John Mackin

Most of us are probably familiar with Wikipedia, the free Internet Encyclopedia that anyone can edit. For Dr. Skylar Covich, his journey with Wikipedia stretches back to 2003, almost as long as the site has been in existence. In light of Wikipedia’s 20th anniversary on January 15th, Skylar recently reflected upon his journey with this vast knowledge-based resource, and suggested where he would like to see it go. Skylar was born totally blind, with Leber's congenital amaurosis -- a group of…

On December 18, EdSurge, an educational technology company that publishes newsletters and operates databases used by venture capitalists, teachers, and school administrators, published a story titled “COVID-19 Is Costing Visually Impaired Students Time That Can’t Be Made Up.” The story features interviews with AFB Director of Research Dr. L. Penny Rosenblum as well as parents of K-12 students who are experiencing the challenges that come with remote instruction during the pandemic, especially…

Lost in last week’s Thanksgiving holiday shuffle were some noteworthy media appearances and mentions of AFB Consulting and AFB Staff experts. To recap: Director of Research Dr. L. Penny Rosenblum authored an op-ed for Education Dive, a site that provides in-depth journalism and insight into the most impactful news and trends shaping K-12 education. “How COVID-19 is affecting students with visual impairments and their educators” provides Dr. Rosenblum’s insights on the Access and Engagement…

On November 24, CNET, a global outlet that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts and videos on technology and consumer electronics, ran a story titled “How blind engineers are fixing the online job hunt.” The story largely features an interview with Chief Program Officer Megan Aragon as well as the work and mission of AFB Consulting. Finding meaningful employment during the pandemic can be particularly difficult, and is exacerbated further for jobseekers with disabilities. For…

The 2020 elections are upon us and, unsurprisingly, the act of voting is dominating the headlines. With that in mind, here's a brief roundup of stories that caught our attention, with an emphasis on the voting experience for people with disabilities. Florida Officials Aim To Make Voting Easier For People With Disabilities—NPR, November 2, 2020 Several Florida counties are trying out a new system to help voters with disabilities have more privacy when they cast their ballots. What Does Voting…

On August 1, AFB’s National Aging and Vision Loss Specialist Neva Fairchild becomes the new president of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) after having served on its board of directors since 2018. Neva takes over for Emily Coleman, Superintendent at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. AER is a professional membership organization dedicated exclusively to professionals who provide services to persons with vision loss, with…

Alexa Jovanovic knew at age 10 that she wanted to work in fashion. Several years later, when she launched her own fashion business, she also adopted a personal business philosophy: That good design shouldn’t exclude anyone. It was the marriage of these two elements that led to Aille Design, an emerging Canadian brand that makes braille-beaded clothing with a social purpose. The brand incorporates detailed beading to form phrases in braille. The intricate beading describes clothing…

As part of the digital lifestyle magazine Bold Blind Beauty’s monthly “Men in Motion” series, Dr. Kirk Adams was the feature story for the February 2020 edition. In it, Kirk discusses his employment journey, learning to read Braille at a young age, and who were some of his biggest influences, among other topics. “Really, what’s next for me and for AFB is to change systems,” Kirk says in the exclusive video. “To eliminate barriers, to create opportunities, to understand where we can focus our…

On January 17, Huntington, WV-based Marshall University announced that Clio, a free history-based mobile app and website founded by the university, received a nearly $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to improve its accessibility for users who are visually impaired in collaboration with AFB. Drawing on AFB’s experience developing the fully accessible Helen Keller Archive, and the organization’s deep commitment to helping other organizations reach their digital…