Archive for August, 2008
The Challenges Blind People Face Living In A highly Technical World
As blind people, sometimes we find it difficult to deal with a sighted world. Take technology for instance. Just about everything and its grandmother has a screen on it, or some sort of complicated navigation menu system that takes a rocket science degree to understand and use. This is especially hard if you have some sight, and you really want to use that sight that you do have. I know that in my case, this is the problem because I love many of those devices with those tiny screens, but in order for me to use them, I have to find somebody who is sighted just to read them. Sounds pretty frustrating doesn’t it?
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to incorporate speech into many of these devices, or make the print large enough for those with some sight to read? Take for example, microwave ovens. Many of them today have those flat pannels with printed words and numbers on them. In order for somebody who is totally blind to use them, they need the assistance of someone who is sighted just to place the Braille labels where they belong. What about cell phones? Sheesh! That one is really a tough cookie. Many of us, sighted or blind have cell phones, and they’re a great addition to our personal lives, but even these devices have their limitations when it comes to blind and visually impaired people.
I think that technology is great, but sometimes I wish that laws were passed that would force companies to make their devices more blind-friendly. Of course, some cellular companies are doing this with their phones, but other companies really don’t care about doing it.
So how do you feel about technology today? Do you feel that there are some changes that need to be made to make technology more blind-friendly? In a world of touch screens, and other visual electronic devices, it is becoming really difficult for those that are blind, or visually impaired to cope with the changes. Please give me your comments on this and your thoughts on this subject. I would really like to know how you honestly feel.