"Touch-screen gadgets alienate blind"

[Liverandbacon]

Next Up: "iPods and other MP3 players alienate the deaf." or "Telephones alienate the dumb."

Some technology will not work for some people. They'll need workarounds. In the meantime, people should work on making and funding those workarounds and not bitching about their neccessity.

I have a friend who is blind and plays World of Warcraft (has a level 72 Druid) through a self-made and designed add-on. Text-to-speech plays a huge part too. When she turns, the game tells her 'you are facing east' and such. And chimes sound louder and louder whenever she gets close to a quest to pick up, turn in or something she needs to pick up.

If they had a text-to-speech for touch-screens, that can be utilised with earphones or something, it'd help vlisually impaired/blind operate one. Having a blind friend, I constantly think about the things she misses out on and it doesn't seem fair to me.

This is exactly the sort of thing I think is great. Instead of just complaining about the problem, your friend took real initiative in finding a way around it. I'm not saying the blind should have to help themselves, other people should help finding a workaround instead of complaining that one doesn't exist. Give my respect to your friend.

 

[JWAN]

wait...They wanted TV remotes with braille so the blind could watch TV?

.....eh?

exactly

 

[JWAN]

I have a friend who is blind and plays World of Warcraft (has a level 72 Druid) through a self-made and designed add-on. Text-to-speech plays a huge part too. When she turns, the game tells her 'you are facing east' and such. And chimes sound louder and louder whenever she gets close to a quest to pick up, turn in or something she needs to pick up.

If they had a text-to-speech for touch-screens, that can be utilised with earphones or something, it'd help vlisually impaired/blind operate one. Having a blind friend, I constantly think about the things she misses out on and it doesn't seem fair to me.

yea, Im not saying don't do it all I'm saying is that thier are a million other devices that do the same thing minus the touch screen, you would need a totally different device in order to do all of that and the Iphone was never made to do that because it was built for movies and games, the phone part was a throw on practically.

 

[shadow skill]

wait...They wanted TV remotes with braille so the blind could watch TV?

.....eh?

exactly

There are different levels of blindness you know.....But coming from someone who does not realize that the Iphone was only mentioned once in the article you linked to and not even as a point of focus when it was, I cannot say I am surprised that you don't understand this.

 

[Nerdfury]

As a 'sight-enabled' person this thread alienates and offends me with the poor spelling and grammar.

 

[JWAN]

wait...They wanted TV remotes with braille so the blind could watch TV?

.....eh?

exactly

There are different levels of blindness you know.....But coming from someone who does not realize that the Iphone was only mentioned once in the article you linked to and not even as a point of focus when it was, I cannot say I am surprised that you don't understand this.

yea I know and if you cant make out the freaking buttons on the remote 4 inches in front of your face you'll never be able to see the TV 10 feet away

 

[Alex_P]

There are different levels of blindness you know...

Not to mention a lot of shows where dialogue is 90% of the content.

-- Alex

 

[JWAN]

wait...They wanted TV remotes with braille so the blind could watch TV?

.....eh?

exactly

There are different levels of blindness you know.....But coming from someone who does not realize that the Iphone was only mentioned once in the article you linked to and not even as a point of focus when it was, I cannot say I am surprised that you don't understand this.

Its a main focus in the article because its a touch screen based item. READ THE ARTICLE AGAIN, the whole thing is based off of these things therefor its a key part. Apply some thought

 

[Alex_P]

well, pornography makes me sick, should i sue the makers for making it too disgusting for me to watch?... (i saw real porn for the first time last night, i am still trying not to vomit)

Read the fucking article, man. Nobody is suing anybody.

They're asking politely. At worst, they're "campaigning". Which is what you're welcome to do if you want tamer or cleaner or less-crappy porn, too.

-- Alex

 

[LewsTherin]

I have a friend who is blind and plays World of Warcraft (has a level 72 Druid) through a self-made and designed add-on. Text-to-speech plays a huge part too. When she turns, the game tells her 'you are facing east' and such. And chimes sound louder and louder whenever she gets close to a quest to pick up, turn in or something she needs to pick up.

If they had a text-to-speech for touch-screens, that can be utilized with earphones or something, it'd help visually impaired/blind operate one. Having a blind friend, I constantly think about the things she misses out on and it doesn't seem fair to me.

That's just plain badass honestly. I bow before her awesomeness.

Aye. She's awesome enough to play a Paladin.

 

[shadow skill]

wait...They wanted TV remotes with braille so the blind could watch TV?

.....eh?

exactly

There are different levels of blindness you know.....But coming from someone who does not realize that the Iphone was only mentioned once in the article you linked to and not even as a point of focus when it was, I cannot say I am surprised that you don't understand this.

Its a main focus in the article because its a touch screen based item. READ THE ARTICLE AGAIN, the whole thing is based off of these things therefor its a key part. Apply some thought

You should follow your own advice because the article talks about the fact that while screen readers do exist they are expensive and the way the UI's are designed occassionally makes the screen readers not as usable as they could be. Furthermore the screen readers don't necessarily work on all phones. Oh and let's not forget that some people may be able to see enough to make out the shapes on the sreen but not enough to read. I can barely read out of my right eye but I have no problem watching tv without my glases. Ironically some touchcreen phones like my own treo 680 have keyboards which actually negates your foolish whining.

 

[brtshstel]

Well, the world isn't fair. The wheelchair-bound can't use ladder fire escapes either. The deaf can't wnjoy music (reading the lyrics is just like poetrywithout hearing any instruments or rythm). It's called a disability for a reason. I sympathize, since life is harder for the disabled, but life isn't going to stop just for them, just like the world doesn't stop for the war-torn nations and the impoverished, diseased, and starving.

 

[s0denone]

Here's a thought: if you can't read braille off of a touch-screen, then don't buy a touch-screen! There are plenty of devices on the market that have actual keypads and keyboards. I never buy anything with a touchscreen because my regular screens get enough fingerprints on them as it is.

That's all well and good now, but analysts are predicting that eventually touch screens will replace other input methods.

That's all well and good now, but everyone with a shed of common sense predict that handicap-friendly(Blindness included) products will also be marketed at this time, just as it is now.

"Don't worry Blind Eddie, we made this special cell phone, just for you!"

Indeed, the perfect solution.

You can't have a wide, important and ever-evolving mechanism of both our economy, our prosperity and progress overall revolve around a minority. It's stated somewhere back in this thread: There's speciality stores, some for if you're size XXXXXXXXL, some if you're 230cms in height; You don't make clothing to fit people size XXXXXXL, they get it specially made, because they have special needs, needs that are very unlike the majority of the population.

Of course we should take care of everyone, to the best of our ability, but we shouldn't hinder ourselves because a new and revolutionary technology doesn't work will with blind people.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

You can't have a wide, important and ever-evolving mechanism of both our economy, our prosperity and progress overall revolve around a minority. It's stated somewhere back in this thread: There's speciality stores, some for if you're size XXXXXXXXL, some if you're 230cms in height; You don't make clothing to fit people size XXXXXXL, they get it specially made, because they have special needs, needs that are very unlike the majority of the population.

Of course we should take care of everyone, to the best of our ability, but we shouldn't hinder ourselves because a new and revolutionary technology doesn't work will with blind people.

To use your own analogy, the unusually sized may need to get their clothes specially made, but they are still the same kind of clothes that everyone else is wearing.

For your example to be true in this context, everyone else would have to be wearing some kind of advanced space clothes that cannot be worn by people who do not conform to average heights or weight.

 

[Signa]

WHY THE HELL AM I NOT ALOUD TO USE TAMPONS, HUH GOD?!

End thread right here.

 

[Alex_P]

WHY THE HELL AM I NOT ALOUD TO USE TAMPONS, HUH GOD?!

But you are "allowed" to use tampons.

You know that thing about ramming a towel down someone's esophagus and then it sticks to the walls and tears it up when you pull it out? Well, that's more or less what a tampon will do should you try to apply it in the most "logical" place. So don't say nobody warned you.

...

Your analogy is crap, by the way. This complaint is more like "Hey, if your TV just supported closed captioning I would be a paying customer!" or "You know, guys want to buy your bikes but you don't make any with a seat they find comfortable."

-- Alex

 

[mark_n_b]

I know blind people and they think this is the stupidest thing they have ever run thier fingers over.

Political correctness has gone awry and this is proof.

I want a DISCUSS so read the article don't rely on my post or the post above you.

People hate people with disabilities. It is really the only socially acceptable form of discrimination left.

It is so inherent to normal societal functioning, said blind person walks into a job interview with two gentlemen for say, a job as a lecturer (the kind of job that won't matter if he can see or not)

Now, we all know that a good 80% of people reading this are already thinking of obvious reasons why a blind person couldn't take this job, and it wouldn't surprise me if a few chose to post. The two gentlemen in the job interview, whether they are thinking that or not have likely already put the blind guy in the bottom tier of candidates. Short of amazing the hell out of them he is not going to get this job. If ever asked why they'll say because someone else had better qualifications or was a better "personality fit" with the team. But they'll never say it was because he's blind, they wouldn't even have discussed that factor with each other, it just would have been an accepted reality.

If asked they'd probably confess to really admiring that truly courageous man, even though there are no blind people on their staff.

It's the same if you are deaf or in a wheelchair or have a speech impediment.

Now onto the topic of the post. It's not stupid, if you are blind you are being isolated from a certain type of technology, and that isolation is growing and continuing. In a society that already isolates these people for their disability.

I know it's their fault for being different, like I say, who gives a shit, I mean how many people do you know who are blind or deaf or whatever right, it's just so awkward do be around them, that's why they have their little communities with nurses and brail readers and wheelchair basketball or whatever. What do they even need mp3 players for anyway, it's not like they go anywhere.

Am I right? or Am I right?

I use the example of wheelchairs a lot. The wii balance board totally isolates that group and the technology that wii uses, that will continue to be used and expanded upon in the game space has no caveats for people with physical disabilities, and nobody is interested in exploring those caveats.

I could go on. This isn't political correctness gone awry, you ass, this is a group pointing out that they exist and are systematically being excluded from an aspect of society without any consideration.

Christ, man, I'm not even sure why you have an issue with this. A vocal app for touch technology would be so easy to develop and it would elevate the entire development community. Given that it sounds like the exact kind of issue for the blind as a community to get pissy about.

 

[Alex_P]

People hate people with disabilities. It is really the only socially acceptable form of discrimination left.

Poor people, too. It's still quite socially acceptable to want to get as far away from poor people as possible -- hell, it's expected.

-- Alex

 

[WeedWorm]

Next theyll be complaing about billboards.

 

[GothmogII]

I know blind people and they think this is the stupidest thing they have ever run thier fingers over.

Political correctness has gone awry and this is proof.

I want a DISCUSS so read the article don't rely on my post or the post above you.

People hate people with disabilities. It is really the only socially acceptable form of discrimination left.

It is so inherent to normal societal functioning, said blind person walks into a job interview with two gentlemen for say, a job as a lecturer (the kind of job that won't matter if he can see or not)

Now, we all know that a good 80% of people reading this are already thinking of obvious reasons why a blind person couldn't take this job, and it wouldn't surprise me if a few chose to post. The two gentlemen in the job interview, whether they are thinking that or not have likely already put the blind guy in the bottom tier of candidates. Short of amazing the hell out of them he is not going to get this job. If ever asked why they'll say because someone else had better qualifications or was a better "personality fit" with the team. But they'll never say it was because he's blind, they wouldn't even have discussed that factor with each other, it just would have been an accepted reality.

If asked they'd probably confess to really admiring that truly courageous man, even though there are no blind people on their staff.

It's the same if you are deaf or in a wheelchair or have a speech impediment.

Now onto the topic of the post. It's not stupid, if you are blind you are being isolated from a certain type of technology, and that isolation is growing and continuing. In a society that already isolates these people for their disability.

I know it's their fault for being different, like I say, who gives a shit, I mean how many people do you know who are blind or deaf or whatever right, it's just so awkward do be around them, that's why they have their little communities with nurses and brail readers and wheelchair basketball or whatever. What do they even need mp3 players for anyway, it's not like they go anywhere.

Am I right? or Am I right?

I use the example of wheelchairs a lot. The wii balance board totally isolates that group and the technology that wii uses, that will continue to be used and expanded upon in the game space has no caveats for people with physical disabilities, and nobody is interested in exploring those caveats.

I could go on. This isn't political correctness gone awry, you ass, this is a group pointing out that they exist and are systematically being excluded from an aspect of society without any consideration.

Christ, man, I'm not even sure why you have an issue with this. A vocal app for touch technology would be so easy to develop and it would elevate the entire development community. Given that it sounds like the exact kind of issue for the blind as a community to get pissy about.

That post better be made of pure sarcastinum or there's going to be some very angry persons round to get to work on your knee-caps. (Or should )

People hate people with disabilities. It is really the only socially acceptable form of discrimination left.

I really really really hope you aren't one of those people that actually think that way.