How Fencing Helps Students Who Are Blind Navigate The World
WGBH News showcases how learning to fence can help visually impaired teenagers become more independent travelers with improved confidence. BY GABRIELLE EMMANUEL (VIA WGBH NEWS) Like many competitive sports, fencing requires quick reflexes and physical grace — but it does not necessarily require the ability to see. Fencing helps people who are blind and visually [...]
Why Inclusive Cities Start with Safe Streets
Universal design aids in making inclusive cities for people with disabilities. New design guidelines from the American Society of Landscape Architects show us how to build them. BY DIANA BUDDS (VIA CURBED) The fight for more equitable cities is taking to the streets—literally. New street design guidelines from the American Society for Landscape Architecture (ASLA) [...]
Lego Just Released Audio and Braille Instructions
The Lego Foundation has created both audio and braille instructions to build their Lego blocks for people who are blind or visually impaired. BY HANNAH NATANSON (Via THE WASHINGTON POST) Matthew Shifrin first discovered Legos when he thrust his hands deep inside a crate crammed full of the tiny brick toys. His babysitter, Lilya Finkel, [...]
Burger King in Brazil Breaks New Ground With Spot Featuring Blind Customer
In Brazil, Burger King takes steps toward inclusion airing ad with audio description that features a customer who is blind. BY MITCH REAMES (Via ADWEEK) It's the first ad that makes audio descriptions and SAP primary features. The goal of many food commercials is to trigger physical sensations like taste and smell by using the [...]
Walmart Announces Rollout of ScripTalk Service, Providing Accessible Prescription Labels Across U.S.
Setting an important standard for Healthcare accessibility, Walmart rolls out nationwide audible prescription label service. BY RUSSELL SHAFFER (Via WALMART) When I was 10 years old, my parents took me to an optometrist for a routine eye exam. As a third grader, I thought the worst thing that could happen would be that I might [...]
$40M OK’d to Make Natick Center T Station Accessible to Disabled
BY JEFF MALACHOWSKI (Via METROWEST DAILY NEWS) The state Capital Investment Program approved by the DOT and MBTA boards last week includes funding for two major transportation projects in the region. NATICK - Jennifer Harnish walks more than a half-mile from her downtown home to the Natick Center commuter rail station each day to catch [...]
Walking the Talk: How Businesses Can Help Build Strong Communities
BY DOUG MARSHALL (Via TRIPLEPUNDIT) Being a force for good in the world is more important than ever. The challenges our communities face are mounting quickly— including education, jobs, poverty, health, climate, public safety, and energy. But if we look again with a fresh perspective, behind these challenges lie opportunities for us to learn, adapt, [...]
Wellesley Teen Finds Inspiration To Graduate After Losing Vision Senior Year
BY PAUL BURTON (Via CBS Boston) WELLESLEY (CBS) – There’s no doubt in Harry Clark’s mind that he would walk across the stage and graduate with his class at Wellesley High School. What he didn’t know is that he would be doing it blind. “It was an amazing experience. I felt like I did it. [...]
Making A Positive Impact for the Visually Impaired
BY ANGELA THOMA (Via WATERTOWN TAB) At 15-years-old, Kate Katulak lost her perfect vision. After falling ill, Katulak experienced an array of odd symptoms, landing her in the hospital for three months. She said her symptoms ranged from feeling like her face was melting off to extreme headaches, which caused her to pass out and [...]
What Medicine Can Learn From Doctors And Researchers With Disabilities
BY SUSIE NEILSON (Via NPR) Bonnielin Swenor has devoted her life to studying visual impairment in older adults. But for a long time, she didn't often discuss the motivation fueling her work — that she herself has low vision. Swenor, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University, has myopic [...]
