Gracias Brother Andy and keep up the good work! Via DDN you have been a real
blessing for many in so many different ways. I have a close friend who is'
legally blind' and he has to peer out of one eye a few inches away from what he
wants to see to see anything half-way clear and is being hassled by a
bureaucrat with SSI to 'prove' his blindness.
I joked with him as to what crime does one commit if one is 'illegally blind'?
His wife, who is a great help, found a voice recognition device for free via
Craig's List but it does not work properly. So there is much work to be done in
this area and that can be done if the proper concentration is put towards
'solving problems' suffered by many many people with physical disabilities.
My old computer was messed up and down, but my 'legally blind' friend was able
to eyeball it nose up close and fixed it via looking at the codes or some
technical stuff. He has only been 'legally blind' for a few years now and
worked with software / hardware stuff before becoming so. He has diabetes and
we pray for his health
and safety. Now my computer is fine, fixed and working smooth. My 'amigo' has
fixed me up with wireless broadband, so where there is a will and knowledge
there is a way and method. He was a former co-worker of mine at the local
Salvation Army and is still highly functional within his limits. A positive
'can do' attitude is important for people working with the disabled or who are
disabled themselves.
We must always strive to maximize human potential to the utmost of one's real
capacity. The DDN Movement should strive to remove all obstacles that stand in
the way of really bridging the 'tech divide' {a reflection of dominant
class-economic property relations in present-day society}.
Related Link ~ http://www.atnet.org/
Be A Bridge Builder!
Peter S. Lopez ~ Field Coordinator
Sacramento, Califas, USA
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HumaneRightsAgenda/
http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/sacranative
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Andy Carvin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>From CNET... -ac
Devices help the blind cross tech divide
Jerry Swerdlick runs a 15-employee company that resells computers and
devices that aid people with visual, hearing, learning and other
physical disabilities. Business is really booming these days, Swerdlick
said, as more and more manufacturers are building so-called assistive
technology gadgets to address a wide range of special needs groups. And
while he takes bigger and bigger orders from his clients, the mere fact
that he is able to spend many hours on the computer is a testament to
how far assistive technology designs have come in recent years.
That's because Swerdlick is legally blind.
"I can't see out of one eye and I've got 20/2400 vision in the other.
When the doctor asks me to read the chart on the wall, I tell him, "I
can't even see the wall much less the chart,'" Swerdlick joked.
He started his company, Electronic Vision Access Solutions (EVAS), in
Westerly, R.I., 26 years ago. In the early days, he went door to door
with his wife selling a camera that when hooked up to a speech
synthesizer could read aloud what appeared in print. EVAS has gone on to
improve its speech synthesizers and contribute bits to things like
software that makes print appear larger. In July, EVAS started work on
what will be the first of four one-year contracts with Dell to provide
technology for disabled veterans through the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs. About 1,000 veterans participating in rehabilitation programs
for the blind will receive customized Dell OptiPlex computers, monitors,
printers and scanners. The PCs are shipped with both large print and
Braille guides for quick, easy setup and outfitted with software and
peripherals.
http://news.com.com/2102-1041_3-5888810.html
--
-----------------------------------
Andy Carvin
Program Director
EDC Center for Media & Community
acarvin @ edc . org
http://www.digitaldivide.net
http://katrina05.blogspot.com
Blog: http://www.andycarvin.com
-----------------------------------
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