"I am totally blind. I own a company called ebony consulting
here in Toronto that specializes in teaching mostly in Ontario, but
also a number of clients outside the province who are blind.
The computer is our pencil and paper. Digital cameras are
our eyes. And the nerve centre that collates it all is the internet.
Using the internet, a blind person can buy an ebook on the day it's
released and read it in braille at the same time as their sighted
friends are reading in print.
Using the internet, we can find narrated audio descriptions
of movies to get an idea of the visual content wen we don't have
sighted people to watch with. We can take a picture of a can of food in
the cupboard and then ask our friends and family over Facebook and
Twitter, or even a stable of volunteer sighted people, to help us
identify what the can is.
We can scan the bar codes on food and media and look up
preparation instructions, dimensions nutrition information. We can use
the internet to keep track of diabetes independently and some one can
be alerted in real time if anything goes wrong. We can keep track of
bills and statements and household accounts all online. We have full
access to public libraries. We can get walking directions between two
points, look up any phone number or address, access a flyer for our
local grocery stores.
What the internet can do for the independence of blind
people is amazing even to us. It's beyond fantastic and right into
essential. Blind people must have access to affordable, reliable, and
unrestricted internet. We can't afford to lose service or be charged
overage for volume cap excess [...]
The internet is becoming a staple, like electricity and
indoor plumbing. I don't have the time personally to make sure that the
infrastructure we're putting in place is safe, secure, reliable,
affordable, and long-term sustainable. But I appreciate being able to
keep an eye on what's happening through open media and I'm grateful to
have a voice in the direction our development takes."
We all have unique reasons to value open and affordable access
to the Internet. Whatever that reason is, together we're safeguarding the
possibilities for us all.
