very well for detecting 
>>>>objects at quite a
>>>>distance.  No, I don't want to click my way into a job interview, but, at
>>>>the same time, the skill is useful in its propper place.
>>>>Mike Bullis
>>>>Baltimore MD
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>>>Behalf Of T. Joseph Carter
>>>>Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 12:49 PM
>>>>To: NFB Talk Mailing List
>>>>Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] sonar for blind
>>>>
>>>>Why do parents encourage this kind of thing, really?  *sigh*
>>>>
>>>>Joseph
>>>>
>>>>On Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 11:33:46AM -0400, Ed Meskys wrote:
>>>>>The Growing Success of Seeing With Sound
>>>>>from Spiegel
>>>>>
>>>>>Two-and-a-half-year-old Juli merrily twirls around, holding a 
>>>>>small white
>>>>cane in her outstretched arm. Every so often, she makes a 
>>>>discreet clicking
>>>>sound with her tongue. Doing so allows her to see with her 
>>>>ears, her parents
>>>>say. She just needs more practice.
>>>>>
>>>>>Four-and-a-half-year-old Frida already knows how it works. If 
>>>>>someone holds
>>>>out a pot lid at arm's length, she can locate it with a fair degree of
>>>>precision. Using subtle tongue clicks, she scans the space in 
>>>>front of her
>>>>face. "There it is!" she says. With a few more clicks, she can even
>>>>determine the contours of the lid. The edge lies where the echo 
>>>>cuts off and
>>>>she no longer hears a response.
>>>>>
>>>>>The two girls are learning a method of echolocation known as 
>>>>>"flash sonar,"
>>>>which resembles the type of active sonar used by bats. Both 
>>>>were born blind
>>>>in Berlin, and both have parents who want to spare them from the typical
>>>>life of a blind person.
>>>>>
>>>>>http://ow.ly/5rV9d
>>>>>
>>>>>
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