Dear AccessWorld readers,
Six 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, many of which 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. I thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
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.
Now I would like to announce an exciting recent event. As many of our readers know, the American Council of the Blind (ACB) holds its annual conference in early July. At this year's conference, three awards for excellence in writing were presented, including the Ned E. Freeman Excellence in Writing Award. This award was instituted in 1970, and since that time, it has honored many fantastic writers. This particular award is awarded based on a set of criteria including demonstrated "excellence in writing, novelty of approach, and/or originality of the subject matter."
I am thrilled to announce to AccessWorld readers that ACB's most recent Ned E. Freeman Excellence in Writing award was presented to AccessWorld author, Jamie Pauls, for his January 2016 article, Making the Transition from English Braille to UEB.
On behalf of the American Foundation for the Blind and your colleagues on the AccessWorld staff, Congratulations, Jamie, on this well-deserved honor!
We hope you enjoyed the July 2017 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 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:
Using a Computer, Cell Phones, Tablets, and Other Mobile Technology, Using Social Media, Online Shopping and Banking, Using Technology for Reading, Entertainment, Prescription, Health, and Fitness Management Tools, Smartphone GPS Navigation, Accessible Identification Systems.
It will take you some time to work through all the information in these pages, but if you do so, 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 2017 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
