 Ed Gallagher was a visual artist until he slowly lost his sight over 10 years. "I thought after losing my sight, my life was over," Ed sighed as he readied his 30 foot Catalina on a sunny day in San Francisco's pier 40. "No offence to other blind folks, and I love my seeing eye dog, Genoa. She can never be replaced. But I 've been searching to find any technology that would help me see again." This journey began when Ed was invited by a NASA-backed arts consortium to participate in a parabolic flight simulating weightlessness. As a blind man, they were curious to know what his brain function and physical experience of "Zero Gravity" would be like. Ed found that in space, the only limitation is your ability to use your brain and the technology that surrounds you. The state of your body (or eyes) don't matter. Ed found being able to operate in a Zero - G environment BETTER than on Earth to be a profound and moving experience, which he hoped to duplicate on Earth in some way. Inspired by Internet technology, Ed Gallagher and his devoted team of friends developed a special remote guidance system for the blind. Using an "Internet anywhere" card on a small PC, and, voice over Internet protocol provider Skype, Ed was able to communicate with a remote operator online . Receiving clear commands from the remote guide viewing Ed's world through his head mounted web cam, Ed is empowered to participate in every day tasks, such as shopping, sailing and eventually, riding a bicycle. This film is a documentation of Ed's quest to create a non-profit company offering remote guidance for the blind, so they can function more efficiently in society, with the comfort of a friend being with them, virtually. This film by Alison Victor and Eric Predoehl is a short exploration of Ed's unique exploration. After being featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, and various local, national and international news outlets, Ed was able to get multiple grants to make his company, Genoa Connections, a reality. CONTACT ME to see the film in its entirety! AV@AV-Multimedia.com |