[NFBF-L] DBS Media Reports Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, April 29, 30, and May 1, 2020

Tue May 5 14:49:35 UTC 2020

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Miami Herald: Why Social Distancing Is A Challenge For The Blind, And What
Can Be Done About It
<https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article24233873
1.html> 

"As a totally blind CEO, I like to shake hands and even hug because it gives
me feedback which every sighted person gets without touching. Is this person
tall, short, fat, skinny, with sweaty hands, large hands, petite hands? The
touch of the person also gives me a sense of direction, as to where to look
when talking to that person. With social distancing, this tactile
information is lost," said Virginia Jacko, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind
<https://www.miamiherald.com/living/travel/article236559728.html> 's chief
executive officer. Closed spaces, like elevators, can be "a petri dish full
of germs" and particularly challenging for the visually impaired, Jacko
said. "Regrettably, I cannot see whether someone is on an elevator when it
arrives on my floor and by the time I ask, "Oh, is anyone on the elevator?"
and they reply, the elevator door attempts to close, since newer elevators
are designed not to hold the door open," she said.

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Accessibility

Wamu: Designing Our World: Accessibility In Tech
<https://wamu.org/story/20/04/28/designing-our-world-accessibility-in-tech/>

Can someone who is blind easily use Instagram? And can someone who is deaf
use YouTube? Every day thousands of new mobile apps are released, social
media platforms develop new features, and more tech is integrated into our
lives. But is this new technology being designed for everyone? It's usually
a toss-up. Not only are some companies losing a portion of the population,
but they may be losing out on opportunities for innovation. Often,
accessibility design like voice to text and Siri becomes the next big thing
in technology. But do companies design these features with those intentions
in mind? What's needed to make technology more accessible to everyone?  We
talk about the state of tech accessibility today, and what companies can do
to design their products with everyone in mind.

Eye Health

Yahoo Finance: Prevent Blindness Warns That Extended Exposure To Ultraviolet
Rays May Cause Serious Damage To Eyes, Vision
<https://finance.yahoo.com/news/prevent-blindness-warns-extended-exposure-13
2000002.html> 

Prevent Blindness, the nation's oldest eye health and safety organization,
has declared May as Ultraviolet Awareness Month to help educate the public
on the dangers of UV exposure. The group provides dedicated fact sheets and
web resources on topics related to the basics on how UV can damage the eyes,
to advice on choosing the best UV eye protection, and more.

Friday, May 1, 2020

Education

EdSurge: How Colleges Can Improve Accessibility In Remote Courses
<https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-04-30-how-colleges-can-improve-accessibil
ity-in-remote-courses> 

Colleges have long had offices designed to support students who have
learning disabilities and to encourage broader accessibility in the
classroom and beyond. But now that so many students are taking courses
remotely, in improvised environments that may not be especially conducive to
learning, it may take some extra effort to redesign instruction, assignments
and assessments to address everyone's needs. After all, "it's not just
enough to put materials in Blackboard if it's not going to be accessible,"
says Jennifer Albat, instructional designer at Southern Illinois University
at Edwardsville. On the latest installment of our monthly online discussion
forum, EdSurge Live, we explored accessibility in this unusual era of
emergency remote teaching. We heard from Albat and Stephanie Del Tufo,
assistant professor in the School of Education at the University of
Delaware, who studies individual differences in learning, language and
literacy.

Technology 

Forbes: How Tech Is Improving Soccer Experience For Visually Impaired Fans
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevemccaskill/2020/04/30/how-tech-is-improvin
g-soccer-experience-for-visually-impaired-fans/#45bc28cf6017> 

In December 2018, a clip of a Liverpool fan at Anfield celebrating a goal
during a Champions League match went viral. Such an event isn't unusual in
itself given fans love to take videos on their smartphones to share on
social media. What made the video different was that the fan concerned was
partially sighted and was unable to see who scored. Yet the joy in Mike
Kearney's voice was obvious as his cousin leaned in to tell him it was
Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah who had put Liverpool 1-0 up. "I'm like every
other [soccer] fan - it doesn't matter if I can't see clearly, I still
celebrate," Kearney told BBC Sport. "I like just being involved in the
atmosphere and hearing what my cousin thinks - and anyone else, whether it's
five rows back and a pleasant comment or not."

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