AFB Blog Archives

November 2009

Rupert Murdoch Attacks Governor Paterson's Disability

Today Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corp, is in the news for calling New York Governor Paterson "a very nice, honest man who's blind and can't read braille and doesn't really know what's going on."

Yet, it appears that Mr. Murdoch is really the one who doesn't know what's going on. Here in the 21st century, those of us with vision loss use a number of adaptive techniques to read books and newspapers, e-mail, surf the web, text message, and much more. Braille is one way of accessing information, but there are many others, including screen reading and magnification software that allows easy access to information on a computer screen or cell phone.

How many times do we have to see this kind of ignorance when it comes to the capabilities of people who are blind and visually impaired? Mr. Murdoch is just the latest in a slew of attacks on the Governor's disability, but our stance hasn't changed. See my prior posts on State Senator Diane Savino's comment and SNLs offensive skit.

Helen Keller, who worked at AFB for more that 44 years and remains our guiding light, summed it up perfectly when she said: "Many people with perfect ears are emotionally deaf, many with splendid eyes are blind in their perceptions."

Important News Regarding Access to Printed Information

Recent announcements signal growing interest in access to print information, especially books. Last week, Intel joined the club of companies manufacturing reading machines for the blind with its Intel Reader, $1499 USD. The hand-held device competes with products such as the knfbReader which operates on a conventional Nokia cell phone. More recently, two universities announced they would not use Amazon's Kindle Reader DX, targeted at educational users, because it is not accessible to people with vision loss.

Intel's first foray into the blindness/low vision arena has been a rather bumpy ride. Influential bloggers including Serotek's Mike Calvo have hammered Intel for charging nearly $1500 USD for a hardware package which a mainstream article from Engadget suggests could be produced for about $500 USD. Recognizing that the Intel device is a first generation product, it does not seem to have as many features as the knfbReader. Even so, it is great to see a company with the talent and treasure of Intel enter into this space.

The University of Wisconsin and Syracuse University have both adopted policies rejecting the Kindle, so long as it remains inaccessible to the blind. AFB applauds these universities for their willingness to publicly support equal access to information by all students and staff, including those who are blind and visually impaired. We call on all other colleges and universities to adopt similar policies.

And, we call on Amazon, and other developers of ebook readers, to make these products accessible for people with vision loss. Access to intellectual and cultural information is integral to a full and rich life.

The advent of technology such as the iPhone and iPod, with built in accessibility has changed the expectations for access to mainstream technology. Perhaps the Kindle and the Intel Reader can add another important chapter to these exciting developments.

October 2009

AFB's New York Headquarters Has Moved

AFB's New York headquarters has moved. Please update your directory with our new contact information.

American Foundation for the Blind
2 Penn Plaza, Suite 1102
New York, NY 10121

Tel.(212) 502-7600
www.afb.org

FCC Workshop on Broadband Access for People with Disabilities

While many of us take Internet access for granted, far too many people with disabilities are not able to take advantage of this essential communications and information vehicle. To really take advantage of the information and communications potential of the Internet, you've got to have broadband. This means a high-capacity connection to the Internet that is always on. Although broadband options are available in most parts of the country, the expense often puts these networks out of reach.

On October 20, I will be participating in a forum hosted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to explore broadband accessibility for people with disabilities. This daylong information meeting is part of the FCC's work to develop a National Broadband Plan. Participants, representing industry, the disability community, government and other key constituents, will be discussing accessibility and affordability barriers faced by people with disabilities, opportunities made possible by broadband and policy recommendations to spur broadband usage.

I plan to talk about the importance of access to information for people with vision loss and the absolute necessity to ensure that we have access to broadband to deliver information and services that we need. I will suggest some changes in policy to help make broadband more affordable for people with disabilities. I'll also make sure that our government understands the need to ensure that the equipment we use to access broadband services is accessible. That's why we need to have Congress enact legislation like the Twenty-first Century Communications and video Accessibility Act.

I hope you can take some time to listen to the webcast or follow the discussion. Online participants can visit http://www.broadband.gov/ws_accessibility_disabilities.html to register (instructions for online participants are found at the bottom of the page).

Simultaneous with the webcast, the meeting will be available through Accessible Event, a service that works with your web browser to make presentations accessible to people with disabilities. You can listen to the audio and use a screen reader to read displayed documents. You can also watch the video with open captioning. Accessible Event is available at http://accessibleevent.com. The web page prompts for an Event Code, which is 005202376. To learn about the features of Accessible Event, consult its User's Guide at http://accessibleevent.com/doc/user_guide/.

Updates about the Federal Communications Commission's development of the National Broadband can be found at http://blog.broadband.com and at http://www.broadband.gov/news.html. You can also follow the FCC on Twitter at http://twitter.com/FCC.

Events Roundup from the Week

This week, there are a couple of important events taking place around the world. Today is White Cane Safety Day—the day we celebrate the achievements of people with vision loss and recognize the importance of being able to travel safely and independently. The white cane has become an important international symbol of independence, as it enables those of us who are blind or visually impaired to get around without sighted assistance. In honor of this day, we are making the chapter on mobility from The Unseen Minority: A Social History of Blindness in the United States free for the month of October. The chapter covers dog guides as well as canes. In addition, the World Blind Union released a statement that addresses some of the currently mobility challenges, including hybrid/quiet vehicles and the "shared space" urban design concept that involves the removal of curbs, lines, signs, and signals. We encourage you to take a look at the WBU statement when you have a moment.

The other event taking place this week is National Aging in Place Week—a time to think about how to continue to live independently and comfortably at home as you age. Since most of us want to continue living at home into our late years, it's important to learn how to adapt our spaces to make them safer and easier to navigate. Here at AFB, we created a web site for seniors with age-related vision loss and their family members that tackles this very issue. On AFB Senior Site, older Americans and their loved ones can learn how to make their homes more vision loss-friendly. If you, or anyone you know, has been diagnosed with an age-related eye condition, please send them on the AFB Senior Site.

AccessWorld Editor's Page: The Apple Model

The latest issue of AccessWorld went live this week, and the following musings on Apple and the implications for accessibility appear in the Editor's page. I hope it gives you some food for thought, especially about the kinds of topics you'd like to see us cover in future issues.

Apple has been the darling of the technology world for years, but only recently has it risen from the scourge of people with vision loss. And, wow, it has risen like a rocket!

In the past few years, Apple has revolutionized our thinking about technology accessibility. People with vision loss have relied on increasingly robust assistive technology developers to build work-arounds and add-ons to allow us to use new hardware and software, albeit with added cost to the consumer. With the launch of Voiceover and Zoom for the Mac OS, followed by the inclusion of Voiceover in the iPod and iPhone, Apple has charted another course.

Let's call this the Apple model: robust access built in and improved in conjunction with the regular product release cycle. It marks the end of what some call the "blindness tax" for access, and a potential boon for many in the developing world as well who cannot afford the cost of assistive technology. However, there are consequences, illustrated by the recent access problems resulting from changes made by Apple to the iTunes store. This model also means a shift away from the highly specialized AT model which provides dependable products from developers who work closely with our community and often share our disability.

Is this ultimately what we want? Do we expect Microsoft, RIM (of Blackberry fame), Nokia, etc. to add full accessibility into their products? Apple's foray into built-in accessibility has been greeted with enthusiasm, although not uncritical. I remember the consternation surrounding the short-lived rumor in the 1990s that Microsoft might purchase or license the screenreader JAWS, and the concern raised about the functionality it would put into a Windows voicing app called Narrator.

Should we expect mainstream companies to adopt the Apple model and build robust accessibility into their products? I invite you to join in on this discussion. To read the full letter, and the rest of the September issue, visit AccessWorld now.

Thoughts on National Disability Employment Awareness Month

When I saw reports about the unveiling of the Helen Keller statue last week in Washington, DC, and read Carl Augusto's comments about the event, the words that resonated with me were "she worked with us at AFB for more than 40 years."

Through her work, Helen Keller positively impacted millions of people's lives throughout the world. When people think of Helen Keller, when children do their elementary school reports on her or watch the play, The Miracle Worker; when people read the biographies of this fascinating lady, I hope they remember that she was many things—an advocate, a world-renowned speaker, an author, and, for the greater part of her life, a working professional. Therefore, it seems apropos that at the beginning of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a statue of Helen Keller was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol.

So, what is AFB doing currently to enhance employment opportunities for people like Helen Keller who have sensory disabilities? Our primary vehicle for enhancing employment is AFB's CareerConnect web site. If you are not well acquainted with CareerConnect, be aware that it is one of the most helpful sites available to visitors who are interested in learning about employment of people with visual impairments and the tools that enable them to work competitively. It is also a site that provides accessible, interactive tools to aid in job seeking, highlighting content for youngsters and adults with visual disabilities related to career exploration, job maintenance, and job search techniques. Visitors can link to President Obama's announcement of his new initiatives ensuring fair and equal access to employment for people with disabilities and to the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy to learn more about this month's activities.

Visit... and see how other people with sensory disabilities can work as productively as Helen Keller did during her tenure with AFB!

The Dedication of the Statue of Helen Keller

Yesterday, I had the privilege of speaking at the U.S. Capitol during the unveiling ceremony of the new Helen Keller statue, which features Helen as a child at the famous water pump at her home in Tuscumbia. The statue, donated by the state of Alabama, is the first in the Capitol collection to honor a disabled person.

The event was magnificent featuring a performance from the students from the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind and remarks from The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, The Honorable Harry Reid, The Honorable Steny Hoyer, The Honorable Mitch McConnell, The Honorable John Boehner, and The Honorable Bob Riley, Governor of Alabama.

As the Rotunda buzzed with excitement over the new statue, we were all reminded of just how inspirational Helen Keller remains. All of the remarks during the ceremony referenced her fighting spirit, her passion to help others, and her belief in a better tomorrow. As I said in my speech, Helen Keller's biggest desire was to leave the world a better place than she found it. And that's the legacy she leaves with all of us. I hope that you will get a chance to see the impressive statue in the U.S. Capitol, and when you do, remember Ms. Keller's remarkable story.

Here are some photos from the event. And here is an article from PBS that includes a video clip from the ceremony.

In Memory of Margaret Pfanstiehl

Last week, the blindness field lost another dear friend, Margaret Pfanstiehl. After losing her vision in her 30s, Margaret became one of the earliest champions of audio description, ensuring that people with vision loss could have access to television, newspapers, theatre, and other forms of entertainment. In 1974, she founded Metropolitan Washington Ear, which provided newspapers and other information on the radio and then over recorded telephone service. Soon after, Margaret was approached by local theatre companies to provide audio description of live plays. Through this work, she and her husband Cody honed the art of description and expanded the Ear's mission to describe television, museum exhibits, operas, and more.

Like many people with vision loss in the Washington, DC area, I am indebted to Margaret for bringing the world of information and arts a whole lot closer. I listened to the newspaper first on the Washington Ear radio and then dial-up system. And I love the description that is now available for so much theatre in the Washington area.

Margaret's passion and commitment caught AFB's attention, and in 2001, we awarded her and Cody an Access Award for their pioneering work in audio description. The next time you watch a movie, play, or television show with audio description, think of Margaret and send her a silent thank you. You can read more about Margaret Pfanstiehl's life at the Washington Post.

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New Statue of Helen Keller at the U.S. Capitol

I am heading to Washington DC today to celebrate the unveiling of a statue of Helen Keller in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol—one of two statues representing the state of Alabama. We are all really excited about the event. As many of you know, Helen Keller worked at AFB for more than 40 years and remains our guiding light. She is a true American hero who continues to bring hope and courage to everyone who hears her story.

The new statue, which will be on permanent display in the Capitol visitor center, depicts the famous image of Helen Keller as a child at the water pump outside her home in Alabama in 1887. This was the moment that Helen Keller first learned the art of language. From there, she went on to become a world renowned activist and peacemaker who advocated for the poor and people with disabilities and fought for women's suffrage. She was an international celebrity her entire life, and flew to 39 countries on her own private plane.

If Helen Keller were here today, I think she would be amazed to see how much the world has changed for people with disabilities. We are thankful to Alabama Governor Riley and those who worked so hard to make this statue a reality. Now all who visit will be reminded of Helen Keller's belief in possibility and humanity.

August 2009

State Senator Attacks Governor Paterson's Vision Loss

Governor Paterson's blindness is under attack again. This time, State Senator Diane Savino suggests it's hindering his ability to govern. In an interview with the Staten Island Advance, Ms. Savino said, "We live in a digital age now, with e-mailing and Blackberrying. He is not able to do that because of his visual impairment. David cannot do those things. Also, he does not read Braille. He has people reading newspapers to him. He listens to tapes of staffers briefing him. All that takes an enormous amount of time. As a result, he is not able to respond on the fly the way [former Gov. Eliot] Spitzer or even [former Gov. George] Pataki could. In some ways I think that has hindered him, in spite of everything he has accomplished in life."

This is exactly the kind of gross stereotyping and misinformation that holds people with disabilities back.

For starters, people with vision loss are actively participating in the digital age. Emailing, surfing the web, and text messaging are all possible thanks to screen reading and magnification software. Even the new iPhone comes equipped with talking features that make it usable to people with vision loss. In addition, there are scores of judges, CEOs, scientists, professors, photographers, politicians, and more that, just like the Governor, are smart, savvy go-getters who have climbed to the top of their careers and who also happen to be blind or visually impaired.

Governor Paterson has clearly figured out the adaptive techniques that work best for him. After all, he has been a major player in the Democratic Party for years now, successfully climbing the ranks despite the fact that he doesn't read braille.

Like we said to the SNL staff after its offensive skit, when judging Governor Paterson's performance, we ask one thing: judge him the way we do all politicians, based on his political record and not his disability.

Remembering Bonnie Truax

Earlier this week, all of us at AFB were saddened to learn of the passing of Bonnie Truax, founder and CEO of the San Antonio Low Vision Club and a dear friend who did so much to help people with vision loss live independently. While her son, Scott Truax, has worked for AFB for several years managing CareerConnect and FamilyConnect, we first met Bonnie in 2006 as we were developing AFB Senior Site.

Bonnie was diagnosed with macular degeneration in 1984, and was appalled at the lack of resources for older Americans with eye conditions. So, she started her own support group. Today, the San Antonio Low Vision Club is the largest low vision group in the country, providing activities, peer support, a radio reading service, and more to over 1,000 members. When we were seeking people and locations for photo and video shoots for Senior Site, Bonnie and her husband Earl reached out through their networks to recruit the volunteers we needed. They even appeared in the video, Earl and Bonnie Truax: A Husband and Wife Story.

Bonnie was an amazing, inspirational woman and will be missed by all who knew her. Read more about her and the San Antonio Low Vision Club at www.lowvisionclub.com, or view her telling her story in the video Bonnie Truax: A Crusader and Thought Leader.

US signs UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Last week, as the representative from AFB and the North American/Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union (WBU), I had the incredible opportunity to witness the United States signing on to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities—the first new human rights convention of the 21st century adopted by the United Nations that further advances the human rights of the 650 million people with disabilities worldwide. Present at the signing were Susan Rice, the US Ambassador to the UN, Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to President Obama, and a handful of other disability advocates.

Following the signing, both Ambassador Rice and senior advisor Jarrett spoke of President Obama's continual commitment to equality for people with disabilities—something we have witnessed and written about a number of times since Obama was sworn in as President. Ambassador Rice also announced that in the near future there will be a senior position within the State Department concerned with disability issues internationally. While I don't have much information on the position, I'll be sure to keep you posted with details as they are unveiled.

I'm thrilled and a bit relieved that the US finally signed on to the treaty (we were the 142nd country to sign, and I couldn't help but wonder what took us so long!). While it might be awhile before we see any official legislation coming from the treaty, since now it must be ratified by the Senate, the fact that 142 countries have expressed their commitment to people with disabilities clearly shows we are in a place in time where the rights of people with disabilities are more recognized worldwide.

You can read more about the treaty on the White House blog. What do you think about the news? Let me know in the comments section below.

July 2009

In Memory of Sam Genensky

On June 26, 2009, we said goodbye to Sam Genensky, an incredible man and a dear friend to the field of blindness and to AFB. Sam won the Migel Medal, the highest honor in the blindness field, in 1998 and he was also one of our esteemed CareerConnect mentors. I'm thrilled that we have Sam's story, in his own words, forever documented in the CareerConnect section of our web site. I highly encourage you to read Sam's full story, but also wanted to share with you some of my personal interactions with Sam.

Sam was left visually impaired by an accident in infancy, and subsequently lived the majority of his 81 years with low vision. While Sam is known as the father of CCTV—a system for projecting magnified text on video screens that has helped millions of partially sighted people around the world to read—I think he could be called the father of low vision. He was driven to find the various low vision aids that would enable him to function optimally in every situation. The first time I met Sam was in the late 70s or early 80s. He was visiting New York and I met him at his hotel where he was armed with a bag of various low vision devices. He used different ones to read the signs on the street, to read the menu during dinner, and to check out other things in his environment. I was impressed, especially because he was never self-conscious while using low vision aids.

Sam was an inspirational leader and never missed an opportunity to express his strong opinions on controversial issues. You always knew where he stood. I visited him several times at his place—the Center for Partially Sighted—of which he was so proud. Under Sam's and LaDonna Ringering's leadership, the Center has become a preeminent, if not the preeminent, leader in this country in providing services to people with low vision.

Sam will truly be missed, but his legacy will continue as we try to make our world more accessible for people with low vision. You can read more about Sam's life by visiting the Wall Street Journal.

Please feel free to leave us a memory of Sam in the comments section below.

White House Celebrates Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week

A colleague just passed along a GREAT blog post from the White House and I highly encourage you all to check it out. Last Friday, President Obama personally welcomed a group of people who are deaf-blind to the White House Oval Office. The group was in D.C. to celebrate Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week—a week set to demonstrate that successful deaf-blind persons are still thriving and excelling long after Helen Keller. It's great to report once again that President Obama and his administration are serious about their commitment to the disability community. Enjoy!

June 2009

Exciting News from the U.S. Capitol

It's a busy and exciting time here in DC. Last Thursday, disability rights activist Kathy Martinez was confirmed by the Senate as assistant secretary for the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). Kathy is a well-known champion of opportunities for people with disabilities and we look forward to the energy and intellect she will bring to her work. And on Friday, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) reintroduced comprehensive legislation to ensure that people with disabilities have access to Internet-based telecommunications and video programming technologies. The bill, the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009 (H.R. 3101), will:

• require that mobile and other Internet-based telecommunications devices be fully hearing aid compatible, have accessible user interfaces, and offer people with disabilities access to a full range of text messaging and other popular services that are currently largely inaccessible;
• provide people who are deaf-blind with vital, but costly, technologies they need to communicate electronically, support real-time text communications capability, and clarify existing relay-to-relay Lifeline and Linkup service requirements to address the real world communications needs of people with disabilities;
• restore the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) modest video description rules and provide clear authority to expand such regulations, require emergency announcements and similar information to be accessible to people with disabilities through audible presentation of on-screen alerts, ensure that video programming offered via the Internet will be both captioned and described, and call for all devices that receive and play back video programming to employ accessible user interfaces and allow easy access to captioning and description; and
• strengthen consumers' ability to enforce their rights to communications and video accessibility through the establishment of a clearinghouse of information about service and equipment accessibility and usability, a meaningful FCC complaint process that holds industry accountable for their accessibility obligations, and judicial review of FCC action to ensure the Commission's own accountability.

All Members of the United States House of Representatives should be actively encouraged to cosponsor H.R. 3101, the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009, and you are urged to contact your Member of Congress immediately to make such a request. Learn how to contact your Member of Congress at https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml.

The legislation is supported by a broad-based cross-disability coalition of more than 230 national, regional, and community-based groups working together for information age equity for people with disabilities. You can find additional information about the coalition (known by its acronym COAT) and supporting material describing the purposes and provisions of COAT's proposed legislation at www.coataccess.org.

NFB and ACB File Suit against Arizona State University

Those of you that are following the Kindle debate might have heard the news that today the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and the American Council of the Blind (ACB) filed suit against Arizona State University (ASU) to prevent the university from using the Amazon's Kindle DX electronic reading device to provide electronic textbooks to its students. As we have been reporting for the past few months, the Kindle cannot be used by blind students and by using it as a means of delivering information to students, the university would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The NFB and ACB have also filed complaints with the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice asking for investigations of five other institutions: Case Western Reserve University, the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, Pace University, Princeton University, and Reed College.

As we've stated many times on the blog, reiterated during the Reading Rights Coalition protest at the Authors Guild in NY, and heard from many of you, we cannot allow authors and publishers to decide what people with disabilities are permitted to read and America's institutions should not be permitted to discriminate against people with disabilities. Kudos to NFB and ACB for taking the lead in ensuring that technology is made accessible to both blind and sighted students. It's great to see these organizations working together.

You can learn more about the suit by reading NFB's press release.

Readers, we need your help!

Guest Blogger, Lee Huffman, National Technology Associate

As most of you know, here at AFB, we are constantly working to make life more accessible for people with vision loss, and lately there has been a good deal of buzz about the work AFB Consulting (AFBC) is doing to make web sites accessible to all individuals. Back in April, AFBC launched its new initiative in web accessibility: the Accessibility Assurance Program (AAP)—and both AFB and the lead AAP participant, Marriott International have been working together to get this initiative moving forward. Now we need your help to determine if users are having difficulty accessing any aspect of Marriott's web site such as making or canceling a reservation, learning about a hotel's amenities, or redeeming your Marriot Rewards points.

We'd love anyone using assistive technology to visit Marriott's AAP page and take a look at the Marriott Site Accessibility Policy page and its Site Accessibility FAQs. If you encounter any accessibility issues, please let us know by submitting the Accessibility Feedback form.

Now's your chance to help us improve web accessibility—don't miss out!

Congressman Sessions Announces Legislation Recognizing the 40th Anniversary of NEI

Yesterday, Congressman Pete Sessions, a good friend of AFB, applauded the House's passage of a bill recognizing the 40th anniversary of the National Eye Institute (NEI) and expressed his support for the designation of 2010 through 2020 as the "Decade of Vision." In a release about his support, Sessions stated: "The NEI has been a leader in research and sight-saving treatments that reduce visual impairment and blindness for over 40 years. With Congressional and public support, our national investment in vision research will continue to yield substantial treatments and cures for Americans affected by vision loss and impairment." We're thrilled to see the House of Representatives and leaders like Congressman Sessions and Representative Tammy Baldwin (both original sponsors of the bill) support vision-related organizations like NEI, especially as more and more individuals are living with vision loss.

Read more about NEI by visiting their web site.

Congrats to the Winners of the Ruckes and Carsel Scholarships!

Guest Bloggers, Les Harbour and Tara Annis, AFB TECH

Hello, this is Les Harbour (an accounting intern at AFB TECH) and Tara Annis (information specialist at AFB TECH). We were thrilled to have been asked to blog about our experience reading over and helping to rank the Ruckes and Carsel scholarship applications. Carsel provides one scholarship of $500 to a full-time graduate student who presents evidence of economic need while Ruckes provides one scholarship of $1,000 to a full-time undergraduate or graduate student in the field of engineering or in computer, physical, or life sciences.

We enjoyed reading these extraordinary stories about the applicants' lives . These people truly inspire and show that even the greatest obstacles can be overcome. While all of the submissions were worthy of receiving the scholarships, we had to narrow it down to just one winner per scholarship. One major factor that we had to consider was that the selection process would be very subjective, so to try and lessen the subjectivity, we developed a system to rate the applications on a scale based on three criteria in addition to the criteria already set down by the scholarship (financial need for Carsel and majoring in sciences for Ruckes). The three criteria are as follows: references, essays, and GPA.

We're happy to announce that the winners are Casey Burkhardt (Ruckes scholarship) and Barry Hyde (Carsel scholarship).

Casey had an extremely compelling essay, due to his academic achievement of earning 27 credit hours of college coursework while still in high school. During college, he was treasurer of the Computing Machinery Association, Chair of the New Jersey Association of Blind Students, and a member of the Villanova International Collegiate Programming Competition Team. We were also impressed with his employment history, including serving as webmaster of his university's school newspaper, assistant systems administrator and web developer, and most impressive, his out-of-state internship with Google. Both of us wholeheartedly recommended him, due to his work ethic and creativity.

Barry Hyde also had a great essay, due to his past academic achievement of earning a perfect 4.0 GPA for his Master's degree. He is a sought-after public speaker, and since he has given speeches for the Air Traffic Control Association, Greater Miami Aviation Association, American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics, and Women in Aviation, International, we think he will be famous someday. Most compelling is the fact that he was able to make a comeback after being severely injured in a plane crash. Many people in his situation would have taken the easy way out becoming bitter at the world and never returning to life before the accident. His two references confirmed our thoughts: both persons attested to the fact that Barry Hyde has an outstanding character, is extremely motivated, will overcome any challenge presented to him, and will make a positive contribution to aviation safety and/or commercial aviation.

We would like to give our thanks to all of the participants who turned in submissions and congratulate Mr. Hyde and Mr. Burkhardt. We wish all of you the best of luck in the future and have confidence you will continue to succeed no matter the situation.

News About the New iPhone 3G S

This week, Apple, Inc. announced accessibility enhancements for the iPhone. According to Apple, the "iPhone 3G S provides new accessibility features including VoiceOver, a screen reader that speaks what appears on the iPhone 3G S display, enabling visually impaired users to make calls, read email, browse web pages, play music and run applications. The new universal Zoom function magnifies the entire screen, and the White on Black feature reverses the colors on screen to provide higher contrast for people with low vision. iPhone 3G S also supports Mono Audio which combines left and right audio channels so that they can be heard in both earbuds for those with hearing loss in one ear."

We will be reviewing the features and we'll report what we find out here and in AccessWorld®.

Vision Loss Community Delivers Powerful Health Care Reform Message to Law Makers

Guest Blogger, Mark Richert, Director, Public Policy

Last week, more than 100 international, national, and community-based organizations representing, serving, and advocating for people living with vision loss joined AFB in an historic call to Congress to make health care reform meaningful for the more than 20 million Americans of all ages experiencing significant vision loss. Our community is calling upon law makers to make accessible medication labeling, Medicare reimbursement for low vision devices and other assistive technologies, and vision rehabilitation services reimbursement part of comprehensive health care reform. The correspondence has been delivered to all members of the Senate Committees on Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and the House Committees on Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce, and senior leadership and key opinion leaders on both sides of the Hill, and follow-up visits are currently underway. I encourage all of our readers to reach out to your House and Senate members to make them aware of the vision loss-specific policy priorities and to enlist their support.

You can check out the letter that was sent as well as the list of endorsing organizations by visiting the Public Policy section of our site. Many thanks to all of the organizations that joined in on this important call to action!

May 2009

Hailing Accessible Taxis

Guest Blogger, Jay Leventhal, Editor in Chief, AccessWorld®

Awhile back, my colleagues wrote about a taxi driver they encountered in Louisville, KY who was helping to make the world a more accessible place for people with vision loss. Jimmy the Taxi Man had braille on the doors of his cab and on his business cards, and was working to get all Louisville cabbies to do the same. It's a shame that not all cabs are accessible not only for those of us with vision loss, but also for people with other disabilities…but there is hope that this will change, at least in New York.

Legislation has been introduced in the New York Assembly (A.7842) that, if passed, would require all taxi cabs to be accessible by the year 2012. Some of the required access features would include:

• Ramps or lifts for people in wheelchairs
• Assistive listening systems for people with hearing impairments
• All signs in taxis in braille and large print
• Some sort of device in hybrid taxis that would allow a blind or visually impaired person to hear the vehicle.

It is imperative that all taxis are accessible, especially in a city as large as New York City where many residents and visitors are living with disabilities and rely on taxis as their mode of transportation. I invite all New Yorkers to write your representatives asking their support of bill A.7842 so that by 2012, all travelers will have access to this important mode of transportation.

Sight Unseen: International Photography by Blind Artists

We write a lot about art on this blog and I always like to keep readers updated on new exhibits and artists that get passed along to me. I was recently told that The California Museum of Photography has a new exhibit. It's called Sight Unseen, and it's a showcase of photographs by 12 of the most notable blind photographers in the world.

For more information, head over to BBC News and check out the short video they posted by the exhibit's curator, Douglas McCulloh. (Just to let you know, the video may not be accessible). The exhibit will be up until August 29th, so if you're in the Riverside area, or live close by, I encourage you to check it out and please let us know what you think!

Cheers to You, Alexandra Elman

Last week, The New York Times profiled Alexandra Elman in the most recent installment of One in 8 Million, an ongoing multimedia series on notable New Yorkers. Alexandra, a native New Yorker, lost her vision due to diabetes in 1995, but her vision loss hasn't stopped her from living an active life by any means-she bikes (on tandem), flies planes (with a co-pilot), swims, skis, and just happens to be one of New York City's most notable wine tasters.

I'm really proud of the Times for featuring Alexandra. It makes me happy to know there are people out there who are proving to the world that a disability shouldn't (and doesn't) get in the way of doing or enjoying something that they love.

And speaking of wine, this reminds me of M. Chapoutier, a French wine company that's been putting braille on their labels since 1996. We've blogged about this company before—here's the post if you want to check it out!

Tune in This Weekend: Making Television Accessible for All

This Sunday, May 10, at 4:30 pm eastern, our very own Darren Burton will be featured on the Canadian-based interview program, Contact. (Contact is part of Canada's National Broadcast Reading Service, which received an Access Award this year). The program will focus on exciting changes in accessible television in Canada and the United States. Darren will discuss the accessibility of mainstream technology and the changeover from analog to digital broadcasting set to happen in the US on June 12 and what this means for blind and visually impaired TV viewers.

For those of you in Canada, you can access the program on the Secondary Audio Program of CBC Newsworld; on Star Choice (ch 825), ExpressVu (ch 49 & 967), Look TV (ch 400); Rogers Digital (ch 196); Eastlink Digital (ch 394); and Aliant Digital (ch 998). For our US-based readers, the program will be available on VoicePrint's web site at http://www.voiceprintcanada.com.

Enjoy! And a Happy Mother's Day to all of our moms out there!

Some Very Special Guests

Guest Blogger, Ellen Bilofsky, Managing Editor, AFB Press

AFB often has guests who are interested in touring different sections of our national headquarters here in New York. Recently, we had some special visitors take the tour. AFB Press author Kate Byrnes, a teacher of visually impaired students in Marin County, California, who is working on a forthcoming book on listening skills, came to visit us with her husband Michael Meteyer of Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

Kate and Michael also brought a friend, Lama Pema Wangdak, a Tibetan Buddhist monk who—of particular interest in this bicentennial of Louis Braille—wrote a Tibetan/Sanskrit-based braille code called the "Bur Yig." According to Lama Pema, he was first intrigued by braille when a student of one of his students who was blind showed him one of AFB's own braille alphabet cards! Creating his system of Tibetan braille took him ten years. You can read more about Lama Pema and his life on the Vikramasila Foundation's web site.

The three visitors were particularly thrilled with their tour of AFB's archives conducted by AFB archivist Helen Selsdon, where they were able to touch one of three existing copies of the first full-length book ever produced using Louis Braille's braille dot system, A Brief History of France (Précis Sur L'Histoire De France), published by the National Institute for Blind Youth in 1837. Another highlight was holding the actual Oscar statuette awarded to Helen Keller in 1955 for the film Helen Keller in Her Story.

While you may not be able to visit AFB in person, you can take a virtual tour of our archives. Enjoy!

Seeing Through the Eyes of His Imagination

Guest Blogger, Emma Rosenbluth, Resource Development

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of joining AFB's Communications team to attend a screening of Antoine at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film follows Antoine Huang, a five-year-old boy who was born 100 days premature and lost his sight shortly after birth when his retina detached.

Now living in Montreal with his family, Antoine is fully integrated into the mainstream school system. Popular with his peers, Antoine participates in the same activities they do: learning the parts of a flower, painting, even physical education. Antoine is also shown learning how to read and write in braille; in fact, he uses his braille typewriter throughout the film to catalog his thoughts and his story. I found that the most moving part of the film is how Antoine embraces life and refuses to let his blindness slow him down. This film does not focus on the challenges he must overcome, but casts him as a curious and imaginative young boy who believes he is a detective in search of the mysterious Madame Rouski.

If you have a chance to check out the film, I definitely recommend it. Antoine's story is inspirational and perhaps best summed up by how his classmates describe him: a boy with a nose, two feet, and an occasional temper. Nowhere in the film does blindness define Antoine, and Antoine does not let his blindness define who he is.

April 2009

The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009

We're happy to report that last week, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Arlen Specter (D-PA) introduced The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, a bill intended to protect blind and other pedestrians from injury or death as a result of the hybrid car technology. The bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study on how to protect pedestrians from being injured or killed by vehicles using hybrid, electric, and other silent engine technologies.

Many people depend on auditory cues to know when a car is approaching. This includes people who are visually impaired, people talking or checking their cell phones while walking, or children who forget to "look both ways" before crossing the street. Without these noises, all pedestrians could be at risk for being hit by a car. As we move toward making more environmentally friendly vehicles, we need to ensure that we are also protecting the safety of pedestrians. I'm thrilled to see Senators Kerry and Specter's commitment to providing safe and independent travel for all pedestrians, including those that are blind or visually impaired.

More information about the bill is available in a press release from the National Federation of the Blind.

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Singing About Web Accessibility

Thought you all would enjoy this fun and creative video that was mentioned in the March edition of AFB's Accessworld®. In the video, David MacDonald, who produced and created the video, sings the "WCAG theme song" to show what technology and following the Web Accessibility Content Guidelines can achieve. Enjoy!

White House Meeting

I always enjoy gathering with leaders from other organizations in the disability community, but yesterday was a particularly unique and special gathering of this group, as the meeting was convened by the newly appointed White House disability team and held at the the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. President Obama's disability team lead a symposium with leaders from various organizations to discuss issues in the disability community. Though no major issued were resolved and our group only laid the groundwork for the long road ahead, the fact that the administration has brought such focused attention to disability issues a mere three months into office is outstanding. The Obama administration has clearly shown our community, the Nation, and the rest of the World, that they are committed to looking at disability issues, reaching out to the various disability organizations, and to finding solutions. I can't remember another administration that showed such a commitment so early on.

I'm sure that in due time there will be more to report, but I could not let the day go by without expressing my approval and thanks to the Obama administration and their disability team.

We're Going to Disney World!

I didn't win the Superbowl and I'm not really going to Disney World, but if I were, it'd be much easier for me to enjoy the sights, sounds, and attractions of the "happiest place on earth." The folks at Walt Disney World announced that they have incorporated an audio description service that explains the unfolding scenes on a number of their rides—the Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean to name a few—for visitors that are blind or visually impaired. An article from yesterday's Orlando Sentinel goes into more detail about the description, talks about how the engineers at Disney have made adjustments to the description devices to allow for the best possible user experience, and also mentions that other museums and attractions are interested in purchasing the audio description technology from Disney.

I think it's great that more and more companies like Disney are paying attention to the needs of people with vision loss. If you're lucky enough to visit Disney World and try out the audio description service, let me know how it is!

An Accessible Home Makeover

If you missed Sunday's episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC featured the Kadzis family. George and Barbara Kadzis have six kids, five of which are adopted from China and have special needs, including Melody who's been blind since birth. Stevie Wonder even made a cameo appearance!

The designers had the challenge of rebuilding the Kadzis house to make it more accessible and easier to navigate for their children, and from what I've heard, the team did a great job. They created a more open layout for the home, included textural cues on the bedroom walls, and even set Melody up with accessible technology and books in braille. There are some photos of the Kadzis' new home available on ABC's web site (just a caution, the site might not be fully accessible).

It's great to see that ABC isn't just creating a new home for the Kadzis family—they're providing the resources these children need to live active, independent lives, whether that's as a person with vision loss, or hearing loss, or another disability. That, my friends, is good TV.

For those that caught the show on Sunday, let me know what you thought in the comments section below!

2, 4, 6, 8 ... Authors Guild Discriminates!

Yesterday afternoon about 200 people, including a number of AFB staff members, attended the Reading Rights Coalition (RRC) protest at the Authors Guild in New York City. The protest was part of the campaign to obtain access for the blind and others with print disabilities to e-books available for Amazon's new Kindle 2 e-book reader. I was glad to play a part in this tremendous event that brought blindness groups together with others in the disability community. I reminded the crowd that we cannot allow authors and publishers to decide what people with disabilities are permitted to read. The event was a huge success!

For those of you who weren't able to make the protest, we still need your help. The RRC has also organized a petition as part of the campaign. You can read and sign the petition at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/We-Want-To-Read.

Please note: If you are using screen access technology, the first three fields on the form to sign the petition may not be announced. They are, in order: (1) a drop-down menu from which to select your prefix (Mr., Mrs., etc.); (2) an edit field for your first name; and (3) an edit field for your last name. The rest of the fields should announce themselves as you tab to them.

I was number 2,111 on the petition. Here's what I wrote:

"I am unable to independently read print books without using technology to convert the print because I am blind. I love to read, sometimes relying on braille, often using technology to read text-to-speech. The notion that the world of ideas, of thought, of history, in short the world of books, could be taken away from people like me by short-sighted authors and publishers is abhorrent. We must assert our absolute right to read."

Please be sure to add your voice to the campaign!

Marriott International Becomes Industry Leader on Web Accessibility

We have exciting news today for travelers with disabilities. Marriott International has announced its commitment to making Marriott.com fully usable for people with disabilities by becoming a participant in AFB's Accessibility Assurance™ Program (AAP). The site will be designed for universal access and all visitors will benefit from these changes, including people with various degrees of vision loss. Mr. Marriott has a great post about this on his blog today.

Using the web to research travel has become extremely popular in today's world, but for those of us with disabilities, making travel plans online can be very difficult if a site isn't designed with accessibility in mind. By becoming an AAP participant, Marriott.com has made a commitment to address the needs of all of its customers, ensuring that people using screen readers and screen magnifiers can easily book reservations and research Marriott hotels online.

For those who aren't familiar with the AAP, we created it as an avenue for companies to actively engage the community of users with disabilities in order to improve web site accessibility. The program goes beyond traditional web site evaluation services and embraces the concept of user empowerment, allowing companies and organizations to proactively engage the community of users with disabilities.

Marriott International has become an industry leader on accessibility and we applaud its continued efforts to ensure Marriott.com serves all of its customers. We hope others in the travel and lodging industry follow Marriott's lead, and we invite them to read more at AFB Consulting. With baby boomers aging and the number of people experiencing vision loss projected to grow significantly, it is extremely important that all consumer-oriented companies take accessibility seriously. It is not only the right thing to do—it makes good business sense.

Thoughts on this Season's American Idol

It will probably come as no surprise that AFB's number one music fan, yours truly, is a big fan of American Idol. I love to see how the contestants take classic songs and make them their own. My favorite idols so far are probably Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks.

As my friend Susan LaVenture mentioned a few months ago on the FamilyConnect blog, this year there is a contestant on the show, Scott MacIntyre, who happens to be visually impaired. While it's neat to see someone from the blind community represented on the show, it seems like the public takes it as a surprise when someone who is blind can be talented. As I was watching the show last week, I couldn't help but become slightly perturbed when Paula Abdul, one of the judges, went on and on about how proud she was of Scott and the way he has overcome his adversities in life. Can't we just focus on his singing like we do for the rest of the contestants? I'm sure many of the other contestants have had obstacles to overcome, but their adversities aren't highlighted on the show.

I wonder how long it took for people to stop talking about Stevie Wonder in terms of his visual impairment and instead focus on the music icon that he is. Haven't we come far enough as a society to focus not on someone's visual impairment, but on the person? I hope that tonight the judges will keep it about the performances!

Exciting News from AFB and Facebook

I took a little break from writing on our AFB blog yesterday and wrote a blog post for our friends at Facebook. In the post, which went live yesterday, I was excited to annouce that Facebook has taken the next step toward making their site more accessible and will be working with our web accessibility experts at AFB to make this happen. Check out my post on Facebook's blog about how AFB and Facebook are working together to improve Facebook's accessibility.

AFB Senior Site® Turns 2!

We are happy to announce that AFB Senior Site®, AFB's web site for seniors with vision loss and their families, turns two this month! Launched to help the 20 million Americans living with vision loss, the site has served hundreds of thousands of visitors since its inception, offering visitors the resources, help, and support needed to continue living a healthy, independent life with vision problems.

AFB Senior Site is the most beneficial and information-rich web community for seniors with vision loss, and AFB works hard to keep its content relevant and updated often, which is why we're making more sections available in Spanish. New features added over the past year include:

• A guide to diabetes and vision loss to give help and support to the 3.2 million Americans living with both conditions.
  
  
• Senior Site Agency of the Month.
  
  
• New video content demonstrating adaptive techniques and devices to help older adults who experience both vision and hearing loss maintain their independence, communicate effectively, and remain safe in their homes and communities.
  
  
• Esther's Insights.

In 2009, we'll be adding video content on fall prevention and lighting; a portal for eye care professionals to see the latest information about vision rehabilitation services; an E-learning center for professionals in aging and vision loss; and a new partnership with SeniorNet, an organization that provides older adults training and access to computer technologies.

As Senior Site looks forward to year number three, we're just as excited about what's to come as you are, and we hope you gain the knowledge and support from this site that you need to continue living an active, independent life with vision loss.

Tune into the Reading Rights Coalition Protest Tomorrow in NYC

For all those following the Kindle debate, the Reading Rights Coalition is holding a protest at the Authors Guild in New York City tomorrow. You can watch a live web cast of the event on Tuesday April 7th between 11:45 A.M. and 12:00 P.M. EDT. Listeners around the world can access the web page at http://www.blindcitizens.org/live which has information and links for listening to the live event. It is recommended that you access this web page prior to the event so that you can install the Talking Communities conference web browser component in advance. A flash based and mp3 stream may also be available at the above web address.

Access on Hold: New AFB Video Highlights Accessibility Problems with Cell Phones

We've talked a lot about cell phone accessibility in the past and while some improvements to the accessibility of phones have been made recently, the majority of cell phones still do not offer such obvious access features as talking menus and magnification options, and those that do are usually the more costly phones. AFB has released a new video illustrating the challenges people with vision loss face when trying to purchase a usable and affordable cell phone. Our hope is that both the leaders in the wireless industry and the Obama administration and the new leadership at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will take immediate action to ensure that cell phones and phone services are made accessible for people with disabilities, as required by Section 255 of the Communications Act. This video features our own expert Darren Burton at AFB TECH in Huntington WV and his colleague Tara Annis. You can view the embedded version of the video below or visit the cell phone section of our web site for an accessible version.

March 2009

Hats Off to Mary Tyler Moore

Mary Tyler Moore was on Good Morning America today, promoting her newly released memoir, Growing Up Again. I was a bit surprised to find out it's mostly about her life with Type 1 diabetes and her work in advocating for diabetes research—she's the international chairwoman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In an article published last week in USA Today, Moore says she hopes the stories found within her memoir will be a comfort to those living with diabetes and "help them better understand themselves and find new ways to face their own challenges."

Moore has lived with diabetes since around the age of 33, and has lost some of her peripheral vision over the years because of the disease. Due to her vision loss, she's had to give up driving and other activities she loves, such as ballet and horseback riding. But this hasn't stopped her from staying active—she worked with a personal trainer to modify her fitness routine so she could continue to work out and remain healthy. Vision loss doesn't have to stop you from staying active either. If you're a senior experiencing vision loss—due to diabetes or another condition, such as macular degeneration or glaucoma—check out AFB Senior Site®. The Fitness & Fun section offers a number of ideas and suggestions to help you continue to lead an active, healthy life with vision loss and continue enjoying your favorite hobbies.

Hats off to Mary Tyler Moore for showing people that a life with diabetes and vision loss can still be active and enjoyed to the fullest. She's proving, even years after her iconic television show, that yes, you're gonna make it after all.

More News on the Kindle 2

For those who have been following the Kindle 2 text-to-speech controversy, we have some good news. This week Amazon announced that it is working on making the Kindle more usable by adding text-to-speech to the navigation system. An accessible Kindle would mean easy, affordable access to the latest books and the option to read the newspaper on the go.

In the midst of this positive news from Amazon, publishers and the Authors Guild are continuing their efforts to turn off text-to-speech capability for their books—arguing that the text-to-speech function violates copyright laws by enabling people to listen to books using automated speech without paying anyone for audio rights.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has taken the lead on urging publishers to stop this harmful endeavor. NFB, in conjunction with AFB and a number of other disability rights organizations, sent a letter to publishers this week outlining the many reasons why text-to-speech is an important accessibility feature for many of us, including people with vision loss, stroke victims, people with dyslexia, returning veterans with neurological impairments creating processing issues, and people who speak English as a second language.

We will continue to update you as we learn more.

Great News from Apple!

Just one week after we presented an Access Award to Apple for making accessibility improvements to the latest versions of the iPod Nano and the iTunes software, and for installing the VoiceOver screen reading software into all Apple computers, we got some more great news from Apple on the accessibility front. Yesterday, Apple announced the launch of the newest iPod shuffle…and it talks!! The new shuffle comes with the VoiceOver software installed—which tells you what song is playing, the artist, and even the names of your playlists. This new feature is great for ALL music lovers and I hope that Apple continues to include these types of features in all of their products. Keep up the great work, Apple!

Helen Keller Speaks

One of my favorite things about our AFB headquarters in NY is the Helen Keller Archives. We are so fortunate to have the documents, photographs, and memorabilia from one of our nation's most influential figures here at our fingertips. Those of us that work here at AFB, or that have been given a tour of the archives, know that Helen Keller was much more than the deaf-blind child in The Miracle Worker, which is oftentimes how she is remembered. She was a famous activist and peacemaker who fought for those marginalized by class, disability, or gender. She worked with seven U.S. presidents, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, in 1964.

I was thrilled to hear today that a new performance exploring the views and ideas of Helen Keller, the activist, will be performed this Saturday at Fairfield University. The piece, described as part play and part dramatic reading, was created by Dr. John M. Orman, chairman of the political science department at Fairfield University, who was inspired to develop the piece after reading, "Lies My Teacher Told Me."

For those of you in the Fairfield area that are looking for something to do this weekend, check out the performance and let me know what you think. And did I mention that thanks to the generosity of Dr. Orman and Fairfield University, a portion of the proceeds from the show will be given to AFB? Thanks for your support!

World Glaucoma Day is Upon Us

This week organizations around the world are shining the spotlight on glaucoma—the second leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. Some of the signs of glaucoma include blurred vision, nausea, headaches, and halos around bright lights. If you, or a family member, are experiencing these symptoms, you should talk with your doctor immediately.

Here at AFB, we tend to focus a lot of work on how to maintain an active, independent life with vision loss. If you've recently been diagnosed with glaucoma or another eye condition, we have a wealth of information for you and your family. On AFB Senior Site, AFB's web site dedicated to people living with age-related vision loss, you'll find helpful resources in your community, tips on adapting your home, information on how to continue your daily activities, and video testimonials from others with eye conditions like glaucoma. You'll also find information on how to continue all your favorite activities—whether it's cooking, playing golf, surfing the web, watching movies, reading, or traveling.

Though the initial diagnosis of a condition like glaucoma can feel very overwhelming, the good news is that there is so much you can continue doing. And if you have a loved one with vision loss, and you want to know how they see the world, take a look at our vision simulation video. It will help you better understand their condition.

In honor of the 2009 World Glaucoma Day, we hope everyone spreads the word about the signs of glaucoma, and what you can do to live independently if you've been diagnosed.

Our Political Heroes: Senator Harkin and Congressman Markey

Last night, I was thrilled to stand on Capitol Hill and present AFB's Migel Medals—the highest honor in the blindness field—to two of my heroes: Senator Tom Harkin and Congressman Edward Markey. Both of these men are Congressional champions who've fought hard for the rights of people with disabilities for more than 30 years.

Everyone in the disability field probably knows Senator Harkin as the lead sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990—what is sometimes referred to as the Emancipation Proclamation for people with disabilities. This law literally reshaped the landscape of America for me and for anyone with a disability. Congressman Markey has been the leading force behind accessible telecommunications accessibility with his leadership for laws such as Section 255, which requires telephones and services to be accessible to people with disabilities.

Both of these giants made clear to a rapt audience that they are ready to keep fighting for health care coverage for people with disabilities, improved technology access and better educational opportunities. Indeed, Congressman Markey vowed to reintroduce and lead the fight for passage of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, which will make Internet-based communications technologies and TV more accessible to people with disabilities. Senator Harkin told the group that he has already made clear to President Obama that our health care policies must be reformed to meet the needs of people with disabilities.

We are indeed fortunate to have such leaders in Congress who care deeply about our issues and who will champion our cause for years to come.

February 2009

Kindle sparks a flame war, but fails to light the fire for accessibility

Everyone's talking about Amazon's sleek new e-book reader—the Kindle 2—that started shipping earlier this week. The Kindle 2 allows users to download everything from books to blogs to newspapers, and includes text-to-speech capability. We were excited to hear that Amazon was taking this accessibility step, and have been eager to get our hands on one ever since. Today, we finally did and we're sad to report that it's not as usable as we had hoped.

While the Kindle offers text-to-speech options, it doesn't include talking menus or fully accessible controls, which makes it impossible for people with vision loss to use independently. The good news is that it's an easy fix for Amazon since the Kindle 2 is already voice enabled. AFB, and other blindness organizations, are urging Amazon to address this immediately. With baby boomers aging and the number of people experiencing vision loss expected to increase significantly, more and more people will need technology like the Kindle to have talking menus and full speech capability. You can support this cause by signing the following petition asking Amazon to add voice prompts to the Kindle 2.

If you've been following the Kindle news, you've probably noticed another debate brewing over its text-to-speech capability. This week, Roy Blount Jr., the president of the Authors Guild, published an op-ed in the New York Times arguing that Amazon is violating copyright laws by enabling people to listen to books using automated speech without paying anyone for audio rights. People with vision loss have been accessing text through screen readers since assistive technology was first created, and no one has ever told us that we're violating copyright laws. In addition, the Kindle's synthesized voice in no way competes with audio books that are beautifully narrated with all the expression and dramatic capacity of the human voice and personality.

Amazon has produced a successful electronic book reader. The text-to-speech function brings it tantalizingly close to something that blind consumers would yearn to purchase and that finally gives them the opportunity to enjoy reasonably priced, conveniently available books of all sorts. We call upon Amazon to take the final step and make this a product for everyone. And we urge authors and publishers to embrace the opportunities made possible for expanding the marketplace for their books and ideas, through print (including large print), synthetic speech, and recorded audio.

JLTLI is one week away

We've been busy here at AFB gearing up for the 2009 Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute in Washington, DC. The theme of this year's conference is, "Get Active... New Congress. New Administration. New Opportunity." We have an exciting lineup of speakers and some great plenary sessions planned. Attendees will even be spending some time on Capitol Hill speaking with members of Congress about pivotal issues in our field. For those unable to join us in DC, please tune in to the AFB Twitter for conference updates.

ALERT! The Stimulus News is in—Older Blind and Education Advocacy Pays Off!

The following update was just released from AFB's Public Policy Center:

Details of the massive economic stimulus package agreed to by House and Senate negotiators have been released.

Specific reference to spending for independent living services to older individuals who are blind remains in the package. The agreement does lower the spending amount originally proposed in the House version from $50.6 million to $34.3 million, which is in keeping with the trimming of federal stimulus spending that the conference agreement makes available to similarly situated programs generally.

For example, the approximately $13 billion that both chambers proposed to spend on state grants under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reduced in the conference agreement to $12.2 billion. While the lower spending amount approved is not as generous as originally proposed, the fact that specific authority remains for the older blind program by name in the conference agreement should ensure the availability of all of those dollars in a way that the Senate bill would not have achieved.

In addition, the offensive language in the Senate version of the stimulus bill that would have given the Secretary of Education considerable additional authority to redirect special education dollars to unrelated purposes was not included in the agreed-to package.

Given the fast pace of the legislative process and the detailed nature of these issues, maintaining the specific reference to Chapter 2 services and rolling back an effort to give wider latitude to governors to use IDEA dollars for other purposes is significant success. Special thanks are in order to all who made time to contact Congress to communicate the concerns of our field, particularly the many individual agency and consumer leaders who reached out to AFB and worked with us. Additional details about the landmark stimulus legislation and its impact on other issues of concern to people with vision loss will be shared with readers soon.

Dialog in the Dark Revisited

A couple of weeks ago, we blogged about the Dialog in the Dark exhibit that's currently running in Atlanta, Georgia. Guides— who are visually impaired themselves—take visitors around to different "rooms": a park, a grocery store, a street, a restaurant, and a boat. At the beginning of the exhibit, visitors are given white canes to use as "feelers" to help them navigate the darkened rooms, much like someone who is blind or visually impaired would.

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of taking a group to the Dialog in the Dark exhibit. I've really enjoyed taking different groups to experience the exhibit, and it seems like every time we go, everyone has a great time. To see what this group thought, check out their comments. They loved it!

ALERT! Stimulus Conferees Appointed—Advocacy for Older Blind, Education Funding Accountability Urgently Needed

The following update was just released from AFB's Public Policy Center:

House and Senate conferees have been appointed to reconcile significant differences between the House-passed version of the massive economic recovery and stimulus package and the version passed by the Senate yesterday afternoon. While every expectation is that substantial pressure will be on the conferees to complete their work within a day or two, opportunity remains to advocate for important spending priorities for individuals with vision loss—but action is required immediately. Advocates should contact the members listed below to communicate the following message:
"Keep the House-passed specific reference to independent living services for older individuals who are blind and the $50.6 million spending amount for these vital services. And retain the House's "maintenance of effort" provisions and reject the Senate's language allowing dollars made available by the stimulus for special education to be used for unrelated purposes."

Additionally, if your member of Congress is not one of the conferees but you have a particularly strong relationship with the member, ask your Senator or Representative to relay your message to the stimulus conferees.

Senate Stimulus Conferees:
Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) 202-224-3542
Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI), 202-224-3934
Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), 202-224-2651
Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), 202-224-5054
Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-IA), 202-224-3744

House Stimulus Conferees:
Representative David Obey (D-WI-7), 202-225-3365
Representative Charles B. Rangel (D-NY-15), 202-225-4365
Representative Henry A. Waxman (D-CA-30), 202-225-3976
Representative Dave Camp (R-MI-4), 202-225-3561
Representative Jerry Lewis (R-CA-41), 202-225-5861

We Need Your Help: Stimulus Bill Raises Many Hopes and Some Concerns for Disability Community

Everyone is talking about the vast amount of government spending proposed by President Obama to stimulate the economy. The package is now making its way through Congress and of course there's lots of political debate, as there should be, about the mix of funding and tax cuts.

But here's something that isn't getting as much attention and I want you to know about it. The proposal also contains significant spending that would help people with disabilities, including people with vision loss. Some of the funding priorities include substantial new funding to support special education and vocational rehabilitation, a one-time extra monthly payment to recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to help them during this terrible economic emergency, and up to $50 million for independent living services to older individuals who are blind. To put this last example in perspective, the program that currently supports independent living services for older blind individuals receives over $30 million annually-which is then divvied up by all 50 states. The increase to $50 million under the proposed new stimulus package would be a wonderful boost at a time when such services are sorely needed.

The House of Representatives already approved its version of the bill and the Senate is working on its version this week. With spending of this magnitude, there is always a struggle over giving flexibility to state and local officials to best address local needs. Flexibility is important, but funds for disability programs must be directed to meet the needs of the disability community whose interests are sometimes overlooked. We hope that the stimulus package currently being considered in the Senate includes the investments in programs important to the disability community while putting safeguards in place to ensure that the funding goes to the intended programs. An editorial in today's edition of the New York Times nicely summarizes the concerns about allowing too much flexibility in the use of funds intended for education.

We are very enthusiastic about the support from President Obama and Congress for programs of interest to our community. These programs need the funding to ensure that people with disabilities can live active, independent, and productive lives.

Please take a look at the message we just sent out from our Public Policy Center. I hope you will take a moment to let your senators and congressional representative know just how important it is for people with disabilities to receive these services. You can search for your representatives by visiting www.thomas.gov, which includes a link to both the House and Senate pages.

Now, more than ever, it is appropriate for government to fulfill this very important role and expectation.

Tweet, Tweet!

I wanted to let you all know that AFB is now on the social networking site Twitter! For those of you unfamiliar with Twitter, it is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent updates. For all of our fans out there, we thought this was another great way for you to find out what's going on here at AFB. We have one profile for general AFB happenings available at www.twitter.com/afb1921 and another for updates on AFB Senior Site available at www.twitter.com/afbseniorsite. Check them out and be sure to let us know if you are tweeting as well.

January 2009

Changing Perceptions, One Day at a Time

I have wanted to write for some time now about last week's inauguration of President Obama. Though some may disagree, I can't help but think that no matter your political affiliation, all Americans would say the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States was a beautiful, historic, and moving ceremony. I can say with all sincerity that it was one of the most memorable moments in recent years. As I watched the inauguration, I started thinking about differences, perceptions, and change. With the election of our first African American president, it has become clear to me, to our nation, and to the world we live in that while there may still be prejudice in the world, perceptions associated with a person's race have changed in America, especially since the days of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks.

As a person living with vision loss, my mind then started to wonder if perceptions of people with disabilities have changed over time. Back in the 1930s and 1940s when Franklin Roosevelt was in office, his disability (FDR was paralyzed from the waist down because of a case of polio) was not highlighted or even apparent to some people. He often hid the fact that he was sitting in his wheelchair by placing himself behind a desk so that people could only see his upper body. Now, I can't determine if he hid his disability because of his own inner feelings about his disability, because he was afraid of what people might think of him, or perhaps because his advisors thought it was best to hide his paralysis since it could have been considered a sign of weakness during World War II, a time when the US was trying to remain a stronghold. Whatever the reason, FDR's disability was hidden and I wonder if that would have been the case today.

In today's world, many people with vision loss, like Governor David Paterson, Erik Weihenmayer, and Stevie Wonder, are much more open about their disabilities and I think that their openness has helped the public change some of their perceptions. Through their work, talents, and humor, they have shown the world that people with vision loss can lead full and independent lives and become a governor, climb Mt. Everest, or even release a number one hit. And there are many other people who are blind or visually impaired, like AFB's dear friend Deanne Jackson, who might not be as famous, but are nonetheless helping to change perceptions. Every day, people who are blind or visually impaired are walking to work with their briefcases, raising their children, shopping for groceries, and showing that a disability, like race or ethnicity, is not something to be ashamed of, but something to embrace.

I definitely believe that in my lifetime there has been a change in attitudes when it comes to the public's viewpoints on disabilities. There's certainly a way to go, but as we live each day and change one attitude at a time, we can show that even with a disability, we're not different than anyone else.

What do you think? Agree or disagree, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Attention, Music Lovers!

After hearing the great news that Apple addressed the accessibility of its products, I spent some time with the new iPod Nano 4th generation and iTunes 8.0 to check out what they have done. Overall, they have definitely made some improvements to both products and I really hope they continue to keep accessibility in mind. Check out my full report in the January edition of AFB's AccessWorld®.

Live Inauguration Coverage!

Many of you, like me, are probably glued to your television or radio this morning listening to the ongoing festivities in preparation for the inauguration of the 44th President of the Unites States, Barack Obama, in just a few short hours. If you're interested in tuning in, the American Council of the Blind (ACB) is offering streaming audio described coverage of the inauguration on its web site this morning.

Enjoy!

AFB Survey Finds Drug Labeling Puts People with Vision Loss at Serious Medical Risk

Guest Blogger, Stacy Kelly, Ed.D., COMS, Policy Research Associate

Imagine for a second how scary it would be if you had to take your medication without any idea which pill you were taking. You'd probably be pretty upset (and groggy) if you meant to take an Advil, but instead took Benadryl. For people with vision loss, not being able to easily and independently identify medication labels is a huge, and dangerous, problem.

Just yesterday, we released the results from our Access to Drug Labels Survey, conducted by our Public Policy department. The survey, part of AFB's Rx Label Enable campaign, explored the personal stories of people who had trouble reading prescription or over-the-counter medication information. The findings are alarming. One person in the survey reported being hospitalized for taking the wrong medication, others almost missed errors made by pharmacies, and many had to trust strangers to convey necessary drug information.

While there are certain methods that help people with vision loss distinguish between medications there still needs to be federal or state requirements for the format of information on prescription labels to ensure that people with vision loss can take their medications independently, effectively, and most importantly, safely.

You can find more information about the report by visiting AFB's Press Room or AFB's Policy section, where you will find the full report that includes more personal stories from respondents.

And if any of you have ever had a negative consequence from not being able to read your prescription label information, please let us know in the comments section below.

Taking a Walk in My Shoes

When I started losing my vision, one of my initial concerns was how I would maneuver my way around and go about my day without relying on my vision because we live in a sighted world. Most people rely heavily on visual cues, but people who are blind or visually impaired have to rely on other cues—auditory and tactile—as well as various assistive devices to carry out day-to-day functions. I often think it's difficult for sighted people to imagine what it's like to live without their vision, especially if they've never personally known or interacted with someone who is visually impaired.

An exhibit in Atlanta, Georgia, called "Dialogue in the Dark," shines the light (or rather, keeps you in the dark) on what it's like to be visually impaired. Guides, who are blind or visually impaired, take sighted individuals through a five-room exhibit where visitors can experience what it's like to be visually impaired in different settings: a park, a grocery store, a street, a restaurant, and on a boat. Visitors are given white canes to use as "feelers" to help them navigate the darkened rooms, much like someone who is blind or visually impaired would. They have to rely on non-visual cues to work their way around the room and are encouraged to talk to each other about what they're encountering. At the end of the tour, visitors have a chance to sit down with their guide for a small Q&A session. If you want to learn more about Dialogue in the Dark, check out CNN's segment on the exhibit.

One of my colleagues, Ike Presley, has been to the exhibit twice before and will be taking another group in February, so check back soon for his update and thoughts. And if you've been to Dialogue in the Dark before, either in Atlanta or elsewhere, leave us a comment—we'd love to hear what you thought!

Technology: TV Raman Style

Over the weekend, the NY Times profiled TV Raman, a computer scientist and engineer at Google who has done some great work in the technology/accessibility field. Raman is no stranger to AFB—we've worked with him on a number of accessibility and technology related projects and he also joined us for the 2007 Access Awards ceremony in Dallas, where he accepted an Access Award on behalf of Google. It's great that the general public can now learn about this technology genius and his many contributions to tools we take for granted, especially web-related technologies. I was thrilled to be able to talk to the reporter of this article, Miguel Helft, not only about our friend Raman and the work he's done, but also about the important role technology plays in the lives of those who are visually impaired.

What I liked most about this article is that it points out that accessible design helps everyone use technology more easily—not just people who are blind or visually impaired. Think of driving, for example. It would be a lot safer to use a phone or device on the road without looking at the screen. Accessible web design also makes it easier for people to surf the net on PDAs. And, as we've said before, with baby boomers beginning to experience age-related vision loss, more and more people are going to need technology that's easily usable for people with vision loss. That will include things like cell phones, computers, web sites, POS machines, etc. It's important for businesses, consumers, and web developers alike to understand that this is not only the right thing to do, it's a smart business decision.

Check out this great article and be sure to let me know what you think!

Happy Birthday, Louis Braille!

Over the past few days we've kicked off the New Year with an important celebration—the 200th birthday of Louis Braille, born on January 4, 1809. He was the remarkable man who made it possible for blind and visually impaired people to read and write the same books and correspondence as their sighted counterparts.

In honor of Braille's bicentennial, we have added a lot of great information about Louis Braille to our web site. We just launched an online Louis Braille museum, and have expanded our site to include digitized copies of "The War of the Dots," a chapter from Robert Irwin's As I Saw It, and The Reading Fingers by Jean Roblin. We also have a number of Louis Braille activities available for children, teachers, and parents on the Braille Bug web site. And to see what's happening on the international front, visit our calendar of Louis Braille events around the world. We hope you check it out!

In addition, the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) is also turning the spotlight on Louis Braille. The January 2009 issue will mark the beginning of the journal's yearlong celebration of Louis Braille's 200th birthday with an essay on braille by Susan Jay Spungin, retired Vice President for International Programs and Special Projects at AFB, and former Treasurer of the World Blind Union (WBU).

We are thrilled to celebrate this important figure in the history of the world. Happy birthday to you, Mr. Braille!!

December 2008

No One is Laughing at SNL's Skit of Governor Paterson

As you may have seen in the news this week, Saturday Night Live (SNL) featured a skit on Governor Paterson that many people, including the Governor, found offensive. You can watch the video on the SNL web site.

Here's what we had to say about it. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the skit.

No One is Laughing at SNL's Skit of Governor Paterson

Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast member Fred Armisen spent more than four minutes mocking Governor David Paterson for his blindness on Saturday night—a skit that is being criticized by Governor Paterson himself, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), and blindness organizations across the country. Using elementary, offensive humor, the skit derides Governor Paterson for his vision loss and portrays him as a bumbling leader. It also suggests that people with disabilities are from the "freak bin."

Governor Paterson, who has had an impressive academic and political career, is known as a witty politician who brings people together. He has accomplished many firsts in his life, becoming the first non-white New York State Senate legislative leader in 2003, the first visually impaired person to address the Democratic National Convention, and the first African American Governor of New York. As a legally blind public figure, Governor Paterson has challenged public perceptions about what it means to have a disability and shown the world that people with vision loss can be great political leaders.

"Governor Paterson, who was unexpectedly called on to fill the role of Governor last spring, has proven to be an accomplished political leader who is respected and liked by New Yorkers," said Carl R. Augusto, President & CEO of AFB.

It is difficult to understand why SNL, a show known for its clever, political satire, would take cheap shots at people with disabilities instead of coming up with better material—especially when mimicking a politician known for his sense of humor. Next time, we hope SNL judges Governor Paterson the way we do all politicians, based on his political record and not his disability.

Dollar General Announces Great News for Shoppers with Vision Loss

The financial world is a scary place right now—people across the country are worried about the safety of their money and investments and, in some cases, are struggling with day-to-day expenses. It's unfortunate, but given the state of the economy today, it seems the threat of fraud and identity theft is even more prevalent. Imagine having to share your personal financial information, like your PIN for your debit card, every time you made a transaction. Doesn't sound too appealing, does it? Well, this is what life is like for the more than 20 million Americans living with significant vision loss. In most stores, shoppers with vision loss can't complete purchases on point of sale machines because the buttons are flat and indistinguishable from one another. Instead, they either forgo the use of debit cards or, worse, they put their trust in a stranger to enter their personal information.

We've written before about some great companies—like Safeway, RadioShack, and 7-11—who have addressed this problem and installed tactile point of sale machines that allow people with vision loss to independently and privately enter their personal information. I'm thrilled to mention today that Dollar General is joining this group. Dollar General is one of the nation's largest discount retailers and they recently announced that they will install the new, tactile point of sale machines in all of their 8,300 stores in the United States in less than eighteen months. Now that is what I call a commitment! You can read more about the announcement by visiting AFB's press room.

We hope other organizations will follow in the footsteps of leaders like Dollar General and work to ensure that those of us with vision loss are able to enjoy greater access to goods and services in our neighborhoods…and do so privately and independently. Kudos!

Seasons Greetings for Everyone in Your Family

When someone is moved by a cause or an issue to a point where they work toward creating better opportunities for the people affected, I take notice—especially when it entails creating accessible products for people with vision loss.

Melissa Brashear started creating homemade accessible greeting cards for her grandmother who had macular degeneration and had difficulty reading cards received from friends and family. Her grandmother loved her cards, and Melissa quickly realized the power they have to warm hearts and help people with vision loss feel connected during the holiday season. So she created ICanSeeGreetings.com, an online store that offers vision loss friendly greeting cards that feature large-point fonts, large graphics, and good contrast, available for many different holidays and occasions. This holiday season, if you have a friend or family member who is visually impaired, consider sending one of Melissa's accessible cards, or create your own!

Also, if you're a little behind on your holiday shopping and still need to find that perfect gift for someone, check out AFB's Holiday Guide.

November 2008

Our Gift To You: AFB's Ultimate Holiday Guide for People with Vision Loss

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we're only days away from the start of the holiday season. This morning when I walked into work, someone told me the lobby is decorated with lights, wreaths, and boughs of holly, and I can already hear "Jingle Bells" drifting down the hallway. There's no better way to get me into the festive spirit of the holidays!

Every year around this time, as people are starting to shop for gifts for their loved ones and prepare their homes for holiday visitors, we often get a lot of calls from family members of people with vision loss with questions like "What's the best gift for my mom now that she has macular degeneration?" or "What can I do to make my home comfortable and safe for my visually impaired grandma who's visiting this holiday season?" This year, to help answer questions and ease shoppers' anxiety, we compiled the ultimate Holiday Guide for people with vision loss. AFB's Holiday Guide is located on AFB Senior Site and contains a variety of gift ideas for people living with vision loss—some of my favorites are an accessible MP3 player like the iPod Nano, a talking watch, and a large print Scrabble® board. The Guide also contains travel tips you can share with a visually impaired loved one and tips on how to make your home more vision loss friendly this holiday season.

I don't think there is anything better than a joyful, safe holiday season, and AFB is so happy to help you and your family achieve that. Be sure to check out our guide at www.afb.org/seniorsite/holidayguide.

Small LCD Displays = One Big Problem

Guest Blogger, Mark Uslan, Director, AFB TECH

Have you ever had difficulty reading the screen on an LCD display? Do you think the letters on these screens are too small, or the screens too dimly lit? If so, we need to hear from you! These screens are seen everywhere in today's society. Microwave ovens, blood glucose meters, cell phones, office phones, copiers and fax machines, calculators, washers and dryers, blood pressure meters, digital audio players, point of sale devices, self-service kiosks, and digital cameras—these are just a few examples of today's consumer electronics that use small LCD screens to display information. For many of the 21.2 million people who report difficulty seeing even with their glasses or contact lenses, these small displays need to be highly visible and yet, in most circumstances, the displays are not. They are often dimly lit with small size letters and numbers, which makes it extremely difficult to read the critical information on the screen. Here at our AFB TECH office in Huntington, WV, we understand that this is a serious and widespread problem and have sought to figure out what can be done to fix it.

My colleague Lee Huffman wrote a blog post back in August about the work AFB TECH has done thus far to improve LCD screens. You can also read about our work by visiting Dr. Jack Smith's blog about the project. Now that we have a better understanding of how different aspects of vision loss affect the readability of these displays, we have begun the second phase of the project and have partnered with the Atlanta VA Medical Center in a clinical study of persons with macular diseases. We are still in the beginning stages of this process but as we progress and find out more, we will be sure to update the AFB TECH web site where currently, you can find our work on small display standards, including a white paper on the subject.

Also, I encourage you to check out a recent article that deals with the small LCD display issue and was posted on the IBM Human Ability and Accessibility Center's web site. I'm thrilled to see that a well-known tech company like IBM is bringing attention to this important issue. Our hope is that with more awareness, feedback from consumers, and through our work at AFB TECH, we will be able to fix this problem and make LCD screens readable by all consumers.

Ending the Two-Year Wait for Medicare

Guest Blogger, Stacy Kelly, Ed.D., COMS, Policy Research Associate

Yesterday was a great day on Capitol Hill! I was fortunate enough to attend a press conference yesterday morning that was held in conjunction with the Medicare Rights Center's announcement of the launch of the Coalition to End the Two-Year Wait for Medicare. AFB is a member and supporter of the Coalition, which is a group of more than 75 heath advocacy groups who want Congress to take action to end the 24-month waiting period disabled individuals under 65 must endure before they become eligible for Medicare.

While this press conference is one of the first steps in a long journey to end this wait, I think it was a huge success. The event was very well attended—in fact, it was standing room only! Congressman Gene Green [D-TX] was the main speaker at the conference. He talked about the bill he sponsored that, if passed, would end the medicare disability waiting period and he expressed his hope of including the Ending Medicare Disability Waiting Period Act in any health care reform discussion Congress holds. We also heard from people directly affected by the waiting period; they spoke of having no health insurance, being pushed to the financial brink to cover medical expenses, and in some instances being forced to declare bankruptcy. Their testimony was especially moving and brought the need for change to full focus.

Members of AFB's Public Policy Center staff are part of the Operations Committee strategically planning the course of action that the Coalition will take, so I'll be sure to keep you posted on any updates. For now, you can read more information on the Coalition in AFB's Press Room. And, I thought you might enjoy reading a little more about the two-year wait in an article from USA Today. It's a little old (it was published in April 2007), but still extremely relevant and informative. Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Gold Medals and Brass Bands

The 2008 Paralympic Games were held in Beijing, China, just a few short weeks after the 2008 Olympic Games were over—for those of you that happened to miss them, you're in luck! Universal Sports will re-air coverage from the Paralympic Games next week (November 10-16), including highlights from track and field events, swimming, and men's and women's wheelchair basketball. If you're interested in learning more about the U.S. Paralympic team, tune in to NBC this Sunday, November 9, at 2:30 pm. NBC Sports will air a 90-minute special on the Games, narrated by Bob Costas, profiling the U.S. Paralympic Men's Wheelchair Basketball Team and eight more top U.S. athletes that competed in Beijing.

While I'm on the subject of television, I thought I'd let you know about a special segment on the Ohio State School for the Blind Marching Band that airs tonight on CBS News with Katie Couric. The band is the only blind marching band in the nation (talk about being unique!), and was recently accepted to march in the 2010 Rose Bowl Parade. This is a huge accomplishment for the band and I'm sure I'll have more to report about them during the Rose Bowl.

It's always great to see people with disabilities profiled on national television, especially when they are making strides in their field or setting national records and winning gold medals! It's a great reminder to everyone that people with disabilities are breaking boundaries every day and striving to make a difference.

Your Right to Vote

Election Day is finally upon us. Tomorrow record numbers of voters are expected to head to the polls to select the next President of the United States. For blind and visually impaired voters, the 2008 election is particularly historic because it's the first time we are guaranteed the right to vote privately and independently. When Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002, one of the provisions—which the American Foundation for the Blind fought to include—was to make certain that voting machines were made accessible to people with disabilities. To ensure this right is protected, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has launched a hotline is to help blind voters who experience problems. Blind and visually impaired people who have trouble voting tomorrow are urged to call 877-NFB-1940 (877-632-1940) from 7 am to 10 pm (EST). For more information, visit NFB's web site.

October 2008

Happy Halloween!!

I just love when colleagues pass along interesting and appropriate articles that I can share on the blog. Check out this great story about David Hoskinson, an avid Halloween fan who, with the help of his wife, Mari, transforms his house into a spooky world for the month of October…and guess what, he also happens to be blind. For the past three years the Hoskinsons have decorated their property with bats, skull heads, goblins, and more, all in preparation for the Hoskinson Haunt—a Halloween party they have the Saturday before Halloween. Even though David can't see his creation, he gets great joy out of the handiwork involved in his hobby. As he says in the article, "My hands are my eyes now." Too bad I'm so far from Texas; I'd love to see the house…I bet it is SPOOKtacular.

Happy Halloween to all of our faithful readers!!

Macular Degeneration in the Spotlight

AFB has done a lot of work relating to age-related macular degeneration, especially through Senior Site, our web site geared toward aging adults with vision loss. Macular degeneration is one of the main causes of vision loss in the US for older Americans, and it's going to affect a lot more people as baby boomers age. But, even though diagnosis rates are expected to double by the year 2025, living an independent life with macular degeneration is entirely possible with just a few modifications and lifestyle changes—such as using accessible technology like Kathleen Gilmore.

To continue to raise awareness about the condition, the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) recently released a special issue on macular degeneration. The issue contains information on new research and findings that will help professionals in the field better understand how seniors are affected by this condition and prepare them to help their patients cope with living with macular degeneration. Hopefully the issue will encourage conversation among professionals and more research on new technology and innovative ways to help people with macular degeneration continue to live an independent life with vision loss.

Say It With Braille

I've blogged in the past about braille jewelry designer Julie Dutt, who creates braille initials, name pendants, and charms using polymer clay and Swarovski crystal. Her designs can be found online at her etsy shop.

It looks like Julie's not alone in the biz, and considering the holiday season is quickly approaching, I figured I would let you know about another artist that has come to my attention who also creates braille jewelry. Justin Tranter, a Brooklyn-based designer, makes sterling silver and brass-plated bracelets, rings, and pendants and uses diamonds and Austrian crystal to spell out words like "I love you," "tomorrow," and "baby" in braille on each piece. While the braille is laid out in Standard American Braille, it's more decorative than functional and might make a nice gift for someone special in your life! Check it out.

The Next Generation™ Is Here!

I've used a Perkins Braille writer at home and at work for as long as I can remember. Though I started using electronic braille devices 20 years ago, I still find that the trusty Perkins Brailler is extremely useful for quickly producing hard copy braille. Lucky for me, both braillers are still in great condition, but if anything goes wrong, I'm definitely going to get my hands on the newly released Next Generation™ Perkins/APH Brailler® (Apple isn't the only company releasing some cool new products this month!). The folks at Perkins School for the Blind and the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) teamed up to create the Next Generation—they took the same features that made the Classic Perkins Brailler the most widely used braille writer in the world, and made it more portable, quieter, and easier to use.

There are also a number of new features and improvements in the Next Generation Brailler, such as an easy-erase button to correct any mistakes while brailling, and a reading rest to help with proofreading. In addition, the Brailler now comes in dark and light blue, and raspberry…very trendy! I tried it out at APH and while I think I need some more time to play around and get used to it, I think the improvements will really help braille users like me create those all important braille documents at home, in school, or at the office.

Check out the Perkins Brailler web site at www.PerkinsBrailler.org to learn more about the new brailler. Also, for all of those music lovers out there, Raul Midón, an extremely talented artist who is visually impaired, has written and released the Next Generation song and you can listen to it on the web site.

CareerConnect® Gears Up for NDEAM

In celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the CareerConnect team has assembled a new video segment that focuses on employers' reasons for hiring young people with visual disabilities: Employers Talk about Hiring Teens, which will be posted this month. This segment complements the previous postings on the For Teens section of CareerConnect: On Your Mark, Get Set...Go to Work! In the teen section, we also have a wonderful new video that focuses on preparing for an interview, Dress and Impress. In addition to these videos, visitors to the teen section will find audio interviews that teens conducted with CareerConnect mentors and a wealth of information available in articles as diverse as Funding Your Education and Do Employers Care If You Have Blue Hair?

For adult job seekers and employers, CareerConnect offers the same range of content and multimedia options that we offer to teens. This month we have added a new Success Story that focuses on the talents of a professional flute player, Richard Donald Smith. The Success Story section, focused on professional life, has stories from both mentors and mentees For readers interested in what our mentors do in their spare time, we suggest checking out Just for Fun! We have a wealth of multimedia options, including the informative Virtual Worksites, graphics that show the range of tools that enable a blind or low vision worker to compete in office, retail, customer service, and classroom environments. Each virtual worksite links to CareerConnect mentors performing in these settings. In addition, watch this month for two new videos showing workers in retail settings.

These are just a few of the features visitors will find on CareerConnect, which salutes the achievements of successfully employed people who are blind or have low vision. We also work diligently to promote the employment of people with visual impairments. We provide direct e-mail links to CareerConnect mentors: over a thousand people employed in a variety of careers such as law, education, food service, customer service, arts and entertainment, finance, manufacturing, health and human services, and so forth—any registered CareerConnect user can independently contact any of our mentors to discuss how they got their jobs, what they do on the job, what training they needed, what technology they use, or any other question the user might have. If you or someone you know or love could benefit from this program, please encourage him or her to register—it's free, easy, and fully accessible!

Visit CareerConnect often to find new content, job openings posted by National Industries for the Blind facilities, and features designed to support job seekers, youth exploring careers, and employers recruiting, hiring, and retaining workers who are blind or have low vision. If you don't find what you're looking for online, call the CareerConnect staff on our toll-free number (888.824.2184) and we'll assist you in any way that we can.

September 2008

Kicking Off NDEAM

Tomorrow marks the beginning of National Disabilities Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), an important time for all of us to recognize the many workers with disabilities who have careers in a variety of different fields. Earlier this week, I was thinking about the best way to kick off NDEAM on the blog when a great article from TheHill.com knocked on my door (or actually, arrived in my inbox). The article focuses on Stacy Cervenka, a legislative assistant to Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who was dubbed "one of the best tour guides in the office" and also happens to be visually impaired. Cervenka worked her way up the office ladder from intern to full-time employee in a little over year, and throughout her time in Senator Brownback's office has repeatedly stepped up to the tasks at hand. As stated in the article, "Cervenka hopes she will be able to spread the awareness that people with disabilities are just as capable, if not more so, of handling workplace environments." Once you read this piece, I think you'll agree that she has done so, and then some. I really encourage you to check out! And if you know any blind or visually impaired workers like Stacy, let me know about him/her in the comments section below.

Also, keep your eye out this month for some announcements about new features to CareerConnect®—AFB's online mentoring program.

Truckin' For a Good Cause

First stop: AFB's Helen Keller Achievement Awards in New York City!

I have some exciting news for you all. A 62-foot long tractor trailer displaying the message "On the Road to Expanding Possibilities for Children with Vision Loss" will be unveiled on Wednesday night at the American Foundation for the Blind's (AFB) 15th Annual Helen Keller Achievement Awards. The truck, which will be parked outside the Marriott Marquis Hotel at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 1, is part of the Road Scholar Transport Awareness Campaign that helps raise awareness about important causes. For each mile driven up to 10 million miles, Road Scholar Transport will donate a penny to the American Foundation for the Blind on behalf of one of its clients.

At this year's Helen Keller Achievement Awards, Stephen G. Marriott will receive the Helen Keller Personal Achievement Award for his success, as a visually impaired person, in business and industry; L'Occitane en Provence will receive the Helen Keller Achievement Award in Corporate Responsibility for creating awareness of the many issues facing people with vision loss around the world, and adding braille to their packaging; and IBM Corporation will be awarded the Helen Keller Achievement Award in Accessibility for providing innovative and accessible products for people with vision loss.

The Helen Keller Achievement Awards were established by AFB in 1994 to acknowledge Helen Keller's extraordinary efforts and promote the notable achievements of individuals and organizations that have improved the quality of life for all people who are blind or visually impaired.

Check out the HKAA section of our web site for more information about the event.

This News is Music to My Ears…

Guest Blogger, Darren Burton, National Program Associate, AFB TECH

For all the music lovers out there with vision loss (and I know there are a lot of us), we have really big news. Apple has just announced major accessibility changes to iTunes and iPods!

Apple's iPod and iTunes have been perhaps the most popular and revolutionary products in the music and technology fields over the past decade, but up until now significant accessibility barriers have kept many people with vision loss from enjoying them. But all of that is about to change with Apple's announcement of some exciting new accessibility advancements for their iTunes and iPod Nano products, and their newly launched accessibility page at www.apple.com/accessibility that contains info on Apple's products and how they work with screen readers and screen magnifiers.

Screen reader users will now be able to access many more iTunes features, such as creating and managing an account and shopping for albums and songs in the iTunes store. Screen readers can also access iTunes U, which is an interface for college-based educational content. iTunes version 8 now supports Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) and works out of the box with the latest Window-Eyes beta, version 7.3. Freedom Scientific reports that it will also work with JAWS 10 when that version is released later this year. In addition, Serotek reports that version 3 of System Access, to be released in October, will be compatible with iTunes 8, as will System Access To Go.

In what is possibly even more exciting news than greater iTunes accessibility, Apple announced that the new iPod Nano 4th generation will have talking menus, so people with vision loss can independently find and listen to music and other content on their iPods. This will be a major accessibility advancement for the Nano, Apple's most popular iPod product, because we will now be able to find and listen to all of our songs and albums without using the "click, press and guess" technique that some of us have used with less accessible iPod products. And we will be able to easily find and play the thousands of songs that can be stored on an iPod Nano.

Here at AFB TECH, we spend a lot of time working with companies advocating for more accessible products for people who are blind or visually impaired. Nothing excites me more than when our hard work pays off, our advice is taken, and we see accessible products on the market, which is why I was so thrilled to hear that Apple has stepped up their commitment to the accessibility of all of their products. I commend Apple for allowing all of its customers to enjoy all of the tremendous iTunes and iPod features.

We're in the process of testing the new Nano and iTunes 8, so stay tuned to AccessWorld for an article detailing these exciting new developments. If any of you have tried it, be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Social Style

I'm not the biggest fashion follower, but I've heard from those who are that Fashion Week kicks off today here in New York City. So in honor of the designers, models, and fans of fashion—I hear they're called "fashionistas" these days—I thought I'd let you know about a fantastic magazine produced by one of the biggest global clothing brands, United Colors of Benetton, or rather, one issue in particular. The company's quarterly magazine is called Colors and is published by Fabrica, the Benetton Group Communications Research Center.

About a year after its publication, the Fall 2007 issue of the magazine somehow appeared on my desk. It's called Without Colors, is printed solely in black and white (most issues are printed in full color), and is dedicated to the people of the world who are blind or visually impaired. Most of the issue is available online, where you have the option of downloading stories and listening to them in MP3 format. There are some fantastic stories about people living with vision loss all across the globe, and I highly suggest you check this out.

It's encouraging to see such a big company in the fashion world making strides toward social awareness and bringing to light the many stories of people around the world that often go untold. Bravo to Benetton and keep up the good work. You're definitely my kind of style.

More on Web Accessibility

Guest Blogger, Mark Richert, Director, Public Policy

Since web accessibility is a hot topic these days, I thought I'd let you know about a great blog post I just came across. Check out the post and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

August 2008

Target Pledges to Make Web Site More Accessible

Guest Blogger, Mark Richert, Director, Public Policy

The announcement that Target is going to make ongoing improvements to its web site to be sure the site is more usable by customers with vision loss is welcome news. The fact that Target is taking web accessibility so seriously is an example for many other online retailers and other businesses to follow.

Seeing the law suit against Target settle is frankly the best outcome we could have hoped for from a legal perspective for a couple reasons. First, the settlement leaves intact the fairly well-accepted understanding that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) can reach the Internet. And, perhaps more importantly, the resolution of this important case through settlement and not through protracted litigation, which is always a risky proposition, means that the somewhat less clear issue of the ADA's applicability to businesses operating exclusively online is still in play.

More and more businesses are moving their offerings to the web only and are not maintaining brick and mortar stores. We need to be sure that, as this trend continues, people who are blind or visually impaired can browse, make purchases, and transact confidential business just like everybody else. We hope the Target settlement will build on the momentum to make that happen. To learn more about the settlement, check out an article that ran in today's San Francisco Chronicle.

Final Thoughts From A Roving Intern

Dear Blog Readers,

Summer is coming to a sure close (it's becoming uncharacteristically breezy here in New York), and unfortunately, so is my time here. I wanted to use this last bit of space—cyberspace?—to thank everyone who's endured me this summer, from my coworkers to my readers. I've had countless invaluable experiences here that just wouldn't be available to me elsewhere at all.

I was particularly lucky to have my first internship in the building of the American Foundation for the Blind—I suspect that in most other office buildings (and their surroundings), people wouldn't know to tell me which elevator door is opening or which way to turn on the street. It was always encouraging to know that many of the people around me knew just how to help—"Turn left," "The counter is to your right!"—which definitely facilitated my many adventures.

During my time here, I feel like I've also been much more educated on current issues in the blindness and technology worlds. I, for example, was woefully unaware of AFB CareerConnect®, which is a program designed to unite mentors of many different professions with aspiring students. I found a journalist working at her local newspaper in the database. Reading her story—a nonchalant tale of her battles as a reporter with a business beat—inspired me in a way that no encouraging words ever could. I suggest the tool to everyone, whether you are looking for a career path or would like to share your story. Who knows ... with CareerConnect, you may be seeing my name in print elsewhere next summer!

The internship also truly helped me determine which aspects I like of the work I've been doing. The writing has come naturally and quickly to me, which makes me feel confident in my future plans. As my mother has oh-so-cleverly labeled me, though, I have "Hyperactivity Disorder," a take on ADHD without the attention deficit aspect. I've learned that exploring one topic—which is essentially what one does at a nonprofit organization—will not always work for me. Of everything I've done here, I've still enjoyed the interviews I've done for AccessWorld® best, which is definitely very important and should be accounted for.

I'll take one step further by encouraging every young person on this blog to find an internship or job opportunity of any sort. Until now, I have never realized how important it is to explore my options and find out what I really like to do. It is a life-changing decision to be made, and you should take your time and make it with care. And, of course, thanks again to everybody here. I've loved every minute of this oh-so-fabulous experience.

Michelle

Coffee and Canes

Dear Blog Readers,

As in most offices in New York, it's really cold here—I'm talking, ski-resort chilly. Every day that I've been here, I've sat at my desk, wishing I could go get a cup of steaming coffee to help warm up. (I'm cupping mine with both hands right now, so that my fingers defrost in order to continue typing.)

It's one thing to not be allowed out of the office, except for a measly lunch break. But my supervisors are nice people, and would let me out as I please—if only I could go myself. But as is natural in a new environment, especially New York City, how was I expected to saunter over to Starbucks? I felt imprisoned; I was locked in this North Pole only with my own inability to cross the street holding me back. Something had to be done.

So, to help me learn to navigate the uber-crowded streets of New York, I approached the Lighthouse for help. They assigned a "mobility instructor" to me, Karen, who immediately helped me embark on my journey to coffee. The process took longer than you would think—one session was spent on simply getting out of my building. Another focused entirely on crossing the street. Only after the third was I able to independently make my one-block-long pilgrimage.

Many steps of the process, naturally, were just as surprising to me as they would seem to an outsider. Who would've known, for example, that catching an elevator was an art unto itself? I was also particularly opposed to the idea of getting assistance to cross the street. I was learning to be independent, I insisted to Karen, and the thought of having to rely on someone else seemed absurd. But a little research told me that the practice of being dependent on strangers was not only the norm, but oftentimes the only means of living and functioning independently in this bustling city.

But now that I've got my first route under my belt, I feel proud and confident to take on more challenges. I cannot even express in words what it feels like to have the knowledge that I'm finally free—and one day, will be able to live completely alone. It's a comforting thought ... possibly even more so than knowing that my grande skinny cinnamon dolce latte will restore the warmth to my frozen body.

Michelle

P.S. It's a great coffee blend, by the way ... you should try it once.

The Vision Connection

A few weeks ago my family and I went for a week-long safari in Tanzania, an East African country located near the Indian Ocean. This trip has been something my family has dreamed about for years, and it was truly an amazing experience for all of us. While on the trip, we stopped for a small, intimate tour of a Maasai village. The Maasai inhabit an area in northern Tanzania and reside close to many game parks, so we were fortunate enough to see giraffes, lions, zebras, and other animals associated with that region of Africa. We were the only family there for the tour, so we were privileged enough to experience many different aspects of Maasai life. We got to explore the village and were entertained by singers and dancers. Our village guide—pictured in the photo with my son, Jeff—happened to be one of the many sons of the village chief. He was a remarkable young man who was responsible for leading all of the visitors to the village through the tours.

As you can imagine, I used my cane throughout the trip, and I'm sure most of the villagers and other travelers recognized this as a sign that I was visually impaired. Interestingly enough, my wife noticed in the beginning of the tour that our guide seemed to have some sensitivity to light—it turns out that he too was a person living with vision loss. When I asked him about his condition, he told me his eyes are extremely sensitive to light, but even then, he never seemed to let his visual impairment get in the way of his job as our guide. Looking back, I should have given my sunglasses to our guide, as he seemed to open his eyes much better once indoors. A good pair of dark glasses may have helped him function better during the time he spent outside.

Until this trip, it was my understanding that in many places around the world, the visually impaired are not considered valuable members of society. They are rejected and shunned, and all too often their impairment is seen as something inherently bad. What inspired me the most during this family vacation was that this young man happened to be visually impaired and is quite possibly one of the most valuable members of his society, as the tours he gives are an important source of income for this small village. Here is an example of someone who lives in a developing country, is visually impaired, and is a leading citizen of his village. It goes to show that maybe our world view is somewhat tainted—that not all developing countries shun those with visual impairments and treat them as second-class citizens, but rather see their potential and encourage them to be active and vital members of the community.

Chasity's Adventures in Provence

Guest Blogger, Chasity Reynolds

The L'Occitane Provence in Every Sense workshop was the experience of a lifetime to say the least! To be perfectly honest, I experienced so much in that one week that it's becoming quite difficult to condense my thoughts about the experience into a few paragraphs.

During this trip, we participated in workshops that stimulated our sense of smell as well as our sense of observation. The first day we arrived in Provence, we visited the L'Occitane Fragrance Garden and Museum, where we met our instructor, Tashka. She taught us about the different steps involved in making the essential oils for the L'Occitane products and even helped us to make a sample of lavender essential oil, which, incidentally, is very good for sunburn. (Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way....)

The next day, we ventured into the city for our first workshop. There, we made a collage of the different plants, such as thyme, rosemary, and mint, used to make essential oils. Later, we made little bags of potpourri. My favorite was the orange-clove one; it smelled just like gingerbread!

The next morning, we loaded ourselves in the van and took a trip to an actual lavender field. It was absolutely breathtaking! The lavender fields seemed like they stretched on forever! We hiked up a hill and observed several of the plants we had learned about the previous day growing in their natural habitats. Something that I really found surprising was that immortelle, a small lightly fragranced yellow flower, was actually growing in a cluster of rocks!

Later that day, we returned to the city and attended our second workshop where we planted basil and learned how to make bath salts. While we were planting the basil, Tashka told us some of the legends associated with the plant. She said that in ancient Rome, women used to decorate their balconies with basil to attract men; it was supposed to be a symbol of availability and good cooking. (I was considering stuffing a bunch of basil in my bag, but then I remembered that I was a terrible cook. Lol.)

After that, we made bath salts out of two of the simplest ingredients available; however, I'm not going to tell you what they were. If you really want to know, you'll have to check around the AFB web site. (Although, I think it should be pretty obvious what one of them is. Lol).

On our last day in Provence, we took a tour of the L'Occitane Factory. We got to see a lot of the different manufacturing processes that take place in the company. The fragrances in each area were considerably strong, especially in the soap manufacturing area where our last workshop was. We went to a lab right above the manufacturing station to manufacture our own L'Occitane product, a bottle of Cherry Blossom Shower Gel (my favorite fragrance!). To do that, we measured a series of bases using an electric balance, added the dyes, and mixed them all together in a large machine that resembled a large countertop mixer.

We left for New York, where we had an interesting experience in a television studio, later that afternoon. This trip was really an eye-opening experience for me. I got to see and experience many things in three days that many people won't get to experience in a lifetime.

I'd like to take the time to thank the American Foundation for the Blind and the L'Occitane Corporation for blessing me with this opportunity!

Facebook Does It Again!

Hi again, blog readers,

I was going to hold off until next week to post again, but this is too exciting to keep quiet about. (Ask my mom; she'll tell you I'm a chatterbox she wishes she could turn off, sometimes.) Anyway, Jeff from Facebook has done it again! We've been working together for a few months now to make the social networking tool www.Facebook.com a more accessible website for people who are blind or visually impaired. During that time, I've seen considerable improvements on the accessibility front throughout the site. Things which are inconspicuous to others—like the vital "add as friend" button—now have slightly different coding so that they are accessible.

This time, Jeff has put up a whole page, dedicated to the site's accessibility with assistive technology, inside the help center. This is pretty momentous, if you ask me. I only wish I could take credit for it! Unfortunately though, Jeff came up with this one utterly on his own. Good going, there!

Michelle

The Cell-less Chronicles

Dear Blog Readers,

Last Friday, I suffered a very traumatic experience: my mobile phone broke. Immediately, my connection to the world was gone—no more calling on the go, no more e-mailing on the go, and absolutely no text messaging! I felt cut off from the world as never before.

Unfortunately, this utter darkness is not entirely unfamiliar to me. Up until last January, I had a phone with no mobile screen reader. I was able to make calls, but would often press the wrong buttons. I would try to send text messages, and the few that went through had so many typos they were unreadable anyway.

Despite this, I was reluctant to switch over to an accessible cell phone. The prospect of a talking phone, in my mind, always conjured unwelcome images of hideous, oversized cell phones with obnoxiously loud speech. I thought of an eccentric eye-catcher, which, if it did not look weird enough, would certainly be loud enough to embarrass me.

Finally though, I came to my senses. I was suffering, and was knowingly not taking part in a huge aspect of my friends' social lives. While my friends text-messaged to make plans, I still took the trouble to call, and annoy them all in the process. My friends replied to their Facebook messages on the go, and as infuriating as it was, I waited to get home and answer mine in a more untimely fashion.

I did a little research and quickly found that AT&T supports a program called MobileSpeak, which is a screen reader for windows-operated smartphones. I now have the Pantech Duo, a normal-looking, snazzy little thing with a QWERTY keyboard and camera. What's more, my new little robotic companion enables me to do everything all my friends are doing. Even things you wouldn't normally think of—like checking my call registry or going through my contacts—I was never able to do before.

Hopefully, my phone will be fixed soon, so I can go back to my normal social agenda. In the meantime though, if you are still struggling with a phone that just isn't designed for you, I strongly encourage you to find the right assistive technology—whether it be a screen magnifier or a screen reader—to help you keep up-to-date. Mine certainly helped me pretend I'm cool!

Michelle

Remembering Provence

Guest Blogger, Daniel Gillen

Hello, this is Daniel Gillen, and I have just returned from the south of France with some very interesting information about L'Occitane and their products. I was surprised that a company with over a thousand worldwide stores only has one factory from which all of their products are manufactured and shipped. I was even in the factory lab making my own shower gel.

In terms of the rest of the trip, the lavender fields were my favorite. I was surprised that lavender could grow at such high elevations and with less water than other plants. For the first time in my life, I was able to walk through paths that were entirely lined with pure lavender. In this manner, the smell of lavender was present in every place in the fields. Aside from this, the hotel was one of the best and most comfortable places to stay in. It was almost impossible to get out of bed in the mornings, but the thought of delicious breakfast croissants was enough to wake me up.

We also attended a series of workshops that led up to the factory tour. The first workshop involved going to an exhibition that included the Salagon Gardens from the 1st century. While we were there, we distilled lavender flowers in order to make our own lavender flower water. The day after, we made collages that included leaves from over twelve aromatic plants, some of which do not even grow in the U.S. We also made our own potpourri with different fragrances. On the final full day in France, we made our own bath salts. I thought it was so cool; I wish all my blind and visually impaired friends could experience this.

My trip to Provence was one that I will never forget. What I wrote was only a small part of my experience. I have kept a journal that describes my travels in much more detail. Maybe you will discover a copy of my memoir in a bookstore someday and read all about me and my trip!!!

Optics Lab Unveiled at AFB TECH

Guest Blogger, Lee Huffman, AFB TECH

As a person living with low vision, I can tell you firsthand how difficult it can be to read the small screens found on my cell phone, iPod, or even microwave. Unfortunately, there are another 20 million Americans who say they have trouble seeing even with the aid of glasses or contact lenses and are experiencing the same difficulties as me. At an event in West Virginia last month, AFB TECH and Marshall University students and professors unveiled a new device that we hope will lead to small screen displays that are readable for as many people as possible. The contrast measurement device is the first step in determining what's needed to make digital displays usable by people with vision loss. There are currently no manufacturing standards that ensure small screen displays are readable for all people. But our hope is that with the help of this device, a contrast standard will be put into place, and will lead to to the production of easy-to-read appliances, technology devices, even life-saving equipment such as blood glucose meters and insulin pumps for diabetics.

For more information about the project and event, check out the story that ran in the Herald Dispatch in June. Also, for those of you interested in the technical development of our optics lab, visit Dr. Jack Smith's AFB LCD blog.

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Emily's Provencal Experience

Guest Blogger, Emily Pennington

Not only did we learn about these things, but also we got to create our own products, one of which was bath salt. We took some table salt, mixed it with essential oil, and shook it up. Voila! Our second product was made during a tour of the L'Occitane factory. After observing how they made their products, we constructed one of our own…cherry blossom shower gel! I was so proud of myself; it smelled just like it did in all of the stores. I felt like a professional.

I also got to try some interesting foods, such as rabbit, salmon sushi, and real "French" fries (although I have to go back someday and get ahold of some escargot!). Even after we got back to New York, our adventure wasn't over; we went to a real studio and participated in media training for the next day's TV and radio interviews about the trip. I learned a lot of good tips from Larry, Tony, and Paul, who worked there, and I had a great time being interviewed. I got to wear an earpiece and microphone, and I felt like a celebrity. We also got to do some sightseeing, and try some New York pizza, which, I might add, was excellent. I don't think I was meant to come back to Cincinnati, because our flight home was cancelled, and, when we finally got back to our house, both my mother and I didn't have our house keys!

This trip was incredible; I really enjoyed the hands-on experience of learning about the creation of fragrances, and the many things I got to see and do as well. I'd like to thank L'Occitane and AFB for making this trip possible. I became good friends with the other students who traveled, and I know that we, as well as our parents and the other adults who were there, will remember it for the rest of our lives.

Last But Certainly Not Least, Chasity Reynolds...

Guest Blogger, Chasity Reynolds

A note from Caitlin McFeely: I'm sure you were all wondering about our fourth fabulous teenager traveling to France. Sorry for the delay in getting Chasity's blog post ready for you to read. Be sure to check back this week for blog posts from all of the world travelers, documenting their experience in Provence.

My name is Chasity Reynolds, and I'm a 16-year-old high school senior from Antioch, Tennessee. I'm an active member of many of the sports and extracurricular activities offered at my school, including track, cheerleading, forensics, and band, as well as a student volunteer for the Odyssey Healthcare Center and the Nashville Humane Society. However, most of my free-time is spent either writing stories or drawing pictures. I consider myself to be a pretty good cartoonist, and I usually carry a sketchpad and pencils everywhere I go.

I've never really had the opportunity to travel outside of the country, so needless to say, the thought that I'll be able to travel to another country, especially one as culturally rich as France, is absolutely overwhelming! I'm looking forward to touring the L'Occitane company and learning about the different processes involved in creating skin and beauty products. I'm taking my mom, Linda Muhammad, on the trip with me. She's extremely excited about this opportunity, and has been essential in gathering all the necessities we need for the trip. (And giving me a world-class headache in the process. Lol.) She and I want to thank AFB and the L'Occitane Corporation for giving us this awesome opportunity. We would also like to thank Mrs. Hillary Murtagh, my wonderful English teacher who encouraged me to apply for this workshop, for all of her hard work and support.

If FamilyConnect™Existed When I Was Young…

When my parents discovered I was losing my vision at eight years old, they took me to every eye doctor they could find in the New Haven, Connecticut, area searching for answers and most importantly, a cure. When they found out that I had a recessive gene disorder and I would continue to lose my vision over time, they were devastated and overwhelmed with guilt. My parents didn't know where to turn, so they kept their concerns to themselves. At this time, there was no agency for the visually impaired in the area and my grammar school didn't have any advice for them. My parents coped as well as they could, but with limited resources and an unclear understanding of my condition, they held little hope for my future.

I often think of them now and what would happen if I were eight years old today and losing my vision. Certainly, they would be researching my condition on the Internet and, I hope, they would find AFB's new web resource, FamilyConnect. I'm really proud of this web site and the amount of help and support that it's bringing to thousands of families across the country. We recently posted a video on FamilyConnect where I've expressed more about what this site can do for people who find themselves in the same situation that my parents were in when I was growing up. There's an embedded version below, or you can visit the FamilyConnect video page for an accessible version.

July 2008

Campaign Sites: Accessible or Not?

Hey Blog Readers,

There's something about myself I've taken care not to really express, in fear that you'd recognize me for what I really am: a nerd. The truth is I'm a huge news junkie. In my opinion, there is no better drama than the unfolding presidential race. So when I saw Carl's and Paul's last few posts about the National Forum on Disability Issues, it got me wondering: How accessible are the web sites of the two contenders for the American presidency?

Let's start by examining the campaign site of the man who has openly admitted to not knowing how to use the Internet, www.johnmccain.com. For not knowing how to surf the web, I will at least give McCain credit for hiring decent web developers. For the most part, the various links seem to be clickable, and when I tried to watch a campaign ad, the video loaded and played with no problem. The signup process is also easy and accessible, lacking those pesky CAPTCHAs. The dashboard at the top of the page is easy to use; however, under the main dashboard, the site becomes cluttered and confusing. There are too many graphics, on-mouse-over links, and other generally inaccessible links. There are also no "heading levels," giving the page an even less cohesive feeling. To find information, I have to either know what I'm looking for—in which case I can do a page search—or browse leisurely, but much too slowly, for my taste. I can only wonder how McCainSpace, McCain's imitation of the social network site My.BarackObama.com, looks. If you're a member of McCainSpace, please leave me some feedback.

The campaign site for the more web-savvy candidate, www.barackobama.com, looks much cleaner. Obama's dashboard is more comprehensive than McCain's; almost all of the links, except video links, work. (However, the inability to watch videos is a huge flaw that I advise the Obama tech team to get on immediately.) Under the dashboard there is a cohesive structure displaying the Obama blog, news, events, products, and services. The page has a fair amount of "heading levels," making it easy to find what I want, and graphics are also, for the most part, labeled. Signup for both the campaign and social network sites are as flawless as those found on McCain's site.

Generally, I'm impressed. Both sites seem fairly accessible to visually impaired voters seeking information, with Obama's site being slightly better. I still don't have any serious gripes against McCain's web site, however. Now it's your turn: I'd love to hear feedback on what you think of the candidates' web sites.

Is the disability community an important voting block? Recap of the National Forum on Disability Issues

Is the disability community an important voting block? With 35 million voters with disabilities, it would seem like an important force in presidential politics.

On Saturday, July 26, 2008, the 18th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Democratic and Republican candidates were invited to a forum in Columbus Ohio to address issues important to Americans with disabilities. AFB was one of 80 sponsors of the forum that featured a list of prominent disability organizations. The event was spearheaded by the American Association of People with Disabilities, and held at The First Church of God Conference and Technology Centre.

Unfortunately, neither John McCain nor Barak Obama chose to address the forum in person. Senator McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for President did participate by satellite connection, while Senator Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee did not avail himself of this option and instead was represented by Senator Tom Harkin, a champion of disability rights and lead sponsor of the ADA.

As I said, Sen. McCain did speak by satellite and took questions from forum moderator, Judy Woodruff. He responded to questions about veterans care, Social Security programs, and legislation to reform the ADA.

For me, the highlight of the forum was actor Robert David Hall. Hall is disabled and plays a coroner on CSI. He voiced our hopes for a president who would take disability issues seriously. But, as noted, first candidates have to seriously "mix it up with us," people who have disabilities.

To be honest, I had hoped for more from this forum. The optimist in me says that this is only a start and that both Obama and McCain have very good staff working on disability issues,both are well-versed in the issues, and both will take our issues and concerns seriously in their administration. However, with all of the organization that went into this meeting, and the years of work that so many in our community have given to advocacy and politics, I had hoped that both candidates would visibly show their commitment to our inclusion in society by attending the forum and speaking directly to us. It was the only event of its kind and it was an unprecedented opportunity to talk directly to voters with disabilities and to hear our hopes and concerns.

I was also very disappointed that the critical role played by information technology was not really even touched on throughout the forum discussion. It's hard to imagine a more potent force in today's world than the web, cell phones and the like, but you wouldn't have known it from the discussion of the politicians or the disability advocates. Shocking!

I hope both candidates will continue to work to address policies and programs of importance to people with disabilities. To be sure, as a community, we care about the issues widely reported in the media, but we also want to be sure that our government will continue to enact policies that foster opportunities for those of us with disabilities to pursue our interests and make real our dreams.

This will take more than the usual platitudes we so often hear from political leaders. Our programs compete for funding with many other worthy programs with strong champions. We need to know how politicians plan to balance these competing priorities. Policies that foster opportunity like the recently introduced "21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act" will not pass unless politicians have the courage to tell powerful industry players that our society is made better when all people have a chance to benefit from modern communications technologies, including people with disabilities. Please join me in asking candidates for office about the specific ideas they have for creating an opportunity society for those of us with disabilities.

Presidential Hopefuls to Discuss National Disability Policy

Tomorrow the National Forum on Disability Issues will meet in Columbus, Ohio, to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act with more than 1,000 Americans with disabilities and their friends and family. Included in Saturday's event is a nonpartisan forum on national disability policy, featuring Senator Tom Harkin as a representative for Senator Barack Obama, Senator John McCain (via satellite link from Arizona), and actor and activist Robert David Hall. The forum will be moderated by news anchor and journalist Judy Woodruff, and will outline the presumptive presidential candidates' visions for the future of disability policy in America.

AFB is honored to be a hosting sponsor for the forum, along with many other notable national disability organizations. More information on the forum can be found at the American Association of People with Disabilities' (AAPD) web site. If you're unable to attend the event, a live, simultaneous webcast, complete with pass-through captioning and American Sign Language interpreting, will be available online.

Tune in next week for a recap of the weekend's events.

Meet New York City's Daniel Gillen

Guest Blogger, Daniel Gillen

Hello, my full name is Daniel Luke Gillen, and I am a 14-year-old graduate of East Side Middle School in New York City. Next year, I will begin my high school career at the Beacon School. This is the school at which New York State Governor David Paterson's son was accepted. Hearing of my acceptance there made me realize how accommodating the school is to allow people with disabilities to attend. My main hobby is playing the piano. I began with my first piano lessons at the age of 6, followed by regularly held lessons since. At present, I have just finished learning my first piece by French composer Claude Debussy, and I am working on another piece by this composer. In October of this year, I will be performing for a national disabilities conference in New York. Aside from this, I have a strong grasp of world history and geography. During my spare time, I may use this knowledge of geography to create braille maps of any region around the world. At other times, I may be researching current news on the Internet.

In terms of the trip to France, I am excited about going to the main headquarters of L'Occitane and exploring the surrounding fields. Not only does this give me the opportunity to travel overseas to another country, it is also very educational and interesting to see how the wonderful products are manufactured. In general, I am excited about being in France, which is one of my ancestral background locations. I am looking forward to eating the various foods they have there, and trying to communicate with others in the French language.

My mother, who is going on the trip with me, is even more excited because she has been dreaming her whole life of some kind of trip to France. We had planned that if I was accepted into this program, she would accompany me on the trip. She can't wait to have a croissant there.

Bonjour, From Emily Pennington

Guest Blogger, Emily Pennington

Hello (or should I say, bonjour!). My name is Emily Pennington, and I live in Cincinnati, Ohio. I'm 14 years old, and I'm about to be a freshman in high school (though I wouldn't mind if summer lasted a little bit longer).

Anyway, it's only two short days until we all leave for France. That's right, I've been counting down ever since I found out I was going. I'm guessing you've noticed how excited I am. I mean, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I'm full of anticipation. I'm really looking forward to learning about the essentials to creating fragrances; I've always wanted to do that. I'm also excited to get a taste of French culture: what they eat, what they do for fun, even if their bathrooms are different from ours (yes, I am curious about that). My mom will be accompanying me on the trip, and she's just as excited as I am, if not more so. We're trying to learn some French phrases before we leave, and we're also looking forward to visiting New York, because we've never been there either.

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now; I'm going to start packing tonight, so I must be off. I'll write more later. This is Emily, saying over and out.

Introducing Brooke Berger

Guest Bloggers, Caitlin McFeely and Brooke Berger

Hi, again! This is Caitlin with a special announcement. AFB and L'Occitane thought it would neat to have the four students attending this year's fragrance school (Daniel, Chasity, Brooke, and Emily), blog about their experiences in France (we had a little inspiration from Emily and her mom DeeAnn's web site). We hope to cover everything from pre-trip excitement (or maybe jitters) to our actual experiences in France to post-trip reflections…all of which we hope you readers enjoy. So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce our first student/guest blogger, Brooke Berger.

Hi! My name is Brooke Berger. I'm 14 years old and from Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Next year I will be a freshman at John Hardin High School. Some of the hobbies I enjoy are swimming, reading, knitting, playing the piano, shopping, and hanging out with my friends. I also enjoy spending time at the Kentucky School for the Blind. I have made a lot of friends there and have learned a lot of useful things. My two favorite subjects at school are history and algebra. I love to learn about the world's history and algebra isn't something I enjoy doing; it's just something I'm good at doing. I am involved in a lot clubs, one of which is the Kentucky Youth Assemblely. It is a fake government where you can write bills about real life issues that affect the state of Kentucky. You also get to speak in front of others and state your opinions about issues. Public speaking is another thing I enjoy doing.

I am really grateful for this wonderful opportunity to go to France and learn about fragrances. I think that it is wonderful that L'Occitane actually cares about the opinions and thoughts of blind and visually impaired people, and realizes that our sense of smell is much greater than most people. I have been trying to learn some French. I have a little trouble with it, though. I'm really excited to get to visit the lavender fields! Lavender is one of my favorite scents. The workshops sound really interesting.

I would like to thank everyone from the American Foundation for the Blind and L'Occitane for making this trip possible.

Brooke

For the Love of the Game

I know I've mentioned beep baseball on this blog before but I never told you why I love the game. I'm a lifelong baseball fan. In fact, when I was younger and still had fairly good vision, I played in elementary school. I was a pitcher, and it was my dream to be a baseball star like my idol (I would tell you who, but that would give away my age, so I'll let you guess!). After I lost my vision, I had to stop playing, but that didn't stop my love of the game.

One alternative available to die-hard baseball fans that are visually impaired and still want to play the sport is beep baseball. It's played more like softball and involves a beeping ball and two buzzing bases. About 20 years ago, I tried my hand at it, thinking that since I was a good ball player, I would naturally be good at this sport. Boy, was I wrong! It was one of the most frustrating things I've ever done. I kept striking out, my arms quickly got fatigued, and my enthusiasm to play the game diminished. It's not an easy game, but there are definitely very skilled blind and visually impaired athletes who excel at this sport and I have a huge respect for those who play.

The National Beep Baseball Association has a section on their website with everything you need to know about beep baseball. Check it out to learn more! Also, the 2008 World Series of Beep Baseball is next week—July 29 to August 2—in Houston, Texas. If you're out that way, you should stop in for a game or two and cheer on defending champs the Kansas All-Stars. Or, you can subscribe to their podcast to listen to the games if you can't make it out to watch in person. Good luck to all the teams!

Until then…play ball!

An Excellent Adventure, Indeed…

Guest Blogger, Caitlin McFeely, Communications Specialist

I am feeling like one lucky girl this week! This Saturday, I'm packing up my gear, heading to JFK, and flying to Provence, France, with four fabulous teenagers to attend the fragrance design school funded and run by French beauty company, L'Occitane. I am super excited for my first trip to the French countryside (I can't wait for the lavender fields!), but am probably more excited to get to know these four teens, their families, and all of the generous people at L'Occitane. I'm sure I'll have plenty to say about the trip when I return next week, but I wanted to let you know about Emily, one of the students coming to Provence with me, and her amazing web site devoted to this trip. The site is called "Emily and DeeAnn's Excellent Adventure" and was created by Emily and her mom (DeeAnn) so that their family and friends can keep track of their trip. There are already some photos, videos, and even a blog where Emily and DeeAnn are writing about getting ready for the trip. You should definitely check it out. I can't wait to tell you all about our trip when I get back. Until then, au revoir!

To Chat, or Not To Chat?

Dear Blog Readers,

If you do not use a chat, or instant messaging (IM), program of some sort, I am assuming you at least know about their existence. You may not be aware, however, of their immense importance to the social lives of the "kids" growing up here in the information age. Instant messaging can often determine the fate of our Saturday night plans, or help us get through that particularly difficult math assignment. After all, isn't the Information Age all about finding different ways of not having to get up?

So, in order to further promote couch-potatoism, I have decided to review the usability of a few, different chat programs with a JAWS screen reader. I chose to focus on three big ones right now — AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Facebook Chat (found on the Facebook home page), and GChat (Google and Gmail's official chat software). Please take note that these are by no means the only chat programs available, or the only widely used ones, either.

Let's start by talking about the classic AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). AIM's main window seems accessible enough, when given patience. It is easy to scroll (with the arrow keys) through my buddys' screen names, their profiles, and initiate conversations with them. Many of the options listed on the page are hard to find, but using the tab key, they are all eventually locatable. I am still more satisfied with AIM's chat window, over its main page. The chat, between my buddy and me, is presented in a clear, list-like conversation. All I have to do is repeatedly tab between the edit field and the conversation list. I would be more satisfied if my screen reader would actually read my buddy's IMs aloud, but alas…nothing is perfect.

So with one reasonably accessible option on the market, let's also look at alternatives that your friends may be using instead. Facebook Chat is an interesting option, because many users are likely to find more of their friends on Facebook than on AOL. Facebook's chat window, however, is by no means as cleanly laid out as AOL's. Names are listed as "on mouse over links" and it is difficult selecting a specific name. Once a chat is initiated, the chat window will pop up at the top of the Facebook page. There is more than one form field, which can be confusing. There are also a few poorly labeled buttons, which have the potential to throw off users completely, as well. However, the most irritating drawback of this chat window is that it makes the screen reader jump around the page constantly. (Facebook and I are working out some of these kinks as we speak).

So this brings us to our last attempt. Google and its affiliates are known to be particularly thoughtful with regard to the visually impaired. They always offer an audio CAPTCHA throughout their various web sites, and offer basic HTML format on Gmail specifically designed for users of screen readers. So naturally, all this made me want to try GChat. Let me tell you: GChat is a disaster. When using it on my Gmail account, all the links are visible, but only as plain text. Initiating a conversation, or doing anything else on the chat program for that matter, is simply impossible. So I gave Google Talk, the downloadable version of the same program, a try. This time, when opening the software, my screen reader refused to read a single word. No luck!

So what's my conclusion? Seeing as instant messaging is a pivotal part of so many people's lives, glitches in accessibility should not hold any of them back. AOL Instant Messenger is your best bet, but if you have more friends on Facebook Chat, this can work for you, as well. The most important thing, surely, is keeping up to date. And, of course, not having to walk all the way over to the telephone!

Michelle

We Can't Keep Quiet About Silent Cars

Guest Blogger Mark Richert, Esq., Director, Public Policy

With the price of gas continuing to soar, many Americans are turning to fuel-efficient hybrid cars to save some money at the pump. While these cars are better for the environment, and our pocketbooks, they pose a real threat to the safety of pedestrians. Because hybrid car engines are basically silent, it's difficult for pedestrians—particularly pedestrians that are blind or visually impaired—to know when these cars are driving by.

A recent article in The San Diego Union Tribune talked about a meeting held in Washington where members of the blindness field, including yours truly, gathered to talk about how hybrids and other quiet vehicles threaten far more than the 1.1 million legally blind Americans because many people depend on auditory cues to know when a car is approaching. This includes people talking or checking their cell phones while walking, or children who forget to "look both ways" before crossing the street. Without these noises, all pedestrians could be at risk for being hit by a car. As we move toward making more environmentally friendly vehicles, we need to ensure that we are also protecting the safety of pedestrians. There is no reason we can't do both.

The Newest Addition

Hi, blog readers,

My name is Michelle Hackman, and I am AFB's Communications intern for the summer. I am a sophomore in high school, and am having an amazing time here already. Some would say that blogging can't be considered a job—but I'll tell you differently. As an aspiring journalist, I highly value the news and interactive journalism (layman's language for the blogosphere, I suppose).

Maybe you've seen my name dropped once or twice on this blog before. Last year, I had the rare opportunity to travel with AFB and L'Occitane to Provence, France, with four other girls my age—Emma, Kate, Nicole, and Stephanie. Prior to that trip, I had never worked with (or even heard of the doings) at AFB. The idea of this trip initially held meaning and promise for me in that I would be able to travel to France (honestly, who wouldn't?), practice my not-so-developed French skills, and see the "magical" factory of a skincare brand with which I had, I'll admit, a slight infatuation. (I held the group up for an hour at the discounted L'Occitane factory store…40% off, you know.) The trip held no meaning for me, at first, in terms of meeting blind peers and being connected to the larger world of opportunity so powerfully supported and expanded here. Before joining up with the Foundation, I used to shy away from my future; now, I embrace it. What a strong sense of community…boy was I missing out!

While there, in the most potentially fragrant region in the world, I used my time not only to explore the world of lavender, gardening, and fabulous French pastries, but also to start asking questions. I spent more time, perhaps than the others did, with the representative from AFB, Adrianna Montague-Gray. She introduced me to the organization that is AFB, and though I was hesitant to even admit this to myself, I became fascinated in the works of the organization. Naturally, a couple months later, I found my first chance to get involved, on Facebook.com.

One day last September, Adrianna invited me to the newly created American Foundation for the Blind page on Facebook's "Causes" application. I joined, perhaps the fourth or so member, and began to recruit all my friends. I invited people I knew, who invited people they knew—and in the blink of an eye, we had over 100 online supporters. Then, Facebook's "Causes" application changed the interface of the "Invite Your Friends" page, making it utterly inaccessible. Ironic, no?

So when I pointed out this little flaw, AFB aided me in contacting Facebook about the issue, and from there I expanded to target accessibility all throughout the social networking web site. I did so by building a relationship there with Jeff, who is in charge of accessibility, and who began work with us last January. He still takes my every little concern into account. We've addressed a variety of issues, from the interface of that pesky page, to faulty buttons throughout the site, and even to the rewriting of certain directions given in the "Help" section offered. It has been, and I am confident that it will continue to be, an extremely successful endeavor.

And now, not so surprisingly, I find myself here. I will be an official blogger for the summer to keep all of you informed on the latest happenings in the world of the visually impaired. I'll try to cover a range of stories, from the inspiring to the interesting. So leave feedback about what you would like to see in the future, in the comments below. I'm open to any suggestions you may have! This is going to be amazing fun—even possibly more so than frolicking through sunny Provence.

Michelle

Protecting Your Eyes…And Not Just of the Fourth of July

One of the things I love most about the Fourth of July are the fireworks displays—I can't imagine celebrating Independence Day without them. But as fun as they are, it's always important to take proper precautions around them (you know me…safety first!). This week, I happened upon an article from Occupational Health & Safety Magazine about eye injuries. Interestingly, most Americans think that eye injuries occur as a result of accidents related to events like the Fourth of July fireworks displays. But as the article points out, most eye injuries occur during everyday activities like frying up the morning's eggs and bacon or mowing the lawn. It's important for all Americans, especially the millions of older Americans losing their vision, to practice eye safety when doing these everyday activities in the home. If you're interested in some inexpensive, easily implemented tips that will help keep you and your eyes safe, check out AFB Senior Site.

June 2008

Accessibility's In For Summer!

It's another great day on the accessibility front! Today, Representative Edward Markey (D-MA) and Representative Heather Wilson (R-NM) introduced "The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2008" in the House of Representatives. While this bill includes measures that affect a variety of people with disabilities, we are pleased that it includes clear requirements for access to TV programs and receivers, extends access to Internet-based telecommunications technologies, and adds a new provision to clarify that text messaging must also be accessible under an existing law known as Section 255—all things that will greatly affect the lives of people with vision loss.

Today's events are the next steps in the long journey to bring about improved access to Internet-based communications devices and services, and television programs and receivers. A little over a month ago, my colleague and fellow blogger, Paul Schroeder, wrote about an important hearing that focused on the draft of this bill. I'm thrilled that we've taken another huge step toward making accessible communication devices for people living with disabilities a reality and hope we continue moving in the right direction!

For more details about the legislation, check out the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology's press release or an article that ran in today's Washington Post.

Our Friend Zoraida

Guest Blogger, Ellen Couch, AFB Information Center

I was so pleased to find out that one of AFB's Information Center volunteers, Zoraida Morrison, was featured in a recent New York Times article.

Zoraida has been a volunteer answering AFB's toll-free number a few times a week for several years now. She has helped countless callers not only with her broad knowledge of blindness and visual impairment, but also with her warmth and understanding. Just having Zoraida walk in the door—her energy, her big smile, and her fabulous hats—really brightens up the place. We in the Information Center love her and are glad that others now have a chance to meet this wonderful lady.

Check out the article in the City section of the NY Times.

ALERT! Justice Department to Propose Sweeping Revisions to ADA Regulations

Tomorrow is a big day for the disabilities community. We are expecting the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue draft revisions to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. If made final, the draft regulations would represent the most sweeping changes to federal ADA implementation and enforcement since DOJ's issuance of the original ADA regulations in 1991.

Once the proposed amendments are officially published, we hear the public will be granted an unusually short 60-day time period to offer comment on the draft regulations. The DOJ has made an unofficial advanced text available. While a thorough analysis of the proposed rules is not possible at this time, there are several areas of obvious interest to the vision loss community, including:

• Failure of the proposal to make clear the ADA's applicability to Internet-only places of public accommodation.
• Possible narrowing of the concept of service animals to those from particular species and that perform clearly identifiable tasks.
• Possible broader and better defined mandate for description of movies shown in cinemas.

As soon as we know more, we will provide readers with information regarding how to offer comment, as well as any supporting material and/or analysis that may be useful in preparing such comments. For now, visit the Public Policy section of our web site for more information.

Finally, on Wednesday, June 18, beginning at 10:00 am Eastern, the DOJ will be conducting an informational conference call to acquaint all interested parties with the scope and general features of the proposed rules, and DOJ has asked us to spread the word about this opportunity.

To join the call:
Dial: (202) 353-0879 or 1-800-521-6079 Pass Code: 3658#

June 17, 2008, Update: We have just been informed that the Department of Justice has cancelled the information conference call scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 18. We will let you know when the call has been rescheduled.

Legally Blind

I always like to blog about blind or visually impaired individuals who are finding success in the workplace. Only July 14, Isaac Lidsky will start his position as a clerk for retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, reportedly becoming the Supreme Court's first visually impaired clerk. On top of starting his job with Justice O'Connor, Isaac is also heavily involved in his foundation, Hope for Vision, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of retinal degenerative diseases.

A great article ran in the Legal Times about Isaac, in which he's quoted saying, "It's critically important for people with vision loss to see that they can accomplish what they want to achieve. It's not a limitation." I applaud Isaac for pursuing his dreams and encouraging others to do the same. He's certainly ready to face the challenge that comes with being a clerk in the Supreme Court. I'm also really proud of the Supreme Court for hiring Isaac, a qualified and respected lawyer, who happens to be visually impaired. It's an encouragement to me to know the Supreme Court is making assistive technology available to Isaac so he's able to do his job the best he can.

If you're interested in learning more about the range and diversity of jobs performed by those who are blind or visually impaired, like Isaac, I recommend you visit AFB CareerConnect®. It's full of success stories and valuable information for job seekers of all ages.

Next Stop…Beijing

Guest Blogger, Marc Grossman, Accessibility Specialist, AFB Consulting

Physical fitness and exercise are an important part of my life. Just because I can't see myself in the mirror doesn't mean that I don't want to look good in my bathing trunks! One way I stay in shape is by training for and racing in triathlons. I entered my first triathlon two years ago. Though the course—consisting of a half-mile swim, sixteen-mile cycle, and three-mile run—may sound terrifying, as far as triathlons go, that one was not too bad. Unfortunately, the tandem bicycle I was riding broke down about halfway and my racing partner and I were unable to finish the race. It left me feeling really deflated, but I knew I would attempt to complete another race again.

So you can imagine the anticipation I felt yesterday as we pulled into the parking lot to get ready to race for the second time. Two years ago, it was about 50 degrees at race time and standing on the beach waiting to jump into the 68-degree water without a wetsuit was a teeth chattering experience. This year, however, race time temperatures were already nearing 80 degrees! As the race starter counted down from ten, my heart began pounding in my chest and when the horn blasted, signaling the start of the race, we made a mad dash to get out front. Matt (my racing partner) kept pushing me left and right to keep me on track to reach the buoy before we turned around to head back for the beach. My legs were still wobbly as we ran for the transition area to get ready for the bike and by the time it came for the run, the temperatures were in the 90s with no shade in sight. If it was not for the amazing fans lining the course cheering for the athletes, I might have packed it in and called it a day. Despite the conditions, Matt and I crossed the finish line in two hours and five minutes (and made a beeline for the water table!).

I would like to say thank you to the Achilles Track Club for all of their support. Thanks to my racing partner Matt, because if it were not for him, I wouldn't have made it very far at all. Finally, thank you to the staff and volunteers at New York Triathlon for putting on an amazing event and working to include athletes with disabilities in their races.

Embracing Our Own Differences

I'm not sure if you saw this, but the NY Daily News ran a great article last week about Governor Paterson . Paterson said he often tried to hide his blindness when he was younger, and it's only been within the last couple of years that he has become fully comfortable with his disability.

I was excited to read this article, because I can identify with Paterson; I know how it feels to want to hide your disability. When I started losing my vision as a teenager, I still wanted to do the same things my friends were doing. I didn't want to be viewed as different—to me, being different equated to being rejected—so I often tried to hide my visual impairment and pretend I was sighted. As time went on, the more vision I lost, the harder it was to pretend I could still see.

It thrilled me to read Paterson's comment about a photo of him having to stoop down to the table to sign a bill. Several felt it was jarring—I say it's not a big deal, as long as he felt comfortable with it, and he did. It makes me happy to see people embrace their uniqueness and be comfortable in their own skin. I applaud Paterson for publicly embracing his disability and empowering others to do the same.

Remembering Helen Keller

Forty years ago today we grieved the loss of Helen Keller—an amazing women whose contributions to humanity will forever be remembered. Keller, who was deaf and blind, became a world-renowned activist, peacemaker and disabilities rights advocate during her lifetime. She worked with many world leaders and traveled to 39 countries bringing hope and inspiration to millions. Helen Keller spent the last 40 years of her life working at AFB, and she remains our guiding light today. You can read her obituary from June 2, 1968 in today's New York Times. Helen Keller was a gift to all of us; we will remember her always.

May 2008

Another Ruling on Issuing Accessible Money

It's another big week on the accessibility front—yesterday, a federal appeals court ruled that the U.S. Treasury Department is violating the law by not designing and issuing paper money that is accessible to people with vision loss. The decision upheld the 2006 federal district court ruling in a case filed by the American Council of the Blind (ACB) against the U.S. Treasury (we first blogged about this ruling back in November of 2006). As anticipated, it's been a lengthy legal battle thus far, and there's still a long road ahead until changes are made. Nonetheless, the ruling is an important step toward making our world more accessible for people who are blind or visually impaired. And with the rates of age-related eye conditions expected to double as the nation's 78 million baby boomers reach retirement age and beyond, a significant number of people will need money to be vision loss-friendly.

Here's a link to the statement we released yesterday applauding ACB for championing this issue. Also, check out CNN Money and a USA Today blog to read some press featuring AFB's position on this issue.

We look forward to seeing ACB, the U.S. Treasury, and other blindness organizations working together to make accessible U.S. money become a reality.

The Mystery of the Suddenly Inacccessible Encyclopaedia Britannica

Here's one thing I bet you never knew about me…I'm what one might call an "encyclopedia fanatic." It all started back when I had my vision—I was fascinated by the encyclopedia and the vast amount of information it offered. I would often refer to the print version to read about various people, places, and things. After losing my vision about 25 years ago, I could no longer refer to the print version, but was fortunately able to buy an embossed version. Starting in 1993, I read every title from A-Z and, for any title that interested me, I read the entire entry. Some of my favorite entries revolved around countries of the world or famous personalities I knew little about. I finally got through all of the entries last year (took a while, right?!), but wasn't quite ready to part with my beloved hobby. When I found out an accessible version of the Encyclopædia Britannica was available online, I thought this would be a great way for me to continue to expand my knowledge and access information in a quick, easy fashion. This past January, I subscribed, was trained on how to use the tool, and started enjoying the entries. All was going well until one day I tried to log on and couldn't access the site. I contacted my accessibility technology trainer, and sure enough, she couldn't access the site with a screen reader either. I'm not sure what happened, but I plan on sending a letter to the company to find out why the site is suddenly inaccessible. Whatever the reason, I really hope they will change things around ASAP! I'll keep you posted on what they say.

FamilyConnect™ Videos Are Now Available on YouTube!

As many of you already know, FamilyConnect™, AFB and NAPVI's new online community, launched last week and we couldn't be more excited! The site is full of information for parents and caretakers of visually impaired children of all ages, giving them a place to connect with other families and find the support and resources they're looking for. One great resource on the site is the video profiles section, where you can find personal stories from parents, siblings, and children with visual impairments. We're happy to announce that these videos are now available on YouTube. Feel free to post or link to the videos on your own personal web site or blog. You can also add a FamilyConnect icon (like the one above) to your site—you can find out more information about linking to FamilyConnect here. And as always, let us know what you think of the site!

The Insider Scoop

Guest Blogger, Lee Huffman, AFB TECH

Just last month, I attended my first AFB National Conference (JLTLI) and all I can say is, "Wow!" As a member of the AFB TECH team, this year's focus on technology was especially interesting for me. It was great to see new and emerging leaders interact with veterans of the blindness field, such as Jim Fruchterman, Mike May, Anita Aaron, Dr. David Klonoff, and Mike Calvo (to name a few!). I think the session topics sparked some interesting conversations and ideas.

One of my favorite sessions was the Managing Financial Transactions Online session, led by Crista Earl and Vita Zavoli, both AFB staff members. In it, they discussed the benefits and frequent challenges of performing financial transactions on the Internet. They gave actual examples of ways to shop online at Amazon.com, buy groceries at Safeway.com, pay your bills or manage bank statements at Bank of America.com, and indicated how many other such sites could be accessed. They also talked about specific techniques AT users can implement to better cope with less accessible sites, including screen reader features to be aware of which can improve your ability to use a site.

I also really enjoyed the technology exhibits, where conference attendees were given the opportunity to speak with technology leaders and learn about new products and services. The lineup of exhibitors was outstanding: Verizon, AT&T, Microsoft, IBM, Flying Blind LLC—Empowerment through Technology, ICRC/Adaptive Technology Services, En-Vision America, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, and yours truly at the AFB TECH table.

For anyone that attended AFB's 2008 National Conference (JLTLI), what was your favorite part of the weekend? Let me know in the comments section below.

Also, if anyone is interested, a few blogs covered various parts of the conference. Visit Seo, Inc.'s blog, Mike Calvo's blog for Serotek, and the Carroll Center for the Blind's blog to read more.

I am looking forward to another fantastic conference next year in Washington, DC!

Action on Technology Access

As a person with vision loss do you ever get frustrated with your new fancy cable TV because you can't see the on-screen menus to select programs and functions? Do you feel like you're falling further and further behind your sighted coworkers who are using new technologies like the Blackberry and iPhone to read e-mail, browse the Web, and stay connected? Wouldn't it be good if we could watch any TV program we wanted, and actually know what's happening without having to convince a sighted friend to watch and explain action to you? And, my goodness, if you're deaf-blind, the simple act of making a phone call independently can cost thousands of dollars just to have the necessary technology. At a May 1 hearing on accessible communications technology, we heard compelling testimony from people with disabilities and advocates about the need for a law to ensure that communications technologies—such as iPhones, Blackberries, TV programming, and more—are made accessible to people with disabilities.

The hearing focused on draft legislation known as the "Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act," and was an exciting first step in what will be a long journey to bring about improved access to Internet-based communications devices and services and television programs and receivers.

One of the highlights of the May 1 hearing was the testimony of Sergeant Major Jesse Acosta, one of our nation's military heroes who lost his sight just two and a half years ago in combat in Iraq. Sergeant Major Acosta was honest in describing the frustration we all experience trying to buy and use new technologies from cell phones to personal digital assistants to televisions. He even had a little fun challenging a Congressman to try using his Blackberry with his eyes closed.

But there is a long way to go before we see this legislation pass or the results of this work become real. A representative of the cell phone industry said that many of the requirements in the proposed legislation were not needed because the information technology industry is addressing the needs of people with disabilities. While we agree that important progress has been made in some areas, notably where legal requirements like Section 255 are now in place, much work still needs to be done. In an ironic twist, on the same day that an attorney was telling this Congressional hearing that stronger enforcement such as a right to bring a case to court might actually hurt people with disabilities, yet another agreement was signed with the retail industry to make point-of-sale machines and a web site accessible to people with disabilities. This agreement, with RiteAid, came about through negotiations that did not require action in the courts, but it likely wouldn't have happened without the incentive provided by the strong enforcement language included in the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Without a doubt, it is all too clear that for people with vision loss there are no TVs with accessible controls and menus, there is minimal video description available of TV programs, PDAs and other new communications devices are not designed to be accessible, and there is little help for deaf-blind individuals to purchase expensive communications devices.

And, there is no doubt that this legislation is needed. We'll soon be asking you to contact your member of Congress to ask him or her to support the "Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act."

April 2008

Celebrity Witnesses Support Equal Access to Communications Technologies

From Mark Richert, Esq., Director, Public Policy

Though we live in a world where we rely on technology to succeed at our jobs, keep in touch with friends and family, and stay on top of current events and pop culture, communications technology isn't accessible to everyone. Tomorrow celebrity witnesses and disabilities rights groups are gathering before the US Congress to testify on the need for a comprehensive piece of legislation known as the "21st-Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act." This bill aims to expand access to communications technology including text messaging, smart phones, the menus on DVDs, TV programming and more.

The celebrity line up supporting this legislation includes Jamal Anderson, a pro football player for the Atlanta Falcons, Russell Harvard, a Hollywood actor who is deaf, Sergeant Major Jesse Acosta, who has vision disabilities as a result of action in Iraq, and Larry Goldberg with WGBH in Boston, a leading provider of video programming accessibility. You can watch the May 1 hearing via the Internet at http://energycommerce.edgeboss.net/wmedia-live/energycommerce/
11990/100_energycommerce-2123_060901.asx.

AFB is really excited to be part of the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) that has been working hard to ensure people have access to modern-day, mainstream communications technology. To read more about AFB's work on the cell phone front, visit www.afb.org/cellphones, and to check out some examples of good video description, take a look at our new video gallery on FamilyConnect. With the population aging and the vision loss numbers expected to multiply in the next couple of decades, it is really important that we make sure technology can be used by everyone.

FamilyConnect™ Launches Today!

Today is a big day at AFB! Through a joint venture with the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI), our newest online community launches today—FamilyConnect™. FamilyConnect is geared toward the parents, grandparents, and other caretakers of children with visual impairments, giving them a place to connect with other families and find the support, information, and comprehensive resources they need, 24 hours a day.

AFB and NAPVI partnered with leading national organizations and hundreds of local agencies that serve children who are visually impaired—because of this, FamilyConnect content is complete and constantly updated. Visitors to the site are able to create a personal profile and receive information on news and events geared toward their child's age, eye condition, and location. Parents have access to message boards where they can talk to other parents, videos of real-life families, parenting articles, a glossary of eye conditions, and links to local resources. They can also find featured sections dedicated to multiple disabilities, technology, education, and every age group from infants to teens.

When you visit FamilyConnect, be sure to check out A Parent's Voice, a blog from Susan LaVenture, Executive Director of NAPVI, a parent of a child with a visual impairment, and a great friend to AFB. You can also add a FamilyConnect icon (like the one above) to your site—find out more information about linking to FamilyConnect™ here.

I hope you visit FamilyConnect and enjoy it as much as I do. Here at AFB, we're all excited about today's launch and looking forward to what's to come!

Top Credit Agencies to Make Accessible Credit Reports

Earlier this week, through the result of an agreement signed by the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and other organizations, the top three major U.S. credit reporting agencies—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—said the free online credit reports they offer through www.annualcreditreport.com will now comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) by October 31, 2008; braille, large print, and audio CD reports will be available by the end of the year. These guidelines ensure web sites are accessible for people with vision loss, especially when using screen reading software or screen magnifiers. Our friends, Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian, who were recently awarded an Access Award at AFB's 2008 National Conference (JLTLI), used their Structured Negotiations process to work with the ACB and the credit agencies.

This is a huge advancement in accessibility because up until now, those of us with vision loss have not been able to independently access and read our credit reports, something all of us should be doing periodically. By addressing barriers to web accessibility and by providing reports in alternate formats such as braille and large print, people with vision loss can now independently monitor our credit and financial data and keep the information private.

Kudos to Linda Dardarian and Lainey Feingold for their continued use of Structured Negotiations, and to ACB, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion for their initiative in making accessibility a top priority.

For more information or to view the full agreement, visit www.lflegal.com/2008/04/credit-report-agreement. You can also view the press release online at www.lflegal.com/2008/04/credit-report-press-release.

On Paterson, Vision, and Generosity

As expected, New York Governor David Paterson has been getting quite a bit of media attention lately, not only for his politics, but also for being legally blind and his tax records. When Paterson was first sworn in a little over a month ago, stories about the fact that he is legally blind, and how he could take on such a high profile job, seemed to dominate the coverage of his rise. This fascination has not died down, as evidenced by a story in Monday's New York Times detailing some of his routines. It's an interesting glimpse at how one person handles his day-to-day responsibilities, and it highlights an important fact: there are a wide variety of low- and high-tech adaptive tools for today's blind and visually impaired employees, and numerous ways these workers—including myself—use these tools to get our jobs done.

In the last week, Paterson has also been getting a lot of flak for how little he donated to charities last year, but here at AFB we've always known him to be open and giving in ways that go beyond the wallet. Paterson has long been a friend to the Foundation, lending us his expertise and time through nine years of service on our Board of Trustees. He has also been instrumental in our fundraising efforts; because his passion for our mission comes through whenever he speaks of AFB, he has convinced others to support our work. My hope is that we can define generosity by looking at all of a person's actions, not just a tax return.

AFB Senior Site Celebrates Its First Anniversary!

Just a year ago, we launched AFB Senior Site for the millions of seniors with age-related vision loss and their family and friends. With the rates of age-related eye conditions expected to double as the nation's 78 million baby boomers reach retirement age and beyond, we felt it was really important to let Americans know that people can continue to live normal, active lives with vision loss.

In this first year, we've made sure that Senior Site is the most comprehensive, informative resource on the web for people with vision loss. The response from users has been overwhelmingly positive, and we're proud that the site has helped visitors understand how they can help themselves or their loved ones. One visitor told us, "I am [73 years old] and today was diagnosed with early signs of macular degeneration. Reading about you and your method of dealing with this made me feel a lot better." We've also heard from family members seeking a better understanding of what their loved ones are experiencing, such as this comment: "Thank you for the videos and information on how to help someone with macular degeneration. My grandmother has this condition and NOW I know how she sees things."

Thank you to everyone who has made our first year a success! AFB Senior Site's second year promises to bring more great things to visitors from across the country, and the world. We're constantly updating the site with new and exciting features, such as quick tips, more informative articles on living with vision loss, videos, and more! If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an eye condition, check back often for the resources you need to live well with vision loss.

AFB's 2008 National Conference Got Techie in San Francisco

I apologize for the blogging hiatus! The beginning of April was quite eventful for AFB as we were hosting AFB's 2008 National Conference (JLTLI) in San Francisco, CA. The conference attracted over 200 leaders and emerging leaders in the field that were interested in the many ways technology is changing the lives of people living with vision loss. And boy, did we have some big names in the technology field in attendance, including our keynote speaker, Jim Fruchterman, founder and CEO of Benetech and Bookshare, as well as representatives from Verizon, AT&T, IBM, and Microsoft (to name a few!).

AFB's technology experts, Lee Huffman and Darren Burton, from AFB TECH in West Virginia, are preparing a blog post with the inside scoop on the sessions and speakers, so keep your eye out for that wrap-up. For now, you can read more about the National Conference and the Access and Migel award ceremonies in the April edition of AFB eNews. You can also check out photos from the event in the 2008 National Conference (JLTLI) Photo Gallery.

Many thanks to all of the sponsors, speakers, and participants of AFB's 2008 National Conference. I think it was a huge success!

March 2008

Summer Fragrance Workshop in France for Visually Impaired Teens

AFB and French beauty company L'Occitane are teaming up again to send four visually impaired teenagers to L'Occitane's perfume school, Provence dans tous les sens (Provence in every sense). The program is a magical experience that gives students the opportunity to visit lavender fields, learn how soaps, perfumes, and other products are made, and practice their Bonjours, Mercis, and S'il Vous Plaîts. If you know any 14-, 15-, or 16-year-olds interested in fragrance design, please encourage them to apply! Applications must be submitted by April 21. For more information, visit the 2008 announcement.

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Horton Hears a Who!, Video Described for You

From action films to animated children's films, WGBH Media Access Group is doing a lot to make a night out at the movies more accessible and enjoyable for those of us who are visually impaired. I've blogged about video description in the past, especially for movies like The Great Debaters and National Treasure, a Schroeder family favorite. Opening today, March 14, Dr. Seuss' classic Horton Hears a Who! is the next film in a lineup of many to be video described by WGBH. You can check out the accessible trailer here.

AFB is so excited about the movie that we've made Horton Hears a Who! the Braille Bug Reading Club Featured Book to draw attention to the issue of video description. And video description is not just for fun; it can be an important component of education as well. AFB has partnered with the Described Captioned Media Program (DCMP) to develop guidelines for description of educational media materials for students from preschool to high school.

The accessible Horton trailer has certainly inspired my colleagues, so I will leave you with one of their interpretations of how Dr. Seuss might've described the movie's opening. Enjoy!

Horton Hears a Who!, Dr. Seuss' whimsical creation,
Is a story about an elephant who hears a Who nation.
It opens in theaters March 14, today,
So make plans to see it. You must! You may!
Based on a book, this great children's narrative
Is video described, and this is highly imperative
For those of us who are visually impaired
Because without it, unless we are paired
With a sighted friend who can give their remarks
Of what's happening on screen, we'd be lost in the dark.

My Vote for Photo of the Year

Guest Blogger, Helen Selsdon, Archivist

As the archivist here at AFB, I've developed a strong affection and a huge respect for Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan Macy. AFB has a very rich archive of letters, manuscripts, photographs, artifacts, and much more on Helen that dates back to the earlier years of her life.

I'm sure by now many of you have read about a recently released photo of Helen and Anne. The photograph, taken in 1888 during a summer vacation to Cape Cod, is fascinating because it may be the earliest photograph taken of the two together; it exemplifies their relationship in so many ways. Anne encouraged Helen to study outside and investigate the natural world and in this image we see the two of them sitting outdoors. Helen is viewed holding a doll, something she always loved as a child, and "d-o-l-l" is the first word Anne ever spelled for her. The image is beautifully composed: the two of them sit in front of a lattice work fence, Anne's lovely face looks tenderly towards Helen as she holds or spells into Helen's hand, Helen's dress drapes neatly to the ground.

The Associated Press released an article and copy of the photograph, which was instantly picked up by the New York Times, the Boston Globe, NBC Nightly News, and other news outlets. I'm surprised at the media coverage of the photo and how quickly the story was picked up, but then again, maybe it isn't so surprising. Helen remains a key figure in American history and one of the most influential women of the 20th century. For one photo of her as a young girl to gain national attention means she is still loved and remembered, and her legacy continues to this day.

I'm Back!

So much has been going on here at AFB that I have neglected to post a blog entry in almost a week! As many of you probably know, former AFB Board Member, Lt. Governor David Paterson, is going to be sworn in as Governor of New York State on Monday (I'll have more to write about that in the next few days). We're also gearing up for AFB's 2008 National Conference, taking place April 4-5 in San Francisco, CA. Our early registration rate is good until March 20, so hurry up and register today for what is going to be an informative, fun, and "techie" weekend in sunny California.

One thing I've been wanting to let you know all week is that last Tuesday, some of my colleagues and I had the privilege of attending a private screening of Blindsight, the film that tells the adventurous story of six blind Tibetan teenagers who, along with Erik Weihenmayer and their instructors, set out to climb the 23,000-foot Lhakpa Ri on the north side of Mount Everest. I can honestly say that I left the theater inspired. No, not inspired to head to Tibet to climb a mountain, but inspired by the amazing portrayal of the Tibetan teens, the determination and spirit of the entire mission, and the overall theme of the movie (which I'm not going to give away, because I think you should see the film yourself!).

My only negative feedback is that the audio description was very difficult to hear. It was great they offered the option of audio description, but it was a shame that it wasn't very helpful. Regardless, this was a fantastic film and I commend the director, producers, stars, and anyone else involved in its creation. They even received a rave review from the NY Times—something many films can't brag about!

New Guidelines Provide Medication Safety

Guest Bloggers, Judy Scott, Director, AFB Center on Vision Loss, and Pris Rodgers, Program Manager, Senior Site & Independent Living

Imagine not being able to see the labels on your medication bottles or read the accompanying prescription information from your pharmacist…it could put you at serious risk for potential misidentification or misuse of your medications. For those of us with vision loss, this is a serious concern. In January, our policy department blogged about the launch of our RX Label Enable campaign, an effort to ensure that people with vision loss have ready access to medication information, enabling them to take medications safely, effectively, and independently. Recently, some positive steps have been taken to make medication labels accessible to people who have trouble seeing. AFB and the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Foundation (ASCPF) formed an Advisory Group to create guidelines for pharmacists. The guidelines are now final, and our hope is that pharmacists will use the tips to give consumers with vision loss ready access to the vital information on medication labeling. You can read the full set of guidelines online at www.ascpfoundation.org or you can visit the RX Label Enable section of AFB's web site for some tips for you to share right away with your pharmacist.

We are also collecting stories from consumers, family members, or friends who have had difficultly with reading prescription labels or over-the-counter medication information. I hope you will join the effort and fill out our short, informal survey in the Tell Us Your Story section of AFB's web site.

February 2008

The Stars and Stripes…and Dots

I just read an article announcing that the Arlington National Cemetery is paying tribute to America's first braille flag and blind veterans nationwide. The flags, produced by the Kansas Braille Transcription Institute in Wichita, are fully tactile and inform people who are blind of the flag's colors, along with the 50 stars and 13 stripes. It also bears the Pledge of Allegiance in braille and print. The American flag is such an important symbol, representing all of the rights we have as members of this society, and I think it's great that the Kansas Braille Transcription Institute has created a version of the flag for the blind community.

One More Reason to Love Paris

Shortly after my post on the blind Tibetans and their visit to the MoMA here in New York City, I came across this article on the Louvre in Paris, France. Ah, the Louvre—one of the world's most prominent art museums, home to the Mona Lisa and other famous works of art. For those of us living with vision loss, though, experiencing these world-renowned works is often difficult, unless you're visiting with a friend who can describe the art or happen to be taking an audio-guided tour. Most museums tend to offer these tours, as well as braille labels and large print guides, but many ask visitors to refrain from touching the art on display. This isn't the case with the Louvre's Tactile Gallery, where "Please Don't Touch" signs are absent and exploring art with your hands is highly encouraged. The Tactile Gallery opened in 1995 as a way for those of us who are blind or visually impaired to experience art; it's the only space in the museum where visitors can actually touch the sculptures.

I had the opportunity to visit the Louvre 10 years ago, and spent some time wandering around the Tactile Gallery. I have to admit, I wasn't very impressed with what they offered. The collection seemed inferior and fell rather short of my expectations, but it's been quite some time since my visit, and I hope the Louvre has made some changes to improve the exhibit. This doesn't take away from the fact that the museum created an accessible exhibit for people who are blind or visually impaired, something I hope to see other museums provide.

Blindsight Stars Visit NYC

A great article ran in the NY Times today about some of the stars of Blindsight, the movie I wrote about yesterday. Five of the blind Tibetan teenagers that accompanied our friend Erik Weihenmayer up Lhakpa Ri, a 23,000-foot mountain on the north side of Mount Everest, spent Wednesday afternoon at one of New York's most beloved attractions, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MoMA). According to the article, the students are spending a month in the United States to promote the film and also have some fun—walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, hang gliding in Los Angeles, and visiting museums in NYC. I was happy to read that the teens were able to experience MoMA's "touch tour" of the museum, a regular service MoMA provides for the blind and visually impaired. I hope they enjoyed their visit to New York!

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Blindsight Coming Soon to New York

Our good friend Erik Weihenmayer is at it again! For those of you that don't know him, Erik is an accomplished athlete, author, and motivational speaker. He has climbed all Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each of the world's continents, and he also happens to be blind.

In a few weeks, on Friday, March 7, Blindsight, a new and exciting documentary featuring Erik, will debut at the IFC Center in New York City. The film tells the adventurous story of six blind Tibetan teenagers who, along with Erik and their instructors, set out to climb the 23,000-foot Lhakpa Ri on the north side of Mount Everest. It amazes me to think about the amount of dedication and courage all of the climbers in the film must possess and I'm interested to see how the film captures the dangerous and inspiring journey up the mountain. In addition, the film seems to focus a lot of attention on the way blindness is perceived within the Tibetan culture. According to the film's announcement, these six blind teens, along with many other blind Tibetans, are believed to be possessed by demons and are rejected by their families, villages, and society. I wonder if their adventure up the mountain changes these cultural perceptions and shows all viewers that people who are blind or visually impaired are able to achieve the same accomplishments as those in the sighted world.

For the film's trailer and for more information visit the Blindsight web site. If you have the chance to see the film, let us know what you think.

SPECIAL VALENTINE'S REPORT

AFB Puts Match.com, eHarmony, and Love is Blind to the Accessibility Test

By Adrianna Montague-Gray, AFB Communications, and Marc Grossman, AFB Consulting

With Valentine's upon us—that time of year when everyone's talking about relationships and dating—I was curious about the accessibility of online dating sites, so I asked my colleague Marc Grossman to help me evaluate a few. We didn't do a formal evaluation of each. Instead we looked at the homepages of Match.com, eHarmony, and Love is Blind, and tried to sign up for these sites' services using the JAWS screen reader on Marc's computer.

We started with Match.com, one of the most popular dating sites on the web. At first, things were looking good. Match makes good use of headings, and most of the links, edit boxes, and controls on the site were well labeled. But then, we started hitting some bumps. First, the "sign up" and "subscribe" buttons were not clearly labeled, which made it hard to locate them without sighted assistance. But the kicker came at the end of the sign-up process where we hit a CAPTCHA—the inaccessible, visual verification tool designed to keep spam out of systems. Though Match offers an 800 number (1-800-838-9045) for sight-impaired people who cannot read the CAPTCHA, it's not a working number. We tried it three times and got the same "out of service" recording!

From there we moved to Love is Blind, an online matchmaking site for blind and visually impaired people. This site was an accessibility dream in comparison. Links, edit boxes, and controls were well labeled. The site was clutter free and had a clean design. Unfortunately, we were constantly being reminded that we were not running the latest version of Adobe Flash. This file type is not supported by the W3C guidelines and efforts should be made to come up with a suitable workaround.

Our last stop was eHarmony, a site that asks users to fill out a very long compatibility survey before sending potential love interests their way. The good news is eHarmony doesn't use a CAPTCHA for their sign-up process. But the site was a little disorienting to navigate because it doesn't make use of headings or other markup. In addition, "register to begin" was an unlabeled graphic, which made it near impossible to find the sign up page. But once we did, the combo-boxes and edit fields and radio buttons all had clear labels. We wanted to check out the accessibility of the rest of the site, but we couldn't make it through the questionnaire. It was just too long!

So how many Cupids do these sites get for accessibility?

Here is Marc's conclusion:

Love Is Blind gets four Cupids for accessibility but could easily jump to a perfect five if they would develop a workaround for the Flash barrier.

The eHarmony site earns three Cupids for accessibility. While a few of the problems were annoying and slowed me down, with only minor persistence, I was able to navigate the site.

Match.com would have also earned three Cupids—as most of the site is well labeled and easy to navigate—but with its inaccessible CAPTCHA and out-of-service help number, I have no choice but to give it one Cupid.

But we're hoping all these sites show us some love this Valentine's Day by fixing their accessibility problems.

Now, how to convince my wife that I was on these sites for "research purposes…."

Win a Grant to Create New Assistive Technology

Calling all entrepreneurs and techies! The Spanish Organization for the Blind (ONCE) is calling for entries for their 5th International Research and Development (R & D) award in New Technologies for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The lucky winner will receive a $300,000 grant to help develop new assistive technology in the area of engineering, artificial intelligence, computer sciences, telecommunications, microtechnology, or nanoelectronics (sorry if this is confusing for the non-tech folks!). AFB is thrilled to reteam with ONCE to raise awareness about this important award. Learn more about the award and how to submit materials by visiting the ONCE web site.

Playhouse Celebrates 25 Years of Accessible Theatre

I came across this article in the New York Times yesterday about Paper Mill Playhouse, a critically acclaimed theatre in Millburn, New Jersey. The playhouse is celebrating 25 years of access services and a commitment to making theatre fully accessible to those with disabilities. All shows in Paper Mill's current season have scheduled performances offering sign-interpreted and open-captioned performances for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and audio-described performances for those with vision loss; large print and braille playbills are also available. If you can make it out to Millburn, I encourage you to stop in and see Paper Mill's current show, "The Miracle Worker," running now until February 24. Visit Paper Mill Playhouse's web site to see when sign-interpreted and open-captioned performances and audio-described performances are scheduled.

Let's give a standing ovation to Paper Mill Playhouse for their commitment to making theatre something that can be enjoyed by everyone!

Pepsi Ad Scores Big This Superbowl Sunday

Guest Blogger, Marc Grossman, Accessibility Specialist, AFB Consulting

The hype around this weekend's Superbowl game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots isn't all about Tom Brady and Eli Manning (for those non-football fans, they are the quarterbacks for each team). Then again, don't most people watch the Superbowl for the wacky advertisements? In the disability community, the buzz has been around a Pepsi commercial scheduled to show during the game. According to an article from the Associated Press, the ad hopes to raise awareness of deaf culture and "features a joke that originates from the deaf community and will play out on screen over 60 seconds of total silence." The article also explains that the ad was conceived and acted by Pepsi employees who are deaf.

As a member of the disability community, I think it's great that Pepsi is spending a ton of money to raise awareness through this commercial. The thing is…what about us football fans that are visually impaired? Without the sound, there's no way for me to know what's going on in the commercial. I was thinking of starting an online petition demanding that Fox add a video description. Otherwise, how will I know to run out and buy a case of Pepsi?

Nip/Tuck Slices Stereotypes

I recently blogged about an episode of Desperate Housewives in which a character on the show became blind. Over the weekend, I heard the most recent episode of Nip/Tuck, shown on cable network FX, also featured a blind character played by Rick Boggs. Rick, a blind actor and friend of AFB, last appeared on television in 2001 in an episode of Ally McBeal. I'm really sorry to have missed the show. From what I hear, the episode actually commented on a common Hollywood practice: using blind actors to coach sighted actors when playing the role of a blind person.

Kudos to the producers of Nip/Tuck for using Rick in this episode and showing their audience an accurate portrayal of someone with vision loss. If you had a chance to watch the episode, I'd love to know what you thought.

January 2008

Thanks, Facebook!

Guest Blogger, Caitlin McFeely, AFB Communications

Over the past few months, AFB's Communications Department has spread the word about AFB through the "Cause" application on the social networking site Facebook. For those of you unfamiliar with the site, the Cause application allows individuals and organizations like AFB to explain their mission, invite other "Facebookers" to join and learn more, keep indivudals up to speed on issues, and raise money. To date, AFB's cause has 334 members and has raised $35!

AFB's biggest recruiter for our Cause is Michelle Hackman, one of the teenagers who spent a week at the L'Occitane Perfume School last June. Not only has Michelle recruited 65 people to AFB's Cause, but she has recently become an advocate for an accessible Facebook. Many blind and visually impaired users of Facebook, including Michelle, have noticed some flaws with the site.

One of the biggest problems still revolves around the CAPTCHA-the visual verification tool used to keep spam out of sites that provide online services. While it was great that Facebook added e-mail and audio alternatives to the CAPTCHA, Michelle noted these options don't always work: specifically, the audio alternative is difficult to comprehend. So even with these alternatives, the CAPTCHA still prohibits her from using many of Facebook's features. Another problem we recently encountered is that the audio CAPTCHA is available only when a screen reader is detected by the program. While this is great for blind users of Facebook who are accessing the site with a screen reader, this can prohibit low vision users from accessing the audio and/or e-mail alternative.

Michelle decided to take action and bring this and other problems to the Facebook staff. Last week, Michelle and I had the pleasure of discussing the inaccessible features of the site with Jeff, a Facebook employee that works on accessibility issues. Jeff was really responsive to our concerns and promised that his team would work hard to tackle these issues. He even hopes to set up a project timeline to keep track of the concerns and progress made.

I'll keep you posted about changes that are made by Facebook to make the site usable by all. For now, we want to thank Jeff and Facebook for making accessibility a priority. As Michelle said after the meeting, "I really liked what he said about Facebook really being accessible for everyone who wants to use it, because, of course he's right, but I don't think other people are always as considerate."

150 Years of APH

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). Since its inception, APH has provided specialized materials, products, and services for people who are blind or visually impaired. In honor of the anniversary, The Louisville Courier-Journal ran a great article about APH and the role they have played in using technology to level the playing field for the blind community.

Both Paul Schroeder, Vice President of Programs and Policy at AFB, and I are two of the countless individuals who have benefited from using APH services and products. Paul notes, "APH has been part of my life and success as a blind person almost from the beginning right through to today. I count myself lucky for having had the chance to read braille books, examine maps and globes, write with slates, calculate math and listen to cassette recorders, all made possible by APH. And today, as my friends well know because I talk about it all the time, I love my BookPort and use it every day, even to read this newspaper article. Thank you, APH, for making my life richer and more complete and, more importantly, thanks for all you have done to ensure that those of us with vision loss are able to receive an education and be productive."

Congratulations to APH for 150 years of providing people with vision loss with the communications tools that allow them to work, interact, and live independently.

National Glaucoma Awareness Month

Since January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, I thought I'd take a moment and let you know AFB has great resources on understanding and living with vision loss. Vision loss from glaucoma can change your life, but there are many ways to adapt and still maintain your independence. If you or someone you know is experiencing vision loss, check out AFB Senior Site for more information on simple solutions for maintaining a healthy and comfortable lifestyle.

Bloggers Take on Web Accessibility

A few weeks ago, I posted about NY Times blogger David Pogue's acknowledgement of the inaccessibility of technology gadgets. I was thrilled to see Pogue mention the accessibility issue and also to see the larger discussion about the accessibility of cell phones, iPods, and other gadgets that unfolded.

This week Wendy Bounds, another accomplished blogger from the Wall Street Journal, is talking about another important issue—web accessibility. In the post, Bounds encourages businesses, bloggers, and web designers to ask themselves an important question: Is Your Web Site Blind Friendly? She explains how the NFB/Target lawsuit has brought about a push to make sure web sites are compatible with screen reading software used by computer users who are blind and offers ways to test the accessibility of your site (including a link to AFB.org, which was great to see!).

As we know too well, people with vision loss are being shut out from popular commercial web sites because so few businesses follow accessibility guidelines for the web. This is despite the fact that the US Department of Justice and the presidentially appointed National Council on Disability have said repeatedly that the ADA covers accessibility of commercial web sites for people with disabilities. When web pages are not designed with accessibility in mind, people with vision loss and other disabilities are shut out from the goods and services on the site.

Improving the accessibility of a site is not that difficult, and can be done by making a few simple modifications, ­such as properly labeling graphics and links. As baby boomers reach retirement age and beyond, and the vision loss numbers begin to multiply, more and more of us will expect the web to be accessible. It's time businesses, bloggers, and designers pay attention to web accessibility, and make necessary changes to their sites.

New and Improved ATMs from HSBC Bank

I thought I'd let you know about some good news from the finance world. In a press release this morning, HSBC Bank announced they are now offering "talking" ATMs in over 250 locations across the U.S. For those of you who aren't aware, these ATMs have an audio jack and when headphones are plugged in, a recorded voice prompts users through their transactions. Talking ATMs are great because they allow people who are blind or visually impaired to safely and independently complete their banking needs. Visit the Taking Care of Business section of AFB Senior Site to watch a video on managing finances and to see how these talking ATMs work.

Kudos to HSBC and other banks that are keeping their visually impaired customers in mind by offering these ATMs.

Vision Loss Comes to Wisteria Lane

Most of you may not know this, but one of my favorite television shows is Desperate Housewives. I enjoy Sunday evenings spent tuned in to life on Wisteria Lane and the unending drama between Susan, Lynette, Gaby, Edie, and Bree. The latest episode was especially interesting for me. After a disastrous tornado struck town, Carlos, one of the show's leading men, was rendered blind due to the storm. Albeit, it's a bit dramatic, but Desperate Housewives fans know not to expect any less. It's interesting when blindness or visual impairment enters pop culture; it's a great way to challenge the public perception of what it means to live with vision loss. I'm interested to see how the women of Wisteria Lane react (assuming the writers get back to work soon)!

In Memory of Edward A. Brennan

Celebrating a new year is always a cause to reflect on the past year, and to say hello to the many possibilities that lie ahead. The flip side is that we sometimes have to bid farewell to certain possibilities, and to friends. This was the case toward the end of last year, when we regretfully had to say goodbye to Edward A. Brennan, an entrepreneur and good friend to AFB.

Brennan began his career in 1956, selling men's furnishings with Sears, Roebuck and Co., eventually becoming Chairman and CEO. In 1995, Brennan received the Helen Keller Employment Opportunity Award on behalf of Sears' longstanding commitment to employing people with disabilities and encouraging career advancement.

One of the things I remember most about Ed Brennan was his welcoming personality; he was always willing to give his time and provide advice and counsel when needed. His benevolent character showed through in everything he did, whether it was in his position as CEO or donating his resources to organizations like AFB. Having a grandson who is visually impaired, Brennan truly saw that hiring and retaining workers who have disabilities is good business, a principle he demonstrated throughout his life.

We give our thanks to Ed Brennan for his dedication and friendship to AFB and praise his many accomplishments across the years. He will surely be missed.

December 2007

Pop the Champagne! Good News on the Legislative Front

On December 21, the Energy and Commerce Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives released proposed legislation that seeks to ensure telephones and television programs are accessible to people with disabilities. Known as the "Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act," the draft legislation is being hailed by the disabilities community as a dramatic and comprehensive step forward for consumers with disabilities. Check out the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology's press release for more details.

Hats Off to Horizons for the Blind

We always like to show our support for innovators in the blindness field, so I wanted to share with you some news a colleague of mine recently passed along. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Horizons for the Blind, a nonprofit that provides accessible materials for those of us with vision loss. Founded by Camille Caffarelli, Horizons empowers visually challenged individuals by giving them access to a variety of large-print or braille materials, enabling them to read their bills, etc. without aid.

The organization, based in Crystal Lake, Ill., is staffed mostly by people who are blind or legally blind. Customers can get materials embossed in braille or magnified in 22-point "large print" typefaces; and audio versions of many items, including bills, are also available on cassette, CD and MP3. More than 20,000 bank, utility and credit card statements are transcribed each month, along with items like menus for larger companies and user manuals for household appliances get transcribed as well.

Congratulations to Camille for providing this invaluable service to our community for so many years!

Holiday Favorites

Hope you all had a great holiday weekend! Last year around this time, we let you know about some of AFB's favorite holiday gifts for people with vision loss: Portable digital talking book players from Telex or Visuaid, a tabletop radio, DVS Home Videos, and the Jitterbug cell phone. This year, we thought we'd find out what some of your favorite vision loss-friendly holiday gifts were. Leave me a comment below. And maybe, if there are a few responses, I'll let you know my favorite gift from 2007.

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A Present from Pogue

I received a great holiday gift yesterday. No, it wasn't a new cashmere sweater or a trip to Tahiti (though I wouldn't be opposed to either of those gifts). My gift was simply a few short paragraphs from David Pogue, the NY Times Technology writer. In a recent blog post, Pogue, a well-known and widely followed writer in the tech world, acknowledged an issue well-known to the vision loss community: the accessibility (or inaccessibility) of technology gadgets.

While suggesting holiday tech gifts on NPR's "Talk of the Nation" earlier this week, Pogue received a call from a listener who was blind. The listener commented on how the gadgets must be great for consumers who have their vision, but questioned whether Pogue ever stopped and asked himself how blind people are supposed to use them. It seems Pogue had not. This call inspired Pogue to mention the issue and ask about accessibility in his blog post, which in turn opened up a larger discussion about the accessibility of cell phones, iPods, and other gadgets.

Here at AFB we are constantly working to help the information and communications technology industry improve the accessibility and design of its products. This is evident in many of our efforts, from our reviews in Accessworld® of various products available to people who are blind, to AFB TECH and AFB Consulting's work with companies who want to make their products more accessible, to AFB's 255 Action Campaign to encourage cell phone manufacturers and service providers to offer accessible cell phones. Half the battle in getting those in the industry to make a change to their products is publicizing the access barriers and design possibilities, hence my excitement about Pogue's post. Hopefully, the buzz about accessibility will continue to catch on and manufacturers will begin to create gadgets and products that all people can use.

I even added my own comment to the post and I encourage you to read and respond to Pogue's blog to help publicize both the challenges with inaccessible gadgets and the simple steps that can be taken to make them accessible. And, of course, we always like seeing your comments on our blog, so feel free to write a comment on this post. Let us know what category of technological product you'd most like to see made accessible to people with vision loss.

AT&T Expands Options for Cell Phone Users with Vision Loss

Good news on the cell phone front. This week, AT&T Inc. announced their new partnership with Code Factory and their initiative to increase usability for wireless customers who are blind or have low vision. AT&T will now offer the screen reader and magnification software, Mobile Speak and Mobile Magnifier, on select Windows Mobile and Symbian Series 60 phones. Consumers with vision loss are advised to contact AT&T's National Center for Customers with Disabilities at 866-241-6568 with questions or for more information.

We have set up a page on our web site to compile information about cell phone accessibility and ways in which people with vision loss can address access concerns. As we more fully understand the AT&T offer, we will provide details on that page.

We're pleased to see that AT&T continues to show leadership in addressing the needs of the blind and low vision community. AT&T is to be commended for offering full-fledged screen access software, something that no other cell phone company is doing. However, we are disappointed that AT&T has decided to charge people with vision loss an $89 fee for Mobile Speaks or Mobile Magnifier. Though this price is a substantial savings off the market price of these products, this financial burden amounts to a "disability surcharge" for cell phone use that is available to customers without disabilities at no extra charge. (By the way, AT&T had offered the screen reader TALKS with a full rebate for the price of TALKS with a two-year contract).

I also want to note two other concerns:

1. The phones that are offered with the screen access software tend to be expensive (even with a two-year contract).
2. Some consumers do not wish to learn the commands of a screen reader. We hope that AT&T will do more to address the needs of consumers with vision loss who want a low-end phone with a simplified access interface.

Those concerns notwithstanding, I commend AT&T for its leadership and hope that other cell phone carriers and manufacturers will follow AT&T's lead and will offer more accessible wireless options for customers with vision loss, while keeping in mind these options should be made available at no additional cost to blind or visually impaired consumers.

Takin' it to the Street

Guest Blogger, Marc Grossman, Accessibility Specialist, AFB Consulting

Earlier this week, I read a blog entry from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC) that sparked an interesting conversation among some of my colleagues and I. The blogger wrote about the poor design of the streets surrounding Penn Station-the same streets I travel everyday on my way to AFB's headquarters in New York City-and how it's a great time to talk about making changes to the area's layout, as New York's Development Corporation is planning a revamp of Penn Station.

Many New Yorkers, regardless of the status of their vision, find this area to be a nightmare. The streets are crowded with commuters and tourists, sidewalks are narrow (and are made narrower by scaffolding, garbage, and street vendors), and cars often block the crosswalk on 7th Avenue (just last month, a car blocking the cross walk rolled over and broke my cane!). In passing this blog post around to some of my colleagues, a discussion about the accessibility of certain areas and cities for a pedestrian with vision loss unfolded. Some felt that Penn Station and the surrounding area are incredibly accessible because of the layout, consistent land marks, flow of traffic, and availability of good stores and food. Others, like myself, feel that the throngs of people (especially during the holidays), vendors, and inconsiderate drivers, really make this area dangerous for all types of pedestrians. So, what makes an area accessible? I guess the saying is true, different strokes for different folks!

In the end, I think the real thing to take away from reading the TSTC blog and the subsequent discussion is that New York City has an obligation to design city streets that maximize the safest environment for all travelers. Pedestrians who are blind or visually impaired support the same pedestrian-friendly environments and features that all thoughtful pro-pedestrian organizations, like TSTC, promote. So, as the city begins to evaluate its plans for rehabilitating the area surrounding Penn Station, I encourage pedestrians to speak their mind and alert city planners to our concerns.

Rx Label Enable: Calling for Accessible Medication Labels

Guest Bloggers Paul Schroeder, VP, Programs & Policy Group and Mark Richert, Esq., Director, Public Policy

We're lucky to live in an age where we have access to medications that treat everything from the common cold to more serious conditions like high blood pressure. While it's great to have access to a wide variety of medications, I'm sure you would agree that it's crucial to ensure that all consumers have a safe, effective system for organizing and identifying prescription and over-the-counter medications—what they are, what's the prescribed or recommended dosage, how often you need to take them, and what side effects might occur as a result of taking the medication. Those of us with vision loss face a problem when taking medication because of the lack of accessible medication label information. The print on labels and package inserts is typically very small, making it difficult or impossible for those of us with vision loss to read important medication information. This poses a serious public health threat for the nearly 20 million Americans currently experiencing vision loss.

In an effort to ensure that people with vision loss have access to medication information, AFB embarked on its newest campaign, Rx Label Enable. We're reaching out to consumers experiencing vision loss and their family members, policymakers, federal regulators, doctors, the pharmaceutical industry, retailers, assistive technology providers, and public and private insurers, to promote solutions, build consensus, and take action. Our hope is that through these efforts, policymakers will address this problem and develop standards to ensure that medication labels and information are accessible to individuals with vision loss.

We need to hear from you and I hope you will join the effort. If you, a family member, or friend has had trouble reading prescription or over-the-counter medication information, check out the Rx Label Enable page on our web site and fill out our short, informal survey in the Tell Us Your Story section.

Let's Go to the Movies!

Great news! I'm happy to report the Schroeder family will be able to see a video described version of The Great Debaters. My wife, Lori, and I received a reply from Ms. Olivares of The Weinstein Co., yesterday, letting us know that The Great Debaters will be released with descriptive video as well as captions, thanks in large part to Lori's efforts (you have to let me brag a little). In addition, Ms. Olivares said the company will attempt to make this happen whenever possible.

This whole experience proves yet again that sometimes companies like film studios want to hear from their customers and are listening. If DVS is important to you, I encourage you to urge the movie studios to add description, and to go to as many described movies as you can. If we ask for DVS, and take advantage of it when it is offered, I can foresee a time when video description will be much more available.

Many thanks to The Weinstein Co., Buena Vista, WGBH Media Access Group, and of course, to Lori, for making this happen!

Finding Treasure at the Movies

The Schroeder family loved the movie National Treasure (yes, sometimes even I like pop culture) and we were thrilled to find that the sequel is scheduled for release this holiday season. But, there was a disappointing catch-it was being released without video description.

We've blogged before about Descriptive Video Service (DVS), which is a separate audio track heard through a headset that describes key visual elements in a movie, and its importance to blind and visually impaired moviegoers (and there are many of us!). With DVS, there's no need to have my wife or daughters describe the movie to me in a whisper that's sure to irritate our fellow moviegoers. And so we contacted a friend at WGBH, the pioneer behind DVS and the motion picture access efforts called MoPix, who put us in touch with National Treasure's distribution company, Buena Vista.

Thanks, in part, to a most eloquent note written by my wife, Lori, Buena Vista agreed to describe the movie. So there you have it-proof that one person can make a difference!

Emboldened by this success, we are now petitioning The Weinstein Co. to describe The Great Debaters, also due out during the big Christmas rush. You can read Lori's letter, which is similar to the one she sent to Buena Vista.

Her words express exactly how important DVS is for our family, and I suspect for others as well. In fact, my favorite line was "I hate to admit, there are times that I avert my eyes (because I am scared by what is on the screen) and during those times, Paul has no idea what is taking place on the screen." Yes indeed! Taking my wife to see Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, which was not described in theatrical release but was later released on video with description, is now the stuff of legend in our house as I was left hanging disappointed at some very key moments. If you also love movies, but hate missing much of the action, take this story to heart and urge the movie studios to add description-they will listen to you, and the more they understand how important DVS is, the more movies will get described.

WGBH's National Center on Accessible Media maintains an excellent site with lots of information about movies and theaters with video description (and closed captioning) at www.mopix.org.

75 Years of AFB and Talking Books

As my vision began to diminish in high school, reading became an increasingly difficult task. By the time I graduated college, I had completely lost interest in reading. Eventually, with some encouragement from my sister and a close friend, I enrolled in the Talking Books program and ended up with a copy of Watership Down. The book was narrated by Alexander Scourby, one of the most admired narrators in the history of the Talking Books program, and I remember thinking, "I can't believe books are so good again!" I've been an avid and steady reader of Talking Books since. That being said, you can imagine how proud I am to work for AFB, an organization with such close ties to Talking Books since 1932.

In honor of AFB's involvement with Talking Books over the past 75 years, AFB launched a new, web-based Talking Book Archives. Thanks to generous grants from the Carnegie Foundation and The New York Times Company Foundation, an electronic finding aid to the collection is available online and is accompanied by a multimedia exhibit, including audio clips from celebrated narrators, letters, press clippings, and photographs from the collection. We're so excited to be able to preserve this collection and make the archives available to you all.

I highly encourage you to visit this web site, learn some new things about the history of AFB and Talking Books, and share your own story in the Post Your Tributes section. As always, let me know what you think!

November 2007

A Time to Give Thanks

As Thanksgiving draws near, I would like to thank all those who have made AFB a stronger, better organization in the last year. AFB is very lucky to have a dedicated, innovative staff and Board of Trustees, and a strong group of supporters. From the launch of AFB Senior Site in spring 2007, to our soon-to-be launched web site for parents of children with vision loss, we are helping families live independent, active lives with vision loss. I want to thank the Verizon Foundation for their outstanding support of AFB Senior Site. In addition, I want to thank our other major contributors for their generosity and dedication to our mission:

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation; Lavelle Fund for the Blind, Inc.; The Bernard Newcomb Fund, Silicon Valley Community Foundation; The James H. & Alice Teubert Charitable Trust; Daniels Fund; Jessie Ball duPont Fund; Delta Gamma Foundation; IBM Corporation; F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc.; The J. Willard & Alice S. Marriott Foundation; NEC Foundation of America; Reader's Digest Partners for Sight Foundation; Wells Fargo Foundation.

And, last but not least, I want to thank all of you for visiting our web site, reading our blog, and contributing your thoughts and ideas. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Play It Safe With the Talking First Aid Kit

I think it's always important to keep safety in mind, so I thought I'd let you know about a new product from intelligentFirstAid™, the First Aid "talking" Kit. Although we haven't had the chance to try it out ourselves, it seems like a great tool for someone living with low vision to have around. The Kit includes nine injury-specific packs to help treat common injuries, including Bleeding, Head & Spine Injury, and Shock. The packs are individually labeled and color-coded, which I love because it would help someone with low vision easily distinguish the packs. The best part, though, is that with the press of a button, the audio component attached to each card provides step-by-step instructions to manage the wound. Situations often become chaotic when a loved one, an acquaintance, or even you, experiences a minor injury. With this tool, people with low vision can remain calm and have an idea of how to handle things without worrying about reading any print. Check out the intelligentFirstAid™ website to purchase the product or get more information (the site even allows you to listen to a sample of the audio component of the kit). And if you've tried the kit, let us know what you think.

Recapping the New Hampshire Presidential Candidate Forum

I follow politics the way some people are dedicated to sports. Maybe it wasn't quite the World Series, but last Friday in Manchester, NH, I joined hundreds of people with disabilities and advocates interested in disability issues to hear several candidates for President of the United States address "our" issues and concerns.

It was a political forum hosted by Granite State Independent Living and ably led by the American Association of People with Disabilities and several cosponsors (including AFB). All major candidates from both major parties were invited to outline their priorities firsthand. While several Democratic candidates attended, unfortunately, only one Republican candidate presented to the group.

The idea behind this forum was to "wake the sleeping giant," the millions of voters with disabilities. Candidates addressed several different issues in their remarks and in answers to specific questions. And hopefully, this is the beginning of much greater voting among people with disabilities. Regrettably, our electoral participation has been far too low.

If we want to improve opportunities for employment, education, and independence through technology and other means, then we need our highest government officials to address our issues and not just give us lip service. We know our society is made better when all of us can participate fully, and better government policies can help to make that possible.

Another Tech Writer Confirms Cell Phones Aren't Designed for People with Vision Loss

I read this great article that appeared in the Personal Technology section of Newsday this weekend. Lou Dolinar, whose own vision has been deteriorating over the years, talks about the daily challenges he has faced, namely how everyday activities like using a computer or cell phone gets harder as these products keep getting smaller and more complicated. In the article, he talks about having to replace his Motorola T720, which he loved because he could enlarge the type and operate it without using glasses; however, the new version of this phone does not have this option. He jokes about wanting a "geezer phone"—one that is easily operated and not as complex as most that are currently on the market and argues that not everyone necessarily wants to be able to access YouTube, or listen to the their favorite song, via their cell phone, but just wants to use it to simply call a friend.

Dolinar may not be aware, but one company has recognized this desire and created a simple, no-frills cell phone that happens to be one of our favorite gadgets: the Jitterbug. While the large buttons and bright, easy-to-read screen make the Jitterbug a great option for anyone experiencing the same frustrations as Dolinar, the pricing and service structure of the Jitterbug are limited. We'd love to see other cell phone service providers begin to make phones that offer the same accessibility options as the Jitterbug, but that also offer alternate service plans.

I thought the author made some clever and interesting points, but the best part of the article is that he mentions AFB's 255 Action Campaign, our effort to encourage cell phone manufacturers and service providers to offer accessible cell phones. You should definitely check it out!

October 2007

New Hampshire Presidential Candidate Forum on Equality, Opportunity and Access

We thought you'd like to know about an extremely important event for people with disabilities, taking place this Friday in New Hampshire. Below is the Media Advisory with the information about the event.

New Hampshire Presidential Candidate Forum this Friday

Who: Moderated by Edward Kennedy Jr., board secretary for the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the presidential candidate forum on Friday, November 2, 2007, will feature appearances by Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), and Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio). Senator John McCain (R-AZ) will participate by phone, while John Edwards' campaign manager and former Michigan Congressman David Bonior will address the crowd of more than 600 New Hampshire voters.

The forum is being hosted by Granite State Independent Living. Co-hosts include: New Hampshire Developmental Disabilities Council; New Hampshire Disabilities Rights Center; New Hampshire Institute on Disability; New Hampshire Spinal Cord Injury Association; and People First of New Hampshire.

What: Presidential candidates will address more than 600 New Hampshire voters representing a consortium of non-partisan national and local groups committed to ensuring self-determination and full participation for people with disabilities in all aspects of society. The candidate forum, sponsored by groups representing more than 50 million Americans with all types of disabilities, will focus on the political, economic, and lifestyle goals of the consortium, as well as the priorities of the presidential candidates.

Polls have shown that members of disability community vote in presidential elections based on issues of importance, rather than party affiliation.

When: Friday, November 2, 2007; 8:30 AM-4 PM.

The schedule of candidate appearances is as follows:

10:15 AM Senator Hillary Clinton
11:00 AM Senator Joseph Biden
11:30 AM Senator Chris Dodd
2:00 PM Congressman Dennis Kucinich
2:30 PM former Congressman David Bonior, campaign manager for John Edwards
3:30 PM Senator John McCain

Additional speakers and expert panels will be announced as they are confirmed.

Where: Radisson Hotel Ballroom, 700 Elm St., Manchester, NH

The forum is sponsored by: AARP; ADAPT; American Association of People with Disabilities; ADA Watch; American Foundation for the Blind; The Arc of the United States; Association of University Centers on Disabilities; Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund; Easter Seals; Epilepsy Foundation; Hands On Video Relay Services, Inc.; Manchester Community Television; National Association of the Deaf; National Coalition of Mental Health; Consumer/Survivor Organizations; National Council on Independent Living; National Spinal Cord Injury Association; New England Chapter Paralyzed Veterans of America; Paralyzed Veterans of America; Self Advocates Becoming Empowered; TASH; Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc.; United Cerebral Palsy; United Spinal Association; VSA arts.

Please RSVP by 2 PM on Thursday, November 1, 2007 to receive press credentials for the event. Responses can be sent to Amy Lambiaso at lambiaso@libertysquaregrp.com or by calling 617-695-0369.

Pencil us into your calendar at 9 pm tonight! We'll be on ACB Radio talking about accessible cell phones.

Tonight is your chance to ask AFB experts questions about cell phones accessibility. Paul Schroeder and Darren Burrton will be guests on "Tuesday Topic," a weekly show on ACB Radio, talking about AFB's efforts to encourage cell phone manufacturers and service providers to offer accessible cell phones. Right now, it is almost impossible to find a cell phone with voice output of essential features like menus or text messages—despite the fact that there is a federal law that requires phones to be designed to be accessible for people with disabilities. Given today's technological advancements—advertised constantly by cell phone carriers—it is particularly shameful that access features are not being made available. To talk to Paul and Darren about this important issue, follow the instructions below. And if you can't make it tonight, you can listen to the interview next Monday at 9 pm EST on ACB Radio Mainstream.

Using a web browser, go to: Ourplace.acbradio.org

Then find the politics room and hit enter. That will take you to a screen where you must either download a small application if this is your first time there, or go on to enter the room. The next screen has a spot for you to input your real name and a password. Ignore the password. Just enter your name and press enter.

The new room looks a lot different from the old one. Please take some time and explore, particularly the help menu and its accessibility submenu.

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Hollywood Celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Tomorrow, MGM Studios will release Music Within—a film based on the story of Richard Pimentel, the man who advocated for the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Coinciding with National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the film is going to be released in select cities including New York, San Francisco, Dallas, and Washington, DC (all home to an AFB office!).

We often talk about ADA on this blog, and justly so, since it is such a critical piece of legislation for people with vision loss and other disabilities. What I love about this film is that it not only tells the inspiring story of how Richard Pimentel passionately pushed for the passing and implementation of ADA, but also relays a message important to all of us here at AFB: people with disabilities have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else and should have equal opportunities to pursue them. I'm so glad the folks in Hollywood have devoted so much time and energy to spreading this message to others.

Visit www.musicwithinmovie.com to check out more about the film.

The Joys of Business Travel Never End

Guest Blogger, Marc Grossman, Accessibility Specialist, AFB Consulting

On my recent trip to Tampa to promote the Accessible Courts Initiative, I was reminded how many people out there take a "one size fits all" mentality when it comes to accessibility and accommodation. I don't think many of us would disagree that a person experiencing mobility impairment would desire significantly different accommodations than a person with vision or hearing impairment.

When I booked my room online, I specifically did not check the box for an accessible room (although I do applaud them for making it an option) because I find it easier to manage in a standard room. If you have stayed in one business hotel, you have stayed in them all: the closet is always near the door; in the bathroom, the sink, toilet, and tub are in specific places; the desk, phone, and lamp are always the same distance from the bed; and the bed is the same distance from the dresser and the television.

When I arrived in my room in Tampa, I noticed that the layout was overly spacious and that the shower entrance was flat to accommodate a wheel chair, both red flags for an accessible room. I'd been given an accessible room, without being asked if it was okay! I called the front desk to ask for a regular room, but while the staff was understanding and polite, they eventually told me that I had to stay put. This was extremely frustrating, and the hotel manager made no effort to correct the situation. I have written a complaint letter but was very disappointed with the response. The manager could not even manage to spell my name correctly in his e-mail!

If hotels really want to take accessibility seriously, let me give some friendly advice. One size does not fit all! Here are some basic tips for accommodating blind and visually impaired guests:

• Provide braille and large print copies of the hotel directory and restaurant menus
• Make sure that lighting in hallways and stairwells is bright and even
• And while you are at it, how about asking vendors to put tactile markings on the bottles in the bathroom so I don't wash my hair with hand lotion

For more interesting and helpful tips, check out our checklist for environmental safety.

So what do you think? Are hotel employees sensitive to the needs of the visually impaired? Do you feel like people take a "one size fits all" approach when it comes to making accommodations? What other accommodations would you like to see in hotels? Tell us about your own experiences in the comments section below.

Making PowerPoint Presentations Accessible to All Audience Members

Recently I attended a conference of senior management of major organizations in the nonprofit sector, and I had a hard time following the keynoter's presentation because he didn't read the bullet points on his slides. Since most of the conferences I attend are within the blindness field, I am accustomed to presenters making certain their visuals are accessible to all audience members.

At AFB, we do our best to share PowerPoint or overheads with visually impaired participants in advance of presentations, and always read and describe our slides during presentations. Everyone in the audience finds it helpful because screens are often far away and hard to read. Just think of the conferences you've been to… How often is the audience struggling to follow a presentation because of reduced vision, poor writing, or the position of their seats? Probably pretty often.

With boomers aging and the vision loss numbers expected to multiply, it is really important that presenters keep access in mind. It's an easy way to ensure your audience is happy and engaged.

Get to Work! Celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Guest Blogger, Scott Truax, CareerConnect® Program Manager

For those who aren't aware, October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and for all of us at CareerConnect®, NDEAM is an important time to recognize and showcase the talents, skills, and dedication of workers who are blind or visually impaired in a variety of different fields.

I think the Success Stories section of CareerConnect captures the spirit of NDEAM because it's one place where our mentors and mentees are able to showcase and share their accomplishments in the workplace. One of my favorite stories in this section features Larry Johnson. Larry's resume rivals most. Throughout his career, he has found success in many jobs, such as a disc jockey, newscaster, and author… to name a few! Does adventurer count as a job, too? A fun tidbit about Larry is that at the age of 17, Larry traveled by bus from the United States to Mexico. Larry's story is just the tip of the iceberg, as so many people have had successful careers in many different professions.

What I find so special about CareerConnect is that it not only shares the success stories of people like Larry, but also helps individuals create their own stories through the many great employment-related resources available on the web. On the CareerConnect web site alone, you can find Tips for Exploring Careers, find out What Employers Are Looking For, Build Your Resume, and Search for Jobs. And just recently, AFB and NIB launched a new web site called NIB CareerNet that helps match job seekers with jobs at one of the agencies of NIB. This is another great tool for people with vision loss who are looking to get into the workforce.

In honor of NDEAM, I encourage you to take a few moments and check out CareerConnect and NIB CareerNet. And, as always, we also welcome any suggestions about how we might use the site more effectively to influence employers and help job seekers with vision loss.

Kudos to You, Talking Books Librarian!

As the President and CEO of AFB, it is always a pleasure to hear there are people out there who are spreading the word about our organization (and who aren't your own employees!). This was certainly the case yesterday, when a colleague informed me about the Talking Books Librarian. This blogger has written quite a few posts about AFB and has even linked to AFB Senior Site, AccessWorld, and AFB eNews. And the blog is only a month old! I encourage you all to check out the blog and share it with your friends.

Many thanks for spreading the word about AFB!

Order (and Accessibility) in the Court!

Guest Blogger, Marc Grossman, Accessibility Specialist, AFB Consulting

Under most circumstances, I wouldn't be too ecstatic to be in sunny Tampa for a conference (I'd much rather be lounging on South Beach). But last week, I was thrilled to be attending the National Center for State Courts' Tenth International Court Technology Conference in Tampa, because, along with the Center for Legal and Court Technology (CLCT), AFB Consulting announced the launch of the Accessible Courts Initiative (ACI).

Under the ACI, AFB Consulting and CLCT are bringing consultation, training, and support services to courts, law firms, and others in the legal system to guarantee they are using the appropriate access technology and are making their web sites and other services accessible to people with disabilities. Interestingly enough, many of the conference attendees were not even aware of the many accessibility barriers that exist at all levels of the American courts systems. I guess it's a good thing we are starting this initative and getting the word out there! Read this release about our efforts to learn more.

Here at AFB Consulting, we are always interested in hearing from consumers about accessibility issues. Given this new initiative, I'm really interested in hearing about your own experiences with the law. No, not those types of experiences, but ones that deal with accessibility. Have you ever served on a jury? Are you an attorney? Have you tried to download forms from a court web site? Have you been unable to access other important documents because they are only available in print? Leave me a comment below and help us find out what other accessibility obstacles are out there.

Everyone's Talking about ADA

From Mark Richert, Esq., Director, Public Policy

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) continues to knock down barriers to the full participation of people with disabilities, such as vision loss, in all aspects of society. And yet, it's very clear that much more needs to be done to make the ADA's promise a reality. Just this week, two important ADA-related issues are again making headlines, and they should.

The first is the lawsuit against Target, litigation intended to make Target's online store accessible to customers with disabilities, which appears to be moving forward, and in doing so, raising more awareness of the need for the Internet to be friendlier to people with vision loss and other disabilities. Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal with the latest information about the case.

In addition, Congress is paying attention this week to the clear call from disability advocates to "restore" the ADA to Congress's original intent. In the 17 years since the ADA's enactment, a number of Supreme Court decisions have unreasonably narrowed the civil rights protections of the ADA, especially in the context of employment discrimination. The fact that lawmakers may be finally ready to revisit the ADA and correct this trend in its interpretation is certainly a great step in the right direction to make sure the ADA's protections are meaningful.

Whether we're talking about the right of people with vision loss to obtain employment, contribute to society and our economy, or make purchases and engage in all manner of transactions online like everyone else, the principle is the same. Either we value people as they are and on the basis of what they can do, or we can get distracted by who we think they are and what they can't do. It seems to me we can't afford in this country not to take the former approach.

Verizon and AFB Join Forces to Help Families Cope with Vision Loss

Earlier this week Verizon gave AFB an extraordinarily generous grant to fund and expand AFB Senior Site. The grant, which was presented at a wonderful event in Tampa, Florida, came in the form of a BIG check that was about as big as I am and made out for $1.5 Million. It is the largest corporate donation we have ever received. You can imagine the fun I had holding it!

The grant is being used to help families, caregivers and people directly affected by vision loss find tips and support needed to cope with age-related eye disease. With vision loss later in life comes uncertainty—even fear—about the future. We designed AFB Senior Site to alleviate that fear and give people the resources they need to stay active, and remain independent with vision loss.

More than 50 visually impaired seniors from the Tampa area were at the event, and we were all treated to an "Inside the Actors Studio" style Q&A from legendary actor James Earl Jones. He was an absolute pleasure to listen to. My friends from the Tampa Lighthouse were also at the event, along with area residents who came out to support Verizon and AFB's efforts to help families better cope with vision loss.

It was an amazing event that ended up in the St. Petersburg Times and on the local Fox News station. Thank you again to Verizon for making a world for difference for the 6.5 million people with age-related vision loss. We couldn't have launched AFB Senior Site without your help!

September 2007

There's No Place Like (a New) Home...

Perhaps some of you have heard our big news. We've been keeping it pretty quiet, but now it's time to come clean.

OK, it's not really that big, but I wanted to make sure I got your attention.

AFB's Washington, DC office, my home and that of our Public Policy Center, has moved. We're still in Washington, DC, though we briefly considered Bermuda [smile].

We're actually now closer to the part of town known for the number of lobbyists' offices. We used to be down by the Senate side of Capitol Hill (in the CNN building, no less). But, leases come up and sometimes it's good to change.

So, we're now up on L street, just one block over from the infamous "K Street," which all the political junkies know is where the big lobbyists hang out. Interestingly enough, L street is an old friend of AFB. We used to have an office in 1660 L Street around 20 years ago, so it's back to the future. We like the new digs, a little more cozy, and we love the neighborhood. Though we will miss the nice easy walk to the Senate.

Our new address is:

American Foundation for the Blind
1660 L Street, N.W.
Suite 513
Washington, DC 20036

Phone: 202-822-0830

Hey, by the way, this is also a good time for me to remind you to subscribe to our periodic e-mail newsletter about policy action of importance to people with vision loss. It's called DirectConnect and you can subscribe by emailing Barbara LeMoine blemoine@afb.net.

New $5 is Low Vision-Friendly

Last week, the US Treasury released the new design of the $5 bill. Though the bill is a vast improvement for people with low vision, it is not at all helpful for people who do not have any vision.

Most of the changes have been implemented as security features, but a large '5' was printed in the lower righthand corner on the back of the bill in a high-contrast purple ink color to help the visually impaired. This is an important and necessary addition, considering that vision loss rates are expected to double as the nation's 78 million baby boomers reach retirement age and beyond.

We are pleased that the Treasury kept people with low vision in mind when redesigning the $5 bill; however, we cannot ignore the fact that these changes are not at all helpful for people who do not have any vision. Since the size and feel of the bill are the same, people with no vision are still unable to distinguish this bill from any of the others. It would be great if the Treasury had included a tactile change for those of us with no vision.

Here is an article from Associated Press, where you can read more about the redesign.

Last November, we applauded the American Council of the Blind (ACB) for their efforts to ensure that all people can easily identify and use money without assistance. We hope the US Treasury will continue to work with ACB to create money that is accessible to consumers with low vision as well as consumers with no vision.

¡Ojo!

Recently, we've been reading a lot about vision loss rates among Hispanics in the US—a population at higher risk for eye disease. In an effort to help Spanish speaking families who are coping with a vision loss diagnosis, we have translated our Top 10 EZ Home Eye-Deas from AFB Senior Site into Spanish. Please share these with anyone who would find them helpful.

Diez Consejos Para Las Personas Con Pérdida De Visión

1. Mantenga los cuartos con luz adecuada. La luz adecuada por todas partes es esencial para su seguridad.

2. Asegúrese de que iluminación de tarea esté disponible para hacer que las actividades cotidianas se realicen con más facilidad.

3. Use lamparillas de noche en el dormitorio, en el pasillo, en el baño, y en la cocina para que las personas con pérdida de visión puedan navegar en la oscuridad.

4. Para hacer que las escaleras sean más seguras, ponga una tira de cinta color brillante al borde de cada escalón.

5. Pinte los marcos de puerta y los interruptores de luz de un color que contraste con las paredes.

6. Corte artículos de color claro en una tabla de color oscuro. De la misma manera corte los artículos de color oscuro en una tabla de color claro.

7. Ponga los platos, cubiertos, y otros artículos culinarios en manteles individuales de color contrastante.

8. Use organizadores de píldoras con marcas en relieve o con etiquetas que "hablan" para prevenir equivocaciones serias con los medicamentos.

9. Elimine el desorden; deshágase de los artículos innecesarios y siempre devuelva sus cosas al mismo sitio.

10. Coloque los televisores para que ni la luz del sol, ni la luz eléctrica brille directamente en las pantallas.

Accessible Broadway Receives A Standing Ovation

Guest Blogger, Caitlin McFeely, Communications Specialist

Tuesday night, a few of my colleagues and I had the privilege of attending a very special performance of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I'm a big fan of Broadway and have seen many shows, but this performance was unique because it was fully accessible to audience members who were visually or hearing impaired!

We were invited to attend the performance by Bridge Multimedia, the NYC-based media company (and close friend of AFB) that works to create universally accessible media, including live events like this Broadway show. For Spelling Bee, Bridge had a live sign language interpreter present during the show for the hearing impaired. In addition, they demonstrated a technique called Expanded Audio Description for the visually impaired. Prior to the show, physical descriptions of the cast, explanations of key parts of the show, and descriptions of the scenery of the theatre and stage were provided to audience members who were blind or visually impaired as an audio file, online text, mp3, or in braille.

Before heading to the theatre, I listened to the audio description and synopsis provided by Bridge. It was neat to hear the description of the theatre and characters and even listen to a few clips of music. Once I was in the theatre, I paid more attention to my surroundings as I was looking for the things that were described in the audio clip. I definitely had a better understanding of the show before it even started. My co-worker Jay Leventhal, Editor of AFB's Accessworld®, who is visually impaired, took advantage of reviewing the description provided by Bridge before seeing the show. He found the descriptions to be helpful, especially the description of the theatre, set, and characters. Jay also pointed out there is one downfall to advance audio description: you learn a lot about the plot, so there are fewer surprises. Regardless, he still found the show entertaining and funny.

I learned two things from this performance. The first is that it only takes a few extra steps to make live events accessible. Wouldn't it be great if all live performances were accessible to all people? The second, I am not a very good speller!

Stars Dance in Dallas!

If you are anywhere in the Dallas area, you don't want to miss this! We're busy pulling out our dancing shoes and evening gowns here in Dallas for a star-studded gala to raise awareness of two great causes. Teaming up with philanthropist Ruth Altshuler and former Dallas Cowboys stars Emmitt Smith and Roger Staubach, AFB is hosting "Dancing with a Vision" in conjunction with All Stars Helping Kids.

The black-tie gala is being held on Thursday, September 20, 2007, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. Phyllis George, former Miss Texas, Miss America and First Lady of Kentucky, will be emcee for the evening, which includes a dance performance by Emmitt Smith, winner of the "Dancing with the Stars" television competition, an exhibition dance by professional dancers Sergey and Michelle, and another by the Dallas Summer Musicals School of Musical Theater. American pop singer—and former "Dancing with the Stars" competitor—Willa Ford, will also attend the event.

It seems like just yesterday that we were busily preparing for a week of events to celebrate the grand opening of the AFB Center on Vision Loss in October 2006. I'm pleased to say it has been an active and exciting year for the Center, and thanks to the support of the Dallas community, we have filled the Center walls with groups of visitors, purchased new products to help people experiencing vision loss, and hosted numerous events at the Center.

I feel so encouraged by the great number of stars, entertainers, and other individuals willing to continue to support the AFB Center on Vision Loss and our efforts to ensure that people with vision loss can maintain independent and fulfilling lives.

Tickets are available for anyone interested in joining what I'm sure will be a fantastic evening. Call Carolyn Morgan at the American Foundation for the Blind, 469-522-1804, to purchase your tickets today.

And I'll be sure to post a follow-up entry after the night of "Dancing with a Vision"!

Does ADA Apply in Cyberspace?

From Mark Richert, Esq., Director, Public Policy

Today the National Law Journal is examining the question: Does the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) apply in cyberspace?

According to the U.S. Department of Justice and the presidentially appointed National Council on Disability, it does. They have said repeatedly that ADA covers accessibility of commercial web sites for people with disabilities.

And many companies are responding. Just recently RadioShack announced a nationwide initiative to improve access for people with vision loss and other disabilities to its web site and to protect the privacy and security of visually impaired shoppers in its stores. RadioShack will be taking steps to ensure the accessibility of its web site so that people with vision loss will be able to browse and purchase RadioShack products just like sighted customers.

Making a company web site accessible is no longer just the right, and legal, thing to do. It's fast becoming a way to keep customers happy. Boomers, accounting for nearly 30% of the U.S. population with an estimated annual spending power of over $2 trillion, are growing older. And with age comes age-related vision loss. According to health officials, diseases like age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy are expected to double as the nation's 78 million baby boomers reach retirement age and beyond.

And besides, making a web site accessible isn't that hard. Businesses can easily improve the accessibility of their sites with a few simple modifications—such as labeling graphics and links, and following other accessible design techniques. AFB has a lot of these tips in the web accessibility section of our site.

Helen Keller Lives On

We just received the most heartwarming letter from a nine-year-old girl in Colorado named Hannah. She wrote to tell us that she raised $11.25 for AFB from her lemonade stand. "The reason I choose to donate the money to the Foundation for the Blind is because my hero is Helen Keller," she wrote.

Nine-year-old Hannah is a testament to the fact that Helen Keller lives on today. She was an extraordinary woman who inspires so many of us to push forward and fight for goodness in this world. And for that reason, a statue of Helen Keller will soon be added to the National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol, according to AP reports.

Although Helen Keller is often remembered as the deaf-blind child in The Miracle Worker, it was in her adult life that she really moved mountains. She was a famous activist and peacemaker who fought for those marginalized by class, disability, or gender. She worked with seven U.S. presidents, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, in 1964.

Thanks, Hannah, for your generous donation, and for reminding us all that Helen Keller's important legacy lives on.

[Text from postcard: Dear Foundation For The Blind, My Family and I just did a lemonade stand. We raised $11.25 to donate to you. I choose to donate the money to The Foundation For The Blind because my hero is Helen Keller. I have read many books about her. I hope the money will get to you soon. Love, Hannah Sherfflus, age 9]

August 2007

Sprint, Share the Wealth!

From Paul Schroeder, VP, Programs and Policy Group

It seems that the Sprint Nextel Corporation is investing a lot of money to improve services for its customers. Unfortunately, we haven't heard about any plans to improve accessibility or services for Sprint users with vision loss. The company announced it will spend about $5 billion (yes, billion) by the end of 2010 on a new high speed wireless network called WiMax. The WiMax service greatly increases Internet access speed compared to other networks. This is great news for people who need to access the web from their phones, laptops, and even video game players. But, as many of you know from the complaints recently filed by AFB, Sprint customers who are blind and visually impaired have trouble with the most basic phone functions such as texting and using the phonebook. And, Sprint's customer service is not even equipped with the proper information to help them with their problems. Improving high speed wireless service might be a smart business move for Sprint, but meeting the basic access needs of its entire consumer base would be even wiser.

Keep 'em Coming!

From Paul Schroeder, VP, Programs and Policy Group

Well, it seems that the paperwork is piling up over at the FCC. On Tuesday, The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) announced that COAT representatives submitted multiple complaints against both cell phone carriers and manufacturers on behalf of consumers with disabilities. This is in addition to the complaints submitted by AFB a couple weeks ago. Members of the COAT group agree that the industry is not responding to the needs of its full consumer base, leaving their disabled customers with inaccessible phones and minimal customer service assistance. I encourage you to read the full release on AFB's web site, so you can get an idea of what other organizations are saying. Hopefully a united front and increased pressure will produce change.

I'm also beginning to hear from some companies in the cell phone industry asking for more information about the access barriers confronting people with vision loss. So, we've now set up a survey in the cell phone section of AFB's web site. It's easy to complete and your responses will allow us to give cell phone manufacturers and service providers more comprehensive information about the kinds of problems we face. Please take a moment to fill out the survey.

Ah the Irony!

From Paul Schroeder, VP, Programs and Policy Group

Just as we started ramping up the campaign to improve cell phone accessibility, I lost my cell phone. Now, theres no great story in this. I didn't lose it while bungee jumping, for example, but I've relearned one of the really troubling barriers that face those of us who are blind and who want a fully accessible cell phone.

I lost the phone last Thursday and still don't have a replacement cell phone. And here's the lesson: not only are there precious few options for phones with accessibility features to be had, they also aren't easy to get, especially if you also want to add in the specialized screen access software.

My sighted colleague brought this home to me. She reminded me of the day she lost her phone, and had a new one by the afternoon, all set up and ready to go. Why? Well, partly it's because she's a bit type A and expects things to work that way, but mostly it's because she's sighted and cell phone stores have lots of choices for phones that work just fine if you can see and are easy to find, even in smaller towns.

For those of us who are blind, we often have to special order the phone online and order the software separately, and then hope we're capable of loading the software and making it all work.

Several of the consumers who recently filed complaints had some variant of this story. Hanging on to old phones because replacing them was too hard or impossible, paying the additional cost of specialized software and buying a more expensive phone, fighting with the phone insurance provider to try to get another phone with access features...

Those of us who are blind have probably never experienced the convenience of going into a store and walking out with a fully accessible phone. Wouldn't that be a nice outcome from this consumer action to encourage the cell phone industry to make their phones accessible?

NY Times Helps Publicize Accessibility Issues

From Paul Schroeder, VP, Programs & Policy Group

It seems that AFB and our 11 complaint-filers are not the only ones frustrated with inaccessible cell phones. A great story ran in Saturday's NY Times that points out how technology gadgets—like cell phones—are poorly designed for many people who cannot easily view a small screen with tiny print and poor color contrast. And there is a mention of the 11 consumer complaints AFB helped file with the FCC. But, the most important message of the article is about the challenges that confront baby boomers in adapting as vision declines (even modestly), stressing how everyday activities like reading the paper and using a computer become that much more challenging. This is an issue well-known to AFB and one that we addressed in a few different ways. This past year we created AFB Senior Site, a resource that contains a wealth of information about how to continue living an independent and productive life when experiencing vision loss. We also launched its physical counterpart, the AFB Center on Vision Loss in Dallas, Texas. This office is dedicated to AFB's low vision work and features a fully accessible, decorated model apartment so visitors can learn the simple solutions that help people experiencing vision loss continue living in their homes and caring for themselves and their families. Also, AFB TECH conducted extensive testing on home appliances, office equipment, and small-screen gadgets to see how user friendly they are for people with vision loss. You can read about the results in AFB's online technology magazine, AccessWorld®, and check upcoming issues for more information about AFB TECH 's product evaluations. We applaud the NY Times for calling attention to the challenges that affect the aging population and hope other media outlets help publicize both the challenges and the steps that can be taken to overcome them.

Frustrated with Inaccessible Cell Phones, Consumers Demand Action

From Paul Schroeder VP, Programs and Policy Group

This week, AFB assisted 11 consumers with vision loss in filing complaints on cell phone accessibility with the Federal Communications Commission. Like many of us, these consumers were fed up with the lack of cell phones with features like speech output of all menus and functions (including features like text messaging), poor displays that cannot be adjusted to be more readable, and keys so small, flat or jammed together that it's nearly impossible to enter numbers. They also justly criticized the manufacturers and service providers for failing to provide product manuals and bills in accessible formats, and for requiring blind consumers to pay for their own access software, like Mobile Speaks, to gain access to the functions of a cell phone.

But unlike many of us, these consumers were also willing to step forward and submit complaints. It is these complaints that help make accessible products a reality. I salute these individuals for taking action. If you want to join the campaign, visit the cell phone access section of AFB's web site, for more information on this issue. Contact your service provider and the manufacturer of your phone to ask for a more accessible phone, and if you're not satisfied with the response, file a complaint.

Advocates worked hard to pass the law known as Section 255, which requires phone manufacturers and service providers to make their products and services accessible to and usable by people with disabilities, if it is readily achievable to do so. These complaints and the many more consumers who have taken time to contact us recently, make clear that the cell phone industry has failed to address accessibility in a comprehensive way. But, to be effective, all of us with vision loss need to be very clear and forthright in asking for full accessibility. That's exactly what these 11 consumers did, and there are more ready to join them. If you want a cell phone with full access to all the features, then you must be clear and say so, to the service provider and to the manufacturer, and if they won't listen, to the FCC.

July 2007

Help AFB Give Recognition Where It's Due

I think that a good portion of the readers of this blog are familiar with two of AFB's annual awards ceremonies, the Migel Medals and the Access Awards , which take place during our annual leadership conference, JLTLI. For those who have never heard of these events before, the Migel Medals honor individuals who have enriched the lives of people with vision loss either through their professional careers or volunteer service, while the Access Awards are usually presented to corporations/organizations whose services/products help make the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired easier and better. Every year AFB solicits nominations from professionals associated with the blindness field and from those who just know of the perfect candidate. And that time is now. The larger the candidate pool, the more exciting the selection process becomes, so start passing on some names. Migel suggestions should be sent to Gil Johnson at gil@afb.net and Access suggestions can be sent to Darren Burton at dburton@afb.net. Now that I'm thinking about it, I better get started on a list of my own.

Hope for iPhone Access!?

Guest Blogger, Jay Leventhal, Editor in Chief, AccessWorld®

The media has been filled with stories about Apple's iPhone since its debut on June 29. AFB TECH has examined the iPhone and confirmed that it includes no accessibility features for people who are totally blind.

It also has no meaningful access for people with low vision. While the iPhone does allow modest enlargement of certain images and text—like maps, web pages, and e-mails—it does not allow for icons to be enlarged or rearranged in a more accessible manner. We also do not believe that contrast is adjustable, or at least not significantly. Some fonts are especially small—when typing in text, for example. The screen is flat and reflective, and causes glare. Apple acknowledges that the iPhone doesn't work for blind people in their accessibility report.

Several AFB staff met with a representative from Apple this week. He indicated that Apple would consider adding accessibility into subsequent releases of the iPhone. The Apple representative stressed that the whole point of the iPhone is to allow innovation. However, the nature of this phone, a perfectly flat screen with only one button, makes it hard for us to imagine how it could be accessed by someone needing tactile feedback and tactually identifiable controls. We wonder how a company that says it prides itself on cutting-edge innovation can create something that is so completely unusable for people with vision loss. We strongly encourage Apple to work with the blindness community to create a truly innovative and accessible iPhone. And while they're at it, why not do the same for the iPod?

You can e-mail Apple's accessibility staff at accessibility@apple.com. Also, I encourage you to read Apple's take on accessibility in the iPhone.

ADA Turns 17

Cell phones: the new accessibility frontier

From Paul Schroeder, VP, Programs and Policy Group

Today, signs of progress are everywhere—from improved physical access through installation of critical features like braille and large print signs and curb cuts, to enhanced interest in ensuring that people with disabilities can use programs and services. But much more still needs to be done. For example, there has not been nearly enough progress in employment for people with disabilities, including those of us with vision loss, and transportation services are not what they should be in most places in our country.

Last year on the anniversary of the passage of ADA, we talked about the importance of ensuring that the law and the spirit enshrined in its enactment extend to new services like web sites because so many people are relying on the web for purchasing products, finding information, and even doing work. It was gratifying to see a company like RadioShack agree to improve the accessibility of its web site for shoppers with disabilities, hopefully paving the way for others to follow suit.

On this anniversary, along with cheering the introduction of the ADA Restoration measures, we are also calling attention to a different legal mandate that, while not included in the ADA, came about to extend the promise and opportunities envisioned in the legislation. I'm referring to Section 255 (an amendment to the Communications Act of 1996) that requires telecommunications manufacturers and service providers to ensure that telephones and services are accessible to people with disabilities. Over the past several months, here at AFB, we have been hearing from people with vision loss about frustrations with cell phones that are not designed to meet our needs. The now ubiquitous cell phone has given us freedom and safety, but even with passage of Section 255, innovation in the cell phone industry has not brought about the accessibility for people with vision loss that we hoped for.

Laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (and Section 255) are powerful expressions of what our society hopes to achieve in ensuring opportunities and equality for people with disabilities. But under these laws our right to accessibility is secured only when we are willing to proclaim and advocate for it. Sometimes we must seize the right and take action, even legal action, when necessary. Section 255 and ADA are only as strong as our willingness to act, only as clear as our voices make them.

On this anniversary of ADA, let us take our rightful place as full and equal participants in society and expect that we will be treated as such. When government agencies, employers, or businesses fall short, let us remind them that we expect equality. And, if necessary, take action to demand it. And, if we are not satisfied with our services, including cell phone services, then we must act, because if we do not, then passage of these laws will mean very little.

Congress Moves to Amend the ADA!

From Mark Richert, Esq., Director, Public Policy

Today, on the 17th anniversary of the signing into law of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), key leadership and members of the House and Senate are introducing measures in both chambers to amend the landmark disability civil rights law. The twin pieces of legislation are aimed at "restoring" the ADA's protections for all people with disabilities, protections which have been severely impaired by an array of wrongly—decided Supreme Court cases. These cases, which include rulings with considerable direct impact on people who are blind or visually impaired, essentially hold that employees who are in fact discriminated against on the basis of disability may nevertheless not be deemed by the courts to be disabled enough to sue their employers for such discrimination.

If not reversed by the legislation being proposed today, this trend in jurisprudence would leave people with low vision, for example, at risk for employment discrimination because of their vision loss but deny them a legal remedy if they happen to use low vision aids. In such a case, an employer could refuse to hire or retain a person with low vision on the basis of that disability alone, and the employee's case against such an employer might very well be dismissed or otherwise fail because judges applying the high court's rationale may see the employee's ability to read or perform other tasks with low vision aids or other assistive technology as proof that the employee doesn't really have a disability under the ADA. In short, one can currently be disabled enough to be discriminated against but not disabled enough to sue successfully.

The bills being introduced by leading Members of the House and Senate, including Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), will ensure that the ADA is interpreted as broadly as originally intended by Congress. Advocates are being urged throughout the disability community to tell their Representatives and Senators to support this important legislation and to push for its prompt passage.

In addition, many within the disability community with particular interest in vision loss have also been concerned about an array of lower court rulings that are limiting the applicability of the ADA to commercial retailers or other public accommodations when they conduct business only via the Internet. Inclusion of provisions addressing this issue within the legislation being introduced today has been hotly debated among groups working on ADA restoration. For now, the consensus is that we are eagerly awaiting the publication of proposed regulations by the U.S. Department of Justice in the next few months which, we understand, are to include provisions resolving this matter. In the event that such proposed rules do not, advocacy will be undertaken as part of ADA restoration in Congress to clarify the law's coverage of Internet-only public accommodations.

Harry Potter's Fate Awaits in Braille

Summer 2007 is host to a few big releases in the world of pop culture. The iPhone, the musical movie Hairspray, and possibly the biggest... the last Harry Potter book. (I'm pretty relieved that I'm not making my celebrity debut anytime soon because competition is stiff.) The last installment in the Harry Potter series will be available to the public this Saturday, July 21 at 12:01 am. And, when I say available to the public, I mean everyone. Parents, children, wizards, wizards with vision loss. This long-awaited finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be simultaneoulsy released in braille and print—a rare occurrence for Harry Potter fans who are blind or visually impaired.

Boston-based publisher National Braille Press is even throwing a party for the event. It's a Midnight Madness Party for children with vision loss where they can dress up like their favorite characters from the series and read about Harry's last adventures. It makes me really happy to know that the publishing world is responding to the literacy needs of people who are blind or visually impaired. The rate of braille literacy among the vision loss population is low and this has a direct effect on future academic and employment success. An article from yesterday's Christian Science Monitor talks about the Harry Potter release, issues surrounding braille literacy, and how technology affects braille reading. It's a very comprehensive, interesing piece and one that I encourage you all to read. Even thought the Potter series is ending, I hope more books continue the trend of simultaneous braille and print releases. If only Harry could use some of his magic to make that happen.

More on AFB's Campaign to Make Cell Phones Accessible

From Paul Schroeder, VP, Programs and Policy Group

Earlier this week, I wrote about AFB's 255 Action campaign designed to improve the accessibility of cell phones. Section 255 (a law that is part of the Communications Act) requires all phones to be made usable for people with disabilities. For example, we would expect that phones would now have keys that can be identified by touch, displays that can be read by people with limited vision, and with speech output for people who cannot read the phone's display at all. Yet, this is just not happening.

I am pleased to see that AT&T is showing real leadership on the accessibility front. This week, AT&T announced plans to add screen reader and magnification software to several cell phones to increase usability for customers who are blind or visually impaired. We are thrilled to see a company taking meaningful steps to address the needs of individuals with vision loss, and are excited to test the new products. (And, yes, we were disappointed that AT&T also introduced the iPhone, which appears to be such an accessibility nightmare.)

Now, more companies need to take initiative. We just sent a letter to leading cell phone carriers and manufacturers to ask how they plan to address the needs of people with vision loss. We told these industry leaders about people's major frustrations with current cell phones, including:

• cell phones do not provide for audio output of information displayed on the screen;
• the visual displays on most phones are hard to read;
• numeric and control keys are not easy to distinguish by touch; and
• product manuals or phone bills are not available in braille, large print, or other formats they can read.

Given today's technological advancements—advertised constantly by cell phone carriers—it is particularly shameful that access features are not being made available. If AT&T can harness new technology to add features for people with vision loss, then all cell phone carriers and manufacturers can. We are going to continue an aggressive campaign over the next few weeks, so stay posted. In the meantime, we'd love to hear your thoughts on this important issue.

People with vision loss can't use most cell phones. It's time to change that.

From Paul Schroeder, VP, Programs and Policy Group

Imagine walking into a store, purchasing a new cell phone, and not being able to use most of its features. Frustrating, no? Cell phones have revolutionized life for most people. But for people with vision loss, finding a cell phone with screens we can read or with voice output of essential features like menus or text messages is almost impossible. There is a federal law known as Section 255 that requires cell phones, and other phones too, to be designed to be accessible for people with disabilities. However, far too many cell phone manufacturers and carriers are not taking the law and accessibility seriously, which means the overwhelming majority of phones are not fully usable for people who are blind or have low vision.

AFB wants to change that. We recently started a campaign called 255 Action, where we are helping people with vision loss understand these access requirements and, if necessary, file complaints with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). If you or someone you know has vision loss, join our campaign! AFB will provide you the information you need to find out more about accessibility and file your own complaint with the FCC. Just send us an e-mail at 255action@afb.net, or call us at 212.502.7775.

Making cell phones usable for people with vision loss is not just the legal, and right, thing to do, it's also a smart business decision. With the population aging, and the vision loss numbers expected to multiply, more and more cell phone users will be in the market for an accessible phone. It's time to make vision loss-friendly phones widely available.

Avraham Rabby: International Superstar

Guest Blogger, Detra Bannister, CareerConnect® Specialist

"Never talk defeat. Use words like hope, belief, faith, victory." ~Norman Vincent Peale

Who says dreams don't come true? This has surely been the philosophy of the country's first blind U.S. Diplomat and longtime AFB CareerConnect mentor, Rami Rabby. CareerConnect is proud to congratulate this impressive mentor for a job extremely well done! Few of us achieve the same level of accomplishment that Rami has and he serves as an inspiration to us all.

Mr. Rabby, who lost his sight at the age of 8 because of detached retinas, is the State Department's first blind diplomat. It is an achievement he fought for in the 1980s, passing three written entrance exams and two oral exercises along the way. But even then, the State Department barred him from the diplomatic corps. Did he give up? He certainly did not and went on to successfully prove his point; that with proper accommodations people with vision loss can do most any job out there—including being a diplomat in the Foreign Service.

Read about Rami's intriguing career in this NY Times article and join us in congratulating him for excellence in service to his country and by example, to the world's blind community.

Visually Impaired Teens Learn about Fragrance Design from L'Occitane

From Adrianna Montague-Gray, Communications Manager

Just a couple of weeks ago, I had the joy of escorting five spunky teenagers to the south of France to attend a fragrance design school funded and run by French beauty company, L'Occitane. L'Occitane's founder, Olivier Baussan, established the program for visually impaired teens because he wanted to help young people focus on using the skills they had, not the ones they lacked. AFB and L'Occitane took the first group of American students to France in 2000, and have since taken three more groups of teens.

This year's lucky students—selected through a competitive applications process run by AFB and L'Occitane—included Katie Lawson, Stephanie O'Donnell, Nicole Ann White, Emma Liu, and Michelle Hackman. The five girls spent four days this June learning about scents and aromatic plants, and developing their own sachets and hand soaps. The girls loved the instructors and curriculum, and thought the experience was "super!" Most importantly, they made great friends, learned a little French, and left knowing a lot about the scents, flavors, and beauty of Provence.

Here is a news story from the Washington Post, and one from the Eagle-Tribune, covering the program. And as you can see from the photos I've included below, everyone had a great time! Thank you to L'Occitane for continuing to support this wonderful program.

June 2007

Is the iPhone Accessible? We want to hear from you.

From AFB Communications:

Everyone is going iPhone crazy this week. People are camping out in front of stores to get Apple's latest gadget—a smart phone, camera, and iPod all wrapped up into one. We haven't had a chance to get our hands on it yet. Call us crazy, but if it's anything like the iPod (which isn't usable for people who are blind) we don't want to spend hours camping out on the street for a gadget that's not accessible. But maybe we're wrong. Has anyone had the chance to test one out? Are there any accessible features on the iPhone? Do tell... if the answer is yes, we'll hit the back of the line right now.

AFB Holds Hill Briefings in Honor of Helen Keller's Birthday

Tomorrow marks the 127th anniversary of Helen Keller's birthday. To continue her important legacy, AFB will be heading to Capitol Hill to talk about health technologies for people with vision loss. Right now, blind and visually impaired people cannot easily distinguish between their medications because prescription drug labels are not available in formats such as large print, braille, or speech. In addition, lifesaving diabetes equipment such as insulin pumps, glucose meters, or blood pressure monitors are not readily available in accessible formats—despite the fact that one-third of people with diabetes experience some degree of vision loss.

With the vision loss numbers growing exponentially as boomers age, access to health technology is fast becoming a pressing public health problem. AFB will be holding two Hill briefings tomorrow to discuss solutions to these problems. The information is below. Feel free to join us if you're in the Washington, DC area.

Setting the Agenda: Access to Health Technologies for People with Vision Loss
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
124 Dirksen Senate Office Building
8:30 a.m.

Get in Touch with AFB Senior Site: A Rich Resource for Older People with Vision Loss
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
HC-7 U.S. Capitol
4:00 p.m.

Accessible Streets: The Newest San Francisco Treat

Guest Blogger, Gil Johnson, Senior Advisor, Critical Issues

I have been living in the East Bay, across the San Francisco Bay Bridge, and working in San Francisco, California, for years, so I am quite used to the busy streets of a big city. However, there are still times when safely crossing an intersection can be quite difficult. Between noisy crowds that make it hard to hear the flow of traffic, construction sounds (will they ever get done rebuilding?), and hybrid cars (great for the environment, but the engine is basically silent), traveling safely and comfortably in congested city streets is becoming more challenging than ever. Thankfully, San Francisco, the City I love, just announced that it will begin making the streets more accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. The City's transportation agency is installing 80 signal devices over the next 2 years (with more to come) with audible locater sounds to help blind and low vision pedestrians locate the crosswalk. These new state-of-the-art devices also have other accessibility features, such as announcing the street name and information about when the light has turned green. Another feature is vibrating pushbuttons, which are helpful for persons who cannot hear the "clear to walk" speech message. These developments came about through a legal process called structured negotiations, which is the same approach applied to the RadioShack accessibility agreement previously mentioned on this blog. It's basically an alternative to litigation and has produced great results. At the very least, it's helping to make the streets of San Francisco more accessible (and safer) for all pedestrians. Now if we can only find a way to level some of the City's uphill climbs...

Braille Hits the Runway

In the past few months, I posted a couple of items discussing how braille has been popping up on clothing—serving as both a design element and an awareness campaign for people with vision loss. Well, it seems like the combination of braille and fashion is spreading right across the Atlantic to Italy, a country known to the world for its high-quality fashions. The story is that two students from the Rochester Institute of Technology are in the process of forming an organization called White Cane Label, which will help people with vision loss shop for clothing and coordinate outfits. The team hopes to create an interactive talking web site where users can store personal style information and braille-embossed clothing tags that will contain information such as brand name, color, and style. This is a lot more detailed than the current way I organize my closet—the safety pin method—but I think it will be really helpful for clothing lovers who are blind or visually impaired. The students will bring their ideas to the international fashion world during Fashion Week (July 9-13) in Rome and I'm really hoping they get the attention and support they deserve. Brava!

Safari for Windows is far from "the world's best browser."

Guest Blogger, Brad Hodges, National Technology Associate

With everyone talking about Apple's new web browser, the Safari 3 Public Beta for Windows, we decided to give it a whirl to find out how accessible it is for people who are blind. Apple hasn't always been the best about accessibility, but we were hoping to discover that Safari 3—touted by Apple as "the world's best browser"—would play well with screen readers. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Using the popular screen reading program, Window-Eyes, we downloaded and installed Safari 3 this morning, and opened up the default web page, and then... we heard nothing. Safari 3 proved to be completely inaccessible, making it impossible to read anything on the web with the Window-Eyes screen reader. Unlike Internet Explorer and Firefox, which are both vision loss-friendly browsers, Safari 3 appears to be missing the technology that communicates information about a web page to a screen reader and ultimately to someone with vision loss.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been calling Safari 3 "the most innovative browser in the world, and the fastest browser on Windows." He forgot to mention that it's also the most inaccessible. In a time when more and more people are losing their sight, it would be smart for Apple to make its products user friendly to everyone.

RadioShack Commits To Accessible Shopping For All Customers

Guest Blogger, Paul Schroeder, VP, Programs & Policy

Today marks another great step forward in independent shopping for consumers with vision loss. This morning, RadioShack announced a nationwide initiative to improve access to their web site for people with vision loss and other disabilities and to protect the privacy and security of visually impaired shoppers in their stores.

RadioShack will be taking steps to ensure the accessibility of its web site (www.RadioShack.com) so that people with vision loss will be able to browse and purchase RadioShack products just like sighted customers. And, the company also will install new point of sale equipment with tactile keypads in every RadioShack store.

We hope other organizations will follow in the footsteps of leaders like RadioShack and ensure that those of us with vision loss are able to enjoy greater access to goods and services in our neighborhoods and on the web. I am convinced that RadioShack took this step not only because it's the right thing to do, but also because it's a smart business decision. Kudos to RadioShack.

The Month of June: A Time to Celebrate Helen Keller

Helen Keller is AFB's guiding light. Keller worked at AFB, starting in 1924, three years after the organization's official inception. Photographs of Keller decorate the walls of the NY office (where I am located), a large portrait of her hangs over my desk, and AFB actually owns the rights to hundreds of her possessions kept in the Helen Keller archives. Keller was one of the first true advocates for the blind—among other disabilities—and is one of the strongest examples of how successful people with vision loss can become if they are determined. June serves as both the anniversary of her birth and death. On June 1, 1968, the day Keller died, the NY Times printed a lengthy article detailing her life and its many accomplishments. Yesterday, a colleague e-mailed me a copy of the piece because the NY Times reprinted it in the paper's "On This Day" section. I encourage you all to read it and help honor a woman who overcame her disabilities and spent her life helping others.

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May 2007

GPS...I don't remember that fraternity

Ah, campus life. Dormitories, dining halls, and...GPS? The newest school staple for co-eds with vision loss is a talking Global Positioning System (GPS). Some of you readers might not be familiar with GPS, how it works, or its level of effectiveness so you should read AccessWorld®'s—AFB's online technology magazine—review of Sendero GPS 3.5 for BrailleNote. Now, back to school. Florida State University recently completed mapping its campus so that various important spots can be picked up by the electronic tracking tool. Hmmm...I wonder if this includes all the party spots. In order to use these systems, students must have upgraded Braille Note notetakers which are basically small computers with a one-line Braille display and a Braille-input keypad. Then they can just attach the GPS to their Braille Notes and they're off. I can only imagine how great this is for student's confidence, independence, and sense of belonging. Lets just hope it spreads to campuses across the country.

Bitty Braille for Sale

I just learned that AFB's favorite braille-jewelry artist, Julie Dutt expanded her product line to include clothing. The collection, called Bitty Braille consists of children's t-shirts that are designed with "kid-friendly" words like "laugh and smile" in braille lettering. I'm told that the shirts are cute and the braille is presented quite stylishly—Swarvoski crystals for girls' shirts and metal studs for the boys' shirts. And, like Julie's other products, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to AFB. Thanks Julie! The launch of the line actually couldn't come at a better time. AFB is currently a sponsor of the Families Connecting with Families Conference that will take place this July. I have the great opportunity of speaking at the conference, but what I am most excited about is hanging out with so many kids. Wouldn't it be cool if we could institute a Bitty Braille dress code for the weekend? Now, if they only came in not so bitty sizes!

Maryland Legislation Should Improve Access to Textbooks

I was really happy to read an article last week that Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley signed legislation that should improve access to textbooks for blind college and graduate students in Maryland. Kudos to the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland for leading this effort to foster production of textbooks in an electronic format. Ultimately, we hope that this effort will allow students who are visually impaired to download their textbooks to computers or braille devices. Not only does this show how technology is expanding possibilities for those with vision loss, but also it is a momentous day for blind students statewide. We applaud the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland and the State of Maryland for working together to get this piece of legislation signed. This is the next step in building on the work that created the National Instructional Material Accessibility Standard for textbooks used in elementary and secondary schools.

AFB Releases "A Mother and Daughter Story" in Honor of Mother's Day

This Mother's Day, AFB is releasing "A Mother and Daughter Story" on YouTube. This moving video, featuring Esther Smith and her daughter Gwen (two dear friends of AFB), shows us one family's experience coping with macular degeneration. And Esther and Gwen are not alone in their experience. This story captures the feelings of many families who are facing vision loss. If you or someone you love has recently been diagnosed with an eye disease such as glaucoma, macular degeneration or cataracts, I encourage you share this video with them. We have posted it on YouTube to make it easier for you to e-mail to friends and family, or to embed on your blogs. We also have an accessible version of the video on the AFB Senior Site. Please take five minutes to watch it, and share it with others. Happy Mother's Day to all!

The Information Super Highway Now Offers Rides

Back in December, two of my colleagues blogged about Jimmy the Taxi Driver, a very blind-friendly taxi driver who traverses the streets of Louisville, Kentucky. Well, there is another name in town and it's Jason Diaz. Jason created a web site called www.1800cabride.com that combines the conveniences of ordering car services and making online reservations. The site has connections with independent cab companies throughout the United States (currently in the major 25 U.S markets and other outlying cities) so all you need to do is access the site, enter your pick-up and drop-off information, and you're done. Even better, payment is completed via the web site, so there is no hassling with bills or counting change when you arrive at your destination. Just another example of a resource that is not only beneficial to people with vision loss, but to anyone who wants a quick, easy way of getting around. Now we just need to find a way to get Jimmy into the www.1800cabride.com network.

April 2007

CNN features Paul Schroeder

Yesterday, CNN.com played host to a technology column that featured Paul Schroeder, AFB's VP of Programs & Policy (and frequent contributor to this blog). In the piece, Paul talks about the technology he uses to help meet the demands of his busy job. (His boss must be a real stickler.) There is a lot of useful information, so I encourage you to check out the column which is still up on the CNN web site.

Can I Talk Your Order?

A colleague of mine just shared some of the most delicious restaurant information I've heard in a while. Menus That Talk. Just add a trademark sign (TM) to the end of that phrase and you've got the name of a new portable hand-held device that describes the contents of a restaurant's menu. This device can accommodate patrons who don't speak English, diners with vision loss, and customers who are hearing impaired. For people who are blind or visually impaired, the device features brailled buttons. For non-braille readers, you just tap the buttons to hear main menu categories, such as appetizers or seafood. When you hear something you like, keep tapping to hear a list of options. The one challenge is that restaurants must purchase the devices so that their menus can be recorded, so next time you're dining out, share the good news. Order information can be found on the main website, www.menusthattalk.com. Anyone hungry?

New Study Shows Vision Loss Costs the US $51.4 Billion

This week Prevent Blindness America released a new study that shows vision loss costs the U.S. an estimated $51.4 billion—a number that is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years as the nation's 78 million baby boomers reach retirement age and beyond. American families are paying a lot in costs associated with eye diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetic retinopothy. And the cost is not only financial.

What's often not talked about is the bigger toll that vision loss takes on families. Many people and their loved ones feel at a loss following a vision loss diagnosis. A new AFB poll shows vision loss is the health condition Americans fear most because they worry it means loss of independence.

While some families adapt successfully, there are many others who don't know where to turn for help, or even if such help exists. This sentiment is echoed in a testimonial on AFB Senior Site from Deanne Jackson.

"When I got home after I'd heard the news that I had wet macular in my left eye with 20/400 vision, it was like an overnight devastation. I thought my life was over because I am very independent and I take care of myself and my family. And I've been a caretaker for a while with members of my family and I think, what am I going to do and what are they going to do?...I went in a fit of depression and just kind of sat there for months."

What so many families don't realize is that there is a lot you can do with vision loss. We need more public education on how to remain active and live productively with less sight. People can continue living on their own, cooking, reading, paying bills, getting around, and staying fit with low vision. But without proper tools and information, seniors with vision loss are put at greater risk for depression, medication mishaps, and falling.

We created AFB Senior Site so that the 6.5 million older Americans living with vision loss have the tools they need to live safely, happily, and independently with less sight. AFB Senior Site contains instructional videos and articles describing independent living solutions and points people and their families to resources in their communities, such as vision loss specialists who can recommend solutions. Boomers are known for their active, youthful, independent lifestyles. This is not a generation that will sacrifice their independence or passions because of sight problems. It's time we all start paying attention to this growing public health issue, and invest the money and resources in helping families live with vision loss.

Well, That's News to Me.

Two of the world's most well known artists, Claude Monet and Edgar Degas, lived with vision loss; Monet with cataracts and Degas with retinopathy. Today, the NY Times published an article discussing the work of Dr. Michael F. Marmor, a professor of ophthalmology at Stanford, who used computer simulations to create images of what these two artists might have seen as their vision declined. This is great, since it's difficult for the average person to understand what a person with vision loss "sees." What's also great about this article is it sends a great message to the public that having a disability does not mean leading a limited life.

"Art-ifying" the Blind Biz and Helping AFB!

We love it when people raise awareness about vision loss in creative ways. Check out these two artists who are generously donating some of their proceeds to help expand possibilities for people with vision loss.

The first is Zack Orr, a musician originally from Atlanta, GA. Last week, Zack released his new album, "Francisco the Man." Francisco the Man consists of 12 songs, each coinciding with the months in a year. Each month, he will release one song from the album. In addition to his different and new release style, Zack is donating 5% of all sales from the album to AFB. You can visit www.fransicsotheman.org to read more about the album, hear clips from songs, or even buy the album. Thanks for your support, Zack!

Our second artist is Julie Dutt. Julie and her daughter create braille initial and name pendants and charms using polymer clay and Swarovski crystals. You can visit the braille jewelry section of her etsy shop to see these great pieces of jewelry. And don't forget, every purchase helps AFB!

AFB Senior Site Officially Launches

It's a big day for AFB. This morning we officially launched AFB Senior Site—a new, totally accessible, multimedia web site geared toward the millions of seniors with age-related vision loss and their family and friends. With diseases like age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy expected to double as the nation's 78 million baby boomers reach retirement age and beyond, we felt it was really important to help Americans understand that people can continue to live normal, active lives with vision loss. This message is heard again and again in video diaries on the site. Take this one from our dear friend Deanne Jackson, who talks about how she learned to cope with macular degeneration:

VIDEO: Deanne Jackson: From Despair to Hope

The overall goal of the new site is to help this country's growing low vision population maintain independence. On the site you'll find links to community resources and easy-to-implement tips on how to cook, read, get around your community, play sports, pay bills, shave, make phone calls, tell time, use the internet, shop, apply makeup, and organize your clothing with vision loss.

We're really excited about this new web site and encourage all of you to take a look at it and share the information with as many people as possible. We want all Americans to know that little changes make a big difference, and there is hope and help out there.

March 2007

Helen Keller Documentary Wins Award at NY International Film Festival

And we're back! I returned to the NY office earlier this week after a successful JLTLI Conference in Dallas, TX. Keep checking afb.org for post-conference overviews, reflections, and photos.

Amid a plethora of e-mails in my inbox early this week, I came across a noteworthy press release. Back in 2006, I worked with Emmy Award-winning producer and director Penny Price on a documentary about Helen Keller. The film, titled "Shining Soul: Helen Keller's Spiritual Life & Legacy," commemorated the 125th anniversary of Helen Keller's birth and explored the last years of her life, years that have remained unknown to many. I was pleased to read that the documentary won the Best Director's Award in Short Film Genre: Documentary, 2006 at the New York International Film Festival. I encourage you to check out the release to find out more about the film and note other film festival awards that have been presented to "Shining Soul."

Blogging Hiatus

Things are really busy at AFB right now. We are gearing up for our annual Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute, which is being held in Dallas late next week. That's also where we give out our prestigious Access Awards and Migel Medals. This year we have some exciting awardees including Google, Canon, AMC Theatres, and more. We'll definitely post some photos after the event.

In addition, we are about to publicly launch a new campaign designed to help seniors and their family members cope with age-related vision loss—a growing public health problem in this country. AFB staffers are really excited about our work in this area, so expect a big post on this in the coming week. In the meantime, I wanted to apologize for dropping off the blogging bandwagon and promise we'll be posting more often.

February 2007

Blind Center of Nevada Takes a Gamble with Hospitality Program

With the recent buzz around the possibility of a new casino in upstate New York, I was interested in reading an article that appeared in the Las Vegas Review Journal about a new employment training program designed to equip blind students with the skills needed to work in Las Vegas hotels and casinos. The program, offered at the Blind Center of Nevada, consists of classes in computers, oral and written communications, and business math; requires students to participate in workshops on job seeking and hospitality sales; and involves the completion of a two-week internship. Though all of the present students are local residents, Bob Waldorf, the Blind Center's vice president of operations, hopes to see the program grow to draw students from around the country.

Programs like this one are so important because the rate of unemployment in the blindness community is very high--less than half of visually impaired working-age adults are employed. Not only will the program benefit the blind, but it will simultaneously fill the staffing gap for the local casinos. It sounds to me like a win-win situation!

"Black Sun" Debuts on Cinemax

Guest Blogger, Abby Manishor, Communications Specialist

Last May, AFB's communications deparment attended a screening of a film titled, "Black Sun," about a painter/filmmaker living with vision loss. The movie is very inspiring because the artist, Hugues de Montalembert continued to pursue an independent and adventurous lifestyle despite the tragic circumstances that led to his blindness. Hugues serves as a great role model for people in the vision loss community and I am pleased to announce that his story will now be available to a wider audience. "Black Sun" airs tomorrow, February 28 at 7 p.m. (EST) on the cable movie channel Cinemax. I encourage you all to treat yourself to this thought-provoking film.

Centennial Celebration for the Matilda Ziegler Magazine!

Most people in the "blind biz" are familiar with The Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind because it is a general interest, free-of-charge, monthly publication created specifically for people with vision loss. Matilda Ziegler—who had a blind son—started the magazine in 1907 after she became aware of the challenges people with vision loss faced when trying to get their hands on reading material. Imagine that! No low-cost brailled books, no books on tape, and certainly no Internet. The Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind revolutionized the flow of information for people living with vision loss and it is still going strong today. 2007 brings the magazine to its 100th year of publication and now subscribers can obtain issues in contracted braille, on four-track/half-speed cassette, via e-mail, and online. I'd like to congratulate the magazine on its accomplishments and I look forward to reading the anniversary issue scheduled to be released next month.

Is the new dollar coin too similar to the quarter?

Given the recent controversy about making cash accessible, everyone wants to know how easy it is to decipher the new one-dollar presidential coin through touch. On Friday, we had a visit from Christina Boyle, a metro reporter from the New York Daily News, who posed that question to a couple of AFB staffers. Here's the news story and the results.

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I'll Smile for Their Cameras!

I often mention CareerConnect®—AFB's online mentoring program—on this blog because I think it is an extremely valuable tool for people with vision loss who are curious about career opportunities. If you spend some time on the CareerConnect web site you start to realize that there are blind and visually impaired people in just about every profession. A couple of years ago, at AFB's annual Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute (JLTLI) I met Jay Blake, one of the mentors who worked as a mechanic for race cars and actually is crew chief of an award-winning racing team. I am so impressed by his accomplishments and I always feel enthused when I hear stories like his, so I thought I'd share this article I just read about a group of blind photographers in Israel. The Bezalele Academy of Art & Design located in Jerusalem recently featured their work in a well-received exhibit. It's really inspiring to know that people with vision loss are pursuing careers and interests that are associated with having a strong reliance on sight. It's so important to spread the message that motivated people—including those with disabilities—can achieve productive and successful lives.

Blind Texans Take Issue with Technology Choices

Guest Bloggers, Mark Richert, Director, Public Policy and Paul Schroeder, Vice President, Programs and Policy Group.

Recently, the National Federation of the Blind and a number of blind Texans have raised a court challenge to the Lone Star State's decision to buy and use software throughout the state's health and human services agency. Why the litigation? Their case, if successful, would hold the state responsible for its apparent failure to purchase software that can be used by state employees with disabilities. This serious claim highlights a truly Texas-sized national problem. For years now, the federal government and many states have been required to ensure that electronic and other information technologies they purchase for use by their employees and the public can be used effectively by people with disabilities such as vision loss. When our government doesn't honor this compelling need, let alone when government fails to follow the clear requirements of law, people with disabilities are at risk for loss of productivity, employment, independence, and equal opportunity. Right now, AFB is working shoulder-to-shoulder with other committed groups on vital work to strengthen national accessibility standards governing federal purchases of hardware and software not unlike the procurement at the heart of the Texas suit. In addition to enhancing standards and toughening enforcement, we also need to work in partnership with industry to design technical and practical access solutions, and AFB is investing in that very work. In any event, whatever the outcome of the litigation down south, I hope that Texas will set an example of cooperation and accessibility for the rest of America to model and be proud of.

Become Our MySpace Friend

Guest Blogger, Adrianna Montague-Gray, Communications Manager

Everyone is on MySpace these days, including AFB! Late last year we started a profile to raise awareness about web accessibility issues on social networking sites like MySpace and Friendster. Social networking is a great way to build community and share ideas. We have MySpace friends from across the U.S. and a couple from Europe and Latin America. Just last week, we got a message and friend request from Matt Miller, the founder of cdifferent, an organization that works to create opportunities for athletes with vision loss to participate in sporting events. Matt's message especially caught our eye since several AFB employees are serious athletes, such as marathon runner Crista Earl. If you're interested, take a look at his foundation. We have also made a lot of MySpace friends, such as the Guide Dogs for the Blind—another organization actively using MySpace to build community. If you're on MySpace, please add us as your friend! You can find us at www.myspace.com/afb1921.

Florida Heads Down the Paper Trail...Again

Florida Heads Down the Paper Trail...Again

An article that appeared in the February 1 NY Times left me a little concerned. Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida announced that he plans to eliminate the newly adopted touch-screen voting machines and reinstate the older style of casting paper ballots. The switch is meant to increase the efficiency of the voting system (which I agree should be a top priority for this country). However, I fear the opportunity for people with vision loss to vote independently could be sacrificed. The touch-screen machines allowed people who are blind to vote without assistance, but this is not the case for the paper ballot system. The article stated that, "Mr. Crist said county election supervisors would explore how to make optical scan voting easier for blind people..." The Governor would like the switch to be complete for the 2008 presidential election and I hope he includes the vision loss-friendly design on that timeline, too.

Diabetes... It's Not Going Away

Diabetes is a topic often covered in this blog, but I can say it's for good reason. A couple of days ago an article appeared in the NY Times that stated, "One in eight adults in New York City has diabetes, and nearly twice as many appear to be developing it." This means that there are more than "...100,000 New Yorkers with seriously out-of-control diabetes, and over 200,000 who don't even know they have diabetes..." And those high numbers extend beyond New York's borders. There are about 21 million Americans living with diabetes and about 7 million who experience some degree of vision loss. Recently, AFB Press' Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) released the JVIB Special Supplement that contains an article titled, "Diabetes Management and Visual Impairment". The article contains helpful information and I encourage you to read it. Hopefully, the media will continue to cover diabetes and its related issues in an effort to raise public awareness and create positive change.

January 2007

Another Round of Applause for Assistive Technology!

Guest Blogger, Paul Schroeder, VP, Programs & Policy

Today I am blogging from the Assistive Technology Industry Association's (ATIA) annual conference in Orlando, Florida. This year's conference is especially exciting for me because I am participating in the presentation of ATIA Triumph Stories. These stories showcase the many ways that assistive technology enables those of us with disabilities to live independent, fulfilling lives pursuing our work, interests, and dreams.

Thanks to dedicated and creative technology developers, I can independently and successfully navigate the ocean of print information. Like other working professionals, I rely on a personal computer, but I use a screen reader to convert the text that normally appears on the screen into speech. I also use a PDA, except that mine has braille and speech output. My cellphone also has a text to speech converter so that I can use all of the features, like the address book, missed calls, text messaging, etc. And I also use a small portable reader/MP3 player for work and fun.

Being able to stay in touch with my family and download The Washington Post daily is just as important as staying current with job responsibilities. It is so important to spread the message that there is technology available to help people with vision loss, and other disabilities, maintain a productive and healthy lifestyle. After hearing the ATIA Triumph Stories, I hope the attendees feel more informed and confident, and maybe even a little inspired.

CBS News on Video Imaging on the Tongue

CBS News recently did a special report on BrainPort, the group creating video imaging on the tongue. Technology is an amazing thing. Here is a clip of the video via YouTube.

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New Release From The Man Who Knows No Limits...Erik Weihenmayer

I have spent most of my career working to expand possibilities for people with vision loss, so it really brings me great pleasure to talk about a good friend of mine and of AFB's...Erik Weihenmayer. Erik truly personifies someone who expands possibilities and I really admire both his professional accomplishments and his willingness to always lend support to the blindness field. Erik is an accomplished athlete, author, film documentary subject, and motivational speaker who also happens to be blind. Erik is most well known for his outstanding ahievement of being the first blind person to climb all Seven Summits, the highest mountain peaks of the seven continents. (Just writing that made me tired.)

However, his other successes are just as inspirational to both sighted folks and people living with vision loss. His latest feat comes in the form of a book titled, The Adversity Advantage that Erik co-authored with Paul Stolz. I just learned that Paul is the world's leading expert on the science of adversity, so I think him and Erik make for a pretty good team. The Adversity Advantage provides readers with doctrines on how to overcome life's challenges and how to use those challenges to create success. I'd really like to congratulate Erik on reaching the pinnacles of success—both literally and figuratively—and on continually proving the capabilities of someone who is dedicated to his dream.

Proposed New Voting Machines Unveiled in New York

If you live in New York City, stop by Fordham University tomorrow night to see a demonstration of the proposed new accessible voting machines. As blind and visually impaired voters in New York know all too well, the old voting machines were far from accessible. Voters with vision loss had to ask a friend or loved one (or worse case-scenario, a complete stranger) to join them at the polls so they could cast a ballot. But hopefully tomorrow New York will unveil a voting machine that will allow people with vision loss to vote secretly and verifiably, eliminating the need for an assistant.

The public demonstration is taking place tomorrow, January 11, 2007, from 5 pm - 9 pm at Fordham University, Pope Auditorium (60th Street and Columbus Avenue). If you're able to make it, please post your thoughts on our blog.

Today is World Braille Day, and the Birthday of Louis Braille

Happy new year everyone! Today we are celebrating World Braille Day and the birthday of Louis Braille. As many of you know, braille has given people with vision loss a way to read and write English, and any other language, for close to two hundred years now. For many of us, it is the key to intellectual freedom, independence, and employment opportunities. If you'd like to learn more about this important code, visit our Braille Bug® web site, which offers fun ways for kids to learn about braille.

December 2006

Blind Attorney Advocates for Wheelchair Access to Detroit Buses

Richard Bernstein, a blind attorney from Detroit (and a friend of mine) was on CNN recently for work in getting the Detroit buses to fix their wheelchair lifts so that wheelchair-using citizens could use the transit system. CNN is having a "vote" to see which of four people should come to New York City's Times Square and be on CNN for New Year's Eve.

Watch the videos, which have nice audio, and vote for Richard!

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/us/0612/gallery.ac360.honest/frameset.exclude.html

Holiday Shopping

The holiday season is here, and we have great news for those struggling to think up clever, accessible, last-minute gift ideas for people with vision loss. Here are some useful, fun, techie ideas from the staff at AFB TECH. A special thank you to National Technology Associate Brad Hodges for helping compile this list

• A USB or "thumb drive" memory stick. About the size of a pack of gum, all note takers currently in production can use this economical and amazingly convenient storage technology.
• A microwave oven with convenient tactile controls or voice output such as the Hamilton Beach Talking microwave oven and the Panasonic model 1085.
• A satellite radio or MP3 player such as the XM Myfi or Sirius Stiletto satellite radio receivers, the RCA Lira MP3 player, and the Book Port from the American Printing House for the Blind.
• Portable digital talking book players from Telex or Visuaid.
• High-quality tabletop radios from Tivoli, Cambridge Sound Works, the CC Crain Company, or Bose.
• The Kurzweil National Federation of the Blind Reader.
• Video-described movies from DVS Home Video.
• The Surf Board Universal Talking Remote control.
• Accessible cell phones from Cingular or Verizon.

Spreading Some Holiday Cheer

One of my colleagues at AFB really gets into the holiday spirit by bringing Christmas cheer to children with vision loss. For the past few years, during the Denver Anchor Center for Blind Children's annual Christmas party, Dr. Kay Ferrell, Associate Director for Policy Research at AFB, and her husband, Richard Gibboney, have brought the joy of the holiday season to children with vision loss. Festively clad as Santa and Mrs. Claus, they pose for pictures with the kids and help them open their presents. Check out this great article from Channel 9 News in Denver to read more about the party.

Happy Holidays to you all!

Braille in the Beer Hall? Prost to That!

I recently read that German beermaker, Uerige, is releasing a line of 0.33 liter bottles with braille labels. Uerige is known to be one of the world's best "Alt" beer makers and it's encouraging to hear that such a successful company makes efforts to ensure that its products are accessible to all of its customers. This reminds me of other European companies, such as French fragrance company, L'Occitane en Provence, and French wine company, M. Chapoutier. Both L'Occitane and M. Chapoutier label their products in both print and braille because they believe it's the right thing to do. Let's hope this type of business approach spreads to other areas of the world.

The Daily Show Adds a Little Humor to the Currency Issue

Guest Blogger Paul Schroeder, Vice President, Programs and Policy

I thought we should lighten things up this Friday afternoon with a funny clip from The Daily Show on the currency decision. I'm a big fan of The Daily Show and Jon Stewart's political satire. He always finds a way to insert humor into political issues. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

The link to the clip has been removed from Comedy Central's web site, so it is no longer active on AFB's blog.

The United Nations Takes on Web Accessibility

Guest Blogger Adrianna Montague-Gray, Communications Manager

On Monday I had the pleasure of spending the day at the United Nations with fellow AFB staffers Crista Earl and Marc Grossman. We were invited in honor of International Day of Disabled Persons, which aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. This year's theme was e-accessibility—an important topic in the digital age, and one AFB works hard to promote.

In honor of the e-accessibility theme, the UN hosted a large panel discussion on web accessibility featuring Judy Brewer, Director, Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), World Wide Web Consortium; Simon Norris, Managing Director, Nomensa; Leonie Watson, Head of Accessibility, Nomensa; Dr. Betsy A. Zaborowski, Executive Director, Jernigan Institute, National Federation of the Blind; Preety Kumar, Founder, President and CEO, Deque Systems; and Frances West, Director, World Wide Human Ability and Accessibility Center, IBM. In addition, Crista Earl gave a presentation to UN employees on how to make the UN web site more user friendly to people with vision loss. From fixing unlabeled images and forms to how best to use video and PDF files, Crista showed UN employees ways to make their site accessible to everyone.

The UN also released a report this week on how accessible the Internet is to people with disabilities. The results, which were featured in a Reuters story, show that many sites are out of reach for people with disabilities because of accessibility problems. We are thrilled the UN is pushing people to take accessibility seriously, and hope some great changes come out of its efforts.

Meet Jimmy the Taxi Man: The Most Vision Loss-Friendly Cab on Earth

Guest Bloggers Kelly Parisi, VP, Communications, and Adrianna Montague-Gray, Communications Manager

New York cabbies step aside! This taxi driver has set the bar very high...

On a recent business trip to Kentucky, we met the greatest taxi driver. Jimmy the Taxi Man, or "Cab Dude" as he calls himself, came highly recommended by a friend. He was the epitome of southern charm, and a huge advocate for people with vision loss. To our suprise, he had braille on the doors of his cab and on his business cards, and was working to get all Louisville cabbies to do the same. He wants people with vision loss to have access to cab ID numbers in case they need to report a bad experience. His clients include a blind local radio personality and a blind couple he takes grocery shopping. The world would be a better place with more Cab Dudes. If you ever find yourself in charming Louisville, give Jimmy a ring. You won't be sorry.

Art Museum is Made Accessible for People with Disabilities

The United Nations marks today, December 4, as the International Day for Persons With Disabilities. Yesterday, in honor of this event, Pinacoteca Nazionale, a museum in Bologna, Italy, made its galleries fully accessible to people with disabilities. Throughout the day, in addition to regular tours, sign language interpreters explained paintings to visitors who are deaf, while museum guides led visitors who are visually impaired to touch tactile reliefs of paintings while describing them. In the press release announcing the event, Franco Faranda, the museum's director, said, "A museum cannot exclude but must integrate. We intend to offer a tour route which is personalized but does not exclude, to be followed together with everybody else. The goal is to adapt the museum to the needs of the visitor with disabilities, not the other way around."

Pinacoteca Nazionale not only acknowledged people with disabilities for yesterday's event, but also took its first step towards making its entire web site accessible to people with disabilities and approached the UN to encourage other museums to replicate their initiatives. Enjoying a museum is a great way to spend a cold, winter day, and I'm happy one museum is leading the way towards making all museums accessible for people with disabilities. Three cheers for Pinacoteca Nazionale!

November 2006

Ten Tips for Making Homes Vision Loss-Friendly

Guest Blogger, Priscilla Rogers, Ph.D., National Independent Living Associate

In honor of the last day of National Family Caregiving Month, here are ten tips for making a home more vision loss-friendly. For more tips, take a look at Aging and Vision Loss: A Handbook for Families.

1. Use contrasting colors to make doorways, stairs, and furniture easier to see.

2. Paint the inside of eye-level cabinet doors a contrasting color to make it easier to see dishware (or use shelf liner with a contrasting color).

3. Replace everyday household items with large print or audible clocks, timers, remotes, calculators, and a host of other devices that are now available.

4. Use tactile markings to mark controls on appliances such as stoves, ovens, thermostats, and other devices to make them easier to use.

5. Provide adequate light for tasks and reduce glare.

6. Organize belongings in a way that makes sense to your relative. Always return objects to the same place.

7. Label items such as canned goods, medications, and clothing—with large print or tactile labels so that they are easier to identify.

8. Use contrasting colors at place settings to make them easier to see.

9. Learn about devices that are available to help with writing, banking, reading, and carrying out everyday tasks.

10. Learn about safe travel techniques such as how to walk safely with a person who has vision loss.

Google Wants Feedback on Its Audio CAPTCHA

Google is asking users for feedback on its new audio CAPTCHA. Take a look at this blog post on CAPTCHAs by Google Research Scientist, T.V. Raman, and click on the "We welcome feedback" link to weigh in.

Judge Rules on Issuing Accessible Money

Guest Blogger Paul Schroeder, Vice President, Programs and Policy

Big news today on the accessibility front—a federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Treasury Department is violating the law by not designing and issuing paper money that is accessible to people with vision loss. Though this is just the first step in what is expected to be a long legal battle, it is an important ruling for people with vision loss. Here's a link to the statement we released earlier applauding the American Council of the Blind (ACB) for championing this issue.

We look forward to hearing about the changes the U.S. government might make to currency to make it accessible (as they examine options with ACB), but don't expect changes very soon. In the meantime, there are simple, albeit not perfect, strategies that people with vision loss use to sort and handle their money. Usually they involve folding denominations of bills in different ways to easily find the bills in a wallet.

For example:

Leave $1 bills unfolded.
Fold $5 bills in half lengthwise.
Fold $10 bills in half by width.
Fold $20 bills twice in half lengthwise, or in half lengthwise and then in half by width. Or you can fold them just lengthwise and put them in a separate section of your wallet.

I See Good Fortune in Your Future

If you're anything like me, you have probably been thinking about delicious food for about a week now. So, I thought I would post about something edible created by the Lucky Touch Fortune Cookie Company, a student-operated business at the California School for the Blind that specializes in braille and large print fortune cookies. The company offers customized fortunes to fit all types of events, including birthdays, weddings, or conventions. There are even chocolate-dipped fortune cookies for the chocolate lovers among us!

The cookies range from $1.00 for three small Braille cookies to $13.00 for one giant, customized, chocolate-dipped fortune cookie. You can place your order by contacting Lucky Touch Advisor Judith Lesner by phone at 510-794-3800 x300 or by e-mail at Judith Lesner. The company has also set up a linked order form to see prices and complete an order. Test your luck and order some braille fortune cookies today!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Macular Degeneration: Not Curable, but Definitely Liveable

Last week, USA Today published an article about age-related macular degeneration and some of the options available to treat the disease. The article also included some health and lifestyle tips that might help prevent older Americans from experiencing vision loss. What was missing was how people with vision loss can and do continue to live healthy and productive lives, whether it's buying a large print clock, using contrasting colors on kitchen work surfaces, or even just researching a local support group to spend some time with other people in the same situation. I know I have shared these types of tips before, but that's because I know how simple solutions can make big differences in the lives of people living with vision loss. Check out the Living with Vision Loss section on AFB's web site for more tips or feel free to pass on questions in the comments section of the blog.

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Facebook Offers E-mail Alternative to CAPTCHA

Guest Blogger, Adrianna Montague-Gray, Communications Manager

Just one day after we released our report on the accessibility of social networking sites, Facebook has added an e-mail alternative to their CAPTCHA. Thank you, Charlie and Miss Rogue, for helping us get the word out! And thank you, Facebook, for taking this important step. We look forward to using your site, and hope other social networking sites follow your lead in offering an alternative for registration.

UPDATE: We tested the e-mail alternative and the good news is customer services got back to us pretty quickly. Unfortunately, we didn't get the CAPTCHA issue resolved, but we're hoping Facebook is developing a solution that works for everyone.

CAPTCHAs on MySpace, Facebook, and Friendster Shut Out Blind Users

Social networking sites MySpace, Facebook, and Friendster are all the rage these days. Even AFB is on MySpace! These sites have become the places to meet new people, update friends on life happenings, find jobs, network, and discover new music. MySpace, the top social networking site on the web, has now reached 47.3 million members and is growing by 160,000 new users a day according to news reports.

But signing up for these sites without sighted help is impossible for people who are blind or visually impaired because of CAPTCHAs—a visual verification tool used to keep spam out of sites that provide online services.

Today we released a new report and video on YouTube (embedded below) that talk about the accessibility of these sites. Check out the press release, and the full report.

10 Tips for Family and Friends of People with Vision Loss

Guest Blogger, Priscilla Rogers, Ph.D., National Independent Living Associate.

It's National Family Caregiving Month, a time to honor family caregivers who take time out of their lives to improve the lives of family and friends. If you are a family member of someone who has vision loss, it is time to think about what you can do to provide help and support.

Here are ten tips for family and friends of people with vision loss. Please share others that come to mind:

1. Learn all you can about your relative's vision loss; different types of eye conditions affect vision in varying ways. For example, some people can see to get around but not see people's faces. Others lose their side vision but have some central vision.

2. Learn about resources, techniques and products that can help your relative continue to carry out everyday tasks and enjoyable activities independently.

3. Talk directly to the person with vision loss instead of "around" him or her.

4. Don't walk away without telling the person you are leaving.

5. Communicate verbally instead of through gestures that cannot be seen.

6. Don't move things around in the persons' home without asking.

7. Give clear and specific directions. Remember the person may not be able to see where you are pointing.

8. Identify yourself to the person. He or she may not be able to see your face and may not recognize your voice. Don't embarrass your family member of friend by making him guess who you are.

9. Ask first before helping. Expect that your relative will want to do as much as he or she can do independently.

10. Ask your relative to continue to help you as he or she always has—with babysitting, pet sitting, taxes, or a good listening ear. We all like to feel needed and having vision problems does not make a person any less capable of providing help and support.

Talking Diabetes This November

Guest Blogger, Darren Burton, National Program Associate, Technology

November is American Diabetes Month, a perfect time for me to get on my soap box and talk about the inaccessibility of the self-care devices used in managing this widespread and deadly disease. Considering the close relationship between diabetes and vision loss, a logical person might assume that these devices would be accessible and usable by people who are blind or have low vision. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

In 2002, AFB TECH reported that among over 30 blood glucose monitors on the market, only one used modern technology and was accessible to blind users. However, it cost nearly $500 more than the inaccessible monitors, and wasn't easily portable. Four years later, not much has changed in the accessibility of monitors, or other devices. Insulin pens and insulin pumps remain inaccessible, and there is only one home blood pressure monitor on the market that is fully accessible.

The good news is I am currently evaluating a promising new blood glucose monitor: the Prodigy, an inexpensive, pocket-sized monitor with integrated speech for reading test results out loud . However, it's not perfect. The Prodigy doesn't announce past test results or low battery indications and doesn't have an accessible manual.

The current state of diabetes self-care is truly unacceptable. Properly managing diabetes is a difficult task under the best of circumstances, and if you have to rely on someone else to check your blood sugar or give yourself an insulin shot, you are much less likely to succeed. I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic. Or if people have ways of getting around the inaccessibility of these devices, please share.

AFB Board Member David Paterson Becomes Lieutenant Governor of New York

Congratulations to AFB Trustee David A. Paterson, who became New York's Lieutenant Governor-elect late yesterday. And congratulations to his running mate Eliot Spitzer. As New York's Attorney General, Spitzer did a lot to expand possibilities for people with vision loss in the areas of web accessibility and video description in movie theaters. We are happy he'll have the opportunity to continue to do so as Governor of New York.

The Newest Fad on the Streets

Back in May, I talked about New York City's efforts to establish more wheelchair accessible cabs and commented on how great it feels to give kudos to those who make the world more accessible to people with disabilities. Today, I'm happy to give kudos to Palisades Park, New Jersey, for making the world more accessible for people with vision loss. According to an article in The Record, "on street corners here and across the state, work crews have been installing special panels designed to help the blind and visually handicapped tell exactly where the sidewalk ends and traffic begins." These panels are sometimes referred to as "braille for the feet," and are similar to the type of panels found on train platforms. I hope other cities and states follow New Jersey's lead in making their streets safer for people with vision loss.

Holiday Shopping at L'Occitane Helps AFB and ORBIS

French fragrance company L'Occitane is once again helping people with vision loss. If you purchase a sweet cherry jam candle and teddy bear from L'Occitane this holiday season, 20% of sales go to AFB and ORBIS. As many of you know, L'Occitane and AFB have partnered on a number of projects over the years. This summer we worked with the company to send four US students with vision loss to a fragrance workshop in Provence, and in 2000 we gave them an Access Award for brailling the packaging of their products. They really make a lot of effort to expand possibilities for people with vision loss around the world. So, if you're planning on buying someone a bath and body product or candle this holiday season, consider shopping at L'Occitane. Not only is it a socially responsible company, but its holiday candles smell so good you want to eat them! And don't forget the cherry-flavored one helps AFB.

October 2006

Safeway Saves the Financial Privacy of Shoppers with Vision Loss

Nowadays, it seems whenever I want to buy something, I am handed a little gadget and asked to enter my PIN. Seems so quick and easy, but most of the time I can't complete the purchase this way because the buttons on these devices—called point of sale machines—are flat and indistinguishable from one another. I usually need someone to help me, which forces me to give my personal information to a complete stranger…very unnerving. Various blindness organizations have been pressuring retailers who use this type of technology to install equipment that is accessible to people with vision loss. So, I am very excited to announce that we have made a positive change with the well-known grocery chain, Safeway. Safeway has started installing devices that connect to the point of sale payment machines and are equipped with tactile keys set up like the number pad on a telephone. This way, I can enter my information and not have to worry about sharing it. As far as I know, there are no Safeways in my neighborhood, but I hope this trend spreads quickly.

It's Official!

I spent this past Friday in Dallas, Texas, serving as the Master of Ceremonies for the grand opening of the AFB Center on Vision Loss. The event proved to be a great success. I felt so encouraged by the great number of attendees and the obvious strong support of the Dallas community. Congressman Pete Sessions delivered the keynote speech for the evening and he offered nothing but praise for the work of the Center and its efforts to ensure that people with vision loss can maintain independent and fulfilling lives. It was exciting to participate in an event filled with so much positive energy and I look forward to writing more about important activities taking place at the AFB Center on Vision Loss.

Web Accessibility in the News

Associated Press writer Seth Sutel just wrote a great article on web accessibility you all should read. The article, which focuses on the recent lawsuit against Target, clearly depicts what it's like for screen reader users to navigate web pages that aren't well labeled. And the best part is, it features our very own Crista Earl. For people who are unfamiliar with web accessibility, this is a great first read.

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Important Dates for October

Yesterday, my colleague Gil Johnson mentioned National Disability Employment month in his post. Here are some related dates to remember...

• Today, October 18, is actually Disability Mentoring Day, which promotes career development for students and job seekers with disabilities through one-on-one job shadowing and hands-on career exploration.
• On October 26th, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao will announce the winners of the Secretary of Labor New Freedom Initiative Award to recognize the nonprofits, small businesses, corporations, and individuals that have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts in improving the employment and workplace environment for people with disabilities.
• We are also celebrating the 4th anniversary of DisabilityInfo.gov, an online resource that provides people with disabilities and employers information on a variety of topics including job accomodations and employment programs.

Please share these dates with your friends, so we can help build support for this important month.

Helen Keller inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame

Helen Keller will be inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame (CWHF) during a gala event this evening. Below is a great videography of Keller that CWHF created to honor her outstanding achievements. Keller lived in Connecticut from 1939 until her death in 1968. She was a renowned activist, peacemaker, and women's rights advocate who made our world a better place. AFB was lucky to have Helen Keller on our staff for the last 40 years of her life, and we continue her legacy today. The video features AFB archivist and Helen Keller expert, Helen Selsdon, who will be accepting the CWHF induction award on behalf of the Keller family. It's a great video and I encourage all of you to watch it.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Guest blogger, Gil Johnson, Senior Advisor, Critical Issues

John Lewis, one of AFB's CareerConnect® mentors, can truly be called "career man." He has worked as a wildlife artist, a food service facility manager, a data entry clerk, and is currently looking into starting a home-based "art print business." John started experiencing vision loss as a young child and his story describes his perseverance to pursue careers and job opportunities despite the challenges he faced.

John is one of the many mentors included in the "Success Stories" section of the CareerConnect web site. This section is a great source of inspiration for people with vision loss who are pursuing a career or who want to continue in their current profession regardless of their diminished vision. Since it's National Disability Employment Month, I think it's important to remind people that there are resources available to help them create their own success story.

For readers familiar with CareerConnect, we are interested in hearing whether it has been valuable to you or others. We also welcome any suggestions about how we might use the site more effectively to influence employers and help job seekers with vision loss.

Three strikes. . .Lyons is out

I just read an article in the New York Times about the recent firing of Fox Sports baseball analyst Steve Lyons. As stated last week by my colleague, Jay Leventhal, Fox announcers Steve Lyons and Thom Brennaman made fun on the air of a fan with vision loss who was using a video magnifying device to help him see the game. Apparently, Lyons' ignorant remarks were not his first, nor his last. The New York Times reported that during the Detroit Tigers-Oakland A's championship game Friday, Lyons made inappropriate racial remarks while on air. Later Friday evening, Fox fired Steve Lyons "for making comments on air that the company found inappropriate.''

I am pleased to see Fox has finally taken responsibility for the numerous hurtful comments made by Lyons. In doing so, they have shown people everywhere that this type of behavior will not be tolerated.

Fans with Low Vision 1, Sportscasters 0

Guest Blogger, Jay Leventhal, Editor in Chief, AccessWorld®

As a sports fan who is blind, I bring a radio to games, including the first game of the Mets-Dodgers National League Divisional Series last Wednesday night at Shea Stadium. Occasionally, other fans ask me what happened, like "What are they arguing about?" or "Why did they put in a new left fielder?" That's especially likely when I'm in the upper deck, as I was at last week's playoff game. I can't see the action firsthand, but I enjoy the excitement and atmosphere of the stadium.

Today's New York Times published an article that highlights an incident that occurred last Thursday night, during Game 2 of the same series. Fox Television announcers Thom Brennaman and Steve Lyons made fun on the air of a fan with vision loss who was using a video magnifying device to help him see the action on the field. They wondered what Stephen Teitelbaum was wearing. The article reports that Lyons said, "Maybe he's in virtual reality" and that if he was, "he should stay there." Even worse, no one from Fox told them to cut it out or tried to find out what the device was. I learned that Brennaman did apologize the next day, but the negative impacts of their rant already spread.

Had they investigated, they would have learned that the device was the Jordy from Enhanced Vision Systems. The Jordy consists of a head-mounted display in the form of eyeglasses with displays instead of lenses, and a control unit. The video camera is enclosed within the front section of the 8-ounce Jordy eyeglasses and the camera is pointed by head movement. The head-mounted display is worn over prescription eyeglasses. The Jordy offers a magnification range up to 40 times. That's enough to view a blackboard in a classroom, a presentation at work, and, regardless of the ignorance of certain network announcers, the action at a playoff baseball game. If you would like to become a little more knowledgeable than these critical commentators, check out AFB's product profile of the Jordy and feel free to pass the information along... to Fox Television, perhaps?

In Memory of Irvin P. Schloss

On September 28, 2006, we said goodbye to Irvin Schloss, an incredible man, and a dear friend to the field of blindness. Schloss, 83, is survived by his wife Estelle, his sister-in-law, and many nephews, great-nieces, and friends. Schloss was blinded during combat in World War II, and subsequently spent his life as an advocate for people with vision loss.

For 30 years he worked at the American Foundation for the Blind as the Director of Government Relations. He was a true pioneer among disability advocates. During his tenure at AFB, very few disability rights organizations had a person on staff in Washington to communicate to legislators and the federal government. Schloss lobbied for human services, education, and rehabilitation programs and effectively influenced legislation on behalf of people with vision loss. He was greatly respected and admired by individuals in the political arena and his colleagues in the blindness field.

In 2003, as a tribute to Schloss, AFB created the Irvin Schloss Advocacy Award to recognize excellence in advocacy on behalf of people who are blind or visually impaired. The following year AFB awarded him the Migel Medal—the highest honor in the field of blindness. His important work did not go unnoticed.

One of the things I will remember most about Irv Schloss was his easygoing style. He was an effective advocate, and a true gentleman—always careful with his words. My heart goes out to his family and