The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Public Policy Center has announced the reintroduction of federal legislation that seeks to establish a nationwide Medicare demonstration project to evaluate the fiscal impact of a permanent change in Medicare coverage that would, for the first time, provide reimbursement for low vision devices. The AFB Public Policy Center, … Continued
An age-old question that surfaces regularly in my work is this one: “Is it true that blind people develop super senses, like extra-sensitive hearing or touch, to compensate for not being able to see?” A variation of the “super senses” question asks this: “Are the other senses truly enhanced, or do people without the sense … Continued
Guest blogger Rebecca Sheffield, Ph.D., is the Senior Policy Researcher with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. The AFB Public Policy Center collaborates with policy makers in Congress and the Executive Branch to ensure that Americans with vision loss have equal rights and opportunities to fully participate in … Continued
Amy Authors Second Book on Mobility Editor’s note: Beckie Horter, peer advisor, conducts this interview of Amy Bovaird about her second book. Cane Confessions is the second book in peer advisor, Amy Bovaird’s, mobility series. The first is Mobility Matters: Stepping Out in Faith. It follows the journey of her orientation and mobility training. In … Continued
Editor’s note: One of the many benefits associated with an online information center and website, such as VisionAware, is the ability to track readers’ search terms [i.e., information readers are seeking as they search online]. Of particular concern to many readers are issues related to the diagnosis and treatment of low vision, as evidenced by … Continued
Editor’s note: This is the 3rd part of our series on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Be sure to read Part 1 on useful tips when you meet a person with vision loss and Part 2, “Speak to Me.”. And stay tuned next week for Maribel Steel’s post on “accepting life as it … Continued
Dr. Joseph Fontenot is a medical doctor, Certified Low Vision Therapist, and Medical Director of Community Services for Vision Rehabilitation (CSVR), with offices in Alabama and Mississippi. He is also the current Chair of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Vision Rehabilitation Committee. In that role, he commissioned and led the production of There Is Something … Continued
Today’s blog is from Joy Thomas of Double Vision Blog. Joy and Jenelle are identical twin sisters with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) who hope to share their perspectives, experiences, and challenges with vision loss. 8 Things I Wish People Knew About Going Blind From a Degenerative Eye Condition It usually occurs slowly. While there are some … Continued
Here is an in-depth interview with VisionAware peer advisor, Steven J. Wilson, who shares his life in how he went from having a successful career working on yachts to accepting his dual sensory disability as a deaf/blind person. He has recently completed a Liberal Arts degree program of studies while also raising his daughter as … Continued
Reading Books on Blindness Reading is still a pleasure I enjoy every day. The beauty of talking books is that I can multi-task as I listen to my latest selection on BARD. In fact, I can carry around my iPhone filled with downloaded books from my ambitious reading list and listen as I fold clothes, … Continued