[NFBF-L] DBS Media Report - February 14, 2020

[PLipovsky]

Happy Valentine's Day! It's been a few days since the last media report so
this one is a bit longer but we hope you'll enjoy the news.  Have a great
weekend! 

 

DBS Media Report

Friday, February 14, 2020

 

Click Orlando: When Visually Impaired Students Have The Need To Read, These
Volunteers Are There To Help
<https://www.clickorlando.com/getting-results/2020/02/13/when-visually-impai
red-students-have-the-need-to-read-these-volunteers-are-there-to-help/> 

Have you read a good book lately? For visually impaired students, finding
the latest novel printed in braille can be a challenge. As we found out, one
Central Florida volunteer organization is there to help. This week's Getting
Results Award winner was nominated because of her never-ending passion for
helping the visually impaired. Marianne Witengier was a teacher of visually
impaired students in Orange County for 38 years. But her passion for helping
others didn't stop upon retirement.

 

Benefit News: National Competition Challenges Employers On Disability
Inclusion
<https://www.benefitnews.com/news/national-competition-challenges-employers-
on-disability-inclusion> 

Individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities have historically
been overlooked in the job market due to the mistaken belief that they are
unable to perform certain work tasks. But one government agency is working
to dispel that myth, by challenging employers to expand their recruiting and
retention programs to better include workers with disabilities. The
Administration for Community Living, a branch of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, has created a competition for businesses to
compete for cash prizes by submitting plans to help employers nationwide
reach a wider talent pool and create more employment opportunities for
individuals with intellectual and developmental challenges.

 

The Sociable: National Federation Of The Blind President Calls On Congress
To Ensure Equal Access To Autonomous Vehicles
<https://sociable.co/technology/blind-congress-equal-access-autonomous-vehic
les/> 

The president of the National Federation of the Blind calls on Congress to
pass legislation that ensures equal access to autonomous vehicles in a House
Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing. If autonomous vehicles are to be
truly self-driving without human assistance, why not design them to be more
inclusive, so that the blind and people with other disabilities can empower
themselves through this up-and-coming mode of mobility?

 

Vice: People Born Blind Are Mysteriously Protected From Schizophrenia
<https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/939qbz/people-born-blind-are-mysteriousl
y-protected-from-schizophrenia> 

These findings suggest that  something about congenital blindness may
protect a person from schizophrenia. This is especially surprising, since
congenital blindness often results from infections, brain trauma, or genetic
mutation-all factors that are independently associated with greater risk of
psychotic disorders. More strangely, vision loss at other periods of life is
associated with higher risks of schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms. Even
in healthy people, blocking vision for just a few days can bring about
hallucinations. And the connections between vision abnormalities and
schizophrenia have become more deeply established in recent years-visual
abnormalities are being found before a person has any psychotic symptoms,
sometimes predicting who will develop schizophrenia.

 

Forbes: Disability Movies Aren
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2020/02/13/disability-movies-are
nt-what-they-used-to-be-thats-good/#294475405efa> 't What they Used To Be.
That's Good!

And in contrast with many disability films of the recent past, viewers with
disabilities are unambiguous in their praise, much of their appreciation
stemming from the film's authentic casting. Are we finally entering a new
era in disability on film, in which authenticity is more important than big
emotions, big messages, and splashy acting?

 

The Daily Northwestern: Community Members Reflect On Ways Accessibility
Impacts Homeless Services
<https://dailynorthwestern.com/2020/02/11/city/community-members-reflect-on-
ways-accessibility-impacts-homeless-services/> 

Shelters and warming centers can provide a place for homeless people to
escape harsh conditions during the winter. But for disabled individuals,
homeless services are not always accessible, said Cathleen O'Brien,
community organizer of housing at Access Living, an advocacy group for
disability rights. She added that disabled people can be more vulnerable to
homelessness because of low employment, discrimination from landlords and
financial reasons.  "Disabled people often have to make a choice between
affordable and accessible housing," O'Brien said. "So we're often some of
the first people pushed out, because we were already renting at the top of
our budget in order to have an accessible place." On any given night, the
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness estimates that 24 percent of people
experiencing homelessness meet the federal definition of chronically
homeless, according to a 2018 report.

 

School Library Journal: High Schoolers Collaborate With Public Library
Makerspace On Authentic Projects For Visually-Impaired Students
<https://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/?detailStory=high-schoolers-collaborat
e-with-public-library-makerspace-on-authentic-projects-visually-impaired-stu
dents> 

This project was specifically about finding a way to make children's books
accessible visually impaired and blind children, to enjoy the same way
sighted children do. The kids chose a book from a selection Matty pulled
from the library collection and were tasked with creating a way to make the
book tactile for a visually impaired person. Matty has worked with Build a
Better Book for the last couple of years. He credits a conference with the
organization a couple of years ago for teaching him a lot-including what he
still needed to learn.

 

News Herald: Two Local Students Invent Braille Display
<https://www.newsherald.com/news/20200213/two-local-students-invent-braille-
display> 

Two Rutherford High School , students have invented a device that can turn
text into braille. The invention, built by students Alex Johnson and
Jonathon Walker is the jack-of-all-trades for people who are visually
impaired. The two teamed up to develop something that would help those who
are financially unstable. "Refreshable Braille Displays on the market today
range from $500 to $3,000 and that is super expensive," Walker said. "There
are a ton of people who are not financially stable that need devices like
this to interact with the outside world."

 

Los Angeleno: The Multi-Hyphenate Entertainer Aims To Be An Ambassador Aims
To Be An Ambassador For Her Community While Defying Stereotypes
<https://losangeleno.com/people/blind-soprano/> 

"I try real hard not to laugh," she says. "Even at funerals. Even when I'm
the one singing it at a funeral." In an attempt to make the world a less
awkward place for the blind, Jones, aka The Blind Soprano, has been using
her talents as an opera singer, performer and teacher to raise awareness of
the community. Hailing from Anaheim, Jones was born with retinopathy of
prematurity, an eye condition that eventually leads to blindness in roughly
50,000 people worldwide. For years, Jones' quality of vision would fluctuate
from day-to-day. Then four years ago, her condition worsened and she
required surgery to have her eyes removed. 

 

Art News: How Museums Are Making Artworks Accessible To Blind People Online
<https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/features/the-met-mca-chicago-blind-a
ccess-alt-text-park-mcarthur-shannon-finnegan-1202677577/> 

Describe what you see: it's a somewhat straightforward request that has
opened up complicated debates about access, labor, and description practices
in the art world and beyond. In 2019, more than a hundred lawsuits were
filed against New York galleries whose online images lacked alt tags. At
least thirty-seven of the suits were filed by Deshawn Dawson, a blind
Brooklyn resident who claimed the galleries were in violation of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires that businesses and
public places accommodate disabled people. In 2017, the Trump administration
stalled work meant to spell out exactly how the ADA should apply to the
internet. The ADA was signed in 1990, before the first web page went online,
and the law's digital implications have been interpreted in an ad hoc
fashion and enforced primarily through individual lawsuits like those filed
by Dawson-whether served to museums, galleries, or retailers.

 

Education

 

Inside Higher ED: Another Trump Budget, Likely DOA
<https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/02/11/trump-budget-would-boost-car
eer-education-spending-cut-funds-college-aid-research> 

President Trump on Monday called for a $5.6 billion, or 7.8 percent, cut in
Department of Education funding and reductions for most core funders of
academic research, but also proposed a nearly $900 million increase in
career and technical education funding that U.S. Education Secretary Betsy
DeVos called "perhaps the largest increase in CTE ever." In proposing
education cuts, as he has every year of his presidency, Trump reproposed
several ideas that have been rejected by Congress, including eliminating the
Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Supplemental Educational Opportunity
Grant programs, and giving campus financial aid administrators greater
latitude to limit loan borrowing by individual students.

 

Eye Health

 

AJMC: Genome Sequencing Finds Genetic Heterogeneity In Optic Nerve
Hypoplasia
<https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/genome-sequencing-finds-genetic-heterogeneity
-in-optic-nerve-hypoplasia>  

Using whole genome sequencing, researchers were able to determine genetic
heterogeneity in patients with optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH), according to a
study published in PLoS One. ONH, a congenital malformation, is a common
cause of visual impairment in children and is associated with brain
malformations and neurodevelopmental disorders. The disease results in a
reduced number of retinal ganglion cell axons in a thin optic nerve.
Although the cause is unknown, environmental and genetic sources have been
proposed in the past.

 

Workforce Development

 

Jax Daily Record: Gov. DeSantis Announces $3.6 Million Grant For Northeast
Florida Fintech Training
<https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/gov-desantis-announces-dollar3-6-mil
lion-grant-for-northeast-florida-fintech-training> 

Gov. Ron DeSantis will authorize $3.6 million in grant money for financial
technology workforce training programs in Northeast Florida. DeSantis
announced a partnership Feb. 12 of Florida State College at Jacksonville,
St. Johns River State College and area fintech companies during a news
conference at the FSCJ Advanced Technology Center.

 

My News 13: Universal Orlando Hiring For 1500 Positions
<https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/attractions/2020/02/13/universal-orland
o-hiring-for-1500-positions> 

Universal Orlando Resort is hiring more than 1,500 full-time, part-time, and
seasonal positions for the spring, the company said Thursday. .Universal is
hiring for full-, part-time, seasonal positions .Company wants to hire more
than 1,500 employees .Hourly pay at Universal Orlando starts at $13 an hour.
The positions are available in a variety of areas, including attractions,
aquatics, culinary, merchandise, custodial, and sales. Starting pay for
Universal Orlando employees is $13 an hour.

 

WLRN: Nonprofit Offers Year Of College Courses, Job Training For Young
People In South Florida
<https://www.wlrn.org/post/nonprofit-offers-year-college-courses-job-trainin
g-young-people-south-florida#stream/0> 

Students also participate in professional development trainings, where they
learn "soft skills" for jobs like giving and receiving feedback, dressing
professionally and being on time. During the second half of the year,
students complete paid internships at corporations like American Express and
HBO Latin America. Corporate sponsors fund the program, which started 20
years ago in Boston and has been operating in South Florida since 2012. More
than 400 students have graduated locally since the program's launch here.

 

Florida Politics: Florida Chamber Of Commerce Report Details Changing
Workforce Needs
<https://floridapolitics.com/archives/319235-florida-chamber-report-details-
changing-workforce-needs> 

The Florida Chamber of Commerce says workers will need to learn new skill
for the state to remain competitive with the rest of the country. A new
report from the pro-business group delves into how Florida's educational
system can adapt over the next decade to meet the rapidly changing needs of
employers - 92% tell the Chamber they're ready to hire but nearly as many
say they're concerned about the lack of employability skills in Florida's
workforce.

 

Star Tribune: US Senators Introduce Bipartisan Community College And Career
Training Grant Program Bill
<http://www.chathamstartribune.com/news/article_fb9a4ec8-4d00-11ea-a1fe-6be9
6a8f09f7.html> 

Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced a
bipartisan bill, the Assisting Community Colleges in Educating Skilled
Students (ACCESS) to Careers Act, to launch a community college and career
training grant program that would provide funding to states and community
colleges to address the evolving demands of the labor market. The bill aims
to boost student success and career readiness by increasing work-based
learning opportunities, ensuring students have access to support services
such as career navigators and counselors, and creating career pathways to
meet the changing skill demands of the U.S. economy.

 

The Guardian:
<https://www.theguardian.com/law/2020/feb/11/the-victimisation-was-horrible-
why-are-so-many-disabled-lawyers-treated-badly> 'The Victimization Was
Horrible': Why Are So Many Disabled Lawyers Treated Badly?

More than half of disabled lawyers have experienced "ill treatment" such as
bullying or discrimination in the workplace, and most say it was because of
their disability, according to research by Legally Disabled, a copartnership
between Cardiff University and the Law Society. The research was based on 55
interviews and nearly 300 survey responses, making it the largest study of
its kind in the UK. Many respondents said they had experienced "ridiculing
or demeaning language" (40%) and "exclusion or victimization" (47%). Many
disabled lawyers also said they were reluctant to disclose their disability
or to ask for the adjustments they needed, both during the recruitment
process and once in work. Many of those who did speak up, like Rogers, said
their disclosure made things worse.

 

 

 

 

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