Out of reach

[buddha17]

 I was walking right outside of the Milton Gates near my lab the other evening. There was a young lady in a motorized wheelchair strumming down the sidewalk in the other direction past me. By the time I thought twice about the fact that the sidewalk was blocked off farther down from her because of utility repairs, the girl had already saw the

Comments

[pyaar_ishq]

Accessibility snob? Lol, I don't think there is any such thing as an anti-discrimination snob! It's good that you are aware of it and demand better for your fellow peoples!

Love your rant on innovation! That's a word we use all the time in the development sector. Have you looked into Social Entrepreneurship, and groups like Ashoka.org ("Innovators for the Public")? There are lots of people out there who truly do want to harness technology and advancements for the better of mankind and not just to make money off of dumb stuff. I really love this whole field. It gets me so excited & restores my faith in humanity. There are some amazing things happening!

[nisha_phi]

To give you an alternative perspective on your fourth paragraph:

As someone who lives with social phobia, internet-based communication has offered a wonderful way for me to do exactly the opposite of what you suggest it does. Instead of simply disconnecting from people and avoiding things such as phone calls, I can talk with a little less anxiety. My iPod has helped me too - instead of sitting on the train feeling anxious about all of the people around me, I can distract myself by listening to music. (I admit that an iPod is somewhat excessive, but their packaging really gets me by how creative it is. A silly reason to choose one brand over another, I know. Maybe not. I support creativity.) I don't think of it as disconnecting from the world or isolating myself; but merely a different way of connecting.

I know the motivation was to make money, but, hey, sometimes it accidentally helps someone. I'm not sure if I can argue it's a terrible thing.

Of course I fully agree with you on accessibility issues!