AFB Blog

Sixty years ago, Helen Keller was given an honorary Oscar as inspiration for the movie Helen Keller in Her Story a documentary by Nancy Hamilton about her life; she turned 75 that year and had spent 6 decades fighting for those with vision loss. Decades earlier, in 1916 she delivered an address on the Midland Chautauqua Circuit in which she said: I, for one, love strength, daring, fortitude. I do not want people to kill the fight in them; I want them to fight for right things. And that…

"Only people count. Only people who think and feel and work together make civilization. Only governments that keep every door of opportunity wide open are civilized governments...Civilization means a fair chance to live. It means an equitable share of the resources of the earth for every one. It means health and freedom and education for all men." Helen Keller, draft of speech, June 1918 When Helen Keller was 6 years old she met President Grover Cleveland. Cleveland was the first…

On the eve of her 80th birthday in June 1960, Helen Keller gave an interview looking back on her life. She spoke with Ann Carnahan, a journalist, about her "secrets of joyous living." Question: What is the greatest virtue a person may have or cultivate? Answer: Love. Cultivate love for love is the light that gives the eye to see great and noble things. Love is true joy. Question: I notice, Miss Keller, that you use joy very often. Why? Answer: It is almost my favorite word…

As an orientation and mobility specialist, I’ve worked with visually impaired individuals of all ages and backgrounds, many of whom speak Spanish as their primary language. Let’s face it, if your Spanish is as limited as mine is, you need an interpreter, but sometimes there are none to be found. Here are some short-term strategies I’ve used when my back was to the wall: Hit up your bilingual friends or co-workers. Bribe them with whatever you’ve got. Food usually works, but sometimes they…

Transcript of the video, "Weaving a Web for All: Online Accessibility for People with Vision Loss" AFB is rolling out a new embedded video player. That's the type where you don't need to use extra software, you just click it and it plays in your browser. Why did we create our own HTML5 embedded video player? And what is HTML5, anyway? Technology just keeps getting better. But video-playing technology on the web is still pretty fraught with show-stopping problems. One category of…

Upcoming Opportunities to Learn More! As we begin 2015, the AFB Policy Center has jumped feet-first into the wide (and deep!) world of demographics and data. Hopefully you saw the latest edition of the Research Navigator, “Just how many blind folks are there anyway?,” where we tackled seemingly simple (but actually very complicated) questions about population and demographic statistics for adults who are blind or visually impaired. We have been in touch with the Centers for Disease Control…

"What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us." -Helen Keller With Valentine's Day right around the corner, there's still time to share the love with beautiful Helen Keller-themed jewelry that helps support the American Foundation for the Blind and its programs. 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…

The Super Bowl kicks off on Sunday, so get into the spirit with our roundup of resources for every football fan! Even if you are only interested in the Super Bowl commercials, you’ll want to check out Web Director Crista Earl’s look at Comcast’s new talking guide for accessible television and how it can help everyone get more out of the viewing experience. It was a memorable year in professional sports, and our own resident sports expert Joe Strechay shared his reminiscences of the late…

Wherever you may be and whatever you are doing— If you are bathed in sunshine or wrapped in snow— take a few moments to enjoy and reflect on Helen Keller's wise words: "It is beyond a doubt that everyone should have time for some special delight, if only five minutes each day to seek out a lovely flower or cloud or a star, or learn a verse or brighten another’s dull task. What is the use of such terrible diligence as many tire themselves out with, if they always postpone their exchange of…