The Somebody, Nobody, Anybody and Everybody Blog!

Every year, 15 October is celebrated as White Cane Safety Day. As ever I got caught up in so many things to do with work and training I did not find the time or the energy to write something about my trusted companion the white cane. I was introduced to this mobility aid in the year 2011. At first it made no sense using this aid as a mobility tool as it told me no directions or wasn't smart enough to guide or get me out of a pickle.

Do you read? I was asked. I said yes. But you are blind! came the spontaneous reply. Well you see that wasn't a total ignorant reply; because the persons idea of reading was with their eyes using printed material like books or paper. For a blind person reading is done using assistive technology; using text to speech tech. like screen readers on a digital medium like a computer or smart phone. I also surprise some by stating that I read novels and the newspaper. How? Well thanks to this technology we now have audio books that offer a variety of commercial books from renowned authors like Ken Follett and the newspaper comes to me via email; in digital print. So you "see" a blind person does read; and yes, we love reading!

This has been a really difficult question to answer after I lost my sight; being the kind of person who collected a lot from his experiences, not just memories. From the slam book in school to the first stuffed toy I owned; I kept everything that could be preserved.

My favorite frustration on the internet is getting struck out at the image captcha after filling out a tedious online registration form. Luckily some sense prevailed over and developers recognised that blind users are now able to access the internet using assistive technology called a screen reader, so they provide alternate ways to the captcha trap.

Yes, everyone has those days when you feel down and insignificant. How do you overcome this time? How do you deal with such a feeling and emotion? Some I know have taken up drinking as a solution, some drugs and some went to extremes and tried ending their life. I wouldn't judge their decision but to me, it's wrong a total NO, NO to indulge in anything toxic to bring you back to feeling good about things and ending your life, come on seriously get help!

This has been reproduced from another article on the web, to which is referenced at the end of the article. I have added my thoughts and some change to the structure to express this topic so that it becomes an interesting read and all of us can get a good understanding of how a sighted person uses the computer Vs a screen reader user; an assistive technology for the blind. This article has to be read with the perception of understanding both types of users; it's not a competitive analysis where one has to judge between the 2 types of users i.e. who is the better one...

If you grew up around the 70's you might recall this really entertaining cultural sitcom by the name Mind Your Language which was a British sitcom that premiered in 1977. Each character in that sitcom was so entertaining and full of cultural disconnect, yet they met in a classroom having one objective of wanting to learn English from a British teacher Mr. Brown. I don't know if the full episodes of that sitcom are available on YouTube but I have in my feed seen a few clippings from the sitcom. Do search for it and give them a watch, promise you will ROFL! Better yet, if you could still get the DVD of this sitcom, go get it! 

I am no subject matter expert; but I believe this subject is worth writing and thinking about. I have been using the Windows OS from the time I remember and appreciating it now after sight loss; due to a medical condition called Glaucoma; trending the Windows 10 OS on my work and home PC. However, I use an IOS smart phone - iPhone and don't have any gadgets that I personally use that have the android OS. You might wonder why, well simply put IOS has better accessibility features compared to android according to me. Everything under the sun is debatable and lets not get there by directing this post to android VS IOS; stick to the OS wars!

Courtesy: Holly blog - LIFE OF A BLIND GIRL    Honestly; screen readers and the internet were the 2 best things invented after sliced bread. However, I can put sliced pizza on that list too! This post is a subject that I wanted to write about for a long, long time but the forces of life and time have really given me enough of challenges to deal with. From engaging on social media, advocating accessibility and creating awareness on assistive technology I have been up the hill so many times sometimes it just gets me tired. I do have a social life which I try to balance along all this and lately due to the pandemic I don't see much of that happening as it was earlier. Holly and I met on YouTube; she runs a channel mainly talking about disability and her life. Very interesting as I wanted to know how a person with a visual impairment/ print disability of the opposite gender goes about addressing their challenges due to their limitation. I will write more about that in some o...

"Winners don't do different things. They do things differently." - Shiv Khera. Too early to say if I is a winner because to be a winner you need to be successful and success is subjective and for me the road to success has always been under construction; or it's just the excuse I give myself and others. In this post I share with you a few tips and tricks that help me live with a life with blindness. For those who aren't aware, I lost my sight progressively due to a medical condition called Glaucoma in the year 2011. I hope what I share here is not only educative but entertaining at the same time. Just remember this I don't do different things, I do them differently!