[access-uk] ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGY was Re: Re: How the blind can use sonar to 'see' like a bat
- From: Ian Macrae <ian.macrae@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 23 May 2013 11:27:15 +0100
Hi clive, while I'm sure apple had a weather eye on the anti-discrimination
legislative environment, I'm also convinced that someone in the organisation,
perhaps even Steve Jobs himself had the drive and foresight to say, let's just
do this. The fact that they made Braille easily and intuitively usable with
their devices indicates that they wanted to go the whole nine yards. It also
probably shows that they not only talked to blind people but also listened to
what was said. Meanwhile, as you say, other manufacturers continue to limp
along with bolt-on solutions that all too often are about what sighted people
think blind people want rather than what we actually want. The other
difference is that most providers say, how can we solve this problem of
accessibility, whereas Apple said let's create a solution.
Ian Macrae
Editor
Disability Now
6 Market Road
London
N7 9PW
++44 20 7619 7760 ext 7760
++44 7824 900855
www.disabilitynow.org.uk<http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk>
Follow us: @disabilitynow
On 22 May 2013, at 17:47,
<Clive.Lever@xxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:Clive.Lever@xxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Hello all,
I see a parallel in the word of digital technology in general. Look how
companies like Blackberry and Amazon have added speech output to their products
and assumed that's all they need to do to make the gadgets accessible to blind
people. In the case of Amazon, there were inherent weaknesses in the design of
the Kindle Keyboard and the speech output. The parallel is that, as in the case
of echo location, if they'd asked us, we could have told them, pardon the pun,
straight off the bat, much of the information they must have spent a fortune
researching and got it wrong. Compare their approach with Apple, who seem to
have sussed it, by and large. In both cases, a lot of time, effort and money
could have been saved if they'd first asked the people with the most direct
experience.
Best,
Clive
Clive Lever
Diversity and Equality Officer
Kent County Council
Office: 01622 221163
Email: clive.lever@xxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:clive.lever@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Kent County Council
Room G37
Sessions House
Maidstone, Kent.
ME14 1XQ
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:access-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:access-uk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sean O'Connor
Sent: 22 May 2013 16:55
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [access-uk] Re: How the blind can use sonar to 'see' like a bat
great minds think alike.*smile*
On 22/05/2013 16:48, whizza wrote:
I was going to say the same thing. What the devil's all the fuss
about? We knew that long before they did!
Cheers,
Sandra.
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