I agree with the person who said that we should have backup strategies for those times when our technology is not available. When my dad's car broke down, we took the bus or walked. What did we do before we acquired our technology. I am a psychologist, and I often use a tape recorder when doing interviews. One day, i found that somehow in my briefcase, the fast forward button had gotten pressed and hthe machine ran for God knows how long, and the batteries were depleted. I didn't discover this until the beginning of an interview. i didn't have time to do anything, so I cranked a piece of Braille paper into my Perkins and took notes. It wasn't the best way by far, but it was a way. If I didn't have the Perkins, I would use a slate and stylus. Any kind of technology can break down or become unavailable for any number of reasons. i feel that it is the owner's responsability to deal with that. If you can afford to have two of everything, and you feel that this is the only way that you can cope, then by all means, buy two of everything, but I do not feel that it is the employer's, or the government's responsability to provide you with two of everything. When I received blind rehab training in the 1960's, we were taught to be resourceful. Somehow, I think that the focus has changed from being resourceful and taking responsability, to carrying around a sense of entitlement, and a feeling that because we are blind, the world owes us a living. That isn't true, and never has been.
Andy
