The Blind Lifestyle Newsletter for May 1, 2022 - Issue 5The Blind Lifestyle Newsletter is the newsletter by and for the blind and visually impaired by Award Winning Sight Loss Coach, Advocate and Author Donna Jodhan. Content curation sponsored by Top Tech Tidbits. The Blind Lifestyle Newsletter focuses on current lifestyle news and trends for the blind, deaf, deafblind and disabled. Subscribers: 187 opt-in subscribers were sent this issue via email. Dear Blind Lifestyle Subscriber,1) Beyond WCAG: Losing Spoons OnlineHave you heard of Christine Miserandino's spoon theory? Spoon theory is a metaphor in which one's physical and mental capacity for each day is represented by a fixed number of spoons that gets replenished each day. Some people are given more spoons than others, and each time you need to expend mental or physical energy as part of your day, that removes one (or more than one) of your spoons. And once you reach zero spoons, that means that you've exhausted your mental and physical capacity for the day — and there's no more that you can do. Every morning, most [neuro]typical people wake up with infinite spoons. They don't even think of spoons as a resource because they almost never run out. They can easily choose to do this or that without risking much other than time consumption. Sure, they get tired by the end of a full day, but generally they have enough spoons to do all the normal things. It's a gift they take for granted. Those with chronic pain or serious illness or certain types of mental illness, like depression, only get twelve or twenty spoons a day. Each activity, even small things like getting dressed or making breakfast, takes a spoon. Careful choices must be made about how the spoons are spent; otherwise, they will be gone before the day is through. Or worse. A bad spoon-management choice might leave them without spoons for several days: 2) Empathetic Design Is Redefining Accessibility For People With Disabilities And Special Needs-And A Growing Number Of Major Companies Are Adopting ItWhen Raja Rajamannar was a kid, his grandmother, who lived with his family in India, became blind. "My sister and I had to help her navigate every day," he says. "I really felt for her." Still, he acknowledges, he couldn't truly know his grandmother's experience moving around the world after losing sight. Now, Rajamannar works as chief marketing and communications officer and president, Healthcare business at Mastercard. In 2019, he was approached by a member of the company's finance team to create a card specifically for people who are blind and visually impaired. "That was immediately a spark," says Rajamannar: 3) The Business Case For AccessibilityIn an ideal world, products and services would be designed so that every person experienced them in an equitable and comparable way. However, sometimes it is necessary to justify to stakeholders why the proper time, money, and resources need to be dedicated to embed accessible practices: 4) The True Impact Of AccessibilityThe Life of a Blind Girl Blog discusses positive aspects of accessibility: 5) Coachella 2022: Accessible Festivals Assists Over 700 Festivalgoers During Weekend 1This company seeks to make concerts and festivals more accessible: 6) The Most Accessible Best of Beauty Award-Winning Products for People Who Are Blind or Have Low VisionThis list is compiled by Allure: 7) Virtual Assistants: A Help Or Hindrance For People With Disabilities?Laura Moya doesn't like technology very much. In fact, within just a few minutes of talking to her, she'll tell you just how inaccessible it is for anyone with a disability. But Laura isn't letting that stop her. She's currently working on her thesis at the University of Zaragoza in north-eastern Spain. While the digital world has the potential to greatly improve the lives of people with disabilities, she feels there's a long way to go before it's completely accessible and inclusive: 8) The Journey Forward: Impact of COVID-19 on Blind, Low Vision, and Deafblind U.S. AdultsThough COVID-19 restrictions have intermittently eased and many Americans are beginning to venture out to shop, socialize, and work, we know that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on all our lives. In July and August 2021, AFB conducted the Journey Forward survey of U.S. adults who are blind, low vision, or deafblind. We gathered data to help us understand the short-term and long-term impact of the pandemic on those with vision loss and learn from their experiences so we can address both COVID-created and systemic issues impacting the lives of those who are blind or have low vision: 9) American Foundation for the Blind to Present Its Highest Honors at Annual ConferenceThe American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) will recognize individuals who have made superb contributions to improving the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired with the presentations of the Migel Medal, the Llura Gund Leadership Award, and the Corinne Kirchner Research Award: 10) UserWay Releases Version 4.0 of its AI-Powered Accessibility SolutionThe cloud-based accessibility solution now includes instant language translations in addition to a personalized user interface: 11) The Most Accessible Best of Beauty Award-Winning Products for People Who Are Blind or Have Low VisionWe have a ways to go before products are universally accessible, but these makeup, skin-care, and hair products show we're moving in the right direction: 12) Physics Professor Creates Planetarium Show For Georgia Academy For The Blind StudentsVisually impaired students from the Georgia Academy for the Blind recently experienced a planetarium show designed especially for them. Instead of looking up at stars projected on a dome, they each held a model of a constellation in their hands. Dr. Matt Marone, associate professor of physics in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Mercer University, created the models of the Orion constellation using a 3D printer, keeping the needs of the visually impaired in mind: 13) First Recorded Congenitally Blind Person With Synesthesia Feels Times As TexturesSynesthesia has been found in a congenitally blind person for the first time — or at least the first time on record. There are many different types of synesthesia, but almost all of them — especially the most famous ones — involve sight in some way. The composer Franz Liszt once notably asked his orchestra to play pieces "a little bluer," for example, referring not to the musical style but the literal color blue, while Nobel prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman would read complicated math equations in glorious technicolor. But that doesn't mean the condition requires sight, as a new case study in the journal Neuropsychologia has now proven. The study authors say that their data "fill an important void in the current knowledge on synesthesia and shed light on the mechanisms behind sensory crosstalk in the human mind." 14) Options And Opportunities For Those Who Are Blind Or DeafblindPeople with any disability have an unemployment rate more than twice that of those without a disability. Only around one-third of working-age adults with significant vision loss is employed between the ages of 21 and 64, according to the EEOC. "The largest barrier is societal/employer attitudes and misconceptions about the capabilities of individuals who are blind or DeafBlind," says George Abbott, CEO and president at The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc., the single largest U.S. employer of DeafBlind employees and the largest employer west of the Mississippi of people who are blind: 15) Early Win For Deaf Plaintiff In VR Captioning LawsuitThis is likely the first legal case for accessibility of virtual reality technologies: 16) The Impact Of Motion Animation On Cognitive DisabilityThe impact of motion animation on people with a vestibular disorder is well documented, and known to cause nausea, dizziness, or headaches, in affected users. However the impact on people with some cognitive disabilities is less commonly discussed: 17) GSA Looks Into Facial Recognition Bias And Improving Accessibility In Federal Web ServicesThe U.S. General Services Administration, which procures and investigates tech for things like government websites and online services, is making a two-pronged push for accessibility in its recently released Equity Action Plan. Websites must be made accessible beyond the bare minimum, it said, and bias in facial recognition systems means the feds will be avoiding it wherever possible: 18) India's First Radio Channel For Visually-Impaired People 'Radio Aksh' LaunchedCountry's first-ever radio channel for the visually impaired, named 'Radio Aksh' has been launched in Nagpur, with the Blind Relief Association Nagpur and Samdrushti Kshamata Vikas Avam Anusandhan Mandal (Saksham) serving as the pioneers of the concept that will help the visually-impaired gain seamless access to education resources and audiobooks: 19) BlindSquare Responds to Request for Help for UkraineOn March 31st, we were approached by Igor Kushni, a Ukrainian BlindSquare user, seeking help on behalf of persons who are blind and partially sighted in Ukraine. We immediately put a plan into action to support them. Below is Igor's plea for help for Ukrainian refugees: 20) APH Behind the Scenes: The Talking Book StudioHave you ever wondered how talking books are produced for people who are blind and have low vision? We spoke with Studio Director Maggie Davis about how the Talking Book Studio serves APH and the field: 21) Georgia State Researchers Take Step Toward Developing 'Electric Eye'Georgia State University researchers have successfully designed a new type of artificial vision device that incorporates a novel vertical stacking architecture and allows for greater depth of color recognition and scalability on a micro-level. The new research is published in the top journal ACS Nano: 22) Kerala: This Device Made Of Biodegradable Plastic Can Help Visually-Impaired Students Learn EnglishEarlier, a single wooden device was used in one class and all students had to use it for learning. Akshi is a 3x3 grid device made of biodegradable plastic: 23) Researchers Intend To Use Ultrasound Devices To Restore Vision To The BlindResearchers are taking advantage of the fact that blind eyes can be stimulated by mechanical pressure. You might have even experienced this, if you have observed shapes and bright spots appearing after gently pushing on your eyeballs when your eyes are closed. Lu says, "The neurons present in the retina of the eye possess mechanically sensitive channels that respond to mechanical stimulation. These neurons are activated when we use ultrasound to generate mechanical pressure." Our PartnersPartner: Top Tech TidbitsPartner Since: January 1st 2022 Website: https://www.toptechtidbits.com/ 🌐 About: Top Tech Tidbits is the world's #1 online resource for current news and trends in adaptive technology. Founded in 2004, Top Tech Tidbits is a leading not-for-profit Adaptive Technology publication that reaches over 7,000 assistive technology professionals, educators and enthusiasts each week. Adaptive Technology refers to items that are specifically designed for people with disabilities. Adaptive Technology is a subset of Assistive Technology. Adaptive Technology often refers specifically to electronic and information technology access. Top Tech Tidbits is a Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd. Publication. Subscribe: Subscribe at: https://www.toptechtidbits.com/subscribe to receive the Top Tech Tidbits newsletter every Thursday morning at 4:00 AM ET. 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Your support makes the difference in keeping our children connected, healthy and part of our community. You may donate one time, monthly, quarterly or annually. All donations, no matter how small, ensure that persons with disabilities, especially our kids with disabilities, are given every opportunity to be a part of our growing virtual world. Learn more today at: Sight Loss Coach And Author Donna JodhanCatching Up With The Coach | May 2022Catch up with the Coach in March 2022. Insightful tips, shares, how-to's and other useful information from Award Winning Sight Loss Coach, Advocate and Author Donna Jodhan: Ask The Coach | May 2022Award Winning Sight Loss Coach, Advocate and Author Donna Jodhan answers 3 different questions posed by readers new to sight loss: Donna Jodhan's Sight Loss CoachingDonna Jodhan has been coaching persons with sight loss since 2000. She is a high profile Apple Certified Trainer and Consultant and a world-renowned Author. She has written and produced and continues to write as a blogger, editorialist, podcast commentator, writer, and fiction author. She produces meaningful and up to date info designed to assist the reader and listener to become more confident when dealing with sight loss. As a person with sight loss herself, Donna recognizes and knows only too well how the colossal challenges of COVID-19 have changed the lives of us all; especially so for those living with sight loss. At the best of times, it is difficult enough to cope when sight loss sets in for anyone but when the world is unexpectedly and practically turned on its head and we are all now forced to find new ways to cope, the challenges of sight loss becomes even more acute. AboutAs a coach, Donna will use her vast knowledge and life experience as an advocate, author, and entrepreneur to successfully assist you in navigating through life and learning how to live with vision loss. Donna will teach you how to navigate the fast moving and complicated world of technology and show you how to conquer bullying and scams. You will learn how to cope with sight loss in your home, garden, places of employment, and your home office. There is nothing better than having someone beside you who can provide personal and customized services to meet and accommodate your needs upon request. ServicesCoaching is available via Telephone, Email, Facetime, Skype, and Zoom. PricingYour Initial Consultation is free of charge. You can expect this assessment to last anywhere between one hour to one and a half hours and we would be pleased to contact you at our expense thus avoiding you having to incur any long distance charges. We believe that our payment structure is affordable and will be able to meet your budgets and expectations. You may pay as you go at $50 / hour or purchase hours in blocks of 5, 10 or 15 at $40 / hour. 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