I concur with the comments of Steve Jacobson. Like him, I felt that the
example wherein a cane detected the same obstacle as did the electronic
travel aid was an argument *for* use of a long cane, not one against it.
However, I reiterate Steve's point that, in order to be widely accepted,
an electronic travel aid must be relatively cheap, rugged and must be
able to work in an environment in which other electronic travl aids
operating on similar or different principles are simultaneously in
operation. In addition, I again maintain that few, if any, electronic
travel aid developers have come to the blind asking what sort of aid
would be useful. Here, Steve's example of large, open spaces comes to
mind. To my way of thinking, a good, nonmagnetic, electronic compass
that would keep one on a straight line would be infinitely more useful
than the Sonic guide, Lasercane or other travel aid of such ilk. But no
one is working on such a device (the American Foundation for the Blind
made an electronic compass some twenty-five years ago but do so no longer
and although I recently heard of another one, I do not know if it
fulfills my requirements).
All this is to say that we should keep our minds open and not react in
knee-jerk fashion when statements such as those of Mr. Andrews (or Mr.
Downey or Rainer, for that matter) are made. Each of us is speaking from
his/her own experience and it is only by sharing those experiences that
progress can be made.
-- Mike Freeman | Internet: mikef@pacifier.com GEnie: M.FREEMAN11 | Amateur Radio Callsign: K7UIJ /* PGP2.6.2 PUBLIC KEY available via finger or PGP key server */ ... A man's house is his hassle.
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