At first glance this seems more private than what I experienced at Walgreens yesterday. After filling out my name, address, the date, and signing the paper, this pharmacy handed over my prescription drug history (on paper) without asking first to see my ID.
Or my hearing aid. Or some guy's iPod, cell phone, or other hand held electronic toys. Oh! What about vending machines?! Can't have those facial recognition ciggie vending machines going on the blink because of this! Think of the children!
Try being non-oral(no voice) Deaf in America but communicating with people whose first languge is NOT English. Guess what? Based on my experience, they are the most helpful when it comes to getting a message understood. Why? They understand how hard it is to learn a second language, and will actively help others struggling to communicate.
Please do not trot out the tired excuse of "American attitude of being accessible to anything with a pulse." Since the iPhone is not accessible to me because of my hearing, I merely choose to use a different phone; SideKick2. That unit has the features which work best for me. Period. Neither myself nor my Deaf peers are up in arms about not being able to use an iPhone. In fact, one Deaf friend looked at one in an Apple store just to check out the hype but didn't go away all downhearted because he could never use it. I'm sure blind users also have their favourite cell phone models and turn their noses up at iPhone and other units which don't suit their individual needs. Rather than harp about Mr. Jobs disliking blind people, talk about improving features for groups of users.
Speech reading technology is based on...human speech. It won't tell the difference between "mom" and "bomb". Just look in a mirror yourself when saying those two words. Just 30% of spoken speech is on the lips anyway so it's hard as hell to speech read anyone, and I've been doing it my entire life. I still can't tell if someone is saying "I love food" versus "I love you". Has anyone else here figured out how accurate this recognition package is right now?
Not only is there no technical reason for the switch, there is no culinary reason. Why alter my stove because temperature is measured in Farenheit? What is the point altering my extensive recipe collection because the rest of the world thinks it's stupid that the USA keeps using the Imperial system? A girlfriend moved to Germany but asked me to send her a set of measuring cups and spoons because what was available at the time was metric, and that didn't jive with her baking, which is a delicate balance between ingredients used. Nope. I'm not altering my cherished red velvet cake recipe just because someone wants me to use metric. I'd rather revert to using a wood stove than metric based (Yes, I HAVE baked using a real kitchen wood burning stove).
The technical reason is nobody thinks about captioning until it's too late and we have to howl for them to be embedded. WTF? Why must we be excluded until tapping someone on the shoulder but then get ignored anyway? Did you read the thread about why software development is so hard? This is one of the so-called "hard" things because it's an afterthought and hence hastily rushed in (if at all!). There is also cost associated with inserting captions. Heaven forbid thousands of Deaf and HOH people understand web videos like everyone else! I have given up on seeing captioning for any web video. If it isn't mandated by the gubmint, it doesn't happen.
Speaking as a Cosmopolitan drinking, slightly geeky, motorcycle and bicycle riding non-granny who owns a $3K Bernina (yes, with the embroidery module) let me just say this:
STFU! Leave me alone to let me sew and embroider!
There are free designs out there. Just search for and use them. In the near future I will try my hand at designing my own stuff because $175 for a CD-ROM of a few designs blows my budget out of the water.
Also, after talking to those who own embroidery capable machines most of them are computer illiterate, barely able to operate the basics. I would be hugely surprised if more than just a few users out there are offending the ESPC.
Please! Is there a transcript or summary for a Deaf person, such as myself, to read? This audio only crap makes it impossible for me to know what the hell is going on.
Mod Parent Up!
Three cheers for a female centric laptop bag. I was lucky enough to get one through the Thanks! award system where I work. Even though the thing is black, the styling is feminine and sets me apart from the males.
Ladies, it is time we make our own designs. There are patterns out there to get you started on your own laptop bag. Try looking at the McCalls Pattern: M4531
That, and reverse engineerng cheap bags found at any thrift store will get you started. Hell, I am enthused enough to put my $3K sewing machine to use and make a few bags to sell for profit.
I can even have initials monogrammed on the bag and have nice designs embroidered on them too. Guess what I'm doing after work tonight? I'll be SEW busy!
It is also worthy of your time to check out the luggage section in Dillards (or other non *-Mart stores) because they are starting to carry stylish laptop cases for us ladies.
We can remain intelligent and pretty without having to lug around a geek bag. Persistence pays off.
I use a SideKick and its services provided to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing population extend way beyond the corporate reach. My employer provided me with a Blackberry device but after mine broke and the replacement arrived broken. The coverage always sucked so during a fit of disgust I bought my own SideKick. The SideKick was easier to use and had better coverage than the blackberry device. Surprise! Ask your Deaf and HOH users what features are important to them both within the job scope and outside the job. Trust me, they will wear out their devices when using them. The keypad on the SideKick is preferred among us Deaf and HOH users because we are thumb-typing short and long notes and using IMs daily on our SideKicks. Also, I don't want a huge Treo hanging off my hip. It looks quite large and ugly. Give your users what they want because they are using the device, not you.
I never said the masses should not have something just because it is unavailable to a minority. What I'd like to see is something equally accessible for people such as myself without having to wait weeks for it, such as an interpreter and then squabble with the museum over who is going to pay for that person's services. Additionally, waiting for weeks means the exhibit is long gone by the time I too can enjoy what hearing people can enjoy on a daily basis at the exhibit.
Oh, and not all Deaf people want an interpreter. Many are late deafened and do not know any form of sign language.
A flat screen with scrolling text with a CLEAN (i.e. not grimy) interface would do nicely.
OT: I got a jury duty summons. Like a good girl I filled out the form and stated I needed accomodations. The prompt reply stated my interpreter would be available two months after the original jury duty date and I could NOT reschedule.
Nice.
Oh, how nice. A running commentary of what people can listen to while enjoying the exhibit. I am Deaf. What options do I have to enhance my visit to this exhibit? Will a docent hand me a well-thumbed, stained transcript? Just another worthless feature for the masses.
Along with dubbing in language, fancy 3D images and the like, what happened to captioning? Geez, being Deaf means I experience movies in a very different manner. Either I must: Wait for them to come out on DVD or Wait and view them on a cable station or Pay full evening price on the rare occasion a captioned film is shown in my city. Now even when the captioned film makes it to my city, it's way behind the opening date, admission is abysmal because of the showtimes which are only on Tuesday and Wednesdays (again, in my area) either during the day when I'm working or only late at night. Even worse, the theatre is in an unfriendly part of town so being alone and Deaf in the dark parking lot spooks me. So with all the hoopla about 3D don't expect me to support it until I can enjoy a so-called regular movie with everyone else. We're always told that captioning is expensive and distracting to hearing people but that isn't necessarily the case. Hence, I don't purchase DVDs unless they are second-hand, don't go to the theatres because they can't cater to my needs, and I'll NEVER support some new whizbang tecnhnology for movies until something as simple as captioning is instituted first.
Okay, "haha" about the Deaf jokes. As a female (gasp!) Deaf computer user (abuser?) what I need is a captioning feed for videos. Popular news sites routinely feature video news clips but they are meaninless to me without knowing what is being said. How about some captioning? Too expensive? It sure seems so because I sure as hell never see it.
As for Braille, not all blind people know Braille and legally blind people usually have *some* sight and prefer to utilize their sight as best they can along with screen readers.
Slashdot Mirror
At first glance this seems more private than what I experienced at Walgreens yesterday. After filling out my name, address, the date, and signing the paper, this pharmacy handed over my prescription drug history (on paper) without asking first to see my ID.
Or my hearing aid. Or some guy's iPod, cell phone, or other hand held electronic toys. Oh! What about vending machines?! Can't have those facial recognition ciggie vending machines going on the blink because of this! Think of the children!
Try being non-oral(no voice) Deaf in America but communicating with people whose first languge is NOT English. Guess what? Based on my experience, they are the most helpful when it comes to getting a message understood. Why? They understand how hard it is to learn a second language, and will actively help others struggling to communicate.
Please do not trot out the tired excuse of "American attitude of being accessible to anything with a pulse." Since the iPhone is not accessible to me because of my hearing, I merely choose to use a different phone; SideKick2.
That unit has the features which work best for me. Period. Neither myself nor my Deaf peers are up in arms about not being able to use an iPhone. In fact, one Deaf friend looked at one in an Apple store just to check out the hype but didn't go away all downhearted because he could never use it.
I'm sure blind users also have their favourite cell phone models and turn their noses up at iPhone and other units which don't suit their individual needs.
Rather than harp about Mr. Jobs disliking blind people, talk about improving features for groups of users.
Speech reading technology is based on...human speech. It won't tell the difference between "mom" and "bomb". Just look in a mirror yourself when saying those two words. Just 30% of spoken speech is on the lips anyway so it's hard as hell to speech read anyone, and I've been doing it my entire life.
I still can't tell if someone is saying "I love food" versus "I love you".
Has anyone else here figured out how accurate this recognition package is right now?
Why rely upon an elusive sound to wake up when one can simply awake by vibrations? Granted, this scared the hell out of my Chihuahua puppy the first time the bed vibrated but it's more fun than an alarm which I can't hear anyway which is why the audible portion of the Sonic Boom alarm clock isn't used. Check it out! http://www.harriscomm.com/catalog/product_info.php ?products_id=18980&hcCsid=8bc2e170f131cc826dcd0e48 80865470
Not only is there no technical reason for the switch, there is no culinary reason. Why alter my stove because temperature is measured in Farenheit? What is the point altering my extensive recipe collection because the rest of the world thinks it's stupid that the USA keeps using the Imperial system?
A girlfriend moved to Germany but asked me to send her a set of measuring cups and spoons because what was available at the time was metric, and that didn't jive with her baking, which is a delicate balance between ingredients used.
Nope. I'm not altering my cherished red velvet cake recipe just because someone wants me to use metric. I'd rather revert to using a wood stove than metric based (Yes, I HAVE baked using a real kitchen wood burning stove).
The technical reason is nobody thinks about captioning until it's too late and we have to howl for them to be embedded. WTF? Why must we be excluded until tapping someone on the shoulder but then get ignored anyway?
Did you read the thread about why software development is so hard? This is one of the so-called "hard" things because it's an afterthought and hence hastily rushed in (if at all!). There is also cost associated with inserting captions. Heaven forbid thousands of Deaf and HOH people understand web videos like everyone else!
I have given up on seeing captioning for any web video. If it isn't mandated by the gubmint, it doesn't happen.
You're not fat? OMG! If you are single then call me and keep respecting yourself by avoiding the Twinkies!
Speaking as a Cosmopolitan drinking, slightly geeky, motorcycle and bicycle riding non-granny who owns a $3K Bernina (yes, with the embroidery module) let me just say this:
STFU! Leave me alone to let me sew and embroider!
There are free designs out there. Just search for and use them. In the near future I will try my hand at designing my own stuff because $175 for a CD-ROM of a few designs blows my budget out of the water.
Also, after talking to those who own embroidery capable machines most of them are computer illiterate, barely able to operate the basics. I would be hugely surprised if more than just a few users out there are offending the ESPC.
Please! Is there a transcript or summary for a Deaf person, such as myself, to read? This audio only crap makes it impossible for me to know what the hell is going on.
Mod Parent Up! Three cheers for a female centric laptop bag. I was lucky enough to get one through the Thanks! award system where I work. Even though the thing is black, the styling is feminine and sets me apart from the males. Ladies, it is time we make our own designs. There are patterns out there to get you started on your own laptop bag. Try looking at the McCalls Pattern: M4531 That, and reverse engineerng cheap bags found at any thrift store will get you started. Hell, I am enthused enough to put my $3K sewing machine to use and make a few bags to sell for profit. I can even have initials monogrammed on the bag and have nice designs embroidered on them too. Guess what I'm doing after work tonight? I'll be SEW busy! It is also worthy of your time to check out the luggage section in Dillards (or other non *-Mart stores) because they are starting to carry stylish laptop cases for us ladies. We can remain intelligent and pretty without having to lug around a geek bag. Persistence pays off.
I use a SideKick and its services provided to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing population extend way beyond the corporate reach. My employer provided me with a Blackberry device but after mine broke and the replacement arrived broken. The coverage always sucked so during a fit of disgust I bought my own SideKick.
The SideKick was easier to use and had better coverage than the blackberry device. Surprise!
Ask your Deaf and HOH users what features are important to them both within the job scope and outside the job.
Trust me, they will wear out their devices when using them.
The keypad on the SideKick is preferred among us Deaf and HOH users because we are thumb-typing short and long notes and using IMs daily on our SideKicks.
Also, I don't want a huge Treo hanging off my hip. It looks quite large and ugly.
Give your users what they want because they are using the device, not you.
I never said the masses should not have something just because it is unavailable to a minority. What I'd like to see is something equally accessible for people such as myself without having to wait weeks for it, such as an interpreter and then squabble with the museum over who is going to pay for that person's services. Additionally, waiting for weeks means the exhibit is long gone by the time I too can enjoy what hearing people can enjoy on a daily basis at the exhibit. Oh, and not all Deaf people want an interpreter. Many are late deafened and do not know any form of sign language. A flat screen with scrolling text with a CLEAN (i.e. not grimy) interface would do nicely. OT: I got a jury duty summons. Like a good girl I filled out the form and stated I needed accomodations. The prompt reply stated my interpreter would be available two months after the original jury duty date and I could NOT reschedule. Nice.
Oh, how nice. A running commentary of what people can listen to while enjoying the exhibit. I am Deaf. What options do I have to enhance my visit to this exhibit? Will a docent hand me a well-thumbed, stained transcript?
Just another worthless feature for the masses.
Along with dubbing in language, fancy 3D images and the like, what happened to captioning?
Geez, being Deaf means I experience movies in a very different manner. Either I must:
Wait for them to come out on DVD
or
Wait and view them on a cable station
or
Pay full evening price on the rare occasion a captioned film is shown in my city.
Now even when the captioned film makes it to my city, it's way behind the opening date, admission is abysmal because of the showtimes which are only on Tuesday and Wednesdays (again, in my area) either during the day when I'm working or only late at night.
Even worse, the theatre is in an unfriendly part of town so being alone and Deaf in the dark parking lot spooks me.
So with all the hoopla about 3D don't expect me to support it until I can enjoy a so-called regular movie with everyone else.
We're always told that captioning is expensive and distracting to hearing people but that isn't necessarily the case.
Hence, I don't purchase DVDs unless they are second-hand, don't go to the theatres because they can't cater to my needs, and I'll NEVER support some new whizbang tecnhnology for movies until something as simple as captioning is instituted first.
Okay, "haha" about the Deaf jokes. As a female (gasp!) Deaf computer user (abuser?) what I need is a captioning feed for videos. Popular news sites routinely feature video news clips but they are meaninless to me without knowing what is being said. How about some captioning? Too expensive? It sure seems so because I sure as hell never see it. As for Braille, not all blind people know Braille and legally blind people usually have *some* sight and prefer to utilize their sight as best they can along with screen readers.