In/A T the beginning...
This is my first attempt in writing and I crave to coax correctly communicated constructive criticism, questions, complaints, quandaries, queries or conundrums. Many of my beliefs stem from what I've experienced through my youth and young adulthood, so if my viewpoints seem contradictory, I've experienced some things in my time. From AT Trainer and Beekeeper, to Xylophone in Drum Line and a summer as a Zoo Docent, I've seen and done many things (one of those is a lie).My wish for this blog is to spread patience, kindness, truth, belief, hope, endurance and above all, LOVE. Love one another and treat one another as you would like to be treated.
A and T
A and T, these two letters have meant many things in my life. As a 9 year old a t meant I had to be awake at 6:45 AM to get on the school bus. When I was 17, 'a t' meant that I had to be at my concert band rehearsal fifteen minutes before when I was told to be there. In my twenties, I found out that a t meant a lot of things for a lot of different people whether it is the time to start a show or where precisely to meet a friend for coffee. In my thirties, learning of my disability, a t brings on a whole new meaning with the term A T.What does AT mean now?
When I was told I was blind when I turned 33, "Assistive Technology" was what AT meant. I believe that first word oozed a negative connotation, made it seem like AT needed to be something extra, or out of the ordinary to assist someone who is disabled. In golf, you can get an assist by evaluating your handicap. Your handicap is essentially an equation which will bump your score up to the 'par' players, giving you an immediate advantage. So, I say "Out with assistive technology."Shortly after the first flew by, "Adaptive Technology" came out as the catchphrase. I personally find this very fitting for the industry. Everyone needs to adapt in their lives somehow; finding new walls, barriers and obstacles to overcome is an everyday adaptation in anyone's life. This technology helps us who have a certain impairment adapt to the able bodied world we live in.
Around the time I was hearing Adaptive Technology catch on, Access Technology started making it's way around. Now keep in mind I've only been in the industry for 3 years now, so if any of this seems out of order I will resign to your more knowledgeable timeline. Access Technology seems to have strummed some heartstrings of the community at large and this acronym expansion may indeed have stuck. It holds neither negative nor positive connotation, it's wonderfully neutral. The way it just means it's how those of us with a disability access the world, seems natural in all types of speech and writing.
SO, whether AT is AT or AT or AT
No matter what your preference is, I won't judge. If you can make a logical argument for any point, I'll listen. In this blog, AT will just be AT and I'll call it what I will when I want in any given situation.
Thank you for listening,
Matt
