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 accessib
le are these connections without sight?
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 accessib
le 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.
Very interesting! We had to analyze a website for handicap accessibility last semester, and it was really eye-opening. I have the Yahoo web style guide if you'd like to borrow it - it has a ton of info on making sites open to everyone.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great topic and one which is so hard to appreciate unless you really think about the impact of sight. Having walked by the School in Pittsburgh daily for two years, I look forward to reading more as you explore this topic more deeply.
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