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, “It’s 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
by Empish Thomas June is Audiobook Appreciation Month, and I wanted to share my experience with learning to love audio books as a blind person. When I lost my vision over 20 years ago, one of the things I missed most was the ability to read printed books. I was a voracious reader and serious … 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
February is National Library Lovers Month focusing on reading and the institutions that provide books. It is a time to honor and recognize the important role that libraries play in our communities. For those of us who are blind or low vision and enjoy books, there are three libraries that provide access to great … Continued
Editor’s 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
Topics That Have Resonated with Readers COVID-19, of course, is the big news anywhere you turn, and VisionAware has responded to this crisis for people who are blind or visually impaired by offering content on staying safe, finding transportation, maintaining your household, and looking out for your eyes. VisionAware uses tags for our blog content and has a great search function, so you should be able to find … Continued
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
By Liz Bottner, VisionAware Peer Advisor VisionAware Peer Advisor Deanna Quietwater Noriega‘s first book-Fifty Years of Walking with Friends brings the reader along on an authentic, captivating journey with the author as she learns to navigate the world accompanied by her nine guide dogs. The partnership with each guide is described in detail, with more than half of the book being … Continued
Editor’s note: Join us for our webinar Dots or Not: To learn or not to learn, that is the question on January 7 at 2:00-3:30 p.m. eastern. Deborah Kendrick and Bill Holton, both of whom are blind, will discuss the benefits versus issues related to learning braille as an adult new to vision loss. Who … Continued
The year 2020 has certainly been a year of many uncertainties. With this in mind, some of the peers at VisionAware would like to share the one main aspect to living they have particularly enjoyed in staying connected to a wider circle of “friends” during COVID-19 – reading a good book. A good book is … Continued