Dear AccessWorld readers,

This month, I, Aaron Preece, have the privilege of writing the Editor's Page. October is Disability Employment Awareness Month, and AccessWorld is once again taking this opportunity to focus on employment with articles that provide strategies, insider perspectives, and information about employment resources.

The effort to educate the American public about issues related to disability and employment began in 1945 when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October as National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week. In 1962, the word "physically" was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

I would like to reiterate the thoughts of Joe Strechay, former AFB CareerConnect Program Manager, regarding employment for those with vision loss. His words are insightful and should be of interest to anyone who is seeking employment.

Having traveled extensively around the United States and met with professionals, job seekers, teenagers, and adults who are blind or visually impaired, I have had the opportunity to learn about employment issues from all sides.

In that vein, I am often asked the question, "What is the major factor affecting whether or not a person with vision loss is or is not employed?" Too often, I feel, people want to highlight a single reason as the major cause for the differential between being employed or being unemployed. Instead of offering one reason, I assert that the underlying factor is that there is such inconsistency around the United States in the training and preparation of people with vision loss from an early age through adulthood.

Neither public nor private services are created equally, and for that matter, no government or private entity offers those services in the same manner. This issue is larger than just vocational rehabilitation. It includes preparation in schools, nonprofits, various state agencies and services, and other important variables, including family involvement. There are a lot of fantastic programs and services available, but any given region may be strong in one service and lacking in another. I know this is obvious, but it needs to be said openly: our field needs to address our weaknesses and diligently work to make improvements.

Each job seeker with vision loss has his or her own challenges. Unfortunately, I still see a level of learned helplessness among young people with disabilities, even among the brightest. Learned helplessness refers to an individual being taught that things will be done for them, which allows them to not attempt to initiate or do things on their own.

This type of thinking sometimes extends to the perception of job seekers that vocational rehabilitation is designed to find them jobs, but that is not its purpose. Vocational rehabilitation specialists definitely can help and guide, but they are not job placement professionals. Job placement is an art; it is a mix of sales, community relations, and having a well-defined pool of applicants.

Job seekers battle the perceptions of employers about vision loss and their own perceptions about navigating the employment process. At the same time, the technology divide between those who have appropriate access and mainstream technology and those who have orientation and mobility training, and those who do not, is apparent. Those with O&M training and technology skills have a better chance at finding, obtaining, and maintaining successful employment. In addition, job seekers are all individuals with strengths, skills, and weaknesses. All individuals have limitations, and not every job seeker is going to be—or wants to be—a computer programmer, accountant, teacher, mechanic, or maintenance worker. But most people do want to be productive and employed citizens.

I encourage everyone with vision loss to pursue every avenue of education and training possible. I encourage you to embrace and learn to skillfully use technology. Ultimately, it is your life and your career, and you are responsible for it. Take action! By working hard, obtaining education and skills, and seeking out and using resources available to you, you can find the job that's meant for you!

If you are interested in reading more of Joe's insight, see his article regarding vocational rehabilitation in the October 2017 issue of AccessWorld. Also, remember that we are increasingly publishing employment-related content in other AccessWorld issues. The most prominent is our Employment Matters series, which profiles various individuals with visual impairments who are successfully and meaningfully employed. You can find the latest article in this issue.

We hope that you find this issue helpful on your employment journey and are always interested in your questions and comments. Your feedback is not only helpful and thought provoking to us, but to other AccessWorld readers as well.

Sincerely,

Aaron Preece

Managing Editor, AccessWorld

American Foundation for the Blind

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Steven Kelley

In 2020 Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired (Hadley) will celebrate its 100th anniversary. As I am a new employee at Hadley, I had a unique opportunity to chat with Joan Jaeger, Hadley’s Chief Marketing Officer, about how this milestone has prompted a process of rediscovery at the Institute.

Our conversation began with a bit of Hadley’s history. At age 55, William Hadley, founder of the Hadley School for the Blind, lost his vision. As a former public school history teacher in Chicago, Mr. Hadley was an avid reader, with a significant personal library. “His whole reason to learn braille was to tap back into his personal passion for reading,” Jaeger explained. “One of Mr. Hadley’s realizations at the time, and it hasn’t changed all that much nearly 100 years later,” she said, “is that there were not a whole lot of resources available, so he taught himself braille. Another realization was that there must be other people who also wanted to continue pursuing their passions later in life after a vision loss.”

As a teacher, William Hadley recognized he had the skills to teach others braille and developed a correspondence course that launched in 1920. Hadley’s first student, a homemaker in Kansas, was also an avid reader, and hoped to return to reading after experiencing vision loss. As Jaeger pointed out, “Thinking that you didn't have to come somewhere to learn, you didn't have to go to a brick and mortar school in order to learn something, was very cutting edge at the time."

Both Hadley himself and his first students were individuals who lost vision later in life and sought the resources needed to resume their activities and continue to pursue their goals. The needs of this first group of students has provided a touchstone for today's Institute. “Hadley's rediscovering a target audience that could really use our help," Jaeger said. "It's a rediscovery. It’s actually almost like Hadley’s returning to our founding story.”

As many long-time Hadley students and professionals who refer clients to Hadley’s instructional materials know, the older learner, with an acquired vision loss, has traditionally been a welcome student at Hadley. According to Jaeger, however, learners 65 and older with an acquired vision loss have been enrolled at lower rates than expected, despite being the demographic with the greatest incidence of vision loss today.

“When I came in two-plus years ago, for months I just dug into numbers, internally and externally," Jaeger explains. "You know, the category of people with visual impairments and our enrollments, and all of that. And that's where the disconnect became just so clear. Looking at the aging baby boomer population, where you have 10,000, people turning 65, every day… it's like, we need to do better by this audience, right? I mean, there's an urgency to it, we need to do better by this audience.”

The Future of Hadley

If you speak with a Hadley staff member about some of the recent changes, you will hear terms like “Classic Hadley,” “Hadley 2.0,” and “our target audience.”

"Classic Hadley" refers to instructional material, available in a structured, correspondence-style delivery, requiring prerequisites at times, the sequential completion of sections, and a letter grade at completion. Classic Hadley courses often took weeks to complete.

"Hadley 2.0" refers to a well-researched approach to adult learners, with content development and delivery specifically created for this learning style and goals of this demographic. Often, this content is being developed from the Classic Hadley instructional materials and redesigned into more concise workshops that take approximately ten minutes or less to complete. For example, in a Microsoft Office Series of workshops, “Microsoft Word with a Screen Reader,” learners can access a series of 11 short workshops, each focused on a specific set of tasks in MS Word. Learners may pick and choose which workshop to take, without the need for pre-requisites, grades, or a defined sequence.

Hadley’s stated target audience is the learner who is 65-plus years old with an acquired vision loss. Although it appears this demographic group has been traditionally part of the enrollment mix, it has only been within the past year that content and services have been specifically designed with a focus on these learners.

To be sure, the adult learner’s needs and goals of today are different from those when William Hadley developed his first braille correspondence course in 1920, and even different from those enrolled in more recent Hadley Classic courses. According to a recent AARP article, “More Americans Working Past 65,” more than 20 percent of those over the age of 65 are either working or looking for work, up from 10 percent in 1985.

This number is expected to rise. More older adults today will want to continue working or return to work. Based on research into adult learning styles, and the needs of these learners, Jaeger summarized, “It's all pretty clear, smaller bites are better. Smaller bites equal bigger results. Little clips on something, not something that's going to take me a month to get through. Something I can do in 10 minutes or less. Concise, targeted, meaningful learning, that's what folks are wanting, right? More choice and fewer rules. Learn what I want when I want it.”

Jaeger reported that she considers her audience before calling Hadley’s rediscovery “Hadley 2.0.” “It’s a judgment call,” she said. “How much they would have of the background for it, and not be misled into thinking it is only online, or getting rid of our braille, hard copy and audio. That’s just not true.”

The Advisory Panel

Hadley developed an Advisory Panel to help identify the topics that would be meaningful for Hadley learners. Jaeger described their panel as 900 participants with visual impairments, including nearly 400 older adults who acquired their visual impairment later in life. In addition to conducting surveys with these panelists, Hadley uses focus groups and individuals from support groups within the Chicago area to identify relevant topics for upcoming podcasts, discussion groups, and workshops. She explained, “So when we consider a podcast topic, or a discussion group topic, that goes out to the whole panel for their feedback. We're doing a lot of one-one interviews and focus groups, and really trying to make sure that we understand the audience as much as we can.”

The advisory panel is reporting strong interest in such topics as home maintenance, cooking, and gardening, Jaeger reported. “Technology too has been very popular, and I think that is due in part to Douglas Walker. He created the “iFocus” videos. There was a lot of it on YouTube and we started to get a name for ourselves in the field, which is terrific. So we have probably more than our fair share of people coming to Hadley to learn the latest features on their iPhone or to learn the latest app. That also gets fed by our discussion groups.”

“If you don’t know how to use it,” she continued, “it’s of no use to you…so we’ve done a series of videos on how to use your Windows computer, and Microsoft are of course delighted with that because it makes their products more easily understood by a certain target audience. ‘We have partnered with Hadley in order to make sure that the features we have built in are actually useful to you.’ Wow! And really, Apple has done the same, pointing people from their accessibility website to our material," she added. "And let’s face it: technology is everywhere today and everybody wants to get a little bit better than where they are currently. We have a Microsoft Office series and we will have a series on Android soon, so we are starting to expand beyond Apple.”

Perhaps one of the most interesting findings, which may come as no surprise to those familiar with the Classic Hadley material, is the desire for learners to have a sense of connection. Jaeger explained it this way: “In our research we heard... a thirst for community. Knowing that there were other people out there who have this challenge. This makes a difference—it makes learners feel a little better about their day if they’re able to connect with somebody else who gets it.” This desire for connection goes beyond fellow learners to the Institute itself, Jaeger said. "Learners want to have a connection to Hadley personally. They want to know that the learning experts are there, they want to get their personal questions answered, to have that personal responsiveness from the Hadley staff."

Hadley 1.5: An Interim Phase

For those familiar with Classic Hadley or the Hadley website of the recent past, you’ve noticed many of these suggestions from the Advisory Panel are already showing up, in advance of what will be a more comprehensive rollout in 2020. This implementation of some of the features has been called, “Hadley 1.5,” by some. Jaeger explained. “I’m calling this our 1.5 website where we’re featuring some things that we know to be interesting to people. The discussion groups are very popular ways to connect with other people, as well as with Hadley. It’s kind of a two-fer where you get a little bit from a learning expert and then you get to ask your question, maybe have the learning expert weigh in on it and hear from other people who may be facing similar challenges and have similar interests.”

For example, a growing list of interactive discussion groups are on the current schedule: These include the weekly discussion groups “Embracing Braille” and “Spanish” and monthly groups, “Tech It Out,” “Resource Roundtable,” “Get Up and Go,” “Travel Talk,” “What’s Cooking,” “Hadley Growers,” “Crafting Circle,” and “Writers’ Circle.” Anyone is welcome to participate in the live, one-hour discussion groups, and can do so by telephone or Zoom. Within a week of the live discussion group, each is available as an archived audio file and transcript, with a list of the resources mentioned during the live discussion group. All discussion group audio is also available in your favorite podcatcher, and may be requested on the Amazon Echo from TuneIn.

Hadley 1.5 maintains many of the core features learners and professionals have used for years, readily accessible from Hadley’s homepage or with a call to student services. Braille instruction at all levels remains a vital part of Hadley's adult continuing education. For adults remaining in the workplace or seeking to return, the Forsythe Center for Employment and Entrepreneurship, Business Enterprise Program Licensee Training (BEPLT), and a growing list of technology instructional videos remain unparalleled resources.

Other workshops, offer specific topics of interest to learners in a more concise format. For example, many of the topics and instructional materials in the “Practical Help for Low Vision" workshop came from the “Low Vision Focus” series of Classic Hadley seminars. Like the Microsoft Office instructional videos, the workshops are shorter and more focused, and you can view the video or audio instruction in whatever sequence makes the most sense for your needs. Just like much of the Classic Hadley course material, any of the “Practical Help for Low Vision” workshop series may be requested by calling Hadley Student Services at 800-323-4238. There is no charge for the workshop and it is available on CD, digital Talking Book Cartridge, or thumb drive. Learners can continue to use a free NLS Talking Book player to listen to instructional material, request a transcript in braille, and contact a learning expert or instructor by phone—no internet required.

Hadley in 2020

Hadley is making changes as it marches toward its 100th anniversary. Hadley 2.0 will incorporate a platform change for content delivery and improved services to clients and learners. When asked about specifics, Jaeger explained, “We're doing a full court press to get as much out there in the first quarter of 2020. It will be even more than a new website …There are some things that are different, some things that are offered in a more understandable and coherent way. Some things that are deemphasized, that aren't available anymore. But more or less the core functionality is available on this new platform. It’s more than just a website, it’s a platform to provide even better service to our offsite folks. It will help when somebody calls in to be able to search for content that’s best for them, to better serve the person calling in for somebody else, to better serve the professional calling in to best meet the needs of their client.”

With an unprecedented number of older adults remaining in the workplace or returning, more content will be devoted to this audience. “Much of the learning content will be highly applicable in the work setting, such as a series on customizing Windows for low vision, a series on using Outlook with a screen reader, or even getting the most from your iPhone or Android device using vision accessibility features," Jaeger said. "There will also be an entire area dedicated to working with vision loss. The first series will be 'Working After Vision Loss,' and will address common concerns about finding accommodations, advocating in the workplace, understanding retraining options, etc. We will also continue to offer training as part of the BEPLT program.”

It’s clear that the Advisory Panel is playing a large role in directing Hadley to the topics of greatest interest to the older adult learner with vision loss. Additionally, changes to existing instructional material or content are driven by research into the needs and wants of the voluntary learner—the adult seeking instruction for daily living, work, and leisure. Workshop design focuses on delivering content in a concise, meaningful way, with fewer barriers.

Of Hadley’s current direction, Jaeger concluded, “Learning from our learners, deciding that the people who could best use the insights and learning Hadley has to offer are older adults experiencing vision loss, and making sure we have the content these learners are most likely going to want—short chunks, concise, targeted, meaningful—because the motivation for learning is going to be voluntary, not academic, and having that friendly, engaging, respectful tone. That's what Hadley 2.0 is all about."

This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.

Comment on this article.

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Aaron Preece

Editor's note: The majority of the content in this article was published in the October 2018 issue of AccessWorld in an article written by Aaron Preece. It has been updated for 2019 and edited for this publication by the author.

October is Disability Employment Awareness Month. Each year, we at AccessWorld strive to bring you the most comprehensive and current employment resources and information for people with visual impairments. Whether you are just beginning your employment journey or have been on the job for many years, we hope you will find the resources detailed here useful and informative.

Vocational Rehabilitation

Through the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, each state provides employment resources to those with vision loss through vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies specifically for individuals with blindness or low vision as well as general VR agencies. Services are provided based on a principle called "Informed Choice" and on an evidenced-based assessment of each individual's abilities and desires, outlined in an Individual Plan for Employment (IPE).

Services provided by a VR agency can vary widely but generally fall into three categories: guidance, training, and resources.

Rehabilitation counselors can provide counseling and guidance as well as case management. Often, a VR agency can also provide daily living, orientation and mobility, and assistive technology skills training either through a traveling/local professional or through a residential training center. Lastly, VR can often provide tangible resources to aid a client in reaching their employment goal. The most common forms of physical resources provide are funding for education or funding for specific assistive technologies needed to accomplish the individual's chosen career.

You can find contact information for your state's VR department in the VisionAware directory of services.

Useful Technology for Employment

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology is incredibly useful for performing a variety of work-related tasks, from checking the label on a box to reading a memo at a meeting. There are a number of desktop OCR solutions, several of which are designed specifically for use by those with vision loss. The most common of these are Openbook, KNFB Reader for Windows 10, and Kurzweil 1000. Some popular mainstream options include ABBYY Fine Reader and Omni Page. Also note that Windows 10 contains its own built-in OCR component that can be used with the NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) screen reader.

There are also many OCR and object recognition apps available for the iOS and Android platform. The most popular for people with vision loss are discussed below.

The KNFB Reader app for iOS and Android offers access at a cost, but it's a useful app for people who are blind. The app provides the ability to access print documents, menus, and much more in everyday life and employment settings through a portable OCR solution. People use the KNFB Reader to independently access printed material, and the developers continue to add new features. It is also possible to import PDF documents or images containing text and have them converted into readable text with the KNFB Reader.

Microsoft's free Seeing AI app provides recognition of text, products, and people. Each distinct feature in the app is referred to as a "Channel." The app has two OCR channels. One that could be particularly useful in the workplace is called "short text." This feature uses the camera to constantly scan for legible text and upon detection read it automatically. This feature is useful in many situations, from reading error messages on a computer screen in real time to sorting printed documents. The other OCR channel aims to capture an entire document. More recently, a channel has been added to the app that aims to recognize handwriting, a feature also shared by the very similar Envision AI, also available on Android. Seeing AI and Envision AI were recently compared in AccessWorld.

Voice Dream Scanner, from the developer of the popular Voice Dream Reader and Writer apps, is a new accessible OCR app that can be purchased at a modest cost. The app uses several different OCR engines to produce its results and has been found to be quite accurate. We have reviewed Voice Dream Scanner in AccessWorld.

The Speak! app is an OCR app for android and has been built to be accessible to people with vision loss. The app can be downloaded for free and uses an onboard OCR engine, meaning it can be used when offline. AccessWorld reviewed the Speak! app in August of this year.

The Be My Eyes app is a free app that allows people to volunteer to video chat in order to provide visual assistance to people with visual impairments. You can use this app for access to all kinds of information ranging from captchas to thermostats in hotels. Originally only available on iOS, the app is now available on Android as well.

Aira is a service that allows someone with a visual impairment to request visual assistance from someone who has been professionally trained to provide assistance to people with visual impairments. We have reviewed Aira across two articles. The first article was published in the September 2017 issue of AccessWorld. Part 2 was published in the October 2017 issue. More recently, we have published a review of Aira's new Horizon smart glasses. Aira now also provides free minutes for users when their inquiries relate to job-seeking tasks. Further details on this program can be found here. In addition, any Aira call under 5 minutes is now free.

There are a number of GPS apps designed for people with visual impairments. These include BlindSquare, Nearby Explorer, Seeing Eye GPS, and Microsoft Soundscape. Beacon technology has revolutionized the development of indoor navigation solutions for people with visual impairments. There are many apps available that take advantage of this technology to provide step-by-step directions or the equivalent of accessible signs indoors. Some of these include BlindSquare, Right-Hear, Aware, and APH Indoor Explorer. Recognizing the potential in indoor wayfinding technologies, APH recently created a company specifically for exploring this aspect of the industry. For more information, see this AccessWorld article on Access Explorer.

Keep in mind that an app does not replace the use of proper orientation and mobility skills with a white cane or dog guide.

Ride sharing apps such as Uber and Lyft have become popular transportation options for those with vision loss, due to their relative affordability and convenience. Uber has an accessibility page where you can learn about the company's approach. Though I have not found a specific accessibility page for Lyft, the company has taken steps to make their service accessible and usable to people with vision loss. Most recently, the company has been testing the accessibility of their autonomous vehicles with passengers with vision loss. AccessWorld has discussed the benefits of ride sharing apps previously.

Disability:IN, Formerly USBLN

Disability:IN, formerly the United States Business Leadership Network (USBLN), is a nationwide organization that seeks to assist businesses in improving disability inclusion across the board, from hiring to product development. Disability:IN contains a network of businesses across the United States organized into local affiliates that share strategies and best practices for disability inclusion. Membership also serves the purpose of identifying a business as an entity that believes in disability inclusion and seeks to improve it in its organization.

In partnership with the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), Disability:IN has produced the Disability Equality index, a method for quantifying the level of disability inclusion present in a business. The organization also produces monthly webinars on disability with recordings made available to members afterward. Through the Next Gen Leaders Initiatives, Disability:IN connects college students and college graduates with businesses for mentorships and for assistance advancing their careers. Program participants are brought to the Disability:IN annual conference where they devise a product to solve an issue. In addition, the conference serves as an excellent place for the participants to network and many are hired or begin the interview process with companies who attend the conference.

Career Training and Workplace Experience Resources

In addition to traditional rehabilitation programs, there are several organizations that aim to assist people with visual impairments in finding jobs. Most programs provide a combination of general guidance as well as resources for connecting with employers, gaining work experience, or gaining training for a specific field.

The Blind Institute of Technology (BIT) works with job seekers and employers to connect people with vision loss with careers in the field of technology. For job seekers, BIT offers training programs as well as instructional videos on access topics. In addition, BIT can provide individuals with guidance on the interview process and has partnered with Uber to provide transportation assistance for those with vision loss. For employers, BIT provides disability inclusion workshops, accessibility consulting, and can connect employers with qualified prospective employees with vision loss.

Project Starfish America aims to work with individuals who belong to minority populations (including people with vision loss) to launch or relaunch their career. Project Starfish was inspired by the low employment rate among those who are blind or have low vision, so the vision loss community is a key population served by the program. The program provides training on skills needed in the workplace and connects individuals with short-term work through startup businesses. Starfish has begun to work with students through an internship program that aims to provide experiences geared to entering an Ivy League university.

The Lighthouse of Houston offers training in office skills, telecommunications, customer service, and medical transcription at its campus. Due to the success of the medical transcription program, the organization now offers medical transcription online training for those with vision loss. Courses range in length from 6 months for the office skills course to 18 months for the online or in-person medical transcription training program.

World Services for the Blind is a blind and low vision skills training center in Little Rock Arkansas. The organization has offered residential skills training for those with vision loss for many years. Recently, the organization has also begun to offer a range of career training programs. Some of the programs offered include Assistive Technology Instructor, Debt Councilor, and Developmental Therapy. Most courses can be taken both in person or online. For more information and to see the full list of programs, see the Career Training Programs site.

Job Search Tools

A key method for finding employment opportunities is the use of job listing websites. The most popular sites currently operating are Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, and Monster. All these sites function similarly. You can search for a job by keyword or location and filter for conditions such as salary and experience level. Indeed includes a remote jobs filter, which might be particularly useful for someone with visual impairments. In 2019, AccessWorld published articles on the accessibility of several different job listing sites. Part 1 is here and part 2 is here

In addition to traditional job listing sites, employers are increasingly listing positions on social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Both LinkedIn and Facebook have dedicated accessibility teams, so can be relied on to be fairly accessible using assistive technology, though due to the frequent changes such sites experience, accessibility may fluctuate. We reviewed LinkedIn in the October 2015 issue of AccessWorld, which may be helpful if you are not familiar with the site (the accessibility of the site may have changed since the article's publication). We briefly detailed navigating Facebook in this 2013 article, though, again, due to the rapid evolution of the site much of the navigation details and access claims in that article are outdated. That being said, if you are unfamiliar with Facebook or other social networks, you may find the more broadly applicable aspects of the article helpful.

In addition to social media and mainstream job search sites, organizations that serve the vision loss community also provide job listings. The National Federation of the Blind provides job listings from CareerBuilder and USAJobs on its Newsline service. The Newsline service provides access to newspapers and magazines as well as other information through a standard telephone or in other accessible formats. For information on the service and the job listings feature, visit the Newsline site. The American Council of the Blind offers ACB Job Connection, a site where job openings from across the United States are posted.

Information and Guidance for Job Seekers that are Visually Impaired

Several organizations provide information and guidance for job seekers who are visually impaired. You may be familiar with CareerConnect, a site that provides extensive resources and guidance for job seekers who are visually impaired. In addition to informational resources, CareerConnect also includes interactive career building tools. CareerConnect also has a series of articles profiling successful employed individuals with vision loss, which contain extensive information on the individual's career and the accommodations they use. CareerConnect was transferred from AFB to the American Printing House for the Blind as of July 2018.

The National Federation of the Blind provides a series of profiles of successfully employed blind individuals in their Where the Blind Work series. The organization also publishes employment-related material in its varying publications and information sources across the website. The Perkins School for the Blind has also created a site to assist job seekers who are blind or visually impaired. The site also contains information for employers who wish to provide an optimal work environment for those with vision loss.

AccessWorld Employment Content

Even though October is AccessWorld's employment-focused issue, we are increasingly publishing material of interest to job seekers throughout the year. One prominent addition to the AccessWorld lineup is our "Employment Matters" series. In this series, Deborah Kendrick interviews people with vision loss who are successfully and meaningfully employed. The goal is to give these professionals a chance to describe the skills and attributes they believe helped them find and maintain their career paths. The articles also explore actionable and relevant information for job seekers. We published the first Employment Matters article in February of 2019 and the most recent article in September.

We have also begun to focus our August issue on articles of interest to blind entrepreneurs. You can find the August issue here.

Final Thoughts

I had the privilege of attending the 2019 Disability:IN conference. Thousands of people from numerous corporations attended with the aim of improving their accessibility, from their consumer products to the experiences of their disabled employees. Rapid advances in technology in the last decade have made it possible for people with visual impairments to compete at the same level as their sighted counterparts in more career fields than ever. Employer attitude might be the last major barrier to employment for those with vision loss. It is heartening to see so many businesses earnestly seeking to improve access to their companies. Hopefully, this will signal a shift in how prospective employees with vision loss are perceived, lowering this final major barrier to meaningful employment.

As each October issue is dedicated to employment here at AccessWorld I highly recommend reviewing past issues as the resources and information provided there can still be pertinent and useful. Also be sure to check the "Related Articles" section at the bottom of this article, as other employment articles will be located there. We hope these resources serve you well on your employment journey.

This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.

Comment on this article.

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• AFB Is Taking Bold Action to Significantly Increase Employment of People with Visual Impairments in the Workforce of Tomorrow by Lee Huffman

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Deborah Kendrick

When Ronit Mazzoni read something in a high school biology book referring to a genetic counselor, she remembers a certain kind of excitement sparking in her brain. She had never heard of the profession, but loved biology and was fascinated by the whole concept of examining, scientifically, how and why one child might have blond hair and blue eyes and another blond hair and brown eyes. When high school seniors were required to shadow someone in their chosen profession, Mazzoni found a genetics counselor willing to have her hang around for the day, and her career goal was cemented.

Identifying genetic counseling as a career goal so early is somewhat unusual in the field, Mazzoni explained. Most of her professional peers said they learned of the career in college. Mazzoni's interest and determination never wavered—even though she knew of no other totally blind person who had chosen the same path. Mazzoni was born with a condition called microphthalmia, which essentially means the eyes are too small to be useful, and her blindness would throw a significant challenge into the mix as she pursued her dream.

Education

Mazzoni attended Scripps College in Claremont, California, where she earned a BA in human biology. She says her grades weren’t amazing, but were good enough, and she began applying to graduate schools. (Incidentally, her humble disclaimer seems a bit off base. I first learned of her from an item recognizing her as a 2005 National Federation of the Blind Scholarship winner, so her grades must have been at least close to amazing!) She applied to 13 graduate programs and was interviewed by every one of them. In the end, she chose Northwestern University in Chicago for its program and its downtown location, which would give her access to excellent transportation. Although genetic counseling requires a master’s degree, not a medical degree, Northwestern's genetic counseling program is located on the school's medical campus. Mazzoni found this to be a perfectly matched environment. When she was younger, she had plenty of experience with representing science images with sticks and pipe cleaners and magnets and string—all those homespun and reliable tactile replicators that will be familiar to many AccessWorld readers. One essential piece of the genetic counselor’s job, however, is drawing a family pedigree, an essential, but highly visual tool. While she was a student at Northwestern, she was dating her husband-to-be, Dominic Mazzoni, who ran with the challenge and wrote an accessible computer program for the task. That program has served her well, throughout her graduate program, rotations, and now two successful positions in medical facilities.

When she was applying to graduate programs, from time to time she sensed the doubts others could have of her ability to succeed, though, of course, they were never blatantly stated. When she received a C for her pediatric rotation, the equivalent, in her words, of a failing grade at that stage of her education, she knew blindness was the problem. Indeed, the supervising genetics counselor who had given her the low grade expressed doubt that she could succeed in the field. Fortunately, she was given another rotation, in Milwaukee this time, where she received an A.

The Power of Networking

Back in her home state of California with a BA and MA, it was time to find a job. She was frequently interviewed and never hired. She spent all of 2008 applying, interviewing, and hearing nothing more. When she contacted a genetics counselor she had shadowed while in college, that professional pointed her in the direction of a potential opening at a medical facility in Los Angeles. “I think she may have talked to them about me,” Mazzoni recalls, “though I’ll never know for sure.”

What she does know for sure is that connections and networking are powerful. She is absolutely certain that the connection helped her land a job she could at last earn credibility in the usual way: with her performance.

Moving On

In 2010, her first child, Alex, was born, and Mazzoni stayed out of the professional arena for a time, staying home to raise him and his sister, born three years later. By the time she was ready to reenter her profession, the family had moved to northern California. She again began sending resumes. There were plenty of interviews. Ronit Mazzoni would arrive with her white cane and her professional bag of tricks. When it seemed appropriate, she would bring out her braille notetaker to demonstrate how she kept patient notes. She would open her laptop and offer to demonstrate how she could draw a pedigree.

Sometimes potential employers were interested in the technology and sometimes not. She knew she was presenting well, but the offers weren’t coming.

Her mom suggested volunteering, something Mazzoni believes should be embraced by every blind person striving to find employment.

She volunteered at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, essentially working as an unpaid genetics counselor. Within a few months, a contract position became available and she was hired. When full-time positions were offered, the kinds of jobs with salaries and benefits, Mazzoni jumped at the opportunities and became fully employed.

Much of her job is providing patients with education and information. Pregnant women exploring potential risks to their unborn children or parents of children with developmental delays are her most frequent patients. She is immersed, at last, in her chosen profession and loving it. Like all young professionals, of course, she is also still always looking forward.

At this writing, Ronit Mazzoni is on maternity leave with her third child, a new daughter. She loves being a mom and loves being a professional and looks forward to returning to work in January.

Outside the Box

Mazzoni is one more successfully employed blind person, fortunate to be in the 30 percent of people with visual impairments who are employed. What, I asked her, have been the essential ingredients to finding this success?

Her immediate response was perseverance. “You have to keep working at your goal,” she says, “no matter how much doubt is being reflected your way in the attitudes of others.”

Next on her list of tools she could not have done without are braille and technology. Some of us might see these as two separate entities, but Mazzoni identified them in one breath, as if they were one and the same. She takes and reviews notes on a braille notetaker. She reviews patient histories in braille. And, on a personal note, she loves reading braille storybooks to her children. Technology, including the program her husband created to generate family pedigrees, enables her to keep pace with her colleagues.

Finally, she explained that an essential element has always been the willingness to push ahead, to go forward, even when she is tired and wants to quit. “You have to force yourself to just keep going, to try to make it work,” she says, because, as her history demonstrates, eventually it will.

As far as advice to those with visual impairments who are seeking employment in any field, Mazzoni has this piece of advice: Think outside the box. Volunteer. It often leads to a job. Use your connections. Figure out where your strengths and creativity lie, and don’t be afraid to use them.

This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.

Comment on this article.

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• BosmaForce: Training Blind People for an Exploding Job Market

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J.J. Meddaugh

Paying bills. Organizing the house. Emailing that resume. Completing that term paper. The mountain of things that need to be done for work, school, or play can be overwhelming. In the days before computers, you might have used a pen and paper, a braille writer, or sticky notes to keep track of things that needed to be done. And while those are still all perfectly valid ways of organizing the things you need to do in your life, modern technology and smartphones have opened up a plethora of new options for managing your tasks and responsibilities.

At its core, a task management app lets you create and manage a list of things that need to be done. You can add, edit, delete, and mark as completed the tasks on the list. It sounds simple, but moving from sticky notes to an app can really help to boost your productivity. There are literally hundreds of these apps and they come in all shapes and sizes, from simple programs that only let you add and delete notes to complex feature-loaded systems that offer a lot of features and power but may be harder to learn.

This article reviews three popular apps that all satisfied three key metrics: they needed to work on computers and mobile devices, be available for free, and, of course, have a good amount of support for access technology. Microsoft To Do, Google Tasks, and Trello are each available for iOS and Android devices and also can be accessed using a web interface.

Microsoft To Do

Microsoft To Do is the successor to a popular task manager called Wunderlist, an app they purchased in 2015. In September, the app was refreshed and the latest versions now include well-thought-out accessibility support. In addition to mobile, To Do is also available from the Microsoft Store as a free Windows 10 app as well as on the Mac. You'll need a free Microsoft account, which you may have already set up when installing Windows. If you use Skype, Outlook, or Office 365, then you can use the same account information for this app.

To Do groups your tasks into lists, including a few "smart lists," which are automatically generated (more on that in a minute). Start by using the New List button to create a new list, such as "Bills to Pay." Then, you can add an item simply by selecting the New Task button and typing in your entry. If you are using the Windows 10 app, you can press Ctrl + N to create a new task. Keyboard shortcuts are available for other commonly used commands.

Several features allow you to do more with the tasks you have added. You can set a due date for a task either by choosing a preset such as tomorrow or next week, or by selecting a date from a calendar. You can mark a task as important, which will place the task in your Important Tasks smart list. If you have a file that should be associated with a task, such as an article you need to edit, you can attach it to the task.

Some chores require a bit more than one line of text to convey. You may want to break up a complex task into multiple steps. For instance, if you had a task of "Clean the House,” you may want to include notes about doing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, or organizing the closets. To Do lets you add steps to tasks so you can track a larger project. You can mark each step as complete at the appropriate time and gain a quick view of your progress and what still needs to be done.

You can also share a list with a family member or coworker. Using the house-cleaning chore above, imagine several family members who are at home at various times. If everyone had access to this list, then they could mark their part of the task as complete when they have finished. You can also assign tasks to specific people, though it is not possible to assign a specific step from a task to a person.

To Do also integrates seamlessly with some of Microsoft's other apps. You can view your tasks from Microsoft Outlook, ask for information from the Cortana assistant, or pin tasks to your Start Menu using Live Tiles. Users with low vision may appreciate the support of dark mode, a contrast feature that many say is easier on the eyes. And I'm happy to say that To Do is one of the most accessible Microsoft Store apps for Windows 10, proving that creating accessible apps for Windows 10 is now entirely possible. The iOS app makes extensive use of VoiceOver's custom actions feature, which allows you to swipe down with one finger on a task and quickly mark it as completed or perform other actions. The Android app is well-labeled and easy to use as well, though I wish that support for TalkBack's custom actions was included.

Google Tasks

To be honest, I had forgotten about the existence of Google Tasks until it came up in a recent app search. Google's task management apps have gone through several iterations, but it seems that they are now putting some effort into creating a very simple and convenient task management system.

Google Tasks is the simplest of the three apps reviewed here, but that can work to your benefit. You can access tasks through dedicated mobile apps for Android and iOS, or through tabs on the Google Calendar and modern Gmail web interfaces. This tight integration may make Tasks appealing for some. To start Tasks, download one of the mobile apps or go to Google Calendar on the web and log in with your Google account. If you have ever used Gmail or other Google services, then you already have one of these accounts.

Google will put all of your tasks in a single list by default, though you can create new lists if you would like. Each task includes a title and an optional description, and can also include a date. You can create subtasks under a task to split up larger projects, similar to the steps feature in Microsoft To Do. Google Tasks currently does not offer sharing or file attachment features. Google's aim appears to be a no-frills app that just works and meets most basic needs.

Where Google Tasks excels is in its integration with other Google products, especially Gmail. If you are reading an email message, you can select an option to create a task directly from the email. This will create the task with a link to the original message. Tasks also integrates tightly with Google Calendar, making it simple to sync tasks with deadlines to your calendar simply by adding a date to the task.

Tasks supports accessibility features on smartphones and the Web. If you are looking for a clutter-free experience, the mobile apps will put your tasks front and center. Since Tasks on the Web is a part of Calendar and Gmail, some might find this a bit more confusing to navigate. Still, Google has included a variety of keyboard shortcuts in its Web apps, making them easier to use.

Trello

Trello is a much more advanced task management system than the others listed above, but we include it largely because it is one of the most popular task management systems used by businesses. While it is typically used by teams to manage projects, personal users may benefit as well. Trello's learning curve comes from its flexibility, though in reality it offers many of the same features as other task apps. You can get started by creating a free account on their website.

Trello organizes tasks into what they call boards. If you are just starting out, you can use one board for all of your tasks. Each board can include any number of lists. Each individual task in Trello is called a card, and can be added to one of your lists.

Each card includes a title as well as a description field with plenty of room to write as many details as needed. You can add a due date to a card so you know when the task needs to be completed.

Trello is designed for collaboration, allowing you to assign cards to other members of your team for tasks they need to complete. Each card comes with a comments area where you can talk to others, tag team members, or ask questions.

Trello also integrates with other apps such as Google Calendar, Slack, or Dropbox with what they call Power-Ups. For instance, you can have all of your tasks posted to a Slack channel so others can stay up-to-date or follow comments. Or integrate files from a Google Drive into your task. The free Trello plan allows for one Power-Up, while paid plans unlock more.

Trello works best on its mobile apps, though the screen can sometimes become a bit busy with lots of lists and cards being displayed. Elements are labeled, and once you get the hang of it, it is easy to track and manage tasks. The Web interface, while not perfect, allows for management of most items. A few small things, such as marking checklist items as completed, do not appear to work on the Website version.

Conclusion

Whether you are just looking for a simple way to keep track of the grocery list or a complex solution to manage a team of employees, one of these task management systems may be just what the doctor ordered. Using a task manager can boost productivity and make life easier to manage, whether you're in school, working fulltime, or controlling chaos around the house.

This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.

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Bill Holton

Keyboard commands and shortcuts are an integral part of accessible computing. Don’t believe me? Try taking a seat behind an original Mac, which not only did not use keyboard commands, but the keyboard didn’t even have cursor keys. Happily, this is a situation Apple remedied years ago, and for Windows, keyboard commands have been available ever since the prehistoric times of DOS and Windows 3.1. These days even touchscreen readers like VoiceOver and TalkBack include keyboard functionality. Keyboard commands are that important.

Keyboard commands are so ubiquitous that people with visual impairments can sometimes take them for granted. We know the ones we use but tend to be lazy and uninterested in finding and learning more, no matter how much extra speed and ability they might give us.

Happily, this is not the opinion of Dean Martineau, author of Flying Blind’s must-read Top Tech Tidbits newsletter. His new book, Windows Keyboard Power User Guide, published by Tech for the Blind, is a compendium of useful keyboard commands, covering how to find, use, and customize them for greater speed and access.

What You Get

We all have our preferred learning styles. Some of us like to follow along with an audio presentation or demonstration. Others prefer to delve into written text, either via speech or going hands-on with braille. The good news is that with Windows Keyboard Power User Guide you have your choice. The book is available in Word and as an audio MP3 presentation that follows the text chapter by chapter with demonstrations and a few asides.

I was offered access to both formats. I doubled up on the first two chapters, using JAWS to review the text and then my iPhone to listen to them. After that I alternated back and forth. The learning experience was more or less equal using either format, though there was one chapter, "Editing the Default .JKM File" that I listened to originally and then felt it necessary to do a second reading of the actual text. Also, if I refer back to this book to refresh my memory on something, and I doubtless will, I will likely go to the text. The book does not include any appendices.

What You Learn

The book is divided into three main sections: Windows, JAWS, and Word. Martineau states right up front that the book is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to any of these topics, but “Rather, the goal is to make you a more effective keyboard user in each of these environments.”

Windows

As the author rightly states, when not running a Windows application, most of our time is spent either navigating between apps or opening new ones. This section is devoted to making both of these tasks easier. He begins at the Windows desktop, describing first how to add application shortcuts and then how to create a Ctrl + Alt + keystroke hotkey to make opening and switching to most apps much easier. Martineau also describes how to create desktop shortcuts and hotkeys for webpages and document files, though for the latter his method seems a bit labored, involving copying file names, creating a new desktop icon, and then adding the file name. I have always found it much simpler to locate the document in File Explorer, right-click with the Applications key, and then using the Send To option, Desktop, create shortcut.

Next, Martineau slides into an excellent discussion of switching between apps. Most users, including myself, rely on the Alt + Tab command to switch between open applications and documents. Martineau is of the belief that this command has outlived its usefulness in favor of the newer Windows + Tab (Task View) command and in this section he definitely proves the point. He demonstrates that with the Task View command you can keystroke jump to your desired application or file, and, with a press of the Tab key, access a command history and repeat any you find there.

If you’re like me, you often have five, six, or even more open windows, and pressing Alt + Tab can be an exercise in frustration because the window you are searching for has inevitably worked it’s way to the other end of the list, and once you open that window and retrieve that snippet of text you are looking for the trip back is just as long because you accidentally stopped along your trip forward. This scenario doesn’t arise if you use Task View. Unfortunately, if you are a long-time computer user like myself, the muscle memory is simply too strong, and even as I write this paragraph I needed to switch to Outlook for a second and how did I get there? You guessed it: Alt + Tab. After reading this book, however, I feel even more motivated to make this switch.

Martineau winds up this section with some tips regarding the Windows Taskbar. If you haven’t used the Taskbar to arrange your most used applications so they can be opened or switched to with a single hotkey, this chapter alone will prove worth the cost of admission.

There is one hotkey Martineau does not mention that I would add here. If you’re a constant Word user like I am and frequently bounce from one document to another, instead of using Alt + Tab or even the Task View command to find your way back and forth, give the Ctrl + F6 hotkey a try. It moves you forward through open documents. Adding the Shift key moves you in reverse.

JAWS

In later sections the author switches between JAWS and NVDA when he demonstrates techniques for Windows, but this chapter is dedicate to JAWS. Martineau does not spend any time at all describing how to use the screen reader; that is not his mission. Instead he focuses on making JAWS work harder for you by demonstrating the use and modification of many of its keyboard commands and features. You would be surprised how infrequently a user will enjoy the benefits of a particular JAWS keyboard command if he or she doesn’t know how to access it, or even that the hotkey exists. The chapter called “Finding and Identifying Keystrokes” is a must-read for JAWS users who haven't made themselves acquainted with the various onboard help resources.

So you found that JAWS keyboard command, but it doesn’t make any sense. How are you supposed to remember that JAWSKey + F6 is the command to list the document headings? You’d much rather press JAWSKey plus the letter H to perform this task, but that keystroke is set up to place JAWS hotkeys in the Viewer, and you never use this command. Fear not! In this section, Martineau takes you step by step through the process of reassigning JAWS keystrokes to a layout that’s more to your liking. He also teaches you how to edit the JAWS default .JKM file to add layered commands, such as the JAWSKey + spacebar & J command to activate a JAWS command search. He demonstrates this by creating a JAWSKey +Space & K layered “AppendSelectedTextToClipboard” command. By default this command is issued using the hand-twisting JAWSKey + Windows + C hotkey. The author does not explain why he chose to create a layered command instead of changing to a less awkward single keystroke command.

Word

The third and final section of this book begins with a pair of chapters describing NVDA and JAWS hotkeys and quick keys designed to make you more productive using Word. Then he describes one of the best and easiest ways to find help with an obscure or difficult to locate Word command: the Alt + Q Tell Me feature available while working in Word and other MS Office applications. And there are definitely a good many obscure and difficult-to-find features and commands in Word.

The old 80-20 rule applies to MS Word. We spend 80 percent of our time using 20 percent of Word’s capabilities. The trouble is that the 20 percent is markedly different for each of us. You may use tables in every document you create. I rarely use tables, but frequently deal with revisions and comments from others.

Happily, Word includes hotkeys for nearly all of its myriad features, and for those without a designated keyboard shortcut, you have the ability to create a shortcut of your liking.

Two of the most overlooked and underutilized Word features are the ability to customize the Quick Access Toolbar with Word commands you can execute with a single keystroke, and the even more powerful ability to add and change keyboard shortcuts for scores of Word commands. Want to add “clear all formatting” to your Quick Access toolbar so you can issue the command with a press of Alt + 1? Need to create a hotkey to center the page vertically, or reassign the Ctrl + Shift + A hotkey that converts text from lower to upper case and vice versa to something easier to remember? Martineau explains how to do all of these in easy-to-follow, step-by-step fashion.

Recommendations

I would highly recommend this book to all Windows users, with a single caveat. Be careful how many changes to the JAWS and Word keyboard structure you make at once. A few keyboard changes and enhancements can make you much more productive. Too many at once and you may become overwhelmed and confused.

Also, remember the changes you make will affect only your computer. A while back I was frequently reviewing Web tables, and for the sake of convenience I changed my screen reader’s cell navigation quick keys to the letters A, S, D, and F for left, right, up and down cell respectively. This worked great…until I had to use someone else’s computer and couldn’t remember what the default commands for these were.

Be especially cautious with your personal computer or laptop if your network admin has disabled any command modifications on your work PC. Even if this is the case, the content of this book will likely still be well worth the price.

Product Information

Windows Keyboard Power User Guide is available from Tech for the Blind in MS Word ($15), interactive MP3 ($15), or a Combo Pack of both editions ($25).

This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.

Comment on this article.

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Deborah Kendrick

Sometimes acquiring new technology skills helps pave the way to a higher academic degree, a new job, or a promotion. And sometimes, even for people who are blind, it’s just, well, kind of entertaining.

National Braille Press will soon be releasing Judy Dixon’s newest book, 31 Cool Things You Can Do with Your iPhone: From Fun to Practical to Entertaining, and while she includes some serious and practical components, her suggestions will mostly help you kick back and just have a little fun with your iPhone.

Cool Things

Did you know there is an app to help you hang a picture, find a dropped screw (or other piece of metal), or discover which planes might be flying overhead?

Maybe you know about the Shazam app, but did you know there are other ways to identify what song is playing in the supermarket or, even more fun, get lyrics to any song? The lyrics app is called Genius and I tried desperately to challenge it. No matter how obscure my song request, Genius delivered. You can email lyrics to yourself to emboss for karaoke night, or just look at them on your iPhone screen to study and be amused and amazed!

Dixon includes apps to help you have a conversation with someone in another language, identify a bird singing in your backyard, or play the piano on your slippery iPhone. (This one was entirely new to me and so much fun that it was hard to get back to the book!)

Presentation

Since the title promises 31 cool things, each app is numbered. Each app is introduce with the following information:

• App Store name
• Name that appears on your phone after you've installed it (extremely helpful)
• Developer
• Price (most are free)
• Space required
• Whether it appears as a widget on your Today screen or is Apple Watch compatible.

Dixon then provides a brief, but detailed, examination of how the app functions, where its components are located on the screen, and, of course, what works well and what doesn’t for those of us using VoiceOver. As usual, Dixon has put each app through its paces and has found the steps necessary to use it so we can just go directly to the fun of downloading and playing with the apps that interest us most.

Some Bonus Information

In some cases, Dixon has added what she calls "User Tips" at the end of an app's entry. Typically, these are solutions for accomplishing a task for the app in question, but that will also be useful in other iPhone situations as well. For example, if you have wondered how (or once knew and have forgotten how) to access the app switcher, navigate a table, or make a Siri shortcut, you can find concise directions in this book. When a User Tip is included, it's often just after the explanation of an app for which that bonus information will be useful. It appears as an added convenience, in other words, to help you get right to the business of enjoying the app.

Caveats and Conclusions

While most of the identification apps are presented with at least one detailed example, all apps are not treated equally in this regard. For an app that describes videos on YouTube, a complete example is provided. For an app that locates lyrics, a popular song is used to illustrate the function. A disappointing exception to this is the UniDescription app, which provides access to information about national parks. While an example is cited, Dixon doesn't provide any quoted content from the app, which leaves us without much of a sense of the app's flavor. Dixon offers enough information to pique the reader’s interest, but doesn't provide the same level of detail that you'll find elsewhere in the book.

One very useful app included in the "Home Office" section of the book describes how to deposit a check. Since I use a similar app for two other banks (both quite different from one another), I noticed immediately that they are also not quite the same as the bank included in the book. In other words, if your bank is not Wells Fargo, you can get a general idea of how to deposit a check with a bank app, but you won't be able to depend on the steps here to guide you precisely through the process as you can with most other apps in the book.

That small caveat aside, should you buy this book? Absolutely! It’s a small book, one braille volume, and whether you are interested in yodeling, printing #10 envelopes, or making a quick video of that hilarious thing your guide dog does, this book will be one you will pull out for quick reference again and again.

Product Information

31 Cool Things You Can Do with Your iPhone: From Fun to Practical to Entertaining, by Judy Dixon, is available from National Braille Press, 800-548-7323, in hardcopy braille or electronic formats including BRF, DAISY, and Microsoft Word.

This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.

Comment on this article.

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AFB Now Accepting Applicants to the Blind Leaders Development Program!

Are you ready to take your leadership to the next level? Celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month by making an investment of your time and expertise to help shape the next generation of blind leaders--apply to be a mentor in the inaugural AFB Blind Leaders Development Program. AFB’s hope is to select a diverse and driven group of emerging leaders with vision loss to participate in this program.

Mentors will have a unique opportunity to invest in an emerging blind leader by volunteering their time and sharing their knowledge, wisdom, and expertise, while also developing crucial management skills, expanding their networks, and engaging in AFB’s systems change initiatives.

What’s Involved:

• Access to the one-day AFB Blind Leaders Development Program mentor training event in Arlington, VA
• Round-trip travel, hotel, and meals during the mentor training event
• Program kick-off dinner event with AFB senior leadership, board members, program participants, and other influencers in the blindness field
• Six one-hour meetings with their assigned participant
• Access to an exclusive LinkedIn group for program alumni and mentors

Participant Application Form Mentor Application Form

National Braille Press’s Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation Open for Applications

The Touch of Genius Prize was developed to inspire entrepreneurs, educators, and inventors to continue the promotion of braille and tactile literacy for blind and deafblind people worldwide. This prize can be granted for innovative and accessible computer software applications, tactile hardware, or curriculum that promotes braille or tactile literacy.

The deadline for application is January 10. The National Braille Press encourages all applicants to think outside the box as to what can be used to help improve the lives of blind people.

The winner of this prize will receive up to $10,000, to support their continued innovation in the fields of technology and education for blind people. Frank Gibney and the Gibney Family Foundation helped fund and establish this award in 2007 to inspire people to go beyond what was thought possible.

Full application details and more information can be found on the Touch of Genius Prize website.

New ”Show and Tell” feature on Amazon Echo Show Provides Object Identification for People with Vision Loss

Amazon recently released a feature called Show and Tell for the Amazon Echo Show. Using the Show’s camera, you can ask: “Alexa, what am I holding?” and the device will attempt to recognize the item. Much like other Echo features like the timer and alarms, Show and Tell provides instant access to a feature, in this case object identification, with a simple voice command.

Aira Now Offering Free 5-Minute Calls

Aira has announced that calls of 5 minutes or less will now be free for anyone with an Aira account, wherever Aira provides full service. You must have the Aira app and an Aira account to take advantage of this offer, but a paid plan is not required. If you do have a paid Aira plan, the first 5 minutes of your calls will be free and any calls shorter than 5 minutes will be free as well.

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