Blind

July 2014 – The U.S. Justice Department has announced a settlement with Florida’s Orange County Clerk of Courts to resolve violations regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  The Orange County Clerk of Courts allegedly failed to provide accessible court documents to a blind attorney, despite repeated requests. The attorney’s appeal for electronic documents, accessible by screen reader technology, was not provided in an accessible format for over four months.

September 2013 —The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) announced that they are accepting nominations for the 2013 Migel Medals.  The medals, considered the “highest honor in the blindness field,” were established in honor of M.C. Migel, the first chairperson of AFB, and are awarded to a professionals and volunteers whose work has “significantly improved the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired.” Nominations are due October 4, 2013 and can be submitted here.

August 29, 2012 –The National Federation of the Blind and AccuWeather® have joined forces to provide accessible weather alerts to the blind and print disabled.  Audible weather alerts will be disseminated via NFB-Newsline®, a free service that offers hundreds of newspapers and magazines in audible formats.  According to NFB, the service is the first of its kind, bringing independent access to emergency information to the blind.
 

July 26, 2012 - In an effort to increase the number of printed materials for people who are blind and low vision, ex-offenders will be trained in Braille transcription, computer skills and business techniques. The program, Providing Real Opportunities for Income through Technology (or PROFITT), is currently being beta tested in a maximum-security institution in Texas. It was developed through a partnership of the National Braille Press, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC) at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

July 12, 2012 –The American Foundation for the Blind and FloCo Apps, LLC have collaborated to produce AccessNote, a note-taker app for any iOS tablet or smartphone. AccessNote is compatible with the built-in accessibility features of iOS such as Voice Over and the iOS screen reader. It is also compatible with Apple’s wireless keyboard and wireless braille keyboards and displays.  AccessNote is scheduled for release this summer at a price point below $30.    [Source: American Foundation for the Blind]