What's Inside
- 83 year old blind woman needs help at sex shop
- AI being used for diabetes vision loss detection
- Blind LSU student shares struggles
- Blind pedestrians struggling with homeless. camps in Sacramento
- Blind fashion design students win scholarships
- And, 50 more articles about blindness and blind people from all over the English speaking world
Editorial By Chris Hofstader
When I published the first edition of this digest back in January, I was thinking of it as an interesting experiment and hoped to continue assembling it into the future. After publishing the first few editions, feedback about the digest started to trickle in and it was both coming from individuals for whom I've a lot of respect but it was also universally positive.
For a long time, initially motivated by my friend Laura Legendary (now a member of the World Blind Herald team), I had grown increasingly aware that publications about blindness and blind people either focussed on a single topic (technology for instance like the excellent Top Tech Tidbits), were a lot of inspirational stuff that made me want to puke, were highly religious and treated blind readers as if we were children removing anything too disturbing from their coverage. Laura, whose full time endeavor is her braille jewelry business, convinced me, a hardcore techno guy, that there was much more to our world than just accessible technology and World Blind Herald will be delivering as much of that information as we possibly can.
How It's Organized
Gonz Blinko's 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
Braille workers to be feted at luncheon
A celebration for all current and former volunteers of the Braille Work Center in Freistatt will be held at noon on Oct. 10 at Trinity Lutheran School Fellowship Hall in Freistatt. The event commemorates the outreach’s 25th anniversary, which takes place Oct. 7. This story comes to us from: monett-times.
Quinnipiac yet to replace more than 200 inaccessible braille signs
More than 240 Braille signs on Quinnipiac University’s Mount Carmel campus do not comply with the accessibility standards defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, an investigation conducted by The Chronicle revealed. This story comes to us from: The Quinnipiac Chronicle.
Technology
eSight™ Assistive Device for Visually Impaired Available for Demonstrations at AAO
eSight, is holding demonstrations of its current medical device model, eSight 4, at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Conference in Chicago, Illinois, Sept. 30 through Oct. 3, 2022. eSight representatives will be onsite to discuss the company’s expansion into the telehealth space and scalable access for the low-vision individuals who need it most. This story comes to us from: Yahoo Finance.
Screening for Diabetes related vision loss? Artificial Intelligence to the rescue
Diabetes has become the fifth leading cause of blindness across the globe. Diabetic retinopathy is one of the major reasons for visual impairment. This story comes to us from: News18.
Identiv-Powered Digital Health Solution Wins Fast Company's 2022 Innovation by Design Awards for Packaging
Identiv, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVE), global digital security and identification leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced an Identiv-powered digital health solution built for a national pharmacy chain won the 2022 Fast Company Innovation by Design Award in the Packaging category and was an honoree in the Accessibility category. The easy-to-use technology behind this digital health solution allows for greater medical independence for all patients. Identiv is dedicated to building more empathetic designs that will continue to provide transformational experiences in everyday lives.
The easy-to-use technology behind this digital health solution allows for greater medical independence for all patients. This story comes to us from: Yahoo Finance.
This app uses AR, '3D sound' and a camera to guide blind people around big cities
I've been talking and writing about experimenting with using 3D audio in access technology for years. We had a plan for such at FS but it was canceled within hours of my being chucked out of there. It's good to know that 18 years later, a group is working with 3D audio in this space.
When people who are blind or visually impaired try to move around a city like Paris, they can easily get lost the minute they exit a subway station. A pair of young French engineering students are working to tackle this problem by developing an augmented reality (AR) navigation app that identifies the most practical route for them and uses “spatial sound” – also known as 3D sound – to guide them in the right direction. This story comes to us from: Euronews.
NewHaptics Awarded NIH SBIR Phase II Grant to Commercialize Multiline Braille and Graphical Tactile Display
NewHaptics, an innovative tactile display technology company, announced it has been awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). This story comes to us from: PRNewswire.
Blindness Organizations
CIBC supports Chicago Lighthouse project to bring affordable, supportive housing to Chicago's west side
CIBC is proud to announce its support for a unique, affordable housing community for blind or visually impaired residents and military veterans. CIBC's Community Development team is providing a total of $27.9 million in construction financing for The Foglia Residences, a partnership between The Chicago Lighthouse and Brinshore Development LLC. In addition, the bank's $30.2 million equity investment will create 76 units of affordable permanent supportive housing for families that will serve low-income residents at 80%, 60%, and 30% area median income (AMI) levels. This story comes to us from: Yahoo Finance.
Prime Stage earns American Council of the Blind award for audio description services
Nathan Ruggles’ work as an audio describer at Prime Stage Theatre means he is responsible for bringing the visual elements of live theater to visually impaired audience members. “It’s all about making that visual imagery present and accessible to people who have visual impairment,” said Ruggles, 48, of Pittsburgh’s Mount Oliver neighborhood. This story comes to us from: triblive.
Foundation Fighting Blindness-DC Metro Chapter Speaker Series
The Foundation Fighting Blindness DC Metro Chapter invites you to our first in-person Speaker Series of 2022! Connect with others in the DC Metro community and meet the DC Metro Chapter leaders who can help guide you through your journey with vision loss. This free Speaker Series will provide valuable information on the latest Foundation-funded research, updates on local low vision resources, and guidance on becoming more involved with your local Chapter to join in fighting blinding diseases. This story comes to us from: Patch.
Fall Festival Benefiting Anderson Chapter, National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina
The Anderson chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina seeks to promote, to educate, to empower and to encourage the mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing of the blind of the Anderson area, the state and of the nation, and to function as an integral part of the National Federation of the Blind. This story comes to us from: WSPA.
Online Registration – National Federation of the Blind of Texas: Live the life you want
Register for 71st Annual Convention. This story comes to us from: National Federation of the Blind of Texas.
BASF donates $3,000 to SC School for the Deaf and the Blind
BASF announced Thursday that sites in Converse and Mauldin have donated $3,000 to the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind. “At BASF, we know the importance of creating chemistry each day,” said Converse site manager Jerome Kirkland. “Every child, regardless of abilities, should experience the wonder of a STEM education." The donation will help the school build a new science lab at the School for the Blind. This story comes to us from: WSPA.
Empire Lighthouse for the Blind will hold car show, chili cookoff
All proceeds benefit Inland Empire Lighthouse for the Blind, an organization offering training for people who are totally blind or legally blind. This story comes to us from: Redlands Daily Facts.
Ksrelief Concludes Voluntary Program To Combat Blindness In – menafn
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) concluded today the voluntary medical program to combat blindness and its diseases in Hadhramaut Governorate, Yemen, within 'Noor Saudi Arabia' voluntary program, which was implemented from 9 to 17 September, 2022, in cooperation with Al-Basar International Foundation. Since the campaign started, the KSrelief's voluntary medical team has medically examined 6,042 cases, performed 400 cataract surgeries, and distributed 1,288 glasses. This campaign is part of the projects related to combating blindness, implemented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the KSrelief, targeting families with low incomes in several countries. This story comes to us from: menafn.
Foundation Fighting Blindness Launches #ShareYourVision Campaign for October Blindness Awareness Month
The #ShareYourVision campaign invites individuals affected by blinding diseases to share their vision-loss journey through written word, audio, or video. Participants can choose whether to share their story with a small select group of people they know or to share their story more broadly. This story comes to us from: pr newswire.
Education
Blind LSU math graduate student shares struggles at university, advocates for blind students
When partially blind Justin Champagne was walking alone in the streets of Ruston, Louisiana, on his way to the Louisiana Center for the Blind, his walking cane unexpectedly snapped. “I was like ‘oh crap, I’m going to have to call them to pick me up…’ but I didn’t,” Champagne said. Champagne, a math graduate student at LSU, calls it “getting a flat tire” when one of his cane tips breaks because it’s a simple fix. He turned his cane tip upside down, a temporary fix that allows him to get him to his destination. This story comes to us from: LSU Reveille.
iStem Tech Training Course | DSB – Wa Dept of Services for the Blind
Would you benefit from more information about opportunities in tech, accessibility considerations, and ways to get started or further develop your skills. I-Stem is an organization that seeks to use technology to empower people with disabilities in education and employment through a combination of technology-based products and skilling and training opportunities. As blind technology professionals (software engineers, AI engineers and product managers), i-Stem’s trainers are aware of the best practices to help someone who is blind or visually impaired learn and thrive in the tech industry. This story comes to us from: Washington State Department of Services for the Blind.
Employment
m/Oppenheim Executive Search Seeks President/CEO for American Foundation for the Blind
Hunt Scanlon Media
… has been enlisted to find the next president and chief executive officer for the American Foundation for the Blind. This story comes to us from: Hunt Scanlon Media.
Discrimination and Inaccessibility
The Americans With Disabilities Act and Elections: Disabled Voters Are Still Disenfranchised
The midterm elections are fast approaching. As people research their preferred candidates and mark key dates in the election cycle on the calendar, there is a group of people who often need to do extra research and due diligence to ensure their votes are received: the disabled. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 61 million adults in the United States have disabilities, including conditions that limit mobility or impair cognition. Others live with deafness or are hard of hearing, are blind or have limited or low vision. Many conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and various neuromuscular conditions, can be multiply disabling. Thanks to the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), disabled Americans are supposed to have equal access to the ballot box. But it wasn’t always this way. This story comes to us from: Teen Vogue.
Safety
Blind Escambia County woman concerned with road safety
The CDC estimates about 12 million people over the age of 40 have some sort of vision impairment. One million of those are legally blind. Simple tasks such as opening a door, turning on the lights, sometimes difficult things to accomplish for those who can’t see. Crossing the road is also dangerous for them. Since the American Disabilities Act of 1990, enhancements to traffic safety measures have made it easier and safer for those who are visually impaired to cross the road. But some of our local roads have fallen behind on the standards, making one Escambia County blind woman's walk to the grocery store a gamble with life and death.
This story comes to us from: WEAR-TV.
More consideration for blind people needed, or a ban for cyclists and e-scooters
I am writing to raise awareness of the daily hazards totally blind people face on a day-to-day basis and the anxiety caused by selfish and inconsiderate people. I was crossing the crossing near McDonald's with my guide dog, Quiz, on the morning of September 17. She did an emergency stop. Either an e-scooter or push bike came towards me at high speed. It was so close that I could feel the air as it rushed past. The male rider shouted an expletive. This story comes to us from: Yahoo News UK.
Poverty
Blind Sacramentans struggle with homeless blocking sidewalks
Some blind residents living in the Arden-Arcade area of Sacramento are having trouble getting around their neighborhood. "There are tents pitched on sidewalks. There are grocery carts filled with trash," said Susan Hood. "There are things that impede my ability to walk down the sidewalk. This story comes to us from: KCRA.
Crime
Man, 90, who stabbed blind wife because he could 'no longer cope' is spared jail
A 90-year-old man who stabbed his blind and sick wife because he could "no longer cope" with her care has been spared prison. Edward Turpin, a retired butcher, got a carving knife from his kitchen and attacked his wife Joan in bed at their home in Orpington, Kent, in September last year. Afterwards, he dialled 999 and told the operator: "I don't want to stop the bleeding. We want to die. This story comes to us from: Sky News.
Guide Dogs
Guide Dogs for the Blind and American Foundation for the Blind Release Research Study Findings
Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) have announced the findings of The Role of Guide Dogs in 2022 and Beyond, a joint, two-year research study to examine the long-term outlook for guide dog use in the United States and Canada. This story comes to us from: Business Wire.
Woman urges respect for those with disabilities, guide dogs during awareness month
September is National Guide Dog Awareness Month. In honor of these four-legged friends and the people they serve, News 13 Photographer Lucas Nelson spoke with a local woman who says people should show more compassion for those with disabilities. This story comes to us from: WLOS.
Legal
Family of Girl Left Blind and Mute After Botched Dental Procedure Awarded Nearly $100 Million But May Never Get Money
A young Texas girl was left blind, mute and unable to walk or eat on her own after a dentist deprived her of oxygen during a medical procedure. Now that dentist must pay the girl’s family nearly $100 million, but they may never see the money. This story comes to us from: Crime Online.
The Karlin Law Firm LLP – Press Conference on Weds Sept 28 re Law Firm Seeks Judgment Against Serial ADA Website Plaintiff
This ADA troll has filed hundreds of lawsuits and he may not even need access technology to use his computer. And you wonder why I seem so paranoid that ADA will be weakened or taken away entirely.[
Law firm plans to release court filings and a video that alleges a fraud being perpetrated against small business owners in the name of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by a Miami, Florida, resident Andres Gomez – a serial plaintiff in more than 600 ADA website cases. The Supplemental Request For Judgment filed in the case by the Karlin Law Firm alleges that Plaintiff Gomez has falsely claimed he needs special software to access websites. This story comes to us from: Online Press Release Distribution Service | PRWeb.
Overtime Sports class action alleges website violates civil rights of visually impaired people
Overtime Sports runs a website that is not accessible to blind and visually impaired people using a screen reader, in violation of the law, a new class action lawsuit alleges. Plaintiff Linda Slade filed the class action lawsuit against Overtime Sports Inc. Sept. 14 in a New York federal court, alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as New York human rights and civil rights laws. According to the lawsuit, the media company has violated the civil rights of visually impaired people by failing to run a website that is accessible to them. This story comes to us from: Top Class Actions.
Business
Novartis and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) conclude negotiations for Luxturna®, a gene therapy for previously untreatable inherited vision loss
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. and the pan Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) have successfully concluded negotiations for Luxturna® (voretigene neparvovec), a one-time gene therapy for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with vision loss due to inherited retinal dystrophy caused by confirmed biallelic RPE65 mutations. Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) are a major cause of early onset blindness. This story comes to us from: Newswire.CA.
Visual Impairment Market: Rising prevalence of visual impairment & blindness and growing prevalence of eye disorders are expected to drive the market growth
The growing aging population is expected to foster the risk of vision impairment. Geriatric population with more risk of visual impairment is projected to augment the global visual impairment market growth during the forecast period. Visual impairment is a common problem that affects millions of people worldwide. It is a condition in which one or more eyes cannot see as well as they do in good eyes. This story comes to us from: Medgadget.
Preventing Blindness
Prevent Blindness Declares Second Annual Inflammatory Eye Disease Awareness Week as Sept. 26 – Oct. 2
Prevent Blindness, the nation's leading eye health and safety nonprofit organization, has declared Sept. 26 – Oct. 2, 2022, as the second annual Inflammatory Eye Disease (IED) Awareness Week. IED includes a range of conditions associated with eye inflammation. Inflammation is the body's response to injury, infection, or irritation. Most cases of eye inflammation can be successfully treated. However, in rare cases there can be a serious disease present, which is a threat to the eyesight. This story comes to us from: Yahoo Finance.
Reusable Contact Lenses More Than Triple Your Risk Of Catching This Rare Eye Infection
Your risk of contracting a rare eye infection increases almost four times if you use soft reusable contact lenses compared to using soft disposable ones. That’s the grim findings from research led by the University College London (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital, where researchers have been investigating what factors can increase a person’s risk of being diagnosed with Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK. This story comes to us from: IFLScience.
Lifestyle
Modern Love Podcast: How to Feel Yourself
At 83, and legally blind, a woman needs help with one of her favorite pastimes: visiting the sex shop. This story comes to us from: The New York Times.
My husband and I are blind. Our blindness is not an issue to our kids, but it is to other parents
This is a really good and somewhat long story that, if you're interested in such things, I highly recommend reading.
My husband is also blind, so we rely on nonvisual tools and methods to parent. When we decided to start a family, the fact that we are blind was not a deterrent. We expected a variety of challenges to present themselves; some we've anticipated, but others have come out of nowhere. This story comes to us from: Yahoo News.
Homeless Man Helps Blind Old Lady Cross Street, Learns She Is Leading Him to His New Car
A homeless man seeking proof that miracles exist helps a blind older woman cross the street, knowing little that she was leading him to his new car. Theodore was a homeless man who had lots of faith in God but not in humans. When people he begged for alms drove him away empty-handed, he demanded God for evidence that humanity and miracles still existed. His prayers were unexpectedly answered shortly after through a blind 78-year-old woman coming his way. Brenda clutched onto her support cane while trying to cross the road safely that afternoon. She could hear many vehicles speeding past her, like ferocious lions roaring in the woods. She was frightened to cross the road and hoped people noticed her dark glasses and understood she was blind. This story comes to us from: AmoMama.
A vision of gender equality
Across the world, women disproportionately make up 64.5% of the visually impaired population. Whilst the reasons for this are numerous, studies have shown that in developing nations in particular, men are 46% more likely to receive sight-restoring surgery than women.
According to a study published in The Lancet in 2020. This story comes to us from: Bdaily.
"Who's Cutting Onions?" Kind firefighter kneels as blind kid explores his gear
A firefighter recently showed off his kind side to a little blind kid he met. The little kid who's visually impaired had an idea of firefighters but he wanted to feel the gears to deepen his knowledge. This story comes to us from: Legit.ng.
Art and Artists
‘It’s About Me as a Blind Person and Painter’: How Artist Manuel Solano Conjures Vivid Canvasses From Memory
Throughout their career, Mexico-born, Berlin-based artist Manuel Solano has returned to painting bodies of water many times. Capturing the interplay of light and movement across the surface of a lake or pool was tricky enough in the years before they became blind from an HIV-related illness in 2014. Now, each attempt relies on memory. This story comes to us from: Artnet News.
Fashion Design Students Win CFDA Scholar Awards with Impactful Collections
Tara Sears ‘23, recipient of the $25,000 Avani Gregg scholarship, centered her project on inclusion. Entitled “Sense”, Sears focused on sensory exploration in fashion for those who are blind or visually impaired and emphasized the importance of texture in her collection. This story comes to us from: MARIST CIRCLE.
Preston woman releases inspiring collection of children's books on disabilities and differences
A Preston woman is inspiring others to reflect on their own personal differences with her children’s book collection based on disabilities and differences. Joanne Moore has been working on ‘The Bit Different’ collection for the past seven years and has released two books so far. The author told Blog Preston the main message behind the book collection is to convey the importance of creating an inclusive environment from a young age. This story comes to us from: Blog Preston.
Blind metal guitarist keeps on rocking
Razor's Dave Carlo isn't letting personal set backs prevent him or his band from releasing its first new studio album in 25 years. This story comes to us from: CNN.
Watch: Blind Man's 'Collector Babu' Request Song Goes Viral
I don't consider busking and begging to be the same thing. This man is entertaining people who can then voluntarily give him money. Busking is a job, not begging.
This is Prafulla Das, a visually impaired from Ragadi area in Jajpur. He plays his harmonium and begs for living. He is using the same harmonium and voice to beg for a house from collector. This story comes to us from: OdishaTV.
I Get Goosebumps All Over": Video of Blind DJ Performing Excites Netizens
Extremely talented DJ AUSJ is one of the 9ja Spirit Talent Hunt contestants, and he showcased what he's got by giving the judges and audience a fantastic mix of good music. The people who witnessed his performance were swept off their feet as he mesmerised them despite his obvious sight condition. This story comes to us from: Tuko.
Sports and Athletes
84-year-old blind man walks from Guelph through Mississauga to Toronto for SickKids
An 84-year-old, blind, retired Guelph farmer is walking through Mississauga to raise funds for SickKids. This story comes to us from: Insauga.com.
Eclipse, a blind North Surrey hockey team played a demo game at PlayOn
Every player on the team is legally blind. The Eclipse plays every Sunday evening at North Surrey Ice Centre. This story comes to us from: Peace Arch News.
Blind swimmer Jeremy McClure becomes first person to finish Abrolhos to Geraldton journey
A man lies on the beach while a woman covers him in blankets. An exhausted Jeremy McClure lies on the beach after completing the epic swim. This story comes to us from: ABC.
In Memoriam
Jacqueline Giles Obituary (1929 – 2022
Jackie, the youngest of seven children, grew up on a farm in Marion, OH. At 13, Jackie had an illness that left her blind. Her sister, Margaret, and her husband, Fred, took Jackie to NYC to attend a school for the blind, where she learned braille. A lover of dogs, Jackie had many seeing-eye dogs. Her first dog, Suzy, was the first non-human member of Delta Gamma Sorority. Jackie attended Dennison University and later transferred and graduated from Ohio State. This story comes to us from: shaw-davis.com.
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