AFB Blog

[Editor’s Note: The following post is excerpted from When You Have a Visually Impaired Student in Your Classroom: A Guide for Teachers, edited by Susan J. Spungin and available via AFB Press. Further details available at the end of this post.] Will you have a child with a visual impairment in your classroom this year? Individuals working with children with visual impairments, whether or not they have other disabilities, will find the following basic guidelines helpful in interacting with…

Imagine my surprise when I read the following in Monday’s edition of the New York Post: Liars use phony vests and ID tags to get fake service dogs into posh New York restaurants. Huh? No surprise here, but was just blown away by this. As you may know, AFB headquarters are located in New York City (although I mainly work out of the Huntington, WV, office), as are over three dozen other blindness agencies. Over the last few years, service dogs have been introduced for a variety of different…

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Michelle Hackman, and for better or for worse, I will be a recurring presence on this blog for a year or so. Some of you might remember me (and kudos if you do!) as the 15-year-old button of an AFB intern five years ago who blogged about her existential struggles with Facebook accessibility or finding the Starbucks two blocks down the street. Though my love for Starbucks has in no way abated, I've otherwise matured a bit since then, and hope to use…

The Americans with Disabilities Act will be 23 years old tomorrow. In recognition of this historic and still vibrant legislation, disability leaders were invited to meet with President Obama and key leaders in his Administration this morning. I was proud to be included in this group of leaders. Along with a brief opportunity to meet the President, we spent an hour discussing issues with newly confirmed Secretary of Labor, Tom Perez, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, and the new disability…

We're pleased to provide a guest post today by Madeleine Fix, on the experience of providing live audio description for a classic movie. By Madeleine Fix Recently I provided audio description (AD) for Alfred Hitchcock's "The Trouble With Harry," screened in the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) Summer Movie Series at the historic Ohio Theatre in Columbus, Ohio. The service is provided through a partnership between Accessible Arts of Central Ohio, CAPA, and the Ohio…

The American Foundation for the Blind is getting started with the AFB Access Awards process earlier than in past years, because the awards will be presented on February 28, 2014, at the AFB Leadership Conference in Brooklyn, NY. You will find everything you need on the Access Award Nomination Submission Guidelines and Format. Visit the Previous Access Award Winners page, too, and find out if your nomination is up to snuff to be a 2014 AFB Access Awards winner. All submissions are due by August…

I am pretty psyched to let you all know about a cool opportunity. I know some of you were involved in the past National Transition Network Forum work, and some of you were not. But I wanted to let you know that we will be having a section of the pre-conference at the 2014 AFB Leadership Conference focused on the National Transition Network. For those who don't know what the National Transition Network is about, it was framed around sharing innovative programs and methods for the transition…

The American Council of the Blind has just announced its new leadership, and it is my honor to congratulate Kim Charlson on her election as the new ACB President. Kim has been actively involved in ACB’s work for 30 years. Kim is also the first female president of a blindness consumer organization in the U.S., so this is quite an achievement. I’d also like to congratulate Jeff Thom on his new role as first vice president of ACB. Jeff, of course, is on our board of trustees so I know he’s a…

This summer, the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) will feature the final publication by a giant in the research of neuroplasticity of the brain and how it relates to vision. Dr. James E. Jan, founder, retired professor, and senior research scientist emeritus of the Visual Impairment Program at BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is best known for his groundbreaking work that contributed enormously to the field's discussion of the nature of cortical…