lol Cindy --- Gerald Hovas <GeraldHovas@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Cindy, > > Didn't think to mention that Michelle's reaction was > what tipped me off that our dating wasn't much of a > secret among the staff. It's one of the things that > Karen and I still get tickled about from back then. > I think Karen had a good time a day or two later > when she spoke with Michelle and told her "I hear > you met Gerald." Also didn't think to mention that > Michell's little revelation caught her off guard so > that she didn't realize we had arrived at the next > fllor, and I was too amused to notice that bob was > waiting on her. Bob had to stomp on the fllor of > the elevator to get her attention so she'd know it > was time to get off. > > Gerald > > -----Original Message----- > From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On > Behalf Of Gerald Hovas > Sent: Saturday, June 17, 2006 9:58 PM > To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: OT: Anindya > Bhattacharyya, aka Bapin > > Cindy, > > Interesting. He's not the first deaf-blind person > to make the news from HKNC, though. Bob and > Michelle Smithdas were on either 20/20 or 60 Minutes > a long time ago, plus various articles in magazines. > If I remember correctly, Bob has his Ph.D. and > Michelle has her Master's. They're probably the > best educated deaf-blind couple in the world and > probably the best known. Although I wouldn't be > surprised to hear that they've retired now. > > BTW, I met my wife at HKNC while working on a > computer project up there back in the late 80's. > Karen was working in their Daily Living Skills > department at the time. Bapin wasn't there back > then, but I remember McNulty. > > I had an interesting encounter with Bob and Michelle > on the elevator, too. I talked to Michelle whyile > we were on it. She asked if I was there for the > seminar being given for the small group of rehab > professionals who had come for the week. When she > found out that I was up there from MS State to work > on their database for Deaf-Blind people, she put two > and two together and realized that I was the one who > was dating Karen, and she got the funniest look on > her face. BTW, both Michelle and Bob could talk, > but you had to fingerspell in their hand in order to > talk to them. Although I believe Michelle > preferred tactile signing to tactile fingerspelling. > > Gerald > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On > Behalf Of Cindy > Sent: Saturday, June 17, 2006 8:58 PM > To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: OT: Anindya > Bhattacharyya, aka Bapin > > Here is the transcript of the segment from CBS news > this evening. There was a photo of Bapin, and, of > course, on tv several visuals. My husband called me > in > to see if I "knew" him from bookshare, but the name > was't familiar. > > Cindy > > > > The Blind-Deaf Tech Wiz > One Man Is Inventing Technology To Lead An > Independent > Life > > NEW YORK, June 17, 2006 > Anindya Bhattacharyya helps one of his students. > (CBS) > > > (CBS) Technology changes all of our lives every day, > but, as CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller > reports, it's hard to think of anyone who stands to > gain more from technological innovation than those > who > have lost their hearing and sight. > > People like Anindya Bhattacharyya, who is both blind > and deaf. He has a mission: to live as independently > as possible and to change the lives of hundreds of > thousands of people like himself throughout the > world. > > It's what brought Bapin, as he's better known, to > the > Helen Keller National Center in Long Island, New > York. > > "I didn't know I was going to be a techie in the > tech > world," Bapin says in sign language. > > He is more than that, he is a tech wiz. He not only > teaches students, but he has helped technology > companies develop new gadgets that allow the blind > and > deaf to navigate the seeing, hearing world. > > "I like to empower them to be successful in whatever > they attempt," he told Miller through an > interpreter. > "I feel that it's a good thing that I do." > > It's a long way from the dirt poor village of his > native India, where he was born deaf 35 years ago. > Bapin came to America after a troubled child-hood > and > fell in love with the field of high tech. > > His contribution has been in research and > development. > Bapin's done field tests on the Braille modified lap > top phone, used by the blind-deaf to talk to the > rest > of the world via a speaking operator. > > He's also helped develop the Tactile Talking Tablet > which allows people like him to explore street grids > of cities they plan to visit. > > Then there's the SBC ââ?¬â?? or screen Braille > communicator ââ?¬â?? which the deaf-blind can use > to do > their shopping, order meals in restaurants or > communicate with an air-line cabin crew. Bapin > himself > travels the world using the same equipment. > > And there's the portable Global Satellite > Positioning > System. It helps Bapin navigate while his > interpreter, > Jane Hecker-Cain, drives. > > The device is so good, it allows Bapin to help more > than someone who can see. > > "The sighted person depends on me," Bapin says. > > "He found my husband's place of employment," > Hecker-Cain says. "I told him the address which we > just passed, and he just named the name of the > company > ââ?¬â?? that's pretty cool." > > Joe McNulty is the director of the Hellen Keller > National Center and Bapin's boss. > > "Bapin is clearly one of the brightest deaf-blind > people I have ever met," he says. And McNulty thinks > Bapin is a role model for the students he instructs. > > "We have people working for major companies now > where > they are handling a client or a customer's account > through the Internet, and the person has no idea > they > are communicating with an employee who happens to be > deaf-blind," he says. > > Ironically, Bapin says he would have never found his > calling if he hadn't been blinded at the age of nine > by a jealous kid who threw ashes in his eyes. He > tells > Miller that becoming blind was a blessing in > disguise. > > Bapin plans to spend the rest of his life passing on > his knowledge and enthusiasm to his students > ââ?¬â?? a > case, quite literally, of the blind leading the > blind. > > Ã?©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! 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