Category: News and Views
So a couple of sighted folks told me they heard about a blind person attempting to drive a car. I don't profess to know the details of such but if this was done for GPS technology advancement I would think there could be a better way to do this. Also, I would think whichever organization helped sponsor this would worry more about our lack of employment, lack of accdessibility on the web for some web sites, and digital technology we can't use.
I couldn't agree more. There's another topic on another board on this site that discusses the NFB's attempt to develop a totally blind accessible car. Quite apart from the fact that I fail to see how this can be possible, much less during any of our lifetimes, it makes me angry that they're spending all this money in the midst of an economic crisis on a project that to be honest I feel has little chance of ever bearing fruit. And even if it does, one thing they don't seem to have taken into consideration is that if a blind driver ever hits another car or a pedestrian the victim's family may well lobby legislation to keep us off the roads and ban our cars. It's one thing for us to live on our own, use computers and hold down jobs since these things pose little if any real risk to the safety of others. Driving is another matter entirely. There are as we all know plenty of sighted people who shouldn't be on the road. And I know plenty of blind people, even ones who've been blind their whole lives, who neither use their canes without being pushed to do so, nor pay attention when they walk. Are we really sure we want to give them the ability to drive? Getting back on opic though, if a blind driver ever hits another driver or a pedestrian, even if neither of them is injured and regardless of who was really at fault for the accident, there will be that group of people who'll use that to try to get us off the roads again. And if any of them have connections to shall we say, people in important positions, they might just be able to do it.
I'm sorry, but I think this idea goes totally against the best bumper sticker I saw lately: "90% of intelligence is knowing one's limits." I would love to get back into ballet as an adult student, but an achilles repair doesn't allow me to fully stand on the toes of that foot, so it would be a very awkward discipline for me. Probably better to try something like Tai Chi or yoga for better posture and balance. I also think accessibility to materials in Braille and employment possibilities are much more pressing concerns.
I agree. We can worry about possibly developing a vehicle for us, if driving is really so important, when 75 to 95 percent of us are no longer unemployed. And maybe by then we'll have found a new, less environmentally harmful way of powering our vehicles whether blind friendly or not.