If you’ve passed by our office in San Francisco recently, you may have noticed something peculiarly colorful. We’ve just finished hanging up the Beaded Quilt Art Mural in front of our building facing Van Ness avenue.
LightHouse News
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.
Jobsite Conversation Series Takes Off!
Last week, the LightHouse launched its Jobsite Conversation Series by visiting with Roberto Gonzalez, the Alternate Media Technology Specialist at Berkeley City College.
Roberto studied Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley and has worked as an AT Specialist for nearly two decades at companies such as HumanWare, Alva and Adaptive Technology Services. He is an expert in the field, and we are thankful he found time in his busy schedule to let us visit and hear first-hand of the successes and insights he has gained as a blind professional.
Our blind jobseekers gathered a wealth of knowledge during our visit with Roberto. From implementing self-advocacy during the interview process to accessing adaptive technology in the workplace to enhancing collaborations with one’s sighted colleagues, Roberto’s first hand stories and insights were well received and greatly appreciated. The group also enjoyed Roberto’s sense of humor as he recalled some of the more lighthearted challenges he has encountered as a blind professional.
Our next visit will take place on Wednesday, June 29. We will visit Karla Gilbride, an attorney at Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a non-profit legal center whose mission is to ensure dignity, equality and opportunity for people with all types of disabilities throughout the United States and worldwide.
In 2007, Karla received her law degree from Georgetown University. Soon thereafter, she moved to Seattle where she obtained a clerkship role for a Federal Judge. In August of 2008, Karla moved to the Bay Area after securing her current position with DRA. Karla will soon be returning to Washington D.C. to work for a law firm that focuses on Civil Rights and Consumer Rights with an emphasis on class action law suits.
We are greatly looking forward to spending time with Karla and learning about the success she has enjoyed as a blind attorney.
Join us! If you are a job seeker and would like to meet and learn from some of the Bay Area’s most successful blind professionals, please contact Rich Russo at 415-694-7352 or rrusso@lighthouse-sf.org.
Herb Levine Legacy Fund
The Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco (ILRCSF) has announced the establishment of an annual fund designed to foster grassroots disability rights activism in California.
Executive Director Herb Levine is retiring after more than 30 years of leadership in the Independent Living Movement and ILRCSF is honoring his legacy of service by making a sustained commitment to fostering grassroots projects that are in line with their mission of working to ensure that people with disabilities are full social and economic partners, both within their families and in a fully accessible community.
Guidelines for applicants:
- Projects must be California-based
- Applicants must submit a 1 to 2 page letter describing their proposed project, a short statement about their involvement in the IL Movement, and a detailed budget of up to $1,500.
- Individuals with connections to Independent living Centers throughout California are strongly encouraged to apply, though applicants with no affiliation to an ILC will still be considered.
All applications must be received, annually, by July 9th, Herb’s birthday. Winners will be announced, annually, on the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, July 26th.
The establishment of the fund was made possible by a generous donation, and will need to be sustained by donations made to the Herb Levine Legacy Fund. Both applications and donations may be mailed to:
ILRCSF
RE: The Herb Levine Legacy Fund
649 Mission St, FL 3
San Francisco, CA 94105
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.
There’s an App for That. Booklet Lists Nifty Picks for Blind iPhone Users.
Alameda resident and longtime LightHouse friend Peter Cantisani has long been a champion of finding off-the-shelf technologies that work for blind people.
Peter has just finished a volume on iPhone apps he’s found that can be helpful and extremely affordable. “Twenty-six Useful Apps for Blind iPhone Users” is available for $9 in Braille, eBraille, DAISY and Word formats. Order it here.
This Friday – Invitation to Comment on the Accessibility of Technology for People with Disabilities
Accessibility in this digital world is critical – just as are ramps in the physical world. It is impossible to ignore the changes and challenges in technology for persons with disabilities, whether with personal computers, Internet web sites, or smart phones.
The Department of Rehabilitation would like you to know about an upcoming federally sponsored “listening session” where we – as agencies, organizations, individuals and private companies – can share our needs and ideas on what the Federal government can do to improve accessibility of technology for people with disabilities. Participation is in person only. The listening session will be held on Friday afternoon, 1:30 to 5:00 pm on June 17, at Stanford.
Stanford University
Hewlett Training Center
Auditorium Hewlett 200
370 Serra Mall
Stanford, CA 94305
Please click here to RSVP and see more details: http://ssa.gov/open/listening-session.html
Sendero Group GPS Demonstration
GPS has become one of the essential options in a blind person’s access technology tool box. Learn about all the current GPS solutions available, and the pros and cons of each system.
Jaime Adams of Sendero Group will be at the LightHouse in San Francisco on Wednesday June 22 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. for this demonstration – she will also be available after the demonstration to meet with you individually. Some of the GPS products that will be on display include the BrailleNote GPS, Sense Nav for the BrailleSense and VoiceSense, Mobile Geo, Sendero Maps for the PC, and the Sendero Lookaround Application for both the iPhone and Android Phones.
Where: San Francisco office of Lighthouse for the Blind
When: June 22, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
If you are interested in meeting with Jaime individually, please make an appointment for a half hour segment between 10:00 and 11:30 a.m. To sign-up, please contact Kathy Abrahamson at 415-694-7336 or kabrahamson@lighthouse-sf.org.
Calling All Volunteers!
Calling all volunteers to help this weekend in the Please Touch Community Garden!
When: Sunday, June 12, from Noon to 4:00 p.m.
Where: Please Touch Community Garden, located on 165 Grove Street at Van Ness. Entrance is in the Lech Walesa alley
Help us beautify and spruce up the Please Touch Community Garden prior to our public celebration and Open House on June 18. On that day we will unveil and hang a new mural, the “Beaded Quilt”, on the LightHouse for the Blind building, adjacent to the garden’s entrance.
We will be cleaning the lot, moving mulch, painting decorative wooden cutouts and doing some planting and overall enrichment to the terrain.
For information or to participate, contact Gk Callahan at 415-694-7335 or pleasetouchgarden@gmail.com
