Blind Engineers

[fingers]

Hi,
As part of my multimeter for the blind project I would like to know how many blind engineers/ technicians work in the electronics industry. Are you or a collegue blind, what kind of multimeters do you use eg. talking/ any other.

This or any related information would be very useful to me.
Thank you,
Best Regards.

 

[phalanx]

I'm just curious but have you thought about how a blind engineer is going to read this page?

 

[zevon8]

I'm just curious but have you thought about how a blind engineer is going to read this page?

Generally, they would use a screen reader, either in audio format, or depending on the level of vision, a magnifier.

https://www.w3.org/WAI/References/Browsing.html#2

 

[mramos1]

I hope if they are sight impared, they are working with low voltage. Is this a talking meter your are building? I have a talking air pressure guage, so sure they are chips out there to make one.

But I have never met a blind EE, thought my vision is getting pretty bad.

 

[JimB]

A talking meter would be of use to someone who has to work in a cramped area like the back of an equipment cabinet or a marshalling cabinet.
But a blind guy? never seen it in industry.

JimB

 

[andy257]

A talking meter would be of use to someone who has to work in a cramped area like the back of an equipment cabinet or a marshalling cabinet.
But a blind guy? never seen it in industry.

JimB

Also agree here, Would be useful in cramped conditions etc but i dont think you will find many blind engineers (electrical / electronic ones)

Its like how many electricians do you know that are colour blind?

Andy

 

[fingers]

I have read about blind people working in the electronics industry here ( **broken link removed** ) and elsewhere on the web so it must be possible.

 

[mramos1]

Actually, I was in the back of a 19" rack today with a meter. I might want one too. And playing with 110vac, rather watch the probes, not the meter.

 

[justDIY]

I'm a tad confused here, and perhaps it's because of language or cultural differences?

are we talking about design engineers, as in the people who work mostly with theory and mathematics (most of the electrical engineers I knew at school were in this category). I agree vision would be a benefit to this type of work, but hardly a requirement... mental abilities are important here, not physical abilities.

or are we talking about electrician / technicians, who may also be engineers, that are working in the field, repairing stuff or assembling it in a factory? I can see physical abilities such as vision and dexterity being the strong requirements for this type of work, with mental abilities being secondary (although still important).

 

[Someone Electro]

I had to pass a vision test before i was acsepted in this school.It was a test of seeing stuff at a distance and the color blindes.I pased no problem.

 

[zevon8]

Many of the better meters will allow for "saving" a reading, either instantaneous, min/max, over a time span, whatever. My Fluke does this, very handy in close quarters, or places where you would rather watch your fingers than the meter face.

I agree tho.. it would be highly unlikely that anyone visually impared would go poking about with meter leads on live gear if they can't see any of it.

 

[kjennejohn]

I ran across a DIY article to build a talking volt meter in some hobbyists electronic magazine...I swear... 20 years ago or so. The author took a meter with a CMOS one-chip solution and mated its multiplexed LED driver signals to... I don't rightly remember. A microcontroller, I believe, which then drove a speech generator chip. He knew someone who was blind who did repairs in the neighborhood for side money. Perhaps someone here whose brain hasn't siezed up like mine can remember the details.

It's all been done before.
kenjj

 

[mramos1]

20 years ago. Heck, it could have been me. OR a few others here.

Thank goodness the hard profile question here is where are you located and not what is your age. A blank profile entry is better than a lie I guess.

I will just be careful when I probe high voltage.. But it would be neat. Then you get on a high speed digital signal or hit some AC and the meter will not talk to you anymore and it is back to a scope.

 

[fingers]

I'm a tad confused here, and perhaps it's because of language or cultural differences?

are we talking about design engineers, as in the people who work mostly with theory and mathematics (most of the electrical engineers I knew at school were in this category). I agree vision would be a benefit to this type of work, but hardly a requirement... mental abilities are important here, not physical abilities.

or are we talking about electrician / technicians, who may also be engineers, that are working in the field, repairing stuff or assembling it in a factory? I can see physical abilities such as vision and dexterity being the strong requirements for this type of work, with mental abilities being secondary (although still important).

I am more interested in people who would use a multimeter to test whether a unit is working correctly, rather than at design level.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I am more interested in people who would use a multimeter to test whether a unit is working correctly, rather than at design level.

Unless you just mean on a factory production line?, I wouldn't have thought blind people would be at all suitable for such work - FAR too dangerous, and they are missing one of the most important test instruments you can use!.

Cardinal rule of fault finding:

Eyes, ears and nose first - hands LAST!.

If you can't see that resistor that's burnt to a crisp?, or the capacitor that's exploded?, or the crack in the PCB? - you wouldn't be much use!.

 

[gizmoman]

Cardinal rule of fault finding:

Eyes, ears and nose first - hands LAST!.

man that was the most sanest and the best suggestion to any electronics newbie. gotta remember it for life time.

 

[zevon8]

ya, very sage advice. After you have been at the bench for a few years you tend to develope an almost uncanny sense of smell, to the point where you often think to yourself.. I smell something getting hot.. LOL.

 

[mramos1]

Cardinal rule of fault finding:

Eyes, ears and nose first - hands LAST!.

man that was the most sanest and the best suggestion to any electronics newbie. gotta remember it for life time.

I hear Nigel has a precision temperature probe on one of his hands. Do not recall which finger...

 

[evandude]

After you have been at the bench for a few years you tend to develope an almost uncanny sense of smell, to the point where you often think to yourself.. I smell something getting hot.. LOL.

I remember a couple years ago, my roommate and I (both EE students) smelled smoke, and we both immediately freaked out, jumped up and started sniffing our computers, monitors, and all the other electronics in the room... and then looked out the open window and saw someone lighting a barbecue grill.

 

[justDIY]

hehe, thats a similar problem here ... my neighbor likes to occasionally burn his trash (one of these times I'll get him on video for the fire marshall), and the burning plastics smell just like burning electronic parts ... since my house is chalk full 'ol electronics, it always makes me nervous.