[NFBF-L] Dbs Media report

[PLipovsky]

DBS Media Report

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

 

OA Online: Be My Eyes Raises $2.8M In Funding For Platform To Support Blind
And Visually Impaired Worldwide
<https://www.oaoa.com/news/business/article_766b7090-6e33-51b2-9467-ee505824
4c85.html> 

Be My Eyes, the mobile app that allows anyone to assist visually impaired
people through live video calls, has raised $2.8 million in Series A
funding. The investment allows the company to further develop its unique
"purpose and profit" business model while keeping the visual support service
free and unlimited for all visually impaired users. The round, led by
Cultivation Capital, also welcomed new board members Paul Weber (Cultivation
Capital), and Michael Buckley (angel investor and former VP of global
communications at Facebook). Be My Eyes has previously been backed by angels
and investment funding from the likes of Singularity University, the
founders of Zendesk and the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired
in San Francisco.

 

Yahoo Finance: Prevent Blindness To Hold Fifteenth Annual
<https://finance.yahoo.com/news/prevent-blindness-hold-fifteenth-annual-1500
00722.html> "Eyes On Capitol Hill" Advocacy Event

Prevent Blindness, the nation's oldest non-profit eye health organization,
will be holding its fifteenth annual "Eyes on Capitol Hill" advocacy day on
Wed., Feb. 26, 2020, in Washington, D.C. The annual program provides those
from across the United States the opportunity to meet with Congressional and
Senate members, and their staff, to discuss vision issues, including access
to care, prevention and research. Data shows that the number of individuals
with visual impairment and blindness is increasing in the United States and
around the globe as a result of shifting demographics and aging populations.
According to the Prevent Blindness report, "Children's Vision And Eye
Health: A Snapshot of Current National Issues," uncorrected vision problems
can impair child development, interfere with learning, and even lead to
permanent vision loss.

 

CBS Denver:
<https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/02/16/instructor-dance-visually-impaired/>
'It's Freedom': Instructor Opens Dance Floor To Visually Impaired

She told him no one had ever tried to teach her how to dance because they
assumed she couldn't. That's when he decided he needed to teach more blind
people how to dance. "Because they've been excluded from partner dancing for
a long time." Saturday he taught a whole room full of people who are
visually impaired how to dance Bachata. That includes Alfonso who loves to
play music and move his body.

 

10 Daily: Bus Company Apologizes After Blind Woman Told She Can
<https://10daily.com.au/shows/10-news-first/melbourne/a200218hdatv/bus-compa
ny-apologises-after-blind-woman-told-she-cant-ride-with-guide-dog-20200218>
't Ride With Guide Dog

Pearson said she had flagged down the Melbourne bus when the driver informed
her "no dogs". She said she had been travelling on the same bus route with
her guide dog for the last four years and had attempted to explain to the
driver that her companion Arthur needed to come along for the ride. But she
claims that what followed was a near hour-long stand-off between the pair.

 

The News Port Arthur: BRIGHT FUTURES
<https://www.panews.com/2020/02/18/bright-futures-visualizing-success-memori
al-freshman-navarro-uses-impairments-to-inspire-others/> - Visually Impaired
Freshman Sidney Navarro Inspires Others Through Success

Sidney Navarro is blind. She came to Port Arthur eight years ago from Mexico
knowing very little of the English language and even less on how to operate
Braille in Spanish. Today, the 14-year-old speaks three languages, reads and
writes fluently in Braille, plays piano, sings, reads and excels
academically as one of the top 10 students at Memorial's Ninth Grade
Academy.

 

Eye Health

 

Fox 61: Health Watch: What Can You Do About Colorblindness?
<https://www.fox61.com/article/news/health/health-watch/color-blindness-what
-can-you-do-about-it/520-049f6d87-7287-40eb-997e-843ab6cd74e2> 

Color blindness is quite common, but it's not evenly spread between men and
women. Far from it. "Color blindness is actually pretty common and much more
common in boys," said Dr. Paul Rychwalski, an Ophthalmologist at Connecticut
Children's Medical Center. He said it affects about 8 percent of males, but
thanks to genetics, it affects only about 0.8 percent of females.

 

The Middletown Press: It
<https://www.middletownpress.com/opinion/article/It-s-Your-Health-What-it-s-
like-living-with-15064455.php> 's Your Health: What It's Like Living With
Little Or No Vision

Kevin has low vision. He is legally blind. As a child, was diagnosed with
Albi Punctate Dystrophy, a rare degenerative retina disease. Kevin speaks at
numerous senior centers, community groups, state organizations and more. He
is also on the Board of Directors of the Lions' Low Vision Centers of
Connecticut and vice president of his local Lions Club. He is an attorney,
musician, and an inspiration to both the sighted world and those with low
vision.

 

WKRG: UWF Researcher Funded To Study Fish Eyes In Hopes To Regrow Human
Retinas
<https://www.wkrg.com/northwest-florida/uwf-researcher-funded-to-study-fish-
eyes-in-hopes-to-regrow-human-retinas/> 

An assistant professor at the University of West Florida was given $400,000
from the National Eye Institute to study regenerating preceptor cells in
zebrafish. Dr. Scott Taylor with the Department of Biology at UWF says the
research could lead to treating blindness in humans.

 

Technology

 

Fox 8: New Technology Aims To Make Life Easier For Visually-Impaired People
<https://myfox8.com/morning-show/house-calls/new-technology-aims-to-make-lif
e-easier-for-visually-impaired-people/>  (VIDEO)

Technology continues to make life just a little bit easier for those dealing
with vision loss. The Braille Institute has a few examples that do just
that. From voice assistants to the zoom feature on iOs to a refreshable
braille display, these tools are adding new ways for visually-impaired
people to experience the world around them.

 

Workforce Development

 

Palm Beach Post: Job-A-Palooza Event Such A Hit 2 Years Ago, They Are
Rolling It Out Again In Gardens, Riviera Beach
<https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20200218/job-a-palooza-event-such-hit-2-
years-ago-they-are-rolling-it-out-again-in-gardens-riviera-beach> 

The Arc of Palm Beach County's first Job-A-Palooza event for students with
disabilities was a huge success, drawing dozens of businesses to four Palm
Beach State College campuses in 2018. The nonprofit organization's second
event is expected to be even bigger. Seventy-five job applicants, 50
volunteers and 15 businesses are expected to participate in upcoming
Job-A-Palooza events in Palm Beach Gardens and Riviera Beach. The first
event will be held Friday, Feb. 28 from 5:30-9 p.m. in Nordstrom Court at
The Gardens Mall. The second is Saturday, March 14 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
at The Arc of Palm Beach County, 1201 Australian Ave., Riviera Beach.

 

Phys: Training Tool Helps Unemployed Job Seekers Grow Networking Skills
<https://phys.org/news/2020-02-tool-unemployed-job-seekers-networking.html> 

To understand how job seekers could achieve more through networking, Wanberg
and her colleagues developed Building Relationships and Improving
Opportunities (BRIO). Available online for free, the 10 lesson training
covers elevator pitches, getting advice, developing goals and more. "Through
these online lessons, we provide not only practical steps for job seekers,
but language and scenarios based on the idea that individuals gain knowledge
by watching others take part in activities and social interactions," said
Wanberg. "People who take the BRIO training watch as Jack, our sample job
seeker, goes through the process of building his network."