Thank you so much for the encouraging post. I feel sad, with all these smart
devices around, people in future, will be lost without them. There was a crash
last week concerning our various shopping sites. Because some hacker got all
these smart devices to contact them. Causing them to crash. For those who
truly wanted to use them for legitimate purposes. You can see the effects of
modern technology reflected in the training of newly blinded people. When I
was a girl, smoking was prevalent among all populations, sighted and blind.
Blind people who smoked when they were sighted, and blind people who were born
blind and who smoked, weren't afraid to light their tobacco products. Blind
people were not afraid to perform tasks, such as ironing, and having their
fingers around ringer washers, and what would be considered now days to be
dangerous machines. Now, newly blinded people are actively encouraged not to
use flame. Many aren't taught to sew, to use power tools, and iron clothing.
Because sighted people feel such things might be a danger to them. It isn't
any wonder, on ACB radio, there use be a show called "The Blind Handyman."
Hosted by two older gentlemen. Who were blind from birth, and were trained in
residential schools for the blind. Where, at one time, our abilities were
recognized, and instructors and teachers were not afraid to teach us the things
sighted people took for granted. The show died with the hosts who hosted it,
and no younger men took their place. Learned helplessness isn't exclusive to
blind people. Sighted people also can be afflicted by this. As technology
progresses. The more we give over functions we use to perform with our minds,
the less well we will be able to perform as we age, and more age related memory
diseases will exist. With tweets, and texts, allowing only a minimal number of
characters to be written, will cause attention spans to lessen, and writing
skill to suffer among both sighted and blind. Though sighted people will
suffer more, in the short run than will we. Because we haven't sight. To look
at pictures and graphics. The problem, I think, is: As technology progresses,
and as we accustomed ourselves to its conveniences, we loose sight of its
original purpose. Which is not to replace already learned skills, but to make
it easier to use the skills we already have. An example of this is: Prior to
computers and scanners, we blind people couldn't read the printed page. We
required sighted assistance to even read our mail. Computers and scanners, and
the KNFB reader made this possible and more convenient. On line banking gives
us the same privacy available to sighted people, along with the convenience
such affords. Hard copy Braille statements always had to be transcribed. Thus
lessening the level of privacy available to us. Verses to that given to the
sighted banking customer. Braille displays made the reading of Braille less
cumbersome, and more convenient. But, when technology makes it easier for us
to remain sedentary, distracts the sighted when driving, and eventually to lack
proper writing skill, or to appreciate, even a moderately lengthy writing, it
goes beyond its original purpose, and begins to harm us, as a people. My grand
parents could build fires. As they didn't have central heating, and heated
with coal. I never learned from them this skill, and I am not directly
advocating we return to those days. But, this youthful generation in America,
at least, are unable to properly appreciate the fact we do have central
heating. There use to be telephone boxes nearly on every corner, and the
poorer among us didn't have home phones. The cost of a paid phone call then
was a lot less expensive. Now, even the poorest of us is given a federally
subsidized cellular phone. Which creates within youth less appreciation for
the things they have. The more affluent among us are forced by technology to
purchase the latest and the newest thing. For us blind people this becomes
more crucial. Because older technology won't work with the newer sites, and
newer technology is less accessible with older operating systems. Straining
even more subsistence stipends. This is done deliberately to satisfy the greed
of those manufacturing the technology. It is sad indeed.
----- Original Message -----
From: Barry Hill (Redacted sender "barry.hill3" for DMARC)
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2016 9:22 AM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: I apologize whole heartedly:
I don't think you need to apologize, Angel. It was a very thought provoking
and interesting post that made a valid argument against modernity. The
Luddites made a similar valuable argument, and I suspect technology is going to
repeat the history that provoked the Luddites. About 35% of jobs are at risk
of being computerized in the next 20 years, according to a study by researchers
at Oxford University and Deloitte. There seem to always be winners and losers
with advances in technology but, for me, the only loss is to my wallet.
Cheers
Barry
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of ;
Angel238 (Redacted sender "angel238" for DMARC)
Sent: 07 November 2016 4:38 PM
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] I apologize whole heartedly:
Oh dear,, I am so sorry. I truly am. I apologize to the entire list. I saw
the post, and believed I was writing to a friend. We were having a discussion
about another subject altogether, and I believed I was writing to him. I don't
want to put down the echo in any way, or those who use it. I haven't mis
posted in years. But I did it this time. I am sorry again.
