The Blind Lifestyle Newsletter for July 1, 2022 - Issue 7The 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: 205 opt-in subscribers were sent this issue via email. Dear Blind Lifestyle Subscriber,1) W3C To Become A Public-Interest Non-Profit OrganizationThe World Wide Web Consortium is set to pursue 501(c)(3) non-profit status. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops international standards for the Web: HTML, CSS, and notably, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG): 2) Deafblind Teen Artist Creates NFT Collection To Spark Passion And DiscussionA Deafblind teen artist from Lancashire has created one of the first NFT collections of its kind to spread awareness about her disability. You can read more about this on the Lancashire Telegraph: 3) Biden Administration Announces New At-Home Covid Tests For Blind And Low-Vision AmericansOn June 23rd 2022 the Biden administration rolled out free at-home Covid-19 tests that are designed to be more accessible for people who are blind or visually impaired. White House Covid-19 response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said the administration will provide more accessible, rapid self-tests to Americans across the country for free through https://www.covid.gov/tests, which ships tests through the US Postal Service. The specific USPS form to place orders for Covid-19 tests that are more accessible to individuals with low vision or who are blind can be found here: 4) Braille Institute Names Winners of the 2022 Braille ChallengeCelebrating more than 100 years of positively transforming the lives of those with vision loss, Braille Institute announced the winners of the 2022 Braille Challenge this past Saturday at the Finals Award Ceremony held at the University of Southern California campus: 5) The Role of Technology in Helping Students with LimitationsLimitations come in all shapes and sizes. Some students have physical limitations that prevent them from being able to write, while others have cognitive limitations that make it difficult for them to process information. But there is one common thread among all students with constraints: the right technology can help them overcome their challenges and be successful in school: 6) American Foundation for the Blind Announces Third Access and Engagement Report, Observing Impact of COVID-19 as Students with Visual Impairments Returned to In-Person EducationOn June 23rd 2022 the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) announced the release of the third Access and Engagement research report, which examines the continued negative impact of systemic and COVID-19-specific issues on the education of students who are blind or have low vision. The report is based on focus groups and short surveys with families of these students and the professionals who serve them as the 2020-2021 school year concluded: 7) New Miami Lighthouse Podcast Focuses On Issues And Opportunities Facing The Blind And Visually ImpairedMiami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired has launched a new podcast series that discusses medical, technological, legal, social and lifestyle issues impacting individuals with vision challenges and their families. Vision Insights has posted its first episodes, which can be heard on all major podcast outlets, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible and Amazon Music, as well as, the Miami Lighthouse website: 8) By the Blind, For the BlindWhy tools made by the blind, are the best for the blind: 9) Some (More) Thoughts On Smart Canes | From The Blog Of Derek ReimerIn early 2021, I wrote a blog post about smart canes, why they usually are hype, and why canes have the design elements that make them so versatile. This blog post got a couple orders of magnitude more traffic than I expected, and based on the feedback I have received, it was much more educational than I would have expected. It has been posted on many peoples blogs, and even Hacker News. I want to make sure the positive reception of my article is used to guide the industry in an appropriate direction, and generate new useful technologies, instead of being cynical and bashing anyone who may have the thought to attach something to a cane. I will do this by explaining some of the drawbacks to having objects on a cane, and travel implements we could design that would achieve useful goals for blind people, while being more robust: 10) 'Calls Kept Coming': Ukraine's Network For The Blind Shelters Displaced PeopleOne of country's oldest-running organizations turns factory into accommodation for refugees: 11) MetroList of Northern California Launches Property Search by Voice — Search by Voice Helps the Visually Impaired Participate in Their Home Buying ProcessMetroList, the largest Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in Northern California, now offers Search by Voice capabilities, powered by Lundy, Inc. through its newly released MetroList.com real estate search portal. Lundy is leading the way in developing the most comprehensive property search engine to help MLSs be more inclusive and accessible to blind or visually impaired consumers: 12) NSITE Now Offers Additional Resources to Blind and Visually-Impaired Job Seekers and EmployersNSITE, the first organization to provide a continuum of employment services for the blind or visually impaired, has announced an ever-expanding list of programs and resources to train and help place BVI and military veteran job seekers: 13) Blind Scientist Envisions A More Accessible World Through Inclusive TechnologyAfter 20 years in academic research, Dr. Miele made a career shift into the tech space a few years ago by accepting a job as Principal Accessibility Researcher with Amazon. Now, he develops new ways to make Amazon's suite of products accessible to all users, making tools like Alexa, tablets, and TVs useable for the blind: 14) Envision Dallas Adds New Postpress Production Capabilities and Jobs for the Vision ImpairedEnvision Dallas is partnering with Kolbus America to expand their operation and bring jobs to the Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) community of Dallas, Texas. The Kolbus DA 270 will be operated by blind and visually impaired employees of Envision and will expand their capacity to meet increased customer demand of their award binders and retirement binders: 15) Nurturing A New Generation Of Visually Impaired LeadersExtant theatre company hopes sharing best practice across the industry will lead to increased sector opportunities for visually impaired talent: 16) Robles v. Domino's Settles After Six Years of LitigationOne of the most famous accessibility lawsuits of all time finally settles before trial under terms that may never be known: 17) How Art Helps These Disabled Creators Find ThemselvesThe Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., is showing off artwork from some of the most talented artists with disabilities in the U.S as part of a national competition. The Grand prize is $20,000. The Hill has the story and lists the winners: 18) Metaverse For All: Building An Accessible FutureDiversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility are major social concerns — and the combination of the metaverse and the connectivity of 5G could make a notable difference: 19) How Pantene Put The Visually Impaired Community At The Heart Of Its Content"PrettyGreen", "What They Said" and "Pantene" won in the New Product or Service Launch Strategy of the Year category at The Drum Awards for Marketing 2022. Here, we find out more about what went into their successful campaign: 20) Report From The United States Department of Labor: Disability and the Digital Divide: Internet Subscriptions, Internet Use, and Employment Outcomeshttps://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ODEP/pdf/disability-digital-divide-brief.pdf 21) Humans Can Learn Mind-Blowing 'Sixth Sense': StudyFor the blind, better navigation might be just a click of the tongue away. A study from Durham University, published in the Public Library of Science Journal One, examined how individuals with vision loss can use echolocation — a type of sonar used by animals in nature, where they emit a sound that bounces off objects — to get around: 22) Theatre Performance For The Visually Impaired"Camille: The Story" is a revolutionary, multi-sensorial theatrical experience, specially designed for people living with visual impairments. Director and Creator Audrey-Anne Bouchard joins Global's Laura Casella ahead of the English language premiere to tell us more about this unique performance: 23) WCAG, But In Language I Can UnderstandFirst posted January 28th 2022. Updated May 12th 2022: 24) Level Access and eSSENTIAL Accessibility Agree to Merge, Strengthening Market Presence as an All-Encompassing Digital Accessibility Solutions ProviderCombined company plans to expand leadership in accessibility, empowering businesses and organizations to provide equitable experiences for people with disabilities: 25) MIT Is Making Datavis More Accessible For Visually Impaired UsersResearchers from MIT worked with visually impaired London academic Daniel Hajas on prototypes that enable people to access complex data using screen-reading tech: 26) The End of an Era | Pneuma SolutionsJune 15, 2022, marked the end of support for Internet Explorer. It'll go on being supported on some legacy servers for another seven years, but for all intents and purposes, the browser that led us through the explosion of Web 2.0 will take its place in the technology archives. The sunset of Internet Explorer means that the end is also near for System Access to Go (or SAToGo), the first screen reader that could be launched directly from a web browser with no additional assistance. The web is a different place now than it was in 2007 when we launched SAToGo. Today's web browsers are much more focused on both security and keeping the user in control, as they should be, and it is no longer practical for a website to talk the user through the process of downloading and running a program like SAToGo: 27) The Future of System Access | Pneuma SolutionsIn the wake of our farewell to Internet Explorer, where we announced the coming end of System Access to Go (or SAToGo), there has been some unfortunate confusion about the future of System Access in general. So in this post, as chief technology officer of Pneuma Solutions, I want to personally set the record straight. This will be a long post, but I think it's important to be completely candid about where we're coming from and where we're going, so please bear with us: 28) IN THE DARK Sees Audiences Blindfolded To Hear The Stories Of Its Blind Or Visually Impaired PerformersIn the Dark brings to life dramatic turning points in the lives of five people who are blind or visually impaired. It's an immersive surround sound experience where the audience can wear blindfolds, and all the sound effects are created live. They are stories of adversity, adventure and determination: 29) A Year in Cleanfeed AccessibilityIt's almost exactly one year ago that Marc (co-founder of Cleanfeed) and I were invited for a thoroughly enjoyable discussion as guests to the Blind Podcasters' Roundtable. We've made a steady stream of updates since then, so let's follow up where we were then, and now: 30) Waymap's App Helps The Visually Impaired Navigate Public TransitLondon-based Waymap wants to help guide visually impaired people to navigate their surroundings, and it's starting with public transit. The company just concluded a closed two-week trial of its navigation app at three stops within Washington, D.C.'s Metro, and hopes to begin a public trial at 25 Metro stations and 1,000 bus stops by September, according to Waymap: 31) Business Leaders Who Prioritize Inclusion Will Benefit From An Untapped Workforce. I'm The Proof.My name is Kyle Shaults, and I was born with congenital glaucoma on Aug. 19, 1991. I've had 71 eye surgeries to conserve my vision. And while I've faced obstacles in my journey since then, my story proves that great things can happen when people within a company accept people as they are and genuinely strive to be inclusive for all: 32) Art Show Recognizes Deafblind Awareness WeekThe Texas Health and Human Services Commission is celebrating national Deafblind Awareness Week from June 26 to July 2 by hosting the inaugural HHSC Deafblind Awareness Week Art Show: Empowerment through Art. The in-person art show opening will be held on Friday, June 24, at the HHSC North Austin Complex: 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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Anchor Podcast: https://anchor.fm/whose-blind-life-is-it-anyway Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3x6JULS Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3xbsKwM Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3NKUuxu Download: https://bit.ly/3aCdekA Partnership InformationYour Business or Organization Name, Logo, Contact Information and Advertisement HereThe Blind Lifestyle Newsletter is currently awarding partnerships to select individuals, businesses and organizations that have a proven track record of serving the blind and vision impaired community from anywhere in the world. A partnership currently provides you with a free profile in each issue of the Blind Lifestyle Newsletter. These partnerships are currently being awarded by Award Winning Sight Loss Coach, Advocate and Author Donna Jodhan, free of charge, in order to help grow the distribution list for the Blind Lifestyle Newsletter. If selected for a partnership your profile will remain free of charge until the Blind Lifestyle Newsletter reaches 1,000 susbcribers. Current Subscriber Count: 204. Once the 1,000 subscriber milestone has been reached, all current partners will be given the opportunity to convert their free partnership into a paid sponsorship for $1 per issue, per one thousand subscribers, or have their profile removed. It is necessary for us to transition from free partnerships to paid sponsorships at the 1,000 subscriber mark in order to eventually generate enough funding to maintain distribution of the newsletter itself. Please consider partnering with us today. Help us to grow the Blind Lifestyle Newsletter mailing list while we help you to spread the word about your product or service. It really is a win-win for everyone involved. Learn more today at: https://www.donnajodhan.com/the-blind-lifestyle-newsletter.html#partnership-information Give The Gift of Accessibility TodayPlease consider giving the gift of accessibility to disabled children and their families today by supporting one of Donna's many ongoing initiatives. 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 JodhanDonna 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. Pricing Packages5 Hour Package - $200 ContactTo learn more please visit: https://www.donnajodhan.com/. Subscription InformationABOUT:The 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. RELEASE SCHEDULE:The Blind Lifestyle Newsletter is currently released via email and social media on the 1st day of each month at 6:00 AM ET. SUBSCRIBE:Do you, a friend, or colleague wish to receive The Blind Lifestyle Newsletter? If so, please use or pass along our CAPTCHA-free sign-up link, which is: https://donnajodhan.com/subscribe. You can also subscribe to receive The Blind Lifestyle Newsletter on the Award Winning Sight Loss Coach, Advocate and Author Donna Jodhan website at: https://donnajodhan.com or by (SMS) texting "BLINDLIFESTYLE" to 22828. Any of these methods will provide you with an accessibly friendly and secure medium through which you can subscribe to our mailing list. Just enter your email address, click send, and begin receiving The Blind Lifestyle Newsletter. It's that easy. 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