We take a lot for granted, a truth I was reminded of not too long ago when I was requested to provide transportation for a disabled EE. I was warned that Don was totally blind, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I pulled up in front of his home at the appointed hour. My expectation was that I would accompany him from his door to my car, perhaps holding his hand and leading the way.
Much to my astonishment, Don opened the house door when he heard my car idling at the curb. He then waved at me, stepped out into the sunshine, and briskly walked towards my vehicle, traversing a graceful arc across his front lawn as he approached. When he reached the car, he shifted slightly to one side, felt for the car's door handle, and almost instantly located it. He opened the door, sat down in the passenger seat, and flipped the door closed behind him. I hardly had time to greet him, much less catch my breath as we drove off.
As we drove off, Don mentioned it was no problem for him to navigate the distance from his door to my car using nothing more than acute stereoscopic hearing and a bit of intuition. I subsequently learned that Don writes C code using a voice synthesizer connected to his PC, and he's an accomplished pianist, guitarist, and saxophone player. Don claimed he could also de-code DTMF (dual tone multi-frequency) Touch Tones in his head.
I mentioned a $20,000 super dooper hearing aid I had recently read about. Made in the UK, the
Oticon Epoq uses a pair of Bluetooth earpieces. The wireless system supposedly creates accurate three-dimensional auditory images inside a user's head. In addition, it includes a stereo phone jack that accepts audio from a cellphone or an MP3 player. I suggested its usefulness for deaf persons. “Well, for that kind of money,” said Don, “it ought to play Beethoven's Fifth symphony and simultaneously brush your teeth for you.”
Our mobile bull session turned to the serious topic of technology for disabled people, and Don told me of an uplifting development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Elizabeth Goldring, a senior fellow at MIT's Center for Advanced Visual Studies, recently demo'd a "
seeing machine" that lets a visually impaired person view Internet screens or even see a person's face.
Don said Goldring's inspiration for the seeing machine began after a visit to her optometrist. The good doctor used an SLO (scanning laser ophthalmoscope) to project a test image directly onto the retina of one of her eyes, thereby bypassing hemorrhages that rendered her blind. Lo and behold (literally), she was able to “see” the test image focused on her retina. When video of her doctor's face was funneled into the SLO, Goldring was able to see him, too.
Don mentioned that $100,000 worth of SLO equipment was needed to accomplish that feat, but MIT researchers are now working on a portable seeing machine that could cost less than $500. If successful, the MIT device will connect to a source such as a digital camera or PC. Instead of an expensive laser and laser delivery system, the MIT device will use high-intensity LEDs and off-the-shelf LCDs.
Sighted people take ordinary vision for granted. Imagine that glorious time when a blind person like Don will take a $500 seeing machine for granted, too! Add your comments to our blog or e-mail me at
amm at EN-Genius dot net.
