edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
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.
NBP Announces the 2024 Touch of Genius Winner
Steve Landau of Touch Graphics Inc. has been announced as the winner of the 2024 Louis Braille Touch of Genius Award for T3 Games. He received a $10,000 prize. T3 Games assists blind and low-vision individuals to learn how to read tactile graphics. With T3 Games, players place tactile graphic overlays on a large Android tablet, then try to answer a series of increasingly difficult questions by locating and pressing on tactile features in response to the T3 narrator’s spoken prompts.
SFL Celebrates Golden Anniversary
Ski for Light, Inc. (SFL) will celebrate its 50th anniversary at Soldier Hollow, January 26 through February 2, 2025. Ski for Light, an all-volunteer, non-profit organization, hosts an annual, week-long event where adults with visual or mobility impairments learn the basics of cross-country skiing.
Participants will stay at the Provo Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, and ski on expertly groomed trails at Soldier Hollow, near Midway, Utah. Each visually or mobility impaired participant is paired with an instructor guide for a week of skiing, sharing and learning.
Join the celebration by participating as a skier, a guide or a volunteer. Applications and additional information are available at www.sfl.org.
NBP Volunteer Award Winners
National Braille Press recently announced its Volunteer Award recipients, for both the Individual and Group volunteer awards. These awards honor a commitment to advancing accessibility and braille literacy initiatives.
Lori Tsuruda of Randolph, Mass. received the Individual Volunteer Award. Ms. Tsuruda has played a pivotal role in ensuring the annual inclusion of STEM books in the Children’s Braille Book Club (CBBC) program. In addition, she has been an avid NBP supporter and volunteer for over 30 years.
Columbia Threadneedle Investments received the Group Volunteer Award. Its employees have collectively dedicated numerous hours to supporting NBP’s initiatives over the past few years – including assembling over 1,500 books.
SSA Adds to Compassionate Allowances List
Social Security has added nine new Compassionate Allowances (CAL) conditions and revisions to two existing CAL conditions: Bainbridge-Ropers Syndrome, Costello Syndrome, Adult Heart Transplant Wait List – Status Levels 1-4, Child Heart Transplant Wait List – Status Levels 1A/1B (revised existing condition), Histiocytic Malignancies, Histiocytosis Syndromes (revised existing condition), Neonatal Marfan Syndrome, PACS1 Syndrome, Plasmablastic Lymphoma, Renal Medullary Carcinoma, and Snijders Blok-Campeau Syndrome.
For more information about the program, including a list of all CAL conditions, please visit www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances.
New Book by Jeff Moyer
Jeff Moyer recently released his latest work: “Underdogs: Heroic Stories.” The book is a collection of 22 short stories that delve into the essence of heroism through unexpected and thrilling narratives. “Underdogs” is a testament to Moyer’s versatility and commitment to storytelling, from the intensity of Civil War surgeries to the vastness of space walks. Moyer’s extensive experience, including roles as an NPR commentator and appearances in major media outlets like National Geographic and PBS, has established him as a formidable figure in the literary and broadcasting fields. The book is available on Amazon.
Point32Health Volunteers Compile Braille Children’s Books
In partnership with National Braille Press, volunteers from Point32Health helped compile 150 braille copies of the children’s book “I’ll Love You Till The Cows Come Home.” This activity was part of Point32Health’s annual Volunteer Week. This year more than 1,600 colleagues served at more than 85 projects across five states.
NSITE Receives Grant from Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation
NSITE provides a continuum of employment services that connect employers with talented people who are blind or visually impaired, including veterans. NSITE was recently awarded a $150,000 grant by Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation to fund expansion of its information technology programs. For more information on NSITE, visit www.nsite.org.
EssilorLuxottica to Acquire Supreme® from VF Corporation
EssilorLuxottica, a global leader in the optical industry (including the Ray-Ban brand), and VF Corporation, a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories, have entered into a definitive agreement for EL to acquire the Supreme® clothing brand from VF for $1.5 billion in cash.
Supreme will have its own space within the EL house brand portfolio and will also complement their licensed portfolio. The Supreme brand runs a digital-first business and 17 stores in the U.S., Asia and Europe.
New and Improved Voices Available for the NVDA Screen Reader
NV Access is the creator of NVDA, a free, open source, globally accessible screen reader for blind and low-vision people. A new add-on (also free) implements a speech synthesizer driver for NVDA using neural TTS models. As a result, upgraded voices are available. Find the add-on package here: https://github.com/mush42/sonata-nvda/releases/latest.
Need help? Contact Michael Bayus at [email protected] with “Sonata Neural TTS Voices” in the subject line.
National Braille Press Books
Now available is Kathryn Cristaldi’s “I’ll Love You Till The Cows Come Home.” It’s a print-and-braille board book for ages baby to 2.
New in the children’s section is “Ira Sleeps Over,” by Bernard Waber. It’s available in UEB for ages 4 to 7. Ira can’t wait to sleep over at his friend Reggie’s house – until his sister makes him wonder whether it’s OK to take his favorite stuffed animal.
Another new book is “The Paper Bag Princess,” by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko. It’s available in UEB for ages 4 to 7.
Got a smart preteen who loves riddles and jokes? Take a look at “Difficult Riddles For Smart Kids 2: Another 300 Riddles & Brain Teasers Families Will Love,” by M. Prefontaine. It’s available in braille for ages 10 and up.
In the adult section, there are a few new books: “5-Ingredient Clean Eating Cookbook” by Snezana Paucinac, available in braille and as a BRF, and “Poems for When You Really Need Them,” compiled by Cecilia Knapp, also available in braille and BRF. For those trying to make better food choices, check out “What’s On Your Plate? Smart Food Choices for Healthy Eating,” by Kate Sherwood of the National Institute on Aging. It’s available in braille and BRF.
For more information on any of these listings, call toll-free 1-800-548-7323, or visit the online store at shop.nbp.org.