Dear AccessWorld readers,
Five years ago at this time, AccessWorld implemented a "Comment on this article" link at the end of each article to bring your comments, questions, and ideas right to my inbox. Since that time, hundreds of you have written to share your thoughts, and many of these responses have been shared in the monthly "Letters to the Editor" column. Your feedback has been extremely valuable to the AccessWorld team and has helped us to grow, enrich our content, and better understand your access interests and challenges, and I thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Also in response to readers' comments, we have added links to recent related articles and additional articles by the author at the end of each AccessWorld article.
For those who still haven't taken the opportunity, I encourage you to send me your comments on articles and your thoughts on any topics you would like to see addressed in AccessWorld.
It is at this point where I would like to announce an exciting addition to the AccessWorld team. This gentleman began working with AFB in 2009 as a college intern in our Information and Referral department and continued this work throughout his college career. After graduating from Marshall University, he was hired full-time as a National Technology Associate, working with AFB-Tech and AFB's consulting division.
While in that role, he worked with companies to evaluate and improve the accessibility of their websites and apps. He also conducted many evaluations of access technology hardware and software, mainstream mobile devices, and office equipment. One of his latest accomplishments was his work on the newly released set of free tutorials from AFB called "Learn NVDA," which provide an easy-to-follow introduction to using Microsoft Windows with Nonvisual Desktop Access (NVDA), a free and fully featured screen reader.
Through this work and personal daily use of accessible technology, he has gained invaluable expertise to which he will now be lending to the AccessWorld team and sharing with our readers.
While he has written for AccessWorld, on occasion, in the past, you will now be seeing Aaron Preece's name more often and more prominently in AccessWorld as he transitions into his new position as AccessWorld and Information and Referral Associate. As his new title suggests, in addition to writing more frequently and contributing to the monthly publication of the magazine, Aaron will also be leading AFB's Information and Referral efforts, including administering AFB's Scholarship program. Please join me in welcoming Aaron Preece to AccessWorld.
We hope you enjoyed the July 2016 Back-to-School issue and gained information to help with getting ready for the upcoming school year. Speaking of going back to school, if you are the parent of a child with vision loss or you know a child with vision loss, I encourage you to visit the AFB FamilyConnect website to learn about all its resources.
If you are a student transitioning from school to work, thinking about your future and beginning career exploration, or if you are looking to build a resume or change careers, please visit the AFB CareerConnect website. There you will find a variety of resources for teachers, students in transition, professionals in the job market, and employers.
Also, if you are an adult living with vision loss or know someone who is, I encourage you to visit the AFB VisionAware site. VisionAware has many resources, tips, and information on eye conditions, support groups, working life, and everyday living for adults of all ages who are blind or visually impaired.
By joining the VisionAware community, you can receive e-mail alerts for events and activities near you, as well as tips for living with vision loss and new articles or announcements relevant to you, your family members, or the individuals you serve. Simply visit the VisionAware Sign-Up Page.
Another great resource I want to make sure AccessWorld readers are aware of and use is AFB's Technology Resources for People with Vision Loss. On this main page, you will find links to several pages where you can learn about a host of technologies to help improve your knowledge and use of both access and mainstream technologies. Specifically, I invite you to check out:
Cell Phones, Tablets, and Other Mobile Technology
Prescription, Health, and Fitness Management Tools
Accessible Identification Systems
It will take you some time to work through all the relevant information in these pages, but you will gain a much better understanding of what is accessible and, therefore, possible. I also encourage you to share the information with your friends, students, colleagues, or family members who can benefit from the content.
The AccessWorld team hopes you enjoy the August 2016 issue. We encourage you to continue sending us your feedback, and to visit the AFB Technology Resources for People with Vision Loss pages, AFB CareerConnect, FamilyConnect, and VisionAware sites!
Sincerely,
Lee Huffman, AccessWorld Editor-in-Chief
American Foundation for the Blind
