I agree that employment should, in the best of all worlds, take precedence
over consideration of recreational activities served by such an invention.
However, it may be that money can be obtained for this project which would
not have gone to employmentt.  I also think some attention might be given
to the health benefits of increased athletic activities for a group where
such activities are often difficult to access.  We cannot physically do
certain things with ease.  This invention would let some of us who choose
to do so do something with more ease than before.  Surely this is a
laudible goal.  I do not notice any organizations saying braille should not
be used because we should all learn to read print with scanners.  (I hope
noone is making such a claim.)  Also, the psychological benefits of
exercise, along with its physical benefits are well known.  If someone is
experiencing stress either physically or emotionally from the intensity of
the job search or the intensity of keeping a job what better way to relieve
it than by doing a sport which gets your heart rate going and generally is
good for the attitude.  Overweight must be a problem for blind as well as
sighted people.  Surely being physically fit can only be an advantage.
Also, exercise has social benefits.  You meet people.  You get away from
personal problems for the amount of time you are exercising.  The more
people you meet and the more the public in general sees blind people doing
creative things the more likely it is that some kind of employment may
result.  I know this last sentence may seem optimistic to some.  So be it.
I maintain that if the choice is between being physically fit and not
physically fit the answer is self-evident.  You simply feel better when you
are more fit and can withstand the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
better.

At 07:28 PM 8/11/99 , you wrote:
>Well, this stance of the NFB is normal.  They say that they want to adapt
>normally as much as posible.  Yet, they were
>pushing an audible train warning system in Washing D.C.'s Metro system.  I
>suspect they had something personal to gain
>from that one.  Also, they have something very nonstandard at their national
>conventions.  That is the "callers", the
>people who call "bathrooms", or "stairs", or "exhibit hall", etc.  When an
>organization does not show a consistent stand,
>where is that organization's credibility?  It's too bad, they have a more
>militant, ratical approach than the ACB.  The
>perfect organization would be one with the open mindedness of the ACB, but
>the raticalness of the NFB.
>
>As a blind athlete, I personally am 100% behind the guidence devices.
>
>Take care,
>
>David Chittenden
>On Sun, 8 Aug 1999 21:19:07 -0500, Kelly Pierce wrote:
>
>.Baton Rouge, Louisiana is the battleground for the latest controversy
>.among the blind.  Blind advocates are up in arms over a YMCA's decision
>.to install an audible system that will signal to a blind swimmer when she
>.is reaching the end of the pool.  Oral Miller of the United States
>.Association of the blind is a leader of the American council of the Blind.
>.The article below is from the Baton Rouge newspaper, the Advocate.
>.
>.kelly=20
>.
>.>Inventor hopes technology will help blind swim, run=20
>.>
>.>By LAURIE SMITH ANDERSON=20
>.>Advocate staff writer=20
>.>
>.>Advocate staff photo by Mandy Lunn
>.>Ginger Ford, at Catholic High School's track, is developing a system that=
>.=20
>.>will allow blind people to run track and swim laps by themselves. =20
>.>=20
>.>Ginger Ford was swimming laps at the YMCA in June 1997 when she noticed a=
>.=20
>.>mother and her blind son sitting on a bench nearby.
>.>
>.>"I asked her if they were waiting for a lane and she said, 'No. He doesn't=
>.=20
>.>swim.' He was about 10 years old and I couldn't believe it.
>.>
>.>"I closed my eyes and thought about what it would be like, as a blind
>.person,=20
>.>to swim and what obstacles there were. I'm an inventor and an entrepreneur=
>.=20
>.>and I thought about an orientation device -- a receiver/transmitter system=
>.=20
>.>that would let the swimmer know his or her relative position in the lane, =
>.as=20
>.>well as distance from the edge."
>.>
>.>Ford, who is also a registered nurse, researched through the Internet and=
>.=20
>.>found that existing technology is currently being used in submarines and=
>.=20
>.>robots and that it would be possible to apply that technology to her idea.=
>.=20
>.>So, she stepped up her efforts.
>.>
>.>"I wanted parents of blind children to be able to drop their kids off at t=
>.he=20
>.>front door of the Y and, from there, they could be guided in by talking=20
>.>signs, dress out in the locker room, and follow a textured mat -- like=20
>.>Braille to the feet -- out to the pool. Using a retractable padded ladder
>.and=20
>.>padded ropes, they would then put on the device that would allow them to
>.swim=20
>.>laps by themselves. Of course, there would be a lifeguard on duty.
>.>
>.>"What a wonderful thing that would be. What a boost to that kid's self=20
>.>confidence and sense of independence -- things I just take for granted
>.when I=20
>.>drop my kids at the Y," Ford said.
>.>
>.>Currently, visually impaired walkers, runners and swimmers are dependent o=
>.n=20
>.>sighted persons to act as their guides. Blind runners generally run tether=
>.ed=20
>.>to a sighted person to cue them to direction; swimmers depend on sighted=
>.=20
>.>persons to cue them by touching them with a long stick when they approach
>.the=20
>.>end of a lap lane.
>.>
>.>Dependence on sighted individuals to participate in athletics limits acces=
>.s=20
>.>and frequency and, by definition, prohibits independent activity, she said=
>.=2E
>.>
>.>Ford has received lots of encouragement along the way in speaking with loc=
>.al=20
>.>blind children and their parents. "They are so excited," she said.
>.>
>.>The A.C. Lewis YMCA has agreed to be the "Beta site" for installation of t=
>.he=20
>.>first system, which is now in development and will hopefully be ready=20
>.>sometime this summer, she said.
>.>
>.>Ford is calling her invention the Pool and Track Eye Systems and has
>.formed a=20
>.>non-profit corporation called Independent Athletics International Inc. to=
>.=20
>.>develop and market the device.
>.>
>.>The other application of the technology will be for blind athletes to run=
>.=20
>.>track, she said.
>.>
>.>Specifically, the system uses an infra-red technology to orient individual=
>.s=20
>.>on a track or pool lane. Audio or tactile cues are delivered to athletes t=
>.o=20
>.>let them know where they are; the system can be used by blind/deaf athlete=
>.s=20
>.>as well.
>.>
>.>"Having served the YMCA for 25 years, I have had many occasions to recogni=
>.ze=20
>.>our shortcomings when serving populations with disabilities," director
>.Thomas=20
>.>B. Parker wrote in a letter supporting Ford's invention and reiterating th=
>.e=20
>.>Y's desire to be a Beta site.
>.>
>.>"Although we have been aggressive in complying with the American
>.Disabilities=20
>.>Act and, in many cases, leading the way by providing unique services for t=
>.he=20
>.>disabled, we can do more=C9 Our membership is very diverse and it includes=
>.=20
>.>significant numbers of persons who will benefit from this technology."
>.>
>.>Though she doesn't have a cost estimate on the system yet, Ford is hopeful=
>.=20
>.>that it will be reasonable enough that virtually all pools open to the
>.public=20
>.>will be able to install them. The YMCA site will be funded through grant=
>.=20
>.>moneys.
>.>
>.>She is optimistic that the technology will make pools and tracks accessibl=
>.e=20
>.>to the blind -- for both recreational use and athletic competition -- and=
>.=20
>.>will allow the visually impaired to work out and compete side-by-side with=
>.=20
>.>sighted individuals. She also sees possible applications of the technology
>.in=20
>.>other sports as well, specifically rock climbing and Alpine skiing.
>.>
>.>Though she hasn't quit her day job yet, Ford would like to cut back and=20
>.>devote most, if not all, of her time to inventing.
>.>
>.>"I've got a whole box full of devices at home, as well as other ideas. But=
>. I=20
>.>wanted to pursue this first because I was so excited about the potential=
>.=20
>.>impact it could have on these kids' lives."=20
>.>
>.>Second article
>.>Inventor of blind guidance system meets resistance=20
>.>
>.>By KEVIN BLANCHARD=20
>.>Advocate staff writer=20
>.>
>.>=20
>.>Tyler Choate is an athlete.=20
>.>The 11-year-old fifth-grader has been running competitively since he was 5=
>.=20
>.>years old and wins often.=20
>.>
>.>Tyler is also blind.=20
>.>
>.>Like many blind athletes, he runs races with some type of help, either=20
>.>tethered by a rope to a sighted guide, or holding a piece of pipe that
>.guides=20
>.>him down a rope strung along the side of the track.=20
>.>
>.>Tyler would like more independence, which is where Baton Rouge inventor=20
>.>Ginger Ford and her nonprofit Independence Athletics International come in=
>.=2E=20
>.>
>.>Ford has an idea -- a guidance system, based on infrared, which would give=
>.=20
>.>blind athletes sensory cues as to their position on a track, in a swimming=
>.=20
>.>pool and maybe someday even a ski slope.=20
>.>
>.>But even before the first prototype has been built, Ford, like many=20
>.>inventors, is meeting resistance from a seemingly unlikely source, the=20
>.>National Federation of the Blind of Louisiana.=20
>.>
>.>But Tyler does not seem to worry about the politics which might threaten=
>.=20
>.>Ford's idea. "It sounds pretty neat," he said. "I can't wait to try it out=
>.=20
>.>and stuff."=20
>.>
>.>Blind athletes are by no means helpless, yearning for a way to compete in=
>.=20
>.>sports, said Oral Miller, the president of the United States Association o=
>.f=20
>.>the Blind, the organization which regulates blind sporting events.=20
>.>
>.>Some sports, like wrestling, allow blind athletes to compete directly with=
>.=20
>.>sighted, he said.=20
>.>
>.>But Ford's guidance system could have merit, possibly allowing more=20
>.>independence and trimming times in track and swimming events, Miller said.=
>.=20
>.>
>.>Currently, blind swimmers know they are reaching the end of the lap by=20
>.>counting strokes or being "tapped" with a long pole by a sighted person=20
>.>outside the pool.=20
>.>
>.>If Ford's invention allows the swimmer to make his or her own decision abo=
>.ut=20
>.>turning, it might help, Miller said.=20
>.>
>.>"When you're dealing with tenths of hundreds of seconds, every second=20
>.>counts," he said.=20
>.>
>.>And with sprinting, a self-contained guidance system would free a runner
>.from=20
>.>having to be tethered to a sighted guide and be limited by that guide's=20
>.>capabilities, Miller said.=20
>.>
>.>The USABA will be happy to try out Ford's guidance device, once a prototyp=
>.e=20
>.>is available, Miller said.=20
>.>
>.>But Joanne Wilson, president of the Louisiana Chapter of the National=20
>.>Federation of the Blind, said her group is not withholding judgment until=
>.=20
>.>Ford's device is ready.=20
>.>
>.>The NFB of Louisiana rejected Ford's program in a resolution approved duri=
>.ng=20
>.>its April convention, Wilson said.=20
>.>
>.>She said blind athletes already compete and spending money on a new device=
>.=20
>.>would be "overkill."=20
>.>
>.>The blind, who have a 78 percent unemployment rate, really need job traini=
>.ng=20
>.>and transportation, she said.=20
>.>
>.>"There's other real needs," Wilson said. "We just hate to see wasted
>.effort."=20
>.>
>.>Ford acknowledged that all blind people might not have a use for her=20
>.>invention, but feels it should be available to those who might want it.=20
>.>
>.>"They decide on as many options as they want which they feel give them=20
>.>independence and dignity," Ford said.=20
>.>
>.>Ford has tinkered with inventions before, but this guidance system is the=
>.=20
>.>first she got a patent for, she said.=20
>.>
>.>She plans to have a prototype model ready by the end of the summer. The=20
>.>device will consist of two parts, a signal sender and receiver.=20
>.>
>.>The transmitters will be placed strategically along the pool or track, and=
>.=20
>.>constantly send signals denoting the center position of the lane.=20
>.>
>.>The receivers, worn on the left and right side of the athlete's body, will=
>.=20
>.>send either audio or tactile cues saying where the athlete is in relation =
>.to=20
>.>the centerline.=20
>.>
>.>Ford has started up a nonprofit corporation to begin the work of developin=
>.g=20
>.>and researching the prototype, which will take several thousand dollars,=
>.=20
>.>raised from grants and fund-raisers, she said.=20
>.>
>.>"Start-up organizations require a lot of work," Ford said.=20
>.>
>.>The group is also planning a golf tournament to raise money.=20
>.>
>.>There will be a national track meet in October which should be a wonderful=
>.=20
>.>opportunity to show off a finished guidance system.=20
>.>
>.>The IAI has secured a veteran grant writer to help funding, she said.=20
>.>
>.>Until the IAI's paperwork for tax-exempt status goes through, donations ca=
>.n=20
>.>be sent through the A.C. Lewis YMCA, Ford said.=20
>.>
>.>But IAI is trying to accomplish more than just develop new technology for
>.the=20
>.>blind, Ford said.=20
>.>
>.>The larger idea, she said, is to give blind athletes as many options as=20
>.>possible.=20
>.>
>.>IAI also hopes to start recreational programs to teach the visually impair=
>.ed=20
>.>to swim or run independently, help provide transportation to and from spor=
>.ts=20
>.>facilities and events, and make those places more accessible to the blind,=
>.=20
>.>Ford said.=20
>.>
>.>"It's about using an athletic setting to bring as many options and=20
>.>opportunities for a person who is visually impaired to choose from," Ford=
>.=20
>.>said.=20
>.>
>.>Five blind athletes, including Tyler, are acting as consultants to IAI in
>.the=20
>.>development of the device, and other programs.=20
>.>
>.>The A.C. Lewis YMCA branch has promised to become the first site to handle=
>.=20
>.>IAI's developments, with available "Talking Signs," to guide blind people =
>.to=20
>.>different areas of the building.=20
>.>
>.>Though acknowledging the IAI is trying to do more than invent a new
>."gadget,"=20
>.>Wilson said the NFB rejects facilities being adapted to the blind.=20
>.>
>.>"Our philosophy of blindness is we need to get the skills and training we=
>.=20
>.>need to adapt to the world," Wilson said. "Not to get the world to adapt t=
>.o=20
>.>us."=20
>.>
>.>But Charlie Crawford, executive director of the American Council of the=20
>.>Blind, said his group encourages the development of new technologies for t=
>.he=20
>.>blind and is interested in Ford's work.=20
>.>
>.>"We'll welcome the chance to evaluate it," he said.=20
>.>
>.>He said the NFB often rejects new technologies out of hand, because the
>.group=20
>.>has a different agenda than his, often pursuing a more spartan lifestyle.=
>.=20
>.>
>.>"Sometimes they get a little dogmatic about it," Crawford said.=20
>.>
>.>Ford said she has consulted with several organizations, including the=20
>.>American Council of the Blind, and the USABA and will continue to do so.=
>.=20
>.>
>.>She said she could not understand why the NFB would reject an idea before =
>.it=20
>.>was invented
>.
>.
>.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
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>. VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
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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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[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
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