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Is Computer Technology making You Run in circles?

Over thirty years ago the internet and email were embraced in higher education before trickling down and being accepted in every school and library.   A screen-reader that could work with the internet and email had not been invented at the same time, so people who were blind or visually impaired were left out in the cold for several years.   History is repeating itself as Basic HTML has been replaced by a different code that is used to create web pages and emails.   This time, the screen-readers are working, but the blind and visually impaired are the ones who must make the accommodations and adjustments as they try to continue their conversations for work and fun.   Computers were invented to make life easier.   The new code that replaced Basic HTML is actually more time consuming and offers many annoying features.   It decides what email is important while adding extra steps to give this information.   It wants to tell you how to reply to a message.   This is artificial intellig
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On Becoming a Dictator

My computer has dictation software that I’ve never used.   Setting it up is more difficult for people who live with less than perfect vision.   Since I took a full year of typing class in high school and type at a speed that must be slowed down to allow the computer keys to keep up with me, I haven’t even thought about dictating what I write—until now.   When I was making many choices about creating this new blog, Blogger tried helping me choose the URL.   Some sort of artificial intelligence connected some dots and came up with “The Blind Librarian.”   I considered it, tried it, deleted it.   It just didn’t feel right.   I decided to research “blind librarian” on BARD, the NLS audio book download website.   I found biographies of the Argentinian writer and blind librarian (who had no library training), Jorge Luis Borges.   I downloaded books about him in order to learn how this blind librarian performed his duties.   He did some library business for one hour and spent the re
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Getting Touchy? Who Me?

  I was surprised to hear myself say, “The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act that was passed in 1990) isn’t worth the paper it is printed on anymore.”   The legislation that brought ramps and curb-cuts never used inclusive code that would allow the print impaired access to all of the information and options on a computer screen.   The cyber super highway with all of its social media and websites continues to be inaccessible for the blind and visually impaired who are seeking jobs, information, entertainment, and inclusion.   The current problem:   Some areas that contain links cannot be activated with the tab key or by moving the arrow key up and down and hitting the enter key.   The area on the screen can sometimes be located by a screen-reader, but it must be activated by a sighted assistant using the mouse to click enter.     At the beginning of the 1990s, I transferred ALA (American Library Association) credit courses from The University of Michigan School of Library S
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