Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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You Can't Fix What Isn't Broken (self.Blind)
submitted by k00l_m00se
We get a lot of posts here with grand ideas for "groundbreaking new tech for canes!" Well, the answer is always the same: There's not really much you can do to make the white cane any better. It's simple and low tech, so I don't mind it getting dirty, and actually using it. It serves its purpose perfectly; helping us navigate by sound and tactile feedback. It would be incredibly difficult to improve upon this, to the point of being as close as mathematically possible to impossible. There are much, much more important things that can be improved, like web accessibility and advancements in the realm of refreshable braille displays. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the thought, and your dedication, but there's a laundry list of improvements to be made that aren't cane-related.
blind_devotion08 8 points 6y ago
Absolutely. How about instead of inventing ultrasound crotch-sensors, or having us strap devices to our heads or creating a system of real-time calling sighted people whenever we accidentally turn the google glasses on, we focus on more important issues like autonomous vehicles for longer distances? How about making a screen-reader that can do PDFs reliably? How about making services like uber more widely available for smaller towns that don't have it yet? How about more delivery services? What happened to that amazon drone thing? For pity's sake, stop trying to replace the tent pole I'm okay with using and start making stuff for the problems I still have!
snow671 7 points 6y ago
You could say they're... shortsighted.
I think part of the problem is how the general public pictures a blind person. They aren't thinking about how we collect boarding passes from an inaccessible self-service kiosk or how we read tax forms online. I mean, every time I see an /r/askreddit thread with a genuine question for the blind, people reply with gibberish and call it stupid because "blind people can't read this."
They think we go to school and play with braille dice and then spend the rest of our lives listening to the radio and wandering around an adult care facility. The top posts on this subreddit are a good start to fixing that core problem, but I don't think those questions will stop until people start realizing what the blind and visually impaired are actually capable of.
I think part of the problem is how the general public pictures a blind person. They aren't thinking about how we collect boarding passes from an inaccessible self-service kiosk or how we read tax forms online. I mean, every time I see an /r/askreddit thread with a genuine question for the blind, people reply with gibberish and call it stupid because "blind people can't read this."
They think we go to school and play with braille dice and then spend the rest of our lives listening to the radio and wandering around an adult care facility. The top posts on this subreddit are a good start to fixing that core problem, but I don't think those questions will stop until people start realizing what the blind and visually impaired are actually capable of.
awesomesaucesaywhat 3 points 6y ago
perhaps we need a FAQ for people looking to design items to help blind people. We could have different sections for things like mobility, screen readers, tech, etc.
rkingett 3 points 6y ago
I could not have said it better myself. Personally, If I see one more, I am making a GPS app for the blind for my college course, I am gonna scream. That is certainly not our biggest problem.
I will admit though that $1 is fantastic!
I will admit though that $1 is fantastic!
tymme 3 points 6y ago
It seems like many of these types of companies are trying to find the next thing they can make and charge way more than necessary (cough zoomtext cough) because they know most people will get this covered through insurance/etc.
I guess seeing various diability catalogs leaves me a bit cynical... but really, charging $60 for special touch dots or raised paint that can be picked up at a craft store for $3 (and whatever other stuff) leaves a bad taste.
I guess seeing various diability catalogs leaves me a bit cynical... but really, charging $60 for special touch dots or raised paint that can be picked up at a craft store for $3 (and whatever other stuff) leaves a bad taste.
-shacklebolt- 3 points 6y ago
"Reinventing the cane" is especially annoying to me. Blind people have been using, and improving the designs of, canes for a pretty long time. We've kind of settled on what works. You think we wouldn't have figured out what kind of stick we want by now?
There's a lot I can say about the whole "sighted person who is definitely going to invent something revolutionary for blind people, no matter how unwanted, unrealistic, or already existing it might be" thing in general, really.
There's a lot I can say about the whole "sighted person who is definitely going to invent something revolutionary for blind people, no matter how unwanted, unrealistic, or already existing it might be" thing in general, really.
snow671 3 points 6y ago
I can already see the next thread. "I'm developing a sensor that will tell blind people when their shoes are on the wrong foot and need your input!"
impablomations 2 points 6y ago
I'd like to see a collapsible telescopic guide cane. You can get Long canes likes but I've yet to find a telescopic guide cane.
k00l_m00se [OP] 3 points 6y ago
I'm pretty sure the NFB has one like that
impablomations 1 points 6y ago
I'm in the UK. Been looking for one for quite a while.
k00l_m00se [OP] 2 points 6y ago
Oh alright. Shipping would be a nightmare, but they definitely exist in the US
-shacklebolt- 2 points 6y ago
For something that small, I can't imagine that shipping would be bad at all really as long as they're using a reasonable service.
/u/impablomations can call or email the [independence market]
(https://ecommerce.nfb.org/asp/default.asp) to find out.
/u/impablomations can call or email the [independence market]
(https://ecommerce.nfb.org/asp/default.asp) to find out.
k00l_m00se [OP] 2 points 6y ago
Can we get this stickied?
cupcake6740 1 points 6y ago
I feel like some teched up cane would be harder to use. I recently started using a cane, my school never offered services and my doctor never referred me to outside help, and, even thought I have partial vision, the cane I have now is amazing. It was really embarrassing when I began to use it, imagine a 15 year old getting a cane for the first time... I felt like a grandma. But it became easier as I became more comfortable with using it. If it were to change I thing it would throw many of us off. Also the whole weight would change and it wouldn't be as easy to use.
redalastor 1 points 6y ago
What annoys me is when the government does it. Radio-Canada (the French arm of the CBC) recently announced they would do a hackathon to find solutions in 24 hours to innovate web accessibility.
Their web presence was designed with little care for accessibility. They do not need innovation, they just need work so they respect current standards. And there's no shortcut that will get this done in 24 hours on the back of unpaid so-called contestants.
Their web presence was designed with little care for accessibility. They do not need innovation, they just need work so they respect current standards. And there's no shortcut that will get this done in 24 hours on the back of unpaid so-called contestants.
k00l_m00se [OP] 1 points 6y ago
Good old fashioned slave labor!
redalastor 1 points 6y ago
Who knew you can get accessibility with just slave labour and wishful thinking!
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