Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Bacon Bits: Growing Up Fisher - How the Media sees the Blind!
By Everette Bacon
There has been quite a buzz in the blind community about a new sitcom that recently aired on NBC called Growing up Fisher.
This show is about a blind lawyer named Mel Fisher and his family and the challenges the family faces when parents separate. The show is loosely based from the life of the show’s creator, D.J. Nash.
After viewing the first 9 episodes, I have come to my own conclusion that the media still has a long way to go in properly portraying blindness to the public.
Breaking down the pilot episode, I was truly excited after viewing the first scene. Yes, I said the word “viewing” even though I am functionally blind and only have light perception.
I “watch” television and movies audibly using technology called Descriptive Audio. This means during the scenes where actors do not have dialogue, a narrator comes on and describes the scene to me. They might describe what the characters look like or how they are dressed.
The narrator also might point out some key objects that are sure to affect the characters and the entire scene. During this first scene, Mel and his son Henry are walking in the backyard. Mel is clearly holding on to Henry as the boy guides his blind father to a large tree. Mel is holding a chainsaw in his other hand.
Mel says to his son, “Tell me how high the tree is and which direction the back of the house is."
His son says with trepidation, “Really tall and behind your left shoulder.” Mel tells his son that this is now a danger zone and that the boy should run into the house. The boy protests, but Mel fires up the chainsaw and the boy runs into the house. The next scene shows Mel making a precise diagonal cut of the tree and as he yells, “Timber!” The camera shows his wife smiling with adoration at her husband’s independence.
Now, if the show could have ended right at this point, I would have jumped for joy and proudly state that blind people really have come a long way in the eyes of the media! But as the rest of the show progresses, we learn that Mel is some kind of super human, who has been able to hide the fact that he is blind for most of his life except to his family and very close friends.
The show states that he was able to make it through law school without anyone learning of his blindness, and that he and his brother, who is also an attorney, are able to hide Mel’s disability from their firm’s clients. Mel is also able to get around without a cane and that a guide dog is the answer to any of his travelling problems.
I could go on and on about the perpetual stereotypes of blindness the sitcom demonstrates, but I will spare you with any more details. My reasoning for this is because thankfully, the show has been cancelled due to poor ratings.
I think that last statement says it all. Maybe one day the media will see blind people for who they really are: just ordinary people with a characteristic of blindness and nothing more. Maybe….
Bacon Bits is a recurring post by Everette Bacon, president of the Utah National Federation of the Blind, supervisor of technology and employment at the Utah Division of Services for the Blind, and friend of UATP. You can follow Everette on Twitter @baconev.
There has been quite a buzz in the blind community about a new sitcom that recently aired on NBC called Growing up Fisher.
After viewing the first 9 episodes, I have come to my own conclusion that the media still has a long way to go in properly portraying blindness to the public.
Breaking down the pilot episode, I was truly excited after viewing the first scene. Yes, I said the word “viewing” even though I am functionally blind and only have light perception.
I “watch” television and movies audibly using technology called Descriptive Audio. This means during the scenes where actors do not have dialogue, a narrator comes on and describes the scene to me. They might describe what the characters look like or how they are dressed.
The narrator also might point out some key objects that are sure to affect the characters and the entire scene. During this first scene, Mel and his son Henry are walking in the backyard. Mel is clearly holding on to Henry as the boy guides his blind father to a large tree. Mel is holding a chainsaw in his other hand.
Mel says to his son, “Tell me how high the tree is and which direction the back of the house is."
His son says with trepidation, “Really tall and behind your left shoulder.” Mel tells his son that this is now a danger zone and that the boy should run into the house. The boy protests, but Mel fires up the chainsaw and the boy runs into the house. The next scene shows Mel making a precise diagonal cut of the tree and as he yells, “Timber!” The camera shows his wife smiling with adoration at her husband’s independence.
Now, if the show could have ended right at this point, I would have jumped for joy and proudly state that blind people really have come a long way in the eyes of the media! But as the rest of the show progresses, we learn that Mel is some kind of super human, who has been able to hide the fact that he is blind for most of his life except to his family and very close friends.
The show states that he was able to make it through law school without anyone learning of his blindness, and that he and his brother, who is also an attorney, are able to hide Mel’s disability from their firm’s clients. Mel is also able to get around without a cane and that a guide dog is the answer to any of his travelling problems.
I could go on and on about the perpetual stereotypes of blindness the sitcom demonstrates, but I will spare you with any more details. My reasoning for this is because thankfully, the show has been cancelled due to poor ratings.
I think that last statement says it all. Maybe one day the media will see blind people for who they really are: just ordinary people with a characteristic of blindness and nothing more. Maybe….
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Your junk can be a treasure for the Options fundraiser garage sale
Moving? Spring Cleaning? Downsizing?
You can donate any clothes, furniture, etc. in good condition to Options for Independence of Cache Valley to support the annual fundraiser garage sale.
Options is a non-profit serving people with disabilities. Funds raised during the June 21st sale will be used to support the Youth program.
Donate items by June 18th, Monday through Thursday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Drop-off items at 106 E. 1120 N. Logan.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Microsoft OS Accessibility Tip
By Clay Christensen
AT Lab Coordinator
If you use the Microsoft Operating System on your computer, you will be excited to learn about the Ease of Access Center.
This is little treat that is part of Microsoft that many do
not know about, but offers great accessibility options for those with low-vision or blindness.
To access the center, go to 'programs' and in the file search, type 'ease'. It will give you the option of opening the Ease of Access Center and there you will find a magnifier, on-screen keyboard, screen narrator, and contrast
settings.
If you scroll down you will find more
options such as setting up other alternative devices and adjustments that can
be made to the mouse for those with physical disabilities.
The best part about Ease of Access is all that it offers so easily - it is built in to the system.
I have many elderly people ask me about a
magnification device for their PC, and little did they know that in a few clicks
they could enlarge and modify their screen. The feedback I have received from users has been very positive.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Bacon Bits: Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Today is a significant day in the lives of many people with disabilities around the world.
May 15 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day!
When I think about accessibility and what it means to me personally as a blind American, I have to say without a shadow of a doubt that if you are newly blind or if you know that blindness will be a significant part of your future.
This one statement can be built on - it is better to be blind in 2014 than in any other time in the world’s history! Let me give you a few reasons why.
First, access to information through technology has advanced by leaps and bounds within the past 20 years. No longer do blind people have to wait for the mailman to deliver them their braille book or audio cassette. I now can get access to books digitally and be reading pretty much whatever I want within seconds of searching for it.
Secondly, because of access, blind people are breaking down the barriers that have kept many of them from entering the S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, math) fields. There are more blind scientists, mathematicians, educators, and technology professionals than ever before in the history of blind people. When I was a child back in the 1970’s and 80’s, I was not allowed to participate in the science labs. I know this is not the case anymore.
Thirdly, blind people are changing the social stigma that they are helpless. More and more blind people, whether they use a white cane or a dog guide, are getting out of their homes and venturing out in the public eye using all forms of transportation. The time is closer now than ever, that blind people will have access to a car that can be driven using non-visual techniques. Whether the automobile is self-driven by a computer such as the Google car or blind people have partial control of some of the features of the vehicle as demonstrated in the National Federation of the Blind’s 'Blind Driver Challenge', blind people will be behind the wheel of a car someday soon.
All this being said, Global Accessibility Day is a day to celebrate the accomplishments of what we have gained access to and to reflect on where we need to go in the future. Happy Global Accessibility Day to all my disabled family! Let’s keep moving forward and changing what it means to be blind!
Bacon Bits is a recurring post by Everette Bacon, president of the Utah National Federation of the Blind, supervisor of technology and employment at the Utah Division of Services for the Blind, and friend of UATP. You can follow Everette on Twitter @baconev.
May 15 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day!
When I think about accessibility and what it means to me personally as a blind American, I have to say without a shadow of a doubt that if you are newly blind or if you know that blindness will be a significant part of your future. This one statement can be built on - it is better to be blind in 2014 than in any other time in the world’s history! Let me give you a few reasons why.
First, access to information through technology has advanced by leaps and bounds within the past 20 years. No longer do blind people have to wait for the mailman to deliver them their braille book or audio cassette. I now can get access to books digitally and be reading pretty much whatever I want within seconds of searching for it.
Secondly, because of access, blind people are breaking down the barriers that have kept many of them from entering the S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, math) fields. There are more blind scientists, mathematicians, educators, and technology professionals than ever before in the history of blind people. When I was a child back in the 1970’s and 80’s, I was not allowed to participate in the science labs. I know this is not the case anymore.
Thirdly, blind people are changing the social stigma that they are helpless. More and more blind people, whether they use a white cane or a dog guide, are getting out of their homes and venturing out in the public eye using all forms of transportation. The time is closer now than ever, that blind people will have access to a car that can be driven using non-visual techniques. Whether the automobile is self-driven by a computer such as the Google car or blind people have partial control of some of the features of the vehicle as demonstrated in the National Federation of the Blind’s 'Blind Driver Challenge', blind people will be behind the wheel of a car someday soon.
All this being said, Global Accessibility Day is a day to celebrate the accomplishments of what we have gained access to and to reflect on where we need to go in the future. Happy Global Accessibility Day to all my disabled family! Let’s keep moving forward and changing what it means to be blind!
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