Benefits of Free Software to people with disabilities

After attending the August Penguin 2010 conference, Ilana Benish wrote (in Hebrew) about the benefits of Free Software for people with disabilities.

I would like to make also the following points:

  • Working on Free Software projects, like working on any volunteer work, is a way for software developers with disabilities to prove their worth to prospective employers.  This can serve to overcome prejudices and resistance by prospective employers, especially those who were burned by people who proved to be capable of drawing a salary and incapable of delivering results.
  • Like working on other self-benefit projects, working on relevant Free Software projects can empower people with disabilities, who can now help themselves rather than rely upon other people to help them.

August Penguin 2010 sans IRC and lecture transcript streaming

Other people blogged about the conference, so I’ll be very dry and technical.

I served as the accessibility coordinator of the conference.  In addition to myself, I arranged for accessibility for two more people with disabilities – blind woman and a deaf+parapelgic man.  I reached the trivial conclusion that it was much easier in previous years, when I needed to arrange for accessibility only for myself.

IRC

Before the conference, it was suggested that we’ll try to arrange for lecture transcript straming to the Internet, to benefit people who cannot attend the event in person.  I bought into the idea when I realized that it would make the lectures accessible to deaf-blind people, who bring with them laptops with a Braille display.

Originally, I thought that I’ll not have the time to figure out the technical details.  However, since I was laid off two weeks before the conference, I had ample time to deal with the challenge of lecture transcript streaming.

During those two weeks, I went through the whole process of evaluating and selecting a transcript streaming method, and settled on IRC.  Then, I evaluated few IRC clients, until xchat was chosen.  Finally, I figured out how to configure the IRC channel to meet our needs.

However, all those efforts came to naught because the wireless network at the conference blocked IRC and opening IRC had to be arranged ahead of time instead of at the last minute.  Alternatively, I could have used a wireless modem, but I was not prepared for this.

The chosen IRC client had the problem of wasting columns on uninformative nickname of the speaker on the channel being followed.  For the next August Penguin, a special-purpose client should be developed.  It will take care of all details of reserving a channel and it’ll allow text entry and display in an optimal way for the task (lecture transcribing and real-time streaming of the text).

During the process, I got help from several people.  A thank-you letter should be found in the archives of the [email protected] mailing list.

Other Problems

In addition to the IRC problem, the laptop got stuck once, losing the transcript of the quick lecture about Free Software in Education.

The notetaker and the deafies sat near one of the lecture hall’s entrances, and it turned out to be a noisy place until the door was closed.  As a result, the notetaker missed parts of what was being spoken in the lectures.

As far as I am aware, everything else worked flawlessly.

Power Splitter

I brought with me a power splitter with three sockets.  I was amused to notice that people with laptops, who sat near us, needed the electrical power to recharge their laptops.  So all three sockets were in use.

Omer Zak and Peretz Zack – a medical examination confusion

Today I was in Memograph in Petah Tikva, a medical diagnostics institute to which my health fund refers patients who need to have their ankles (and some other body members) X-rayed or subjected to ultrasound examination.  I needed to have my ankle X-rayed.

I arrived at the place to find a long and overdue queue.  The delay was about an hour and half.  I gave the X-ray requisition form and Form 17 to the receptionist and told her that I am deaf.

Then I waited.  The wait was made more bearable thanks to the coincidence that three other Deaf men came for their own tests, two of whom I already knew and the third was a new acquaintance for me.  It was nice to pass the time chatting with them.

About the time I was due to enter the X-ray room, the receptionist surprised me by trying to hand over to me a CD which purported to have already contained my X-ray photos.  I protested and explained that I was not examined at all.

After some investigation and head scratching, it turned out that the X-ray technician called out for a Zak.  The receptionist did not realize that my shoulder needs to be tapped.  So another Zak got in – Peretz Zack, who by coincidence needed to have his ankle X-rayed as well.  His ankle was X-rayed according to the instructions in my form and he left soon afterwards.

After the confusion was clarified, I was called in and had my ankle X-rayed.  Some time later I got the CD and analysis results – which I hope that they indeed correspond to my own ankle rather than to Peretz Zack’s.

As I walked back home, I analyzed the event.  The mistake was due to the following:

  1. The patients have their paperwork taken by the receptionist, who hands it to the X-ray technician.  When a patient enters the X-ray room, he is not positively identified by the X-ray technician as corresponding to the paperwork waiting for him inside the room.  A post-it paper with the patient’s name given to the patient in exchange for the paperwork would have solved the problem.
  2. The receptionist was not trained to warn the X-ray technician NOT to use the public address system to summon a deaf patient, but rather to have someone tap on his shoulder.  This is more tough one, given the relative rarity of deaf patients.  Today’s get together of 4 patients was probably once in a lifetime coincidence.

From now on I’ll probably have to be on the lookout for medical records really belonging to Peretz Zack, which got into my medical files because he, by mistake, somehow assumed my identity.  At least until the medications, which I take due to my heart attack, kill him.

First anniversary of my heart attack

More accurately, first anniversary of my catheterization.

A year ago I worked in a place whose management style was far from being the right one for me.  Communications with the boss were throttled down because of a disability which made it difficult for him to type to me for long time, I was not granted adequate autonomy to do my work in a way comfortable for me, various measures which I suggested to make it safer to upgrade software were not taken, microscheduling was rampant, I was in anxiety.  I stayed on because of the standard advice not to leave work before lining up other work in its place.

Eventually I could stand it no more and resigned.  However my contract called for me to stay one more week to transfer my know-how to my successor.  I stayed for one more week, and noticed that I don’t feel well each day in the morning.  I had some strange pain in my chest, pain of the kind which I never felt in the past.  Drinking hot tea eased the pain.  I attributed this ill-feeling to work related anxiety.

At last, the week was over, but I still did not feel well in the morning of July 2nd, 2009 even though my last day of work was the day before.  So I decided it’s time to visit my primary health care provider (Kupat Holim).  My ECG was taken and there was something was abnormal with it, but still ambiguous.  My family doctor asked me some questions and finally told me to go to hospital for more tests.  I was advised not to take the bus but drive there by my car.  I preferred to take taxi instead, as otherwise there’ll be a problem with my car’s parking if I have to stay longer in hospital.

In the Golda-Hasharon hospital‘s emergency room, my ECG was taken again and my blood was drawn out for some tests. Some time later, a nurse came with a big (300mg) aspirin pill and oxygen bottle. I was told to chew the aspirin pill and leave the mess below my tongue.  I also was to breathe oxygen.  Finally I was informed that they suspect an heart attack.  The curious thing was that when I was in the hospital, I did not feel pain.  Few days later I got the documents with blood test results, which showed that my blood had troponin, a marker for destroyed heart muscular tissue i.e. heart attack.

I was then carted off to the cathlab.  While en route I was given the authorization forms to sign.  The warnings section had gems such as death, serious disability, heart attack, etc.  In the cathlab I noticed the label “Mennen Medical”, a company for which I worked years before, developing software for one of their products – a computer which is used for collecting and analyzing data in…cathlabs.  It reminded me of the sign in IAI (Israeli Aircraft Industries) asking the employees whether they would agree to fly on the screw they are manufacturing now.  However I do not think that my own software was actually used during the procedure done on me.  I was a relatively easy case.

The catheterization procedure was carried out while I was awake and I could follow the displays (but not fully understand what is going on).  I did get local anaesthesia in my crotch, where they inserted the catheter.

After catheterization, I was carted off to the cardiac intensive care unit, where I was to spend the next four days.  Eventually I was informed that I had one blocked coronary artery, and the blockage was easily opened using a balloon and a stent was placed there.

I did not realize at first my condition, so I naively asked whether and which of my plans for the night and the next few days need to be cancelled.  It emerged that I do have to cancel all plans, including a trip to England which I planned to have a week later.  My Nokia 9210i cellphone, even though not in good condition, proved to be real boon during the first several hours after catheterization.  I was able to send a FAX message to my travel agent to cancel my trip, to send SMS messages to several people with whom I planned to meet or chat during the next few days, to update my long distance girlfriend about my situation.  It did feel weird to be almost as active as I would be if I were working, so short time after catheterization.  However it didn’t require me to exert physical effort so it was OK.

During the first night of my stay in the intensive care unit, a symphony of pains played out throughout my body.  The hole in my crotch, where the catheter was inserted, was being closed by pushing a ball against it.  It is a challenge because the hole opens into a major artery and the blood partially lost its ability to clot due to medication – the conflicting requirements are that on one hand, clotting will form in the hole, but on the other hand – not in or around my heart.  Pain one.  Pain two was the pain of hunger, as I was not allowed to eat much during the first several hours after catheterization.  The third pain were the chest pains as arteries rearrange themselves to deal with the changed conditions as the blockage was opened and the stent was inserted.

Days passed and gradually the antibiotics infusion has ended, I got more or less regular meals, I was allowed to walk to the restroom.  One thing worried me.  I knew that I have essentially to enter a new culture, to learn its ways and habits, to learn what to eat and what not to eat, how about physical exercise, what medications to take.  So when the woman in charge of educating new cases came with booklets, I was glad about this.  She left me with several booklets and I spent the last two days in intensive care reading those booklets.  Meanwhile, a technician with portable ultrasound machine came and scanned my heart – turned out that my heart retained practically all its functionality – my heart attack was really minor.  In other words, I got out of it cheaply.

When I was due to be discharged from hospital, there was some concern that the hole in my crotch did not close properly.  However an ultrasound scan cleared this question and I was discharged.

When I was discharged from the hospital, a friend took me home where I took a shower (at last!) and checked my E-mail backlog.  Nothing urgent, but lots of spam.  Fortunately my E-mail inbox still had room for several E-mail messages when I checked it.

Then my friend took me to a pharmacy to obtain the medications prescribed to me and from there to the medical hotel where I was to stay during the next 5 days.  The hotel has a cardiologist and a nurse available all the time, and my ECG and blood pressure were taken each day, sometimes more often than that.  There were also lectures, and in two of them the lecturers made the effort to make the subject accessible to me.  One lecture was about the medications we are now obligated to take, and the other – about the kinds of foods we may eat and those that we should avoid.

Turned out that I need to avoid milk chocolate, one of my favorites.  🙁

I was also to walk each day and to exercise lightly.  The walk times began with 10 minutes, two times a day, gradually increasing during a month to an hour each day.

After my time in the medical hotel, I returned home.  At beginning I needed help buying food, because the supermarket was too far away for me to safely walk to it.  However, after a week at home I already could walk to the supermarket and fully take care of myself.

Near end of July, one morning I felt strong nausea.  Again to my primary health care provider and then to the hospital’s emergency care.  This time, my blood proved to be troponin-free.  My nausea also ended while I was in hospital.  It was a false alarm.  I got discharged after about three hours and went to have a lunch in a fast food Chinese restaurant.

I did not return to work until beginning of August, at which time I started working for another company.

At end of August I had argometric test, and at beginning September I started my visits to the heart rehabilitation institute, twice a week.  Heart rehabilitation consists of exercise, which gradually and slowly gets more and more strenuous. I was pleased to meet an old acquaintance, someone who was and is active in the Association of the Deaf in Israel, in my group.

I am left with the feeling of having gotten prompt and good service from the clinic, hospital and medical hotel.  Several months later I had a chat with someone who was having excruciating back pain.  She told me of all the waiting times she needed to wait before CAT scans, biopsies, etc.  I told her “next time, get a heart attack instead, and they’ll attend to you promptly”.  🙂

Nowadays I go with three 100mg aspirin pills and an up to date ECG together with my money, keys etc.  If I get another heart attack, the aspirin will weaken the clot and the ECG will make it faster and easier to diagnose my condition.

In favor of identifying with Shalit family’s pain, against freeing Gilad in exchange for terrorists who murdered Israelis

  1. My accounting is simple:The terrorists, who were released in exchange for Elechanan Tanenbaum few years ago, have murdered 29 Israelis by now in terror attacks.

    There is no doubt that the terrorists, whose release is demanded by Hamas in exchange for freeing Gilad Shalit, will murder even more Israelis in the next few years.

    The only difference among Gilad Shalit and those Israelis is that today we know who is Gilad Shalit, and we can associate with him a photo, parents in distress and a life story.  Whereas those dead Israelis are today nameless and we have no way to associate with them a photo, grieving relatives or life story.  Only after they have lost their lives, we’ll know who they were.

  2. Another aspect which no one seems to have thought about:Suppose Gilad Shalit is freed in exchange for all those terrorists and returns to live in Israel.  How will his life look like under the burden of Israelis who are killed or otherwise put at risk by those terrorists?  Won’t he feel obliged to live up to them as they sacrificed their lives to release him?  Won’t he be able to enjoy his life as a free man without onerous obligations?  Would he be able to live normal life under the weight of obligations to those who risked and sacrificed their lives to secure his release?

I am alarmed by Right-wing activists attack on misguided Left-wing activists

Let it be clear.  I believe that the Left-wing activists, who protest against the Israeli government’s handling of Gaza Strip in general and the flotilla in particular, are stupid, closed-minded, misguided and effectively are fifth column.

However, none of those attributes justify any form of attack on them by Right-wing activists.  Not the smoke grenade, not personal attack on Uri Avneri and his ilk, nothing except for counter-demonstration.

Freedom of expression counts the most when one wants to express highly annoying opinions.  Freedom of expression, in particular the freedom to question any of our sacred cows, is one of the foundations of our strength.

Let’s not deprive ourselves of real strength by threatening or silencing those misguided people!

Anakin Skywalker and Turkey

Those days Turkey is rapidly transforming from an ally and friend of Israel into an enemy, to be almost as dangerous as Iran.

The Turkey-related news of the last few days never fail to remind me of the transformation of Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” into Darth Vader.

I wonder what will be NATO’s stand if war starts between Turkey and Israel due to Erdoğan’s plans to break through Gaza blockade by personally escorting ships and accompanying them by Turkish navy ships.

Addendum:
I don’t like the incitatory slant of the article, however it provides a possible explanation of the environment which allowed Turkey to make the transformation into an enemy of Israel:  Turkey-vs-Israel. ANOTHER War in the Middle East?

I am not as optimistic as the article’s author about Israeli chances of winning a war against Turkey, because Turkey has been provided over the years with Israeli military technology.  Even today, the relevant contracts haven’t been suspended yet as far as I know.

The only way I see to avoid a Turkish-Israeli war is for the Turkish army to get hold of its wits and overthrow Erdoğan in a military coup, similar to past coups, which happened in Turkey over the years.

The path not travelled by Barack Hussein Obama

The story of Barack Hussein Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize is well known.
He got the prize without having accomplished much before winning it.

Few days ago I faced a similar (but in much smaller scale) situation.
I sometimes volunteer to help in area A.  There is a nonprofit B, whose mission is to support volunteers in area A.

Among other things, each year, nonprofit B selects few finalists and the Volunteer of the Year and gives them prizes.  Members of the nonprofit may nominate anyone they believe to deserve the Volunteer of the Year prize.

What happened was that to my surprise, I found myself among those who were nominated for the Volunteer of Year 2010 prize.  I did volunteer to some tasks, requiring only few hours each.  However I felt very uncomfortable being in a situation in which I could get this year’s prize or being one of the finalists.

On the other hand, my getting the prize would have signalled empowerment of people with disabilities.

After some thought, I withdrew my candidacy for the 2010 prize.  When questioned by a member of the committee in charge of selecting the winners, I explained that I did very little to deserve the prize.  On the other hand, I recently started a bigger project, and if it gets accomplished, I’ll feel comfortable getting the 2011 prize.

I am not particularly modest, neither am I in desperate search for honors or recognition.  Why, then, did I avoid this year’s prize?

The reason was that if I were in position to get the prize this year, it would have chaepened the prize in my eyes, and possibly also in others’ eyes.  Next year, if I accomplish that project, my getting the prize would honor both me and the prize.

On the other hand, one could argue that the Nobel Peace Prize was already irreversibly cheapened by having it granted to Yasser Arafat, who proved to be utterly incapable to steer his people toward peacefully building their territory and getting persperous, and away from terror against civilians.  So it didn’t matter anymore that Obama got it for essentially nothing

Celebrating Towel Day by forgetting a towel

Today, fans of the late Douglas Adams celebrate the Towel Day in his memory.
I managed to celebrate it by forgetting, for 1st time since I started to exercise in that particular gym, to bring my obligatory towel to the gym today.
Fortunately, a paper towel was available.