AFB Blog

Susan Mazrui, her service dog, and presenter Deborah Marriott Harrison Congratulations to Susan Mazrui, current director for Public Policy at AT&T and a former AFB Trustee, who received the 2016 Stephen Garff Marriott Award! The award honors a blind or visually impaired individual who has served as an extraordinary mentor or who has attained remarkable professional success. Mazrui currently works on disability-related public policy issues and serves as the co-chair of the Federal…

Year after year, the AFB Leadership Conference covers the most pressing and relevant topics in the field of blindness and offers many opportunities to learn from the best and brightest minds in our field, make new connections, and reunite with old friends. To find more information and register for the upcoming AFB Leadership Conference, visit www.afb.org/afblc. In 2016, we spoke with Megan Dodd—formerly with the East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, now Director of the AFB Center on Vision Loss…

I am still applauding Stevie Wonder’s call for accessibility at last night’s Grammys; it was fabulous. First, he made everyone laugh when he teased the audience with a “na na nana na…y’all can’t read this huh?” referring to the fact that the Song of the Year winner was written in braille. And then right before he announced “Thinking Out Loud” as Song of the Year, he said, "We need to make every single thing accessible to every single person with a disability." And in the seconds after that,…

On President’s Day we honor two giants of American history – Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a giant among politicians and Helen Keller a global leader for those with disabilities. Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) and Helen Keller had a great admiration for each other. As early as 1929, Helen Keller instinctively knew that FDR was to become a great leader, and on behalf of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) she solicited the then New York Governor to become an honorary member of AFB. The…

As our special Valentine to you, we’re giving you an extension on the Early Bird Rate! Now you can register for the 2016 AFB Leadership Conference at the lower rate until February 16—but after that, rates are going up, so don’t delay! If your agency is sending three or more people, please contact Scott Truax about a group registration discount. Also note that hotel rooms at the group rate are going fast—make your reservation before 6 p.m., Monday, February 15, in order to get the…

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, there's still time to share the love with beautiful Helen Keller-themed gifts that help support the American Foundation for the Blind and its programs. Plus, all jewelry is on sale for a limited time. You can choose from a sterling silver ribbon-heart necklace inscribed with Helen Keller's quote "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart" or a striking silver cuff bracelet…

It is with a heavy heart that I share that Phil Hatlen, AFB trustee emeritus and a preeminent leader in the blindness field, passed away earlier this week after an extended illness. Phil was an incredible mentor and dear friend to many, including myself. He was loved and admired by this field. A true visionary, Phil is widely recognized as the person who coined the phrase, “expanded core curriculum” and detailed its importance to the education of the blind and visually impaired. Because of…

“At the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), we have worked for nearly a century to break down societal barriers and eliminate discrimination by achieving equal access to the world of copyrighted works. But for all the promise of technology to provide equal access to copyrighted works, the copyright laws that protect those works have sometimes served to impede that technology.” Mark Richert, Esq., Director of Public Policy, was part of an expert panel at a free Public Knowledge luncheon…

Paul Schroeder at the MagicaVision booth On the second day of the official CES, John Lilly and I spent most of the day among the home, health, and fitness area of the show. At Whirlpool we learned that a line of “connected” kitchen appliances will soon be launched in the US. As with the connected washer and dryer, these are toward the top of the line, so they won’t be cheap, but the Whirlpool app does seem to work reasonably well with VoiceOver and they are interested in continuing to improve…