Supplying products for the blind, cost effectively
I need help to supply products for the blind, cost effectively. I train blind people to use computers. Hi,
My name is Jacob Kruger. A biker at heart.
I lost my sight in a bike accident about 10 years ago. I am still a biker, and webmaster of my bike club, and have ridden a motorbike 3 times since getting out of hospital. Twice on parts of Phakisa raceway race track, and once just out in the open, on an off-road bike, and all 3 times with sighted friends just guiding me around, I did all of the riding myself, and obviously wore decent protective
gear. "Once a biker, always a biker!"
I am a computer programmer and do web hosting. I program making use of following technologies: PHP, MySQL, javascript/jQuery, HTML and Python. Currently I assist other blind people with one on one computer training and support as well as overcoming obstacles in the everyday world at times introducing them to new products and technologies that can make their day to day life easier. Why do I need your help
In South Africa the blind market size is relatively small so the prices are very high and many products are out of reach of the average blind person due to cost of specialized items even though they are cost effective. I want to promote both awareness and availability of various products for the blind on a cost effective scale to the South African market and set-up a small training center catering only for the blind. Currently I assist my blind brothers and sisters with a key focus area on assistive technology and software training as we are always relying on sighted people to assist us with technology. I am only able to give one on one training due to a lack of funds to grow the training center. With transport being an issue for us blind people in South Africa, many of the blind people can only make certain times of the day
My approach to training other people to use software, or technology, or to help them with general problem solving has never been to just tell them a direct answer, but rather to provide them with guidelines, help them with the problem solving parts of process, but, preferably help them to figure it out in their own way. My 30 years experience in computers and hands on knowledge with the difficulties in getting cost effective everyday items to my blind brothers and sisters,
"I will use the donations I receive to source, import or develop everyday products that blind people can actually afford as well as giving them computer software training." I am hoping that my vision for this project may help blind people help
themselves, so they can be self-sufficient, productive members of
society.
