AFB Blog

Readers of AccessWorld know that I have written several articles over the years condemning the lack of accessibility found in Amazon's Kindle devices. A couple of their devices have had some half-baked solutions for accessibility, and their mobile apps have never been accessible or usable at all. However, on May 1 we learned that Amazon's new update for the Kindle app for Apple's iOS mobile platform has improved accessibility for people with vision loss. We took a quick look at it on an…

From April 18-20, AFB hosted its annual flagship conference (formerly titled the Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute), together with Illinois AER, in Chicago. With over two dozen exhibitors and more than 400 attendees, we made many new friends and reconnected with old ones. In spite of some initial bad weather, attendance was strong. A day of pre-conference sessions gave way to Friday morning’s keynote address from Chieko Asakawa, Ph.D., of IBM Research-Tokyo. Blind since the age of 14…

On May 1, I'll be attending the Reading and Literacy Summit hosted by our good friends, Lions Club International. This event presents a promising opportunity to share vital information on topics such as accelerating global literacy, improved reading material distribution, expanding inclusion, and overcoming illiteracy through technology. AFB has been working with the Lions over the past year to expand braille and technology literacy through the Reading Action Program. For the millions of…

Thursday, April 25, is Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day How many of you are thinking about bringing your son or daughter to work? My opinion? I think you should speak to your workplace to see if you can bring your child to work on that day. "Hey AFB, can I bring my Australian Shepherd to work? So, she may not be a human child, but I pretty much treat her like my child." On a serious note, I can tell you a little bit about why I believe this day is so important to me and for children…

One issue people with disabilities often face (and, granted, this is sometimes self-imposed) is isolation. In the case of individuals who are blind or visually impaired, this could be related to mobility or transportation. The good news is, with technology, we have the opportunity to connect with others in so many different ways. The American Foundation for the Blind offers a whole collection of message boards covering all kinds of topics and for different audiences. These message boards are…

Celebrating Helen During Women's History Month [Editor's note: In light of Women's History Month, this post concludes our series of interviews with Helen Keller experts on the AFB Blog. The following Q&A comes courtesy of Helen Selsdon, Archivist at the American Foundation for the Blind, including the Helen Keller Archives.] How has your close contact with so much of Helen's writings and, well, life, affected you? Silly as it might be, whenever I’m in an upsetting or tricky situation I…

We invite you to tour the newly redesigned AFB Bookstore and save 20% on all publications during AFB's Virtual Open House this Wednesday through Friday, March 27-29, using code AFBSTORE13. Other activities include giveaways and contests to win AFB Press books and DVDs. AFB will announce details each day of the Open House on the AFB Bookstore page at www.afb.org/store and through the AFB Press Facebook page at www.facebook.com/connectwithpress beginning Wednesday morning. The redesigned…

Did you know that since January 1, you can get in serious legal trouble for unlocking your cell phone? That is, the process of liberating your phone from the specific mobile carrier, such as Verizon or AT&T, to which your phone is likely linked right out of the box? Before, you had the freedom to unlock your phone without being subject to the severe penalties of the draconian Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). So what happened on January 1? Well, the DMCA permits the Librarian of…

The Wall Street Journal recently ran a story titled "When It Comes to Hiring, Blind Workers Face Bias." It examines a study conducted by our friends at the National Industries for the Blind, and the many misconceptions employers (and hiring and HR managers) have when it comes to hiring potential employees with vision loss. They are just that—misconceptions. NIB's president and chief executive, Kevin Lynch, had a few interesting things to say on the matter, and I agree wholeheartedly. The…