I’ve been thinking about how much has changed since I started writing this blog 14 years ago. Sometimes the name of the blog makes me cringe, because I was so much younger when I came up with it. Yet by now, people know it as my blog, and changing it seems like far more effort…
Category: Thoughts
What the AI may take away
AI can open up information access for blind people, but we need to be aware of what it takes away from us. I’ve seen a lot of talk within the blind community which celebrates AI completely uncritically. There are smart glasses and apps on our phone which describe the world to us, and isn’t that…
A New Year
Condensing a whole year into a single post always feels like an impossible task. I will inevitably miss details that were important or events that had a significant impact on my life. One thing I can say is that last year felt like the most settled of all my adult years. I didn’t move house…
Creating tactile graphics on a braille embosser, first experiments
Further to my previous efforts to create tactile graphics, I’ve been messing about with creating them using my braille embosser. There are clear advantages to this over using a tactile image printer, mostly cost. A box of 1000 sheets of braille paper costs around £65, whereas a box of 100 sheets of swell paper for…
University, interesting books, and the death of blogging
I’ve been back at university for almost two weeks now, and it still feels strange to write these words. For those who don’t know, I decided to get a second undergraduate degree, studying Classical Studies at the Open University. This means studying online rather than going to a university in person, and I’m also doing…
Assistance on the Railway Fails Again
Once again, a disabled person has been left on a train. When I was scrolling social media earlier today I saw a post by Tanni Grey-Thompson, former Paralympian and Member of the House of Lords, stating that she had to crawl off a train yesterday. Tanni is a wheelchair user, who is forced to request…
A complicated loss
In December 2022, three months into my PhD, I dropped out. It was objectively the right decision, but that doesn’t mean that thinking about it isn’t painful. I had applied for my PhD at a time when life seemed if not simple, then like it was heading in the direction I wanted it to. I…
Where are the Latin Books?
I’ve been exploring learning Latin. It’s going to be something I learn as part of my degree, but I wanted to get a head start as I know already that I’m likely to face some accessibility challenges once I reach that module. It is also several years away, and I am eager to learn and…
More fun with tactile graphics
Since I wrote the first post on trying to create tactile images a couple of days ago, I haven’t stopped. It’s as though now I’ve started to be able to connect with the world in a way which I haven’t had access to before, I can’t stop. Yes, I’ve been able to touch tactile images…
Writing and places to exist
I used to use this blog as a place to put my thoughts. More of a journal, I suppose. With the really private, embarrassing stuff taken out. But I’ve been writing less and less with each year that passes. Part of it is that I seem to be tired almost all the time. But the…