Posts Tagged ‘Accessible Reading and Braille’

Call to Save Brailled Starbucks Cards

As many blind coffee drinkers know, Starbucks sells brailled Starbucks gift cards. Apparently, these cards are not meant to stay around permanently. We’ve heard they will be taken out of circulation at the end of October, but we want them to stay!

Please take a few seconds to pick up your phone and dial 1-800-23-latte (1-800-235-2883). Choose option 2 and tell the Starbucks representative that we in the blind community don’t want the brailled gift cards to go away. They will send your comments to the people who can be influenced by our calls.

Here’s the press release for the brailled Starbucks gift card:

http://news.starbucks.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=571

LightHouse Tech Seminar – the December Dilemma

Listen via streaming at http://www.lighthouse-sf.org/listen.m3u

The holiday season is fast approaching, and you’re wondering what gift to get for that special visually impaired or blind friend or family member. Or maybe you have been good this year and want to buy yourself a gift.

Join the LightHouse for the next technology seminar and learn about the latest accessible high-tech goodies, in price ranges to suit a variety of holiday budgets.

When: Tuesday, November 15, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. PST
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters, or by phone or streaming audio

Assistive Technology consultant Peter Cantisani will talk to us about Apple TV. Other topics include the Braille Pen and the Pen Friend. We’ll have demos galore at Adaptations, the LightHouse Store, including “The Wilson” personal voice recorder, the SleepPhone (soft headphones one can wear in bed), and the iBill money identifier. There will be many other gift possibilities, as well.

You can participate in one of the following ways:

• Tune in via live audio stream on our website
• Dial in with our telephone conferencing service
• Attend in person and talk to the presenters after the seminar

RSVP to 415-694-7326 or rsvp@lighthouse-sf.org. Conference call and live stream instructions will be provided with RSVP.

Can You Hear Me Now? Technology Seminar October 6

Join the LightHouse for the next technology seminar and learn about cell phones that are accessible for the blind and visually impaired.

When: Thursday, October 6, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters

Find out if a smartphone or a basic phone is right for you. Do you want to join the iPhone craze?  Or maybe you would prefer to use the Sprint Sanyo Vero smartphone or the Verizon Haven basic phone?

Assistive Technology Consultant Peter Cantisani and representatives from Sprint and Verizon will present and answer questions. You can participate in one of the following ways:

• Tune in via live audio stream on our website
• Dial in with our telephone conferencing service
  • Attend in person and talk to the presenters after the seminar.

RSVP to 415-694-7326 or rsvp@lighthouse-sf.org. Conference call and live stream instructions will be provided with RSVP.

Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest

The National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB), and the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) are pleased to announce the 29th annual Braille Readers Are Leaders contest for K–12 students. Registration is now open.

The contest encourages children around the country to be proud of their ability to read Braille and continually work to improve their skills. As in previous years, students will read as many Braille pages as they can in two months (November 1, 2011, through January 4, 2012) to compete for ribbons, cash prizes and an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2012 NFB national convention in Dallas, Texas.

For the third year, NAPUB and the NFB Jernigan Institute are also offering a contest for mature Braille readers. Adults will compete for cash prizes, national recognition and bragging rights!

Teams of two to five participants are welcome to compete in both the K–12 and adult contests again this year. Form your teams, get some interesting reading material and warm up your fingers! For detailed information about the K–12 and adult contests, please visit www.nfb.org/BRAL.

Seven Simple Steps
1. Register: Fill out the simple online form at http://www.nfb.org/BRAL to enter the contest.

2. Gather: Collect leisure reading material (books, magazines and whatever else you enjoy reading that has a title, author and date of publication).

3. Log it: Download the reading log at http://www.nfb.org/BRAL. Save it where you will be able to access it easily, or print it and keep a hard-copy log.

4. Read: Put your fingers to the paper.

5. Leader Board: Update your “Pages Read” on the Leader Board to compete for additional prizes.

6. Letters: Contestants competing for a special award in the K–12 contest must submit at least one letter of recommendation for each award.

7. Turn it in: Submit your reading log, special award documentation and final entry form no later than January 18, 2012, at http://www.nfb.org/BRAL. Mark your calendar with the important dates below.

Important Dates
October 1, 2011: Registration for the contest opens and continues through the end of the contest.

November 1, 2011: Contest begins, and participants start tracking their reading.

January 4, 2012: Louis Braille’s birthday marks the end of the contest and the last day participants can count their pages.

January 18, 2012: All documentation for the regular contest and special awards must be submitted to the NFB Jernigan Institute by midnight. This includes reading logs, letters of nomination and final entry forms.

March 2012: Prizes are mailed out.

Paper forms may be downloaded via http://www.nfb.org/BRAL or requested by e-mail, mail, telephone or fax from:

Braille Readers Are Leaders
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230
Phone: 410-659-9314, ext. 2312
Fax: 410-659-5129
BrailleReadersAreLeaders@nfb.org

ACB and Google Conduct Survey to Better Understand Computer Usage and Assistive Technology Patterns in the Blind Community

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) recently announced it will be working with Google Inc. to survey blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind individuals to better understand how they use computers and assistive technology to access information.

The survey, developed jointly by Google and the American Council of the Blind, will gather data about technology use and needs in the blind community. Respondents will be able to complete the survey by either telephone or web. Survey data will be used to better understand how blind users interact with the web, which assistive technologies they find most useful, and how they make decisions about whether to switch or upgrade tools.

The survey, which will run through mid-September, is available immediately at www.acb.org/googlesurvey. Individuals who want to take the survey by telephone, please call 347-772-8355.

National Braille Test to be Held at the LightHouse

The National Literary Braille Competency Test will be administered by the National Blindness Professional Certification Board on Thursday, October 13, 2011, at the LightHouse for the Blind, 214 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco.

The test is used to measure the level of a person’s ability to read and write contracted literary braille. Candidates who fulfill all application requirements and successfully pass the test are awarded National Certification in Literary Braille. Although the test can be taken by anyone, it is intended primarily for teachers of braille and future teachers of braille.

Please go to www.nbpcb.org/nclb for more information about the exam (including preparation materials) and to register. Deadline for registration is September 30. You may also contact the National NCLB Test Coordinator, Deja Powell, at dpowell@latech.edu or 318-257-2029 with any questions.

Video Magnification—For Some Bigger is Better

Adaptations, the LightHouse store, provides a full line of hand-held magnifiers to assist with spot reading. But many times, hand-held magnification isn’t enough. To provide you with assistance in finding possible alternate solutions, Adaptations and our low vision training services can help.

That’s because there really is no substitute for holding a device in your hand and checking it out directly rather than reading about it in some catalog. Each month, on the first and third Monday, an Adaptations store associate will host a free one-hour overview and demonstration of our 12 desktop and hand-held video magnification systems. During this hour you will learn how magnification and contrast may enhance your useable vision through the use of video magnification.

When: First and third Mondays, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. (please RSVP)
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters

To RSVP for a demonstration, please call Adaptations at 888-400-8933.

Personalized Sessions Also Available
Would you like a one-on-one assessment to determine which kind of magnification is right for you? Make an appointment for a 90-minute session in which you and a trainer will match your vision with the tasks you hope to accomplish, your need for magnification and the attributes of both desktop and hand-held video magnification systems. For an appointment and information regarding the fee for this service (some individuals 55 and better may be eligible for assistance), please contact Linda Porelle at 415-694-7315 or lporelle@lighthouse-sf.org.

Low Vision Evaluations
If you are new to low vision and have useable vision (you can easily read the headlines of a newspaper) but have never had a low vision evaluation, we encourage you to do so and can make sure you are connected with a low vision specialist in your area. A low vision specialist will provide the evaluation that may enhance your useable vision. To set up an appointment, contact Alex Galeczka at 415-694-7318. This service is covered by most Medicare and Medi-Cal plans.

Public Commentary Needed – Obtaining Accessible Instructional Materials While in College and Graduate School

On July 11 and 12, 2011, members of the Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities (AIM Commission) will convene for their fourth in-person meeting. AIM Commission members are interested in gathering public commentary on stakeholders’ personal experiences related to obtaining instructional materials in the postsecondary environment.

The meeting and public hearing are open to the public and press.

Attend the meetings in person or online, or submit your commentary by phone or email. Additional details regarding the meeting and public hearing are as follows:

The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Seattle in Seattle, Washington in conjunction with the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) annual conference.  AIM Commission members will review and discuss a draft of the AIM Commission’s report that will be submitted to Congress in the fall of 2011. On the evening of Tuesday, July 12, 2011, AIM Commission members will hold a public commentary session for all interested stakeholders, including students, Disability Service/ADA Coordinators, faculty, and other members of the university community.

WHERE: The Sheraton Seattle, 1400 6th Avenue, Seattle, Washington  98101

MEETING DATES:
Commission Meeting: July 11-12, 2011
Public Hearing: July 12, 2011

MEETING TIMES:

July 11: The open commission meeting will occur from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (PDT)

July 12: The open commission meeting will occur from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (PDT)

July 12: The public hearing will take place from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (PDT)

Participants who wish to comment at the public hearing in person or via telephone are encouraged to register in advance by calling Janet Gronneberg at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) at 781-245-2212 (voice) or 781- 245-9320 (TTY) or by emailing her at jgronneberg@cast.org by June 30, 2011.

The submission of written public testimony is also highly encouraged and can be submitted to AIMCommission@ed.gov.

The AIM Commission meeting and public hearing can be accessed remotely through the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) webinar system. Please click on the link below that corresponds with the correct time and date of the meeting:

Monday, July 11 (8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. PDT): https://aimpsc.ilinc.com/join/yvbmysr

Tuesday, July 12 (8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m. PDT): https://aimpsc.ilinc.com/join/bbmtzsh

Tuesday, July 12 (3:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. PDT): https://aimpsc.ilinc.com/join/yvbmyjr

Established by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, the AIM Commission has brought together government leaders, representatives from the publishing industry, individuals with print disabilities, representatives from two- and four-year institutions of higher education and leaders in accessible technology. The AIM Commission is charged with studying the current state of accessible materials for students with disabilities in postsecondary education and making recommendations to the Secretary of Education and the relevant authorizing committees in Congress for improving access to and the distribution of instructional materials in accessible formats.

Free Braille Books for Kids

The Dollywood Foundation will begin a new partnership with American Printing House for the Blind to provide children’s books in Braille. The foundation’s Imagination Library each month sends free books to hundreds of thousands of youngsters. Learn more here.

Tomorrow! Freedom Scientific Lunchtime Seminar at Adaptations

Discover the benefits of using electronic vision aids and software to improve activities of daily living at home, school, the work place or just about anywhere. Enjoy a free lunch as Adaptations, the LightHouse Store hosts an informative presentation and hands-on demonstration by Freedom Scientific and Access Ingenuity.

Participants will have an opportunity to learn about and actually use Freedom Scientifics’ new TOPAZ and RUBY video magnifiers, MAGic screen magnification software and new MAGic keyboard, JAWS Screen Reader, as well as the brand new SARA CE and PEARL Camera with OpenBook, lightning fast tools to scan and read printed materials.

Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
When: Tuesday, June 21, 10:00 a.m. to noon, lunch included

This educational seminar is tailored for people who are visually impaired and their families, instructors and trainers, seniors and senior center staff, and vision support groups. Attendees are invited to stay for a free lunch following the seminar. There will also be a drawing for a free RUBY Handheld Video Magnifier!

For more information and to RSVP, call us at 1-888-400-8933 or email us at adaptations@lighthouse-sf.org.