Dear AccessWorld readers,
Are you still looking for the perfect holiday gifts? Never fear, AccessWorld is looking out for you. In this December issue, Deborah Kendrick provides even more suggestions for holiday gift giving in her article, Holiday Gift Guide for the Last-Minute Shopper. Another article for those looking for the perfect holiday gift is Janet Ingber's article, Amazon and Target Have One-Stop Apps for Holiday Gifts. In addition to app usage tips, this article speaks to how apps can often provide a simpler, more streamlined shopping experience than full websites.
If you need additional ideas, select the Back Issues button near the top of the AccessWorld page to check out any past online holiday issue of AccessWorld. There are holiday gift guides in the November and December issues of past years that are still relevant today.
Another article from AccessWorld's back issue archives that may have special importance for you this time of year is Jamie Paul's December 2017 article describing accessible diabetes management strategies. This season is always filled with tempting cakes, pies, cookies, and all sorts of culinary goodness, and it is important to keep moderation in mind, especially if you have elevated blood sugar levels.
If you happen to be doing some cooking this time of year, you may also want to revisit Deborah Kendrick's November 2010 review of the Directions for Me website, Website Evaluation: Directions for Me, a Gift to People Who Can't Read the Box. This article may help take the guesswork out of preparing those holiday meals by having package directions available at your fingertips. Yes, the article is eight years old, but the information is still good, and the website is still active.
A lot has happened in this past year of technology, from smaller changes to hardware and software, to exciting new accessible apps and advances in vision research. One additional exciting event for the AccessWorld team was receiving its fourth consecutive Honorable Mention Eddie award at the 2018 Folio Awards in the Digital, Non-profit, Standalone Magazine category. For more than 20 years, the Eddie & Ozzie Awards have recognized excellence in magazine editorial and design across all sectors of the publishing industry.
This year, a panel of judges narrowed over 2,500 entries into a pool of roughly 800 finalists. In total, 263 awards were given out across 33 categories. The awards are broken into four main categories: Eddies and Eddies Digital for the best in print and digital editorial, and Ozzies and Ozzies Digital for the best in magazine and website design. The Folio: Eddie and Ozzie Awards celebrate excellence in editorial and design across multiple markets. This awards program is the only one of its kind to honor both magazine and digital design and journalism in the consumer, business-to-business, association, regional, and non-profit sectors. Winners and honorable mentions were recognized in October in New York City at a celebratory luncheon at The Folio: Show held at the Midtown Hilton.
The AccessWorld team works hard to bring information to our readers, and we are honored and humbled to be recognized again this year.
We here at AccessWorld have done our best to keep you updated and informed in 2018, and the team certainly hopes you have enjoyed reading the publication and have personally benefited from our coverage of the technology and issues most relevant to people with visual impairments.
If you have benefitted from information presented in AccessWorld, we would like to know about it. We would appreciate you sharing how information in AccessWorld has been of benefit to you, your student, or someone you care about. Please send your story to us; we are always excited to receive your feedback, and we sincerely appreciate you reading AccessWorld.
Also, in this season of giving, as the Editor-in-Chief of AccessWorld, I would like to ask for your support. The American Foundation for the Blind and, in turn, AccessWorld, depend in large part on private donations from people just like you.
If you read AccessWorld and can do so, please consider making a gift to AccessWorld. Your donation will help us continue our work on behalf of people who are blind or visually impaired.
Each dollar you donate allows us to continue to do the following:
- Review assistive and mainstream technologies, websites, and mobile apps
- Provide technology resources and support for everyone affected by blindness or visual impairment, including senior citizens, parents, families, and friends
- Offer a hub of technology information for professionals in the vision loss field
AccessWorld is here for the millions of people living with blindness and low vision because friends like you are here for us. If you would like to donate to AccessWorld, please visit the AccessWorld donation page. I ask for your assistance and ask that you encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to join in our efforts.
I would also like to thank our generous readers who donated to AccessWorld last year. Your contributions helped us to have our most successful year ever.
The AccessWorld team wishes you a happy and healthy holiday season. We look forward to bringing you the latest in tech news in the coming year!
Best regards,
Lee Huffman, AccessWorld Editor-in-Chief
American Foundation for the Blind
