The other day my boyfriend took me through the Bosa doughnuts drive-thru. He demanded to know what kind of doughnuts I wanted. I said I didn’t care; I feared no doughnut. I was trying to be funny.
Then I asked him in a sheepish voice, “Are there a lot of options?”
As he began to read aloud the various combos that were available, I realized that my doughnut frontier had not been properly excavated. How had I not realized there were so many different doughnuts out there that needed eating?
Then I asked, “Are there photos of the doughnuts up there on the board?”
I was totally jealous when he confirmed the existence of the photos.
I want equal access to this kind of information!
I find it abhorrent; the way the needs of the blind consumer have been so grossly ignored throughout our society. This affects so many different areas of our lives.
Think about it. When you buy a new electronic gadget from Walmart, you pay the shelf price for it. Imagine getting it home. Upon taking it out of the box; you realize it has many different capabilities. Unfortunately; you can only access and use a small portion of the unit’s actual features due to inaccessibility. You just paid the full price for the product at Walmart. Why aren’t you entitled to full use of its functions?
I can’t tell you how many times I have dealt with this same frustrating scenario over the years. It makes a person feel like their needs and desires in life don’t matter to the companies manufacturing these products.
With the advancement of technology, a few companies have stepped forward to provide the blind community with tools that are truly accessible. Unfortunately; most companies continue to overlook our needs.
I have dealt with this totally unfair inconsistency in life for so long. No longer. From now on when I purchase any product that isn’t 100% accessible; I plan on saying something about it. I’m not going to just take the loss anymore.
As far as I’m concerned; if I’m going to pay full price for a product; the manufacturer is going to make it work for me all the way. How can we demand any less as responsible consumers?