Topic: Thoughts

How to win a video contest

Nov 1, 2009 10:14 pm by: Blake Watson

Okay, so this is my official announcement (and acknowledgment) regarding the status of the “What Can YOU Do?” video contest hosted by the Campaign for Disability Employment. My entry, “Meet Sue,” was the overall winner of over 130 entries. Suffice it to say that I was surprised and overwhelmed at the very idea. Thanks to [...]

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Apple and the value of universal design

Sep 10, 2009 10:57 am by: Blake Watson

If you’re the techie type or an Applehead like me, then you know that Apple has announced exciting new updates to its iPod+iTunes product lineup. The highlight of the revisions is arguably the new and improved iPod nano, which touts a larger screen, an FM tuner, and the ability to record video on the fly [...]

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The end of an era

Sep 6, 2009 9:11 pm by: Blake Watson

After twenty-four years of life, eighteen years of education, and one summer of unemployment, the result is an underwhelming product: an MBA who loves a field for which he did not go to school, has been thrown into a world of economic hardship, and is confined to a state in which ten percent of people [...]

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Dr. Torchinsky and Dr. Pepper

Jun 7, 2009 2:43 pm by: Blake Watson

A big thing for me right now is keeping tabs on my weight. Or at least that’s what they tell me. Apparently, if you can’t move (e.g., you have SMA), you shouldn’t eat as much as other people do. Makes sense, but it is difficult to put into practice, especially considering that I live in [...]

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Finding your happy ending

Apr 26, 2009 9:43 pm by: Blake Watson

Now that I’m finishing up my last semester in school, I’ve been thinking about the future, about the opportunities I will have, about the opportunities I have let pass, and about the difficulties I will face on the road ahead. Sometimes, the difficulties bring me down. Sometimes, my mind dwells on the things I can’t [...]

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The trouble with “The Trouble With Jerry”

Feb 25, 2009 11:29 am by: Blake Watson

Image by Getty Images via Daylife I’m skipping the pleasantries today. Here’s the website: thetroublewithjerry.net. Go look at it now. Seriously, I’ll wait. Just don’t forget to come back! Back already? I’m not surprised. It doesn’t take long to understand the message: Jerry Lewis is not deserving of a humanitarian award, such as the one [...]

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My letter about the MSU Student Association

Feb 18, 2009 10:29 am by: Blake Watson

I’m sorry I’m one day late, but here it is. SA should have disability group http://media.www.reflector-online.com/media/storage/paper938/news/2009/02/17/Opinion/Sa.Should.Have.Disability.Group-3632850.shtml The Student Association traditionally includes a cabinet position called Students with Disabilities Affairs (SDA). In recent years, SA presidential candidates have run on platforms that have included reducing the size of the cabinet. To achieve this, Students with Disabilities [...]

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Blah

Feb 14, 2009 10:04 pm by: Blake Watson

Image via Wikipedia After a not all that exciting week, my long-awaited software arrived yesterday. I’ve been playing around with MacSpeech Dictate, which is working better than I expected, and I’m glad to get my hands on the full version of KeyStrokes. Transitioning to keyboard-less computer use has not been easy so far. With KeyStrokes, [...]

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What to do in May?

Feb 1, 2009 8:47 pm by: Blake Watson

Image by T Hall via Flickr This semester is my last. If I can get through my last seven hours, I will be graduating with an MBA in May. The choice is where I want to go after that. As it stands now, I see that I have two options. The first is to go [...]

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My computer might be too intelligent

Jan 27, 2009 11:39 pm by: Blake Watson

So I found an old copy of Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It’s one that my brother had with his old laptop. It doesn’t run on MacOS X, but I’ve got Windows XP installed on my Mac via Parallels Desktop. As it turns out, my typing speed using Dragon NaturallySpeaking is 81 wpm. That’s incredibly fast compared to [...]

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A Wheeled Stalker

Nov 18, 2008 11:13 pm by: Blake Watson

Some of the most interesting social behaviors occur on public sidewalks. Lately, my wheelchair has spooked pedestrians into reacting with the oddest of behaviors: a move I will call “The Fake Detour.” The Fake Detour goes a little something like this. I’m traveling down the sidewalk at a normal speed (maybe fast walking) when I [...]

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Why you’re about to spend $20 on an indie documentary

Oct 5, 2008 10:03 pm by: Blake Watson

Mississippi State’s Lee Hall auditorium filled to capacity Tuesday for the screening of “Darius Goes West,” an independent film about a teenager with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy who embarks on a west-bound road trip. Darius, who’s friends helped him make the trip, left his home of Athens, GA on an adventure across the country to get [...]

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Disability Awareness: A book review of sorts

Aug 30, 2008 11:25 am by: Blake Watson

You may not be able to tell from the title, but this post is going to be a book review of sorts. One Mary Johnson from one Ragged Edge Magazine penned a manual called “Disability Awareness—Do It Right!” I was inspired to read this book, which I actually bought last year, because my student organizations [...]

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Programs, Activities, Festivities

Aug 26, 2008 11:14 pm by: Blake Watson

Mississippi State University is home to a small group of students with disabilities who seek to improve the college experience for other students with disabilities. We are called United Students. With the new school year beginning, we are preparing to have our first meeting and begin coming up with ideas. I want us to do [...]

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Birds of a feather flock together

Aug 19, 2008 11:42 pm by: Blake Watson

A strange thing happened in the bookstore today. I joined some friends for coffee and conversation. What could be strange about that, you ask? Well, I noticed we all had disabilities and used wheelchairs. It became momentarily awkward to me. All the disabled people were hanging out with each other. Almost like we didn’t have [...]

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