Hi, I saw the notes and coins in advance too, and I know that RNIB were involved in evaluations. I know they made recommendations for changes, some of which were ignored, but I don't think they are too bad.
Cheers Dave -------------------------------------------------- From: "Marie Baisez" <baisez.marie@xxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 4:04 PM To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [access-uk] Re: Political Correctness
I say that I know blind and partially sighted people were consulted in the design of the coins and notes, I was in Belgium for the changeover and there were meetings organised all over the country where VIP were invited to be shown the money and could handle it for an hour or so and test their ability with fun and games. We were all given a free talking calculator with all the usual function plus a belgian franc to euro converter built-in and a big leaflet describing all the design of the coins and notes in the different euro countries.I believe the same happened in France.In this, as with everything I guess, we are all more comfortable with what we are used to and change, in moderation but change all the same is there to keep us on our toes and keep us young.Cheers now, Marie----- Original Message ----- From: "ron sears" <r.sears1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 4:40 PM Subject: [access-uk] Re: Political CorrectnessThere is nothing wrong with the Euro. It is so easy to get used to the coins. They are not so heavy and the notes are different sizes. I was in Bruges the day they changed over and quickly got used to it. Now if we got to use the American dollar, well that is another hew ball game. The notes are all green and all the same size. Well they were the last time I handled them. Come onlive in the real world, what say you Marie? Cheers Ron----- Original Message ----- From: "Jackie Cairns" <cairnsplace@xxxxxxx>To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 1:28 PM Subject: [access-uk] Re: Political Correctness You're such a wise man Dave Ankers, leaving your wife to take care of themoney. That's my job too and I highly recommend it no matter how funny itis (smiles). Seriously, I've never seen a Euro before. Jackie Email: cairnsplace@xxxxxxx Skype Name: Cairnsplace----- Original Message ----- From: "Ankers, Dave (UK)" <Dave.Ankers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 1:25 PM Subject: [access-uk] Re: Political CorrectnessWendy, I fully agree with you concerning European coinage, I don't like them one bit, so I leave dealing with all that funny money to my wife. Dave I haven't travelled much since the Euro came in, but I have seen some of the coinage, and as a totally blind person I found it difficult to tell one coin from another. They were all about the same size, some with milled edges, some not, but not very easy to distinguish. Clearly someone wasn't politically correct enough to consult visually impaired people and make the coins easily understood. I am amazed to hear about the American NFB's attitude about accessible currency. However, years ago an American friend did tell me that over there you don't get nearly as much help as we do here. He was talking in terms of getting around, strangers kindly assisting if you looked lost, etc. He said that even hailing a taxi was very problematical, as many of them wouldn't stop if they didn't want to take you. Apparently the American attitude was that you just had to get on with life as best you could and not expect help. I felt very glad to be living in Britain when I heard this. We moan, and rightly so, when service is bad, but in many parts of the world service is non-existent or very basic. I think it's ok to discuss this on this list. After all, accessibility doesn't just mean gadgets that can talk or magnify screens. It covers every aspect of life where sight would be an enormous help if we had it, and lack of it is a perishing nuisance. Wendy -----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ray's Home Sent: 19 February 2008 11:13 To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Re: Political Correctness Not sure which side of the political fenceDave Taylor is on in his last post, but can I throw in a thought here, and its related to access tech too! I believe the US NFB is opposed to the Accessible currency campaign that A C B is running - but aside from the long standing antippathy between those organisations an interesting point emerges. NFB seems to oppose accessible currency because I believe they think that blind people should make the necessary adjustment, not the state. Seems as American as Bluebury Pieto me, and wrong. the common sense notion that currency should be readily and quickly identifiable by those who cannot see seems a very good idea. Maybe the American Feds idea is you buy the KNFB reader to do the job, or one or two other gismos that the American Fed may or may not have a financial stake in. Now, there's a good idea! One that pays too! Even if blind people are substantially the poorer for it, in money terms. All that aside, I think you will find the diversity/equality industry is blithely unaware and uninterested in disability as an equality issue if it goes against their rather pathetic and ill-thought out notions of equality. Indeed some are more equal than others. You should see the money the favoured groups get locally and the money local VI campaigners don't get. I support Race equality , but too many in the B M E industry are strongly antithetical and crassly ignorant of disability equality issues and don't have the same notion of justice being done across the board. Cheers, From Ray I can be contacted off-list at: mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx -----Original Message----- Dave Taylor Sent: 19 February 2008 10:26AM To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Political Correctness Hi, taking that to its logical conclusion, let's scrap all equality legislation, including the DDA, stop expecting anything to be made accessible, and all have specialist gadgets, specialist jobs and special educational courses! Not as bad an idea as we might have thought even a year or two ago! Cheers Dave -------------------------------------------------- From: "jim o'brien" <jim.taggart@xxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 10:23 AM To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [access-uk] Re: Bt total broadband - was ISP providersmy opinion only. political correctness is a form of brain washing and we should fightit atevery turn. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jackie Cairns" <cairnsplace@xxxxxxx> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 9:16 AM Subject: [access-uk] Re: Bt total broadband - was ISP providersAll I would say is it's PC or, as I call it, Political Cuckoo, gone...well ... cuckoo! I would have done the same in your shoes Roger. I take exceptiontobeing called a racist by anybody. I have some good friends from overseas, and indeed family members. But what initiated this thread was Dave saying he didn't like theBT CallCentre, and I have to agree with that. They do read from scripts, whether they come from Ireland or India. Broadband is also a very technical language, and I sympathise with even well-versed English speakers in the terminology they need to understand. There isn't any need for anybody to take offence. As I say, it'sPC gonecuckoo. Jackie Email: cairnsplace@xxxxxxx Skype Name: Cairnsplace ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roger South" <roger.south@xxxxxxxxxx> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 9:05 AM Subject: [access-uk] Re: Bt total broadband - was ISP providersAround the middle of last year I had occasion to phone my local council's hackney carriage office to complain of a taxi driver who refused to take my guide dog. In conversation I said thatimmigrants tothis country should be made aware that they will be expected toobey thelaws of this country That when in Rome do as Romans. The womanwent madcalling me the worse kind of racist and was going to report methenslamming the phone down. A while later I received, unannounced, avisitfrom the council department concerned with that sort of thing.They saidthey were investigation to decide whether to prosecute me. Theythangave a list of the things I'd said which were twisted versions ofwhat Iactually did say. I waited until they'd finished and simply askedifthey'd listened to the tape that was said about at the start oftheconversation on the phone. They admitted no so I told them to doso andstop wasting my time. I didn't hear any more so I contacted themand wastold no further action was planned. I demanded an apology inwriting orI would start proceedings against them. I got it. So some peopledo jumpoff the deep end without taking care to get their facts correctfirst.So many people are so very over sensitive in finding reasons to be offended. Roger ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ray's Home" <rays-home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 6:53 PM Subject: [access-uk] Re: Bt total broadband - was ISP providersNot sure Dave if it wouldn't have been better to refer tolanguagebarriers, perhaps? Maybe more a subject for Vi-gen, but I do getveryanoyed when having to deal with people, whereever they might befrom,who's grasp of English leaves much to be desired, e.g. in a pubbeingexpected to point to what I want, rather than simply ask for it. Mind you much of the problem is also down to the mass-markethabit ofselling things and not providing propper support to keep prices artificially low, hence use of call centres with no knowledge or comitment to anything they are providing support for. As I say, a subject more for vi-gen I think. Cheers, From Ray I can be contacted off-list at: mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx -----Original Message----- Ankers, Dave (UK) Subject: [access-uk] Re: Bt total broadband - was ISP providers Kirsty, It's interesting, I used the word "Brainless" because the persononthe other end of the phone was unable to leave the script they havebeenprogrammed with and have a conversation based on informationgiven.Is that Racist? I also stated that misunderstandings due to language differences, meaning constantly having to repeat oneself was infuriating.Doesthat make me a racist? oh no I used the "C" word!! yes coloured!Jackiestop laughing! It's interesting, whenever you use the word "Coloured" you mustbe aracist. If I was a racist, I wouldn't spend so much money intheirrestaurants! Sure there are some I don't like, just imagine I lived in betweentwoneighbours, who both played agga bloody do at full volume, Iwouldwant to shoot the pair of them, but one is Caucasian and the other coloured! yes you know what I'm going to be called after shooting thecolouredone don't you! Kirsty, you said you didn't want to start a new conversation onthesubject, and it's not access related, but to someone who attendedaschool which was 75% coloured, and I know who is the most racist!everheard of the cast system? it's the proverbial red rag! Dave Dave, I'm of the opinion that your choice of words leaves a lot to be desired, and goes no way to support your statement that you are notxenophobic - your defining people by their skin colour and claimingthat theydon'thave a brain because they don't understand you being two examples thereof. I find this list a useful and productive platform for sharingideasand information, and think it would be unfortunate if it became aplacewhere such discriminatory comments were unchallenged. I have no interest in opening up a new discussion on the subject,butwanted to make the point that at least one person here found the racist comments about Indian call centres offensive. Yes, I have had myownfrustrating experiences with a number of call centres, but Ibelievethere's a difference in being dissatisfied with a service andwritingso discourteously about a whole people group. 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