Seeing from the Heart

For those of you who may not know, I spent the majority of my twenties as a single girl. I look back on those years with no regrets, but with wonderful memories of learning about myself...and some rather hysterical memories of bad dates. I could probably be a contributor to the Slassy Life Blog with tales of the guys I encountered---like the time I dated a guy for about 3 weeks and I couldn't figure out if his name was Phil or Bill. After a handful of dates in which I tried relentlessly to sneak a peek at his driver’s license, credit cards, or anything that could secure the answer, I decided that he wasn’t my type and that at least two of the dates I went on were purely in attempt to solve the mystery. His name I eventually learned was Phil. Anyhow, traversing the waters of singledom comes with numerous pitfalls and hurdles.

At one point, I allowed my girlfriends to talk me into joining EHarmony- probably just for the entertaining stories they knew they could get out of me. I got a few more classic memories, including a guy who serenaded me with Gloria Estefan song and a bevy of other unbelievable moments.

I wonder how different it is to be single and visually impaired?

(image of two people embraced in front of a heart)

In thinking about this, I came across this dating website for those with disabilities http://www.enabledating.com/?gclid=CMuG2LSTkqkCFaxk7Aodh15WpA. I did not get beyond the first page where it requires you to join, but from what I can tell the site claims to be a resource for meeting a wide variety of interesting people who happen to have disabilities. It’s not catered just for the blind and those with visual impairments. After searching for dating sites designed specifically for the visually impaired, I was disappointed that there weren’t more of them out there. Online dating must be an empowering option for the single population of the sight impaired, but without sites that cater offer the right options and tools I can imagine it would be difficult.

If you are or have been a single adult, how would the experience be different with a disability? Would you be inclined to date others who have the impairment? How would the establishment of trust be challenged? Would being sight impaired allow you to see people’s inner beauty rather than judging people on their looks?

Accessible Education

In my last post, I asked that you consider the general experience of being sight impaired and trying to use the computer that sits in front of you. I imagine, if you took a minute to even ponder it, you realized it couldn't be done without technology to help the technology.

Fortunately, for those whose vision is impaired there are tools out there to make surfing the web, using twitter, and writing a blog possible. Screen readers are a commonly used device that reads the text on the screen aloud, or sends the info to a braille display. There are some special web browsers specifically designed for the sight impaired, but it's not the norm.

Here is a brief video from the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind that showcases a handful of the available technology http://youtu.be/lLaUx7BJ4r0. It's really quite amazing how connected one can be with the right tools!

However, there are still a lot of organizations and companies whose home pages are not designed accessibly. One area in particular that needs to be improved are online schools and educational systems. Getting a degree online is convenient and quite popular in modern times. And for those with any type of physical handicap, online programs can really be useful.

As you can imagine a serious visual impairment means that you cannot drive- and transportation may not always be readily available, but, if you can access your classes in your own home you aren't limited.

And, it's not just online schools who are marginalizing those with visual impairments. Colleges and Universities as a whole are not taking the efforts to design their websites to be accessible. Here is an article that gives more insight into the situation http://lvatug.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/lets-give-the-blind-better-access-to-online-learning/

As students ourselves, what can we do to ensure that the education we are receiving is available for others who may have a physical disability? Think about the application process you took in getting into your current program. What would the difficulties have been had you been visually impaired? The American Disability Association (ADA) works tirelessly to ensure that public places and buildings are designed to be accessible for all, but what can be done to make sure that opportunities like receiving higher education is easily accessible for those with impaired sight?

Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn't mean he lacks vision.
Stevie Wonder

Navigationally Challenged

It’s hard to imagine life without a sense of sight. Take a moment and think about the simple tasks you do every day that would be a challenge…telling the time, handling cash, reading a menu. The list is infinite, but I try to remind myself that these mundane tasks are not always mundane for those with disabilities.

(visual of Apple iPhone)

I don’t have to tell you that we live in a culture of constant connection, but I want you to think about how your connections would be different with limited or no vision. Let’s take the use of your phone for instance. How would you text message? What problems do the touchscreen phones create? What apps could you use? Can you even use a smartphone with apps? For those of us who are sighted, it’s hard to imagine how these things would work.

Braille is the main way that those with visual impairments acquire information, but how feasible is the use of Braille with modern devices and programs?

(visual of hands reading a book in Braille)

I am happy to report that technology has made accessible many of the features and gadgets that we are used to. There is still a long way to go- and lots of work that companies need to make to ensure that their products and services are fully accessible.

Here is a link to a website that has some concept devices that will bridge the technology gap between those of us with vision and those of us who have impairments.

http://www.concept-phones.com/?s=visually+impaired

Product reviews are even offered for some of the devices. Again, most of these seem to be produced and sold in other countries. For those of you who have visual impairments, do you feel that the U.S. is as abreast of visual accessibility issues as other countries?

I was also pleased to see a few devices on the list that served those with hearing and visual impairments. People with multiple sensory impairments will hopefully benefit from technology that allows them to connect in ways never thought possible.

I'm sure at some point in your youth you probably closed your eyes for a few minutes and tried to navigate down the hallway in your house or around your backyard. Right now I'd like you to close your eyes and respond to an email, check your Facebook page, or surf the web. Getting information and staying connected in modern times is a marvelous thing. However, for those who can't see it will take more than a white cane to help them get around.

“What I am looking for is not "out there", it is in me”- Helen Keller

Day Two

So after just 24 hours of having set up my blog and Twitter accounts, I have gotten awesome feedback and seen almost instant connections taking shape. I must admit that at first I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to get a lot of Twitter traction. I stand corrected.

I began doing some Twitter searches for "visually impaired" and came across a great network of organizations. Interestingly, most were European which leads me to ask if Europe and other countries are further ahead or more committed to making technology usable for those with disabilities. Or, are Europeans in general more "connected" than Americans? If anyone has any insights, please comment!

In any case, I have started following a small population of organizations and people who are visually impaired, or are working in a field that assists in making software accessible. Judging from what I has happened thus far, there will be no shortage of willing subject matter experts.

To those who have already helped me, thanks so much!!! And, to my classmates and friends who have provided feedback my project, a big thanks as well.

Before I close today's entry, I would like to share one of the MANY interesting items I came across in my beginning searches for info. This comes from the American Association for the Blind (AFB) and provides an overall report card for how accessible social media is to those who are sight impaired. http://www.afb.org/Section.aspSectionID=57&TopicID=167&DocumentID=3153

The most interesting take away for me was the challenge that CAPTCHAs present. For those, who like me weren't aware of what a CAPTCHA was, they are the weird letter-numeric codes that certain sites ask you to enter when you sign up for something, or sign in. It makes perfect sense that these would be problematic. There are times when I can't decode the symbols. I can't imagine the difficulty if I was visually impaired. Not to mention, they cannot be read by screen readers, devices that I will explain in detail in a blog to come.

Why and What?

My grandfather was blind. He also happened to be the most courageous person I have ever known- my Grandma being a close runner up. Their story as a couple is truly amazing- and inspires me every day of my life. A big part of that inspiration comes from the handicap that my Grandpa seldom let impair him as a husband, father, or grandfather.

Ed Kramer was born with a disease that caused his vision to deteriorate rapidly. By the time he was a teenager, he was totally blind. He never saw his wife or two children. He battled cancer and bipolar disorder without the trust in medicine that sight affords us. He attended synagogue almost every day, walking to and from with his cane in hand. He was president of the Pittsburgh Blind Association, played in a blind dart league, took vacations, went to countless Pittsburgh Pirates games, spent time with friends, and never once complained that he couldn’t see. He lived life to the fullest! His impairment never stopped him from doing what he wanted to do, from finding purpose and success.

My Grandpa passed away a few years back, and though he was not of a generation that was privy to social media, his life has made me think about what it means to be blind today- at a time when life’s connections are made via Skype, FaceTime, Google Chat and 140 typed characters. Where do those with visual impairments fit into this world? How does social media and technology empower and limit this population?

Through this blog and my project, I hope to answer these questions and see life through the lens of those without sight. I imagine that for most of us (myself included), we go through our day-to-day life updating our Facebook status and retweeting without contemplating how different an experience it might be if we weren’t able to see. Innovation and technology are marvelous tools that have worked to make our relationships and connections portable and accessible at all times. How accessible are these connections without sight?

(universal symbol of a blind person)

To begin understanding the experience of the visually impaired, I am going to do my best to make my blog accessible to those with visual impairments. You may notice the larger than average font, the description of images and links.