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Emergency Plans Lacking for Most with Disabilities
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Living Independently: Are You Prepared?
10/25/2013 04:50AM
Find more useful information and news here. Emergency Plans Lacking for Most with Disabilities Vision Loss Technology: Where Is It?
10/17/2013 07:09AM
For information to learn about ways to help you live more independently click here. Digital education shouldn’t bypass disabled A Heart Story: A Second Set of Eyes
10/17/2013 07:04AM
Dairy Queen worker’s good deed goes viral Research Found to Help Your Eyes Stay Young As We Grow Older
10/17/2013 07:00AM
For more news and events about eye health and vision loss click here. Researchers use new genetic mapping technique to identify two genes that can cause vision loss in seniors SDCB News: October is Home Eye Safety Month
10/16/2013 12:27AM
To attend an event for education of eye health or vision loss click here. Prevent Blindness America Alerts Public to October as Home Eye Safety Awareness Month Eye Health: Thou Shall and Thou Shall Not
10/16/2013 12:19AM
For other articles that are loaded with information eye health and vision loss aids click here. Ten Commandments For Good Eye Health Kindle Fire Tablets Get An Accessibility Upgrade
10/15/2013 04:13PM
![]() Amazon’s Kindle tablets, e-readers and apps have been criticized in the past for a lack of accessibility for users with blindness or low vision – particularly, Kindle has lagged behind in built-in accessibility features in its own devices and the ability of Kindle apps to take advantage of the accessibility features of other devices like iPads. Last May, the Kindle app for iOS finally got an upgrade that allowed it to use iOS features like VoiceOver. And now, at last, Amazon is finally turning some serious attention to the built-in accessibility of their own tablets and readers after being faced with legal action. The latest versions of the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HDX have many new features that will make it easier for readers with visual impairments to get the most out of the tablet, including the Voice Guide screen reader and more customizability of fonts and colors. While some shortcomings remain, this is a pretty good step forward. This post from Media Access Australia takes you through some of the basics and includes helpful demo videos: Demonstrations of Kindle Fire accessibility features Image: A hand holding up the new Kindle Fire HDX tablet, which displays book and movie titles on its screen (via Amazon) 5 Ways Technology Can Help You Read with Low Vision
10/11/2013 03:14PM
![]() Image: A pair of folded black plastic glasses resting on an open dictionary How to Get Help for Low Vision
10/04/2013 04:52PM
![]() And if you’re in San Diego and looking for help with low vision, find out more about our counseling and rehabilitation services here, and contact us when you’re ready to take the first step toward (re)gaining your independence. Image: A freeway sign bearing the words “Future – Next Exit” How to Help Someone with a Visual Impairment
10/03/2013 05:37PM
We’ve blogged before about using a human guide when you are blind or have low vision, but what about the view from the other side? If you are sighted and wish to offer assistance to someone who has a visual impairment, what are the guidelines? Luckily, there’s really only one important rule, and it’s very simple: Ask! That’s right, all you have to remember is to ask the person if they need any help and, if so, what they would like you to do. It can be tempting to just jump in and do whatever you think might be helpful, but don't do this. Imagine if somebody began reading things aloud to you or grabbed you and propelled you to your destination without asking: you might feel annoyed, patronized or even frightened. The same goes for people who are blind. So that's the main thing, but there are some more advanced guidelines, such as the best techniques for physically guiding someone or for offering verbal directions. If you’d like to learn more, check out this great article from BrailleWorks: 10 Common Courtesies To Offer People Who Are Blind Or, to see some of these techniques in action, watch this great video from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT: How to help someone with vision loss Blind and Low Vision Aids: Going Into the Next Phase of Your Life-Tips to Help You Get Prepped For College
10/03/2013 02:41AM
For other valuable links to resources click here. Living Blind, Attending College Assistive Technology Devices: Bringing Darkness to the Light in Your Eye
10/03/2013 01:56AM
To learn more about assistive technology beyond what you just read about click here. Space Camera Tech Could Be Used to Detect Blindness Before It Happens Watching Out For the Health of Your Eyes
10/03/2013 01:54AM
Eight Ways to Protect Your Eyesight Sensory Awareness Training: Feeling Is More Than Just Feeling
10/03/2013 01:51AM
To learn more about programs for you or someone you know that may need help in adjusting to vision loss, click here. Health Awareness: Blindness Assistive Technology Devices for the Blind: Step by Step and Soul to Sole
10/03/2013 01:37AM
Soul to Sole: Eye Surgeon Anthony Vipin Das has developed shoes that see for the blind Vision Loss and Visual Arts
10/01/2013 11:44AM
![]() But this isn’t just a product of our technological age – history also has many examples of artists who created masterpieces despite or even because of vision problems. For instance, did you know that Edgar Degas’ vision began to deteriorate due to retinal disease when he was in his thirties and continued to decline throughout his life? Art historians speculate that his choice of subject matter, those famous backstage scenes of the ballet and opera, may have been influenced by the fact that he was sensitive to sunlight and preferred working indoors and in low light conditions. Additionally, many of Degas’ masterworks were painted later in his life, when his vision loss was quite advanced. This means that his unique artistic vision may be at least in part a product of his, well, vision! For three more famous artists with vision loss plus some great tips and resources for getting and keeping your creative juices flowing with blindness or low vision, check out article from Vision Aware: Continue Painting with Vision Loss Image: Edgar Degas’ Two Dancers, c. 1898, a work in pastel, which Degas switched to later in life as it required less precision than oil painting Tips for Sewing After Vision Loss
09/27/2013 03:51PM
![]() Image: A steel bobbin with pale blue thread Tandem Bike Stolen from SDCB Fundraisers
09/26/2013 04:19PM
Awful news for two members of one of our partner organizations, the San Diego Blind Stokers’ Club: Harry and Nicole DeRochement have had their tandem bicycle stolen from their La Mesa home. Nicole, who is blind and participated in the BSC’s Cycling for Sight fundraiser to benefit SDCB this year, and Harry were given the bike as a gift and have been using it to train for upcoming fundraising rides. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of the bike, you can call La Mesa Police at (619) 667-1400. The couple stressed that they just want the bike returned and that, should the thief have a change of heart and bring it back, no questions will be asked. For more, check out this video on the theft from CBS 8: Thief steals blind woman's fundraising dream Members of the Blind Stoker's Club have also set up a fundraising page where you can donate to help get Nicole and Harry a new tandem bike. 10 Essential iOS Apps for People with Visual Impairment
09/26/2013 12:55PM
![]() Image: Screenshot of Fleksy, the iOS keyboard app with VoiceOver integration 3 Lessons to Get Up to Speed with Braille
09/24/2013 11:34AM
![]() The truth, however, is that braille users can achieve reading speeds as fast as or in some cases even faster than those of print readers; it’s really just a matter of learning the right methods and practice, practice, practice. In this three part series, “How to Learn Braille in Six Months”, Jerry Whittle of the Louisiana Center for the Blind dispels some of those common myths and takes you through the techniques, habits and recommended manuals that will get you up to speed in no time!
3 Reddit AMAs from Awesome People Who Are Blind
09/21/2013 11:39PM
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The Birth of Braille
09/19/2013 09:36PM
![]() Did you know that when Louis Braille started studying at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, the school had only fourteen accessible books? These books, which were made by embossing the letters of the alphabet used by sighted people on paper, were large, heavy, difficult to use and didn’t contain much information. Louis, frustrated by these limitations, was motivated to invent Braille at the age of only fifteen! For more on the invention of a writing system that revolutionized learning and communication for people with blindness and visual impairment and that is still in use today, watch this great Discovery Network video: The Braille Story Image: A screenshot from the video showing a hand reading Braille text with an engraved portrait of Louis Braille, a map of France, and Louis' birthdate, 1809 Accommodating an Aging Workforce
09/19/2013 01:48PM
![]() One of the results of this aging workforce is a big positive for employers: better workers! With age comes a wealth of experience, well-established networks of contacts, a greater repertoire of knowledge and skills, and many other benefits. However, with age may also come some health problems, such as reduced physical abilities or age-related vision loss, which may require accommodation. If you’re an employer looking to adapt your workplace in order to hire or retain experienced older employees, or if you’re an older worker or job seeker who would like to educate yourself on the range of accommodations that are possible, check out this great info from the Job Accommodation Network. You may be surprised to learn that many are simple and cheap or even free! Read: Accommodation and Compliance Series: Employees who are Aging Image: A man with greying hair wearing business casual clothing, writing in a day planner while talking on a cell phone 5 Things to Think About When Using a Human Guide
09/18/2013 05:55PM
![]() Image: A man using a long cane grips the elbow of the woman who is guiding him along a sidewalk in a residential area Cane or Guide Dog: Which One Is Right for You?
09/18/2013 12:03AM
![]() Image: Pavement with a white chalk outline of footprints and the many paths they could take |