Blind Traveler Down A Dark River

Work Title: Blind Traveler Down A Dark River
Medium: Novel
Episode Title:
Year: 2004
Writer(s): Robert Bennett
"Original" Writer: Yes Own work?: No
Summary:

By Robert Bennett; "a Mystery/Sci-fi thriller about a blind man who accidentally discovers and then goes on to solve a series of murders. Following on fourteen years of writing articles about issues of living with, adapting to, and overcoming disability, the idea for this novel arose while researching an article about a real- world experimental system that allows a blind person to navigate through his environment using a combination of global positioning satellite and virtual reality technologies. The device assigns sounds to different objects thereby allowing the user to see potential obstacles. / I took the concept of the device and threw it into the future so the technology would be solid and widely used, says Bennett. Then, I thought about what would happen if the technology allowed a blind person to witness something he wouldnt otherwise have access to, like a murder. Two questions came to mind. Would anyone believe a blind man could witness a murder? How could he go about proving it happened and finding the perpetrator?... Contact: http://www.enablingwords.com/" (from http://press.xtvworld.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5450)

Era/Year of Portrayal: near_future
Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

Year 2021. Immense geographic change. New York is ravaged by frequent, high intensity earthquakes. Long Island is underwater. GPS is in everything, including people.

Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: navigator
  • Description of the technology: A navigator is a device a blind person wears. It consists of headphones and a small box worn on a belt. It emits differernt tones and beeps for obejctes and people a blind person encounters as he or she walks. The tones and beeps are sent out as the GPS technology inside the navigator works, reading both the wearer and other objects/people. The navigator permits the blind person to walk around unassisted by another person or dog.
  • Nature of task or activity: Everything. Traveling anywhere.
  • Performance of the Technology: Usually it workd well. Twice, the navigator thinks it is on another part of town than where it is. It sends off signals for somewhere else, thus making the wearer become confused.
  • Description of creator(s): unknown
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): to help blind people navigate their way around.
  • Description of users of technology: The protaganist is Dan Ableman. He was blinded a few years ago by a random drive by shooting. Age and race are unknown. He is very smart, perceptive, and polite.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: spatial_presence
  • Description of presence experience: Generally, the navigator lets Dan know where he is. When it malfunctions, placing him at a crime scene, he is virtually there. Typically, the presence sensation is pleasent, providing knowledge and comfort. When malfunctioning, the experience is scary, bewildering, and disconcerting.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: yes.
  • Valence of experience: usually pleasant. only when malfunctioning is it unpleasant.
  • Specific responses: improved task performance and skill training, abilty to manuver through crowded streets. However, Dan does become dependent upon it.
Long-term consequences:

It ends happily. Dan finds the killer, she is arrested, and he seemingly lives happily ever after, with his navigator

Other:

Coder name: Amanda Scheiner
Coder email: amandags@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University