Tag Archives: Talking Book and Braille Center

Register Now! Blind Health Expo 2024 Friday, December 6 10:00AM to 4:00PM Eastern Time

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Register Now! Blind Health Expo 2024 Friday, December 6 10:00AM to 4:00PM Eastern Time

Join us for the 3rd annual Blind Health Expo! The Blind Health Expo is the world’s largest virtual expo of healthcare information, products, and services for individuals, organizations, and companies in the health, blindness, and disability communities.

Information for Attendees:

  • FREE to attend
  • 100% virtual
  • Hundreds of exhibitors!
  • Vision Healthcare Awards 2024

Learn and discuss with companies and organizations. Click here to register to attend.

For more information, please click here about Blind Health Expo 2024.

Blindness and Mental Health Summit

Thank you for joining us at the Blindness and Mental Health Summit! Please click the link below for the recording, a copy of the transcript, and resources from our speakers and exhibitors.

Click here for Recordings and Resources

If you have any questions, please send us an email.

Sincerely,
Your friends at Accessible Pharmacy

Accessible Pharmacy Services, LLC

Website
1-888-633-7007

John Diakakis, Blind Diner Owner, Featured in Documentary Bendix: Sight Unseen

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John Diakakis, Blind Diner Owner, Featured in Documentary Bendix: Sight Unseen
May 3, 2023

By The National Herald

Blind man in a diner holding a menu
Bendix Diner’s Greek-American owner, John Diakakis, in the documentary Bendix: Sight Unseen by filmmaker Anthony Scalia. (Photo: YouTube)

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ – The Bendix Diner has been featured in several films, TV shows and commercials, including Jersey Girl, Boys on the Side, and The Many Saints of Newark. The diner’s Greek-American owner, John Diakakis, who happens to be blind, has also been featured in documentaries, including the latest, Bendix: Site Unseen, highlighting his unique story.

He “brings customers their coffee and eggs as he cracks disarming jokes, and rings them up on the old-fashioned register,” NorthJersey.com reported, noting that Diakakis “has been legally blind since birth,” and “navigates the narrow space behind the counter of the Bendix Diner with the familiarity of someone who’s been working there for decades.”

“His family has owned the classic eatery decked with chrome and neon since 1985, when his father bought the place,” NorthJersey.com reported, adding that the Bendix diner has operated at the same location since 1947.

“I’m not sure when they notice I’m blind or not,” Diakakis says of his customers in the documentary, NorthJersey.com reported. “Just as I’m walking around, they get it.”

Bendix: Site Unseen was screened at the Ridgewood International Film Festival and the ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York, “which is dedicated to telling the stories of people with disabilities,” NorthJersey.com reported, noting that “the filmmaker, Anthony Scalia, came upon the diner one late night in 2016.”

At about 3 AM, Scalia “was looking for a place to eat” and “the Bendix was the only place that was open nearby,” NorthJersey.com reported, adding that “although the diner was just a few miles from his Lodi home, Scalia had never gone in.”

“A waiter came to the table, and I could tell something was off. Instead of putting the glass of water on the table, he kind of hovered over and waited for me to grab it,” Scalia told NorthJersey.com. “Eventually, I asked: ‘Are you blind?’ He told me, ‘Yeah, and that’s my son working the grill. He just got accepted to Harvard.’”

“Scalia, who works as a freelance editor, had made short documentaries, about Cardy’s Sugar Bowl, an old-fashioned candy store in Lodi, the Lafayette Theater in Suffern, New York, and Clinton Place, a street in Hackensack famous for its over-the-top Halloween decorations,” NorthJersey.com reported.

“I’d made a few short films about people or things in Jersey I thought were interesting,” he told NorthJersey.com. “I grew up five minutes from the Bendix but always passed it by. I thought: ‘Here’s this great story right in my backyard.’”

“The eatery got its name from a nearby aviation parts manufacturer,” NorthJersey.com reported.

“Teterboro used to be called Bendix… There was a Bendix Corporation, other things,” Diakakis says in the film, NorthJersey.com reported. “This run-down diner is the only one that kept the name.”

“Scalia didn’t start filming until 2018, and it took him three years to complete,” NorthJersey.com reported, adding that “over time, as he got to know Diakakis — his history, talents and quirks — the project evolved and didn’t fit into the seven-minute format he had used in his other films.”

“It just didn’t do the story justice,” Scalia told NorthJersey.com. “That’s when I released the idea of what the format should be and let the story take its own shape.”

“Diakakis gained custody of his three sons, Tony, Dimitri, and Michael, when they were young,” NorthJersey.com reported, noting that “the boys grew up at the diner and eventually worked there with him, doing homework during slow times.”

“Tony, the oldest, graduated from Harvard last year,” and “the other two are still in college,” NorthJersey.com reported, adding that “in the documentary, Diakakis performs stand-up at a local comedy club and displays his vast shoe collection — he estimates he owns about 700 pairs.”

Diakakis calls the Bendix “Cheers with food,” NorthJersey.com reported, pointing out that Diakakis “and his family that are the heart of the film.”

“I don’t have two eyes that see, but I have six eyes that see for me,” Diakakis says, NorthJersey.com reported.

The 26-minute film “was screened last fall at several film festivals, including DOC NYC, the largest documentary festival in the country, the Naples International Film Festival in Florida, and Kevin Smith’s SModcastle Film Festival in Atlantic Highlands,” NorthJersey.com reported, adding that “it won the Audience Award and Best New Jersey Short at the Montclair Film Festival in October.”

Bendix: Site Unseen was screened at the Ridgewood International Film Festival on April 27, and at the ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York on April 29 and May 2, and is streaming on the festival’s website until May 3 at https://reelabilities.org/newyork/.

The trailer for the film is available on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3p68J8X.

RWJBarnabas Health Offers Aira Navigation Services For Blind and Low-Vision Employees, Patients and Visitors – At No Cost

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Blind or visually impaired individual holding a smart phone displaying the Aira app functions on the screen.

The Aira app provides Live, On Demand, Visual Interpretation in English, Spanish and French.

A smartphone screen showing the use of the Aira app showing an image in a room and chatting with a live interpreter the image.
While using a smartphone camera and the free Aira app, individuals who are blind or low-vision, connect live with personal visual interpreter agent to view the individual’s surroundings.

West Orange, NJ, – RWJBarnabas Health announces that it now offers Aira navigation services via a phone application (app) at all of its acute-care facilities for blind and low-vision employees, patients and visitors, at no cost.

Aira (pronounced eye-ruh) is an app-based service that safely and securely connects individuals who are blind or low-vision to live, personal visual interpreter agents. Using a smartphone camera and the free Aira app, agents can view the individual’s surroundings and guide our blind or low-vision users throughout RWJBarnabas Health facilities, in addition to assisting with other tasks where visual information can be useful, in English, Spanish or French.

The utilization of the Aira app across all acute-care facilities is part of RWJBarnabas Health’s steadfast commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging to improve the health of the diverse patient communities served throughout New Jersey and beyond. This is one of the many ways that RWJBarnabas Health ensures equitable patient-centered care. Through this implementation, RWJBarnabas Health joins a host of other forward-thinking organizations that value accessibility and inclusivity.

“By offering instant access to visual information in real time, the Aira app helps make RWJBarnabas Health facilities easy and safe to navigate for community members who have vision impairment(s) and contributes to an enjoyable experience when in our facilities”, said Jill Anderson, System Vice President, Patient Experience for RWJBarnabas Health.

The service is available free of charge, courtesy of RWJBarnabas Health, when users are in any of the system’s locations. Aira’s trained visual interpreter agents assist with visually interpreting one’s surroundings – describing, reading, (such as medication doses), explaining, navigating – just about anything, safely and securely.

“RWJBarnabas Health is removing barriers and empowering individuals who are blind or have low vision.”, said Suzette Robinson, Vice President and Interim Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for RWJBarnabas Health. She continued, “We are proud to partner with Aira as it is a wonderful resource to assist with visual guidance and other tasks where visual information is useful.”

ABOUT RWJBARNABAS HEALTH

RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering nine counties with five million people. The system includes twelve acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway, and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville; Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth; three acute care children’s hospitals; Children’s Specialized Hospital, including a network of outpatient centers; a behavioral health center and the state’s largest behavioral health network; two trauma centers; a satellite emergency department; ambulatory care centers; geriatric centers; comprehensive home care and hospice programs; fitness and wellness centers; retail pharmacy services; an affiliated medical group; multi-site imaging centers; and two accountable care organizations.

RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey’s largest private employers – with more than 41,000 employees and 9,000 physicians – and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBarnabas Health, in partnership with Rutgers University, is New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration aligns RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers’ education, research, and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey – the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center – and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care.

By Carrie Cristello,                                                                                          
Director of Marketing Communications
                                                       
Published May 14, 2024 at 7:16 PM
Last Updated May 14, 2024 at 7:16 PM

The Middle Atlantic Blind Golf Association Junior Golf Program

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Adult male instructor giving a golf lesson to a visually impaired teenage boy with a golf club in his hand on a fairway
A visually impaired teenage girl takes a practice swing at a golf ball on a fairway during the free clinic
A visually impaired teenage girl takes a swing at a golf ball during the free clinic hosted by the The Middle Atlantic Blind Golf Association (MABGA) Junior Golf Program

Every year, The Middle Atlantic Blind Golf Association (MABGA) Junior Golf Program holds monthly outings and clinics for boys and girls age 7-21 who are blind or visually impaired. All skill levels are welcome, and the clinics are free.

Sponsored by The Middle Atlantic Blind Golf Association, the Junior Golf Program provides each player with a PGA teacher who will give lessons at a golf course near players’ houses. They also provide the player with golf clubs, golf balls and a golf bag.

 

MABGA Junior Blind Golf Flyer

For more information about MBGA visit their website >>>>>>

Blindness and Prevention of Diabetes

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Register Now! Blind Health Expo 2024 Friday, December 6 10:00AM to 4:00PM Eastern Time

Program Registration Now Open for Medicare and Medicare

Advantage Beneficiaries

Do you have Medicare or Medicare Advantage? Join the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) to get healthy and avoid type 2 diabetes! Our courses are taught by two diabetes lifestyle coaches who are blind and one diabetes lifestyle coach who teaches the course in American Sign Language. Program is free for Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries and 100% virtual. Fill out the form below or send us an email to get started.

Available in:

  • Alabama
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • Virginia
  • West Virginia

Overview:

  • Year-long program
  • 100% virtual
  • Learn to identify and address barriers to healthy eating and physical activity through weekly peer sessions

Coming Soon! Diabetes Management Program

While this program is for individuals with pre-diabetes, we are currently building a Diabetes Management Program for individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Continue to fill out the form below if you are interested and we will get back to you with more information!

Click the link below, or send us an email to get started:

CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED

Erica C. Vaughns NLS Aspiring Leaders Internship Program

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Knowledge is Power written on a mosaic wall

The Erica C. Vaughns NLS Aspiring Leaders Internship Program was established in 2020 through an endowment to provide legally blind individuals opportunities to work at NLS in areas of study or interest. It is named in memory of Erica Vaughns, who created and managed the program and was a dedicated NLS employee for nearly 20 years until her death in 2023.

The program runs for 12 to 15 weeks during the summer. Currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students and those who have graduated within the past five years from an accredited two-year or four-year college or university are eligible to apply.

Intern Responsibilities

Under the guidance of mentors, interns work on selected tasks and projects within one of the five main divisions of NLS: the Office of the Director, Business Operations Division, Collections Division, Patron and Network Engagement Division, and Program Delivery Division. Visit NLS Authority, Functions and Responsibilities, and Operational Structure to learn more about the functions and responsibilities of each of these divisions.

Typical assignments will assist with the mission and goals of the Library and NLS.  These may include but are not limited to:

  • Data input and migration of information for the Braille Certification Learning Management System
  • Development and scanning of braille music material
  • Writing and editing content for NLS-produced material
  • Translating written content into various international languages
  • Braille proofreading and transcription
  • Project management assistance

In addition, interns will be required to participate in orientation sessions about NLS, its network of regional and subregional libraries, and brown-bag discussions.

Areas of Study or Interest

NLS administers a national program that requires staff with a diversity of skills and educational backgrounds. Therefore, NLS seeks interns with a background in fields of study including but not limited to:

  • Accounting and Finance
  • Audio and Sound Engineering
  • Business Administration
  • Communications and Media Studies
  • Computer Science
  • Contracts and Procurement
  • Engineering
  • Facility Management
  • International Languages
  • General Studies
  • Human Resources
  • Information Technology and Accessibility Design
  • Library Information Science
  • Music
  • Policy Analysis and Development
  • Project Management

Qualifications and Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students and those who have graduated within the past five years from an accredited two-year or four-year college or university are eligible to apply. In addition, applicants:

  • Must be a US Citizen
  • Must be legally blind
  • Must be able to work remotely

The knowledge, skills, and abilities an intern needs for this program include:

  • Knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet programs, such as Microsoft Office Word and Excel
  • Knowledge of braille
  • Ability to assist in planning, reviewing, researching, and collecting information

Work Schedule and Compensation

During the session, interns work part-time, 20 hours a week.  Schedules are flexible and the days and hours worked are determined between the intern and supervisor. Interns for this program serve as a GS-4 Program Support Assistant. The position offers no health benefits or insurance.

Application and Program Period

The NLS Aspiring Leaders Internship Program operates during the summer, between June and September.  Applications must be received by the deadline of November 1.

Complete Application Package

A complete application package will include:

How to Apply

A complete application package should be sent to NLSInternships@loc.gov.

Please send your questions concerning the Internship Program to NLSInternships@loc.gov.

NFB-NEWSLINE® A FREE service for those who are unable to read Newsprint!

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NFB-NEWSLINE®

It’s more than news—access a world of content in this free audio and Braille service for blind and print-disabled people.
NFB-NEWSLINE® is a free audio news service for anyone who is blind, low-vision, deafblind, or otherwise print-disabled that offers access to more than 500 publications, emergency weather alerts, job listings, and more.

Access Accounts and Content 

NFB-NEWSLINE now offers two types of accounts. The traditional full access account or a new limited access account

Content for NFB-NEWSLINE subscribers of the full access account:

  • National newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal and USA Today 
  • Breaking news sources, including CNN, BBC, and ESPN Online
  • International newspapers, including Financial Times and Vancouver Sun 
  • Magazines, including Time, Consumer Reports, Guideposts, and Smithsonian 
  • State newspapers
  • Emergency weather alerts and seven-day forecasts localized to your zip code or GPS location
  • The information that scrolls along the bottom of your television screen during emergency alerts
  • More than 100,000 job listings from two national job sources
  • TV listings localized to your zip code and provider
  • Retail ads
  • NFB’s national channel, including the ebook Building the Lives We Want, the Braille Monitor, Future Reflections, and presidential releases

NEW: NFB-NEWSLINE now offers a limited access account for children 

NFB-NEWSLINE is a valuable resource for blind children to access content for leisure or educational purposes. The NFB-NEWSLINE limited access account provides a restricted level of publications and content.  It is a structured set of materials and features recommended for children twelve years old and under. Currently, the limited access account type can only be accessed via the touch-tone phone access method.

Content for Subscribers of the NFB-NEWSLINE Limited Access Account:

  • National Federation of the Blind Channel
  • Their state specific local channel
  • State publications, including their state newspapers
  • Animal Tales
  • Girl’s Life
  • Highlights
  • J-14
  • National Geographic for Kids
  • Stone Soup
  • Additional services: retail ads, TV listings, job listings

With the start of the new limited access account, NFB-NEWSLINE now requires parents of subscribers under the age of 18 to complete the account setup process. The parent must select which type of account, either full or limited access (including the Kids Reading Corner), they want their child to have. Parents can change the type of their child’s account at any time. When their child turns 18 years old, the parent will need to contact NFB-NEWSLINE to have the child’s account switched to the full access account.

Special Coverage COVID-19 Information 

Get up-to-date COVID-19 information to all eligible subscribers. COVID-19 updates are available in the Breaking News category of NFB-NEWSLINE. This information is being obtained by the system searching the forty-four publications in the Breaking News category for “coronavirus” and displaying the results.

Access the COVID-19 updates using the telephone by pressing 5 from the main menu, then pressing 1 for the Breaking News category, followed by pressing 1 again which will bring you to the virus information. If you are using the NFB-NEWSLINE mobile app, look for the virus information under the All Publications section. The content can be accessed with Braille devices such as notetakers and refreshable Braille displays.

How to Sign Up for NFB-NEWSLINE

Anyone who cannot read printed publications due to vision loss, dyslexia, or a physical disability is eligible to receive NFB-NEWSLINE. Please register by calling your state’s Library for the Blind and Print-Disabled or the National Federation of the Blind at 866-504-7300 to request an application. You may also download and mail an application or complete our online application. After your registration is processed, you will receive a message containing your activation codes and instructions.

Ways to Access NFB-NEWSLINE

A man sits in a chair holding an iPad and listens to NFB-NEWSLINE with headphones.After you sign up for NFB-NEWSLINE, you will be able to access it in any of the following ways. If you are a current subscriber, you do not need to create a new account or obtain new codes to use additional methods. Your current codes will allow you to access NFB-NEWSLINE using any method you choose. If you’ve forgotten your codes, please call us for assistance.

iOS Mobile App 3.0 with KNFB Reader Basic

NFB-NEWSLINE Mobile includes these features and much more:

  • KNFB Reader Basic, a free version of KNFB Reader with the core functions necessary to quickly scan any printed text – just point, shoot, and read
  • The ability to share articles from publications in the breaking news category to social media channels
  • Multiple customization options to organize, save, and manage both NFB-NEWSLINE content and documents scanned with KNFB Reader Basic

NFB-NEWSLINE Mobile 3.0 is fully accessible with VoiceOver so that users can hear content read aloud or read it in Braille with a connected refreshable Braille display or notetaker, making the app ideal for blind and deafblind users.

Phone

  • Access NFB-NEWSLINE through your phone with the touch of a few buttons
  • Create your own favorites list, skip articles or sections, and repeat items you wish to re-read
  • Enable the continuous reading mode which allows you to start, stop, and skip articles
  • Alter the reading voice by changing the volume, speed, and pitch

For more information, please visit our NFB-NEWSLINE phone instructions page.

Amazon Alexa

  • Access NFB-NEWSLINE hands-free on any Amazon Alexa product, including Echo and Echo Dot
  • Alter the reading voice by changing the volume, speed, and the voice itself
  • Use dozens of voice commands to navigate to sections and articles that interest you

Learn more about the Amazon Alexa family of devices and enable the NFB-NEWSLINE Alexa skill today. For more information, please visit our Alexa instructions page or check out our training video on YouTube.

iOS Mobile App

  • Access NFB-NEWSLINE on your iPhone, iPod, or iPad
  • Global search function allows you to find articles on specific topics
  • Immediate access to breaking news stories

Download the free “NFB-NEWSLINE Mobile” app in the Apple App Store.

Website

  • Access NFB-NEWSLINE on a secure, text-only website that is screen-reader friendly
  • Easily navigate and search every available publication
  • Email a full publication, a section, or single article to your inbox

Visit nfbnewslineonline.org to access NFB-NEWSLINE online.

Email

  • NFB-NEWSLINE can email your news, customized job listings, and information directly to your inbox
  • Provide us with an email address, choose your favorites, and select frequency (once daily or updates throughout the day)

Please call us at 1-866-504-7300 to set up your NFB-NEWSLINE email service.

Portable Players

  • Access NFB-NEWSLINE through many popular digital talking book players
  • Portable, plug and play, wireless download for Victor Reader Stream 2nd Generation
  • Easily navigate sections and articles with the use of DAISY-standard formatting

Visit nfbnewslineonline.org to learn more.

More Information

For more information, please call us at 866-504-7300 or 410-659-9314, extension 2317, or email us at nfbnewsline@nfb.org.

New Jersey Registry Ready

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“Register Ready – New Jersey’s Special Needs Registry for Disasters” allows New Jersey residents with disabilities or access and functional needs and their families, friends, caregivers and associates an opportunity to provide information to emergency response agencies so emergency responders can better plan to serve them in a disaster or other emergency.

The information collected here is confidential and will not be available to the public. The information will be held securely and only used for emergency response and planning.

Why should you register

  • To be notified by local officials when an evacuation has been ordered.
  • IT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

For Registry Assistance, dial 211 (toll-free) and an operator will assist you in registering.

Alerts – Mobile / Text (SMS) and E-Mail:
NIXLE – Subscribe to the NJ State Police on Nixle Connect
New Jersey residents can register to receive messages by sending a text message with their zip code to 888777 (data rates may apply depending on your plan). Online registration is also available at www.nixle.com.

Links to County Offices of Emergency Management, websites, social media and alert systems: http://www.ready.nj.gov/about/association.html

The first line of defense against the effects of a disaster is personal preparedness. During an emergency, the government and other agencies may not be able to meet your needs. It is important for all citizens to make their own emergency plans and prepare for their own care and safety in an emergency. Registering on this website is not a guarantee that emergency officials will be able to assist you in an emergency.

 

Developed by Acclaim Systems, Inc. © 2019

Microsoft Seeing AI app lands on Android to help blind and visually impaired users

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Saqib Shaikh, Founder and Lead, Microsoft Seeing AI holding his cell phone with a live image of himself

Smart phone screen displaying the various ways the free mobile app Seeing AI can assist with scanning barcodes, identifying currency, recognize faces, and read printNavigating the world around you is certainly challenging if you’re blind or sight impaired. One tool that can help is a free mobile app from Microsoft called Seeing AI. Designed to alert and inform people about their environment, the app is now accessible to Android users after having been limited to iOS.

In a blog post published Monday, Saqib Shaikh, founder and lead for Microsoft Seeing AI, announced the expansion to Android and highlighted some of the app’s latest features.

Available in the App Store and Google Play, Seeing AI works by identifying and describing people, objects, text, and other elements around you. The goal is to help you better navigate your surroundings and understand documents and other physical items by hearing them read aloud.

First up is text recognition. Fire up the app and hold your phone over a piece of printed or written text. Upon recognition, Seeing AI will start reading the text aloud until it gets to the end.

Next is document recognition. Hold your phone over a full document, and the app will scan and display the words. You can then listen to the document read aloud by playing, pausing, skipping ahead, or going back as needed.

Another handy feature is a barcode reader that will identify and speak information about a product based on the code scan. Next, you can snap a photo of your surrounding environment, and the app will describe the overall scene as well as individual items in the photo.

A people reader will scan a person captured by the camera and then highlight their visual characteristics, adding in their distance away from you. Finally, a currency scanner will analyze a bill or coin to tell you its value.

As part of the transition to Android, the app also sports a couple of recent enhancements.

Scanning a photo now provides richer descriptions of the details captured in the image. Plus, you’re now able to ask Seeing AI more questions about a scanned document. As a few examples, you can learn about dishes on a menu, get the prices of items on a catalog page, or hear a summary of an article.

“There are over 3 billion active Android users worldwide, and bringing Seeing AI to this platform will provide so many more people in the blind and low vision community the ability to utilize this technology in their everyday lives,” Shaikh said in the blog post. “We will continue to work with the community to understand feedback to improve the app. And as additional versions roll out, customer feedback will continue to be critical for new AI-powered enhancements to future versions of the Seeing AI app.”

Shaikh, who lost his sight at the age of seven, said that the Android version and new features were launched in celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). Seeing AI is now available in 18 languages including Czech, Danish, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. Microsoft plans to expand support to 36 languages in 2024.

Blind voters say they’re still disenfranchised in NJ. But a new bill has given them hope

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Linda Melendez is holding a walking stick while holding onto a railing
Linda Melendez is holding a walking stick while holding onto a railing
“I don’t feel like I have the same rights as my sighted peers have,” said Keyport’s Linda Melendez, who lost her vision more than 20 years ago. “They can’t vote independently or privately and it’s not an issue.” Tanya Breen

Despite years of activism, blind and partially sighted voters in New Jersey still can’t exercise their right to cast ballots privately and independently, the community says.

That may finally change thanks to a push in the state Legislature.

Keyport’s Linda Melendez lost her vision more than 20 years ago. When she was featured in news stories across the state in 2020, she was hopeful people like her might finally be able to vote as easily as sighted citizens.

For years, those with vision loss have had two options, both flawed: They can fill out a ballot at home — but only by printing and signing forms. Or they can head to the polls, where transportation, balky assistive devices and unprepared election workers all pose problems.

“I don’t feel like I have the same rights as my sighted peers have,” said Melendez, 62, who leads the state chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. “They can vote independently and privately, and it’s not an issue for them.”

NJ’s new voting machines

Helped by state funding, many counties have replaced aging election equipment in recent years. About half of New Jersey now employs ExpressVote XL machines, like those used in Morris County, said county Board of Elections Administrator Dale Kramer. The other half uses the Dominion Voting Systems, like those found in Bergen County, she said.

The two voting systems offer similar accommodations and are vast improvements when it comes to accessibility, Kramer said.

“The machines have 32-inch interactive, touch screen technology and the screen can be lowered or adjusted to accommodate a voter who is seated,” she explained. “The text font can be increased on the screen, and the contrast can be adjusted as well for somebody who is visually impaired.” The polling machines also include an audio device with headphones that allows a ballot to be read to voters and a keypad with Braille legends through which they can make their selections.

Advocates for those with blindness or low vision say that still leaves roadblocks in their way.

Too often, poll workers either don’t know how to set up the audio component or “don’t want to bother with it,” said Mary Ciccone, director of policy at the group Disability Rights New Jersey. “Many individuals don’t want to wait around for who knows how long to get someone from the county to fix the machine or get it set up.”

Most of the new machines also make use of an optical scanner that requires voters to check printouts of ballots after selections have been made. People with vision loss can’t verify their intentions were accurately recorded, she Ciccone said.

Voting accessibility

“Nothing has changed,” Melendez said. “I still can’t vote independently. It gets discouraging to stand on line, and people are upset with you because the accessible voting [machine] is not working. It’s just very discouraging.”

She’s organized in recent years with vision- and hearing-loss communities as well as the League of Women Voters and had hoped that state lawmakers would quickly clear electronic balloting as a simple fix.

New Jersey voters with vision loss have been able to get an electronic ballot as an accommodation since 2020, said Alicia D’Alessandro, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of State, which oversees elections.

Those ballots can be accessed and filled out using screen-reading software. But, as of now, returning electronic ballots still requires them to printed out, signed and mailed — meaning voters still need the help of a sighted person. Only the returned hard copy gets counted. So although D’Alessandro said “voters are able to make their candidate selections independently,” it’s an answer that makes Melendez mad.

“The majority of blind people do not have printers,” she said. “Why would we have a printer when we can’t see?”

The situation frustrates advocates because it’s a problem that has been solved for other voters. Soldiers and other Americans overseas also receive ballots in the mail, but they can cast their votes and return them electronically, Ciccone said.

Voters with vision loss want the same ability to vote entirely remotely, doing away with the hurdles of getting to polling sites, dealing with complicated machines or printing, signing and mailing ballots.

Sighted voters “can get in their cars and drive to wherever they need to go, walk in and cast their votes,” Melendez said. “I can’t get in the car. I have to rely on transportation. If the weather is bad, I can’t walk to where I need to go vote.”

“When I get to where I have to go vote I’m not welcomed by even the poll workers, because they have to hook up the machine, and most of the time it does not work,” she continued. “It takes one of the voting polls out of commission for the voters who see to use, so it holds up the line. It’s a very confrontational environment to be in, so most times we don’t go to vote, and that’s not really fair or right.”

Electronic ballots 

The Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees blind and visually impaired people the right to vote privately and independently, but it’s not private if it can’t be done independently, according to Disability Rights New Jersey.

Thirteen states, including Massachusetts, Colorado and North Carolina, currently let voters with disabilities return ballots electronically, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In New Jersey, the state Assembly voted 69-3 in February to allow ballots to be returned electronically by voters with applicable disabilities. A companion bill, S-3302, was introduced in the state Senate a year ago but has seen no movement since then. Disability Rights New Jersey has been lobbying for the change and found a receptive ear in Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald, a South Jersey Democrat.

State Assemblyman Louis Greenwald, speaking in 2018 in front of a podium at the Statehouse in Trenton.
State Assemblyman Louis Greenwald, speaking in 2018 at the Statehouse in Trenton. He sponsored a bill to allow voters with blindness or low vision to return ballots electronically.  Amy Newman/NorthJersey.com

“I was saddened to learn that New Jersey’s vote by mail system stops halfway in providing an accessible mail-in ballot to voters with visual and dexterity impairments, since it requires them to print and sign their ballot,” Greenwald said in a statement.

“I felt I had to do something about this issue. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support in the Assembly, and I’m thrilled to have the governor’s support on it. Ensuring that every New Jerseyan, regardless of disability, has the ability to vote privately and independently, whether in person or by mail, is common-sense and the right thing to do.”

State Sen. Fred Madden, a sponsor of the Senate version, said the bill is a “priority” that he’ll work to get approved “during the lame duck period before the end of the year.”

“Blind voters should have their rights respected and their needs accommodated so they can participate equally in the election process,” said Madden, a Democrat who represents parts of Camden and Gloucester counties.

Gene Myers covers disability and mental health for NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: myers@northjersey.com

Twitter: @myersgene

Gene Myers
NorthJersey.com

Video Relay Service for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at the Burlington County Library System (BCLS)

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Burlington County Library System is now offering Video Relay Service for our deaf and hard of hearing customers who speak American Sign Language (ASL). The Video Relay Service offers ASL interpretation for telephone calls between a Deaf person and a Hearing person in different locations through the use of videoconferencing technology.

This is a FREE service and available only by appointment at the County Library: 5 Pioneer Blvd., Westampton, NJ 08060.

An appointment is required to use the Video Relay Service at the Burlington County Library

To make an appointment for the VRS please go to the ‘Library Accessibility‘ page on the Library Website and follow instructions under “Video Relay Service for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.”

Or call 609-267-9660 press 1 for the Adult Reference Desk

Or Email to make an appointment at vrs@bcls.lib.nj.us

What is visual impairment?

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By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MD
Reviewed by April Cashin-Garbutt, MA (Editor)
The definition of vision impairment by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says a visually impaired person’s eyesight cannot be corrected to a “normal level”.

It may be said that visual impairment is the functional limitation of the eye or eyes or the vision system. This leads to (1-5) –

  • Loss of visual acuity and inability of the person to see objects as clearly as a healthy person
  • Loss of visual field meaning inability of an individual to see as wide an area as the average person without moving the eyes or turning the head.
  • Photophobia – inability to look at light
  • Diplopia – double vision
  • Visual distortion or distortion of images
  • Visual perceptual difficulties or difficulties of perception
  • Or any combination of the above features

Low visual acuity

The CDC and the World Health Organization suggest that low visual acuity means vision between 20/70 and 20/400 with the best possible correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.

Blindness

Blindness is defined as a visual acuity worse than 20/400 with the best possible correction, or a visual field of 10 degrees or less.

Legal blindness in the US means visual acuity of 20/200 or worse with the best possible correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less. (1)

Measuring visual acuity

Visual acuity is measured by use of a Snellen’s chart.

The chart consists of random letters and numbers of various sizes set at a distance of 6 feet.

The best possible vision if 6/6. Visual field is the width of the vision without moving or turning the head. It is measured in degrees.

Causes of vision impairment

Vision may be impaired due to multiple reasons. These could be due to eye damage, failure of the brain to receive and read the visual cues sent by the eyes etc.

Underlying diseases may also cause visual impairment. The commonest cause is diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, formation of cataracts and raised pressure within the eyes leading to glaucoma.

Who does visual impairment affect?

Although impairment of vision can occur at any point in life, it is more common among the elderly.

Sometimes visual impairment may be inherited. It manifests at birth or in childhood in such cases.

Common conditions are retinitis pigmentosa, genetic or developmental abnormalities etc.

These children with partial or complete impairment are often developmentally delayed especially in gross and fine motor skills. Visually impaired adults struggle with gainful employment and day to day activities. (1-5)

How many people are visually impaired?

Some estimates suggest the approximately 10 million people in the United States are blind or visually impaired.

Some sources suggest that one million adults over the age of 40 are blind, and 2.4 million are visually impaired.

It is estimated that as the elderly population swells over the years, the number of adults with vision impairments is expected to double.

Figures also show that only 46% of working-age adults have vision impairments and 32% of legally blind adults of working age are gainfully employed. (1-5)

Sources

  1. http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/blindness.html
  2. https://www.aoa.org/
  3. https://lighthouseguild.org/
  4. www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/VisionLossFactSheet.pdf
  5. kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/sight/visual_impairment.html

Further Reading

Last Updated: Jun 7, 2023