Shownotes Listen to the Monday evening Great Gathering In meeting of the 2010 National Federation of the Blind Washington Seminar. In addition to the legislative items, many other updates of interest to Federationists specifically and the blind community in general were announced, including a short Blio Reader demo. Download and Listen
Blind Access Journal Posts
Advocates Urge Passage of Legislation to Increase Safety, improve Accessibility and Foster Work Incentives for the Blind
WASHINGTON – Hundreds of advocates met Monday evening near Capitol Hill to urge the passage of legislation designed to ensure the safety of pedestrians around quiet cars, increase the accessibility of technology for blind people and put blind Social Security recipients back to work. The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act would begin a two-year study to… Finish Reading Advocates Urge Passage of Legislation to Increase Safety, improve Accessibility and Foster Work Incentives for the Blind
Feds Want to Know How to Effectively Employ People with Disabilities
Six “Listening Sessions” sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor will solicit ideas for increasing the employment of women, veterans and people with disabilities. Finish Reading Feds Want to Know How to Effectively Employ People with Disabilities
Listening to Braille
In the summer of 2009, I was interviewed by Rachel Aviv, a reporter with the New York Times, for a story about Braille literacy. The following in-depth article, published on Dec. 30, contains quotes from me and represents the culmination of a great deal of interesting research on the subject. A plain-text copy of the… Finish Reading Listening to Braille
ACB Radio covering the Rose Bowl Parade
We are happy to carry the following listening opportunity announcement from ACB Radio. It is with great pleasure to let you know that ACB Radio will be streaming the Rose Bowl Parade on January 1, 2010. The coverage will begin at 15:30 UTC, which is 10:30 A.M eastern and 7:30 A.M pacific. The coverage will… Finish Reading ACB Radio covering the Rose Bowl Parade
Free Wi-Fi ups coffee shops’ popularity
I wrote this story for my news writing (JMC 301) class. It was published in the Oct. 6 edition of The State Press. I have reposted it in full for the benefit of blind readers, who may find this copy easier to access Photo caption: surfing the web: ASU sophomore Michael Robinson takes advantage of… Finish Reading Free Wi-Fi ups coffee shops’ popularity
Lawsuit Leads to Reconsideration of Patent
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has re-examined a patent held by the maker of a screen reader for blind computer users in connection with an infringement lawsuit filed against a competing company. Reliable sources hailed the move as a significant victory for the defendant. The Document Placemarker patent, held by Freedom Scientific, Inc., covers… Finish Reading Lawsuit Leads to Reconsideration of Patent
Seeking Blind People Tossed Out of Their Jobs by Discrimination, Inaccessible Technology
Are you a blind person who has lost your job due to blatant discrimination or inaccessible technology? If so, we want to hear from you! In a Sept. 30 press release, President Obama said he proclaims October National Disability Employment Awareness Month. “Fair access to employment is a fundamental right of every American, including the… Finish Reading Seeking Blind People Tossed Out of Their Jobs by Discrimination, Inaccessible Technology
Download Instructions for Microsoft Security Essentials
Microsoft released its new free anti-malware Security Essentials product to Genuine Windows users Tuesday. The company’s Web developers forgot to make sure that the download process was intuitive for its blind customers. While browsing the Security Essentials Web site, people who rely on screen readers feel or hear a link containing the following text: “A38FFBF2-1122-48B4-AF60-E44F6DC28BD8/mssefullinstall-x86fre-en-us-vista-win7.”… Finish Reading Download Instructions for Microsoft Security Essentials
Job Opportunity: Lighthouse Seeks Blind Executive Director
Kirk Adams, President, The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc has asked us to carry the following job announcement to fill an executive director position. “I am committed to having a blind person in the top leadership position at our Inland Northwest Lighthouse facility,” said Adams. “This is an exceptional opportunity for the right person, and… Finish Reading Job Opportunity: Lighthouse Seeks Blind Executive Director