X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]
Approved-By:  Bill McGarry <wtm@SHELDEV.SHEL.ISC-BR.COM>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.l-hcap
Date:         Fri, 10 Apr 1992 00:45:04 EDT
Reply-To:     Bill McGarry <wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com>
From:         Bill McGarry <wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com>
Subject:      Handicap Digest # 2565
X-To:         LHCAP <l-hcap@VM1.NODAK.EDU>

                          THE HANDICAP DIGEST

                               Issue # 2565

                           Tuesday, April 07, 1992

Today's Topics:


                                ******

                           Blink Talk Digest # 547

                              Re: Barrier Town
                                Barrier Town
                              Re: Barrier Town
                                 I've moved
                                   Survey
                               Re: Doggie news
                                 Re: Survey
                           Re: NLS TB DEVELOPMENTS
                           Re: NLS TB DEVELOPMENTS
                              New JAWS Release


                                ******


To subscribe to the Handicap Digest mailing list or have your
thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to
Bill McGarry at any of the following addresses:


UUCP:       {oliveb, isc-br, decvax}!bunker!wtm
INTERNET:   wtm@bunker.shel.isc-br.com
BITNET:     l-hcap@ndsuvm1.bitnet
Fidonet:    The Handicap News BBS (141/420)   1-203-337-1607
	    (300/1200/2400 baud, 24 hours)
Compuserve: 73170,1064

                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
                              (203) 337-1518



------



Subject: Re: Barrier Town
From: Lois.Briggs@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Lois Briggs)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Hello Chet,

I just NEVER know where I'm gonna run into you, do I?

You commented regarding a message I quoted thusly:

 LB>> I did not feel blindfolding the sighted was usually positive...

 CT>         In this thread, someone said it ain't the same,
 CT>         knowing that there is an END to the experiment,

That's exactly right Chet, but that goes for ANYTHING, which I will
address further on in this message.

You went on to say:

 CT>         My sensitivity--not in some blubbering sense--has
 CT>         been heightened, not by blind-folding me; but by
 CT>         GETTING TO KNOW YOU!!

And that's why I love you dear friend, you've gone that extra mile, and
I thank you.

I went on to talk about a Handicapped Awareness Day I participated in at
a local college and you quoted me as saying:

 CT>         only one of seven was sincerely interested; that perhaps an
awareness, a sensitivity was born.

 CT>         Without making excuses, a lot of sighted folks JUST
 CT>         DON'T KNOW!!!  And, quite honestly, how many of them
 CT>         have to?????

 CT>         I, certainly, know more than I did a
 CT>         year ago; but, I STILL don't KNOW...

That's exactly the point Chet, a person really can't be expected to know
what it is like to be blind, deaf, paralyzed, mentally retarded,
chronically ill, poor, beautiful, rich, married, childless, fat or
anything else, unless it is that person's particular way of life.

The day we participated in this Handicapped Awareness Day, the purpose
was so that the architecture and interior design students, who would be
responsible for designing access able buildings of the future could spend
a day simulating handicaps to see how the present architectural barriers
inhibit those with handicaps from taking part in everyday normal
activities like everyone else.  Only when one of the young ladies who
had decided to spend the day in a wheelchair had to go to the bathroom,
did she realize that if she truly were confined to that wheelchair,
she'd better not wait too long to head for the ladies room, because the
whole process was going to take quite a bit of time.

The young man who decided to spend the day blind-folded was only a half
an hour into his experiment when he spent twenty frustrating minutes
trying to find his jacket.  As he went down the hall towards where he
knew the stairs to the cafeteria were located and other students who
were not participating passed him saying "Hi, Jack," he hated not
knowing who it was that just spoke to him, but he like many blind people
didn't want to ask.  After making his way down the stairs, which he said
he never knew was such a long flight of steps, and after having his cane
get caught between half a dozen chairs, he finally arrived at the
cafeteria line.  He found a tray and silverware without much trouble,
began to slide the tray along as he sniffed the air trying to decide
what his choices for the day might be.  He was certain someone was going
to come to assist him, but the wait seemed to be forever.  Finally he
got his food, found himself at the cash register and was mighty glad he
had a meal ticket rather than having to prop the cane under his arm,
retrieve his wallet and be faced with the cash problems inherent when
you can't see and haven't learned the nifty tips.  Now it came time for
him to pick up his tray and get out of the way of others.  Helpers were
close-by watching the proceedings but did not come to his rescue right
away.  They watched as he turned his head side to side "looking" without
seeing for where to go.  Hesitatingly, he trapped the cane under his
arm, picked up the tray as though it was made of fine crystal, turned
and took three small steps.  He said that right then, if no one had come
to his rescue, he would have trapped the tray against his chest and tore
the blind-fold off.  Just then he was rescued, sat down at a table and
thus began the process of trying to eat food he couldn't see and in this
particular case, they had not told him what he had been given.  He had a
bowl of tomato soup, which he said he could not recognize the taste of
simply because he didn't know what it was.  As soon as they told him it
was tomato, it tasted like tomato.  He had a chicken sandwich, which he
wanted mayonnaise on.  As he covered the bread and his thumb, replaced
the slice of bread turned sideways, cut it into two very uneven pieces
and began to eat, his wrist hit the glass of milk he didn't know was
there and the sandwich he just struggled to make turned to mush.  Right
then, he told one of the nearby helpers, he needed to get some asp erin
because he had the worse headache he'd ever had in his entire life.

 CT>         That would be frustrating....

No doubt about it.  That day, one of the folks who used one of those
electric carts instead of a wheelchair and could stand for short
periods of time let me try it out.  I IMMEDIATELY realized that out
there in this wide, wide world, there are folks who are mobility
impaired and also blind.  Where do you go in a cart when you also can't
see.  I even tried using my cane to help, but that was impossible.

Two of the wheelchair people, who were married, picked up my friend and I in
their specially outfitted van.  When we arrived at the college, almost
an hour early, I soon saw what a long process went into their being able
to just get their chairs and themselves out of that van to get on their
way.  Naturally it was also raining.  There I politely stood waiting for
them and getting pretty wet.  My only thought at that moment was, I am
able to hop out of a vehicle the minute it comes to a stop.  With my
cane, I can take off hopefully in the direction of the building and once
I find it, I can usually find the door in half the time it takes these
folks just to get themselves situated in a way that allows them to start
heading for the building.  Neither handicap is better or worse than the
other, just different and they each have their own set of problems.

You went on to say:

 CT>         KNOWING that a whole [expletive deleted] load of folks
 CT>         really can't understand the circumstances would be, I
 CT>         think, frustrating.  That they are the ones that are
 CT>         responsible for perhaps trying to make things more
 CT>         accommodating would be even more frustrating.

Everyone, handicapped or not, has frustrations in their life.  Although
most of the young people at my table were only there because they had to
be, that one young man, Jack, can and probably will make a difference
some day.  So, it was worth it.

This is a mighty long message, but I usually do not post in BlinkTalk,
unless I have a definite opinion on the subject being discussed.

Thanks for your interest Chet.

Lois

This long message deserves a PS:

The young man of which I speak told me at the end of the day, that he
had not cheated once during the day, but had been tempted many, many
times.  He said, he had NEVER bumped into so many things in his whole
life as he had in those hours.  He said he had never said "excuse me" or
"I'm sorry" as many times as he had that day.  He did say however, that
he was getting more comfortable by about 2:30 and wanted to continue his
experiment.  He said he was going to leave the blind-fold on when he
went home.  He also said, it occurred to him sometime during the day
that most people are NOT born with a handicap, but become disabled
sometime during their life and that it could happen to a family member
or even himself.

I've never seen him again, but I have wondered about him a couple times
since he was then a senior and by now may actually be hard at work to
make buildings more access able for everyone.

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89!Lois.Briggs
Internet: Lois.Briggs@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: Barrier Town
From: Steve.Matzura@f203.n2603.z1.fidonet.org (Steve Matzura)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:2603/203 - The Shop Mail Only, Flushing NY


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 > A few years ago we presented a program called barrier town.

This sounds a whole lot better than just taking a handful of people
and blindfolding them for five or ten minutes and seeing if they
could handle a super limited situation.  You want to show somebody
something, don't just give them a taste, throw them into it with
both feet, up to their proverbial eye teeth, make them live it,
whatever the situation is.

Sounds like a great plan--wonder if anyone in New York City has
done something like that in the lobby of a large building here.  I
love it!

Steve Matzura

Via: FrontDoor 2.02

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!2603!203!Steve.Matzura
Internet: Steve.Matzura@f203.n2603.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: Re: Barrier Town
From: Lisa.Warner@f124.n267.z1.fidonet.org (Lisa Warner)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:267/124 - The Three L's BBS, Latham NY


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Just wanted to say that I had a friend who wanted to know what it
was like to be blind.  So he insisted on having us take him into New
York City blindfolded anbd that no matter how he protested we were
not to take the blindfold away until a specified time.  He learned a
lot that day including the fact that I can't turn my sight back on
when I want it.

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!267!124!Lisa.Warner
Internet: Lisa.Warner@f124.n267.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: I've moved
From: Carla.Campbell@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Carla Campbell)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

By the way: for any of you with my mailing address or who have been sending
things on to me at TeleSensory, I'm not at either address anymore-- we've
moved on to smaller and better things.

I'll be happy to give the new address to anyone who ASKS.

The first smaller but better "thing" is a house in Menlo Park, CA.  It's a
small two-bedroom (about 300 sq feet smaller than our old apartment-- but
it has a fenced back yard (with a huge pine tree that's about three times
the height of the house and lots of flowering shrubs.)  We're enjoying
having our own laundry room (I never thought I'd see the day when I was
thrilled about having a washer and dryer...), garage, patio, and not having
to share walls with the neighbours. It's a nice enough neighbourhood, too--
quiet and full of trees. There's not much in walking distance, but a pretty
good bus stops right across the street. (around here,  most of the places
within walking distance of stores and stuff to do are either too expensive
or in really nasty neighbourhoods)

I work at home, now, and my little office at the back of the house has
three windows that open onto the back yard, over the wild rose bushes.
It's a sunny, warm room with hardwood floors and old-fashioned wallpaper
and full of all of my computer clutter-- but I love it.  There is the most
wonderful cross-breeze through the windows on warm days (and we're having
some, already) The furry guy seems to like it, too-- there are nice sunny
spots on the floor, where he gets to bask all afternoon until we need to
run out to the store or the mailbox or to catch the bus up to the city. (he
is thrilled when any of these things happen-- poor mutt, he misses the
daily routine of leaving the house at 6:20 and going in to work. I do not
miss it in the slightest.)

So, anyway, that's all just by way of announcing a change of address. Sorry
for the lengthy message.

                                                 --Carla

... Internet Address: campbell@well.sf.ca.us

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89!Carla.Campbell
Internet: Carla.Campbell@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: Survey
From: Steve.Matzura@f203.n2603.z1.fidonet.org (Steve Matzura)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:2603/203 - The Shop Mail Only, Flushing NY


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

I am posting this message in as many places as I can where I think I might get
some good feedback.  Basically, my question is this:

If you have a disability that impairs your performance while pouring liquid
from one vessel to another, then this survey is for you, and I'd very much
appreciate it if you'd read and respond.

Here are the questions:

1.  Who trained or taught you how to pour liquids--in particular, hot liquids,
like tea, coffee, etc.--from one vessel (say, a coffeepot or teakettle) to
another (say, a cup)?

2.  What was the methodology used in your instruction (i.e., pour by weight,
pour by sound, pour by estimation, use your finger, etc.)?

3.  Did you stick with that training or instruction afterward, or did you
simply adhere to the taught techniques to get your instructor off your back,
then you went off and did what you pleased?

4.  What method are you using now?

Thanks for any and all replies.  My girlfriend, a rehab teacher, wants to know
the answers to these questions in order to understand a little better how
things are with rehab agencies these days vs. how they were in the past.  She
has worked in the rehabilitation field for some time and recently ran up
against someone who did everything by the book, no matter whether it was good
for the client or not, and would like to hear what some "clients" have to say
about it.

Thanks again for any and all responses.

Steve Matzura

Via: FrontDoor 2.02

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!2603!203!Steve.Matzura
Internet: Steve.Matzura@f203.n2603.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: Re: Doggie news
From: Carol.Ashland@f56.n105.z1.fidonet.org (Carol Ashland)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:105/56 - The Overworked Drag, Portland OR


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

MR>  CA> large enough for you and the dog to play in a bit.  Couldn't the
MR>  dog be taught where he can and can't go? Then Bill could give the dog
MR>  free run of the house.

I'm not sure this would be possible without an excessive amount of
reprimanding.  I think most of the schools advise keeping the dog on leash
or tie-down for the first few weeks anyway.  Also, free run of the house
could result in the other people in the house feeding the dog, no matter
what Bill's instructions have been.  I've heard of that happening before,
and creating a huge - literally - problem for the owner.  The school nearly
took the dog away from him.

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!105!56!Carol.Ashland
Internet: Carol.Ashland@f56.n105.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: Re: Survey
From: William.Wilson@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (William Wilson)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 SM> 1.  Who trained or taught you how to pour liquids--in
 SM> particular, hot liquids, like tea, coffee, etc.--from one
 SM> vessel (say, a coffeepot or teakettle) to another (say, a cup)?

Mary Cecilia Fitzgerald Wilson

 SM> 2.  What was the methodology used in your instruction (i.e.,
 SM> pour by weight, pour by sound, pour by estimation, use your
 SM> finger, etc.)?

Use of the then functioning peepers.

 SM> 3.  Did you stick with that training or instruction afterward,
 SM> or did you simply adhere to the taught techniques to get your
 SM> instructor off your back, then you went off and did what you
 SM> pleased?

Stuck with that method till the peepers stopped working.

 SM> 4.  What method are you using now?

If it's a quiet environment, I try listening to the sound and judging
when the liquid is near the top of the receiving vessel, if the
surroundings are noisy and I'm not by myself, I use a time/flow estimate
to varying degrees of success, and if I'm by myself, a pinky over the
edge is sometimes employed.

 SM> Thanks for any and all replies.  My girlfriend, a rehab
 SM> teacher, wants to know the answers to these questions in order
 SM> to understand a little better how things are with rehab
 SM> agencies these days vs. how they were in the past.

And although I have no idea how rehab agencies are dealing with this now
adays, I thought the fact they believed what I realized was a quite
logical, naturally obtained solution to a problem needed to be taught
ludicrous!

     Of course, the Greater Pittsburgh Guild for the Blind also gave me
instruction on brushing my teeth, taking a shower, making my bed,
shaving my face, slicing my baked potato, dialing my phone, etc., so I
guess I shouldn't be surprised that higher level courses like liquid
pouring would be included in their rehab program!

     Seriously, I don't really mean to sound THAT sarcastic, and I
suppose there are cases where things like this need to be taught, but I
honestly feel that in many cases rehab organizations spend alot of time
teaching things that simply seldomly need to be taught!
                                                        Willie

... Like a bat out of Bellevue!

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89!William.Wilson
Internet: William.Wilson@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: Re: NLS TB DEVELOPMENTS
From: Kelly.Ford@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Kelly Ford)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 DK> how do you know you can fit more on a cassette than on a cd...
 DK> research has not been adiquetly conducted regarding cd tb
 DK> formats. dan

Well,

Unless NLS is going to fund all kinds of research into data compression
technology I don't think there's going to be a big market for fitting
more speech on CD ROMs.  If we were talking about electronic text, I'd
say CDs made a great choice.

But, with CDs the amount of data that must be stored to maintain a
quality audio signal is quite large.  You can fit no more than 80
minutes of an audio signal on a CD using current technology and I don't
see that changing any time soon.

Not to mention the fact that mastering a CD is far more expensive than a
cassette tape.

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89!Kelly.Ford
Internet: Kelly.Ford@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: Re: NLS TB DEVELOPMENTS
From: Kelly.Ford@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Kelly Ford)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 GP>>  I speed stuff up, and I wouldn't want to loose that.
 SB> The technology is there today that would let you speed up the
 SB> actual reading  speed while keeping the voice at its normal
 SB> pitch.  Radio and TV stations use this technology all the time
 SB> to squeeze more into a commercial.  The sampling rate could be
 SB> lower than regular CD's, thus allowing more on the disk.  The
 SB> speed could also be different so it could not be played on a
 SB> regular CD machine.

This would mean that NLS fund both development of this new player since
it wouldn't have much use in any other market and that NLS fund
placement with these new machines with anyone who wants one.  These
would both be very costly.

Plus, the technology you speak of that is indeed used by radio and tv
stations is only used when speed is increased by fractional measurements
and when the signal is an analog one.

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89!Kelly.Ford
Internet: Kelly.Ford@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org




------



Subject: New JAWS Release
From: David.Tanner@f168.n129.z1.fidonet.org (David Tanner)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/168 - Braille Bank BBS, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Yes, the new Jaws release looks considerably better.  The new
install procedure for installing the software is much nicer, the
smart screen feature works pretty well, and it is nice to see that
Jaws finally has a auto loading feature for loading the correct
macro files etc. for the software that you are using and reloading
the Jaws default macro set when you return to the DOS prompt.
Looks like they are starting to catch up to some of the more
popular sophisticated speech packages.

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!168!David.Tanner
Internet: David.Tanner@f168.n129.z1.fidonet.org




------






                                ******

             End of Issue # 2565 of the Handicap Digest

                                ******
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU