[pcote]

>> The stereotype of a programmer as a solitary eccentric who’s allergic to human company is unfair and inaccurate. As a group, we’re a very social bunch.

I'm a disabled programmer too. In my case, it's autism so statements like this make me cringe. It puts up an exaggerated effigy of some weirdo with asperger syndrome so neurotypicals can say "We're not like that guy!"

Programmers need a quiet place to work. But that's a hard thing to even reach for if you're also trying to distance yourself from the "solitary eccentric". Socializing is generally noisy. A deaf person just spread sentiment that fundamentally encourages the raising of noise levels. I'm not sure how to respond to that.

[hollsk]

Hey, article writer here. I feel shitty that I made you feel shitty. I'm sorry to have been insensitive.

I'd also like to say that I am absolutely against raising of noise levels because that sucks for coding and also life in general. I'm deaf, but not completely deaf, and I also have a condition called "recruitment" which is a form of noise sensitivity that you can read about here: http://www.hyperacusis.net/hyperacusis/hyperacusis+or+recrui... Recruitment makes noisy office environments an absolute nightmare for me and I've been known to take my damn laptop and go the hell home and work there if the noise levels ramp up.

Sociability in programmers takes many forms, and I don't think it's a coincidence that sites like HN and stackoverflow are so popular with devs - that's a way of very sociable without actually having to speak to people in meatspace. Programming has probably more of its fair share of introverts and non-neurotypical peeps, partly because of the requirement for peace and quiet while you're working out hard problems. I think it's also partly because as a group we're more accepting of others' needs and differences. Mack Collier did a great post on this, and it's this sort of concept I was thinking about when I wrote that part of the article: http://mackcollier.com/why-introverts-love-social-media/

So once again, sorry for making you feel shitty. In future I'll be on guard against coming out with things like that. Keep being awesome!

[pcote]

Nobody is shitty here. Just human. Stupid things sometimes can slip into anybody's blog post, mine included. It doesn't take away the value of what you were communicating here about accessibility. I loved your post. The blind uncle who introduced me to programming would have loved it too.

[ricksplat]

I just looked at that hyperaccusis website and that "sssh" animated globe graphic in the top left is incredibly annoying, and somewhat ironic given the subject matter. Some kind of a joke I guess, but I can't scroll it off and it makes the page impossible for me to read!