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"can't" is a pretty strong term. Up until recently, people would have said that you can't make Olympic sprinting accessible to someone with no feet, but it tur
by bzbarsky 8y ago
"can't" is a pretty strong term. Up until recently, people would have said that you can't make Olympic sprinting accessible to someone with no feet, but it turns out in fact you can, with sufficient application of technology.
So the real question is always whether the technology to make something accessible exists and whether it can be deployed reasonably in the particular instance involved.
- atomicUpdate 8y agoThey didn't change the race though, they changed the person running it by giving them pseudo-feet. To continue your analogy, in order for a bling person to use this we just need to give them pseudo-eyes.
- bzbarsky 8y agoThat's a worthwhile goal in itself, sure. But I think you're reading too much into what I said. I never claimed the two situations were identical or analogous, just that "can't" is something that needs to be periodically re-evaluated. But if you do want to press on with sprinting events, note that they have been using start signals with both an audible and a visible component for a while, to accommodate people who may not be able to perceive one or the other. Back until we had electronically-triggered lights, you "couldn't" have a deaf competitor compete, modulo smoke from the starting gun. Now you can.
- tomcam 8y ago> with sufficient application of technology. Plus years of stupendously painful physical therapy and Herculean will.
- bzbarsky 8y agoYes, that too. I did not mean to downplay that part at all!