Miriam, I don’t mean to be so blunt but if you look at the advances and
dependencies involving computers and technology in the health care and medicine
fields many folks in your age group might not be here if it weren’t the case.
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Miriam Vieni
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2021 9:19 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: FW: [Announce] American Council of the Blind
Letter Supporting S. 1260
Well, I've read stuff in the past which leads me to believe that these are not
vehicles in which one is a passive passenger. So I guess we'd need someone who
is an expert on the subject to tell us precisely what the experience is like.
Second: I have some very specific philosophical reasons for objecting to a
world in which we turn over so much activity which involves human judgment to
artificial intelligence. I doubt that you're interested in a whole essay about
the subject, but if I had the energy and patience and you had the interest, I'd
write one. Suffice it to say, some of the most negative changes that I've
observed in our society are related to an increase in human dependence on
computer technology.
Miriam
From:
blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
On Behalf Of Roger Loran Bailey (Redacted sender "rogerbailey81" for DMARC)
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2021 8:36 PM
To: blind-democracy
<blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: FW: [Announce] American Council of the Blind
Letter Supporting S. 1260
Miriam, I know that the word driving is often used to describe what people
riding in an autonomous vehicle are doing, but I am not sure that it should be
framed like that. The vehicles are also called self-driving and that better
describes what is going on. A person who is being transported by it is not
driving. He or she is a passenger. As for whether such vehicles are accessible
to blind drivers, again, the word should be passengers, not drivers. Because
all the passenger has to do is to tell the car where to go and then just sit
there they are already accessible to blind passengers. As for whether any
governmental authority will permit blind people to be passengers, well,
governmental authorities can come up with a lot of regulations that just do not
make sense, but if a blind person can be a passenger in a human driven vehicle
then I see no reason why not. It would be necessary to pass new rules or
regulations especially to exclude blind people and it strikes me as something
that would be hard to justify. As to whether any blind person would be able to
afford to ride in one, first, most any new technology is very expensive in the
first place, but once it catches on and can go into mass production the price
tends to come down, but do not assume that ownership would be necessary. I
would expect that self-driving taxicabs will be very popular among the blind.
At least, if they were available right now and the cost of the fare was within
reason, I would venture about considerably more than I do now. I wouldn't mind
riding a self-driving bus either. As for your questioning whether anyone should
be allowed to take advantage of self-driving cars, why in the name of whatever
higher powers you look to would you ask that? It sounds as if you are asking if
anyone should be allowed to use an egg beater.
___
Carl Sagan “It seems to me what is called for is an exquisite balance between
two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all hypotheses that are
served up to us and at the same time a great openness to new ideas. Obviously
those two modes of thought are in some tension. But if you are able to exercise
only one of these modes, whichever one it is, you’re in deep trouble. If you
are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you. You never learn
anything new. You become a crotchety old person convinced that nonsense is
ruling the world. (There is, of course, much data to support you.) But every
now and then, maybe once in a hundred cases, a new idea turns out to be on the
mark, valid and wonderful. If you are too much in the habit of being skeptical
about everything, you are going to miss or resent it, and either way you will
be standing in the way of understanding and progress. On the other hand, if you
are open to the point of gullibility and have not an ounce of skeptical sense
in you, then you cannot distinguish the useful as from the worthless ones.” ―
Carl Sagan
On 4/26/2021 5:11 PM, Miriam Vieni wrote:
I'm a bit taken aback by this letter. Does ACB really think that these vehicles
will be designed in such a way that they'll be accessible to blind drivers or
that any governmental authority would ever permit a blind person to use one,
even if they were? I'm not even sure that these things should be developed for
anyone to use. And would they be affordable for the average blind person?
Miriam
From: Announce@xxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:Announce@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
<Announce@xxxxxxxxxxxx><mailto:Announce@xxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Kelly Gasque
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2021 2:10 PM
To: announce@xxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:announce@xxxxxxxxxxxx>;
leadership@xxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:leadership@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Announce] American Council of the Blind Letter Supporting S. 1260
April 26, 2021
The Honorable Maria Cantwell, Chairman
U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
420-A Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Roger Wicker, Ranking Member
U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
420-A Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Cantwell, and Ranking Member Wicker:
My name is Clark Rachfal, and I am the Director of Advocacy and Governmental
Affairs for the American Council of the Blind (ACB). ACB is a nationwide
member-driven advocacy organization that strives to increase the security,
independence, economic opportunity, and quality of life for people who are
blind and experiencing vision loss. Eliminating barriers to transportation and
enhancing independent travel are critical to ensuring people with disabilities
are integrated in our communities and have equal opportunities to move freely.
For these reasons, ACB strongly supports the inclusion and passage of S. 1260
as an amendment to the Endless Frontier Act as offered by Sens. Peters and
Thune, which would incentivize American companies to test and develop
accessible autonomous vehicles.
People with disabilities, including our members who are experiencing vision
loss, routinely encounter limited transportation options for independent
travel. For those living in an urban environment, people with disabilities are
subject to long wait times and unreliable service from public transportation,
para transit services, and discrimination due to their disability or service
animals from human drivers. Conversely, Americans with disabilities living in
suburban and rural parts of the nation remain physically and mentally isolated
with few transportation options. Autonomous vehicles hold the promise of truly
on-demand and independent travel for people who are blind. Allowing tis
technology to flourish under a national testing framework will enhance the
transportation options, quality of life, and economic opportunity for people
who are blind and experiencing vision loss.
The two most significant measures of this amendment for our members and all
Americans living with vision loss are granting the Department of Transportation
the authority to provide regulatory exemptions for manufacturers who are
promoting transportation access in accordance with Title III of the Americans
With Disabilities Act, and the prohibition of requiring a driver’s license to
operate an autonomous vehicle. These provisions will incentivize U.S.
manufacturers of autonomous vehicles to include accessibility for people with
disabilities at the forefront of their design, testing, and development
process; ensuring that access for people with disabilities is a foregone
conclusion and not an afterthought. Additionally, if driver’s licenses are
required to own or operate an autonomous vehicle, millions of Americans with
disabilities will be prevented from gaining equal access to this
transformational technology. For these reasons, ACB urges the Commerce
Committee to adopt S. 1260 as an amendment and secure independent travel for
all Americans regardless of disability or where they live.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide this letter supporting S. 1260 as an
amendment to the Endless Frontier Act. If the Committee has any questions,
please contact Clark Rachfal, ACB’s Director of Advocacy and Governmental
Affairs: crachfal@xxxxxxx<mailto:crachfal@xxxxxxx>.
Sincerely,
Clark Rachfal
Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs
CC: Members of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
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