bad advice from a university

[jadelennox]

How to select adaptive technology as GIFTS for people.

Explain how the gift can help them pursue their leisure interests. "Help them recognize that they have a need for this technology," York said. [...] "They need to accept their limitations."

I am utterly appalled. Buying somebody adaptive tech as a gift is a nice idea, but it has to be part of a collaborative process. You can't surprise somebody with adaptive technology. You can work with the recipient to find out something they've been wanting, or you could show them some interesting adaptive technology and explain why you think they might like it.

Even at the lowest tier this is true. I have two bottle openers for screw caps: the one somebody bought me as the gift and the one that works with my hands. One of the things this article suggests is buying people "large-print playing cards, playing card holders, talking dice and/or dice with large labels." Which is a great idea! Except there are number of playing card holders on the market and several of them I know I can't use.

In other words, I reiterate, you cannot surprise people with gifts of adaptive technology. Ask us. Work with us.

Comments

[rydra_wong]

"Help them recognize that they have a need for this technology," York said. [...] "They need to accept their limitations."

AAAAAAARGH. Gift-giving as a way of bullying someone into accepting that they need something they don't think they need; if they don't want it, obviously they're in denial about their "limitations."

[jackandahat]

Yes, because clearly able-bodied people (who probably don't even live with you, if we're talking about uni students) know better than us what we need!

[rydra_wong]

There's also a whole ageism/ablism thing going on throughout the article, where people with disabilities = older people = don't understand technology = confused and don't know what's best for themselves.

[jackandahat]

...I think that's the first time I've seen an equation that's broken at every single equals sign. *eyeroll*

[jalendavi_lady]

As well as not understanding that hearing-aids and reading glasses? Both high on the 'no I don't need that even though I really could be helped by something like that' scale and high on the 'has to be bought with the future owner's involvement' scale. Walkers can be nearly that way, between how much the walker weighs to whether or not it's got wheels.

Even with a certain family member's whole-hearted desire for new hearing aids, actually getting them is a project of many many months. And that's not even counting in that yes, there are a huge number of styles and types, not all of which work for her. (We're still communally ticked at a hearing center that sent her a Please Come In offer for a sale on devices they already had her on file as never-ever-ever getting any benefit from.)

Those on-the-shelf amplifiers? Not going to help.

And her eyes? Forget the magnifiers, she doesn't have the free hand when reading. Forget the store-brand grab-and-go reading glasses. She needs stuff that requires a prescription.

Sure, we could surprise her with pre-purchased accessibility aids. None of it would do a bit of good. Offering to spring for something she's said she wants, or making sure we buy books for her with decent print? That helps.

Meanwhile, she's the one who lets everyone else try out her gripper-onna-stick and tells them where to get their own if the thing helps any.

And in my experience, among her and her circle trying out each other's walkers leads to much more actual walker use than 'no, you really need this now, here I bought one for you'.

[sami]

I noticed that. It's kind of infuriating, on so many levels - as a thirty-year-old with disabilities for a start. Meanwhile my 61-year-old father is a professional computer nerd and is more at home with technology than most people half his age, almost certainly including anyone involved in producing that steaming pile of horse apples masquerading as an article.

[sasha_feather]

They need to accept their limitations! Because we know just what they need!

I can imagine how this would go with my grandmother or my mother, much less with myself. >:(