Ottawa Canada Dear Olusegun and List:
$180 per hour to have scripts written and it would take 200 hours to write them? Wow! I should become a script writer for screen readers! And 200 hours is roughly five full weeks of writing scripts. Brian Brian K. Lingard E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +1 (613) 247-0665 Mobile: +1 (613) 725-6602 New York, NY Tel: +1 (646) 797-2862 FAX: +1 (613) 247-9998 Skype: ve3yiab2ji15 This message composed using J-Say and Dragon Naturally Speaking. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Olusegun -- Victory Associates LTD, Inc. Sent: Saturday, August 01, 2009 8:42 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Braillenote] Expressing Opinions 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 ___ Replies to this message will go directly to the sender. If your reply would be useful to the list, please send a copy to the list as well. To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to [email protected] To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote ___ Replies to this message will go directly to the sender. If your reply would be useful to the list, please send a copy to the list as well. To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to [email protected] To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
