Communication Devices for Helping Individuals who are DeafBlind

Communicating with others can be challenging. For individuals who are DeafBlind, communicating with others presents some additional challenges. Some devices (low and high tech) are available to assist DeafBlind individuals in communicating with those around them. The APH DeafBlind Pocket Communicator The DeafBlind Pocket Communicator (DBPC), a low-tech device, is available through the American Printing … Continued

Be My Eyes and APH ConnectCenter: An Exciting Partnership

In 2015, APH VisionAware published a post by Audrey Demmitt, peer advisor, about a new app called “Be My Eyes.” In the post, Audrey said, “ I am visually impaired and recently tried this app on the recommendation of my optometrist John Henahan, who also wrote about his experience.” Dr. Henahan said, “I love being an … Continued

An Introduction to APH Huntington: A Program to Enhance Resources and Outcomes for a Rural Area

APH Huntington Launches In July 2020, the American Printing House for the Blind launched APH Huntington – a new program developed to provide technology and other trainings to people who are blind or low vision in Cabell and Wayne Counties in West Virginia. With an inaugural grant from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable … Continued

Need Internet Service? Check Out the Affordable Connectivity Program

Affordable internet services are critical in today’s world of virtual connectedness. As we all discovered during the pandemic, Zoom support groups, meetings, and virtual medical appointments were and still are a real boon to everyone. For people with minimal transportation services, these accommodations can be a true “lifeline.” That is why the new Affordable Connectivity … Continued

Celebrate National Library Week with a Vision Rehabilitation Therapist

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

Accessible Cell Phones with Keypads

By Hannah Fairbairn, Author of When You Can’t Believe Your Eyes Editor’s note: A version of this post appears on Hannah’s blog and is published on VisionAware. Links to Hannah Fairbairn’s book, When You Can’t Believe Your Eyes, and the webinar she did for VisionAware are at the end of this post. She hopes this post will be helpful in choosing gifts for the holidays and other occasions. … Continued

Google’s Lookout App: Your Android Swiss Army Knife

You’ve heard about Microsoft’s 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 doesn’t run on Android? Well, now the wait is over for the Android version. Google’s 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

Celebrating National Book Lovers Day

 National Book Lovers Day is observed every year on August 9. It’s a great opportunity to roll up my sleeves and dive into one of my favorite pastimes, reading! For individuals who’ve 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