Fun Fact: Computers Applied to Disability

A co-worker pointed this article out to me about Ed Gallagher.  In summary, he is blind and is using Skype to allow a person to remotely guide him.  I was impressed — it is a great use for the technology.

I didn’t see it in the article, but my co-worker was talking about homebound people acting as the guide.  It sounded like they were solving two weakness by getting the two together.  The blind people can’t see, and the homebound people can’t get out.  With the homebound people guiding the blind people, they can virtually do both.

Now, you can have a little fun with this, no offense meant to the people involved.  There must be a lot of trust involved on the blind person’s part.  Just don’t make the guide mad — you may get guided in front of a bus.  The article talks about sky diving.  I can imagine the Internet going out or the computer locking up at just the point when the person was to pull the cord to open the parachute!

Article: Blind adventurer uses Skype as his “eyes” in new documentary