Tag: visually impaired

Enhanced Vision, the leading developer of low vision devices, is having a monthly drawing on their website for a chance to win PEBBLE! Pebble’s small lightweight design makes it the perfect companion whether you’re travelling or at home. Easily read labels, prescriptions, price tags, menus, bus schedules and so much more with this ultra-portable video magnifier. (continue reading…)

Canadian cross-country skier Brian Mckeever is the first winter sports athlete to compete in the Olympics and Paralympics. mckeever, who is visually impaired, believes in the power of big dreams.

MIAMI (AFP) – A 60-year-old US grandmother, blind for nearly a decade, has recovered her sight after surgeons implanted a tooth in her eye as a base to hold a tiny plastic lens, her doctors said Wednesday. (continue reading…)

OXFORD – Anything can be achieved with enough determination, no matter what the obstacle. Of this, 24-year-old Samantha Wackford is living proof.

In June, the young woman passed a high school equivalency exam to earn her General Education Degree. While this may not seem like a huge accomplishment for some, for the Guyana native who lost her sight after she was burned by acid, it has been no small feat.

In April of 2002, just two short weeks before she was set to graduate from high school in her homeland, “Sam” (as she is called by her friends), was the victim of an intentional attack, which both blinded her and left her permanently scarred.

After spending more than a year recovering, she moved to Boston. It was there that, while enrolled in an adult independent living program at the Carroll School for the Blind, she met Troy Wackford. The Oxford native, who was in the same program, had been diagnosed at a young age with Retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye condition which had caused his vision to gradually deteriorate over time.

It didn’t take long for the two to fall in love, and in October of 2007 they were married. Shortly after, the couple moved to Troy’s hometown.

Despite her loss of vision, Sam Wackford never lost sight of her goal of furthering her education.

“I wanted to get my GED,” she explained. And in September of 2008, she began working toward that goal. Her first step was to sign up for the Adult GED program offered through DCMO BOCES, which is how she met Instructor Anne Walters.

Source for complete article: http://www.evesun.com/news/stories/2009-09-15/7849/Visually-impaired-woman-earns-GED/

Eight years ago, a nation watched as hundreds of New York’s bravest made the ultimate sacrifice to help those in need.

Since then, a group of students at one Villa Park middle school has helped raise money each year on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks for their local fire department, while at the same time learning about the men and women that would come to the rescue in the event of a fire.

Students in the blind and visually impaired program at Albright Middle School in Villa Park spent part of their time in summer school making everything and anything patriotic, including American flag pillows, patriotic bracelets, and red, white and blue fans to sell to students, faculty and staff during two lunch periods today.

The school is part of Salt Creek School District 48, where the visually impaired program consists of more than 50 students. About 15 of the students were in the summer school program, and almost all of them participated in helping make the crafts.

Cindy Rukavina, a teacher in the Albright program, said the students have been doing crafts each summer since 2002, and have made nearly 50 different crafts to sell this year. Rukavina said the crafts not only assist with developing skills, but also help the students learn about what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, as well as what firefighters do for the community.

“It’s our way to honor our local firemen who put their lives on the line every day,” Rukavina said. “They would give up their own life to help our own kids, especially the vision-impaired kids who need extra help. … We feel it’s our duty to do something nice for them.”

Later this month, Villa Park firefighters will come to Albright to pick up the money raised by the craft sale. Last year, the sale raised more than $180. Villa Park firefighter/paramedic Matt Sauter said the department uses the money to purchase hats, stickers, and other items to give to children during speeches about fire prevention.

“One of the best fire prevention techniques in the fire service is giving away handouts and educating kids and parents,” Sauter said. “Giving them the opportunity to know that someone will be there and to trust us if we yell to follow us in the event of a fire is important. … It’s good to reassure them we’re going to take care of them if we’re needed.”

Source for complete article: http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/villapark/news/x1170598697/Students-lend-firefighters-helping-hand

The Canadian Transportation Agency has released two Implementation Guides to help Canadian air carriers better serve travellers who are blind or have a visual impairment.

The guides were drafted to help carriers meet two provisions in the voluntary Code of Practice: Aircraft Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities. These provisions are designed to ensure that passengers with disabilities who use service dogs, such as those who have visual, hearing or mobility impairments, can travel safely with their animals and can more independently locate their seat in the cabin of an aircraft.

“The Agency has a responsibility to foster an air transportation system to meet the needs of all Canadians,” said Geoff Hare, Chair and CEO of the Canadian Transportation Agency. “We feel that these implementation guides will go a long way in helping air carriers meet the needs of passengers who are blind or have a visual impairment and other passengers with disabilities who use service dogs.”

In developing the two new Implementation Guides, the Agency consulted Canadian air carriers, professional service dog training institutions, national organizations of the blind, and the Agency’s Accessibility Advisory Committee.

Carriers have until December 1, 2009 to ensure sufficient space for service dogs, and until March 31, 2010 to implement policies for tactile row markers.

The Guides, and the Code they help to implement, are available on the Agency’s Web site at http://www.cta-otc.gc.ca/doc.php?sid=1159&lang=eng.

Source for complete article: http://thegovmonitor.com/civil_society_and_democratic_renewal/canadian-transportation-agency-release-guides-to-airlines-to-better-serve-blind-or-visually-impaired-travellers-3312.html

Bristol/Hong Kong-based Ocean Blue Software, a specialist digital TV software house, has developed “talking” digital TV technology for set top boxes and televisions that could potentially benefit millions of people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, severely dyslexic, and elderly.

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For people who are blind or visually impaired, orientation in unknown environments is a special challenge. A navigation system, however, can help to support orientation skills. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart are drawing information together for blind and visually impaired students that can be accessed with a precise mobile navigation device. (continue reading…)

Raised domes alert blind people they’ve reached end of sidewalk Pedestrian walkways in the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area are becoming more accessible for people with visual impairments.

Pedestrian walkways in the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area are becoming more accessible for people with visual impairments.

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