I'm not a big fan of the term "blind Ghetto". With the trouble blind people have finding employment, I don't think we should use disparaging terms to label products and applications that could make people more competitive in the market place. Which is more ghetto like, being unemployed or under employed or using an product or application that allows you to compete with our sighted peers?
Don't get me wrong. I'm absolutely all for incorporating accessibility into main stream products and being able to use off the shelf products. They're generally cheaper and usually have more features in a more timely fashion. This doesn't mean that we're to the point though where a product or application designed with the blind in mind still isn't needed to fill the gap between the accessibility we have with a main stream product and the ease of use a blind user needs. I also don't think it's an either or situation. I think we can push for greater and greater accessibility in mainstream products while still taking advantage of products and applications developed with the blind in mind. If this weren't the case, we wouldn't be in the situation we're in now where we're buying off the shelf PC's and cell phones. I can only think of a handful of apps on the iPhone that we talk about on this list that were developed for the blind, so I think it's a bit of an exaggeration to say things like "here we are, demanding more and more specialist products" and "yet another device full of special apps". On 21/08/12 15:36, Krister Ekstrom wrote: > Hi, > I may be a whiner only, but i can remember when the IPhone came out and > everyone at least the majority on the lists back then said that now they > finally could get away from the "blind ghetto solutions" and use mainstream > apps, and not have to pay a humongous price for things that are already there > free or at a low cost and yet here we are, demanding more and more specialist > products. Of course i respect the fact that some tools give some of us better > productivity but what i ask myself is should that be at the cost of changing > a mainstream device with more than excellent accessibility features into a > yet another device full of special apps? > /Krister > > 21 aug 2012 kl. 19:00 skrev Louise Redsull <[email protected]>: > >> Hi Krister, >> I understand the points you are making but do feel there is a place for both >> mainstream and specialist apps. I agree all IPhone users need to get to >> grips with the standard keyboard but honestly feel if a specialist app can >> massively increase your productivity then that can't be a bad thing. I like >> to have both mainstream and specialist apps and feel there is space for >> both. Obveously it is a personal choice if you wish to purchase mainstream >> or more specialist apps. >> >> Louise. >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf >> Of Krister Ekstrom >> Sent: 21 August 2012 12:16 PM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: I'm Just Not Getting the Hang of Flexy. >> >> Hi, >> This is one of many reasons why i never ever ever will get Fleksy. What >> would i want it for when there's an adequate keyboard already present and >> one that can adapt to the situations, so if there's an email, to type the >> adress, there will pop up a keyboard with relevant signs already in place. I >> know i'm politically incorrect but i say it anyway, why do i want a special >> solution because i'm blind? And before anyone says it, it's not the apps >> themselves i'm afraid of, they're there in the app store for grabbing, if >> you want 'em get 'em, what i'm afraid of is the demand it brings. When we >> get enough special solutions to do all kinds of things for us, we won't ever >> want to investigate what's already in the store, because it doesn't do what >> the blind require, and all of a sudden we're back in the hands of Freedom >> Science fiction, GW Micro, Sendero and the other companies who sell badly >> programmed solutions for a humongous price, and that's what i wanted to >> avoid when i first got the IPhone. >> And down from his soap box he slithers. >> /Krister >> >> 21 aug 2012 kl. 12:17 skrev "Sandy Finley" <[email protected]>: >> >>> Debbie, thanks for having the guts to admit this; I feel the same as you. >> I have come to the conclusion that I simply have not practiced typing enough >> on the iPhone. With BT keyboards and Siri it's easy to avoid typing on the >> phone. Ive gotten somewhat better but I', still not a proficient typist on >> the phone. I think that as I force myself to practice more on the phone my >> skills on Fleksy will improve. >>> >>> Sandy >>> >>> >>> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf >> Of Debbi Williamson >>> Sent: Monday, August 20, 2012 9:04 PM >>> To: [email protected] >>> Subject: I'm Just Not Getting the Hang of Flexy. >>> >>> I wish I could get the hang of Fleksy. Do you all use it in portrait or >> landscape mode? I almost never get a word in the list that i intended to >> type. I can't figure what I need to do to practice. >>> >>> >>> >>> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf >> Of Regina Alvarado >>> Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2012 9:35 PM >>> To: [email protected] >>> Subject: RE: More I use Fleksy, more I like it! >>> >>> I really like Fleksy also, and I really like the button in the lower right >> of the screen for new line as every time I swiped to the right and held my >> finger to get the new line it put a period on the end of the word I just >> typed. Sometimes I did not want the period as I had put in a comma or a >> colon. Has anyone noticed this? Perhaps it is my fingers! >>> >>> On another note, how do you do a wink and a smile with punctuation! >> Curious minds and all of that! >>> Reggie >>> >>> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf >> Of Traci >>> Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2012 6:19 PM >>> To: [email protected] >>> Subject: More I use Fleksy, more I like it! >>> >>> :) the more I use this app, the more I like it. >>> >>> It is fun to type the Fleksy way. >>> >>> I was looking around for the ampersand sign and came across the (at) >> shortcut. Flicking down on the (at) brings up a bunch of email suggestions >> like @gmail, or @yahoo. That is pretty cool! >>> >>> I was also successful in doing the smile & wink via punctuation. >>> >>> I like that there is the option to use the lower right button for new >> line. >>> >>> One question I have is, how do I enter a space. For example, when I >> entered the & symbol, I noticed there was no space between it and the >> following word. >>> >>> Anyway, I just wanted to add in my positive comments on this app. I'm >> pleased more than I expected. I had fast fun composing a Facebook status >> via Fleksy. >>> >>> :) Traci >>> Sent by Macbook Air Mail >>> >>> -- >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> >> >> -- >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google >> Group. >> To search the VIPhone public archive, visit >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >> >> > -- Christopher (CJ) chaltain at Gmail -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google Group. To search the VIPhone public archive, visit http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en.
