American Foundation for the Blind Presents "Inform and Connect," a Series of Interviews with Blind Individuals
Each Wednesday at 4:00 Eastern, AFB presents Inform and Connect, an ongoing series created to foster togetherness and camaraderie within the blindness community through informal storytelling and learning about relevant, interesting topics. The program features a new guest each week to share their incredible stories.
Interviews are conducted live using the Zoom platform; to be added to the list to receive connection information, contact: Melody Goodspeed, AFB mgoodspeed@afb.org 212-502-7614
The current schedule is as follows:
June 10: Libby Thaw, founder of the Checkered Eye Project
June 17: Catherine Harrison, blind model
Instagram: @Catherine_Harrison_model
June 24: Alexa Jovanovic, Braille Fashion Designer
Envision Conference East Going Virtual August 14-15, 2020
Due to ongoing concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak and how it will affect future in-person events, Envision Conference East will take place virtually via livestream webinar on August 14–15, 2020.
Envision Conference East is celebrating 15 years as a premiere low vision rehabilitation and research conference in North America. The same programming you have come to expect is being planned, with 16 hours of education and research sessions being offered. For more information and to register, visit the conference webpage.
Opportunities are also available for sponsors and exhibitors to sponsor a course as well as to make a virtual presentation in the virtual exhibit hall.
Audio Description Narrators of America Present Know your Narrator Podcast Series
The Audio Description Narrators of America have recently begun producing a new podcast series called Know Your Narrator in which they interview audio description narrators to form a greater picture of who they are and their involvement in the audio description industry. New podcasts are produced weekly, usually on Tuesdays, and the series is available from a range of sources including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Audio Description Narrators of America website where the podcasts can be played with a highly accessible web player. Learn more about the podcast and the Audio Description Narrators of America.
VisionCare, Inc. Announces CE Mark Approval of the Tsert-SI™ Delivery System for the CentraSight Treatment Program
VisionCare, a developer of advanced visual prosthetic devices for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), today announced receipt of a Conformité Européene (CE) Mark for the Tsert-SI™ delivery system for the CentraSight treatment program. The CentraSight treatment program includes the Implantable Miniature Telescope (by Dr. Isaac Lipshitz), which is available around the world, including the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel. The Tsert-SI delivery system includes a pre-loaded telescope implant injector, which only requires a 6.5mm incision, reducing the incision size by nearly half.
“The Tsert-SI delivery system will allow surgeons to more quickly and more easily insert the telescope implant, which is demonstrated to restore vision and improve quality of life in people living with severe, blinding forms of macular degeneration,” said Sumit Garg, MD, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Medical Director, and Vice Chair of Clinical Ophthalmology at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute (University of California, Irvine). “With a smaller incision size, the surgery will be more straightforward, and patients will have a faster visual recovery.”
The Tsert-SI delivery system includes a telescope implant with foldable haptics, which allows it to fit in the injector and be delivered through a smaller incision. During development, providers found that out-patient surgery procedural time using the injector system, which includes removal of a patient’s cataract and implantation of the implantable miniature telescope in one eye only, expected to drop from approximately 60 minutes to approximately 25 minutes (in routine procedures).
”We are excited that our years long effort to develop the Tsert-SI delivery system will allow ophthalmologists in the European Economic Area to offer the telescope implant and CentraSight treatment program to their patients with the goal of an enhanced patient experience,” stated Wolfgang Tolle, CEO of VisionCare, Inc. “We look forward to coordinating a meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine the timeline and pathway to bring this technology to United States health care providers.”
In the United States, the telescope implant is part of the CentraSight® treatment program, which is for people 65 years and older diagnosed with end-stage, age-related macular degeneration who meet specific eye health and vision requirements, and for whom common treatments such as glasses, vitamins, drugs or cataract surgery will not lead to vision improvement. The telescope implant is contraindicated in patients with previous intraocular or corneal surgery of any kind in the operative eye, including cataract surgery.
The Implantable Miniature Telescope (by Dr. Isaac Lipshitz) is indicated for monocular implantation to improve vision in patients who meet age requirements and with stable severe to profound vision impairment (best-corrected distance visual acuity 20/160 to 20/800) caused by bilateral central scotomas (blind areas) associated with End-Stage AMD.
This level of visual impairment constitutes statutory (legal) blindness. Smaller than a pea, the telescope is implanted in one eye in an outpatient surgical procedure. In the implanted eye, the device renders enlarged central vision images over a wide area of the retina to improve central vision, while the non-operated eye provides peripheral vision for mobility and orientation. The telescope implant is part of the CentraSight treatment program, which has been designed to help patients follow the necessary steps for proper diagnosis, surgical evaluation, and postoperative care.
The telescope implant is not a cure for End-Stage AMD. As with any medical intervention, potential risks and complications exist with the telescope implant. Possible side effects include decreased vision or vision-impairing corneal swelling. The risks and benefits associated with the telescope implant are discussed in the online Patient Information Bookl and will be evaluated with each patient who might be a candidate for this study.
Patients and physicians can find more information about the telescope implant and related treatment program by visiting this website or calling 1-877-997-4448.
M-Enabling Conference Postponed to September due to Coronavirus
The M-Enabling Summit leadership team, organizers E.J. Krause & Associates and G3ict, have been monitoring the COVID-19 situation very closely as it has affected many conferences and major events. While the M-Enabling team believes conferences and business events are critical to the development of the accessibility industry, the health and wellness of conference participants is the organization's top priority. After consulting with key stakeholders, the organizers have decided to postpone the M-Enabling Summit to September 14-16, 2020. The organization believes moving the M-Enabling Summit to September is in the best interest of all participants. The summit will proceed as planned with all conference and event activities during the new dates. The venue for the Summit, with the theme of “Digital Inclusion Strategies: A Catalyst for Action,” remains the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, VA.
The 2020 M-Enabling Summit will highlight how organizations can successfully leverage innovative enabling technologies to make their digital workplaces, learning environments and products and services accessible to users of all abilities.
Registration is currently open. Registration will be honored in September for any currently registered participants.
Disability:IN Annual Conference Goes Virtual
After much consideration, Disability:IN and its Board of Directors have decided the 2020 Disability:IN Annual Conference & Expo will now be a Virtual Event during the same dates, July 13–16th.
This is an unprecedented situation and the organization appreciates your patience and support as they work through next steps. This was not an easy decision as this would have been the 23rd year of the in-person conference. However, the organization explained that the safety and concern of conference attendees is the highest priority.
In the coming weeks, Disability:IN will be communicating next steps and any actions you need to take, including:
- Canceling your hotel room (for reservations in the Disability:IN hotel block at the JW Marriott or Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes).
- If you have already registered – your options for a virtual event registration.
- If you have not registered – how to register for the virtual event.
- If you are an exhibitor, or would like to exhibit, how you can leverage this opportunity.
To learn more, visit the Disability:IN website.
