Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Many Subjects for Blogger

Many Subjects for Blogger

First, Blogger has stopped working altogether with my version of Internet Explorer!  Thanks one Hell of a lot!  Facts:  1.  most people with disabilities are poor,  2. services are being cut for us, including those who work or are starting businesses every day, 3.  NO accessible technology, not speech for those with learning disabilities who cannot process visual info., or blind people, or deaf-blind people with enough hearing to use it; not Braille for those who use it:  not most programs to enlarge print Very large, (often supplemented with speech: and not voice command technology where the computer user may not be able to type so  tells the cursor what to do; I repeat, NONE of these works with Internet Explorer Nine, 9!

I don't even get speech feedback on what version of IE I have.  So tomorrow I will ask a friend to help me find this out.  If it is IE 8 which I already have, I'm Screwed from using Blogger!  If I have IE 8, maybe I should start a petition to Microsoft on "Some of us.org" or one of those sites, which ARE accessible,to Get With the ADA (which has only been law for 21 years) and Stop setting us up in conjunction with Other companies like Google.

The deal is:  Microsoft comes out with product NOT accessible to disabled computer users for Years.  Then Google and it's pets like Blogger stop using old technology, software, so they can force you to choose or BUY the newest version.  Only 1.  you can't Afford it.  And 2.  It isn't Accessible Anyway, so Why would you Want it?

I will either have to stop blogging (which helps keep me as sane as I am) or wait until a sighted person comes over to copy and paste my blog into blogger.  That makes me feel Very independent, don't you think?  What a Great stride toward writing what I want, When I have the time!

Wonder if I can still get comments people leave on Blogger for me?  Don't know.

New Subject:  Good News for Blind of Mo.  With a Two vote majority, we got our Medicaid benefits restored!  THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO HELPED, Including some Compassionate People who honor me by reading this blog!  All Right!!

As a cancer survivor I must find out if Hospice, wheelchairs, and other necessities Were cut.  Immoral, Especially cutting hospice!
Will let you know!

New subject:  I find myself developing two writing styles.  One is for deaf-blind and leaves out unnecessary English words.  Sometimes I forget and use it when writing to hearing people.  It just takes common sense to figure out most of the time, but it is definitely different and no English teacher would pass it.  An example given by my ASL instructor is:  instead of saying "I'm playing with my cat."  ASL is:  "me play with cat" or "me play with my cat." 

One of the things I couldn't figure out was why so Many signs started around the face.  Some of them Feel very close together, too.  When I mentioned this to a sighted friend she reminded me that for a sighted deaf person this would be very Helpful, as added to the sign would be the facial expression.  There would be raised eyebrows to ask a question, a look conveying expression, a frown or smile, etc.  I have facial expressions, but not nearly so strongly or as many as a sighted person. 

I used to teach Braille to a man who was losing his sight.  He had worked for years at a school for the deaf and knew ASL.  I never quite got it until today, but he used to tell me Braille was terribly confusing.    Each letter in contracted Braille, in which all books are written, stands for an entire word.  Mostly the words begin with the letter representing them.  First five letters of alphabet:  a but can do every.  This what a single a-e stands for in Braille.  The letter X stands for "it" because I is just i.  So when this man learned X stands for "it" he would sometimes get mixed up and use X in ASL which doesn't stand for anything I know of at the moment except the letter X.

Today I had to stop myself from doing Braille ASL.  I will contract the sentence above as it would Be in Braille.  Letters which can be represented by a single sign will be put in quotation marks.    Lrs "wh sign for WHICH c be repress"en"t"ed" "by"a s"ing"le sign w be put "in" quot"ation (is two signs)" m"ar"ks.  Today I found myself wanting to sign TD for "today" because that is what is written in Braille, which is Brl.  Tomorrow is tm.

The reason for this contraction in Braille is that a thing must be much larger to be read by touch than by sight.  You can see smaller things than I can feel.  A Braille Bible takes up between 20 and 25 books and five feet of shelf space.

The signs I'm learning are ASL, but in a much smaller field of space than is normally used.  Remember the piece on deaf-blind bullying?  One problem was that other deaf people with sight would not shrink their signs (language) into a small enough space to be understood by a deaf-blind man.  Most deaf-blind people have Usher's Syndrome, a combination of deafness and an eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa, which gradually shrinks one's field of vision down to nearly nothing or in some cases nothing.

I often feel afraid at awkward moments when I don't know what is happening.  My ASL instructor has limited vision and must experience many more of these moments than I do.  My instructor   cannot hear at all, so far as I can tell.

I think ASL may be strengthening muscles to compensate for serious tendonitis in my right wrist.  Today I able to use one hand all time, not switch off from pain.  See, you understand this writing.

Every lesson something which makes each of us laugh happens.  Today I was signing "door" to tell my instructor someone at door.  She sign "who".  But when I try explain she sign "no no no" mean I have the word wrong.  We confused.  Then I understand she want Me sign "who".  I give sign and answer is "yes".

Deaf-blind people who use both print and Braille  have mastered two written languages, print and Braille.  They have also mastered a visual language and some master verbal language also.  I am Impressed!

I will be Very glad to get my Braille display up and working so I Won't have to type out each letter of a word!  You will still see it in print.  Yeah!

New subject:  My dog is Better!  I took him to a different vet for second opinion yesterday morning.  The vet cleaned out his ears So well his head around them was wet for half a day.  There was still wax, with ear med. On top of it.  He says the tests recommended by another vet will be needed If my dog gets worse, but he's Better instead!  GRATEFUL!  He isn't where he was before I used the med., but second vet said he could improve throughout the week.  I Hope so!

New subject:  Due to encouragement of friends, have decided to go ahead with  small online store, featuring visual art by disabled artist I know, and my dolls, mostly for adults, small kid's corner, some Fair Trade, as much from people with disabilities as possible.  I am on shakier ground, selling mostly to adults, but it seems CPSIA has frightened so many Fair Trade small importers that this is the Only safe way to go.Still waiting on specific answer about selling older fashion dolls to kids, do they meet current phthalate regulations or not?  CPSC hasn't answered.  Does anyone know anything about this?

Labels:  Blogger and unusable technology trap for disabled,many languages confusion and mastery by deaf-blind,  dog is better YEAH, Mo. Medicaid restored for blind, by TWO votes, what about Other Medicaid cuts?  CPSIA and online store will do.


1 comment:

  1. Congratulations on having your Medicaid benefits restored! Glad to read also that your dog is doing better. Just leaving this message for now. Will get back with a fuller answer.

    Sad if you are not able to receive the comments to your blog. I'll check your e-mail tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete