Jeff Longtin on sun 11 aug 02
Hey L!
Sixdot Braille mugs are mugs that have Braille and raised letters on their
sides. The Braille serves blind people and the raised letters serve
sighted/visually impaired people.
I introduced Sixdot products with ceramic mugs with inspiring phrases like
FOLLOW YOU DREAMS, NEVER GIVE UP, YOU CAN DO IT.
Two comments:
From experience- some blind people do respond to color so please don't
presume color is not important to this girl. Or rather, don't presume she
doesn't "see" color, but also don't presume you need to tell her the color of
everything.
(Blind people do have 5 senses, clear vision is just not one of them.)
Please don't put on a blindfold thinking this will in some way give you a
"feel" for being blind. Blindness does not mean blind people see darkness
exclusively. Some blind people see very well they just don't have the
ability to see clearly, i.e. their vision is permanently blurred, (thus they
can't drive). Some blind people, the blind-since-birth folks, haven't seen
since day one so the idea that closing your eyelids will somehow compare is
not realistic. (If you've not seen since day one "darkness" has no context.)
Curious note: A few years back I did a mold and several fundraising pieces
for a sleep disorder clinic here in minneapolis. My contact told me that
sleep deprivation is now thought to be a leading cause of fatal car
accidents. Most sighted people get sleepy after 24 hours without sleep.
Researchers have noted that blind-since-birth folks can often go 2 and 3 days
without sleep withourt noticeable losses in cognitive skills. It seems these
folks don't have the usual "internal clocks" (based upon the day/night
cycles) that tell them they're getting tired and need sleep. Researchers are
studying these folks to find out why.
We all have something to teach each other!
Jeff Longtin
Sixdot Braille Products
2205 California ST NE #311
Minneapolis, MN 55407
p.s. If anyone out there wants to send me some money, to make Braille pots/
to make the world a better place, please feel free to do so. This debt is
starting to wear me down.
later...
| |
|
