Blindness Briefs – Edition 59

What's Inside

• Blind students struggle to get braille textbooks on time for their studies.
• Lot's of new Internet related lawsuits.
• More on the MrBeast controversy.
• Creating jobs in massage for blind people.
• The right "to get stoned" and other web site accessibility problems.
• Officer demands bribe from blind man.
• Teaching blind football online to women players.
• And about 45 articles about all things blindness and blind people from the entire world.

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Editorial By Chris Hofstader

This was a pretty solid week for blind news but the problem of finding a lot of articles covering the same story persists, especially with the MrBeast story which has dominated the news of the blind for about two weeks now.

World Blind Herald is officially agnostic on blindness community politics. We are not affiliated with NFB nor ACB nor any other advocacy organization but we cover them when they do something newsworthy. This week, one of my favorite stories is in the Blindness Organizations section and contains the NFB reaction to the MrBeast controversy. The NFB spokesperson states what is my personal position on the matter: it doesn't matter how the YouTuber was motivated to pay to have 1000 people cured from blindness with surgery, maybe he was motivated by altruism, maybe he was motivated to gain more publicity for himself, maybe he was looking for more hits on his YouTube channel. There can be any number of reasons this young man chose to spend the money to have so many cured of their blindness and the most important thing is that he actually did it. I don't care why MrBeast chose to take this action but I'm glad he did and, for once, I can say I agree entirely with a statement made by NFB.

This is a pretty diverse edition this week and we hope you enjoy and are informed by edition 59 of Blindness Briefs.

How It's Organized

WBH Weekly Blind News Digest is a very simple page to read. The categories are at heading level 2 and the stories are links at heading level 3. So, navigation to the sections and stories you find interesting is quite simple.

Braille

Why Blind Students Struggle To Get Braille Textbooks On Time

That would be rough for any student, but Mitchell-Butler is blind and depends on braille and tactile graphics to understand complicated diagrams. This story comes to us from: Civil Beat.

QU only addresses accessibility when it has to. Here's how

Quinnipiac University officials appear to have replaced several individual Braille signs in Tator Hall to meet the legal standard of accessibility without updating every sign in the building, an investigation conducted by the Chronicle revealed. This story comes to us from: The Quinnipiac Chronicle.

Technology

Software Accessibility Testers Announce Braille Devices For Diverse Workforce

As a leader in workplace diversity and equity, the software testing company has made accessibility a core tenant of their business by investing in neurodiverse and disabled team members. The addition of these new braille displays to the Iterators testing team will grant visually impaired employees greater access and input to the company's digital assets and projects. This story comes to us from: Newswire.net.

Envision Partners with BRAVO VICTOR to Advance Research and Innovation to Help People Who are Blind or Visually Impaired

Envision, one of the nation's largest employers of and service providers for people who are blind or visually impaired (BVI), has announced a partnership with BRAVO VICTOR, an international research organization headquartered in London and Washington, D.C. BRAVO VICTOR's mission is to accelerate research and explore innovations to prevent, reduce or reverse visual impairment and related conditions and disabilities in order to help veterans and other people to live well with these impairments. This story comes to us from: Yahoo Finance.

Scientists Create AI-Powered Stick That Could Help Blind People

Engineers at the University of Colorado at Boulder have developed a helpful new stick for people who are blind or visually impaired. This story comes to us from: Yahoo Life UK.

Smart solution alleviates vision problems

In 2020, the School of Optometry research team from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University together with an academic-led startup and a research collaborator of the University, conducted a two-year study on "optical defocusing". This has led to its first product, the Defocus Incorporated Soft Contact (DISC) lens. A clinical trial with Hong Kong school children aged between 8 and 13 showed that DISC lenses slowed myopia progression by about 60% when the lenses were worn for eight hours every day during the two-year trial period. This story comes to us from: ejinsight.com.

Blindness Organizations

MrBeast Faced Backlash: What Went Wrong With Blind Surgery Video? And NFB Leader Comments

Andrew Hodgson, president of the National Federation of the Blind of the UK, told BBC Newsbeat: “Anything that puts a spotlight on such treatable eye conditions like cataracts and provides funding for people to undergo surgery to restore their sight should be welcomed." This story comes to us from Lee Daily.

Blind veteran's widower vows to continue supporting charity that helped his late wife

Richard Hughes, 70-years-old and from Preston, will take on the London to Brighton Cycle on 10 September in memory of his late wife Maria Pikulski. This story comes to me from: Charity Today News.

Blind Ambition – CBC Gem

An unlikely team of Zimbabwean refugees turned sommeliers shake up the international wine establishment when they compete in the World Wine Tasting Championships. This story comes to us from: CBC Gem.

Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate collaborates with Baseera Foundation to treat 300 visually-impaired patients in Aswan

Editor: This site has a lot of accessibility problems.

"We highly value our collaboration with Baseera Foundation to help protect and empower people with visual impairment, thanks to the foundation's extensive experience in carrying out medical surveys and providing all required services with high quality,” Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate (AFGRE). This story comes to us from: ZAWYA.

Education

Seven vision-impaired students clear SSC level I exam in Kovai

Some of them have also cleared TNPSC Group II preliminary exam and are preparing for the Mains exam at the Centre situated at Varadharajapuram. This story comes to us from: The New Indian Express.

Employment

Creating Massage Jobs for the Blind and Visually Impaired

People with visual impairments are a natural fit for massage therapy, and a California health care college is partnering with a specialist apprenticeship organization to help match jobs for the blind and visually impaired with students. This story comes to us from: Massage Magazine.

From open water to a dark room | San Diego sailing icon says he was blinded after an eye surgeon used dirty instruments

In a newly filed lawsuit, a San Diego sailing business owner says he went blind from infection during bilateral cataract surgery. This story comes to us from: CBS 8.

Photographer Forced to Shut Down Her Wedding Business After Going Blind

Photographer Forced to Shut Down Her Wedding Business After Going Blind … diagnosed with a rare eye disease that is causing her to go blind. This story comes to us from: PetaPixel.

Transportation

Inquiry on accessible transport 'is a victory for disabled activists in UK

Disabled campaigners and allies have raised repeated concerns about accessible transport during the last year, particularly relating to barriers within the rail, bus and air travel industries. This story comes to us from Disability News Service.

'Why partial loss of vision not considered for railway fare cut?

The Central Information Commission directed the Chief Public Information Officer to furnish a correct, detailed and point-wise reply since the matter related to public interest. This story comes to us from: The Hindu.

Discrimination and Inaccessibility

Smart Ass Cripple: The Right to Get Stoned (and Other Things) Online

On July 26, 1990, I sat on the White House lawn and watched President George H.W. Bush sign the Americans with Disabilities Act. Throughout that glorious summer day, I couldn’t help but fantasize about all the unbelievable things that might happen in the future as a result of this new law. But I never would have guessed that in 2023, because of the ADA, there would be a federal lawsuit entitled Rasheta Bunting v. Housing Works Cannabis. That’s because I never was imaginative enough to conceive that soon there would be a ubiquitous, virtual marketplace located on this thing called the Internet. And among the goods and services being legally sold in this marketplace would be cannabis. And the entities selling the cannabis would be dispensaries licensed by state governments. But that’s exactly where we are right now. New York State legalized the regulated sale of cannabis for recreational use in 2021, and the first dispensary in New York City opened on December 29. It’s operated by Housing Works, a non-profit organization that serves people with HIV/AIDS. Think about all the information we all obtain every day from the Internet. Now imagine what a disadvantage it would be to not be able see the things on the Internet that we take in visually. This story comes to us from: The Progressive.

Safety

Hamilton woman who was sexually assaulted on escarpment stairs calls for security cameras

One unusually warm and sunny December morning, Tara McFadyen was in her happy place, jogging up Hamilton's James Street stairs to the escarpment above — a familiar march she did several times a week. Her heart thumping and a podcast playing in one ear, McFadyen didn't hear a man come up behind her, she told CBC Hamilton in a recent interview. But on the third flight up, she said he forcibly pushed her against the railing and tugged at her clothes, trying to get them off. "I was able to wriggle so I was facing him and I punched him in the face and booked it," McFadyen said. She ran back down the stairs, calling 911 on the way, but the man was gone by the time police arrived, she said. This story comes to us from: CBC.

Poverty

Cost of Living: Blind woman fears missing out on Warm Homes grant

A woman, who is blind and has heart failure, said she feared missing out on a heating grant after a string of hold-ups. This story comes to us from: BBC.

Crime

Man found guilty of first-degree murder in Rosedale stabbing case

A Baltimore County judge found James John Marchsteiner III guilty of first-degree murder Tuesday in the stabbing of a blind man in 2021. This story comes to us from: Baltimore Sun.

Rome Man Jailed for Hitting Blind Mother

Reports added that the victim, a 56 year-old female, was knocked to the ground from the punch. Peschel is charged with battery and exploitation. This story comes to us from: – Coosa Valley News.

Robber forces way into elderly partially blind man's Wilford home

Detectives investigating the robbery of an elderly and vulnerable man are appealing for information. An offender forced his way into the 85-year-old victim’s home after knocking on his door at around 7.30 pm on Tuesday 7 February 2023. This story comes to us from: West Bridgford Wire.

Officer demands bribe from blind man

The Vigilance police on Thursday caught Sanjay Kumar Padhi, Revenue Supervisor of Suliapada tehsil in Mayurbhanj district, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 2,500. Padhi had demanded the bribe from a visually-challenged person to facilitate sanction of incentive amount in his favour towards marriage between a disabled and a normal person. This story comes to us from: Daily Pioneer.

Politics

Bill moves Staunton school for deaf, blind students under governor's umbrella

The sponsor of legislation transferring the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind in Staunton from the state secretary of education to the governor's watch says the move "makes a major statement" about the state's commitment to educating hearing- and visually impaired students. This story comes to us from: The News Leader.

Suffering from near total blindness, Vietnamese activist granted early prison release

Do The Hoa said he was forced to wait months before he could receive medical treatment. This story comes to us from: Radio Free Asia.

Legal

Whirlpool class action alleges KitchenAid website not accessible to visually impaired, blind visitors

A new class action lawsuit filed against Whirlpool claims its website kitchenaid.com is not accessible to visually impaired and blind people. This story comes to us from Top Class Actions.

Bealls class action alleges website not accessible to visually impaired, blind users

Bealls Inc. operates a website that is not accessible to blind and visually-impaired users in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and New York human rights laws, according to a class action lawsuit filed Feb. 2 in New York federal court. Plaintiff Andrew Toro says he is a legally blind person who requires screen-reading software to access website content on his computer. Screen-reading software works only if website content is capable of being rendered into text. This story comes to us from: Top Class Actions.

2 years after this blind man was wrongly evicted, what's happening with suit

After judge says no to dismissing case against state court system, Delaware lawmakers introduce bill to represent some tenants facing eviction. This story comes to us from: Delaware Online.

NPDA reveals dealers face website compliance issue

The NPDA has announced that dealers have received demand letters and threats of lawsuits claiming their websites are not compliant with laws regarding the disabled. The lawsuit threats are specifically in regard to the discrimination of blind people.
Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination based on a disability in places of public accommodations and therefore prohibits businesses open to the public from discriminating against people with disabilities. This story comes to us from: Powersports Business.

Settlement agreement creates accessible absentee voting options for Indiana voters with print disabilities

A historic Indiana lawsuit seeking increased ballot accessibility for voters with print disabilities has settled. This story comes to us from chicagocrusader.com.

New ADA lawsuit target? Local brewery websites

A legal complaint against a Clovis brewery claiming its website is inaccessible to the blind is what one attorney calls the next iteration of lawsuits taking advantage of the Americans with Disabilities Act — and breweries appear to be in the crosshairs. This story comes to us from: The Business Journal.

Business

Vision Impairment Market to See Huge Growth 2023-2030 | Adaptivation, AbleNet, Access Ingenuity

Coherent Market Insights offers a 45% discount on Visual Impairment … like macular degeneration or glaucoma, which can lead to blindness. This story comes to us from: Digital Journal.

Age Related Vision Dysfunction Market is expected to be valued at US$ 130 billion by 2033

The rising incidence of visual impairment and blindness is a primary driver of the global age related vision dysfunction market's expansion. This story comes to us from the FMI Blog.

Lifestyle

I Don't Want To Sacrifice My Freedom To Help Blind Friend—What Should I Do?

My husband's college friend calls us andmentions he is going blind and I feel he is getting ready to ask us to take him in. This story comes to us from Newsweek.

Generous WPTV viewers help save blind, disabled Stuart woman from eviction

Cynthia Harte, a blind, disabled Stuart woman who had been facing eviction, has received some relief thanks to the generous donations of WPTV viewers. This story comes to us from: WPTV.

A blind man who knows how to see

Nothing is fixed in the universe, not even the fundamental particles that are the building blocks of all physical existence; neither the functions and structures of our brain, nor the world around us. This includes our identities and capacities. They are not immutably fixed. Today, I no longer have to subscribe to the belief in the inherent incapacity of the blind, and I no longer have to unquestioningly embody the immobile disabled blind identity that I abhor. “Believe me, what a relief that is. This story comes to us from: Arunachal Times.

Bob Boyd, 92, is blind, plays award-winning bridge, asks rivals, 'It didn't hurt, did it?'

At age 92, Bob Boyd, of Braintree, is blind and plays award-winning duplicate bridge at the Puritan Bridge Club. This story comes to us from The Patriot Ledger.

[Tamerlan is a real live dragon and fashion model][

Meet Tamerlan, whose website describes him as an: "Animal-actor. Fashion model. World's most friendly dragon." Tamerlan is an Albino Supercrimson Iguana who hatched in June 2018, and is blind because of his albinism. His human is Alexey Kashpersky, who is Creative Director at Newt Studios. They have an Instagram account whose goal is "educate people, share rays of positive emotions, inspire with nature's incomparable beauty and never stop being creative along our journey. This story comes to us from: Boing Boing.

Lady Surprises Blind Best Friend After 8 Years, Pays Her an Impromptu Visit

A trending video shared on TikTok app shows the moment a lady paid a visit to her blind best friend after eight long years. This story comes to us from: Legit.ng.

Art and Artists

Blind NC pianist uplifts others with his music.

Blind since the age of nine, Dale Lieser trained as a classical pianist and uses his skills to uplift others. This story comes to us from WFAE 90.7 Charlotte's NPR News Source.

Blind East Jordan Man Creates Beautiful Pieces of Art

An East Jordan man who is blind isn’t letting that stop him from doing what he loves. When George Johnson was getting drafted to serve in Vietnam, he found out he had a genetic eye disease Retinitis Pigmentosa making him ineligible. Around the same time, he was also introduced to woodworking. “When I was diagnosed, they never explained to me what was going to happen, the possibility of going blind,” said George Johnson, Artist of Symatree products. By age 60, Johnson became completely blind. This story comes to us from: 9&10 News.

Sports and Athletes

How to Teach Blind Football to Visually Impaired Female Footballers – online seminar

This seminar will be in German and conducted by Wolf Schmidt (coach of the Women's Blind Football German National Team). This story comes to us from: International Blind Sports Federation.

Visually impaired Warwickshire man completes step challenge

visually impaired fundraiser has completed a year-long five-million-step challenge.
Martyn Parker, from Warwick, raised almost £2,000 for Warwickshire Vision Support.
His final steps were taken at Warwickshire Racecourse during the weekend's Park Run, and were met with applause from runners. This story comes to us from: BBC.

In Memoriam

What You See

A reflection upon the approach of Helen Keller, The author of 12 books, A prominent political and social activist, A leading member of the American Foundation for the Blind, and A world-renown speaker, on acquiring vision or insight even by those who are blind. This thought piece comes to us from Bill Abbate via NewsBreak Original.

[Marilyn Gail Burns]11

obituary for this former American Foundation for the Blind employee. This story comes to us from the West Virginia – herald-dispatch.com.

Weirdness

A Woman Cried Blue Tears and Was Blind After Tattooing Her Eyeballs

Why someone would endanger their sight by tampering with their eyes is a mystery to me. You may have heard that scleral (the white part of the eye) or eyeball surface tattoos are the next trend in the world of extreme body modification. A tattoo model revealed the awful reality of getting blue ink on her eyeballs. Amber Luke was briefly blinded and even cried blue tears, an experience that made her swear off extreme bodily alterations. This story comes to us from: Ceebla Cuud.

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