[NFBF-L] DBS Media Report Friday, February 12, 2021

Tue Feb 16 02:18:39 UTC 2021

DBS Media Report

Friday, February 12, 2021

Sun Coast News: Lighthouse For The Blind Opens Sensory Garden, Playground
<http://www.suncoastnews.com/news/lighthouse-for-the-blind-opens-sensory-gar
den-playground/article_3a408808-6bce-11eb-8dcb-73cea002200f.html> 

More than a dozen donors, contributors, employees and guests came to see the
Sensory Garden and Accessible Playground officially open for use. According
to a Lighthouse press release, "the area offers places to sit, walk, develop
white cane skills and play." It includes paved pathways, a raised reflecting
pool with two small waterfalls, a trio of "Park Players" - free-standing
sculptures that include a steel drum, wind chimes and rain sticks. To the
south is the garden's "beacon of hope" - a tall, bright red-and-white
striped lighthouse. Even the plants selected for the garden were chosen
specifically because of their scents so they can be enjoyed and experienced,
even if not by sight.

Yahoo Finance: Prevent Blindness To Hold Sixteenth Annual
<https://finance.yahoo.com/news/prevent-blindness-hold-sixteenth-annual-1410
00407.html> "Eyes On Capital Hill" Advocacy Event

Prevent Blindness, the nation's oldest non-profit eye health organization,
will be holding its sixteenth annual "Eyes on Capitol Hill" advocacy event,
held virtually this year, on Wed., Feb. 24 and Thurs., Feb. 25, 2021. The
program brings together patients, caregivers, public health workers, and
medical professionals with their elected officials to educate lawmakers and
their staff on vision issues, including equitable access to quality eyecare,
health disparities in the prevalence of vision disorders, and the importance
of sight-saving research and surveillance.

The Breeze: Opinion
<https://www.breezejmu.org/opinion/opinion-it-s-time-for-handicapped-to-reti
re/article_247d7ae4-6b24-11eb-a175-6b0036579dfc.html> - It's Time For
"Handicapped" To Retire

What I find interesting is that it seems like nondisabled people feel more
comfortable with using euphemisms such as "handicapped" or "differently
abled" as an attempt to not offend people with disabilities, when in reality
all euphemisms do is add to the fear and stigma that already exists around
disability. Many of these euphemisms carry connotations that make it seem
like being disabled is a negative quality, according to another disabled
writer on the Center for Disability Rights. These euphemisms tell disabled
people they should be ashamed of their disability and that they can't live
independent and successful lives. When someone is labeled as handicapped,
they're told that they aren't valuable members of society and that they
don't have any talents or skills to contribute to a job or to their
schoolwork.

Cision PR Newswire: Johnson
<https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/johnson--johnson-vision-celebrates
-20-years-of-helping-cataract-patients-with-the-see-more-campaign-and-global
-patient-story-search-301224526.html> & Johnson Vision Celebrates 20 Years
Of Helping Cataract Patients With The See More Campaign And Global Patient
Story Search

Johnson & Johnson Vision*, a global leader in eye health and part of the
Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies**, today announces a month-long
celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the TECNISR platform, the proprietary
combination of materials and design on which Johnson & Johnson Vision IOLs
(intraocular lenses) are built. Twenty years ago, a team of researchers and
innovators created TECNISR, setting in motion two decades of breakthroughs,
including the world's first aspherical lens and extended depth of focus
lens. Today, not only does TECNIS offer a distinct quality of vision1 that
allows patients to "See More," it is also the broadest portfolio of IOLs
worldwide, providing surgeons with a variety of solutions to treat different
visual conditions.

Slate: Why Won
<https://slate.com/technology/2021/02/nike-go-flyease-shoe-disabled-design.h
tml> 't Nike Use The Word Disabled To Promote Its New Go FlyEase Shoe?

The marketing of these shoes created ripe conditions for what disabled
writer and design activist Alex Haagaard describes as the
#PeeledOrangePhenomenon : "a device that's widely derided by abled people as
a needless technological frivolity, but desired by disabled people." These
are products designed to create access for disabled people, but the
marketing often erases disability. American Paralympian Sara Reinersten, a
member of the Nike FlyEase design team, explained that the Go FlyEase is
"one of the most universal shoes ever. This is for everybody," and Nike's
"Behind the Design" video elaborated that the "original concept behind this
shoe was to support our adaptive athletes better." Yet disability is not
explicitly mentioned anywhere in the press release or discussed in
interviews-though the shoes are promoted as "sophisticated, accessible
solutions."

Accessibility

Boia: Using Infographics While Keeping Your Site Accessible
<https://www.boia.org/blog/using-infographics-while-keeping-your-site-access
ible?utm_content=153831283&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&hss_channel=
tw-297978874> 

Infographics provide a compelling way to give readers information. By laying
out statistics and key facts in a visually engaging way, infographics draw
in the reader, providing them with a uniquely memorable experience. However,
any medium that relies heavily on visuals can create significant barriers
for certain users. Many people with vision disabilities access the internet
with screen readers, software tools that convert on-page content into audio
or Braille. These tools would be unable to interpret a static image of an
infographic, and poorly written text alternatives may not provide the same
experience.

CMS Wire: W3C Publishes Working Draft Of New Accessibility Guidelines
<https://www.cmswire.com/digital-experience/w3c-publishes-working-draft-of-n
ew-accessibility-guidelines/> 

While the web, the internet and mobile apps are now integral parts of
everyday life for most people in the US, accessibility remains an issue for
many - an issue that was heightened during the increased reliance on online
interactions spurred on by the pandemic. According to UsableNet, web, app
and video accessibility cases were up almost 25% from the previous year,
with December 2020 lawsuits double what they were in January 2020. In an
attempt to provide guidelines for improved accessibility, the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C) recently issued a public working draft for the latest
version of its accessibility initiative.

Education

Tampa Bay Times: Jill Biden Promises Free Access To Community College
<https://www.tampabay.com/news/breaking-news/2021/02/09/jill-biden-promises-
free-access-to-community-college/> 

Jill Biden is promising free access to community college and training
programs, saying the schools will be an important part of Biden
administration efforts to rebuild the economy. A longtime community college
professor and advocate, the first lady said people struggling to get by
during the coronavirus-induced economic slump need access to these schools.
"We have to get this done. And we have to do it now. That's why we're going
to make sure that everyone has access to free community college and training
programs," Jill Biden said in taped remarks broadcast Tuesday during a
virtual legislative summit hosted by the Association of Community College
Trustees and the American Association of Community Colleges. 

Eye Health 

Your Sun: Your Brain May Be Disguising A Blinding Eye Disease
<https://www.yoursun.com/coastal/health/your-brain-may-be-disguising-a-blind
ing-eye-disease/article_86f784f6-657c-11eb-9d68-ff12954e995b.html> 

Even though Marlene Klein was having trouble recognizing familiar faces and
began to mistake her fingers for carrots as she chopped vegetables, she had
no idea she was slowly losing her vision to a leading cause of blindness,
age-related macular degeneration (AMD). That's because her brain was
compensating for the developing blind spots in her vision. Klein is not
alone. 

Workforce Development

Boca Raton Tribune: Lockheed Martin Grant Provides Relief For Electrical
Power Technology Students
<https://www.bocaratontribune.com/bocaratonnews/2021/02/lockheed-martin-gran
t-provides-relief-for-electrical-power-technology-students/> 

Palm Beach State College has received a $75,000 grant from Lockheed Martin
to help students in the Electrical Power Technology program navigate
challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic.

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