The Case For Technology

Hello, dear readers!

Well, we’re back in the old routine.

Yes, after a week which included a Sunday shift at work, I find myself once more able to indulge myself with a fried egg sandwich, a cup of really quite excellent coffee and my trusty laptop. Ready, willing and very nearly able, to pen my weekly missive to you, my dear readers.

So, you probably weren't about to ask, what has the week held?

Well in many ways it has been a momentous week. Not only has it seen the 20^th anniversary of the very first episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, (Find it. Watch it. Love it.) but it has seen the birthdays of such luminaries as Yuri Gagarin, Amerigo Vespucci, and Michelangelo (the renaissance polymath, not the ninja turtle). It also saw a court case that has the potential to change legal history.

Crime And Punishment
The case in question involves historic child abuse, never the lightest of subjects. I hope, therefore, that you will excuse me if this week’s blog falls a little short on the levity scale. In particular the case in question dealt with the crimes perpetuated by a former vicar in the London borough of Tower Hamlets between 1979 and 1981. The defendant, Cyril Rowe, now 78, was found guilty of 3 counts of indecent assault and sentenced to be detained for four years at her majesty’s pleasure.

Now, you might be thinking that this, although a.horrendous crime, is hardly unusual in these days of Operation Yew Tree and the light that has been shone on those who abuse positions of power to rape and assault people that should rightfully be under their care, and to an extent you would be correct. 

There is one aspect of this particular case that makes it very different however.

The Eyes Have It

The victim of these heinous crimes, now 47, had in the intervening years succumbed to motor neurone disease, a degenerative condition also known as ALS or Lou Gherig’s disease. This nasty disease attacks the nerves in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle wastage which in turn causes difficulties in walking, talking, drinking and even breathing. If you’ve ever seen the film ‘The Theory Of Everything’ or know anything of it’s subject, Professor Stephen Hawkings, then that is exactly the condition that we are talking about.

In the particular case we are discussing the condition had reached an advanced stage and the gentleman in question was confined to his bed in a hospice unable to speak or to write. Once upon a time this would have meant that the victim would have been unable to testify against his abuser, and the guilty party could have potentially escaped justice. My, but how the times have changed.

As he was unable to attend court he was allowed to present his evidence from his hospice bed via a video link. Eye tracking technology allowing him to communicate his testimony of how Rowe would lock the church door, pin him down and abuse him, and then offer him a pound and an apology. This powerful evidence was enough to see Rowe convicted of his crimes.

That's not where it ends though To add another layer of tragedy to this horrific story, Rowe's victim died from breathing difficulties, caused by his condition, before news of the verdict could reach him. His life’s last act was to ensure his tormentor was sent to jail, but he himself never knew if his testimony had been enough to see justice served. It is a truly tragic story I’m sure you’ll agree, and I think that it serves to highlight a couple of real issues.

Warning Sgns

First of all,  I think it highlights just how hard it is for some members of society to seek and obtain the rights and protections that others of us might take for granted.

There are people out there, right now, struggling to make themselves heard, to make themselves understood. It is far too easy to dehumanise these individuals and, perhaps because it is difficult, to  miss what they might be going through or, as in the case above, what they might have gone through.

Communication is something a lot of us take for granted but when that become difficult we owe it to people to really listen, to really pay attention. It is vital we spot the signs that all may not be well and act on that information. The fact that this may be more difficult only makes it even more important that we make the effort, at least in this blogger's book.

Secondly, and on a slightly more optimistic note, I think this story highlights just what a big difference technology can make to a disabled persons life. Without it’s relentless march the victim of this crime would not have been able to present his case, and, extreme an example as this may be, the same is true to some extent for a huge amount of disabled people.

In my own far more modest way I too am reliant on innovation. Without my car, and the adaptations that allow me to drive it, I could not work, visit friends and relations, or have as much of a social life as I do. I might not even have met my wife, Tina.

Without my wheelchair I couldn’t get about at all. I hopefully will be getting a new ‘chair soon, (see here) and I’m sure that, given a more modern and less 'sneeze and it breaks' model , this can only improve my mobility and in turn, my whole life.

Technobabble

Which is kind of the point. Technology marches on. What was new yesterday is taken for granted today and will be outdated tomorrow. This goes double for the innovations that allow me and other disabled people to live the lives, and enjoy the independence that we do. I have blogged before about a massive operation I underwent as a younger man (see here). It had a major impact on my life, meant months in hospital and a loss of mobility. Today that same operation would quite possibly be more akin to a hip replacement and be done far more quickly, with far less aggravation.

Surgery, medicine and technological innovation all have the potential to have a major impact on anyone’s life but, ultimately, much more so for disabled people. For this I am hugely grateful, and not just for myself.

There are people out there, right now; clever people, creative people, people who can make a huge impact on our society and, at the moment, they may not be able to fulfil that potential. One must only look at the aforementioned Professor Hawking to see what we might be missing out on. For my money, it is vital that the human race carries on making these innovations, if not for the sake of doing the most good for the most people, if not just to help those who need it most, then maybe, just maybe, for a better life for us all.

Until next time.

Thoughts? please drop me a comment in the box below. Thank you for reading