Computing

A few years ago, I attended a Devops Days conference in Minneapolis. For one of the afternoon unconference sessions, I let some fellow attendees try to use my white cane. We were in a big room and there was a wide space with no furniture. I asked the volunteers to close their eyes and set off across the room doing the cane sweeping technique I had shown them. They all set off confidently but slowed after a few paces as they started to lose their orientation and their confidence with it. I would then start to talk to them and ask them to turn around and come back by following the sound of my voice. After a few volunteers, we all sat down and I asked them to describe how they felt. They all agreed that they quickly started to feel lost and adrift. I then shared with them that unlike sighted people who navigate my missing things, blind people use touch as a tool to orient them selves. To put it bluntly, by hitting things, you know where you are. ...