Vision Loss

While making our way through the lobby at CSUN14 look who we ran into!  He (distinctly male voice) was quite witty, as John mused about who was controlling him, he quickly retorted, “Is Someone controlling you?”  “Oh yes,” we replied, laughing.

January 2014 — The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) filed suit against the Department of Transportation (DOT) challenging regulations issued under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) meant to “require that airline check-in kiosks be made accessible to airline passengers who are blind.”  The NFB asserts that the regulations, which require 25 percent of airport kiosks to be accessible by 2023, fail to implement the ACAA as Congress intended and that currently kiosks can easily be made accessible   by “affixing Braille labels, installing headphone jacks and adding speech software that prov

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.

September 2013 — Sprint has announced the release of Kyocera Kona, a new smartphone with multiple accessibility features.  The compact flip phone provides users with a tactile keyboard, verbal descriptions of on-screen menus, “high-contrast user interface options,” 911 shortcuts, and “verbal translation enabling internet browsing.” The phone is also being currently offered free of charge, following a $50 mail-in rebate.  Of the service, David Owens, Vice President of Product Development at Sprint, stated, “Sprint has always been dedicated to ensuring accessibility – whether it’s our award w