AFB Blog

Earlier this week, we announced the launch of our new website (and if you're currently reading this blog post, perhaps you've noticed already). A lot of planning and work went into this project, and we wanted to take this opportunity to thank the many people who gave us feedback along the way. People who were losing their vision, or had been blind for years, along with family members, professionals, and members of the general public—all participated in the early card-sorting exercises that…

With a number of AFB staff attending the 27th annual CSUN International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference this week, we've been keeping a close eye on the goings-on there. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., Congressman Markey (D-Mass) just introduced an important piece of legislation. In addition to these topics, here are a few stories that caught our attention this week: Congressman Ed Markey (press release): Markey Introduces Legislation to Improve Prescription Drug Labeling…

Here at AFB Headquarters, we like to keep up on important news related to vision loss. Here are some interesting news stories and blog posts from this past week: InnovationNewsDaily: New App Lets You Text Without Looking This article examines a forthcoming (free) app, Brailletouch, that would allow users to text without ever looking at their phones. (More information on this story via CNN's What's Next blog.) NorthJersey.com: Ramsey man collects for more than comics Think you can't be blind…

Perhaps you know her as "M" from some of the James Bond films. With Oscar season upon us, maybe you recall she nabbed the Best Supporting Actress honor for 1998's "Shakespeare in Love." And at this point, you've probably read the headlines: Judi Dench has been diagnosed with, and is receiving treatment for, macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is a degenerative eye condition that affects the macula (center of the retina—the highest concentration of cone cells, which are linked to…

If you are attending the CSUN conference this year, I encourage you to attend the Accessibility Forum. "Taking Accessibility Mainstream—Making the Case for an International Society of Accessibility Professionals" is a full-day event being held Tuesday, Feb 28, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. — 4:45 p.m. This event will be at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel, San Diego, CA in the Edward Room on the 2nd floor. The event is being hosted by the Accessibility Interoperability Alliance (AIA)—the technical…

The Digital Images and Graphic Resources for Accessible Materials (DIAGRAM) Center is a U.S. Department of Education-funded project, conducted by Benetech, with the US Fund for DAISY and the WGBH National Center for Accessible Media. DIAGRAM is conducting a brief survey to track trends in how people with print disabilities obtain and access reading materials electronically. Your answers will help DIAGRAM focus their research and development efforts on the reading tools and digital reading…

With Valentine's Day upon us, I am preparing for a very special day, as it is my first one married to my beautiful and intelligent wife, Jen. In honor of this day, I am going to tell you a little about how we met. If you have seen the commercials for eHarmony and other online dating sites, you may have heard that 20 percent of all people getting married today met through online dating sites or through social networking. This really isn't news to me—I knew people who met their spouses online…

We're pretty focused around here on trying to improve opportunities for people with vision loss to use our talents and pursue our dreams. Certainly, education is one of the most important opportunities and we know that the right technologies are opening up access to education like never before. This week, Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) convened a hearing to spotlight the need to ensure that access to education is enhanced through the deployment of accessible technology. You can read more about…

2012 marks 60 years since Helen Keller toured the Middle East; namely, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel. Helen was entranced by the Middle East and wrote about it to her friend and colleague Georges Raverat, the Director of the American Foundation for Overseas Blind (now Helen Keller International) in Paris. During her visit, Helen met leading cultural and political figures of the region, including the Egyptian writer and intellectual Taha Hussein, Queen Noor of Jordan and Golda Meir…