[Mt-blind] The Coming Cris

[RJ / KJ]

Jerry, and listers.
I appreciate reading this thread and dialogue about assistive technology and
blindness. 

As soon as the writer of that piece you posted mentioned a company name, I
figured it was a sales pitch as well as an article.  But I sure did want to
read it.  So thanks, Jerry, for posting it.  Some might choose to say it was
disguised as an article.  But I did think it made a lot of good points, and
was glad to read it.  I was also glad to read the responses to the post on
this list, that pointed out that fact, and hope more will chime in.  

I really loved Jim Aldrich's post today.  Wow, Jim, you always are on top of
the cutting edge of things.  Takes me back to when we were all in the MAB
summer programs and the meetings back in Hapner the mid 1980s and speech was
first coming out and how excited we all were.   Advocating strongly that we
introduce it as a curriculum item in the program.  I remember fondly showing
Lelia Proctor the little baseball game I had installed.  I had set it up for
2 teams to play -- one team was staff, the other was the students.  Today
being the first day of the 2007 World Series, it is fun to think of.   When
Lelia would hear her name spoken, as the pitcher, taking the man, and
throwing a high curve ball to one of the students with 2 base runners on,
and 1 out, it was great to hear her laugh and laugh.  Fun days.   

But oh, how darn hard it was to understand the speech back then!   Now we
have really some pretty darned human sounding voices.  

Anyway, I think the persistence and innovativeness and a can do attitude has
helped our blind community to have access to much more.  What we still need
of course is more jobs, and of course many other things.

I appreciated what one of the other Jims pointed out, Jim Marks, about how
the technology is always changing, and this has meant for many of us just
when we think we are almost proficient at the stuff, then it goes and
changes, or the mainstream of the software and internet stuff has changed
and made our access more challenged.

The writer used the term Crisis, which Ted Robbins pointed out, was a
stretch.  But theere was a point --  that is demographics of our population,
a fast growing population of blind, more people who reach a certain age, and
of course more chances for changes in or loss of vision. This will mean more
demand for the access and the productes, which I am sure will greatly help
reduce prices, so we can look at that as a bright side, I suppose.  

The other point is the challenge of learning all this stuff as an older
person, and this too will be an issue, and should mean that the way the
products are developed will have to take all that in consideration.  I won't
count on that being the case, based on how it has gone in the past.  But it
is an issue and we can all help by being good consumers now and reaching out
to the developers, the vendors, and even moreso to the persons who need to
learn about what blind folks can do and how to get the training and
products.

We who work with the stuff every day and work on our own, one by one, can
help however we can for these things, I think.  I do teach, and enjoy it.
But it is amazing how much variation there is for each individual as to how
they take to the new learning. With stuff like computers, every one seems to
develop a personal style, or learn things differently.  Sometimes habits
that then are hard to break.  I know I have had my own. 

The attitude of can do and the motivation is a big factor in this, in my
experience.  Persons have to be more patient with themselves than ever
before in many cases.  I find I still have to check myselfl for wanting that
instant gratification of knowing this or that or how to get 'er done, as
they say nowadays.

Something that I think has happened over the past decades in the rehab field
is that there exists a certain bit of clients who are blind, not wanting to
pony up their own money to buy things.  And this is a sensitive issue as
many have never earned near the money that would afford some of the prices
that are required to get into many of the products.  

For me and many others, there is the big cost of access technology up front,
and then the ongoing expenses of keeping products upgraded, which is not as
much, but is an annual cost, and a personal commitment and a sacrifice.  I
hear pretty often folks not feeling like they can lay out the money that is
needed for that.  Or in some cases they have a belief of some entitlement
for it to be purchased.  This makes it difficult for us to advance, or to
keep up.  

No one will ever become a client, get their bag full of goods and services
and then become finished with all that is needed to continue to be
proficient with the access technology.  I guess that is what I would like to
say.

For me, I have sort of developed for myself, a feeling that the stuff I go
ahead and pay, often at much sacrifice, I find will actually work better for
me.  I used to kind of joke that it was jinxed if it came from the rehab
agency.  Silly, I know, but the point is probably that I had what they call
skin in the game, due to my own cash outlay.

Anybody wants me to shut up. Well now is the time.  Cause I be done.
Thanks everyone and have a real good day.
Go Colorado Rockies.  May Lelia Proctor take the mound in relief, even if
only in my mind, in extra innings during one of the games.

Rik James 
  

-----Original Message-----
From: mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jerry Hutch
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 4:17 PM
To: blind.grizzly at gmail.com; Montana Association for the Blind List
Subject: Re: [Mt-blind] The Coming Cris

That is all well and good if you are in the workforce.  You can get your 
employer to pay for the necessary programs.   What about the persons 
that are not employed or who are retired and on a fixed income .  
Shouldn't they have access also?  This is how some in society are being 
denied access.  As for changing technology , not all changes are for the 
better.  Features are added that persons seldom use but are forced to 
pay for because it is all bundled together.  A user doesn't have the 
ability to pick and choose. 

While I was a leader in Scouting, there was a phrase that was often used 
"KIS,S" ("Keep It Simple, Stupid").

Jerry

Jim Marks wrote:

>Thanks, Jerry!  The thing about assistive technology is that one never
quite arrives at where one wants to be.  Technology changes constantly, and
it's quite a chore to keep up.  Also, there is more to learn and use than
any single person can ever master.  I tend to think of assistive technology
as an ongoing investment of my cash and time.  Some of my original
technology came from Montana Blind-Low Vision Services, but that was 30
years ago, and technology ages out within six months sometimes.  I also used
the NFB technology loan money to help me get started.  Today, I use my own
resources or those from work.  Thank goodness for the civil rights laws that
require employers to cover reasonable accommodations.  I love the
technology, though.  It's fun to figure things out and to make them work
well.
> 
>Jim Marks
>blind.grizzly at GMail.com
> 
>From:
>Jerry Hutch [mailto:modrepro at mt.net]
>Sent:
>Wednesday, October 24, 2007 2:45 PM
>To:
>blind.grizzly at gmail.com; Montana Association for the Blind List
>Subject:
>Re: [Mt-blind] The Coming Cris
>Jim,
>My reasons for posting this is the number of blind and visually impaired is
only going to grow in number.  And that the price for assistive technology
is extremely high in cost.  Our access to the world depends on having a
computer, for email, for the news , to access information and to stay
informed .  But not everyone can afford screen readers and screen
magnifiers.   And when you purchase a program, it must be installed on only
one machine, you can not carry it with you.  The programs that are currently
being sold can not be accessed from a thumb drive and used, but not
installed, on any computer that a person walks up to, in a library , in a
friends home, at work or at any other location.  This message was not posted
to promote any brand or type or manufacture of screen readers but to start
people thinking how and where you want your technology to be, with you or
stuck in your home.
>Ted suggested a free program,
>"For a newly Blind individual who has any initiative, they can download at
no cost, except for the cost of computer etc. Just go to: >
http://WWW.screenreader.net WWW.screenreader.net
>"
>and Jim Aldrich suggested
>"many here could benefit from System Access to go. One can give it a free
thirty day trial if they wish. Go to: http://www.satogo.com
http://www.satogo.com "
>So, this discussion may have opened some doors for those who are looking
for an alternative to the more commonly known products that are in the
marketplace. Just for your thoughts and comments.
> 
>
>  
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