If you’re going to Portsmouth, England, you might want to stick to walking or public transportation rather than flagging a taxi. NPR reports that would-be cab drivers are allowed to take the written test in Braille.
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If you’re going to Portsmouth, England, you might want to stick to walking or public transportation rather than flagging a taxi. NPR reports that would-be cab drivers are allowed to take the written test in Braille.
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It’s little things like this, and tidbits from various BBC podcasts (The Now Show, News Quiz, Chris Moyles) that reassure me that America dosn’t have a lock on dumb government regulations.
How cold does comfort get before tears freeze?
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That’s scary as hëll…
From my quick (one quasi-reliable source) research:
First: It’s the license application — not the exam.
Second: There is a portion for the employer to fill out as well, and the employer might legitimately need the Braille.
A link to a UK Daily Mail article
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1247236/Enthusiastic-city-council-issues-inclusive-taxi-driver-license-applications–Braille.html
Their focus seems to be on the idea that it’s a little bit going overboard on accessibility, since taxi drivers obviously don’t need Braille versions of the application. Not that those who need to read Braille will now be allowed to drive taxis.
I realize the UK Daily Mail isn’t known for 100% accuracy, but I suspect the news managed to get twisted on its route overseas.
I’ll also mention that the UK Daily Mail quotes The Sun as its source, which is equally, if not better known for its ‘level of accuracy.’
A point well made.
Then again, who needs accuracy when you have “page 3”.
Another point, well made.
Wow, the Alan Moore series “Top 10” had a character named “Blindshot, the Zen Cabbie”. He was blind, and his cab always drove to wherever it was meant to go.
I’m still wondering why there’s Braille on drive-up ATMs.
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Saw that used once. The driver stopped a little farther than arms length from the thing and then some guy got out of the back seat and used the Braille ATM controls.
Ignoring the fact that you are making a joke and ripping off about a dozen comedians to do so– the obvious answer here is that the keypads are standardized and why go to the extra expense and bother to make up a brand new set of keypads just for the drive thru?
Way back in the early ’90s there was a four-issue limited series called GILGAMESH 2. Near the end, an ultra-liberal hippie was put in a position of power, and one of the first things she said was (I paraphrase here), “We have to remove those laws keeping blind people from getting driver’s licenses. Don’t people realize that they’re just discrimination against the visually challenged?”
I remember that series. I also remember one sequence in that story set in a college classroom. The teacher advised that the test was going to be like 10 true-false questions and the students groaned b/c it sounded so hard.
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The entire population in that series weren’t exactly shining examples of education and genius.
Maybe a blind person could drive a taxi if he has a really smart dog.
I wonder if this is a case of a previous regulation which required all forms and tests be available in Braille. And all forms means all forms even those which would never be used.
So that’s I saw a bunch of black sunglasses and walking sticks littering the road at The Hard Interchange and the Portsmouth and Southsea railway station……
Off Topic:
Hey Peter what are your thoughts on Smallville’s special Justice Society TV Movie?
I’m not familiar with that team but I liked the episode a lot, there was a sense of wonder, nostalgia and appreciation for the Golden Age of Comics personified by the DC super-hero team.