> When my leg suddenly beeps and buzzes and goes into “dead mode” — the knee stiffens; I walk like a penguin — the tryborg is alive without batteries.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/30/opinion/the-dawn-of-the-tryborg.html
I don't think I'd go quite as far as the author (I'd want to count glasses and other noncomputerized prosthetics & mobility aids) but it's an important perspective.
@octopus Yeah.. The article spends so long chewing on a binary between "Me, A Valid-Disabled" and "You, A Tech Valley Stereotype Google Man" that it doesn't leave any room to talk about nuance and inclusivity.
I was still waiting for a clear + inclusive definition when I got to the bottom of the article. :/
@octopus Like, I rely on my wheelchair in plenty of situations. There are other situations where I don't, or it is less useful.
But.. I also rely on a tablet and associated apps for vital help with communication and organisation. Without those things I struggle with basic life stuff + fall ill (because forgetting to eat, stopping and starting pills all the time, etc, is a hoot). But that's clearly "Google Man sneers down at me from his castle, callously kickstarting a smartphone" territory.
🤷
@pastelbat yeah, the author overlooked/missed the entire category of mental aids… and disabilities that don't involve the absence of a limb.