Happy Safe Fourth of July! Â The Fourth of July is a time of fun, remembrance, and celebration for many Americans. Friends and family gather together to enjoy early morning parades, backyard barbecues, and nighttime fireworks. Fireworks are exciting, fun, and spectacular, but donât let an accident spoil your celebration. According to the U.S. Consumer … Continued
Individual Smiling at the Camera Editorâs note: Jacob Lesner-Buxton, who is blind, is the Systems Change Coordinator at the Independent Living Resource Center. During his time at ILRC, he has specialized in advocacy around accessible events, youth transition, and voter education. He has over 20 years of experience volunteering and working with non-profit and government … Continued
Editor’s note:Â It is fitting that for Motherâs Day 2023, we revisit a post that Peer Advisor DeAnna Quietwater Noriega wrote in May, 2013, as a tribute to her mother. This post marked the inaugural post for the Peer Perspectives on Vision Loss Blogânow called âVisually Impaired Now What?â Â Diagnosed with Congenital Glaucoma My … Continued
In an effort to call out the importance of Zero Discrimination Day, Elizabeth Sammons and other VisionAware peers have put together a very comprehensive article on Social Interactions as Non-Visual Participants. The article shares personal stories of handling uninformed comments made by strangers in stores, airports, restaurants, and other public venues. This blog summarizes some … Continued
In 2015, APH VisionAware published a post by Audrey Demmitt, peer advisor, about a new app called âBe My Eyes.â In the post, Audrey said, â I am visually impaired and recently tried this app on the recommendation of my optometrist John Henahan, who also wrote about his experience.â Dr. Henahan said, âI love being an … Continued
Valentine’s is a good time to think about self-care. Self-care means caring for yourself in ways that promote health and well-being. As peer advisor and author of a new self-care series, Audrey Demmitt, R.N., says, “Self-care gives you the power to nurture your body, mind, and spirit in transformative ways.” When you take care of … Continued
Editorâs Note: In honor of National Technology Day, Jan. 6, read on to learn both the importance of alternative text (alt text) for individuals who are blind/ low vision and how to write it. Accessing the internet is important to people who are blind or low vision. We all get online to surf the web, … Continued
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
Editorâs note: What is braille? Is it just a code comprised of six dots? Is it outdated and replaceable? In between recounting books he has read in braille, George Stern, who is DeafBlind, shares braille-related memories and reflections. Over the course of his life, George shares, âbraille [is] an irreplaceable key to the treasury of … Continued
Editor’s Note: In time for the International Day of Disabilities on December 3, Empish Thomas has written a post about presenting at the 2022 WordPress Accessibility Day, including her challenges and how she overcame them. I have been using WordPress for nearly three years for my website and blog. My overall experience using this platform … Continued