2024 looks to be a big year in addressing medical devices when it comes to their accessibility for us who are blind or low-vision. Currently, HR 1328 has been taken up by the U.S. Senate with the aim of directing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make at home medical devices better able to be used by us without assistance. Medical devices in the doctor’s office such as adjustable tables, diolysis machines, etc. are being addressed for their accessibility by people having any physical disability. But here’s the catch. What if there are offices where no one is trained to explain such acc ..read more

As Boldly Blind is turning two years old, I hope you all are continuing to enjoy reading this blog as much as I am writing. My hope is to build the site and your experience more as the next few months unfold. Here is a bit on how I want to boost your reading, interacting, and encouraging others to be boldly blind. First, contact me. This site now has a regular email address where you can drop your compliments, critiques, suggestions, and recommendations. In short, I want to hear from you about topics to address, article suggestions which you’ve gathered on the web, and writing you have done th ..read more

It’s always fun coming across new technology that’s out there for us who are blind. This braille display that I just heard of through a friend’s FB page goes much further than being a reader of books. It’s from Zoomax and you can check out a multi-part tutorial for it here: https://www.loc.gov/search/?fa=partof:nls+ereader+zoomax+how-to+series Of course, it’s been out since late 2020 or 2021. Yet, like so many of the gadgets and gismos we get to use, not everyone gets wind of it right away. And, another bonus reminder to coming with this braille reader: Yes, braille is still and will always be ..read more

An old tower rises above the 93 acre plot of ground at 7725 North College Avenue in Indianapolis, a historic landmark along with the buildings on either side of it. Icon of the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired’s heritage, will soon stand like a sentinel over the changes that are coming upon campus As of July 1 of this year. For the campus as we know it will be under great demolition and reconstruction for five years. Still for any of us who saw that tower or heard someone’s description of it, the image will always remain etched in our minds. That tower told of much more than ..read more

As reported on Friday evening, the 2024 Southwest Regionals for goalball set a number of story lines in motion along with lots of stiff competition. Once returning to their championship form, the Manticores ran the table to win the event for the men and the Minks showed a solid unbeaten performance in winning the women’s division. You can find the breakdown of medals and results here. Needless to say, we have much to anticipate this season. The King Cobras from Seattle are for real with, no doubt, a favorite for season MVP in Daryl Walker. His agility and shot selection garnered him by far the ..read more

Who knew the story lines kicking off the 2024 USABA goal ball season would include the Rattlesnakes’ second round victory over the Manticores today at the Southwest Regionals? Fans like me had no doubts that last year’s repeat National champions would run through the field with as much ease as they did many tournaments last year. Yet, the Rattlesnakes had a whole other thing in mind-lock-down defense. And that’s what they played from start to finish in their game against the Manticores. They filled the gaps, clogged up the angles and…oh, yes…scored a bunch of points in so many ways. Of course ..read more

I’m very glad that Ed Henkler at The Blind Guide posted this link requesting blind and low-vision participants to test a new mobility app for indoor travel. So often we think of orientation and mobility as effecting geting around outdoors-crossing streets, using moving sidewalks at airports or light rail transit in major cities. Just as important is our travel safety indoors. I hope you or a blind friend you know will take advantage of this opportunity to help the developers of the RightHere App in their work. Here is the link to sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdeF-Gy31THsTC ..read more

Not everyday do we see blind advocates become actresses in the blink of an eye. But when Aria Loberti was extended a role on the Netflix Series, “All The Light We Cannot See,” she didn’t shrink back. Instead, she and her guide dog were glad to take on that part which led her to the Golden Globe Awards! Check out this article from the Guide Dog Foundation’s website and links to an accompanying interview with Aria herself. https://www.guidedogs.com/blog/aria-mia-loberti-netflix ..read more

For those of us who have lost our sight over a series of waves, readjusting to the “new” normal gets tiresome. We’re changing the font on the computer screen and the enlargement of our letters. Keeping up with shots to our eyes gets painful and dominates our schedules. Then there’s that nagging conscience that wavers between the fear of another wave of sight loss and the potential hardships that might bring. We critique and critique ourselves in how we cook, clean the kitchen, shrink away from social contact, and the list goes on. On a recent edition of Hadley School’s “Insights and Soundbites ..read more

Everyone’s experience navigating the web is different. Yet, the bugs or glitches in accessing some content is the same for many blind or low-vision users. That’s one reason a new survey promoted by Freedom Scientific is important. Partnering with a group from Utah State, Freedom Scientific is gauging how well people of all experience levels and expertise can navigate the web. Follow this link and take the survey yourself. Anything we can do to assist web developers and assistive tech instructors in making the online environment the most conducive for our use the better. Take the WebAIM Survey ..read more