Welcome to the home of the Cane and Able navigators. Follow this account to keep up with all
the latest happenings with the CaneAndAble.social Mastodon instance for blind people, as well as handy tips and tricks for mastodon and the Fediverse in general.
At CaneAndAble.social, we’re passionate about the benefits of social network that no one individual can control, no matter how wealthy they are. That has benefits for blind people, who wish to participate in social media via a range of access technology on many platforms. Mastodon’s openness means that anyone with the skills can create an app for the Fediverse, and that’s good news. We are always sure to have accessible means of participating fully. If the accessibility of one app happens to break, or it is no longer developed, there are others, and there are few barriers to entry for new developers.
So, about this name of ours. How did we get it, and what does it mean? It is a pun. For those unaware, there is a story in the Bible, Genesis to be precise, chapter 4 to be preciser, (OK that’s not an actual word), of two brothers, Cain and Abel. But changing the spelling to Cane and Able sends a powerful message. The white cane blind people use for travel is seen as an international symbol of our independence. Able, as in ability, reflects the values by which many blind people live our lives.
So often, we are limited not by our blindness, but by other people’s perceptions of it. This manifests itself when we’re passed over for a job, because an employer closes their eyes and can’t imagine how they would do the job if they couldn’t see, and concludes that we can’t do it either. Limited perceptions result in us struggling to get the accommodations we need to succeed in education, to function optimally with technology, and so many other pursuits. CaneAndAble.social is a slightly tongue-in-cheek way of making an important statement. Our blindness doesn’t mean we’re not capable.
You will have read the rules before signing up here, so we won’t revisit them in this post. But here are a few things that make our community special.
First, while there are other instances where blind people hang out, CaneAndAble.social is a domain that is up-front about our blindness, much like there are other communities on Mastodon that directly identify with many other minorities. It clearly speaks to the kind of people we serve. This helps with discovery. You know that by looking for people on CaneAndAble.social, you’ll find blind people like you. Over time, you will find more businesses serving the blind community as well.
Second, our friendly team are here to help with any questions you have about using Mastodon accessibly. Direct your requests to this account by mentioning it. Not only will the navigators, Lynette and Jonathan, do what we can, but other people who follow this account have plenty of knowledge to share too. We know that Mastodon is a bit of a different way to do social media, but it represents a better future and we want you to have the help you need to make the most of it.
Third, you have room to express yourself with clarity and courtesy. Mastodon by default gives you 500 characters per post. CaneAndAble.social gives you a whopping 10,000. If you find that’s not enough for a legitimate reason, we’ll gladly consider increasing it.
Fourth, one of the things we often hear from new community members who join us is, “dude, this thing is fast!” And it is. We take good infrastructure, and providing you with a quality service, seriously.
Fifth, Some instances have chosen to block Threads, the Meta social network that is now part of the Fediverse. We have chosen not to do this, because we support people being in touch with as wide a group of people as possible. As technology evolves, we will embrace bridges to other social networks.
The site’s Community Manager is Lynette, @lynessence, and Jonathan, @JonathanMosen, chips in and pays the bills.
We strive to bring you a reliable, helpful, friendly community and are so glad you’re here. Let us know if we can help with anything.
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