[NFBF-L] DBS Media Report 2-11-20

[PLipovsky]

DBS Media Report

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

 

My Panhandle:
<https://www.mypanhandle.com/community/jobapalooza-helps-students-with-speci
al-needs-to-find-job-opportunities/> 'Jobapalooza' Helps Students With
Special Needs To Find Job Opportunities

Vocational Rehabilitation, the Arc of Florida, Bay High School, and
Chautauqua all hosted an event to help special needs students prepare for
job interviews. Sixty-one students with disabilities from Bay High and
Chautauqua, with a mentor for each, met with twenty-seven local businesses
to simulate job tasks and interviews. Students with challenges demonstrating
their job skills while discovering their aptitudes and interests.

 

The Florida Times-Union: After National Search, North Florida Goodwill Finds
New Leader On Jacksonville Staff
<https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20200210/after-national-search-north-flor
ida-goodwill-finds-new-leader-on-jacksonville-staff> 

"I am looking forward to championing all that we do for the community, so
those that need support can take advantage of everything we offer," Rey
said. "Our impact can be immense to the people we serve - in fact, 92 cents
of every dollar we spend goes directly to those resources so we can continue
supporting our North Florida communities."

After a year-long national CEO search that attracted about 100 applicants, a
seven-member Goodwill search committee narrowed the field to three finalists
and ultimately selected the in-house candidate. With about 20 years of
finance and accounting experience and status as a CPA, he previously led the
organization's information technology, facilities, risk management and real
estate teams as CFO.

 

Huff Post: I Suddenly Started Losing My Vision At 29. Here
<https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sudden-vision-loss-age-29_n_5e308e36c5b6cd99
e784e946> 's How It's Changed Me

But one day after Christmas 2016 when I was 29, I noticed something off with
my vision. If I closed my left eye, then everything in the center of my
right eye's view would disappear. I could still see around the obstruction;
my peripheral vision remained the same as always. With both eyes open, the
cloud appeared like a bead of sweat on my glasses. For a whole week, I
stared at the ceiling as I fell asleep, testing and retesting, opening and
closing my eyelids. I was imagining it. Right? After all, who in the hell
loses their vision at age 29? Fear choked me. I could not find the words to
describe what was happening.

 

Hawaii News Now: New Tricks! 94-Year-Old May Be Oldest person To Learn
Braille At Hoopono
<https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/01/25/new-tricks-year-old-may-be-oldest-
person-learn-braille-hoopono/> 

Betty Petherbridge is 94-years-young and quite possibly the oldest person to
study braille at Hoopono, the Department of Human Services' program for the
blind. She suffers from glaucoma and macular degeneration. "When the doctor
told me I was losing my sight, I thought blind, and blind meant braille,"
she said. Her advanced age didn't factor into her decision to challenge
herself to learn braille, which she says is very challenging. "It takes a
lot of concentration," she said.

 

Tallahassee Democrat: Learning The Difference Between Vision And Sight
<https://www.tallahassee.com/story/life/faith/2020/02/07/learning-difference
-between-vision-and-sight/4681843002/> 

When one of the young men was asked how he knew what colors to add where, he
stated that he can feel the colors. He then created the bags from the vision
he had in his mind. There is a difference between vision and sight. We don't
see with our eyes we see through our eyes. This was an example of the power
of the imagination and our ability to create from that place. This really
impacted me as I am learning how to imagine hope this year.

 

Wellsville Daily Reporter: Arc Art On Display At The Wellsville Creative
Arts Center
<https://www.wellsvilledaily.com/news/20200209/arc-art-on-display-at-wellsvi
lle-creative-arts-center> 

"We are honored to have partnered with the Wellsville Creative Arts Center
for 13 years to promote disability awareness, and to encourage individuals
with disabilities to explore new activities and discover their inner
artist," said Carrie Redman, Allegany Arc's Director of Administrative
Services. "Arc Art is a celebration of self-expression by artists with
differing abilities and this year's Arc Art exhibit coincides with March
being National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Arc Art honors
individuals with disabilities throughout Allegany County and provides a
stimulating and supportive environment that promotes creative expression,
independence, dignity, and community integration.

 

Jewish Insider: How The Rudermans Helped Bring Disability Awareness To The
Oscars
<https://jewishinsider.com/2020/02/how-the-rudermans-helped-bring-disability
-awareness-to-the-oscars/> 

It was Jay and Shira Ruderman's first time at the Oscars, and though they
didn't get to meet Brad Pitt, they witnessed a meaningful and historic
moment: Zack Gottsagen, an actor with Down syndrome, helped present the
coveted golden statue to one of the night's winners. "There was an overt
effort by the Academy to present disability," foundation President Jay
Ruderman told Jewish Insider's Debra Nussbaum Cohen, in a phone interview
after the awards ceremony.

 

Amo Mama: Blind Girl From Texas Who Runs Track
<https://news.amomama.com/192983-blind-girl-texas-who-runs-track-plays-ma.ht
ml> & Plays In Marching Band In Her High School Is An Inspiration

Mariam is a junior student at the Kennedale high school in Texas, despite
being a student amongst peers with no visual impairment, the teenager has
decided to distinguish herself by being excellent in what she chooses to do.
Without wallowing in self-pity, the courageous young girl thrives in sprint
sports and doesn't mind racing her way to the top with a dedication to
training.

 

York Dispatch: York Township Movie Theater Didn
<https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/local/community/2020/02/10/york-tow
nship-movie-theater-didnt-have-headset-visually-impaired-customer/4713965002
/> 't Have Headset For Visually Impaired Customer

A visually impaired York County man who requested a descriptive audio
headset to watch a movie was told by theater staff they didn't have them
available, he said Monday. Preston Gaylor, who went to see the movie
"Dolittle" with his mother, Rosemary Gaylor, on Feb. 4 at Queensgate Movies
13, confused staff members when he requested the equipment. Audio headsets
are mandated for movie theaters by the Americans with Disabilities Act. "It
kind of made me feel like I wasn't welcome," said Gaylor, 25, of
Stewartstown. "My mom had to describe the movie scene-by-scene for me." 

 

Education

 

The Daily Mining Gazette: Visual Impairment And Orientation And Mobility
Services
<https://www.mininggazette.com/opinion/columns/2020/02/visual-impairment-and
-orientation-mobility-services/> 

The Teacher Consultant for the Visually Impaired assists in determining and
obtaining classroom equipment and materials necessary for the student with
visual impairments to learn. These materials may include magnifiers,
audiobooks, text-to-speech or speech-to-text software, large print, braille,
etc. The Teacher Consultant also provides the classroom teacher with
information regarding the specialized strategies needed to teach a student
who is blind or visually impaired, including necessary room modifications
and lighting changes.

 

Eye Health

 

AZ Family: 3D-Printing Technology Used To Make Eyeglasses For Kids
<https://www.azfamily.com/shows/your_life_arizona/d-printing-technology-used
-to-make-eyeglasses-for-kids-and/article_1d3b4086-49c9-11ea-aacc-370d016d586
8.html> 

Fitz Frames was founded by Heidi Hertel after many years of navigating the
optical world for her own kids, she found herself frustrated with the lack
of options on the market and set out to solve glasses for kids and parents.
More than just a "virtual" try-on experience, we custom measure over 1,000
points of your face - for a perfect fit. Order anytime, anywhere and we will
deliver directly to your front door. We proudly design and manufacture
entirely in the USA. While Fitz Frames started with a focus on kids, our
technology works for every face and we have found that 50% of our customers
are adults. We work with HSA and FSA and would for you to try our glasses
worry free! If you are not convinced, just send them back within 30 days.

 

The Intelligencer: WVU Project Sets Sights On Preventing Blindness In
Diabetic Patients
<https://www.theintelligencer.net/news/top-headlines/2020/02/wvu-project-set
s-sights-on-preventing-blindness-in-diabetic-patients/> 

West Virginia University doctors are now at the forefront of detecting and
spreading awareness of this complication that's the leading cause of
blindness for people ages 20 to 65 in the United States. The West Virginia
Practice-Based Research Network's Sight Outreach Program, an effort of the
West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute, trains primary
care clinical staff members across the state to use the Intelligent Retinal
Imaging System to quickly capture images of the patient's retinas.

 

Science Daily: New Treatment Discovered For Rare Eye Disease May Prevent
Blindness <https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200210112240.htm> 

Thyroid eye disease is a rare and vision-threatening autoimmune condition
that causes the muscles and fatty tissues behind the eye to become inflamed
and enlarged, leading to bulging of the eyes. In addition to the bulging
appearance, patients can experience double vision and light sensitivity. The
disease can lead to blindness.

"The study demonstrates that medical treatment with teprotumumab is
effective at reversing the manifestations of disease, providing new hope for
patients," said the study's principal investigator, Raymond Douglas, MD,
PhD, director of the Orbital and Thyroid Eye Disease Program at
Cedars-Sinai.

 

Tunisiesoir: Study Breakthrough For Leading Cause Of Blindness
<https://www.tunisiesoir.com/health/study-breakthrough-for-leading-cause-of-
blindness-tdnews-19773-2020/> 

The results of this study open up new routes for early diagnosis, by
measuring FHR-4 levels in the blood, and suggests therapies targeting this
protein could provide promising future treatment options for the disease.
FHR-4 regulates the complement system, part of the immune system, which
plays a critical role in inflammation and the body's defense against
infection.

 

Technology

 

The Daily: Accessible Voice Interface For Social Well-Being
<http://www.dailyuw.com/science/article_5e4fac24-4ba9-11ea-96fd-d3daf77f2049
.html> 

Brewer's research found that accessible technology is harder to learn for
people with late-life disabilities. Adults with visual impairment mentioned
that they feel "overwhelmed" using screen-readers, and those with motor
impairment find it difficult to navigate a screen with a mouse.

VUI, on the other hand, can be activated on any device and the interaction
is easy enough to learn. Brewer began her talk by addressing the "positive
aging perspective," which focuses on empowering accessibility rather than
"fixing" deficiencies among older people. The perspective also removes the
"help-based model design" which views older adults as needing constant
assistance.

 

Workforce Development  

 

Daily Journal: Trump Seeks Big Increase In Career-Technical Education Money
<http://www.dailyjournal.net/2020/02/10/us-trump-budget-career-education/> 

President Donald Trump is proposing a $900 million increase in education
spending to teach skills and trades, in what would be a historic federal
infusion into a spending area that's been stagnant for years. The
announcement Monday follows Trump's State of the Union push for career and
technical education and is in line with increasing emphasis on the idea that
there should be stronger career paths for students as alternatives to a
four-year degree. "It's maybe the largest investment in CTE ever," Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos said during a briefing to education groups after the
administration released its budget proposal.

 

 

 

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