The Blind Lifestyle Newsletter for October 1, 2022 - Issue 13The 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: 246 opt-in subscribers were sent this issue via email. Dear Blind Lifestyle Subscriber,1) American Foundation for the Blind Announces Free Digital Inclusion Toolkits for School Administrators, Teachers, Families, and StudentsThe American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has announced its Digital Inclusion Toolkits, a set of free resources to create, encourage, and advocate for more digitally inclusive classrooms. Designed for school administrators, teachers, families, and students who are blind or have low vision, the toolkits include planning tools for educators and administrators; information and resources for families and students with visual impairments that are designed to help them connect with others; advocacy tips; and lists of support organizations, hotlines, and other helpful resources: 2) San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired Names Sharon Giovinazzo Chief Executive OfficerThe San Francisco-based LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired has announced that it has named Sharon Giovinazzo as its new Chief Executive Officer. Founded in 1902, the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired is one of the nation's largest and most established blindness organizations, providing comprehensive education, training, and advocacy for the community: 3) U.S. Access Board Seeks Public Comment on Accessibility Guidelines for Self-Service Transaction MachinesTouchscreen kiosks and other types of self-service transaction machines (SSTMs) are a common feature in places of public accommodation, government offices, and other buildings and facilities, allowing users to independently conduct a range of transactions and functions. The U.S. Access Board has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on supplemental accessibility guidelines for different types of SSTMs, including electronic self-service kiosks, for persons with disabilities. The Board seeks comments on accessibility related to the various types of SSTMs, use and design of SSTMs, location of SSTMs, and economic impacts on small business, non-profit, and governmental entities in the implementation of accessible SSTMs: 4) U.S. Midterm Candidate Websites Lacking In Basic Accessibility, Blind Charity SaysSignificant swathes of voters with sight loss are already contending with access barriers when it comes to participating in the U.S. midterm elections due to take place in November 2022. According to research just published by Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, which looked at eight midterm races in five key swing states, major access barriers prevail across the 16 candidate websites under review: 5) Copyright Act | Big Court Win For Visually Impaired | YouTube |Section27 and Blind SA are celebrating a landmark judgment. The High Court ruled the Copyright Act is unconstitutional. It blocks books from being converted to accessible formats for the blind without permission of the copyright holder: 6) Guide Dogs for the Blind and American Foundation for the Blind Release Research Study FindingsGuide 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: 7) Right to Know Week 2022 | OIPC Launches Accessible "Know Your Access Rights" VideoThe Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) is inviting the public to "Know Your Rights" during the annual Right to Know (RTK) Week, held September 26th to October 2nd. RTK Week is promoted each year internationally evolving from International Right to Know Day, September 28th, which has been marked around the world since 2002: 8) People Are Really Putting Aside Health And Wellbeing To Try And Manage CostsBlind and partially sighted people are particularly vulnerable during the cost of living crisis, charities have warned: 9) A Global First As Aunt Bessie's Brings State-Of-The-Art Technology To The Freezer Aisle To Assist Blind And Partially Sighted PeopleAunt Bessie's is bringing a first to the freezer aisle, by teaming up with RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) and NaviLens to support people with sight loss when shopping and preparing frozen food: 10) Foundation Fighting Blindness Launches #ShareYourVision Campaign for October Blindness Awareness MonthThe Foundation Fighting Blindness, the world's leading organization committed to finding treatments and cures for blinding retinal diseases, launches a new social media campaign, #ShareYourVision. The new campaign coincides with October's Blindness Awareness Month: 11) Netflix's Head Of Accessibility Grew Up With Deaf Parents, And It Made Her More Aware That TV Subtitles Can Be TerribleIt was only when she watched TV at a friend's house as a child that Heather Dowdy realized people didn't always use subtitles. Dowdy, who was hired as Netflix's first director of product accessibility last year, used to watch shows like "Family Matters" at home when she grew up in Chicago in the 1990s. The subtitles would always be on, because her parents are deaf. "That's what my parents automatically had," she told Insider. This experience shapes her job at Netflix, where she is tasked with making the platform more accessible to people with disabilities: 12) How Disability Is Informing Better Products-And Better OrganizationsIt wasn't so long ago that businesses were operating in what Jenny Lay-Flurrie calls the "dark ages." As Microsoft's chief accessibility officer, and someone who describes herself as "profoundly deaf," Lay-Flurrie said that the concerns and needs of people with disabilities were almost completely ignored by the business world: 13) Asda Expands In-Store Navigation Trial For Blind CustomersAsda is set to expand its trial of the GoodMaps smartphone app which helps blind or partially sited customers to navigate around the Big 4 grocer's stores: 14) 'First-Of-Its-Kind' Program To Train Visually Impaired As Digital Accessibility TestersA "first-of-its-kind" workforce development program has launched in North Carolina to train people who are blind or visually impaired to become digital accessibility testers: 15) Disney On Ice Treat Aims To Make Show More Magical For Visually Impaired ChildrenA group of children with sight impairments will get to enjoy a whole new experience when much-loved show Disney on Ice comes to Newcastle in December: 16) Mom Captures Video Of Visually Impaired Son Getting Chance To "See" Firefighter By FeelingA mom captured a video of her visually impaired son getting the chance to "see" a firefighter by feeling the equipment and uniform with his hands. "His favorite part was spending time with this patient fire fighter who allowed Junie to feel all over his uniform and gear, touch whatever he wanted, hear the sounds his equipment made, and answered all of his questions!" the mother wrote in part on Facebook: 17) Asda Expands Trial Of UK's First Indoor Navigation Tool For Blind And Partially Sighted PeopleAsda is expanding its trial of new technology which will make it easier for blind and partially sighted customers to navigate their way through the store whilst they do their shopping: 18) Elon Among Dozens Of Universities Sued Over Website AccessibilityPlaintiff claims the university, athletics websites are not accessible for blind, visually-impaired consumers: 19) Canadian Family Taking World Tour Before Children Lose Their VisionTheir daughter Mia was just three years old when Canadian couple Edith Lemay and Sebastien Pelletier first noticed that she was having vision problems. A few years after they first took her to see a specialist, Mia, the eldest of their four children, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic condition that causes a loss or decline in vision over time. By this point, Lemay and Pelletier, who've been married for 12 years, had noticed that two of their sons, Colin, now seven, and Laurent, now five, were experiencing the same symptoms: 20) RNIB and Oxford Uni Press PartnerAn agreement between Oxford University Press (OUP) and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has allowed those with a print disability to access more than 900,000 academic books: 21) If I Could Speak Again | Cai EmmonsI've been dreaming recently that I can talk. In these dreams I always know that my ability to speak will not last; it will come and go, so while it's available I have to speak quickly and efficiently to say everything I need to say. It's a positive dream, a real pleasure to be able to express myself again, if only for a limited period of time: 22) New Treaty Helps Visually Impaired To Access BooksChina's effective implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty marks the country's continual efforts to ensure visually impaired people have equal rights to knowledge and education, experts said on Friday: 23) NewHaptics Awarded NIH SBIR Phase II Grant to Commercialize Multiline Braille and Graphical Tactile DisplayNewHaptics, 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). The competitive $1.7M grant was awarded by the National Eye Institute, which aims to eliminate vision loss and improve quality of life through vision research. This is the third SBIR award received by NewHaptics to date, and supports the company's development of novel tactile display technology for a low-cost multiline refreshable braille display for the blind: 24) Mida Solutions Launches New Attendant Console for Visually Impaired AgentsBuilding on its longstanding partnership with Vision Dept, an Italian distributor of products and services for visually impaired and blind people, Mida Solutions has been working closely with the distributor to understand how to improve Mida Attendant Console in order to allow blind and visually impaired people to use the latest version of the application smoothly, without any kind of limitations compared to sighted operators. This has resulted in the new user interface of Mida Attendant Console achieving the aim of placing blind and visually impaired operators on a level playing field with sighted workers: 25) Alibaba Deploys Inclusive Technologies to Help Elderly and Visually Impaired Access Daily ServicesAlibaba says it is committed to narrowing the digital divide through scientific and technological innovation, such as by upgrading to barrier-free services, introducing AI to disease screening, as well as by taking care of the needs of vulnerable groups: 26) Northside Distilling Co. To Release Bourbon Whiskey For The Visually ImpairedThe Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI) is partnering with Northside Distilling Co. to release Braille Bourbon Whiskey later this month: 27) Braille Institute Establishes Partnership With CSULA to Provide Orientation & Mobility (O&M) InternshipsBraille Institute has entered into an agreement with California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) to provide graduate students in their O&M program the ability to obtain hands-on experience by working with blind and visually impaired individuals at one of Braille Institute's seven centers through a formal internship training program: 28) Dining In The Dark Event Raises Awareness, Funds To Support Hoosiers Who Are Blind Or Visually ImpairedTickets are on sale now for the Dining in the Dark event, which provides guests with an eye mask that allows them to experience how it feels to eat without being able to see. It's all part of a way to bring awareness to the training program offered at Bosma's Center for Visionary Solutions. Dining in the Dark is Bosma Visionary Opportunities Foundation's signature event. The gala will take place on Saturday, September 24th 2022 at the JW Marriott in Downtown Indianapolis starting at 7:00 PM: 29) Viewpoint: Telehealth Disparities Exist Among Visually Impaired PopulationsAn article in Health Affairs shows that visually impaired patients often experience telehealth disparities due to difficulties with accessibility and navigation and shares recommendations to alleviate these issues: 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. Support: publisher@toptechtidbits.com ✉ Partner: Blind AbilitiesPartner Since: May 26th 2022 Website: https://blindabilities.com/ 🌐 About: Blind Abilities podcasts cover the latest technology and developments that enhance quality of life for the Blind and Visually Impaired. 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So was the low-vision senior who designed and in 2015, started a company to make exactly such a product. He did so only after not finding anything that met his low-vision needs. Annually, thousands of repeat and new customers appreciate its design features that include: • Each week is presented across two 8.5" x 11" heavy-weight pages. Also available on Amazon. Partner: Whose Blind Life is it Anyway NetworkPartner Since: June 1st 2022 YouTube: https://bit.ly/3PUsSI8 Facebook: https://bit.ly/3GIpSdH Twitter: http://twitter.com/blindwhose About: Our network has grown from a simple YouTube blog, to a network of shows that all can enjoy. Our network features cooking shows, interviews with blind individuals around the world and how they navigate through life as a blind or visually impaired individual, television and movie reviews, original content from Donna Jodhan, as well as the Blind Perspective, a show dealing with today's news and topic from a blind perspective, which anyone can participate on. The network has also acquired re-runs of the Blind Handyman and Blind Like Me shows, featuring Phil parr and his crew. Adults aren't left out of the mix, as our network also provides sexually explicit content in the form of the Saturday Night Adult Party (SNAP), where we talk about sex, sexuality and relationships from a blind perspective, as well as the Afternoon Radio Theater Sundae, broadcasting old-time radio features of yesteryear. Our network has something for all, but if you don't like YouTube or it's apps, you can catch us on our Facebook Page, or on Twitter, which we also broadcast to for your enjoyment. 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