[optacon-l] Re: John Linvill's obituary
- From: "Nick Dotson" <nickdotson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:40:22 -0600
The first night I was allowed to borrow an Optacon over night in 1972 I
worked with the practice materials a tracking guide and display (display for
parents and brothers and sisters dragooned into helping when needed) and
with random materials I read for over 30 hours without breaks for bathroom
and eating... I remember the first time I borrowed an Optacon from the
Student Learning Lab I helped to get going at FSU; I took it the the
Strozier Library and wept when I started exploring the shelves and realized
there was more print in that building than I could ever read in several
lifetimes even though I wanted to learn and absorb it all. To some degree,
my ability to read random memos in Don Wedewer's briefcase (head of FL DBS
who lost his legs in the Battle of the Bulge and sight when the Field
hospital he was in was bombed) as he was bitter and skeptical about
technology as he and his cohorts were promised portable radar sets they
could carry on their backs to help with mobility. Reading books in airport
lounges between flights, I cadged many a free drink demonstrating what could
be done with the Optacon. There are many more mundane useful recollections,
but these are the ones which make me to myself...
Nick
-----Original Message-----
From: Ollie
Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 1:12 PM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: John Linvill's obituary
I don't even remember when it Was I first heard about the Optacon,
but it must have been in the early '70's.
An American pilot, who worked for the same company I was working for
at the time, told me he had heard about a "miraculous machine" which
allowed blind people to read normal print.
He even tried to get me one, with the help of some friends of his in
the States, but he couldn't. I had to wait till March 29th, 1977 to
finally own an Optacon... It saved my life in more than one sense.
The day after Elvi, my first guide dog that had been with me for over
10 years, had to be put to sleep. The thrill of being able to read
print helped me not to fall into depression...
Elvi had represented my independence in terms of mobility (I was 15
when she was given to me by the school here in Milan), and the
Optacon represented my independence in terms of reading for pleasure
and for work. It allowed me to be taken on by IBM as a ranslator,
which was unheard of in Italy in those days...
What great memories!
Ciao,
Ollie
At 19:49 11/03/2011, you wrote:
>Thank you. You articulated my experiences better than I could've. Glad to
>meet another hopeful visionary. I thank Robert A. Heinlein for sparking my
>fire when I was in 4th grade and started listening to the few SF talking
>books that started me off on the idea that science could use natural
>analogies like the retina of the eye and the retina of the Optacon camera.
>(grin)
>
>Nick
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Ollie
>Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 12:41 PM
>To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [optacon-l] Re: John Linvill's obituary
>
>Hello Jim,
>Thanks for letting us know.
>All my gratitude goes to John and yourself, and all those who worked
>hard so that the Optacon could become a reality.
>I was born blind, but never missed my sight, except for the fact that
>I couldn't read what I wanted when I wanted.
>I collected loads of books and, to those who asked what I was going
>to do with all those books I couldn't read, I replied that I was
>waiting for the day when someone would invent something to allow me to
>read...
>Nobody believed me, but I was sure it would come.
>And it did come...
>So, thanks to all who made this possible.
>Ciao,
>Ollie - a happy Optacon user
>
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to view the list archives, go to:
www.freelists.org/archives/optacon-l
To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to:
optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the
quotes) in the message subject.
Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message
to:
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quotes) in the message subject.
to view the list archives, go to:
www.freelists.org/archives/optacon-l
To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to:
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quotes) in the message subject.
Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message to:
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