VISION IMPAIRED SOLUTIONS FOR TOTAL ACCESS
For thousands of years, the blind of the world have been
looked upon with a curious mixture of pity, wonder, and outright horror. To
many, the process of going blind has seemed almost like a stripping away of
humanity—a life sentence to be served in a dreadful dungeon of dark despair.
NO MORE! In the 21st century, blind and visually impaired men and women have
lives that are active, exciting, and productive like never before. We work as
attorneys, engineers, scholars, teachers, artists, and even medical researchers.
We marry, raise children, join service organizations, and lend a hand to others.
On Thr., 16 October, 2008, people of all ages and walks of life who live and
work in northern Indiana and Lower Michigan attended the first ever Vision
Impaired Solutions for Total Access gathering in the LaFortune Student Center at
The University of Notre Dame. This gathering consisted both of formal seminars
and informal, hands-on exhibits. It was intended for blind adults and students
of all ages, blinded veterans, rehabilitation professionals, vocational
rehabilitation specialists, educators, and a number of persons in the world at
large who love or work with someone who has endured a loss of eyesight.
At this year's V.I.S.T.A. fair, we featured live, hands-on demonstrations from
innovative organizations demonstrating products and techniques that enable blind
persons and those with low vision to get and keep meaningful employment and to
enjoy a full range of pleasurable life experience independently and
conveniently. These technology developers included Ai Squared, the American
Printing House for the Blind, Code Factory, Cornerstone Medical and Diabetes
Supplies, En-Vision America, Freedom Scientific, GH-Accessibility, GW Micro, and
HumanWare. Seminar presenters included representatives from ADEC Inc., Bosma
Enterprises, Easter Seals Crossroads, and the Independent Laboratory Access for
the Blind (ILAB) project team from Penn State University, as well as long-time
Elkhart-based blind IT professional Paul Filpus.
At this year's V.I.S.T.A. gathering, technologists and consumers demonstrated
how visually challenged persons
Gain employment and produce effective results in a competitive work environment, both in higher academia and in the private sector;
Scan restaurant menus, product bar codes, prescription labels, and even printed signs in public places, turning them instantly into text that those without eyesight can understand, and use;
Magnify normal-sized print and images so they can be read and understood by those with limited eyesight without special help;
Use off-the-shelf cell phones and PDAs to send and receive text messages, process e-mail, and read books on the fly;
Use portable speech and Braille technology to harness the power of the WorldWide Web from any Internet café or kiosk in the world;
Produce Braille for themselves and others efficiently and portably.
MISSION STATEMENT: Our ongoing mission is threefold: First, it is to link
individuals with limited or no eyesight throughout the Great Lakes region so
that those with complementary needs, abilities, and interests can exchange ideas
and give one another resources that lead to heightened dignity, empowerment, and
prosperity. Second, we partner with teachers, vocational rehab specialists, and
others who work with visually challenged persons on a professional level so that
all concerned may benefit from best practices, networking opportunities, and
ever-expanding technology choice. Last but not least, we want to change the
beliefs in society at large about what it means to be blind. We want all people
to know that if they encounter a lack of eyesight in the family, in the
workplace, on the street, or in themselves, they can approach such a predicament
with confidence, openness, and the sure knowledge that they are not alone.
NEXT STEPS: Exactly where we head from here still is an open question. The
developers of this project are counting on you who participated, either as an
attendee or as a presenter, to help us set a direction that would be of greatest
help to blind and visually impaired persons in the Great Lakes region and to those who care
about them. We do know that V.I.S.T.A. will carry on and will morph into new and
multiple initiatives, probably under another name. Soon, a detailed feedback
page will appear, with questions about your experience and a place for you to
add comments and suggestions of your own. Your full and honest feedback will
help us to put our energy into those projects and events that will help the most
people in the most profound ways.
V.I.S.T.A. organizers Kane Brolin and Lori Miller express our heartfelt thanks
to our sponsor: the University of Notre Dame's Disability Services of the Sara
Bea Learning Center, and to all other volunteers from the campus of the
University of Notre Dame and the community at large. Your dedicated support made
this event possible.
If you are in the market for specific solutions to blindness-related challenges,
we encourage you to do business with those SEMINAR PRESENTERS and
EXHIBITORS who
participated in V.I.S.T.A. Their individual Web sites are linked to this one.
If you wish to address either of us personally with concerns, questions, or
thoughts about where V.I.S.T.A. should go next, please send a personal message
to kbrolin65@gmail.com or to twilight2@kconline.com.
Once again, thanks to all for your sincere and enthusiastic involvement in
Vision Impaired Solutions for Total Access 2008! Stay tuned for further
developments.
The organizers of V.I.S.T.A. 2008 wish to thank our sponsor:
Disability Services at the Sara Bea Learning Center for Students with
Disabilities at The University of Notre Dame.
