[nfbmi-talk] vision expo news coverage

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Vision Expo in Kalamazoo will highlight tools to help the blind | MLive.com

KALAMAZOO — An expo Saturday will offer technology, services and local resources to help enhance the lives of

blind

and vision-impaired individuals.

 

The goal of the Michigan Vision Expo, part of

Meet the Blind Month

in October, is to bring all those resources under one roof, said event coordinator J.J. Meddaugh.

 

The free event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Van Deusen Room on the third floor of the

Kalamazoo Public Library,

315 S. Rose St.

 

Meddaugh, 31, is a blind Kalamazoo resident. He said he wants the event to increase awareness of the challenges facing the blind and vision-impaired and

to show employers there are tools to help the blind become productive workers. Meddaugh said several blind and vision-impaired individuals will be on hand

to speak about their jobs and work experiences.

 

This expo will include, among other items, portable reading machines, talking computers, accessible Apple products and video magnifiers, as well as information

from organizations offering recreational opportunities for the blind, Meddaugh said.

 

Attendees will have a chance to try out an Automark voting machine, and representatives of two

guide dog

schools also will be in attendance.

 

“A lot of seniors losing their vision might be reluctant to change how they’ve been doing things for their entire lives,” Meddaugh said. “Our goal is to

show them tools to help them remain active.”

 

The event is being presented by the

Kalamazoo Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind

of Michigan and the

Disability Network of Southwest Michigan.

 

For more information, go to

michiganvisionexpo.org.

 

Contact Brad Devereaux at

bdevereaux at kalamazoogazette.com

or 269-388-8449. You can also