So this past week has been a busy busy one. First I went to Daytona to watch the Blind Driver Challenge where a blind person drove a car by himself for the first time before the Rolex 20. The National Federation of the Blind spend a lot of money (about $5 million) on this project. I think it was a very successful event, but there are some questions to ponder.
First of all, could the money that was spent on this project be used to improve the overall lives of blind Americans? For example the money could have been used on education or employment. I can't help but think that this project is like what happened when we first sent a person to the moon. It was a great accomplishment, but many people were upset because they believed that we should be tackling issues here at home. There were many people who were unemployed and living in poverty. Many people who could not afford health insurance, and yet there was a man on the moon. How could we own such a contradiction? There was poetry and music written on the topic. How could we be sending a man to the moon, and yet overlook all of the injustices happening here at home?
Proponents of the Blind Driver Challenge are aware of the implications that this event brought about. They are also aware of the criticism spoken and unspoken of many blind individuals who do not agree with this event. However, they have come up with counter-arguments. They claim that we should move forward; that the technology being developed to get a blind person to drive will be transferable to other aspects. They claim that this initiative will gain technology for all blind people, and even for sighted people. They claim that they are not pushing away from economic and educational issues, but will continue to work towards them.
As I think about this issue, there are two roads that can be taken. One is what has been to continue with this project that the NFB has started where they have used more than $5 million dollars. For blind people, there is a 70% unemployment rate, 90% illiteracy rate and many of those people are living on social security and not contributing to society. That money could be put into expanding educational opportunities and work related training for the blind. It could also be used to educate the public about issues related to blindness.
Or we could not do the Blind Driver Challenge all together. If that were to be the case, money could be used to help advance the plight of the blind. However, by not doing this initiative are we really any better off? What would have happened if we would have decided not to go to the moon? Would we be any better off than we are today? Would we have put that money to better use? Would our understanding of what we are capable of doing as mankind be obscured? What did we gain by going to the moon?
While I do see the point that The Blind Driver Challenge uses a lot of money, shouldn't we always be pushing ourselves to our limits? What I don't agree with, is the notion that as blind people we should hold on to the idea of driving, that should not be the motive for the Blind Driver Challenge. What that instills in us is the idea that we are not equal at this point, and will never be until we are able to drive. Driving does not equal success nor does it equal equality. What the Blind Driver Challenge should do is to permit us to stretch ourselves to the brink of our imagination. We should be working on technology to further our achievement, but not with the false idea that driving is what makes us whole. The reason I support the Blind Driver Challenge is not because I want to drive, because it will probably be too expensive in my lifetime and I am not going to wait around. But rather, because moving forward is what we should always be doing as humans to advance technology and our understanding of the universe and our potential.
your thoughts?
One thing that the Blind Driver Challenge did that that sending a man to the moon did not, was to break the stereotypes that vision equal ability. Many questioned the success of this project because to them, one must surely have vision in order to operate a car. We have proved that Technology is the great equalizer, and so, if discrimination is to take place in light of this technology, those who discriminate must look for a better reason than simply stating "well how will you do this, you cannot see."
ReplyDeleteYou're correct, $5 million is allot of money to spend on one project, especially when we have such a low braille literacy rate, and probably the highest unemployment rate in the galaxy.
But would those $5 million have made much of a difference had they been put to another purpose?
We at times need to flex a little muscle, and show off what we are able to achieve. In this case, we did it while maintaining a positive philosophy, and not the typical charity based, perpetually in need of aid, sort of stereotype we are usually boxed under.
Vroom Vrooom!
You're right, this is our "man on the moon."
So my argument to this would be, if technology equals equality, can we not achieve equality without it?
ReplyDeleteCorrect, if that is your argument, but what I'm saying is that much like every cowboy felt equal to every cowboy, once he had a gun in his hand, we too are equal to others once tecnology is in our hands. And this technological equality of course leads to more social, educational, equality.
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ReplyDeleteConchita, you have some very good points, I agree that $5 million dollars is a lot of money that could have possibly been used for greater educational and employment opportunities for the blind, and I am in support of the Blind Driver Challenge, because I myself want to move forward as well, and show America, that we have confidence in what we can do, and it will prove to America that we don't have to rely on technology to get what we want, but it sure does make it much easier for us to accomplish what the NFB's vision for us is.
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