Hi Everyone:
It appears that amongst the blind, accepting MEDIOCRE SERVICE is the norm.
I recently heard in the news about a musician whose guitar was not only
broken, but lost by United Airlines. He tried to get United Airlines to PAY
HIM for damages, the airline refused. What did he do? He went into the
recording studio and RECORDED A SONG appropriately titled United Broke My
Guitar ... within days, the song was on www.youtube.com . What do you think
happened next? United Airlines contacted the canadian musician and agreed
to DONATE MONEY to a nonprofit cause of its own choosing.
Suppose the gentleman HAD BEEN QUIET? After all, he ought to have been
grateful that United Airlines FLEW HIM to his destination without crashing
like those French and Yemenis airlines have done killing virtually all their
pasengers! He ought to be grateful that he GOT A SEAT on the plane at all,
so why should he complain about a broken guitar? Doesn't an electric guitar
only cost about $400 for a brand new one? Surely, as a successful musician,
the Canadian gentleman can afford it?
Hmm, the gentleman elected to alert the public about United Airline's bad
behaviour and for that, he got their attention.
For us who are blind, paying $6,195 for a piece of equipment that is FAR
BEHIND its time and inferior technologically is OK. No need to even dare
TAKE ITS DEVELOPER to task! We were NOT FORCED to buy the equipment, but it
is easily forgotten that the ADVERTS AND PROMOS on the part of the developer
were what made us choose the product. We are fools for asking direct
questions from the adaptive technology company that keeps letting us LAG
BEHIND as we AMBLE OUR WAY along to keep up with changes that keep stabbing
us in the face and on which our jobs depend.
I await the day when we, as blind folks, will SUMMON THE COURAGE to BRING
ANTITRUST SUITS against these adaptive technology companies to FORCE THEM to
treat us with decency and stop giving us obsolete equipment that keeps us
one step too many behind our peers.
I recently asked an adaptive technology company to give me an estimate for
writing scripts for a POINT OF SALE program that was NOT accessible out of
the box; the cost, $180 per hour! The company stated that about 200 hours
will be required to produce the scripts! Conversely, I asked another
company to do some CUSTOM WORK for me on their POINT OF SALE software
offering which is ALMOST COMPLETELY accessible without any scripts --$500
total cost. Anyone wonders why blind folks remain substantially
underemployed?
If Humanware or indeed any other adaptive technology company WILL NOT HELP
ME to remain on the COMPETITIVE CUTTING EDGE like the rest of my peers in
the work place, it is time for it to fold up! The buck MUST STOP here, and
I MUST NO LONGER lag too far behind! And it DOES NOT matter who pays for my
equipment, I have a right to ask for and get the best piece of equipment
that will keep me on the competitive edge and make me a co-equal in the
workplace.
Sincerely,
Olusegun
Denver, Colorado
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