Grand Corps Malade

If you speak French, check out this slam poet: Grand Corps Malade.

In 1997, Fabian alias Grand Corps Malade, a jock of sorts with a knack for words dove into a pool in saint Denis that injured his back. After a year of rehab, he was able to walk again (although he never regained full funcitonality of his legs). His stage name, Grand Corps Malade is a reference to his height (1.94m) and condition.

Here's a translation of one his songs: Les Voyages en Train.

Wii Video Game for the Blind

MIT is working on a video game for the Nintendo Wii that is designed so that blind people can take part... There are already games for people with disabilities, including about 200 for the visually impaired. What puts this game, AudiOdyssey, apart is that blind people and sighted people can both take part.

I haven't played this, so cannot review it, however here's the link to the full post by Mike Miner from The Fifth Column here.

I am a little skeptical of how well this will work with low vision, but who mainly uses their eyes (not their ears) to interact with multimedia. In any case, it is a step forward.

About this Blog - FAQ

In this blog I aim to:

• Provide readers with reviews of mainstream products' accessibility features.
  
• Discuss the pros and cons of products and how they can be improved.
• Compile a list of sources of interest.
• Encourage open-source developers to implement accessibility options in their products.
• Discuss various accessibility tools that can enhance the cultural experience with low vision.
  

Why are you writing this blog? Aren't there organizations that already do this?

I am visually impaired and have become increasingly frustrated with how difficult it is to find a comprehensive source of information about mainstream products' and services that include accessibility in their review criteria.

Considering that I am in my twenties, do not use Braille and am more comfortable with visual guides rather than audio, most of the info I find tends to be geared towards a different, often older audience (just like most visits to the Ophthalmologists).

I’ve recently discovered the Chapters/Indigo Large Print section. I think it's fantastic, however, choice is rather limited, besides Freakonomics, Dreams from my Father, and The Audacity of Hope, the books appear to be geared towards an older audience. Also, why are large print books so expensive?

Why should businesses care?

Besides being a moral and legal obligation (ok, so the legal parameters aren't quite perfect yet), there is also a financial incentive for business. The reasons are twofold:

1. By increasing accessibility for all users, you are actually improving the usability for your product for all consumers.
2. Visually Impaired/Blind Consumers do exist, and they don't all use Braille. In fact most don't. As the population grows older, their vision grows weaker and technology progresses, the need for accessible products also increases.

Your blog heading includes "Products & Services", what does that mean?

Have you ever gone to a concert or seen theatre performance of some sort and wondered what in the world was going on, on stage? I definitely have. I tend to forget that I have low vision (I was born with it, so there isn’t much I can do about it, plus it’s generally not an issue… at least not until I find myself in unfriendly territory). Honestly, who can afford front seats to shows all the time? And even a front row seat does not guarantee great visibility. There are FM transmitters for people who are hard of hearing at some concerts, why isn’t there something similar for those who are visually impaired?