General Information

Education & Classroom Accommodations

Michigan Resources, Support Groups, Listservs & Websites

National Resources & Websites

Articles Related to this Disability

Medical Information

Opening Doors: Technology & Communication Options for Children With Hearing Loss

This new publication, from the U.S. Department of Education, is designed to connect children and their families with assistance as early as possible. It also describes current technologies and communication options for children with hearing loss, including deafness. The publication is available in PDF, Word, and text-only formats on the Department of Education's Web site.

Glossary of Vision Terms
List of terms related to optometry and vision therapy.

BookShare.org: Membership Driven Site That Offers Electronic Books
Bookshare.org dramatically increases access to books for the community of visually impaired and otherwise print disabled individuals. This online community enables book scans to be shared, thereby leveraging the collections of thousands of individuals who regularly scan books, eliminating significant duplication of effort.

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What about a child with a vision problem, particularly if no one knows about that vision problem? The child may have difficulty seeing a chalkboard, reading a book, writing, participating in sports or any of the other normal childhood activities.
 
Think about it for a moment. A child with a dental problem is likely to complain about pain in their jaw or teeth. A child with a vision problem may complain about a headache, words "dancing" on a page or the child may not complain at all. The child only knows that they are not able to do things that other children can do. The child may compensate for the vision problem by avoiding tasks that require good vision, such as, reading and writing.
 
Get the picture? A child with a vision problem looks a lot like a child with a reading problem, or a self esteem problem. Now comes the tragic part, there are millions of children who suffer from undetected vision problems.  Click here to read more.

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BLIND VISION Literacy Update: Textbooks for Blind Students "Come Alive" - A standard textbook for primary or secondary school students is a robust learning tool rich with photographs, illustrations, charts, maps-visual images that bring the words to life. Textbooks for blind or visually impaired students are considerably less dynamic. A full book may comprise as many as 15-20 bound volumes. All of the helpful graphic components are useless unless the teacher describes them. Locating a highlighted vocabulary word is cumbersome and difficult. The learning status quo for these students may be changing as the result of a project completed by assistive technology experts at UB.

When Is Learning Difficulty Due to a Vision Problem?
While learning occurs through a number of complex and interrelated processes, vision plays a key role. Many signs, symptoms and behaviors associated with learning disabilities -- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other learning problems -- are similar to those caused by vision problems. This is why it is so important that a comprehensive vision examination be part of the interdisciplinary evaluation of all children who are failing to succeed in school.  Click here for more information.

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Parents of Blind Children of Michigan - http://www.parentsofblindchildren.org/

This site provides: education, resources and support for parents, teachers and friends of children with visual impairments; information on activities and supports for children/youth with visual impairments; and provides advocacy and educational support for children/youth with visual impairments. Michigan specific issues and events are also discussed.

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Featured Resource: Sight for Students - VSP (Vision Service Plan), a nationwide, non-profit, vision benefit plan, sponsors Sight for Students^TM , a program that provides eye exams and eyeglasses to children of low-income, uninsured families. They quote these statistics, among others: Nearly 30% of children in special education classes, more than 70% of juvenile delinquents, and more than 60% of the individuals enrolled in adult literacy programs have vision problems. This year they will help more than 50,000 children. VSP commits up to 40% of company profits to fund the program. To read more statistics, visit http://www.vsp.com/newsroom/html/sfs_statistics.jsp.

Vision Connection: Web Site for People Who Are Blind or Have Partial Site - Vision Connection is aiming to become the Yahoo for people who are blind or have partial site. It features large type, legible fonts, reverse contrast, and text only pages for people with partial site, and is designed specifically so screen readers and magnification software can work with it. Provides links to many sites that are easy to use for those with vision impairment or who are blind.

A to Z of Blindness and Vision Loss Now Online American Foundation for the Blind expands web site: Whether you're hoping to find the latest information on accessible cell phones for people who are blind or have low vision, looking for resources to help teach a visually impaired student in your classroom, working for a corporation researching ADA compliance, or are experiencing vision loss and want to learn how to maintain your independence, www.AFB.org has the answer.
 

American Optometric Association – www.aoa.org
 
Optometric Extension Program Foundation – www.oep.org
 
College of Optometrists in Vision Development – www.covd.org
 
Parents Active for Vision Awareness – www.pavevision.org
 
Operation Bright Start – www.operationbrightstart.com

Lighthouse International - Their mission is to overcome vision impairment for people of all ages through rehabilitation services, education, research and advocacy. Free literature on eye diseases (macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, diabetes, and more) and various resource lists (reading options, adaptive computer technology, financial aid, etc.) Referrals to support groups, low vision services, rehabilitation agencies, state agencies and advocacy groups. Free catalog of low vision aids. Lighthouse Int'l, 111 E. 59th St., New York, NY 10022 or call 1-800-829-0500.

National Organization for Parents of Blind Children - Support for parents of blind children. Serves as both an advocacy and public information vehicle. Offers positive philosophy and insights to blindness and practical guidance in raising a blind child. Newsletter, parent seminars, free information packet, meetings, conventions. Dues $8.
   

BLIND VISION Resource Alert: Often we receive requests about accessible games. The following message provides a link to an interesting audio-resource (Brunhilde Merk-Adam). "If anybody is interested in playing games and stuff like millionaire (there is a version called "Who wants to win a million points") then they might want to check out the 49 different audio based games on the UK Audio Network. You will need to have the free real player installed, but apart from that you don't even need your screen reader! They are all free as well, and most questions are not specific to any country. Here is the link to the games room: http://www.yrguk.com/entertainment/gamesroom.htm."

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For the Blind, Technology Does What a Guide Dog Can’t - T. V. Raman was a bookish child who developed a love of math and puzzles at an early age. That passion didn’t change after glaucoma took his eyesight at the age of 14. Now a highly respected computer scientist and an engineer at Google, he has built a series of tools to help him take advantage of objects or technologies that were not designed with blind users in mind and is now focusing on touch screen cell phones. “How much of a leap of faith does it take for you to realize that your phone could say, ‘Walk straight and within 200 feet you’ll get to the intersection of X and Y,’ ” Mr. Raman said. “This is entirely doable.” “What Raman does is amazing,” said Paul Schroeder, vice president for programs and policy at the American Foundation for the Blind. “He is a leading thinker on accessibility issues, and his capacity to design and alter technology to meet his needs is unique.”
 

Paterson's Ascension Inspires Disabled - When David Paterson takes office Monday to become the nation's first legally blind governor to serve more than a few days, among those watching with the greatest interest will be those who cannot see.
 

Eye-catching System Helps Students Read - Dozens of Miami-Dade schools are diagnosing reading problems by using infrared goggles that chart how students' eyes move. "I know how to read; I know how to pronounce everything," said Rhiannon Chavez, who failed to graduate last month from Michael Krop Senior High in Northeast Miami-Dade because she has not passed the state's reading exam. "The problem is that when I finished, I wouldn't know what I just read." Rhiannon and dozens of her classmates are now enrolled in a program known as Reading Plus, which uses infrared goggles and customized software to track their eyes and train their brains. The same program is being used in many of Miami-Dade's lowest-performing schools -- as well as a handful in Broward and Palm Beach counties -- and administrators are crediting it with impressive gains.

It's Harry Potter Time! Seeing With Your Mind - At the stroke of midnight on Friday, Harry Potter fanatics will descend on bookstores to claim "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth installment of J. K. Rowling's best-selling series. Although Ashley Bernard, 12, says she has read the first five books "at least 15 times each," she will not be among the midnight crawlers. Blind from birth, she has always faced a torturous delay of at least three months to get a Braille edition.

Stevie Wonder Uses New Technology For Blind Fans - Stevie Wonder is making headlines for using a special new music video technology for the clip to his song "So What The Fuss." The video will include a second, descriptive audio track, recorded by hip-hop star Busta Rhymes, and will be accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. Two versions of the video will be released -- the first will be a traditional music video, while the second version will be accompanied with the new technology which can air on all SAP-accessible TV channels.

A Guiding Light in Clouded World - Barry Richard, who is nearly blind, once paid $23 for a hamburger and a beer. He intended to cover his check with a $5 bill and three ones but handed the waitress a $20 and three ones by mistake. She accepted the windfall without a peep. Here's what Richard since has learned about handling cash when you can't see.

 CA Assemblyman Seeks More Funds for Visually Impaired Students - In front of a watchful audience of media, politicians and educators Friday, 9-year-old Taylor Rebhahn recited a fictional story she wrote about an elephant named Rose who needed someone to care for her. The fourth-grader didn't read her imaginative story from a piece of paper in front of her or a computer screen. Instead, her little fingers lightly touched Braille coming out of a computer as she read about Rose's sad fate of being picked up by zoo keepers.

Eddie and Maria Bell Have Adjusted Gracefully to Life — and Parenthood — Without Sight - "A few years back, I was assisting a family in Texas who had a teenage daughter who became blind within about a three day span due to medical complications from an infectious disease. By the grace of the universe, Eddie Bell was in town and available to work with the young woman and her family on a one to one basis. We were all so thankful for his expertise, patience and kindness. Sharing his very similar experience and positive attitude about blindness (including the information of the journey that led him to that positive attitude) made all the difference in the world for the young woman who has moved on in her life with courage and grace. Thought the following article might be of interest to some of you too…" - Brunhilde Merk-Adam, Parents of Blind Children of Michigan
 

BLIND VISION Technology Update
BLIND VISION and POBC of Michigan, January 09, 2004
Since the year 2000, the American Foundation for the Blind has published "Accessworld," a publication designed to provide latest assistive technology news and reviews related to blind and visually impaired individuals. Until now, however, "Accessworld" has been a bimonthly, subscription-based magazine. Starting with the January 2004 issue (Vol 5. No. 1), "accessworld" is available free of charge on AFB's web site at www.afb.org. The easiest web address to use to get to the initial Access World "home" page is http://www.afb.org/aw/main.asp which lets you also access back issues. The January issue presents an extensive section on DAISY books and the current efforts to bring DAISY into the mainstream disability community in the United States. The table of contents for the issue can be found at http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw0501toc.

GA Special Needs Student is Resolute - In a dimly lighted room, 14-year-old Chelsea Gilliland read aloud as she skimmed her hands along rows of raised dots, letting her fingers see the words. The LaFayette High School freshman is legally blind, hearing impaired and has trouble walking. Despite her physical handicaps, Chelsea has succeeded in school, making all A's and B's.

New Video Releases with Descriptive Narration from DVS Home Video - DVS Home Video®, an initiative of the Media Access Group at WGBH, announces the availability of six new film titles on home video-fully described for viewers who are blind or visually impaired. These feature films, available to order November 24, include Finding Nemo, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Seabiscuit, Matrix: Reloaded, Bruce Almighty and The Lion King-Special Platinum Edition.

U.S. Team Finds Track Success at Blind World Championships - In the highlands a few kilometers north of the old city of Quebec and the majestic St. Lawrence River, more than 900 visually impaired athletes competed the past week at the second International Blind Sports Association World Championships.

Technology transmits sense of touch over Web - Breakthrough by UB engineers could lead to technology that teaches users how surgeons use a scalpel.

Canada Blind teen makes history; Oakville student Legislature's first Guide dog Penny rises to occasion

WA Two State Students Get Rhodes Honors

Press Release: U.S. & Canada Adopt New Braille Terminology
 

Read "A New Way to Read, Not See, Maps"

Special-Ed Law Violated, Judge Rules - The Calvert County school system violated federal law when it failed to provide a blind student with a certified vision teacher last year, a state administrative law judge has ruled.

Switch From Audio Tape to Digital Creates Problem for Recording for Blind & Dyslexic

For Blind Students, Another Challenge - Shortage of Vision Teachers Vexes Schools, Angers Parents.

IL Guests' guests get perks at hotel - Marriott welcomes Seeing Eye dogs along with their masters.

Blind Voters Want Privacy

New Tool Helps Blind Students Learn Math

MI Public schools weak on education for blind - Only 60 teachers in state are certified to teach visually and hearing impaired kids.

Australian Bionic Eye Gives Hope to Blind

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Vision Service Plan’s Sight for Students - Program Targets Children with Undetected Eye Problems.

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