edited by Sharon Strzalkowski
The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. “The ACB Braille Forum” cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to [email protected], or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering’s mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date.
NYSSB Alumni Reunion Announcement
The Alumni Association of the New York State School for the Blind will hold its annual reunion the weekend of Thursday, May 30, through Sunday, June 2 at the Quality Inn & Suites in Batavia, N.Y. Room rates are $87 per night for a room and $107 per night for a suite.
Activities during the weekend will start with a pizza party at the school with the students on Thursday evening, and end with a memorial service and brunch on Sunday morning. In between there will be Bingo and Jeopardy, with prizes for the winners; a technology session; our annual business meeting; an auction; our banquet, and more. There will also be plenty of time to socialize with friends old and new.
For further information, contact Chet Smalley by phone at (814) 566-6332, or email him at [email protected].
BANA Elects 2019 Officers
The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) held its fall 2018 meeting Nov. 1-3 at the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind in Salt Lake City, Utah. The meeting was hosted by the American Council of the Blind.
The board reviewed reports from its committees and acted on their recommendations. Portions of the meetings were dedicated to further development of BANA’s strategic planning and implementation.
Cynthia Skandera, Horizons for the Blind representative, is BANA’s newest board member. The board’s officers for 2019 are:
Chair: Jennifer Dunnam (National Federation of the Blind);
Vice-chair: Tamara Rorie (National Library Service);
Secretary: Dawn Gross (Alternate Text Production Center of the California Community Colleges);
Treasurer: Jessica Rivera (Associated Services for the Blind).
Frances Mary D’Andrea serves as BANA’s immediate past chair.
Optical Industry Pioneer Awarded
EYOTO™, the high-tech developer and manufacturer of ophthalmic measurement solutions, recently announced that Director Dean Butler was awarded the Procter & Gamble McElroy Award for 2019. The award panel described Dean as a visionary leader and recognized the pioneering changes he brought to the U.S. retail eyewear market.
Dean Butler is the founder of LensCrafters in the USA in 1983, followed by Vision Express in Europe in 1998. Dean’s early career was with Procter & Gamble in various marketing and advertising roles, during which he worked on the Ivory, Folger and Cheer brands.
New from NBP
Now available from National Braille Press is “Getting Started with Google Suite: A Brief Overview of Google’s Most Popular Productivity Apps,” by Lisa Salinger, Kim Loftis, and Chris Grabowski. It is available in braille, BRF, DAISY and Word. Learn how to use some of the most popular Google apps for the home and office, such as Gmail, Chrome, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Hangouts, and Calendar on a PC, with notes about Mac and mobile devices, too. The appendices summarize key commands and list the websites mentioned throughout the book.
Also available is “iOS 12 Without the Eye” by Jonathan Mosen. It’s available in braille, BRF, DAISY, and Word. This book is a clearly written, well-structured guide to what’s new in iOS 12, written specifically with blind people and assistive technology instructors of the blind in mind. It will get you up to speed in a plain language, easy-to-skim guide.
Over in the adult section is “Diabetes: 68 Delicious Recipes for the Whole Family.” It’s available in contracted UEB and as a BRF. Registered dietician Peggy Woodward has hand-picked these fresh and easy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Each recipe includes the nutrition and diabetic exchange information with it.
Tired of the smells of store-bought cleansers? Take a look at “DIY Natural Household Cleaners” by Matt and Betsy Jabs. It’s available in braille (one volume) or in BRF. This book will show you how to make your own homemade cleaning products. It includes more than 60 recipes for homemade laundry detergent, floor cleaner, air freshener, and kitchen/bathroom disinfectant.
For more information, contact National Braille Press at 1-800-548-7323, or visit www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html.
Visitphilly.com Launches Accessibility Page
Planning a visit to the nation’s first capital, a hub of U.S. history, arts, culture, food and hospitality, just got easier for travelers with disabilities. In order to serve the one in eight people in the U.S. with one or more disabilities, VISIT PHILADELPHIA® has launched a new accessibility page, visitphilly.com/accessibility. With help from Art-Reach, a Philadelphia-based organization that creates, advocates and expands accessible opportunities to a full spectrum of society, VISIT PHILADELPHIA created a page that points users to the region’s top resources for getting around — and getting the best out of — the city and region.
Creating a More Accessible Instagram
To read this article online, visit https://instagram-press.com/blog/2018/11/28/creating-a-more-accessible-instagram/.
Instagram has introduced some new improvements to make it easier for people with visual impairments to use Instagram. One is automatic alternative text, so you can hear descriptions of photos through your screen reader when you use Feed, Explore and Profile. This feature uses object recognition technology to generate a description of photos for screen readers. Also new is custom alternative text; it will allow you to add a richer description of your photos when you upload a photo. For more information, check out the Instagram Help Center at https://help.instagram.com/503708446705527.