good boy hey guys long time no see okay
so at the beginning of today I tap
somebody the shoulder and ask them to be
my volunteer if you could come up to the
stage now they’ll be sweet thank you
very much
how are you today great great ma’am I’m
gonna ask you to do a very simple task
would you be able to ride today’s date
and your name in the blank piece of
paper and let me know when you’re done
okay now I’m going to ask you to do the
same task as before but this time I need
you to wear a blindfold for no
particular reason okay here we go
just let me know when you think you’re
all right fantastic now I think we need
to show the audience and have them as
judges between the attempt with the
blindfold and the one without the
blindfold okay what do you guys all
think ladies and gentlemen please give a
round of applause to a wonderful
volunteer thank you thank you for those
of you who cannot see I’m standing here
with my guide dog lucky and I wanted to
do the two previous exercises to
demonstrate one thing blind people are
always solving problems no matter where
we are I want you to think about a few
things and how you would do them if you
were vision impaired how would you find
the F post terminal at the counter when
paying for something and how would you
make sure that you tap your card in the
right place how would you find the lifts
in a building and how would you make
sure that you tap the floor that you
want to go to how would you sign your
name how would he find an empty chair at
a venue
how would you catch a bus how would you
use Google Maps
how would you fill up a glass of water
without spilling any and how would you
know who to ask out on a date I’m gonna
make a simple assumption fifty percent
of you are freaking out because you
don’t know how you would do these things
and you have also realized that the more
things that you would have to do with
our vision anyway the other half is
divided into two groups
forty percent of you came up with
strategies for some or all of the items
in the list however you would also like
to experience what’s alike to be blind
for a little bit not forever the last
10% don’t know what to think and that’s
okay you’re allowed to feel that way
conversations with many people has led
me to understand that some of you would
like to experience what’s it like to be
blind with the condition that it is
temporary for me life is different I
don’t need the lack of sight to be a
transient State
in fact blind people do not need to see
why would we not having 20/20 vision is
not a disability or an inability it’s
just not having the level of vision that
the sighted world deems acceptable I’m
not disabled because I’m a lack of sight
or lack of other abilities I’m disabled
because you the sighted world says so
one of the curious things that tends to
happen when talking about somebody with
a vision impairment and or another
disability is that we’re seen as
remarkable in the eyes of the sighted
world for living in everyday life and it
is this assumption that we’re remarkable
that is a problem it’s not that we don’t
like to hear that we’re remarkable we
all love to hear that regardless of
whether you have sight or not however
these views did not help with breaking
down the barriers let me put it to you
in another way to blind people having
sight is admirable and in our minds all
of you are remarkable because you can
see however that is only because you can
see those of us who have never have full
vision find your world exciting but it’s
being able to operate a computer now is
really that exciting I find you well
interesting because I don’t know what
it’s like and you find mine interesting
for the same reasons but I’m we all just
doing the same things we’re just a
little bit segregated in the process
I’ll be the first one to admit there was
a point in my life where I thought and
believed that in order for me to have
the same opportunities as the rest of
the world I needed to say and boy I was
wrong I was wrong
simply because I was still trying to
grow into my own skin I was trying to
understand who I was just like the rest
of the world and I’m glad I was wrong
because my mother and father always told
me something ever since I can remember
la única cosa que tu no puede ser is
better the resto translation the only
thing you cannot do is see the rest
and that’s the attitude that the world
needs blind people do not need to see in
order for us to have an equitable
Society what a statement right I I’m
gonna share something with you and I
want you to create your own opinion
about it a friend of mine was kind
enough and allow me to share a few
things about their resume and the only
thing that you need to remember about
this person is that they can see my
friend did well at school they study
math see math be physics philosophy
Spanish they’re currently studying at
engineer at university doing an
engineering degree and are enjoying it
very much they wear their school’s
vice-captain they walk the 48 and 96
kilometers
they completed the 55 kilometer Oxfam
trail walker and they have participated
in other endurance events they have also
been a part of few other things they
studied at MIT they were a judge in a
mentor for Harvard and MIT students they
started a company at the age of 21 and
they’re currently in the process of
studying a project to assist the
visually impaired individuals such as
myself to better be able to catch the
bus and they speak two languages I’m not
trying to glorify anybody here but if I
were to ask you what you thought of this
person what would you say
remember they can see they have full
vision you have twenty seconds and if I
could get a few members of the audience
to shout a few words that describe your
thoughts of this person they’ll be great
adventurous brilliant successful
incredible remarkable
[Laughter]
indeed indeed that think so times up
thank you all for shouting I did say
this before but I want you to remember
your current perception of this person
because at the end of the talk there’ll
be a quiz you might be wondering what is
this guy talking about a sighted
individual fool I thought this was
supposed to be about why vision impaired
individuals do not need to see hold on
this is all about perception and
perception is not just about our
abilities or the perception of not
having any perception is also about the
design of the products processes systems
and services that we interact with in an
everyday basis and there believes that
they Foster when you’re blind people
know about it you stand out and standing
out is okay as long as you’re able to
participate in everyday life without
people thinking that you’re disabled
because you cannot see like them
however standing out for the sake of
standing out does not help in the making
of an equitable Society I’ll give an
example of a lift system that I use
almost every day it’s a touchscreen
system and it has one physical button
then when press it activates the
accessibility features of said system it
sounds okay right it’s not it’s terrible
because I need to show up five minutes
before a meeting in order for me to use
the lifts it takes me 1.5 minutes
to select a floor nobody else can use
the system while I’m operating it and I
don’t even know if I’m gonna end up in
the right floor anyway all of these
features help making it as terrible as
it is and trying to attend to a meeting
is like coordinating a Broadway show
with drunk actors the real problem with
this is that every single time that I
need to use it it’s design announces to
the world
I am disabled not because I cannot see
but because it shouts with a robotic
voice that everybody else needs to wait
for the disabled guy to use it but also
because it emphasizes that if I’m not
like the sighted population and if I’m
not willing to accept that in order for
me not to be disabled my vision needs to
be fixed and there are many products
processes systems and services out there
all around us that you do just that they
emphasize to the world hey this person
is disabled the thing is making the lift
system actually accessible is very
simple one put a physical keypad like
the one on the telephone to write the
top and bottom floors of the building in
Braille 3 every single time a button is
press announce what it is using a voice
for let anybody use a system in heck 5
you can even keep the touch screen if
you want I love solving problems and
I’ve been doing that ever since I can
remember what I really want you to
understand is that we just want to be
able to work in play at the same level
as the sighted population but that’s not
going to happen if the sighted world
keeps pretending like they know what our
issues are as well as trying to fix our
problems using their points of view
there are many blind people who don’t
care that the norms tell them hey you
shouldn’t study that because it is too
hard with your level of vision or you
shouldn’t do that because nobody has
done that before with your level of
vision and why don’t you do this instead
there are many blind people all around
the world that don’t just want to sit at
home and do nothing but every single
time they propose an idea they’re shut
down and I understand our friends and
family are worried that we could get
into trouble however we have to get into
trouble how else are we supposed to
learn from our mistakes we have to make
mistakes just like the rest of the
sighted world and I know that some of
you might be nervous if we
but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t
try
I driven a car I shot a rifle i piloted
a plane i driven a jet ski i gone rock
climbing i gone scuba diving i gone
running and i have done much much more
and having these experiences has allowed
me to understand one thing
barriers don’t exist we put them in
front of us another benefit of not
having sight is that from a very young
age we have to hone our moral compass
I’m all keen for trying new things
having new experiences and or pushing
the boundaries however never at the
expense of anybody safety including my
own we are really aware of our
surroundings as much as we may not look
at pizza singer in Australian
philosopher proposed in 2015 that it
would be wiser for us to stop training
service dogs to help line individuals
and instead we should donate those funds
to organizations that help prevent
and/or cure blindness it’s not wrong it
is more expensive to train a guide dog
but why should blind individuals beside
it why must we fixed everything that we
think is broken since the beginning of
this presentation loki hasn’t left my
site and for the past three and a half
years that we have been together he has
gone above and beyond to make sure that
we are safe and we experience 110
percent of this world I have never met a
human that comes close to his work ethic
and I don’t think I’ll ever will but the
most understanding animals that there
are about blindness and they don’t see a
problem with it and or the need to fix
our vision and yes I know that some of
you are wondering he is a wonderful
having some accessible infrastructure
does not mean that our world is
inclusive that’s just the easy part
included in the world’s affairs and
you’ll be surprised how much our input
can improve your sighted world
remember this inclusiveness does not
mean free handouts I worked hard to be
where I am today and I know many other
blind people who have done the same I
have no plans of stopping and neither do
the others we just have to include the
rest I go on dates I study I read I play
and listen to music I travel I do
everything that you do except I don’t
see while doing these everyday
activities remember my friends resume
and how I asked you to create an idea of
this person I hope you remember what you
thought of them because I did make an
arrow when talking about them now what
they have done or what they have and are
studying but something else they did
study at MIT they did start a company at
the age of 21 they do speak two
languages and they did go in all those
cool walking adventures however I lied
to you about their vision they’re blind
does the fact that the blind change your
perception of them if so why if the only
reason why your perception of them has
changed is because they’re blind that
needs to go it’s wonderful to be
complimented on what we do but it
shouldn’t be the major standard I’m not
asking you to understand what’s it like
not to have full vision no my hope is
that you can accept that we’re blind and
we’re okay being that way remember blind
people do not need to see in order for
us to have it in order for us to have an
equitable Society I hope I have been
able to push you in a fight of your
comfort zone that you can start a chain
reaction there are many more stories
that I have as a blind immigrant but we
have the rest of both our lives to hear
them all remember don’t stop asking
questions
you’ll be happily surprised by some of
the
our problem-solving skills are nuts we
live in a world that was not designed to
be accessible to us so you better
believe that we have mad ass
problem-solving skills
[Applause] [Music]
so at the beginning of today I tap
somebody the shoulder and ask them to be
my volunteer if you could come up to the
stage now they’ll be sweet thank you
very much
how are you today great great ma’am I’m
gonna ask you to do a very simple task
would you be able to ride today’s date
and your name in the blank piece of
paper and let me know when you’re done
okay now I’m going to ask you to do the
same task as before but this time I need
you to wear a blindfold for no
particular reason okay here we go
just let me know when you think you’re
all right fantastic now I think we need
to show the audience and have them as
judges between the attempt with the
blindfold and the one without the
blindfold okay what do you guys all
think ladies and gentlemen please give a
round of applause to a wonderful
volunteer thank you thank you for those
of you who cannot see I’m standing here
with my guide dog lucky and I wanted to
do the two previous exercises to
demonstrate one thing blind people are
always solving problems no matter where
we are I want you to think about a few
things and how you would do them if you
were vision impaired how would you find
the F post terminal at the counter when
paying for something and how would you
make sure that you tap your card in the
right place how would you find the lifts
in a building and how would you make
sure that you tap the floor that you
want to go to how would you sign your
name how would he find an empty chair at
a venue
how would you catch a bus how would you
use Google Maps
how would you fill up a glass of water
without spilling any and how would you
know who to ask out on a date I’m gonna
make a simple assumption fifty percent
of you are freaking out because you
don’t know how you would do these things
and you have also realized that the more
things that you would have to do with
our vision anyway the other half is
divided into two groups
forty percent of you came up with
strategies for some or all of the items
in the list however you would also like
to experience what’s alike to be blind
for a little bit not forever the last
10% don’t know what to think and that’s
okay you’re allowed to feel that way
conversations with many people has led
me to understand that some of you would
like to experience what’s it like to be
blind with the condition that it is
temporary for me life is different I
don’t need the lack of sight to be a
transient State
in fact blind people do not need to see
why would we not having 20/20 vision is
not a disability or an inability it’s
just not having the level of vision that
the sighted world deems acceptable I’m
not disabled because I’m a lack of sight
or lack of other abilities I’m disabled
because you the sighted world says so
one of the curious things that tends to
happen when talking about somebody with
a vision impairment and or another
disability is that we’re seen as
remarkable in the eyes of the sighted
world for living in everyday life and it
is this assumption that we’re remarkable
that is a problem it’s not that we don’t
like to hear that we’re remarkable we
all love to hear that regardless of
whether you have sight or not however
these views did not help with breaking
down the barriers let me put it to you
in another way to blind people having
sight is admirable and in our minds all
of you are remarkable because you can
see however that is only because you can
see those of us who have never have full
vision find your world exciting but it’s
being able to operate a computer now is
really that exciting I find you well
interesting because I don’t know what
it’s like and you find mine interesting
for the same reasons but I’m we all just
doing the same things we’re just a
little bit segregated in the process
I’ll be the first one to admit there was
a point in my life where I thought and
believed that in order for me to have
the same opportunities as the rest of
the world I needed to say and boy I was
wrong I was wrong
simply because I was still trying to
grow into my own skin I was trying to
understand who I was just like the rest
of the world and I’m glad I was wrong
because my mother and father always told
me something ever since I can remember
la única cosa que tu no puede ser is
better the resto translation the only
thing you cannot do is see the rest
and that’s the attitude that the world
needs blind people do not need to see in
order for us to have an equitable
Society what a statement right I I’m
gonna share something with you and I
want you to create your own opinion
about it a friend of mine was kind
enough and allow me to share a few
things about their resume and the only
thing that you need to remember about
this person is that they can see my
friend did well at school they study
math see math be physics philosophy
Spanish they’re currently studying at
engineer at university doing an
engineering degree and are enjoying it
very much they wear their school’s
vice-captain they walk the 48 and 96
kilometers
they completed the 55 kilometer Oxfam
trail walker and they have participated
in other endurance events they have also
been a part of few other things they
studied at MIT they were a judge in a
mentor for Harvard and MIT students they
started a company at the age of 21 and
they’re currently in the process of
studying a project to assist the
visually impaired individuals such as
myself to better be able to catch the
bus and they speak two languages I’m not
trying to glorify anybody here but if I
were to ask you what you thought of this
person what would you say
remember they can see they have full
vision you have twenty seconds and if I
could get a few members of the audience
to shout a few words that describe your
thoughts of this person they’ll be great
adventurous brilliant successful
incredible remarkable
[Laughter]
indeed indeed that think so times up
thank you all for shouting I did say
this before but I want you to remember
your current perception of this person
because at the end of the talk there’ll
be a quiz you might be wondering what is
this guy talking about a sighted
individual fool I thought this was
supposed to be about why vision impaired
individuals do not need to see hold on
this is all about perception and
perception is not just about our
abilities or the perception of not
having any perception is also about the
design of the products processes systems
and services that we interact with in an
everyday basis and there believes that
they Foster when you’re blind people
know about it you stand out and standing
out is okay as long as you’re able to
participate in everyday life without
people thinking that you’re disabled
because you cannot see like them
however standing out for the sake of
standing out does not help in the making
of an equitable Society I’ll give an
example of a lift system that I use
almost every day it’s a touchscreen
system and it has one physical button
then when press it activates the
accessibility features of said system it
sounds okay right it’s not it’s terrible
because I need to show up five minutes
before a meeting in order for me to use
the lifts it takes me 1.5 minutes
to select a floor nobody else can use
the system while I’m operating it and I
don’t even know if I’m gonna end up in
the right floor anyway all of these
features help making it as terrible as
it is and trying to attend to a meeting
is like coordinating a Broadway show
with drunk actors the real problem with
this is that every single time that I
need to use it it’s design announces to
the world
I am disabled not because I cannot see
but because it shouts with a robotic
voice that everybody else needs to wait
for the disabled guy to use it but also
because it emphasizes that if I’m not
like the sighted population and if I’m
not willing to accept that in order for
me not to be disabled my vision needs to
be fixed and there are many products
processes systems and services out there
all around us that you do just that they
emphasize to the world hey this person
is disabled the thing is making the lift
system actually accessible is very
simple one put a physical keypad like
the one on the telephone to write the
top and bottom floors of the building in
Braille 3 every single time a button is
press announce what it is using a voice
for let anybody use a system in heck 5
you can even keep the touch screen if
you want I love solving problems and
I’ve been doing that ever since I can
remember what I really want you to
understand is that we just want to be
able to work in play at the same level
as the sighted population but that’s not
going to happen if the sighted world
keeps pretending like they know what our
issues are as well as trying to fix our
problems using their points of view
there are many blind people who don’t
care that the norms tell them hey you
shouldn’t study that because it is too
hard with your level of vision or you
shouldn’t do that because nobody has
done that before with your level of
vision and why don’t you do this instead
there are many blind people all around
the world that don’t just want to sit at
home and do nothing but every single
time they propose an idea they’re shut
down and I understand our friends and
family are worried that we could get
into trouble however we have to get into
trouble how else are we supposed to
learn from our mistakes we have to make
mistakes just like the rest of the
sighted world and I know that some of
you might be nervous if we
but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t
try
I driven a car I shot a rifle i piloted
a plane i driven a jet ski i gone rock
climbing i gone scuba diving i gone
running and i have done much much more
and having these experiences has allowed
me to understand one thing
barriers don’t exist we put them in
front of us another benefit of not
having sight is that from a very young
age we have to hone our moral compass
I’m all keen for trying new things
having new experiences and or pushing
the boundaries however never at the
expense of anybody safety including my
own we are really aware of our
surroundings as much as we may not look
at pizza singer in Australian
philosopher proposed in 2015 that it
would be wiser for us to stop training
service dogs to help line individuals
and instead we should donate those funds
to organizations that help prevent
and/or cure blindness it’s not wrong it
is more expensive to train a guide dog
but why should blind individuals beside
it why must we fixed everything that we
think is broken since the beginning of
this presentation loki hasn’t left my
site and for the past three and a half
years that we have been together he has
gone above and beyond to make sure that
we are safe and we experience 110
percent of this world I have never met a
human that comes close to his work ethic
and I don’t think I’ll ever will but the
most understanding animals that there
are about blindness and they don’t see a
problem with it and or the need to fix
our vision and yes I know that some of
you are wondering he is a wonderful
having some accessible infrastructure
does not mean that our world is
inclusive that’s just the easy part
included in the world’s affairs and
you’ll be surprised how much our input
can improve your sighted world
remember this inclusiveness does not
mean free handouts I worked hard to be
where I am today and I know many other
blind people who have done the same I
have no plans of stopping and neither do
the others we just have to include the
rest I go on dates I study I read I play
and listen to music I travel I do
everything that you do except I don’t
see while doing these everyday
activities remember my friends resume
and how I asked you to create an idea of
this person I hope you remember what you
thought of them because I did make an
arrow when talking about them now what
they have done or what they have and are
studying but something else they did
study at MIT they did start a company at
the age of 21 they do speak two
languages and they did go in all those
cool walking adventures however I lied
to you about their vision they’re blind
does the fact that the blind change your
perception of them if so why if the only
reason why your perception of them has
changed is because they’re blind that
needs to go it’s wonderful to be
complimented on what we do but it
shouldn’t be the major standard I’m not
asking you to understand what’s it like
not to have full vision no my hope is
that you can accept that we’re blind and
we’re okay being that way remember blind
people do not need to see in order for
us to have it in order for us to have an
equitable Society I hope I have been
able to push you in a fight of your
comfort zone that you can start a chain
reaction there are many more stories
that I have as a blind immigrant but we
have the rest of both our lives to hear
them all remember don’t stop asking
questions
you’ll be happily surprised by some of
the
our problem-solving skills are nuts we
live in a world that was not designed to
be accessible to us so you better
believe that we have mad ass
problem-solving skills
[Applause] [Music]
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