Editor’s note: Be sure to register for our webinar on Self-Advocacy and Low Vision on July 26. By: Cindy Schaffner, VisionAware Peer Advisor As Melanie Peskoe noted in her recent post on self-awareness, self-advocacy can be a common struggle for people who are blind or visually impaired. Having the confidence, courage, and know-how to speak up for your rights, needs, and accommodations can be mentally … Continued
In 2020, the American Printing House for the Blind, the American Foundation for the blind and 13 other vision-related U.S. organizations and companies, carried out the “Flatten Inaccessibility” survey to determine how critical areas of life were affected by the pandemic for people with vision loss. Several segments of life were included, among them technology, transportation, healthcare, social experiences, and access to food and supplies. Some … Continued
As a result of advocacy efforts over the years, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act, the federal government and many states offer assistance and exemptions for people who are blind or visually impaired. These cut across many areas of life, and we cover a few examples below. You may also want to read our post Everyday Implications of the ADA for People with Vision … Continued
This year is the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. The ADA National Network , formed in 1991, celebrates 30 years of service as the nation’s provider of guidance and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act. The purpose of the ADA law is to prohibit discrimination against individuals with … Continued
The ADA has five major areas of concentration: employment, transportation, state and local government, public accommodations, and telecommunications. In this post, the VisionAware Peer Advisors address how the ADA has affected their everyday lives in many of those areas. ADA and the Internet Steve Kelley Imagine for a moment your internet access just stops—the information … Continued
Kim Ladd, RN, BS, CPHQ, CDCES Editor’s note: To learn more and see a demo of the DexCom continuous glucose monitoring system, register for the upcoming webinar, Monitoring Your Blood Sugar Levels With Low or No Vision, on June 23 from 5:30PM to 7:00PM ET, featuring Kim Ladd and Marana Vradenburg. You have low vision or no vision and are diagnosed with diabetes. Your doctor tells you that you need to … Continued
Father’s Day is upon us and you needed some gift ideas yesterday! Here’s a short list of really helpful downloads and gadgets for your father who has everything but perfect vision. iOS Access for All iOS Access for All by Shelly Brisbin is one of the best books you’ll find on using an iPhone or iPad with the accessibility … Continued
If you or a loved one is experiencing vision loss, you may think about things you used to enjoy that no longer seem feasible, especially activities that link you with other people as a volunteer or mentor. Let’s be honest. A few things might be tough, for example if you dreamed of teaching your grandchild how to drive or play umpire at a junior baseball league. While some opportunities will … Continued
By Karen Shrawder, Work Incentives Practitioner with the California Department of Rehabilitation We’ve all been gifted with knowledge, skills, and abilities that are meant to be used. Using them is what truly gives us that wonderful feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction and that includes working! Many people are pondering the question “what are the benefits of working?” right now. Just yesterday, I heard that there are … Continued
That smartphone in your hand may be even smarter than you think. In fact, there’s a good chance it has a screen magnifier built right in to enlarge the text and images on the screen and text-to-speech capabilities to read the text on the screen, like your emails or a webpage. Before going further, it’s worth pointing out that as smart as they are, these … Continued