We’re all just temporarily abled • Hacker News Board

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#451

Post by tripdout » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 6:40 PM UTC

johnnyworker wrote: post #369

sideproject wrote: post #30

I once sat on a zoom call with a vision impaired user to do some accessibility testing on our site. First, it was enlightening for me to see how she navigated through our site using her screen reader. Second when she landed on our booking page we got so embarrassed because she couldn’t use our date picker. A basic HTML version would have done the job. But a few weeks back we had debated over which fancy jquery date p…

Here is an idea: The devs of a site (or an application) are in a video call, with screen sharing or whatever is useful, with a user who has accessibility needs and is using their site/program. A bunch of other devs sit in on it, muted, just learning. Then the devs throw some money in the pot and the user who did the testing gets paid for their time. Everybody wins. Oh, and if all participants agree, the stream is mad…

Not a video call but a recording made by the user, and not specifically for accessibility testing, but UserTesting is something similar like that.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#452

Post by cogman10 » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 6:41 PM UTC

heyoni wrote: post #420

cogman10 wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. I have a child with autism. The American system is cruel beyond imagination. To qualify them for social security and Medicaid I have to leave them impoverished. They can't have more than $2k worth of assets in their name. Instead it's a complex lawyer game of trusts to give my child any sort of inheritance. Yet they are basically guaranteed to end up in a group home (Even though I own my own home) because a care…

I know medicaid exemptions or waivers aren't tied to parental income but are you saying they're tied to the individual's assets? That seems scary.

> Single Applicant for Nursing Home Care Idaho seniors must be financially and medically eligible for long-term care Medicaid. They must have limited income, limited assets, and a medical need for care. A single individual applying for Nursing Home Medicaid in 2023 in ID must meet the following criteria: 1) Have income under $2,762 / month 2) Have assets under $2,000 3) Require the level of care provided in a nursing home facility.

https://www.medicaidplanningassistance.org/medicaid-eligibil...

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#453

Post by heurist » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 6:43 PM UTC

ianburrell wrote: post #401

Justsignedup wrote: post #233

How many people I know got hit by a car and had their life ruined horribly. Or a bad surgery. Things totally out of their control. We need to see disability as a cost to society we must pay, not a failure of individuals which is more or less what were treating it. The American disability system is basically proving (very painfully) that life is barely livable to get scraps of help. Like below poverty levels. I really…

There are a lot of disabilities that are in the brain that can’t be helped with exercise. Bit by tick and get Lyme disease. Get virus and get chronic fatigue syndrome. Get hit on head and get TBI. Don’t even know what causes fibromyalgia. I have chronic vestibular migraine, which means dizziness and fatigue, but can work most days.

I have a sporadically-debilitating chronic disease and can't imagine how life would possibly work for me if I was not working a flexible office job.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#454

Post by TylerE » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 6:48 PM UTC

pimlottc wrote: post #355

oalders wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can see an audiologist, they should be able to get you custom molded ear plugs. You can buy filters for different sound levels, so that you can reduce the volume and still be able to hear enough to enjoy music at a concert etc. If they're well made, you can probably wear them for a few hours without too much discomfort. They're more expensive than something that is off the shelf, but being able to choose the a…

To add to this, expect to pay around $200 or so for custom earplugs, plus the cost of the audiologist exam. If you live close to a company that makes these, you may be able to visit them for an in-person exam at a bundled price. While obviously this isn’t cheap, it’s well worth paying for if you’re a musician or you go to concerts frequently. I got mine from Sensaphonics, they’re in Chicago. They also make in-ear mon…

Also look out for headphone groups doing manufacturer events. They'll sometimes be doing free molds. Same mold for either type of plug ;)

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#455

Post by neop1x » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 6:49 PM UTC

f0x3 wrote: post #342

Story time? I worked very hard to get into a very physical job and I made it. It was the beginning of my professional career, I wanted to do this since I was a kid. I was 22. A few weeks went by, still couldn't believe they were paying me to do something I loved so much :) Of course, one regular day going to work on my motorcycle a distracted pedestrian crossed illegally and without looking. It jumped from behind a b…

It's heartbreaking to read! :( But thanks for sharing it. It's also a terrific reminder to those of us who are still "able" yet are dissatisfied with our lives for a variety of foolish reasons. And a good reminder that our lives may be turned upside down in an instant. I respect how you dealt with it while still enjoying life. Also good to hear that your girlfriend still loves and supports you. I wish you all the best!

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#456

Post by tjoff » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 6:50 PM UTC

ryathal wrote: post #359

sideproject wrote: post #30

I once sat on a zoom call with a vision impaired user to do some accessibility testing on our site. First, it was enlightening for me to see how she navigated through our site using her screen reader. Second when she landed on our booking page we got so embarrassed because she couldn’t use our date picker. A basic HTML version would have done the job. But a few weeks back we had debated over which fancy jquery date p…

It's been a while, but I'm not convinced there is a truly accessible date picker out there. Allowing manual typing of the date seems like the best and only viable option.

Somewhat agree, but when you say typing the date you mean ISO 8601, right?

That is the only sensible format for dates, and while all developers probably agree on that it isn't a given that all your users will.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#457

Post by sixstringtheory » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 6:52 PM UTC

justsomehnguy wrote: post #333

dgellow wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That makes me think, how does one learn to use a screen reader? (Or alternatives for other handicaps) It seems fairly technical and challenging to learn, but I feel it would make sense for abled engineers to practice using those. I personally wouldn’t even know where to start, I only enabled the screen reader a few times by mistakes and have no idea how I could learn to be effective with it if I need to at some point…

Just turn off your monitor.

If you enable VoiceOver on iOS, you can perform a gesture to enable “screen curtain” which turns off display rendering: a triple-finger triple tap.

Great way to test your app for accessibility.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#458

Post by Tempest1981 » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 6:53 PM UTC

SoftTalker wrote: post #377

ryathal wrote: post #359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's been a while, but I'm not convinced there is a truly accessible date picker out there. Allowing manual typing of the date seems like the best and only viable option.

Also just typing the date manually is almost always faster than using a date picker. Or at least that's how I perceive it, which is all that matters. I hate apps that force me to take my hands off the keyboard and use the mouse.

For motel stays, it's nice/reassuring to see/select by day-of-the-week.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#459

Post by captainbland » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 6:59 PM UTC

swyx wrote: post #90

zealotsm wrote: post #54

This reminded me of 5 daily remembrances from Buddhist cannon. 1. I am sure to become old; I cannot avoid ageing. 2. I am sure to become ill; I cannot avoid illness. 3. I am sure to die; I cannot avoid death. 4. I must be separated and parted from all that is dear and beloved to me. 5. I am the owner of my actions, heir of my actions, actions are the womb (from which I have sprung), actions are my relations, actions…

how depressing. what do they have to say about what joy to derive from life?

I suppose the implication is to enjoy what you can before those things take hold, or during them as best you can if that's the hand you're dealt with. To me this implies the importance of a work/life balance. Working with the hope that it will pay off later has to be traded off with the knowledge that your later life may be inherently less joyful or may not even happen.

Re: We’re all just temporarily abled

#460

Post by wing-_-nuts » Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 7:16 PM UTC

mrguyorama wrote: post #419

wing-_-nuts wrote: post #336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The American disability system is basically proving (very painfully) that life is barely livable to get scraps of help. Like below poverty levels. Yep, SSI disability is a system designed to keep you in poverty. The current max benefit is a little more than $900 / mo. That's basically unlivable unless you also happen to have section 8 housing, which when I asked, had such a huge waitlist it was unusable. $900 / mont…

Also, the second you have slightly more than pocket cash to your name, all your disability and SSI type benefits go away. You cannot work yourself out of disability, because getting a job that can't exclusively pay for all your needs will still kill your benefits, leaving you worse off than the horrid poverty of exclusively relying on the government. So many people in America who are on government benefits for life w…

Mostly agreed on all of this. The only real way out for people on SSI, based on my experience, is to get a degree in a field where your disability doesn't hold you back. For me, this was computer science.

However, I'm not about to go tell everyone on SSI the way out of that poverty trap is to simply 'learn to code'. I'm fully aware that 'learning to code' isn't even an option for most of the able bodied population, much less those dealing with disabilities.

I simply don't hold out much hope that governments will ever allow those 'on disability' to live a dignified life.