AFB Blog

After taking in a couple of sessions focusing on tech and seniors, William Reuschel and I tackled the exhibit floor (the lifeblood of CES). We got a chance to check out the Sensus from Canopy (a maker of game controllers for the iPhone), which has developed a nifty prototype for doing braille input on the iPhone using a touch-sensitive case. The input controls are on the top and back side of the case, with the fingers curled around the two ends of the phone). I was able to get the hang of…

I am heading out to the big Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for my first visit. CES is a huge event, with just about every tech company (and a whole lot of non-traditional tech companies) showing off their new products. I'll try to let you know what I find regarding accessibility for people with vision loss. But first, a big shoutout of thanks to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) who is assisting AFB and the Hearing Loss Association of America to be able to get the most out of…

Today marks the 204th birthday of Louis Braille, the inventor of his eponymous code for people with vision loss. In celebration of his birthday and National Braille Literacy Month, we’ve assembled a roundup of braille-centric content throughout AFB's family of sites. Read up, reflect on, and appreciate what braille has meant to so many. Braille continues to be a driving force for people with vision loss. Throughout January, we will be sharing information relevant to braille—history,…

Convenient and affordable access to books in formats that can be read by individuals who are blind or visually impaired has long been a major struggle. With high-quality audio and braille production, and more recently, digital production, books are now far more available for those of us with vision loss, at least in the wealthier nations. Although copyright laws in many nations allow production of accessible books for people who cannot read print, it is quite difficult and often illegal to…

Recently, I had the opportunity to conduct the first of six teen employment workshops for students who are blind or visually impaired. These workshops are being held in multiple states, the first of which was with the Overbrook School for the Blind (www.obs.org) in Philadelphia. The workshops allow me to work with teens and associated professionals on self-awareness, career exploration, pre-interview skills, and the job interview. They are really focused on the needs and present levels of the…

Hurricane Sandy sent us a potent reminder of the need to ensure that information about emergencies is available to people with vision loss. Television has become the most common way to distribute information about weather or other emergencies, including notices regarding evacuation. Unfortunately, people who are blind or visually impaired are unable to read the scrolling information that often appears on television screens during an emergency, so they do not have efficient access to…

Please take action today—this afternoon and early tomorrow—and contact your U.S. senators to urge them to vote yes to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The Senate will take up the CRPD tomorrow (December 4) at noon. It is fitting that we take this action today, as we recognize the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The CRPD has strong support, with every major disability organization supporting it and the business community also expressing…

It is with a heavy heart that I announce Arthur Weisberg, member of the American Foundation for the Blind Board of Trustees, passed away on November 24, 2012. Art was a dear friend and supporter of AFB and a huge champion of our work in Huntington, West Virginia. Personally, Art was a mentor to me. Every time we spoke, I picked up on some new, unexpected life lesson. I often say that Art's book, the wonderfully unpretentious "Call Me Art," should be required reading. From his humble…

[Editor's Note: The following post is authored by Paul Ponchillia, Professor Emeritus at Western Michigan University and Olympic Torch runner. Dr. Ponchillia is the founder of sports camps for children with visual impairments nationwide and also co-author of Physical Education and Sports for People with Visual Impairments and Deafblindness: Foundations of Instruction*, recently published by AFB Press.]* If you’re a New York Times reader, perhaps you saw the November 12 article about Erik…