[il-talk] FW: Horizons Happenings for April 2016

Fri Apr 8 21:30:42 UTC 2016

From: Horizons Happenings [mailto:mail=horizons-blind.org at mail65.suw11.mcdlv.net] On Behalf Of Horizons Happenings
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2016 12:52 PM
To: datemeyer at sbcglobal.net
Subject: Horizons Happenings for April 2016

Horizons for the Blind - Dedicated to improving the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired. 

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Horizons Happenings

In this newsletter: 
Greetings from Horizons
Twitter Adds Image Descriptions
Accessible Job Applications
Seeing It Our Way
Unified English Braille
Available from the GADGET GALLERY
Horizons’ Calendar
About Horizons for the Blind
Connect with Horizons

Greetings from Horizons –

This issue of the newsletter has several articles on advancements in accessibility. New developments in accessibility seem to be occurring at a rapid pace of late.

These are welcome changes and reminds me of just how far we have come in the past few years both technologically and the availability of braille and large print documents.

Camille Caffarelli
Executive Director
Horizons for the Blind

Twitter Adds Image Descriptions
Twitter announced on a new accessibility feature that lets users add descriptions to their images. The company is attempting to make its social networking platform more accessible for users who are blind or have low vision.

The company announced it would be adding a setting to its apps that allows tweets to carry descriptive information about images. The descriptions also known as alternative text (alt text) could then be picked up by mobile assistive technology, including screen readers and braille displays.

Enable this feature by using the compose image descriptions option in the Twitter app’s accessibility settings.

To use the new feature, available in Twitter’s iOS and Android applications, you’ll have to first head into the app’s accessibility settings. From there, you’ll need to enable the option “compose image descriptions.” After this is turned on, you’ll then be able to add a text description the next time you add an image to go along with your tweet by clicking a new “Add description” button. Descriptions can be up to 420 characters.

The company’s blog post added: “We’re excited to empower our customers and publishers to make images on Twitter accessible to the widest possible audience, so everyone can be included in the conversation and experience the biggest moments together.”

Twitter added that, to ensure publishers and third-party clients also have access to the broadened image use, it has extended its platform products to both the REST API and Twitter Cards. That includes specialized Twitter clients for the visually impaired, such as EasyChirp, Chicken Nugget and The Qube.

Accessible Job Applications
The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) is pleased to announce the launch of  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=7c2e40e279&e=431c809bff> TalentWorks—a free online tool for employers and human resources professionals that helps them ensure their online job applications and other eRecruiting technologies are accessible to job seekers with disabilities. PEAT created the tool based on its  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=9099ab5ea9&e=431c809bff> national survey of people with disabilities where 46% of respondents rated their last experience applying for a job online as "difficult to impossible." Among the tool's features are general background on accessibility and eRecruiting, as well as practical tip sheets and videos on making online job applications, digital interviews, pre-employment tests and resume upload programs accessible.

Seeing It Our Way
Here’s an article about using Uber from Byron Lee in the latest issue of Seeing it Our Way, Horizons’ monthly magazine. Each edition is filled with interesting articles, craft patterns, recipes, tech tips, sports information and more.

For information or to subscribe, visit  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=f2f1763e1d&e=431c809bff> horizons-blind.org, call 815-444-8800 or email:  <mailto:mail at horizons-blind.org> mail at horizons-blind.org.

BYRON’S BYTES
BY BYRON LEE

UBER AND GUIDE DOG DISCRIMINATION

I have written in the past about ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. These apps allow you to summon a car to your location. When the ride is over, your account is charged automatically and you rate your driver when your trip has ended. These services are great for people with disabilities especially if said disability prevents you from being able to drive. Unfortunately, a segment of the blind and visually impaired community is regularly discriminated against because they choose to use a guide dog.

Some drivers believe that since they are using their private vehicle to transport you, they do not have to allow dogs in their car. Others claim to be allergic or extremely afraid of dogs.

My friend Sarah and I were recently discriminated against by an Uber driver. The experience was infuriating! We were on our way to Blind Hockey practice when this happened.      We had just gotten off the train…I pulled out my phone and summoned an Uber. Sarah suggested I should call the driver to let him know that she had a guide dog. I did what she asked and the driver immediately started to protest having a dog in his vehicle. At the end of our conversation he cancelled our ride! I promptly reported the driver to Uber as this is against their policy on service animals, not to mention it is against the law!

Sarah and I aren’t the only ones who have suffered this fate when it comes to guide dogs and Uber. There have been reports of drivers yelling “No dogs!” out rolled down windows as they pass by. Other users have had altercations with Uber drivers regarding the passage of their service dog, and in some cases the authorities were involved. There was even one report of someone’s dog being put in the trunk of the car by the driver!

Pamela Berman runs a group for guide dog users at the Chicago Blind Service Association. They recently had a representative from Uber talk to their group about these incidents. The representative who came to this meeting assured participants that Accessibility is a top priority for Uber.

Uber says “all drivers are required by law to transport registered service animals. If you experience issues using Uber with your service animal, please reach out to us by reporting an issue with your trip.”

People with service dogs are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act and are legally able to bring their animals into stores and restaurants and take them on all forms of public transportation including buses, taxis, trains and airplanes.

While Uber clearly states that guide dogs are allowed in all of their vehicles, some drivers remain ignorant to the rules and continue to frequently cancel rides on blind individuals who travel with a service animal.

Fortunately, Uber has made some strides toward ADA compliance in this matter. Uber has a 2-strikes and you are out policy. The driver gets one warning and if they reject a service dog a second time, they will no longer be employed by Uber. It is easy to report an incident of discrimination by a driver from within the app or by emailing support at uber.com or by replying to the email receipt.

Uber is trying to sort out their ADA Compliance issues by training their drivers about accessibility and the needs of people with disabilities. They are also rolling out two services that may help some people.

UberACCESS - Drivers of these vehicles are knowledgeable of accessibility needs and are accommodating for riders who require wheelchair accessible vehicles with a ramp or hydraulic lift for transportation.

UberASSIST - Designed for additional assistance for members of the senior and disability communities. Drivers are specifically trained to assist riders into the vehicles and can accommodate folding wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters.

Note: UberASSIST vehicles do not have accessible ramps. These services are not available everywhere at this time. You can find out if UberACCESS or UberASSIST is provided to your city by e-mailing support at uber.com.

If you live in Chicago, you can activate these services by simply opening the Uber app, double tap the Account button on the upper left of the screen, and double tap the Promotions link. Enter the promo code UBERACCESSCHI to unlock this option. Enter the promo code FREEACCESSRIDE to get up to $20 off your first ride.

UberACCESS and or UberASSIST may reduce the likelihood of rejection from an Uber driver. However, if these services are not available to you, or there are no special cars in your area here are some tips on traveling with Uber if you have a guide dog.

You can take a picture of yourself for your profile. I would suggest featuring your service dog prominently in the photo so your driver knows that you are visually impaired and that you may be travelling with a guide dog.

When the ETA of your ride is about 2 or 3 minutes away, use the Contact Driver option and send the driver a text message letting him or her know that you are a blind rider with a registered service animal. The reason I would suggest texting rather than calling is so the interaction with your driver is on record. Also, waiting for the driver to get close to your location forces the driver to think about the time and money they will have lost if they cancel your ride.

Holding the harness as the car approaches signifies to the driver that this is a guide dog, and not a pet dog. Also, keeping your dog on a short leash so it can’t bother the driver or climb on the seats allows the driver to calm down and drive rather than worrying about the animal. Remember that some drivers are afraid of dogs so you want to make the interaction as positive as possible for that person.

If you use UberPOOL, you will be sharing your ride with another passenger. Also, your dog will take up one of the spots in that car pool. This is why I would recommend avoiding UberPOOL in favor of UberX or one of their other services.

While I am not a guide dog handler, I have received a lot of feedback from friends on social media about this issue. I appreciate all of the help they provided in making this month’s column a possibility.

Unified English Braille
Here’s a tip about UEB from Horizons’ certified braille transcriptionist, Greta Koch. 

UEB has changed some of the rules on contraction usage. In general, it allows contractions to be used more often, even when they break syllables. For example, in the past, the "of" contraction wasn't used in professor, proficient, or profile, but now it is. Likewise, the "en" contraction wasn't used in renew, renegotiate, or renounce, and now it is. Rather than thinking of contractions as representing sound chunks, the focus is on the letters they represent. Some things didn't change, though. Contractions still can't bridge compound words (no "gh" in doghouse or "th" in sweetheart), or include an aspirated "h" (no "sh" in mishap or "gh" in shanghai).

Available from the GADGET GALLERY
Spring would not be spring without love, birds, flowers, rain showers and of course bugs.
Here’s some items that will remind you of the upcoming spring season.

BACKYARD BUGS PAN: N53037X; $28.00
This pan is one of our new favorites. These bugs are so adorable and unique. Each one is a conversational piece. The bugs are very detailed and cute. Children and adults will delight in the whimsical garden bug shapesl

SWEETHEART ROSE BAKING PAN: N87948; $28.00
Twelve perfect rosebuds make up this delightful pan. This pan makes a lovely presentation on any table. Spring is definitely in the air when you see these beautiful rosebuds. Beautiful for a wedding or shower reception.

Butterfly Cake Pan: N80248; $27.00
Beautiful detail makes this cake come alive. A garden lover’s delight. This pan reminds me of a large Monarch Butterfly flying in the warm spring sun.

Horizons’ Calendar

Horizons’ Calendar

April 16 – “Curriculum And Beyond”
                  8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
                  Chicago Midway Marriott Hotel
                  6520 S. Cicero Ave.
                  Chicago, IL 60638

The National Federation of the Blind of Illinois will hold concurrent annual Spring Seminars for Students and Parents. These seminars will be a day-long event consisting of meetings for visually impaired students, teachers and parents of children with visual impairment or blindness. Topics will include socialization, education, assistive technology, development of requisite blindness skills, and much more.

The keynote speaker is Carlton Anne Cook Walker, Manager of Braille Education Programs at the NFB Jernigan Institute in Baltimore.

Children aged three to twelve are invited to participate in Kids Camp. This all-day program will provide children with the chance to try new activities and to meet other young people who are also visually impaired or blind. Siblings of your visually impaired child are very welcome.

The student seminar is appropriate for anyone age 13 and older who is a student or interested in student issues. This seminar is run by our Illinois Association of Blind Students. We will have demonstrations of adaptive sports opportunities such as yoga and judo. Our guest speaker for the yoga session will be Yarina Liston, a certified yoga, dance, and judo instructor, and teacher at Loyola University.

Other topics of the day include financing college, the social life of college, extracurricular activities, mastering blindness skills and much more.

Cost: $30 for parents’ seminar; $15 for student seminar; and $10 for ages 3 to 12, including box lunches. To register online, go to  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=aa4c91de53&e=431c809bff> www.nfbofillinois.org.

On Friday evening, April 15, there will be a Giordano’s pizza party, for $10.

Overnight accommodations are available for $109 at the Chicago Midway Marriott by calling 708-594-5500. Indicate that you are asking for the National Federation of the Blind rate.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is a 50,000-member organization that works to insure the full participation of blind people in all aspects of society. The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) is a division of NFB that has been helping to spread a positive message about vision loss to parents for more than thirty-five years.

For more information, please contact Debbie Kent Stein at 773-203-1394 or  <mailto:dkent5817 at att.net> dkent5817 at att.net. Vision impairment can be reduced to a nuisance with proper training.  Please come and learn how.

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.

To find out more, you can reach Katie Leinum at  <mailto:kayteaell at gmail.com> kayteaell at gmail.com or 217-220-4124. You can also learn much more about the NFB at  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=169b8a42fb&e=431c809bff> nfb.org, and our Illinois Affiliate at  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=337b580910&e=431c809bff> nfbofillinois.org. 

April 23 – Second Sense presents Technology Solutions 2016.

Time: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Place:  Second Sense
             65 E. Wacker Place, Suite 1010
             Chicago, IL 60601

Technology is accelerating at an ever increasing pace. Many new advances have revolutionized the way we accomplish tasks and live our lives. Join us for Second Sense’s tenth annual Technology Solutions as we take a look at what the future holds. We’ll also examine how social media has changed the way we communicate personally and professionally and explore how to leverage technology in the workplace.

Conference Agenda 

8:30 a.m.: Welcome and Registration

Exhibits Open
9 a.m.: Looking Into the Future
Panelists: 

*	David Flament, manager of adaptive technology services at Second Sense
*	Byron Lee, coordinator of websites and developer of  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=969b9dc198&e=431c809bff> Directions for Me at  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=670ed39cf3&e=431c809bff> Horizons for the Blind
*	Mark Carson, adaptive technology specialist for Chicago Public Schools

The pace of advancing technology is amazing. See what’s in store for the future and the impact of these important advances on our community.

10:30 a.m.: Morning Break 

11 a.m.: The Social Media Connection

Presented by: 

*	David Flament, manager of adaptive technology services at Second Sense
*	Shawn Sturges, social media marketing manager for  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=9baf9bbef9&e=431c809bff> Sassy B Worldwide Productions, Inc., and general manager of  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=b3bee3ac6c&e=431c809bff> Genesis X Fitness

Social media is now the way we communicate with family, friends and businesses. Catch up on all that’s new on Facebook, Twitter, Periscope, Instagram and other social media networks

Noon: Lunch break 

12:30 p.m.: Communications in the Workplace

Presented by: Colleen Wunderlich, director of the  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=fd22f08b71&e=431c809bff> Forsythe Center for Employment and Entrepreneurship at the  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=befce99436&e=431c809bff> Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Technology accommodations are crucial tools for our ability to be productive and engaged with society. Explore how to request accommodations in the employment interview, how to leverage them in the workplace and how to use them in everyday life.

1:30 p.m.: Conference closes

The  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=75dcbc7d9e&e=431c809bff> Second Sense Product Center is open for your shopping pleasure throughout the conference!

To register, contact our front desk at 312-236-8569 or email David Flament at david.flament at second-sense.org.

April 23 – Spectrios Institute for Low Vision and the Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services present Growing Up and Letting Go, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 219 E. Cole Avenue in Wheaton, IL.

Come learn strategies to help shift the roles and responsibilities as your child with vision loss reaches adulthood.

The workshop is designed for teens and their parents. Topics include: 

*	Budgeting
*	Self-advocacy
*	SSI/SSDI – Does it apply to my child? How do I start the process?
*	Staying safe
*	Transportation solutions
*	Completing independent living tasks (shopping, laundry, etc.)
*	The changing roles and responsibilities of parents

The seminar is free and includes lunch.

For more information or to register for this event, contact Leah Gerlach at 630-6980-7115 Ext. 122 or by email at  <mailto:LAG324 at spectrios.org> LAG324 at spectrios.org.

June 18 – Horizons for the Blind Annual Picnic.

This is also our annual meeting with elections for Weekenders’ officers.  

Before the picnic, there will be a seminar from Vanda Pharmaceuticals about the non-24 sleep disorder. The seminar is free.

There are games scheduled and you could perhaps win more than the cost of your meal.

Cost of the picnic is $7; children 5 to 12 are $3; 4 and under are free. If you put $3 more with that you can be a member of Weekenders for one year. This will also entitle you to other activity discounts throughout the year.

If yearly Weekender dues of $10 are paid by Friday, June 3, your picnic is free.

So join the weekenders and attend the picnic. You will not be disappointed.

The goal for the day is to enjoy!!!

About Horizons for the Blind
Horizons mission is to improve the quality of life and to empower people who are blind or visually impaired, by increasing accessibility to consumer information, education, recreation and employment.

Horizons was started as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization in 1977 by Founder and

Executive Director Camille Caffarelli, who has been blind since birth. >From two volunteers working out of Caffarelli’s basement in Chicago, Horizons has grown to a staff of 50+ employees, over half of whom are blind, visually impaired or have other disabilities.

Horizons believes that it is a fundamental right to be able to read billing and financial statements, as well as other documents, in an accessible format. People who are blind or visually impaired should have the same right to get this information, without assistance, as sighted consumers. This not only speaks to the issue of accessibility but also of privacy and independence.

Connect with Horizons 
For more information about Horizons and its programs:
Website:  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=02ac4f8cb9&e=431c809bff> www.horizons-blind.org
Directions for me website:  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=15509705bf&e=431c809bff> www.directionsforme.org
Follow us on Twitter at
twitter.com/horizons4blind
Friend us on Facebook at
facebook.com/horizonsfortheblind
Donate: To make a secure, online donation to Horizons, follow this link –  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=aa75319064&e=431c809bff> Donate.

Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to receive the Horizons Newsletter  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=6570ed9444&e=431c809bff> here.

You may unsubscribe at any time. To remove your name from this mailing list follow this link  <http://horizons-blind.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=35e3619eb549139f292fd49f4&id=367d441f90&e=431c809bff> unsubscribe.

Contact Horizons at: 
125 Erick Street, A103
Crystal Lake, IL 60014
815-444-8800
 <mailto:mail at horizons-blind.org> mail at horizons-blind.org 

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Horizons for the Blind

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