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> The online MOOCs aren't going to introduce braille. In general, putting content online makes learning more accessible. As a specific example, Khan Academy ha

by jkaptur 10y ago

> The online MOOCs aren't going to introduce braille. In general, putting content online makes learning more accessible. As a specific example, Khan Academy has done important work developing tools in this area: http://engineering.khanacademy.org/posts/tota11y.htm http://engineering.khanacademy.org/posts/tota11y.htm. I see where you're coming from - many "dispuptive" services have (shamefully, in my opinion) resisted making their services accessible, but I don't think MOOCs really fall into that class.

inputcoffee 10y ago
I think MOOCs are run by well meaning people, but it also doesn't cost that much to make them accessible. I suppose that is the point though: the market decides, as opposed to an entity deciding that it is in the public good.
GauntletWizard 10y ago
Disclosure: I work for Uber, so I'm more than I little biased. Tell me; How many blind or deaf people did you know who took a cab before Uber? I went to RIT, which hosts a school for the deaf, and while there wasn't really a call for cabs at the school, I knew a couple people who did co-ops in big cities and were frustrated by how hard it was to get around. When asked why they didn't take a cab, they explained how much of a pain it was to communicate with their drivers, even with the fairly advanced assistive devices (every student had a sidekick, at the time a very advanced phone, and could usually pass around notes using such). It was still too hard; the barrier of entry on the communication was too high, and taxi drivers were easily frustrated trying to communicate fares and routes to deaf students. I can't even imagine a blind person hailing a cab. How would they know where to hail? How would they know when it stopped in front of them? Now, I see posts on the RIT subreddit from time to time from deaf students who've just taken an Uber. It's not a problem anymore. There's a distinct group of blind users of the uber app; It works, the interface is consistent, and I just tried it myself (it wasn't easy, but I called a cab, and I think it'd work decently with practice).
- jkaptur 10y ago
  That's fair. I mentioned Uber because I remembered the criticism from the National Federation of the Blind [1]. However, it's tangential to my point, so I've edited my post to remove it. [1] https://nfb.org/groundbreaking-settlement-end-discrimination-against-blind-uber-riders-who-use-guide-dogs https://nfb.org/groundbreaking-settlement-end-discrimination...

by jkaptur 10y ago

inputcoffee 10y ago

I think MOOCs are run by well meaning people, but it also doesn't cost that much to make them accessible. I suppose that is the point though: the market decides, as opposed to an entity deciding that it is in the public good.

GauntletWizard 10y ago

Disclosure: I work for Uber, so I'm more than I little biased. Tell me; How many blind or deaf people did you know who took a cab before Uber? I went to RIT, which hosts a school for the deaf, and while there wasn't really a call for cabs at the school, I knew a couple people who did co-ops in big cities and were frustrated by how hard it was to get around. When asked why they didn't take a cab, they explained how much of a pain it was to communicate with their drivers, even with the fairly advanced assistive devices (every student had a sidekick, at the time a very advanced phone, and could usually pass around notes using such). It was still too hard; the barrier of entry on the communication was too high, and taxi drivers were easily frustrated trying to communicate fares and routes to deaf students. I can't even imagine a blind person hailing a cab. How would they know where to hail? How would they know when it stopped in front of them? Now, I see posts on the RIT subreddit from time to time from deaf students who've just taken an Uber. It's not a problem anymore. There's a distinct group of blind users of the uber app; It works, the interface is consistent, and I just tried it myself (it wasn't easy, but I called a cab, and I think it'd work decently with practice).

jkaptur 10y ago
That's fair. I mentioned Uber because I remembered the criticism from the National Federation of the Blind [1]. However, it's tangential to my point, so I've edited my post to remove it. [1] https://nfb.org/groundbreaking-settlement-end-discrimination-against-blind-uber-riders-who-use-guide-dogs https://nfb.org/groundbreaking-settlement-end-discrimination...