[optacon-l] Was: "AW: Re: To All Subscribers Of This List" Now: Motivation contrasted with potential utility of the Optacon or other Adaptive Technologies
- From: "Nick Dotson" <nickdotson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2012 07:54:54 -0600
I remember getting to try the Optacon at my parent's home, and working from
10:00am that morning through after 4:00pm the next day without sleep, and
with as few breaks for food Etc., that I could get away with. The idea of
being able to read smooth brailleless printed pages held such allure. Until
I ventured into the Strozier Library at Florida State University, and
understood the glimmerings of how many print books there were in 1972, I had
hoped to read everything I wanted to read and learn about. I was so
saddened and surprised by the realization that wouldn't be possible, I cried
right then and there not caring who saw me... (grin) That made it easier
to deal with the realization I couldn't read everything with OCR when I got
my Kurzweil Personal Reader in August of 1989.
Sometimes getting a realistic perspective is valuable even though
disconserting...
Nick
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Mallard
Sent: Monday, November 05, 2012 7:37 AM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: AW: Re: To All Subscribers Of This List
Well, guys,
I cantell you why many people didn't even want to try...
Some of the instructors, who were suppose to communicate enthusiasm and
motivate new learners, actually told them (first thing, even before starting
the course) that the Optacon was in fact useless, and that only a tiny
number of "very exceptional people" could do something with it...
So it was a waste of time, not worth putting effort into it, because they
would never be able to use it anyway...
And, as you can imagine, that's not the most exciting way to start a new
adventure... Something that requires time and motivation...
I've noticed a mental laziness rather than a physical one. A lot of people
who repeat endlessly something they've heard say, rather than experimenting
things themselves.
If one of the organisation leaders says NVDA is rubbish, you can be sure all
the mailing lists will report that NVDA is rubbish... And nobody will want
to try it, because "someone" said it's rubbish...
Then they try it, because they have some specific needs, like using a
computer at school and not being allowed to install Jaws, ro even the Video
Intercept, and they call me and ask about NVDA... I help them make a
portable version on a pendrive, and the following week they come back all
enthusiastic, praising NVDA as if they'd invented it themselves!!!
ROFL!!!
I've taken NVDA as an example, because that's what I'm experiencing in these
very days, but it could be Android, or Vinux, or anything else...
I'm saying all this with a mixture of anger and sadness, because these
epople deprive themselves of a lot of personal independence and autonomy,
just by letting themselves be robbed of the desire to experiment new
things... What a pity!
Ciao,
Ollie
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