As long-time AccessWorld readers may know, each year at the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Leadership Conference, AFB bestows Access Awards to the individuals, companies, and organizations that go above and beyond when it comes to improving accessibility for people with vision loss. At the 2014 Leadership Conference held in New York City this past February, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) was among the Access Awards honorees.
We wanted to make our readers aware of all the Met has to offer its patrons with vision loss. All too often, people with visual impairments believe that art requires full sight for appreciation and so museums and galleries must have nothing to offer those with vision loss. This is far from the truth at the Met!
AccessWorld author Janet Ingber recently received a personal tour of the Met to learn firsthand about the fantastic work being done there to make the collections as accessible as possible to all of the museum's patrons. Be sure to read that article in this issue. If you plan on visiting New York City this summer, the Met would be a great place to add to your "must visit" list!
Janet Ingber also recently sat down with Air Force Sargent Mike Malarsie to learn a bit about his amazing story of survival in Afghanistan and how his experiences brought him to teaching people "how to be blind." His true-life story is an inspiration for everyone.
We at AccessWorld know that many people with vision loss want that ever-elusive accessible feature phone for basic calling and texting. In this issue, Bill Holton evaluates the Kyocera Verve feature phone from Sprint. This feature phone with slide-out keyboard may be just what you are looking for.
We also know that pursuing a good education can be particularly challenging for people with vision loss. In the July issue, the AccessWorld team will again turn our focus to providing valuable information and resources for students, parents, teachers, and professionals in the vision loss field to help make educational pursuits less stressful and more enjoyable. Be sure to check back in July for our Back to School issue.
Sincerely,
Lee Huffman
AccessWorld Editor-in-Chief
American Foundation for the Blind
