January is braille awareness month. Louis Braille, creator of the braille code, was born on January 4. There are many misunderstandings about braille. A few years ago, in Four Misconceptions to Learning and Reading Braille, I said, âItâs been my experience, with the occasional exception, most individuals with an acquired vision loss who did not grow up using braille express little interest … Continued
Hadley: A Great Gift People Who are Blind or Low Vision Who says great gifts need to be expensive? Or, that you canât give yourself a great gift, just because? Hereâs a suggestion for a gift that costs nothing and offers hours of learning. Itâs also designed with people who are blind or low vision … Continued
Editor’s note: Just in time for the holidays, Steve Kelley has provided a great suggestion for a gift. Keep reading to find out more and check out our APHVisionAware gift guide and gift giving webinar. If you are blind or low vision and use a smartphone or tablet, you know how handy these devices are. … Continued
Over the years, Iâve heard clients say, âYou people are the best kept secret.â When Iâve mentioned this to others in the profession, they inevitably smile, and say, âOh yeah, Iâve had clients say that too.â Too me, it is rewarding and sad to hear clients say vision rehabilitation therapists (VRTâs) are the best kept … Continued
Get Ready to Read This Month at Your Local Library The week of April 3 through 9, 2022 is National Library Week. Also. Vision Rehabilitation Therapist Awareness Week is the week of April 14. This is the perfect time to team up with the local library and a Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT) to learn more … Continued
Note: Review updated 1/18/23 For cell phone users who miss the tactile keypad and want the extra features of a smartphone, the BlindShell Classic 2 may be your next phone. The BlindShell Classic 2 has added some great hardware and software features to their original, very accessible phone. A major difference between the BlindShell and … Continued
Editorâs note: January 4 is designated as International World Braille Day, recognizing Louis Braille, born that day in 1809. Braille was the creator of the braille code, which revolutionized reading and writing for people who are blind throughout the world. Over the past 200 plus years, many tools have been developed helping people learn to … Continued
Editorâs note: This post is part of a series VisionAware is doing during White Cane Awareness Month. Be sure to read our post on October 15: White Cane Safety Day – VisionAware in which we describe the history of the day and how it has evolved since it was first proclaimed a national day by President Johnson in 1964. Itâs a great time to … Continued
Youâve heard about Microsoftâs Seeing AI App, and all the cool stuff it does on the iPhone: it reads printed text, scans labels, describes scenes, and more! But what if you have an Android phone and Seeing AI doesnât run on Android? Well, now the wait is over for the Android version. Googleâs Lookout app is here with many of the same features, just a tried-and-true Swiss Army knife, Lookout has many useful tools. Opening the App Until recently, Lookout … Continued
National Book Lovers Day is observed every year on August 9. Itâs a great opportunity to roll up my sleeves and dive into one of my favorite pastimes, reading! For individuals whoâve experienced a recent vision loss, reading may be a particularly sensitive topic. As a vision rehabilitation therapist, one of the things I hear most often from clients is the challenge of reading the newspaper, magazines, and of course, … Continued