Dear Bill Outman & List: Sounds As if you have had at least one bad experience involving a stranger ibn the past. With Taxi drivers, at least here in Ottawa, they must all pass a criminal record check with the Ottawa Police. However, as some women fares have found, this just means they have not been convicted of a Crime yet! One found her taxi driver wanted to follow her into her house! Another was attacked by her driver in the Taxi. For this reason, all Ottawa Taxicabs now have security cameras, with sound, in the car as well as often dashboard video cameras to record other drivers breaking the Highway Traffic Act or committing crimes. I believe Para Transit and City bus drivers must pass a Criminal Record check before being hired. The Dad of one of my PSW drives for Uber. He had to pass a Criminal Record check before they would let him drive for them. In addition, his car had to pass a full mechanical safety check just as all taxicabs and limousines to in Ottawa every six months. However, in the US, Uber & Lift etc. ask for photos of the car, each side, front, back, inside & out, as well as of the roof. If it appears not too rusty, it passes. Of course, it may not have a motor, transmission, or working brakes; however, Uber & Lift do not concern themselves with such trivial matters. Unfortunately, the women fares who had problems with harassment from their drivers all had drivers from the Middle East. We have many fine Middle Eastern drivers; I have had many of them. One said he used to fly Taxi in Baghdad, where all travel aboard flying carpets! He said in Rush Hour, the flying Carpets are stacked up twelve high at busy intersections! We both had a good laugh at his Flying Carpet story. In the US, seems Uber does NOT always require a full Police check for drivers. One harasser of women was previously convicted of Felony Rape! Not good. With fixed route buses, you expect other people to be on board, to witness any improper driver behavior. Friend of mine was a bus & subway driver with TTC in Toronto. He had one drunk mean mouth him & his mom. He said this did not bother him too much, but when the drunk started Spitting at him. He stopped the bus and invited him to step outside … My friend wears Kodiak Construction boots while driving, with steel in the toes, arch and heel. He is also from Cape Breton Island, in Nova Scotia, where they are born with ever last 12-oz. mitts on. He let the drunk have the first punch, and then defended himself. To creepy, longhaired persons came out of his bus. He thought oh no, reinforcements for the drunk! Then they produced their badges! Two Metro Police old clothes Officers, the arresting officer and star witness! My friend said TTC asked him not to attend the trial. He told his boss he was not the one who was harassed & assaulted. The drunk received two-years less a day in the Provincial Reformatory. Sentences of Two years and up land you in a Federal Penitentiary! Brian K. Lingard VE3YI, Ab2JI, B.. A., C. T. M. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf of Bill Outman Sent: January 29, 2019 6:10 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Aira I was not going to jump in on this thread, but your post caught my attention. Some of these apps and services will be discussed on a technology call I will be on in a few hours sponsored through Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired. You mentioned stranger danger. This is a social issue for me that sometimes keeps me from asking for help. I have seen AIRA demonstrated at various NFB state and national conventions I have attended, but the cost is a limiting factor for me now. I have Be My Eyes on my phone but haven’t used it out of the issue of dealing with someone I don’t know, and admit even the name of the app reminds me squarely of my limitations. I have not even learned how to use Facetime, though I think I could do it. Seeing AI and K-NFB Reader are both part of my world. The stranger issue has kept me from trying Uber and Lyft, even though I have both apps. Yet I can use cabs and the local paratransit, and even used it in another community for a convention. I am glad all these services and apps exist to give us more choices than we used to have, but I need help in working through some of my issues to use these options more effectively. Bill Outman Secretary, Greater Daytona Beach Chapter National Federation of the Blind of Florida From: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf of Cristobel Muñoz Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 5:30 PM To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Subject: RE: Aira Good God… When did this become a commentary on pseudo-social anthropology? Everyone has different needs and lifestyles. Maybe folks do not have a huge family or sighted social network they can rely upon. Maybe folks are not comfortable for reasons X, Y or Z with just going around and asking random people on the street for help. Ever heard of stranger danger? Maybe folks have different levels of mobility skills or abilities. Maybe, maybe, maybe. I currently do not have the need for Aira, but I am not going to go all Luddite and argue the other way. Thank goodness for innovations like this. Be it Aira, Facetime, Be My Eyes, the myriad GPS apps/services, etc. There apparently seems to be a niche market need for them. In addition, for the record and to refute silly tropes. This is one Mexican who if I never saw many of my cousins or extended family again, I would not shed a tear. Gimmy a break. Cristóbal From: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > On Behalf of David Moore Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 2:10 PM To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Subject: RE: Aira Hi Andy, I totally agree as well. How many blind people can afford $200.00 or more a month to get unlimited service to have an entire play at the theater described for them? The people, who are so passionate about this service, do not realize that the blind are 70 percent unemployed. What about those people? I went to the Ohio State University and went everywhere I wanted to go with my good, old cane, and I do so today. Technology is just getting out of hand, I think. It is making some people lazy. Also, why are blind people alone all of the time. I hear so many blind people say that they are alone here and there, and they need this service. I always have people around everywhere I go, practically. How many sighted people go out and roam around alone. Another thing this brings up, is that blind people need to be with sighted people, instead of using a service like this. We are becoming a society where everyone wants to do everything for him or herself, instead of relying on each other. Many cultures would not think of doing so many things alone like, we do in the west, and I assume Australia In addition, New Zealand. Mexicans love to live with their extended family. They would not live alone if their life depended on it. Technology like this AIRA, are just causing people to be alone more with their technology. When I ride the bus, I am always talking to people. I do not even want to get on my phone! I love talking to strangers the whole time I am out, not on a device. Thanks for putting up with my little rant. Sometimes, I think the blind were better off, when they had to get a reader to read everything to them, and they had to remember it or take good Braille notes as the human read to them. New is not always better for people! Have a great one, David Moore Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows 10 From: Andy Baracco <mailto:[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 4:19 PM To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Subject: Re: Aira I agree! Considering that most blind people are unemployed, and that the average Income of blind folks is well below that of those who are not blind, aiRa Will only be feasible for a minority of blind people, thus making services Like Be My Eyes, and platforms like MS Seeing AI a welcome alternative. Andy From: "Cristóbal Muñoz" <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > To: <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 1:05 PM Subject: RE: Aira As with most things in life. You get what you pay for... In addition, this is not meant to denigrate Be My Eyes or the people who volunteer Through the service, but keep in mind you are talking about well intentioned People who are still just volunteers at the end of the day. Cristóbal From: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > On Behalf Of Marie Lyons Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2019 11:53 AM To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Subject: Re: Aira I can only tell you about “Be my eyes” and a difficulty I experienced. A Volunteer said, “Over there”. That is not very helpful to a blind person. I Do know of two stores who offer “Aira” free: Walgreens and Wegman’s. This Is done by using the app on your iPhone. Marie Lyons Sent from my iPhone > On Jan 27, 2019, at 2:09 PM, Holly <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: > > Hello: > > I just joined this group yesterday. I have been following the discussion > concerning Aira. > > I am certain that most of you know about the app 'Be My Eyes', which is > Free and essentially operates like Aira, although the sighted people > answering the phones are volunteers, not paid operators. > > I have never had a particular reason to use either app, as am living with > A sighted partner. > > Could anyone tell me how he or she compare? The paid version seems very > Expensive for low-income people. > > Thank you, >
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