RE: the Personal Computer was the greatest thing ever invented for the Blind

  • From: "Smart Eze" <smart.eze@xxxxxxxx>
  • To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:14:44 +0200

Hello tom,
 
I also used the Optacon when I began working for the United Nations as a
professional staff in 1980.
 
It was an enormous help at that time, although my proficiency was not good
enough to master the challenge of quickly reading huge United Nations
documents stsreaming daily into my office.
 
Today, I still have my Optacon sitting in my home office like in a museum.
I have no more need for it.  Advances in access technology have taken over.
 
I wonder if there are some folks out there still using the Optacon?
 
Best regards,  Smart
 

-----Original Message-----
From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Tom Lange
Sent: 20 October 2010 18:28
To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: the Personal Computer was the greatest thing ever invented for
the Blind


Hi,
I've used Optacons since 1978, when I was hired by IBM as a programmer
trainee.  The Optacon was the only way that I could read my 3270 display
terminal at the time; the Talking Terminal wouldn't read the APL characters
that I used to write code.  I agree with the statement that the Optacon
really helped me to see how things are laid out both on paper and on screen,
which is a huge help.
 
While screen readers have been a godsend, I have definitely noticed a
decline in blind people's ability to spell the written word, and I blame
this on the de-emphasis on Braille in our educational system.  It appalls me
that only 10 percent of blind people in the U.S. read Braille, and, if it
were up to me, I would make Braille education mandatory, unless it could be
demonstrated that a student has a physical limitation that prevents him/her
from reading Braille.  90 percent Braille illiteracy is, to my mind, nothing
short of obscene.  You can talk about lack of manpower to properly teach it,
lack of funding, et cetera et cetera, but what that says to me is that
there's a callous disregard by the government for the literacy of blind
people in this country, and that makes me furious. Surely I can't be the
only one who feels this way.
 
Tom
 

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