:: netwoman's blog ::

Women with (Dis)Abilities and the Internet

The nice thing about having blogs is that people email about their blogs and their interests. I recently received an email from a woman named Ingrid who blogs at ME AND OPHELIA .

This is a snipit from the email:

"There are millions of people around the world with the same story as the one that I am sending to you here. Vinton Cerf will tell you that too. He is partially deaf and does a lot of work for the sick, disabled and disadvantaged. I have blogged about this too. His link is in my sidebar - and that of the Christina Network which he supports. I realise that "we" are invisible and forgotten by most people but hope you will remember, in your research, the existence of the sick and disabled and housebound."

Ingrid shares her blog post with me:

VINTON G CERF
Father of the Internet
What a great gentleman.
On a visit to MCI : Cerf's Up a few days ago, I felt moved to send this email:

Dear Mr Cerf,
Just to say thank you for all your pioneering and hard work.
Six weeks ago I was able to afford my first home computer.
Within a few days I discovered weblogs and started one - free of charge through Blogger - called ME AND OPHELIA.

I have picked up a little HTML, purchased a new house sign, sent gifts of chocolates and flowers, visited art galleries and auctions, had groceries and books delivered; been reunited with old friends, have sent and received emails all over the world, met many interesting bloggers and had some good laughs....all without speaking or leaving the house.

This new laptop and the Internet has opened up a whole new life for me, for which I thank you.

It means a lot to me because I am housebound and horizontal 23.5 hours a day, with limited energy, due to a severe form of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - known as ME here in England and CFIDS in the US - from which I am still hoping to recover.

These past six weeks have been the most interesting - and least isolating - weeks that I have spent since falling ill in October 1999.

Thank you once again. You are a hero. I have put you at the top of my web links column in my right sidebar.
Hope you will visit us one day.
With love and thanks once again from Ingrid and Ophelia (my wonderful cat).

In my email box the next day, four words leapt out of my screen:

From: vinton g. cerf
I was thrilled. What a gentleman. I shall treasure and frame this:

Dear Ingrid,
I am copying two other people who will be very pleased to hear your story. One is Robert Kahn, who initiated the Internet project and with whom I worked to do the initial design. The other is Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web - that is the application that is helping you so much. Of course, Tim has pointed out that without the Internet, WWW would not so interesting and vice versa.
Thanks so much for taking time to write.
Vint Cerf"

Thank you for sharing this with me Ingrid. Alas, a Blog talks about The Disability Gulag in the NYTimes today. See this for discussion board.

Also this:

CNIB launches groundbreaking digital library

Last week, more than 105,000 blind and visually impaired Canadians gained access to thousands of books, daily newspapers, and magazines when the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) launched its new digital library.

The online library is the most advanced library of alternative formats in the world and a model for 175 other alternative-format libraries worldwide. It also contains the "Children's Discovery Portal", the world's first portal of its kind for children who are blind.

"For sighted people, technology makes access to information easier. For people like myself who are blind, it makes access possible," said Jim Sanders, president of the CNIB.

"The CNIB Digital Library will open up worlds of opportunity and knowledge. For example, I can now read a newspaper the same day it hits the newsstand."

For more information, visit here

posted by Netwoman @ 11:56 PM