Delicate petals. Fuzzy leaves. Sweet-smelling blossoms. Vivid color contrasts. Sturdy stems. Yes, we’re talking about beloved flowers—the wild ones found peppered across fields and those bound and arranged-just-so at the supermarket. While they are no doubt visually beautiful, flowers (nature’s treasures) can be enjoyed by all, irrespective of visual acuity, due to their lovely fragrance and texture. And you … Continued
Computer coding to create websites and apps is a solid career choice – and one that’s particularly well-suited to people who are blind or visually impaired. That’s why APH ConnectCenter and California College for the Blind are co-hosting the free, virtual 2021 National Coding Symposium for students May 11-14 (details below) to expose students to a wealth of information about the field. One of the biggest … Continued
I have always loved books. I loved reading when I was younger and found the love of reading again when I graduated from college and could actually read for “fun” and choose what I wanted to read. I wanted my children to love books and reading the same way I did. When they were younger, we had an … Continued
Earth day—it’s a day we intentionally take note of the natural beauty of our world and choose to help preserve and steward it well. And what an expansive, exquisite planet we have! I believe that to encourage our children to appreciate Earth and care for it, we should begin by instilling wonder in it. Especially so with our children who are blind or visually impaired, we must slow down our fast-pace in … Continued
Editor’s note: At age 11, Emmet Teran was featured in the documentary film, Going Blind: Coming Out of the Dark About Vision Loss, by Joe Lovett (released in 2010 when Emmet was 13). In this blog Emmet shares how this experience changed his life. Join Emmet and several others in the post-screening panel discussion of … Continued
APH’s Director of Accessibility, Diversity, and Inclusion, Tai Tomasi, J.D., M.P.A. (she/her/hers), knows a thing or two about learning to be self-sufficient from an early age. One of 27 children adopted from around the world, Tai was born blind due to retinopathy of prematurity. From the beginning, her parents made sure Tai had early intervention … Continued
Since learning of your child’s visual impairment, I am sure there have been millions of questions running through your head. How is he going to play? How is she going to learn how to walk? How is he going to learn in school? Will she be able to live independently? Who is going to teach … Continued
We’re talking Easter egg decorating—but not your standard boiled eggs dipped in food coloring—accessible, tactile designing! While our finished products can still look creative and beautiful, our main aim is for them to be tactually interesting. We also want them to be enjoyable to create. Determined to create simple, elegant eggs which would be interesting … Continued
by Kristin Smedley I spent nine months memorizing What to Expect When You’re Expecting. In my pregnancy, everything the book said to expect happened at or before the timeframe it predicted. My baby grew inside me at the perfect rate, made all the right movements perfectly on schedule, and even arrived into the world in perfect health and with a perfect little … Continued
The National Freedom of Information Day (March 16th) is a day Americans, with renewed energy, re-mind ourselves of the importance of government transparency. We the people have a right to information. The very idea of “freedom of information” re-energizes and re-minds me that people who are blind AND people who have low vision have a right to information. They have a right to access stories, … Continued
