Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB)
Over the past century, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has served as stewards of the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness. And thanks to the generous support of the Marilyn and Francine Gruder Trust in 2023, AFB will continue to shepherd this vital publication in the field of blindness and low vision.
Marilyn Gruder developed a deeper understanding of the needs faced by those with vision loss after years of caring for her sister Francine, who was blind. Ms. Gruder never married and dedicated herself to supporting her sister. It was through this relationship that it was decided after Marilyn’s death, the Gruder estate would be used to support organizations serving the blindness community. Marilyn Gruder passed in September 2021, and it was determined AFB would become one of the beneficiaries of the Gruder estate, which is in excess of $2.2 million.
“Because of this generous gift from Marilyn and Francine Gruder, JVIB will continue to be able to serve as the uninterrupted archive of the literature of the field of visual impairment,” said Rebecca Burrichter, senior editor of JVIB. “Their memory will forever be enshrined in the pages of JVIB, to be witnessed by current and future generations of researchers, practitioners, administrators, and policymakers.”
First published in 1907 under the moniker Outlook for the Blind, JVIB is the international, peer-reviewed journal of record in the field of blindness and low vision. JVIB delivers current research and best practice information, and commentary from authoritative experts on critical topics.
AccessWorld
Since 2000, the American Foundation for the Blind’s AccessWorld magazine has been the premier source for information on the intersection of blindness, low vision, and technology. Throughout its 23-year history, AccessWorld has covered a wide range of topics.
At first, the magazine focused on product reviews but also has included instructional pieces, interviews, employment-related content, and other articles relating to access technology. During this time, AccessWorld primarily produced content for people with a direct experience of blindness or low vision.
In recent years, to create a greater impact on the lives of people who are blind or have low vision, AFB has focused on systems change. This means that instead of primarily providing information for people who are blind or have low vision themselves, the magazine aims to provide information to those who have the tools to make sweeping, positive changes in the world of digital accessibility. This includes many people in various industries, such as lawmakers and the decision-makers who can promote software accessibility.
The reworking of AccessWorld was completed in collaboration with AFB’s Talent Lab program, the expanded successor to AFB’s consulting department, and where its accessibility expertise is concentrated. With their assistance, AFB took a methodical approach to AccessWorld’s refocus, to be sure AFB would be producing content that would best serve the broadened audience. AFB first performed research to determine where gaps existed in the currently produced digital inclusion content, and how those gaps could best be filled using AFB's expertise.
As digital inclusion is a large field, AFB was thorough in designing new article categories to be of interest to a wide range of audience segments. Their interest varies widely: content relevant to accessibility professionals could also hold value for developers themselves, but information for those employed in Human Resources or hiring managers will be entirely different. In addition to general product reviews and the expert accessibility commentary that can be expected from a digital inclusion publication, AccessWorld also publishes interviews with people who are blind or have low vision with a focus on their employment journeys, as well as research on the state of accessibility, to better inform decision-makers.
AFB’s Talent Lab program includes a detailed set of learning tools that has been successfully used to train its interns and apprentices. AFB offers this learning content free to the public, and part of the goal of refocusing AccessWorld is to inform readers of its availability and quality. Alongside these changes, AFB will continue to provide useful information to AccessWorld’s traditional readers. AFB completed these changes in the spring of 2023, and had a successful launch of the first issue in May.
