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Accessibility

Tag Archives: School

  1. Are Education Options Truly Accessible for All?

    October 20, 2021 - By Palitha Bandara

    You must be familiar with the term “Education for All.” This has been used as a slogan by the rulers of various countries in the world to demonstrate their enthusiasm and dedication for educational development. In reality, it is a camouflage in some parts of the developing world. Here, I believe it is relevant to share my experiences with the readers that blind people in Sri Lanka are being confronted and limited in their educational pursuits. It is a heartbreaking situation. For instance, some blind students complete thirteen years of…

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  2. See Us: a Project 10 Years in the Making

    March 24, 2021 - By Jon Marin

    I’m Jon Marin, author of the soon-to-be-released book See Us, a photographic journey that follows six visually impaired young adults as they balance their lives among work, home, and school in New York City. I had the pleasure of connecting with these students during their time at Career Discovery Project, the program I lead at City Access New York. Building a career program that works for students When I was informed that I would take over the Career Discovery Project in 2014, I was petrified. Too many negative thoughts were…

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  3. Rock Bottom, Then Rocking the Road to Recovery

    July 29, 2020 - By Ashley Purdy

    Trigger warning: this post contains mentions of drug/alcohol use, suicide and self-harm   My name is Ashley. I’m 21 years old and I became blind at the age of 17 from a drug overdose. On November 1, 2016, I attempted suicide and was officially dead for 17 minutes. Ever since then, I’ve been learning how to be a blind person and cope with the reality of what I did to myself. As the years have gone on, I have started to understand and accept myself. I have begun to realize…

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  4. What It Takes: Four Ways to Become More Independent as a Visually Impaired Young Adult

    February 19, 2020 - By Jasmyn Polite

    Over the years, I have grown into an independent, successful young woman with dreams of helping other blind and visually impaired children grow into successful adults. This wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, my family, Iowa Department for the Blind, Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired, National Federation of the Blind and other blind services that have helped me. These services helped me figure out who I was as a visually impaired person, and I’m hoping that what…

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  5. Beyond Braille: Seeing the Unseen

    August 14, 2019 - By Nupur Agarwal

    It was in 2014, while I was pursuing my Masters at CEPT University, that I started exploring the concept of creating tactile picture books. I started visiting schools for the blind, and met with a few teachers and students there. Based on that research, I decided to design illustrated picture books for people who are blind and visually impaired. And what started as a college project soon became my motivation. I wished to bring the world of visuals to the visually impaired community and wanted to spark the love for reading that…

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  6. Why I Love My Cane and What It Means to Me

    April 10, 2019 - By Jasmyn Polite

    Imagine having limited side vision – also known as tunnel vision – where you are not able to see what’s on your sides or what’s coming from up-and-down, such as a step off or a dangerous snake on the floor. This is where the white cane comes in handy. Canes are great because they can feel whether something is in front of you or if there is a step off on the sidewalk or stairs. Well, let me tell you about my experience with using a cane and how it’s…

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  7. Blind Hockey and a Burger-hunting Guide Dog (Or, “How I Came Back to Life After Vision Loss”)

    February 13, 2019 - By Nathan Tree

    I started to notice my vision going when I was an undergraduate student at the age of 19. I didn’t really know how to deal with it and didn’t know what support was out there, so I tried to ignore it and keep moving on with my life. I was diagnosed with cone-rod dystrophy, a degenerative condition that I was assured there was no treatment for and it was unknown how it would affect my vision loss going forward. When I was 28, I went into a depression, becoming convinced…

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  8. The Top 5 Benefits of Learning to Read Braille

    January 30, 2019 - By Jasmyn Polite

    Imagine being in the dark on a stormy night. Everything is out and there’s nothing else to do but sit in the dark. All of a sudden, you pick up a book to read. However you know that you can’t see the book because it’s dark. But it’s different because this book has a special quality. You open the book and realize that there are “dotz” in it! These “dotz” are known as braille! You’re happy because you don’t have to use your eyes to read, and you won’t be…

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  9. My Journey with Braille

    September 12, 2018 - By Jasmyn Polite

    I’ve grown over these past three years to enjoy braille. Every time I use my braille writer or slate and stylus to write, it’s hard to stop. Braille is great for me because I have glaucoma, a progressive eye condition that could blind me, so I must learn braille for my future as well as my braille teaching career. Glaucoma doesn’t scare me because I have braille as a back up in my life toolbox. Whenever I read a braille book with my blindfold on, I can find a mysterious…

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  10. Unseen Obstacles Ahead, but Tapping Out a Positive Future

    May 31, 2017 - By Dan Miller, M.A., LPC, BCPCC

    Here is a cocktail napkin version of my story. I had excellent vision until the age of 34, never wore glasses. My world started getting darker, and moving objects suddenly disappeared from sight – not good when driving. My initial academic goal was to get a Bachelors in Information Technology (IT). Life hands you a lemon, make some lemonade. I changed my major to Psychology. The brain and the mind for me were analogous to computers and software, just a little more complex. Earned my B.A. in Psychology with a…

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