Idea: Recorded readings to the blind

RH:
1. It must be very difficult for the blind to live among the sighted, in a world not designed for them. Ideally, all the blind should live in a blind community where all their needs are catered for in an environment designed for the blind but this is not possible. The question then is, how to make the sighted environment a little more friendly to the blind? Here is a small way.

2. Suppose a blind person walks into a diner to order a meal, a frequent enough occurrence to warrant a solution. Currently, he cannot read the menu and has to ask the busy waiters to read it to him. Not ideal. Far better that he does it himself.

3. So, he takes or is given the menu. He feels for the raised Dymo [ http://global.dymo.com/enUS/Categories/Embossing_Label_Makers.html ] embossed label stuck on it and finds it easily because the Dymo letters are raised. [A cheap Dymo embosser costs US$7.99]. He uses Braille to read the Braille instruction-words and numbers on it and enters this telephone number into his cellphone, which he knows how to use already without having to see the number keys.

4. His call is answered by an answering machine, US$11 at http://www.shopping.com/xPP-answering_machines , which gives a recording of the diner's menu beginning with an overview such as "[Welcome to Joe's Diner]. The menu has 4 sections, the first is Today's Specials and Set Lunches, the second is the Pastas, the third the Spaghettis and the fourth and last is the Drinks and Beverages. Beginning with the Today's Specials and Set Lunches, One: Condoleeza Fried Rice; Two: Barbecued Chicken Wings, etc, etc. All voice recorded by the diner's boss or one of his staff.

5. Once the blind person hears a menu item he wants, he remembers the number/s and orders. Thus, he accomplishes negotiating the menu and ordering his selection without any help that busy and harassed waiters will be too impatient to give. And gets the lift of doing something for himself without help.

6. Just ensure that the answering machine is not connected to such a busy line that it is unavailable when needed by a blind customer. This number should not be a public-known number so no incoming calls will be made to it although outgoing calls can be made on this to maximise use of the phone line, esp when no blind customer is accessing it.

7. Dymo will need to make new wheels for its Dymo embosser that gives the number and letters in English [or any other language] but the embossed label comes out in Braille numbers and texts, a very simple matter costing no more than a dollar or so per new wheel [which are interchangeable].

8. I have used the example of a diner [the blind need to eat as often as us] but there are other set ups in which this idea can be used, too. For example, giving instructions in a library or some other kind of shops where the blind may need some audio help to negotiate a transaction or listen to some instruction on how to proceed in a transaction.

9. Can some association for the blind take up this idea and try to publicise it and encourage its adoption?

--
RH: MY ACQUAINTANCE, MR DAVID DUCLOS, A FORMER POLICE INSPECTOR, AND HIS LAWYER FRIEND, EYEWITNESSED LEE KUAN YEW RIGGING THE 1997 CHENG SAN GRC ELECTION. READ MORE AT MY BLOG ENTITLED "I CAME, I SAW, I SOLVED IT" :

http://i-came-i-saw-i-solved-it.blogspot.com/

[ALSO AT THE ABOVE BLOG, LIE KUAN YEW's LIES, CORRUPTION, WRONGFUL JAILING, TORTURE AND BEATING TO DEATH OF INNOCENT POLITICAL PRISONERS LIKE MR CHAN HOCK HUA]

READ ALSO MARTYN SEE's INTERVIEW WITH ME AT:

http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/

ALSO AT:

http://i-came-i-saw-i-wrote-it.blogspot.com/2007/03/filmmaker-martyn-see-interviews-robert.html

FOR QUICK, IRREVERENT REASONS WHY LIE KY DESERVES A NOBEL:

http://i-came-i-saw-i-solved-it.blogspot.com/search/label/Not%20nominated%20for%20a%20Nobel%20so%20LIE%20KY%20gives%20himself%20many%20others

MY ARCHIVE OF WORKS AT:

http://i-came-i-saw-i-wrote-it.blogspot.com/
.