AFB Blog

HR620—A "Solution" in Search of a Problem One of my favorite assistive technology podcasts recently made me grit my teeth, again, over the passage of congressional bill H.R. 620. H.R. 620 is titled the "ADA Education and Reform Bill." In episode 107 of the AT Banter podcast, co-hosts Ryan Fleury and Steve Barclay discussed H.R. 620, stating that it would seem reasonable for an individual to approach a business that most likely, inadvertently created a barrier to access and ask/suggest/…

Happy Fourth of July! Helen Keller fought her entire life for social and economic equality for all. During the 1930s she used the platform of the popular Home Magazine to express her ideas and encourage self-reliance, education, and hope, particularly among women. On the occasion of the Fourth of July, 1934, she encouraged readers to reflect on democracy and the work of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt who sought to lift the country out of its economic woes. "Independence Day" by Helen…

Helen Keller with sheep in Scotland, 1932 Among her many roles, Nella Braddy Henney was a friend, agent, and editor to Helen Keller. Nella and her husband, Keith, spent their summers on Foss Mountain in Snowville, New Hampshire. With her teacher, Anne Sullivan and secretary and companion, Polly Thomson, the trio spent time at Nella’s summer home and would go on daily walks with Nella. Before leaving after a visit in 1938, Helen wrote to Nella that “your nest of peace is twice blest.” She…

Mark Richert, AFB's Director of Public Policy A hearty kudos to the United States Senate for ratifying the Marrakesh Treaty—unanimously, I might add—and passing its implementing legislation, the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act (S. 2559), which aims to facilitate access to materials in a specialized format to eligible individuals, including and especially individuals who are blind or visually impaired. It has been the longstanding belief of the American Foundation for the Blind that…

Image left to right, M. R. Barnett, American Foundation for the Blind, Executive Director, Helen Keller and Eric T. Boulter, American Foundation for the Overseas Blind, Field Director. Celebrating Helen's 75th birthday with cake, 1955. Kirk Adams here, President of the American Foundation for the Blind. I am humbled and honored to be the leader of the organization that Helen Keller championed for 44 years from 1924 until her death in 1968. Like Helen, I too am blind, and I too am keenly…

Helen Keller circa 1893. As an archivist, at the Perkins School for the Blind Archives, I often spend a lot of time tracking down information. While I relish a mystery and the process of its’ unraveling, these searches rarely come with a desirable deadline or at an opportune moment. Last summer, I was tasked with trying to track down materials that had been accessed before the Perkins School for the Blind had an archives program, archivist, or finding aids (pre-2011). The task was daunting,…

Helen Keller at the Union of the War Blind in Paris, 1946. She is with French veterans blinded during World War II, one of whom is playing the piano. In June 2018, more than a century after she was born, an enormous amount of Helen Keller's archive is available to everyone all over the world with an internet connection; this ‘miracle work’ has happened by virtue of digital technology, the will of an organization, the resolute eyes and hands of transcribers and the endless energy of an…

Kudos to Lynn Foley and Connal McNamara, co-authors of the June 4 National Law Review article “Why Law Firms Should Make Web Accessibility a Priority in 2018.” In it, they make the call for attorneys to actively inform their clients about the both the risks as well as benefits of accessibility in an effort to promote a more inclusive experience for all. They even point out the importance of building their own law firms’ websites to be as accessible as possible. The article discusses the…

Joseph Edgar Chamberlin As it turns out, in a certain generation, our family’s best memory keeper was Helen Keller. I am indebted to the Helen Keller Archive at the American Foundation for the Blind for allowing me to come to know – four generations later – my great-great grandfather, the Boston author and journalist, Joseph Edgar Chamberlin. My current book in progress, called Letters from Red Farm, reveals new information about Helen Keller as it tells the untold story of her deep and…