From fnugg at online.no Fri Jul 3 13:43:16 2009 From: fnugg at online.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:43:16 +0200 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE American Council of the Blind/Audio Description Project Conference Message-ID: <4A4E0AF4.10101@online.no> *Forwarding * *Registration for VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE at the* *American Council of the Blind/Audio Description Project Conference* *July 6-8, 2009* *In Conjunction with the American Council of the Blind 2009 Convention* *At the Rosen Centre, Orlando, Florida, USA* (NOTE: The virtual attendance option is not available for the *AD Training Institute, July 9-11*?but slots are still available! Go to www.adinternational.org for more information and register soon at www.acb.org ) Due to unprecedented demand (and the wondrous capabilities of the Internet), the American Council of the Blind is pleased to offer a *VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE option *for the ACB?s Audio Description Project Conference. Description enthusiasts who are unable to be in Orlando for the Conference on July 6-8 can listen in and participate via text by registering for virtual attendance. Here?s what you do: 1) Complete the registration / payment form at: https://www.acb.org/acart/adp-project.htm 2) Once you have registered you will receive by return email a password and complete instructions on how to access the Conference via the Internet and how you can join in on all Conference discussions via text input you?re your computer. 3) Conference sessions are open as follows: Monday, July 6: 1:00 pm-6:30 pm Tuesday, July 7: 1:00 pm-6:00 pm and 8:00 pm-9:30 pm Wednesday, July 8: 12:30 pm-4:30 pm Check the agenda for the Conference at www.adinternational.org and participate in every session. Questions? For technical issues, email Tom Peters at tpeters at tapinformation.com or call Tom at 816 616-6746; for questions about the Conference, email Joel Snyder at jsnyder at acb.org or call Joel at 202 467-5083. JOEL SNYDER Director, Audio Description Project American Council of the Blind jsnyder at acb.org -- 202 467-5083 www.adinternational.org From fnugg at online.no Fri Jul 3 15:22:54 2009 From: fnugg at online.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:22:54 +0200 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] Twitter, haptic glove, photography, Sound imaging: Message-ID: <4A4E224E.7070105@online.no> Hi, Wonder how Twitter could be utilized in the discussion, understanding of tactiles, any ideas - public information etc? Link to an essay contest about the possible uses of a haptic glove, some blogs excerpts and exhibitions, and the Cognitive aid system for blind People project. Regards, Lisa http://www.twitip.com/twitter-remaking-the-persona-of-the-physically-challenged/ Twitter: Remaking the Persona of the Physically Challenged One person already shaping her community?s identity is blogger Sandi Wassmer (@sandiwassmer), owner of Copious Ltd., a digital agency in the UK. Sandi, who is visually impaired, wanted to advance the work of Action for Blind People, a charity providing support services for blind and partially sighted people. She decided to blog for the organization, writing on all aspects of living with a disability-from the practical to the sublime. Unexpectedly, she has learned that, ?my musings seem to be hitting home pan-disability,? she says. By promoting her blog on Twitter, she has expanded traditional views of what visually challenged people can do and demonstrated first-hand that all people have more in common than what our physical differences indicate. http://www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk/ blog http://mojoey.blogspot.com/2009/07/ucr-california-museum-of-photography.html I went to see Sight Unseen on the advice of my friend Imogen. The exhibit was worth the trip. I could not understand how a blind photographer would produce images worth viewing. I was stunned by what I found. I particularly enjoyed the work of Pete Eckert. Gerardo Nigenda incorporates brail into his printed works. The Patio at the Manuel Alvarez Bravo Photography Center, featured on the left, is a great example of excellent photography and tactile modification. You can touch the image while viewing it. I enjoyed the process. http://www.cmp.ucr.edu/ California Museum of Photography Sight Unseen SIGHT UNSEEN International Photography by Blind Artists May 02, 2009 - August 29, 2009 Opening Reception: May 02, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Curated by Douglas McCulloh Introduction | Shooting Blind | Blind to Our Own Blindness | Seeing Beyond Sight Introduction SIGHT UNSEEN presents work by the most accomplished blind photographers in the world. It is the first major museum exhibition on a rich subject full of paradox and revelation. This exhibition occupies the ground zero of photography. Artists Ralph Baker, New York, New York Evgen Bavcar, Paris, France Henry Butler, New Orleans, Louisiana Pete Eckert, Sacramento, California Bruce Hall, Irvine, California Annie Hesse, Paris, France Rosita McKenzie, Edinburgh, Scotland Gerardo Nigenda, Oaxaca, M?xico Michael Richard, Los Angeles, California Seeing With Photography Collective, New York, New York Kurt Weston, Huntington Beach, California Alice Wingwall, Berkeley, California article excerpt CyberGlove Systems Hosts Worldwide Contest for New Motion Capture Technology Applications CyberGlove Systems is hosting a worldwide contest for the best new industry application of its hand-centric motion capture and haptic products. CyberGlove Systems is the worldwide leader in data glove technology and offers the most sophisticated hand-centric motion capture solutions in the marketplace. The winner of this contest will receive their choice of one of our products for free use for 12 months to develop their winning industry-application concept! San Jose, CA (PRWEB) July 2, 2009 -- CyberGlove Systems LLC, CyberGlove Systems is hosting a worldwide contest for the best new industry application of its hand-centric motion capture and haptic products. The winner of this contest will receive their choice of one of our products for free use for 12 months to develop their winning industry-application concept! Winners will be chosen based on their submitted essays, which are due on September 4, 2009. http://www.prweb.com/releases/technology/cyberglove/prweb2526334.htm http://cyberglovesystems.com/company/winafreecyberglove.php article excerpt Sound imaging: clever acoustics help blind people see the world Video from portable cameras is analysed to calculate the distance of obstacles and predict the movements of people and cars. This information is then transformed and relayed to a blind person as a three-dimensional ?picture? of sound. The concept is apparently simple and two prototypes have been successfully tested. Laser and digital video cameras become the eyes for the blind man and see the objects and activity going on around him. Researchers from the University of Bristol have developed powerful real-time image processing and some clever algorithms to then identify objects and obstacles, such as trees, street furniture, vehicles and people. The system uses the stereo images to create a ?depth map? for calculating distances. The system can also analyse moving objects and predict where they are going. So much for the image processing, but how do you present this visual information to a blind person? Technology developed at the University of Laguna in Spain makes it possible to transform spatial information into three-dimensional acoustic maps. A blind person wears headphones and hears how sounds change as they move around. The stereo audio system makes it possible to place sounds so that the brain can interpret them as a point in space. Sounds get louder as you walk towards objects, quieter as you move away. Objects to your right are heard on your right, and if you move your head the sound moves too. And if something is heading right for you, you'll hear it coming, with a tone that tells you to get out of the way. The full picture The EU-funded CASBLiP project was conceived to integrate the image processing and acoustic mapping technologies into a single, portable device that could be worn by blind people and help them to navigate outdoors. The University of Laguna worked to adapt its acoustic mapping system and the University of Bristol refined its image processing algorithms. The device also incorporates a gyroscopic sensor developed by the University of Marche, Italy. This component, called the head-positioning sensor, detects how the wearer moves his head. It feeds back the position of the head and the direction it is facing, so that the relative position of the sounds being played to the wearer also move as expected. For example, if you turn your head towards a sound on the right, the sound must move left towards the centre of the sound picture. http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm?section=news&tpl=article&BrowsingType=Features&ID=90729 Project site Cognitive aid system for blind People http://casblipdif.webs.upv.es/ exhibition Gallery hosts three-artist opening Palmer paints his contemporary landscapes in acrylic medium with accents in pen and ink. Splitting his time between Ogunquit, Maine, and Key West, Fla., Palmer?s themes are landscapes mostly seen from a bird?s-eye-view. Palmer is totally blind in one eye and legally blind in the other. As a result, he paints about 10 inches from the canvas. While Palmer will not be present for the opening, his new work will be displayed. http://www.hollandsentinel.com/lifestyle/x631610607/Gallery-hosts-three-artist-opening excerpt blog Holey Vision Actually there were a couple of endings this week. On Tuesday the photographic workshops came to the close of the first phase. The participants had selected a photo and we had made them each posters and the ensuing exhibition was joyful in the extreme. Their friends, family and colleagues wandered around the room continuously saying how astounded they were. how they had never imagined that blind and visually impaired people could take such remarkable shots (sorry i can't show you yet but I hope soon some will be on an on -line exhibition!) ?This is my photo of a thrown away piece of wood,? said Mr. O. ?When I saw the photo I realised it had bought out something beautiful in the wood and it made me think that all thrown away things have something beautiful still to be found. I have called this photo ?Hope?. ? excerpt Blog Holy Vision So I was thoughtful when I arrived at Kennington and slid into my role as a volunteer facilitator. We (from the charity Photovoice) are running a series of photographic workshops for blind and VI people. We are in the 4th week of a new course but on this Tuesday three new people stood patiently waiting to join in. A tall Jamaican lad, blind from birth, a short, streetwise North African with his guide dog Frankie and a gentle Haitian-English man with his dog Bill. As everyone else was hyped up to go on a field trip I stayed in to work with the three new men. The older man asks what is often the first question. ?Why should blind people take photographs??? I roll up my sleeves and begin. Over the two hours we explore the possibilities of communication between sighted and non-sighted communities, discuss language and how emotion can be conveyed through image and combinations of image, touch, scent and sound. We discuss sight; our sight, how we lost or are losing it, what limits us. Then we explore the camera basics through touch and take the first series of photographs using touch and sound to establish the composition and I show them how to place the camera on heart, chin or nose (using the head as a tripod pivot) to take steady and simple pictures. http://holeyvision.blogspot.com/ From dandrews at visi.com Mon Jul 6 15:02:02 2009 From: dandrews at visi.com (David Andrews) Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:02:02 -0500 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] NFB Convention Stream Available Message-ID: Many of you have asked about watching and/or listening to a stream of the NFB national convention, now going on in Detroit. There is a audio/video stream that is available when general sessions of the convention are in session. I presume that it will also be available for the banquet. The address is: http://www.vbossengage.com/Engage/NFB/Index.aspx David Andrews and white cane Harry. From dandrews at visi.com Mon Jul 6 16:39:02 2009 From: dandrews at visi.com (David Andrews) Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:39:02 -0500 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] Updated Link for NFB Convention Stream Message-ID: Earlier today I posted a link to listen/watch a live stream of the NFB convention, now going on in Detroit. The link used an embedded Silverlight player that may not be accessible to all. Below is a new link that uses your default media player. We apologize for any problems that this has caused anybody. http://vbricksys.edgeboss.net/wmedia-live/vbricksys/58969/300_vbricksys-nfb_30241_090615.asx Dave David Andrews and white cane Harry. From fnugg at online.no Wed Jul 22 12:25:34 2009 From: fnugg at online.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:25:34 +0200 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] 'Lollipop' Helps Reveal Shapes To the Blind Message-ID: <4A67053E.7090006@online.no> Hi, Excerpt of article about the BrainPort device. Good article. article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072002343.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072002343_pf.html Regards, Lisa 'Lollipop' Helps Reveal Shapes To the Blind After Marine Cpl. Mike Jernigan was blinded by a roadside bomb in Iraq, he said, not much was done for him. "I returned back from Iraq and [Veterans Affairs] gave me a stick. A stick and a tap on the butt and they said, 'Go ahead.' " ... Also called the intra-oral device, or IOD, the lollipop is an inch-square grid with 625 small round metal pieces. It is connected by a wire to a small camera mounted on a pair of sunglasses and to a hand-held controller about the size of a BlackBerry. The camera sends an image to the lollipop, which transmits a low-voltage pulse to Jernigan's tongue. With training, Jernigan has learned to translate that pulse into pictures. He can now identify the shapes of what is in front of him, even though both of his eyes have been removed. "It's kind of like Braille that you use with your fingers," said Amy Nau, an optometrist who is researching the effectiveness of the device at the University of Pittsburgh. "Instead of symbols, it's a picture, and instead of your fingertips, it's your tongue." ... "Touch takes over for vision in this case," said Maurice Ptito, a professor of visual science at the University of Montreal's School of Optometry, who has scanned the brains of blind people using the machine. "We notice that they activate the visual cortex, which is the part of the brain that a seeing person would use." .... Paul Bach-y-Rita, the late founder of Wicab, discovered in the late 1990s that the tongue was the ideal place to provide information through tactile stimulation, Beckman said. "There is a high level of nerve endings in the tongue, similar to a finger," he said. "And the tongue is constantly moist, so there is constant electric conductivity." From fnugg at online.no Wed Jul 22 12:47:40 2009 From: fnugg at online.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:47:40 +0200 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] 'Lollipop' Helps Reveal Shapes To the Blind In-Reply-To: <4A67053E.7090006@online.no> References: <4A67053E.7090006@online.no> Message-ID: <4A670A6C.9010905@online.no> Hi, OK what about a real low tech version of this. When I first read the title of the article I thought they meant candy lollipops. Not so, but could that idea be used? That is for example, learning geometrical shapes. Triangle lolllipops, square lollipops, pentagons etc. Best, LIsa Lisa Yayla wrote: > Hi, > Excerpt of article about the BrainPort device. Good article. > > article at > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072002343.html > > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072002343_pf.html > > > > > > > From fnugg at online.no Wed Jul 22 13:21:46 2009 From: fnugg at online.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:21:46 +0200 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] "City of God's Son: Cinema for the Blind" by Kenzo Digital Message-ID: <4A67126A.80504@online.no> This looks great. Film by Kenzo Digital, free download under Creative Commons license at http://www.cityofgodson.com/ interview link and trailer link follow. Regards, Lisa http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/15956 excerpt Kenzo Digital is New York-based multi-talented creator that works in video, audio, and mixed media to create both artistic works and commercial products. Aesthetically informed by early 90s hip-hop, his latest and most well-publicized work, City of God?s Son, is a CC-licensed ?opera for the blind.? The project finds Kenzo sampling and remixing numerous sources to create a vivid sound-scape that invokes imagery and a cinematic narrative through audio. Today, in conjunction with our interview, Kenzo is releasing the most recent addition to COGS titled City of God?s Son: Cinema for the Blind. The piece features interviews with blind musicians on ?sight through sound, synesthesia? and the film itself, crafting a fascinating perspective on how our senses work in conjunction with (or without) one another. You can watch the piece, which is released under a CC Attribution-NonCommercial license, in HD at YouTube ? check out a still of the video below: about "City of God's Son: Cinema for the Blind" by Kenzo Digital http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGMz4DVjRto trailer Preview of City of God's Son - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlSgUCmKPM4&feature=related From fnugg at online.no Wed Jul 22 13:26:38 2009 From: fnugg at online.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:26:38 +0200 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] if you're in NY July 29-30 Message-ID: <4A67138E.1080002@online.no> For the first time this unique new form of sound and video art will be exhibited for the public on Wednesday, July 29th and Thursday, July 30th at 511 West 25th Street, on the 9th floor. Each night will feature back-to-back screenings/listening sessions starting at 8:00pm, followed by a Q&A with director Kenzo Digital. There will be a rooftop party & reception throughout the night. The event is sponsored by Nam June Paiks Studios, Creative Commons, Kenzo Digital Media, and Parimachari. For more information on the project please visit www.CityofGodSon.com City of Gods Son is a revolutionary new audio driven cinematic experience by artist Kenzo Digital. A story completely created out of samples and re-appropriated audio and visual media, City of Gods Son stars rappers Nas, Jay Z, Ghostface, Notorious BIG, Raekwon, and actors Samuel Jackson, Lawrence Fishburne, Delroy Lindo, and Al Pacino. Narrated by legendary soul singer Joe Bataan. The project has received critical acclaim from the Huffington Post, Kanye West, Complex Magazine, Fader Magazine, Nahright.com and many others. As one of the most viral and groundbreaking forms of new media art, City of Gods Son fuses musical and cinema mythologies into a one of a kind sound film, redefining how stories can be told and the very definition of the remix. For the first time this unique new form of sound and video art will be exhibited for the public on Wednesday, July 29th and Thursday, July 30th at 511 West 25th Street, on the 9th floor. Each night will feature back-to-back screenings/listening sessions starting at 8:00pm, followed by a Q&A with director Kenzo Digital. There will be a rooftop party & reception throughout the night. The event is sponsored by Nam June Paiks Studios, Creative Commons, Kenzo Digital Media, and Parimachari. For more information on the project please visit www.CityofGodSon.com http://nahright.com/news/2009/07/21/video-city-of-gods-son-cinema-for-the-blind/ From fnugg at online.no Wed Jul 22 14:01:01 2009 From: fnugg at online.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:01:01 +0200 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] art, Monet, photography Message-ID: <4A671B9D.6070502@online.no> excerpt At the moment I'm trying to paint the bark of a tree very, very rough so you can feel it. It's been done so a blind person can feel what I've done. That's what my art teacher, Peter Goodhall, has taught me." http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/features/Stephanie-hopes-competition-win-lead-great-things/article-1178112-detail/article.html excerpt Vision and art July 20, 2009 by EyeWorld Filed under Eyeworld Leave a Comment Oscar Wilde famously paraphrased Ovid when he said, ?Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.? The mutual influence of life and art on one another inspired a group of art and vision experts to explore the intersections of the worlds of art and vision at the November 2008 annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Atlanta. Michael F. Marmor, M.D., professor of ophthalmology , Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif., and James Ravin, M.D., Toledo, Ohio, surveyed the works of many great artists to reveal what Dr. Marmor called ?the implications of blindness for the artist.? Many well-known artists suffered from visually debilitating ocular diseases, said Dr. Ravin, and in many cases, the progression of their visual declines are manifested in their art. http://www.cataractoutsourcing.com/syndicated-articles/eyeworld/vision-art/ excerpt Gadget Lab Hardware News and Reviews Blind Photographers Use Gadgets to Realize Artistic Vision Gadget Lab Hardware News and Reviews Blind Photographers Use Gadgets to Realize Artistic Vision By Brian X. Chen July 16, 2009 | 8:30 pm | Categories: Cameras When a brain tumor caused professional photographer Alex Dejong to lose his eyesight three years ago, he turned to gadgets to continue making his art. Carrying around a Nokia N82 cellphone, Dejong used assistive software to translate sounds into visuals in his mind. After stitching together a mental image of his surroundings, he snapped photos with his Canon and Leica digital cameras. But Dejong?s blindness is acute: He can only perceive light and dark. Because Dejong could not see his own photographs, he hired an assistant for editing. Until recently, editing was a part of the creative workflow that he thought he?d lost forever. And then to his surprise, Apple?s iPhone 3GS, which launched late June, gave him back the ability to edit photos. The new iPhone has a feature called VoiceOver, which reads back anything a user places his finger over on the screen: e-mail, web pages, system preferences and so on. Beyond that, photo-editing applications such as CameraBag and Tilt-Shift perform automated editing tasks that blind users like Dejong could not otherwise do on their own. A photo of a cup shot with the iPhone 3GS. Photo: Alex Dejong ?With the iPhone and a lot of the photography apps that a lot of people are using, I have my entire workflow, and I can do it in five minutes,? Dejong said. ?In this way, the iPhone is a remarkable gift. I?ve had it for three weeks now, and it has really opened up my world, apart from the photography.? http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/07/blind-photographers/ From scr at univdesign.com Thu Aug 6 02:19:03 2009 From: scr at univdesign.com (Shirley Confino-Rehder) Date: Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:19:03 -0500 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] Tactile Tours in Tidewater Message-ID: Dear Mr. Andrews, I recently met Stuart Prost and his wife Debra, and may be doing a presentation on the Tactile tour at your meeting on the 15th of August. I have to confirm that with him. I have designed and developed a financially feasible Tactile Tour for Museums and thought I should share it with your group. This project has encouraged museums to include docent led tactile tours for persons who are blind or have low vision in several local museums and those around the county and Canada. While meeting the requirement of Title III of the ADA for equal program access, it will enable people who are often neglected in the aesthetic experience, enjoy art on a very personal level. I am so pleased to announce that art venues in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Williamsburg will have Tactile Programs this October to celebrate National Disabilities Awareness Month and Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month. Among these sites are: * The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk * The Norfolk University Center of African Art * The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries at Old Dominion University. * The Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, * The Muscarelle Museum of Art, College of William and Mary - where I am a docent. * The Bayside Library in Virginia Beach ? coordinating with local schools, will offer tactile sculptures around the facility and will then have selected pieces for permanent display. Their Special Services will be doing our Braille and audio descriptions for all of the venues. * The Virginia Zoo will have tactile handouts for at least one of their exhibits. The Chrysler, Muscarelle and the ODU gallery are planning to have permanent tactile tours. In addition, the Ceramics, Woodcarving & Woodworking classes, at the The Norfolk Senior Center ?( PrimePlus) ? will be doing work in different mediums and display their tactile piece with Braille descriptions on view for the month. I noted that the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, Virginia Beach is listed the Art Beyond Sight Website Calendar. They will be using my docent tour pamphlet to train their docents and I will be doing their graphics. I have asked Art Beyond Sight at to list these sites on the calendar website for the month of October and hope it will be done in time to advertise it properly. I would appreciate any assistance from you office to make this happen. Thank you very much. Looking forward to meeting with your group shortly, Shirley Shirley Confino-Rehder cid, affil aia www.univdesign.com Chair, Norfolk Mayor's Commission for Persons with Disabilities Chair, South Hampton Roads Disability Services Board 757 625-0969 office 757 513-4880 mobile From PMaurer at nfb.org Thu Aug 6 15:58:58 2009 From: PMaurer at nfb.org (Maurer, Patricia) Date: Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:58:58 -0500 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] How many children in America are not taught to read? Message-ID: ---------- From: Marc Maurer [mailto:outreach at nfb.org] Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 3:14 PM To: Maurer, Patricia Subject: How many children in America are not taught to read? The answer is 90 percent if the children are blind. Most Americans are shocked to hear this statistic. And we should be. The blind read and write using Braille, so why is our educational system failing to teach Braille to so many children? Why are these children being denied the opportunities that come with a proper education? What if you could not read and write? Where would you be today? There are three primary reasons for this educational crisis: (1) there are not enough Braille teachers; (2) some teachers of blind children have not received enough training; and (3) many educators do not think Braille instruction is even necessary. To bring critically-needed attention to this educational crisis, the United States Congress authorized the minting of the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar with a portion of the sale of each coin going toward a revolutionary and comprehensive Braille literacy campaign. Learning to read and write is fundamental to education, which in turn is paramount to full and equal participation in American society. This coin, the first U.S. coin to have proper tactile Braille, symbolizes independence, opportunity, and the potential of blind people to make significant contributions to society when they are taught to read and write using Braille. To learn more, read our report The Braille Literacy Crisis in America, or watch our video Making Change with a Dollar. Please purchase this unique and beautiful coin now and help solve this educational crisis for blind children in America. The law authorizing this 2009 silver dollar requires that any coins not sold by midnight on December 31, 2009, be melted down. Time is of the essence--a 90 percent illiteracy rate is not acceptable and the opportunity to purchase this coin will soon be gone. Be part of the solution. Give the gift of literacy. Create new opportunities. Buy the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar today. Marc Maurer, President NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND From fnugg at online.no Fri Aug 14 10:35:13 2009 From: fnugg at online.no (Lisa Yayla) Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:35:13 +0200 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] Photographiy, Henry Butler, Blindphotographers.org Message-ID: <4A853DE1.9040802@online.no> Hi, Excerpts and links to blogs, articles about photography. Regards, Lisa Although blinded by glaucoma since birth, Butler is a world class photographer who will be featured in an HBO documentary on blind photographers to be broadcast this fall. ?You don?t have to be bound by anyone else?s limitations on you,? says Butler, ?Where there?s a will there are ways to overcome anything.? This message is the centerpiece to the many programs Butler, who holds a Masters Degree in Vocal Music from Michigan State University, has designed for blind and visually impaired students. http://inabluemood.blogspot.com/2009/08/henry-butler-2005-nojf-6.html Touch Sight Camera Another concept and very a thoughtful one here. Today's Samsung announcements may have two LCD screens, but this camera has none. The Touch Sight is a camera for the visually impaired and it takes pictures as normal but with a couple of mind-bending additions. Firstly, it records three seconds of audio at the same time as taking the snap, to help with filing purposes later, and it also has a braille printer which embosses information onto the shot - three sense photography instead of just one. Crazy Factor: Far Out - totally unique http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/news.phtml/26288/top-ten-crazy-compact-cameras.phtml Blind Loughborough photographer hopes work can raise charity cash A BLIND photographer from Loughborough is hoping his amazing art will raise money for charity. Brian Negus, 62, of Westfield Drive, suffers from hereditary optic atrophy - a condition which means that he can see shapes but not detail. But with a pair of magnifying spectacles and a large display screen on his camera, Brian has managed to shoot an amazing array of stunning photographs. To showcase his art, Brian has set up a website and he is offering anyone use of the snaps, in exchange for a donation to Leicestershire-based sight charity Vista, where Brian is chairman. http://www.loughboroughecho.net/news/loughborough-news/2009/08/14/blind-loughborough-photographer-hopes-work-can-raise-charity-cash-73871-24383191/ http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Amazing-pictures-blind-photographer/article-1233300-detail/article.html Visually impaired photographer in Britain sets up forum for other photographers with vision problems From This is Leicestershire in the UK. The picture is one of Negus' photos. Brian Negus would be the first to admit that he has picked an unlikely hobby in photography. But although the registered blind amateur snapper cannot see much of what he is shooting, he has still managed to take an amazing collection of pictures of Leicestershire and beyond. The 62-year-old, from Loughborough, has set up the UK's first forum for photographers with sight problems, through the Flickr website. He is now hoping more visually impaired people will choose to get behind their lenses and start taking shots of the world around them. http://media-dis-n-dat.blogspot.com/2009/08/visually-impaired-photographer-in.html Blindphotographers.org loads of links, news! On PopPhoto?s 20 Photography Twitters List Wednesday, August 5, 2009 By timobrien I don?t know how we missed it, but back in April Popular Photography magazine named us one of their 20 Photography Twitters Worth Following, calling us ?A group of visually impaired artists and photographers that create impressive images.? Twitter, if you have not yet hopped on the bandwagon, is the very trendy site that is a hybrid of blogging and text messaging. Since that may not make much sense to you, just know that it is hard to describe, addictive and worth a look. This is how PopPhoto describes Twitter and its top twitter list: ?The microblogging social media site, Twitter is a great way to keep up on what?s happening in your social group as well as your industry. If you?re a photo enthusiast like us, these 20 microblogs should surely bring joy to your Twitter feed every minute of the day. Feel free to hit us up with suggestions on our own Twitter page @PopPhoto.? We are joined on the list by a litany of big names in photography. Photojournalism sits, Reuters Pictures and the Boston Globe?s Big Picture (a personal favorite), have their twitter feeds listed. Two big name is photography retail, B&H and Adorama, made the cut. So did the fun photo hobby idea folks at Photojojo. And, of course, PopPhoto. Check us out on Twitter at BlindPhotogs. Thanks, PopPhoto! http://blog.blindphotographers.org/popphotos-twitter/ From dandrews at visi.com Wed Aug 19 02:07:29 2009 From: dandrews at visi.com (David Andrews) Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:07:29 -0500 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] Help Make A Difference in the education of Blind Students Message-ID: If you are ready to help make a difference in the education of blind students, then this message is for you! This fall, the National Federation of the Blind is going to kick-off an exciting new program designed to attract both perspective and current teachers into the field of blindness education. Specifically, we need volunteers for the following roles-- *Presenters: As a recruitmentPresentor, you will work with your local universities to make presentations to teacher candidates. We will provide you email templates that you can use to establish a university contact, a few presentation format options that you can easily customize to complement your personal style, and additional materials that you can use to promote this outstanding career. Blindness Education Mentors: Blindness Education Mentors serve as a local resource to teacher candidates. Your main role is to establish a connection between the future teacher and the National Federation of the Blind. Parents of blind children, current or former teachers of blind students, and others who are passionate about the education of blind children are encouraged to become mentors. Career Fair Recruitment Representatives: For this role, we need individuals who would be interested in promoting this teaching option at college, high school or community career fairs. For each of these opportunities, you will receive strong support from our national office. We will provide you training, professional outreach materials, ready-to-use presentation outlines, and related support. This project has the potential to revolutionize blindness education. Please consider lending your time and talents to ensuring that the next generation of blind students receives a first-class education! For more information on how you can make a difference, please contact Rosy Carranza at (410) 659-9314, ext. 2283, or via email at rcarranza at nfb.org. From mhartle at nfb.org Tue Sep 1 15:21:32 2009 From: mhartle at nfb.org (Thorpe, Mary Jo) Date: Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:21:32 -0500 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] Big Announcement!! about Braille Readers are Leaders Contest Message-ID: HI Federationists and Friends, We are pleased to announce that this fall there will be some new additions to the NFB's wonderful Braille Readers are Leaders program. For starters, we are going to be expanding the program to include some new categories. New categories will include competitions for : **Teens--beginner, intermediate, and advanced readers **Adults--beginner, intermediate, and advanced readers And so much more! Don't worry though. We're still keeping the original Braille Readers are Leaders that we all know and love. But, we will be adding some new components to that as well. The program is slated to kick off in November with these new additions, so start brushing up on your contractions and warming up those fingers! Please stay tuned for more details as they develop. If you have ideas or suggestions for Braille Readers are Leaders, or any other Braille programs, please let me know. You can contact me at the National Center, or email me at Mhartle at nfb.org or Mthorpe at nfb.org. Thanks. Sincerely, Mary Jo T. Hartle Mary Jo Thorpe-Hartle, MEd, NOMC Director of Education Jernigan Institute NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND 1800 Johnson St. Baltimore, MD 21230 Phone: (410)659-9314 ext. 2407 Email: MTHORPE at nfb.org Fax: (410) 659-5129 Visit www.nfb.org From blindchildren at verizon.net Thu Sep 3 01:11:11 2009 From: blindchildren at verizon.net (Carol Castellano) Date: Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:11:11 -0500 Subject: [Art_beyond_sight_educators] Fwd: Launching of Art beyond Sight Awareness Month Message-ID: Many Art Beyond Sight events will be going on across the country. A calendar of events is attached in the message below. There is also a telephone conference you could join, if you are interested. Carol >From: "Marie" > >Dear all, > >I'm sure you are all getting ready to celebrate the Art Beyond Sight >Awareness Month. We will soon be sending you posters and brochures. >We are very excited about this year celebration, we have more than >200 participating organizations around the world! >We urge you to get press coverage for your events and if you need >help in any way please do not hesitate to contact us at >aeb at artbeyondsight.org or >212-334-8723. We also would like to suggest you to pursue a Mayor >proclamation declaring October the Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month, >we are currently in that process for NYC. How wonderful would it be >to have many more cities proclaiming October the Art Beyond Sight >Awareness Month! I would be glad to send you the proclamation we >drafted so that you can adapt it to your needs. > >I would like to remind you of the upcoming Art Beyond Sight events >in your communities >http://www.artbeyondsight.org/change/aw-calendar.shtml > >We also have the Art Beyond Sight International conference coming up >mid-october. We still have room for more registrations, so quick! >http://www.artbeyondsight.org/change/aw-conference-2009.shtml >You can also email me or call me if you would like to receive the >registration form. > >The Telephone crash course Conference Schedule that will take place >on October 19th is also posted online >http://www.artbeyondsight.org/change/aw-crashcourse.shtml > >if you have any question, please contact me. > >Sincerely, >marie > >Project Coordinator >Art Education For the Blind >589 Broadway >New York, NY 10012 >tel:(212) 334-8723 >fax:(212) 941-6024 >www.artbeyondsight.org >www.nybeyondsight.org