If you read this blog with any frequency (and I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t), you know I’m a real fan of Veronica Lewis’s blog on visual impairment. She writes from the perspective of a college student, and, although I’m a few decades older, I think she has a lot to say. I’m reprinting it here especially for students who … Continue reading
I have lost track of the number of blind and visually-impaired people, both students and teachers, who I know that struggle with Microsoft’s Whiteboard. The following post is perhaps the best explanation I’ve read about how it can be used. While this is likely more specialized information than the average reader of this blog is interested in, it is, nonetheless, … Continue reading
Several years ago, I wrote a blog, “The Challenges of Raising a Blind Child,” that served as the skeleton for the following post. I don’t think any readers want to read old material again; but, because the expansion of that post won a national writing award, my wife (proud spouse that she is) insists that this should be posted, and, … Continue reading
The following article, written in 2011, originally appeared as “Tips for a Successful IEP Meeting” and was written by the staff of the on-line site GreatSchools. Although intended for the parent of a child with learning disabilities, the suggestions are still largely applicable for families of blind or visually impaired children. The IEP is a really big deal. It is … Continue reading
Dry reading alert! While the following post is particularly important for students, their parents, and teachers, the typical reader is likely to find it to be a substitute for ambien. You’ve been warned. Proceed with caution. Standardized tests, whether Advanced Placement, SAT, ACT, GRE, or whatever, are daunting under the best of circumstances. Having to hack your way through the … Continue reading
As a high-school student, Sarah Holloway was one of the founding members of Club VIBES. She has received her B.S. in microbiology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This is Part One of an article written by Sarah as a guest writer for “Freed to Fly”. In Part 1 of this blog, I discussed the skills that a visually impaired … Continue reading
As a high-school student, Sarah Holloway was one of the founding members of Club VIBES. She has received her B.S. in microbiology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This is Part One of an article written by Sarah as a guest writer for “Freed to Fly”. Making the transition from high school to college can be a seemingly overwhelming and … Continue reading
As I’m writing this, my wife is unpacking Holiday decorations and has Christmas music playing on Pandora. The air in our house is just soggy with good will and love of our fellow man. The only problem with all of this seasonal festiveness is that it means that shopping is just around the corner. For me, this is a torture of which the Spanish Inquisition would have been proud.
Let me assure you at the outset that this is not a blog about politics. I’m not commenting on the election or results. Instead, I’m going to look at what goes on behind the curtain when you’re trying to vote as a blind person. Traditionally, whether you were using an old-fashioned paper ballot or a voting machine, you had to … Continue reading
If you think you have anything like medical privacy when you lose your vision, think again. I suspect that there is a secret clause in HIPAA that says, “This doesn’t really apply to anyone who is blind.” Some years ago, my eighty-year-old mother came to visit. Since she would only be in town for a few days and we wanted … Continue reading