Hi dorreen:
Nice email.
However, I think what I was objecting to was the fact that the Word Search
definition led the reader to believe that blindness led to unemployability.
I do understand that there is a certain portion of blind people who are
unemployed. There is also, however, a majority of us who are gainfully
employed. The definition is therefore flawed and is frifullis at best.
How can a definition of such utter ignorance exist in an information age as
we have today? There are so many resources on the internet which explain
blindness in great detail and even organizations that could be contacted for
greater understanding.
Martin
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2004 11:08 PM
Subject: Wordnet
> --part1_12f.392f57dc.2d322647_boundary
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
> To whom it may concern:
>
> I just learned about Wordnet, oddly enough from someone on a Visually
> Impaired Computer Users discussion list who was Google-ing random phrases
while
> bored. This person Google'd "What is a blind person" and got the following
> definition from Wordnet:
>
> 1. blind person, blind man -- (a person with a visual handicap severe
enough
> to leave them unemployable)
>
> The original correspondent is quite upset that their tax dollars are being
> used to publish definitions such as this. Honestly, after moving around
the
> website for quite awhile, I find this project fascinating, and I will
probably
> download Wordnet 2.0 for testing. But I do have a number of comments.
>
> --There is a difference between publicizing misinformation and reporting
data
> collected from other sources. I have no problem with collecting data and
even
> using it to expand knowledge of lexical networks, the human brain,
learning
> and many related topics.
>
> --I object reflexively to the use of the generic male, "blind person,"
> "bllind man." I do recognize that this may reflect the data collected.
>
> --The assertion contained in this statement will certainly come as news to
> many blind and visually impaired Princeton students and alumni, some of
whom may
> have passed through Prof. Miller's classes or projects before moving on to
a
> variety of kinds of productive employment. Perhaps data collection could
be
> expanded to include information referring to that.
>
> --Perhaps the author of the original objection is to be forgiven for
> misapprehending the purpose of the Wordnet project. Perhaps this person
simply could
> not find the project documentation because the Wordnet website is not
terribly
> accessible for visually impaired users. People's accessibility needs vary,
but
> when I ran a url from the site through "Bobby," a popular website
> accessibility testing site, url shown here,
>
> http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp
>
> I got a lengthy report of problems, the severity of which I cannot
complete
> asses. I doubt this website is the only website connected to a federally
funded
> research project that is inaccessible. I suspect one could have a field
day
> doing an audit to assess the prevalence of this problem, but I find this
> problem far more distressing than the content of one dictionary entry
related to
> this project.
>
> Thank you very much for noting my comments.
>
> Dorene Cornwell
> Princeton, class of '85.
>
> --part1_12f.392f57dc.2d322647_boundary
> Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>
> <HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><HTML><FONT SIZE=3D3 PTSIZE=3D12
FAMILY=
> =3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0">To whom it may concern:<BR>
> <BR>
> I just learned about Wordnet, oddly enough from someone on a Visually
Impair=
> ed Computer Users discussion list who was Google-ing random phrases while
bo=
> red. This person Google'd "What is a blind person" and got the following
def=
> inition from Wordnet:<BR>
> <BR>
> </FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" BACK=3D"#ffffff"
style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR:=20=
> #ffffff" SIZE=3D2 PTSIZE=3D10 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial"
LANG=3D"0"=
> >1. </FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#ff0000" BACK=3D"#ffffff"
style=3D"BACKGROU=
> ND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2 PTSIZE=3D10 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF"
FACE=3D"Arial"=20=
> LANG=3D"0"><B>blind person</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" BACK=3D"#ffffff"
s=
> tyle=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2 PTSIZE=3D10
FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF"=
> FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"></B>, blind man -- (a person with a visual
handic=
> ap severe enough to leave them unemployable)<BR>
> </FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" BACK=3D"#ffffff"
style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR:=20=
> #ffffff" SIZE=3D3 PTSIZE=3D12 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial"
LANG=3D"0"=
> ><BR>
> The original correspondent is quite upset that their tax dollars are being
u=
> sed to publish definitions such as this. Honestly, after moving around the
w=
> ebsite for quite awhile, I find this project fascinating, and I will
probabl=
> y download Wordnet 2.0 for testing. But I do have a number of
comments.<BR>
> <BR>
> --There is a difference between publicizing misinformation and reporting
dat=
> a collected from other sources. I have no problem with collecting data and
e=
> ven using it to expand knowledge of lexical networks, the human brain,
learn=
> ing and many related topics.<BR>
> </FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" BACK=3D"#ffffff"
style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR:=20=
> #ffffff" SIZE=3D2 PTSIZE=3D10 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial"
LANG=3D"0"=
> ><BR>
> </FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" BACK=3D"#ffffff"
style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR:=20=
> #ffffff" SIZE=3D3 PTSIZE=3D12 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial"
LANG=3D"0"=
> >--I object reflexively to the use of the generic male, "blind person,"
"bll=
> ind man." I do recognize that this may reflect the data collected.<BR>
> <BR>
> --The assertion contained in this statement will certainly come as news to
m=
> any blind and visually impaired Princeton students and alumni, some of
whom=20=
> may have passed through Prof. Miller's classes or projects before moving
on=20=
> to a variety of kinds of productive employment. Perhaps data collection
coul=
> d be expanded to include information referring to that.<BR>
> <BR>
> --Perhaps the author of the original objection is to be forgiven for
misappr=
> ehending the purpose of the Wordnet project. Perhaps this person simply
coul=
> d not find the project documentation because the Wordnet website is not
terr=
> ibly accessible for visually impaired users. People's accessibility needs
va=
> ry, but when I ran a url from the site through "Bobby," a popular website
ac=
> cessibility testing site, url shown here,<BR>
> <BR>
> <A
HREF=3D"http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp">http://bobby.=
> watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp</A><BR>
> <BR>
> I got a lengthy report of problems, the severity of which I cannot
complete=20=
> asses. I doubt this website is the only website connected to a federally
fun=
> ded research project that is inaccessible. I suspect one could have a
field=20=
> day doing an audit to assess the prevalence of this problem, but I find
this=
> problem far more distressing than the content of one dictionary entry
relat=
> ed to this project.<BR>
> <BR>
> Thank you very much for noting my comments.<BR>
> <BR>
> Dorene Cornwell<BR>
> Princeton, class of '85.</FONT></HTML>
>
> --part1_12f.392f57dc.2d322647_boundary--
>
>
> VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
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>
VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
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