AFB Blog

Man voting with an accessible voting machine Yesterday was Election Day, the day that we all head to the polls to cast our ballot for our chosen candidates for the many races impacting our lives. By all, I mean a decent amount of the population, especially during a non-presidential voting year. I can't tell you the pride and joy that I get out of being able to vote. It is not even just voting; it is that I was able to go to my polling location and ask to use the accessible polling option.…

Diabetes is a complex condition that, if not carefully managed and treated, can lead to complications such as diabetic retinopathy, which can cause "blind spots," blurring, and vision loss. The American Foundation for the Blind, in honor of National Diabetes Month, has gathered key resources to help you care for yourself when you have diabetes and vision loss. Please share these 8 critical resources on diabetes and diabetic retinopathy: Read more about it: AFB's Guide to Living with…

It's almost Halloween night! But what if your child is visually impaired, and not a big fan of dressing up in costumes? Whether you're excited or filled with Halloween dread, here are some ways to have fun with the holiday: Get tactile: NAPVI mom Maria Dibernardo shared some great pumpkin activities for children who are blind or visually impaired. Get creative: Emily Coleman — a teacher of students who are visually impaired who is also the mom to Eddie, who is blind and on the autism…

Recently, RespectAbility (a national, disability-focused nonprofit) collaborated with major political pollsters to ask questions of likely 2014 voters in battle-ground states (states whose choice of U.S. Senate candidates in the November elections is uncertain and thus will determine the balance of power in the Senate). The poll results clearly indicate that candidates must consider disability issues in the upcoming elections! The poll found that 56 percent of likely voters in the…

Each October, we mark National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a time to raise awareness about disability employment issues and celebrate the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. The theme for 2014 is “Expect. Employ. Empower.” AFB’s CareerConnect team is dedicated to building tools, content, resources, and awareness around employment for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. We believe it is an exciting time in the United States with so many big…

Oftentimes being successful depends on developing relationships with other people. A case in point is AFB CareerConnect. CareerConnect offers job seekers with vision loss ways to connect with others who can strategically help them in their career development process. For nearly 13 years, our online mentor program has put thousands of blind or visually impaired students, job seekers, professionals, and friends and family members directly in touch with mentors who have been able to help guide…

Last week, Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi were awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. Almost fifty years ago, there was a movement afoot to secure nominations for Helen Keller. Keller did not receive the Nobel Peace Prize, but the letters that were received from around the world are a wonderful reminder of this extraordinary humanitarian. Two are excerpted here below: Letter from S. T. Dajani, Chairman, Arab Blind Organization, Jerusalem, to the Secretary-General World Council for the…

If you know me, you know that I am a big proponent of using the white cane or the long white cane. I speak around the United States to youth and adults who are blind or visually impaired about employment, postsecondary education, and various other topics. I couldn't do it without the training I received in the area of orientation and mobility (O&M). I received my first white cane from an O&M instructor from the State of New Jersey's Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. I…

As world leaders gather for the United Nations General Assembly, it is interesting to read the speech that Keller wrote for the United Nations in 1950. "Dear Friends: Truly it is an exalted privilege for me to address such a splendid gathering representing the humanitarian public spirit of world citizenship. As United Nations Week brings home to us the far-speeding activities of our global Prometheus, it is fitting that we hail an organization whose final triumph is bound up with the…