In the News 09.24.12

REGAL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP MAKES MOVIEGOING ACCESSIBLE TO ALL WITH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY FROM SONY

Regal Entertainment Group, a leading motion picture exhibitor owning and operating the largest theatre circuit in the United States, announced a milestone with 200 theaters nationwide now offering the Sony Entertainment Access System at theaters across the country. Regal Entertainment Group is working exclusively with Sony for this cutting-edge technology to assist moviegoers who are deaf, hard of hearing, have low vision or are blind. Click here to read more.

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND APPLAUDS RULING REQUIRING EQUAL PAY FOR DISABLED WORKERS

The National Federation of the Blind, the nation's leading advocate for fair wages for workers with disabilities, today applauded a recent ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Davenport Division, finding that a turkey processing service violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by paying its disabled employees less than federal and state minimum wages. Click here to read more.

VISIONS OF A BLIND PHOTOGRAPHER

Sometimes when she's taking pictures, Sonia Soberats forgets she cannot see. Until 1986, Ms. Soberats was like many single immigrant mothers - living in Queens, working two jobs and watching her two children grow into flourishing adults. Life began to crumble, though, when ovarian cancer was diagnosed for her only daughter. Click here to read more and to view photographs.

BEN SIMONS: BRAILLE TRANSCRIBER

Imagine being able to read by running your fingers over a series of bumps. When you see Braille at traffic lights, or as you ride an elevator, have you ever wondered how it works? And who makes it? Ben Simons is a Braille transcriber. Click here to listen.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/20/4839576/national-federation-of-the-blind.html#storylink=cpy

In the News 09.17.12

BLIND AND ONLINE: PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION, FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED TECH USERS

Gayle Yarnall of Amesbury, Mass. is blind. Consequently, photography is not a skill she ever anticipated mastering. "But the iPhone will tell you if the face in the viewfinder is centered, or if [the face] is small or large," notes Yarnal, who runs a lifestyle consulting firm called Gayle Connected. Click here to read more.

SEEING BRAILLE INTO 21ST CENTURY

A Lake Zurich company has played a key role in redesigning a 1950s-era Braille writer into a 'talking' LCD screen device intended to make it easier for people to learn Braille. Click here to read more.

ARE SMARTPHONES KILLING BRAILLE?

New gadgets equipped with screenreaders are increasingly letting blind people listen to text. Is this contributing to "Braille illiteracy"? Click here to read more.

UTILIZING THE BLIND - A VAST UNTAPPED RESOURCE

Over the last few years, we have seen the highest levels of unemployment since the great depression. However, the numbers that are reported only tell one part of the story. Click here to read more.

BLINDFOLDING EIGHT-YEAR-OLDS TO PLAY BLIND FOOTBALL

What is the legacy of the Paralympics? Damon Rose spoke to a primary school teacher in East Anglia who used the Games to inspire his pupils and get them thinking and working differently with each other. Click here to read more.

BLIND CHEF CHRISTINE HA CROWNED 'MASTERCHEF' IN FINALE

From the moment she took those first tentative steps onto the national stage, chef Christine Ha captured America's heart. During Monday night's season 3 "MasterChef" finale, Ha won the title, $250,000 grand prize and a cookbook deal, beating out Josh Marks and about 100 other chefs. But that's not what makes her so inspiring. Ha is bind - the first contestant on the show. Click here to read more.

In the News 09.10.12

BLIND ACTIVISTS BOYCOTT GOODWILL OVER SUBMINIMUM PAY

 The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) escalated its pay protests against Goodwill Industries with August 25 sidewalk pickets at some 90 retail locations around the country. The informational packets are aimed at publicizing the NFB call for a consumer boycott against Goodwill over its policy of paying subminimum wages to thousand of workers with disabilities. Click here to read more.

FLASHES OF LIGHT SEEN BY BLIND WOMAN SPUR BIONIC EYE HOPE

 An Australian woman blinded by an inherited retina-damaging disease experienced some vision after doctors in Melbourne implanted an electronic device they say may lead to a bionic eye by 2014. Click here to read more.

MAGIC GLASSES LET BLIND SEE

Yvonne Felix was just seven when she was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, an inherited condition that can cause major vision loss. In the 24 years since, her eyesight has become progressively worse, to the point where she was declared legally blind. For 40 minutes one day last April, the Hamilton, Ont., woman could see again. Click here to read more.

NATIONAL FEDERATION FOR THE BLIND COLLABORATES WITH ACCUWEATHER

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the oldest and largest nationwide organization of the blind in the United States, and its newspaper service for the blind, NFB-NEWSLINE, today announced a collaboration with AccuWeather, an online weather information service, to provide emergency weather alerts to blind and print-disabled subscribers throughout America. Click here to read more.

DANIEL KISH: A REAL-LIFE BATMAN

Daniel Kish has been blind since he was 13-months-old, but that hasn't stopped him living an incredibly active life that includes hiking and mountain-biking. To do this, he has perfected a form of human echolocation, using reflected sound waves to build a mental picture of his surroundings. When Daniel Kish clicks his tongue, the world answers back. Click here to read more. 

'MASTERCHEF' FINALIST CHRISTINE HA ON BEING BLIND, AND A FIGHTER

 Time and time again on this season of "MasterChef," chef Gordon Ramsay asked sight-impaired competitor Christine Ha: Am I being pranked? Are you really blind? Click here to read more.

In the News 08.27.12

COMPANY AIMS TO CURE BLINDNESS WITH OPTOGENETICS

One biotech startup wants to restore vision in blind patients with a gene therapy that gives light sensitivity to neurons that don't normally possess it. Click here to read more. 

APPS BEGIN TO GIVE BLIND ACCESS TO TOUCH SCREENS

While America's love affair with touch-screen payment devices continues to leave the blind and visually impaired in the dark, prospects for a hassle-free checkout in the near future are finally looking up. Click here to read more.

WHO'S AGAINST BLIND PEOPLE READING? NOBODY!

So, why is it so hard to get an international treaty to help people with disabilities that affect reading print? Welcome to the weird politics of intellectual property. Basically, we have approval of a policy, but are unable to implement that policy. Click here to read more.

BLIND STUDENTS PRESENTS 3-D TACTILE IMAGES TO NATIONAL MICROSCOPY CONFERENCE

While Ashleigh Gonzales is a typical, 20-year-old ASU senior, she is not your average student. Unlike other undergraduates studying life sciences, her decision to major in molecular biosciences and biotechnology created an unusual challenge - one few others are willing to tackle. Gonzales is blind. Yet she is pursuing a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degree that requires an understanding of many detailed, microscopic biological elements - something she finds fascinating and exciting. Click here to read more.

Gonzales is blind. Yet she is pursuing a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degree that requires an understanding of many detailed, microscopic biological elements – something she finds fascinating and exciting.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-student-d-tactile-images-national.html#jCp

While Ashleigh Gonzales is a typical, 20-year old ASU senior, she is not your average student. Unlike other undergraduates studying life sciences, her decision to major in molecular biosciences and biotechnology created an unusual challenge – one few others are willing to tackle.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-student-d-tactile-images-national.html#jCp

While Ashleigh Gonzales is a typical, 20-year old ASU senior, she is not your average student. Unlike other undergraduates studying life sciences, her decision to major in molecular biosciences and biotechnology created an unusual challenge – one few others are willing to tackle. Ads by Google Online University Program - Earn Your Degree Online at Walden. Request Information Now - WaldenUniversity.com Gonzales is blind. Yet she is pursuing a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degree that requires an understanding of many detailed, microscopic biological elements – something she finds fascinating and exciting.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-student-d-tactile-images-national.html#jCp

Enlarge ASU students present their poster, "Pictures Worth a Thousand Words," to a national microscopy conference. The poster details their research into 3-D tactile images which can help blind and visually impaired students succeed in STEM classes. Left to right: Debra Baluch, research scientist, School of Life Sciences (SOLS); Ashleigh Gonzales, ASU senior, SOLS; Leanne Harris, ASU senior, SOLS. Photo by: Tom Story (Phys.org)—While Ashleigh Gonzales is a typical, 20-year old ASU senior, she is not your average student. Unlike other undergraduates studying life sciences, her decision to major in molecular biosciences and biotechnology created an unusual challenge – one few others are willing to tackle.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-student-d-tactile-images-national.html#jCp

Enlarge ASU students present their poster, "Pictures Worth a Thousand Words," to a national microscopy conference. The poster details their research into 3-D tactile images which can help blind and visually impaired students succeed in STEM classes. Left to right: Debra Baluch, research scientist, School of Life Sciences (SOLS); Ashleigh Gonzales, ASU senior, SOLS; Leanne Harris, ASU senior, SOLS. Photo by: Tom Story (Phys.org)—While Ashleigh Gonzales is a typical, 20-year old ASU senior, she is not your average student. Unlike other undergraduates studying life sciences, her decision to major in molecular biosciences and biotechnology created an unusual challenge – one few others are willing to tackle.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-student-d-tactile-images-national.html#jCp

Enlarge ASU students present their poster, "Pictures Worth a Thousand Words," to a national microscopy conference. The poster details their research into 3-D tactile images which can help blind and visually impaired students succeed in STEM classes. Left to right: Debra Baluch, research scientist, School of Life Sciences (SOLS); Ashleigh Gonzales, ASU senior, SOLS; Leanne Harris, ASU senior, SOLS. Photo by: Tom Story (Phys.org)—While Ashleigh Gonzales is a typical, 20-year old ASU senior, she is not your average student. Unlike other undergraduates studying life sciences, her decision to major in molecular biosciences and biotechnology created an unusual challenge – one few others are willing to tackle.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-student-d-tactile-images-national.html#jCp

In the News 08.20.12

After a month of summer vacation, we are back with our weekly roundup of news articles relating to blind and braille!

RETINAL DEVICE RESTORES SIGHT TO BLIND MICE 

Researchers report they have developed in mice what they believe might one day become a breakthrough for humans: a retinal prosthesis that could restore near-normal sight to those who have lost their vision. Click here to read more.

DIGITAL BOOKS MAY NOT BE FOR EVERYONE. BUT FOR BLIND PEOPLE, THEY'RE A TRUE REVOLUTION

The book, not just a source of knowledge or entertainment, but as an intrinsically pleasing object, is a familiar theme. Indeed, it came up yet again in this newspaper's letters pages earlier this week. Click here to read more.

THIS DIGITAL AGE: WHY ISN'T IT A PARADISE FOR BRAILLE READERS?

I was reading this piece about how difficult it can be for Braille readers to get a wide selection of books to read and I was confused. For given that we're going all digital this should be the perfect time. Click here to read more.

23 SIGHTLESS TECH CONCEPTS

Even though I have 20/20 vision, I am still super excited by all of these sightless tech concepts. Designers have been hard at work redesigning tech like cellphones and e-readers to be more blind-friendly. Click here to read more. 

LEGALLY BLIND SOUTH KOREAN SETS ARCHERY WORLD RECORD

South Korean archer Im Dong-hyun sees only blurred colors and lines when he peers toward the target about 76 yards away, arrow at the ready. It doesn't stop the legally blind Olympian from hitting the grapefruit-sized yellow center - again and again and again. Click here to read more. 

It looks like people in other countries are also seeing the need for braille in grocery stores. Here is an article from Peterborough, England:

SUPERMARKET TO INTRODUCE BRAILLE HELP FOR BLIND GROCERY SHOPPERS
A store in Peterborough will become only the second supermarket in the country to be fitted with Braille signs to help blind shoppers. Sainsbury's in Oxney Road, Parnwell, will put Braille panels at the bottom of signs to help those with eyesight problems to use the shop. Click here to read more.

The Joshua Project is currently working on new and improved signs for the Whole Foods Thousand Oaks store and also adding to the Santa Barbara store. Thank you to Whole Foods for continuing this project with us. 

Above, Joshua is feeling a new sign being put up. The new signs are brighter and have a little more information.

Silpada Jewellery Fundraiser

Fundraiser at 32129 Lindero Canyon Rd, Suite 105 Westlake Village (Please find us across from Zin Restaurant facing the lake)  Featuring Silpada Designs Jewelry   Monday, August 20th Stop in any time between 11:00am to 5:00pm   A portion of all sales will go directly to The Joshua Project Foundation. Come by and meet Joshua Goldenberg of Simi Valley, an 8 year old boy born totally blind, who with his parents, Evan & Christie, recently started this non-profit (501c3) dedicated to putting Braille and assistive technology in grocery stores throughout the US to help the blind & visually impaired. For more information please go to: www.thejoshuaprojectfoundation.org **If you can not make it to the event, you can order the Silpada Designs online at www.mysilpada.com/mia.morgan Please be sure to select Joshua Fund as your hostess so that the money will go to this important cause.