Telescope Implant Now on the Federal Supply Schedule and Available at VA Hospitals Across the Country
VisionCare, Inc. has announced that Melling Medical?will distribute the?telescope implant to Department of Veteran's Affairs hospitals, military hospitals and other federal government healthcare facilities in the United States. This means that people who rely on federally run agencies for their health care needs will have better access to the CentraSight treatment program, which is available for people over the age of 65 who have end-stage macular degeneration and meet specific eye health criteria, including an intact cataract (per current labelling.)
2018 M-Enabling Summit: June 11-13, 2018
The M-Enabling Summit, the conference and showcase promoting accessible technology and environments for seniors and users of all abilities, will be held on June 11-13, 2018, at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel, in Washington, DC. It is the annual meeting place for all who create and contribute to accessible ICT products, services and consumer technologies.
With its 2018 theme of "Accessible and Assistive Technologies Innovations: New Frontiers for Independent Living," the M-Enabling Summit sets the stage for focusing on next-generation innovation and breakthrough solutions for all in the accessibility field. It also offers a platform to network with accessibility professionals, organizations, and decision makers seeking to address compliance challenges and market development opportunities.
The Summit's program will focus on accessibility innovations, with over 120 speakers, private sector leaders, developers, policy makers, mobile accessibility experts and disability advocates sharing their knowledge and experience. Confirmed presenters include representatives of leading organizations facilitating the accessible technology market. Dr.Jeff Jaffe, CEO of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), will be delivering the opening morning keynote on June 12, 2018. The M-Enabling Summit will also host the FCC Chairman's Awards for Advancement in Accessibility (Chairman's AAA) on June 12th. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will address Summit participants in his evening keynote.
Highlighted Sessions and Topics: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics, Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Aging in Place: Connected Health and Big Data for Activity Monitoring, Accessible Security, Identification and Privacy Protection, Digital Assistants, Autonomous Mobility, Consumer Technology Products and IoT for Independent Living, and Accessible Smart Cities, Higher Education and Workplaces
Due to the successful addition of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) Pre- Conference Session at last year's M-Enabling Summit; the IAAP Annual Conference has been integrated into the 2018 Summit, where it will be hosting technical and organizational training tracks throughout the 3-day event.
View the complete agenda.
Lighthouse Guild Offers e-Learning Course on Low Vision Assessment for Occupational Therapy
Lighthouse Guild, in partnership with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA,) is offering a two-hour online program designed for occupational therapists in all settings. The course titled "Low Vision Assessment for Occupational Therapy" demonstrates the basic strategies and tools for assessing vision loss. It also reviews how to formulate goals and interventions to address identified vision impairments and improve occupational performance.
The goal of the Lighthouse Guild e-learning curriculum is to prepare occupational therapists and other professionals to identify and address vision issues, refer patients to vision rehabilitation, and improve effectiveness, quality of care, and quality of life for adults and children with vision loss.
"Low Vision Assessment for Occupational Therapy" is approved for .2 AOTA CEU (2.5 NBCOT PDUs/2 contact hours.) For more information or to register visit: eLearning.
The program for occupational therapists is part of an extensive e-learning curriculum developed by Lighthouse Guild for healthcare vision and education professionals, including ophthalmologists, ophthalmology residents, optometrists, nurses, social workers, teachers, and others.
US Department of Education Launches New Website Accessibility Technical Assistance Initiative
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently announced it is launching a new technical assistance initiative to assist schools, districts, state education agencies, libraries, colleges, and universities in making their websites and online programs accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Through webinars, OCR will provide information technology professionals with vital information on website accessibility, including tips for making their online programs accessible. Announced on Global Accessibility Awareness Day, the initiative builds on OCR's history of providing technical assistance on this issue to stakeholders.
"As more educational opportunities are delivered online, we need to ensure those programs, services and activities are accessible to everyone," said US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. "OCR's technical assistance will help us continue to forge important partnerships with schools for the benefit of students and parents with disabilities."
OCR will offer the first three webinars on the following dates:
- Webinar I: May 29, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Webinar II: June 5, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Webinar III: June 12, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. EDT
If you are interested in participating in any of these webinars, please send your request to OCRWebAccessTA@ed.gov; include your name, preferred webinar, and contact information. You are encouraged to invite your vendors to attend these webinars.
Information regarding the scheduling and registration for additional webinars is available on the Department's website.
Bosma Enterprises Launches Program to Prepare People who are Blind for Careers as Salesforce Administrators Which Focuses on using Adaptive Technologies to Navigate Salesforce CRM Platform
Bosma Enterprises, an Indianapolis nonprofit dedicated to helping people with vision loss regain independence, has launched a training program to prepare people who are blind or visually impaired for high-demand careers as Salesforce administrators. Called BosmaForce, the 18-week course is offered entirely online and available to anyone throughout the country.
"When faced with losing sight, one of the biggest concerns our clients have is how they will support themselves or their families financially," said Lou Moneymaker, CEO, Bosma Enterprises. "Nationally, people who are blind or visually impaired face a 70 percent unemployment rate, so it is a real concern to ensure there are options for these people to remain independent. Through the BosmaForce program, we are helping to create pathways to high-paying, in-demand careers in which people with vision loss can be very successful."
According to career website Indeed.com, there are more than 2,700 listings for Salesforce administrator positions throughout the U.S., with an average salary of more than $88,000. It is estimated that more than 150,000 companies utilize the popular customer relationship management (CRM) tool.
The BosmaForce program is being taught by veterans TJ McElroy and Richard Holleman, who are among the first blind US veterans to become Salesforce Certified. Having previously led a similar training program for disabled veterans, McElroy and Holleman have experience using assistive technologies like Job Access with Speech (JAWS) screen readers and ZoomText magnifiers to navigate the Salesforce CRM platform.
McElroy and Holleman developed the curriculum in close partnership with Salesforce accessibility specialist Adam Rodenbeck, who is also a former Bosma Enterprises employee. The pilot class includes seven students from Indiana and Illinois, all of whom are blind or visually impaired.
The group will utilize Trailhead, Salesforce's interactive, guided and gamified learning platform to gain knowledge on the adaptive technologies and workarounds within the Salesforce architecture. This will enable them to be successful in these careers without the use of sight. After completing the Salesforce certification exam at the end of the course, Bosma Enterprises will work to place the graduates into two-month internships with local businesses.
"It's not about whether someone who is blind can do the job, it's about how they do it," said McElroy. "With such high demand for these careers, there's absolutely no reason our students won't be able to excel once they are given the right tools."
