1. Before you begin (or now, if you haven't done so), you MUST involve blindness agencies or blind individuals in the total plan and implementation of your project, especially if you hope to eventually introduce your invention to blind consumers. Just like the rest of life, in the world of blind rehabilitation there are strong political currents, long standing philosophical positions, and a solid history (including the history of unfulfilled technological promises). There is great skepticism in the blindness community, and well meaning inventors have not always been welcomed with open arms. Avoid the hassle, and do the right thing; include blind individuals in your plan.
2. Observe blind travelers going about their daily business. This includes watching blind children in their schools, blind professionals in the work place, and the large population of multiply handicapped blind travelers in institutional settings. This is a MUST. Good blind travelers are exceptionally capable of navigating with absolutely no navigational tools (if they wanted). See how your ideas mesh with the real world.
3. Establish contact and dialog with the profession of orientation and mobility. Read their literature. Review the history of navigational technologies. Join their list serves. What you are trying to do has a precedent.
4. Compare your invention with the long cane. The cane costs $25.00. It folds to fit in your pocket. It is not affected by cold or hot weather. It needs no batteries. Very little training is required to use it. It has over 20 uses. It is light weight. It detects drop offs, obstacles in the path, sends out sound waves that blind travelers use for echo location, and it is universally recognized as an identifier of blind travelers (which is especially useful at street intersections). How does your invention improve upon (work with, supplant, etc.) the long cane (loved and defended by generations of blind travelers).
5. How does your invention compare with the dog guide? Dogs are companionship, an animal intelligence beyond most computer systems, recognized worldwide as a symbol for blind independence, and proven as an effective tool for blind navigation (especially at dangerous street intersections). How does your invention compare? What can you offer that the dog guide does not?
6. How will your invention help the blind traveler to be safer at street crossings?
7. How will your invention make it easier for the blind traveler to know their location in space?
8. How will your invention make it easier for blind children to learn concepts (positional and environmental)?
9. How will your invention make travel less stressful and more efficient?
10. Will your invention add unnecessary quantities of information inflow that might interfere with the usual processing of the native senses (hearing, smell, kinesthetics, tactual)?
11. Is your device adjustable and focusable, so that volume can be changed, depth of environmental probing can occur, the sweep of the system can be widened and narrowed, etc.?
12. Is the cost reasonable? If it is less than $200.00, blind travelers might buy it.
13. Is your invention portable; small? Blind travelers are also carrying around portable communication tools, as well as other accoutrements of modern life (purses, walkmen, umbrellas, etc.). The smaller your invention is the better chance you have of selling it.
14. Is it attractive, or ugly and bulky? Ask yourself this question: Is this something YOUR teenager would wear around? Because if it isn't, don't expect my blind teenager to wear it either.
15. How does your invention blend with other emerging technologies? Could it, and would this be a wise move (to work in collaboration)?
16. What kind of future developments do you foresee? Does your invention have the potential to be combined with a tool or appliance being manufactured for the sighted population? This is your ticket to getting your invention small enough, cheap enough, and mass produced enough to gain popularity (and you some financial return; there is no money to be made making technologies just for the few good blind travelers on the planet who wish to use advanced technologies).
Here is some personal advise: Stay the course! There is a quagmire of negativity to wade through as you attempt to get the world to pay attention to your interests. There are politics in the blindness community every bit as nasty and discouraging as any where else in the human community. There are of course, reasonable, supportive, encouraging people, blind or not, who want you to do well, and to make whatever contribution you have the energy and talent to provide. You do need to do homework that is outside your field of interest and that involves the egos and emotions of consumers and blindness professionals. I, and many of my colleagues, wish you well.
Send me an e-mail if you want to talk further.
baldwind@svol.org
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