How to go shopping if you’re blind or visually impaired

• Take care to leave enough room between your guiding hand and the iron so you don’t get burned.

• For pants, work from the waistline to the leg. For shirts and dresses, work from the collar or bustline to the bottom.
• When you’ve finished one side, flip the garment over and repeat the process on the other side.

• You can wet your hand and splash it again, or quickly touch the iron with the back of your hand to make sure it’s cool enough to put away.

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BOSTON — Grocery shopping can very stressful. Navigating crowded aisles in a store full of people is frustrating, but if you’re blind, like Kim Charlson, then grocery shopping can be almost impossible.

A new tool, however, could revolutionize shopping for people who can’t see.

It’s an app that helps the visually impaired navigate the world and does it using the eyes in your smartphone.

“You come into a grocery store and you’re just bombarded with everything all around you,” Charlson explained. “It’s just not the place a blind person can get around independently without some kind of support.”

She says, though, she now has the support she needs.

Hanging around her neck, using the camera in her iPhone is an operator walking her through the aisles and pointing her to where she needs to go. That operator works for the company Aira, a San Diego-based tech company that helps blind people navigate the world.

This week, Aira launched its free program for Wegmans shoppers.

“Hi, Emily, this is Kim. I’m in Wegmans in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts,” Charlton said into her phone as she demonstrated the app’s functionality for Boston 25 News.

On Wednesday, we followed her as she used Aira to shop for her groceries.

“Does this look like a good batch [of tomatoes]?” she asked her assistant, Emily.

We watched her communicate with the agent to find her everything she needed, including treats for her seeing eye dog, Dolly.

The system is not flawless. At times, Dolly got confused on where they were going. At one point, the Aira agent told Charlson to go to an aisle that didn’t exist — but they eventually found their way together.

Charlson, who has been blind since she was 12 years old, is excited about the possibilities.

“It’s really been an amazing service and something I call a real game-changer,” she said.

Boston 25 News spoke with Amy Bernal, Aira’s Vice President of Customer Experience, about whether there were challenges guiding somebody around using a smartphone camera.

“I would say Aira agents work together with the explorer to move the camera where they need to get the information,” Bernal said. “So think of it as a partnership. It really is an agent and an explorer working together to get the point of view and the information they need to be efficient.”

Aira is a free service at all the Wegmans stores in New England.

The company would like to expand the program into more grocery chains and retailers.

To be totally honest, I never really thought about designing websites that people with visual impairments can easily access until I had to start inching my laptop further away to take the latest Buzzfeed Quiz on Facebook®. (I’m sorry, Dad, I shouldn’t have made fun of you about enlarging the font on your computer.)

What would you say if I told you that it’s likely that 12 percent of the U.S. population probably cannot or will not go to your website, regardless of how awesome you are? Let’s put that another way: 6.7 million Americans between the ages of 16 and 75 will not see your Web work. If that doesn’t bother you, it’s like not caring if anyone in Massachusetts has access to your amazing website content.

You care, right? And you can bet the nearly 7 million Americans who are blind and visually impaired do.

“The Internet is tremendously important in our daily lives, including the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired. We check the news, sports, weather, and stocks, engage in social networking, and make banking transactions and travel plans alongside fully sighted friends.”

Understanding screen readers

More and more visually impaired people are utilizing screen readers to access the Internet daily. The American Foundation for the Blind defines screen readers as “software programs that allow blind or visually impaired users to read the text that is displayed on the computer screen with a speech synthesizer.” You learn more about how screen readers work here.

As website designers, if we create sites that screen readers can easily scan and read back to the user, we’ve taken a big step toward doing our jobs more effectively. Here are six tips for optimizing sites for screen readers:

Be descriptive

Image ALT Tags are there for a reason. Screen readers have yet to develop a personality, so they can only describe what they can read. Be informative, but be brief. If you’re tagging an image of a black cat holding a “congratulations” sign, make sure you translate that visual message into a descriptive yet succinct written tag. A tag that reads something like “black cat holding congratulations sign” will give the visually impaired user an experience more aligned with that of a sighted user.

Allow user control

Create user controls for moving objects such as slideshows. Screen readers struggle with moving objects, and people with visual difficulties might find them difficult to read. And while we’re on the subject of movement … it’s time to get rid of the landing page. They confuse screen readers, the visually challenged, and they annoy everyone else.

Be concise

Websites are not the place to exercise our finest vocabulary; rather it’s best if we write clearly and simply. Like we discuss in this post, in general, you want to write for an average third-grade comprehension level. And be sure to double-check your spelling and grammar; screen readers just read what they see. Translation tools will thank you, too.

Use a flowchart

Clear navigation is key. You’ll find if you start with a flowchart, it will change along the way, but it will help keep you on track and ensure that the site stays organized and easy to navigate for any user. Here’s a good example at webdesignerdepot.com.

Plus, the Web Content Accessibility guidelines from W3C® recommend that your links DO NOT open in a separate window or tab automatically as it is confusing to the user.

Consider Internet Explorer

Although dropping in popularity in the general population, Internet Explorer® is still the No. 1 browser for people using a screen reader. In fact, some screen reader users are still using IE versions all the way back to IE6. Here’s a great tool to test your site for compatibility across IE: modern.IE.

Don’t rely on color

This will make my color-blind husband happy: don’t rely on color to tell your story. Affecting about one out of every 12 men and one in 200 women worldwide, color blindness makes it tough to discern certain colors of the spectrum (especially red and green). Check out Colour Blindness: Experience It for multiple links to learn more about optimizing your site to accommodate color-blind users.

It’s never too late to start designing websites for everyone to enjoy.

Do you have any tips or tricks for designing sites for the blind and visually impaired? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

Nancy King

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If you’ve started shopping for this holiday season, you probably want to make a point to get special gifts for each one of your friends and family members. For people who are blind and visually impaired, there are a few things you should keep in mind before you check them off your list.

According to the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, there are many resources to ensure the gift you purchase is appropriate for a person who is blind or visually impaired.

“Tactile games in braille like Sorry, large print cards, bingo, Connect Four, audible balls that make noise for kids to play outside. Think of all the adaptive equipment and games and activities available to them so they can enjoy the holidays just like everybody else,” said CABVI Rehabilitation Employment Supervisor Laura Yakey.

They say there are more gifts than tangible ones to give people who are blind and visually impaired.

“Hopefully people and family members, friends — can be their friends’ and family members’ narrators,” said Tara Capponi, who was diagnosed with juvenile glaucoma. She is also the media relations and outreach coordinator for CABVI.

Capponi says that can ensure everyone feels included in the gathering, offering a priceless gift.

“It is a gift, because they’re sharing their gift of sight with their family members who don’t have that gift anymore,” Capponi said.

If you’re interested in buying games or toys, CABVI suggests Connect Four for patterning, tracking and scanning; Tic-Tac-Toe for tracking, scanning, and matching; magnetic balls, and glow worms.

For more gift ideas for family and friends who are blind or visually impaired, Amazon has a special wish list or visit the CABVI website.

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Preparing for Emergencies When You’re Blind or Visually Impaired

Preparing for Emergencies When You’re Blind or Visually Impaired

To commemorate the 25 th anniversary of the ADA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Ad Council recently launched a video showcasing people with disabilities and the importance of good emergency preparedness. This year also marks the 10 th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest hurricanes of the 21 st century. The video shows people with disabilities preparing for everyday activities, and emphasizes the importance of making an emergency kit and plan.

As a blind person, I often have to organize and prepare well in advance if I want things to run smoothly. When I go to new places, for example, I first have to think of how I will get there. This takes extra time and planning, but those of us with disabilities do it constantly, and it has become routine. Why is it then that a lot of us – whether disabled or not – don’t take the time to prepare for emergencies or disasters? Many of us have never experienced natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, and we may think it will never happen to us or our loved ones.

Blind and visually impaired people have to take additional things into consideration when preparing for emergencies. How will we keep record of important names, addresses, etc.? Sighted people can easily keep a notepad or folder with printed material, but if you can’t see you have to consider things like Braille, audio cassettes and digital recorders to keep track. What will we do regarding transportation to safe areas and finding our loved ones? It might be a good idea for blind and visually impaired individuals to familiarize themselves with these locations when making the emergency plan. Do we have extra supplies like canes and chargers or batteries for adaptive devices? Those who use dog guides also have to consider the needs of their service animal.

We can all learn a lot, both from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and from this PSA. Watching the video and reading about the 10 th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina reminded me that we should all take the time to think about and prepare for emergencies before it’s too late.

You can find the PSA and resources on how to prepare for emergencies here. Do you have an emergency plan prepared? What tips or suggestions would you give to blind and visually impaired readers regarding emergency preparedness?

This would make an excellent Mother’s Day present. Here are some other great Mother’s Day gift ideas!

The Instant Pot is one of the latest cooking crazes, and with good reason!

Actually, it is just one of many brands of a small kitchen appliance called a multicooker, a single product that can perform the jobs of many. The main function that really has people talking is an old idea made new and improved, pressure cooking. The Instant Pot has ten built-in safety features so, for instance, your stew won’t end up on your ceiling! It consists of a base that houses the electronics, a liner that fits inside the base and holds whatever is being prepared, and the lid.

Different Models and Accessibility Features

While there are at least 5 different models of Instant Pots, the Lux and Duo series seem to have the most blind/visually impaired-friendly controls. The Duo has a better design and more functions. The Duo can be used as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, and to saute and keep food warm. During food preparation or serving, the lid can conveniently be placed in a side handle of the base. The Duo is available in 3 qt., 6 qt., and 8 qt. sizes. The push-button controls are both tactile and audible. The Ultra series has buttons and a dial that may not be so practical for people with little or no vision. The Smart Wifi series has buttons and can also be operated through a Wifi-enabled device. Unfortunately, I have not found the Instant Pot app to be very accessible.

There are two raised lines on the inside of the Instant Pot liner. The top one, about two thirds full, is the maximum fill line. The other, about half full, is the fill line for foods that may expand or foam during cooking, such as rice, dry beans, grains, pasta, etc. Although the Instant Pot remembers your last used settings, if, like me, you want to independently program your cooker, pressing and holding in the “cancel” button on the Duo for about 10 seconds will emit a double beep that means your cooker has returned to the default settings. This operation is not quite as easy with the Lux series, and doesn’t seem to be consistent among the different sizes.

The liner is deep, which helps when sautéing, as the splatter is less likely to reach you. This also makes cleanup easier!

All-in-One Preparation

A great advantage of the Instant Pot is the all-in-one preparation. You can sauté your meat and vegetables, add your spices and liquids, then uncooked pasta, rice or beans, for example, cover, let the food cook under pressure…all in one pot with little fuss. Boil and easily peel a dozen eggs, make a healthy breakfast of steel cut oats while you get ready to go, cook several boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs to use in meals throughout the week, make a pot of beans without presoaking, or make comfort foods such as spaghetti with meat sauce, beef stroganoff, cashew chicken, chicken noodle soup, macaroni and cheese, pork chili verde or meatloaf and mashed potatoes. The possibilities are endless, with recipes as easy or as complicated as you like.

Resources and Recipes

Resources abound for learning to use your Instant Pot. There are numerous YouTube videos that are not only very descriptive, but also state all ingredients with exact amounts. There are several Instant Pot and pressure cooker cookbooks on BookShare, Audible, and Kindle. While most recipes have been written for 6 qt. models, there are books and YouTube videos specifically for the 3 qt. model (Instant Pot Mini). At least one book, The Instant Pot Bible, gives recipe variations for the 3 qt. and 8 qt. sizes.

User manuals can be found on the web. If you decide to adapt your own recipes, remember that whatever you cook must have some thinner liquid to create steam which will bring the cooker to the needed pressure. If you use Facebook, several groups have been started for Instant Pot and pressure cooker users.

Like many of us, you may be afraid to use your Instant Pot at first, feeling it is intimidating or overwhelming. After you unbox it–there are YouTube videos that will walk you through the process– the first thing you should do is perform the “water test”. There are videos for that too. It’s a great confidence builder and ensures that your Instant Pot is working as it should. If you’ve never heard it, you may be startled by the loud hissing sound that is made when the pressure is manually released, so the “water test” lets you know what to expect.

Although there is a slight learning curve, before you know it, your Instant Pot will likely become an obsession. You’ll want to get another one, accessories, and you’ll want to keep trying new recipes. Instant Pots and accessories make great gifts. It would make an excellent Mother’s Day gift! They can be purchased through shopping websites, local discount, department, and homeware stores. Go to a local store, put your hands on them, and then shop around for the best bargain. The best bargain of all will be the enjoyment of making and eating a wide variety of foods from appetizers to desserts, independently prepared in your Instant Pot!

Daniel J. Rowe CTV News Montreal Digital Reporter

MONTREAL — Physical distancing measures have thrown shopping patterns, walking routines, and basic interactions off for everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For visually impaired or blind people, however, this new normal comes with dramatically heightened challenges. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) has received many calls from members saying they’ve been treated harshly for not distancing appropriately.

CNIB president of guide dogs Diane Bergeron wants people to understand that a visually impaired person’s difficulty dealing with new public health measures is much harder than the average Canadian.

“If you think about what an average adult is going through in isolation right now and the hoops they’re jumping through to get their groceries and their prescriptions and all the things they’re doing, multiply that because those are our day-to-day issues, and now you’ve got to add COVID-19 to it,” said Bergeron, who is completely blind.

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People who are visually impaired typically use a mobility aid such as a cane, dog or sighted guide. Sometimes, Bergeron explained, a sighted guide is used in conjunction with a guide dog or cane, and some stores and service centres have given them trouble when trying to do their daily tasks.

“Stores are not allowing some people to go in two-at-a-time,” said Bergeron. “They’re telling people to go in one at a time, and stay six feet away from each other.”

The CNIB completely supports Health Canada’s distancing measures, but also reminds that staying six feet away from someone who is guiding you is not possible.

“That’s impossible to do if you’re guiding someone who’s blind. It’s not practical and it’s certainly not safe,” said Bergeron.

La Fondation INCA rappelle aux Canadiens que la distanciation physique est impraticable pour de nombreux Canadiens ayant une perte de vision.
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Bergeron added that guide dog training has never included physical distancing measures, and the animals do not know to avoid large groups.

“They’re not going to keep us six feet away from you,” said Bergeron.

In addition, a person with limited or no sight now has to adjust routes and routines that have been memorized. There are now lineups outside of stores, arrows or footprints on the ground directing people where to stand and other measures put in place since the pandemic began, which weren’t there two months ago.

“This is all new for us, so we’re accidentally cutting into lines, and it’s upsetting people or we’re getting too close to people not because we wish to invade their space, but because we don’t even know they’re there,” said Bergeron.

Ordering online, as well, is not as simple a solution as it may sound, Bergeron noted.

“A lot of the websites are not accessible. Often they will exchange, so if they don’t have exactly what you want, they’ll substitute for something else, and once they drop the bags off, we don’t know what’s in those bags. Again, it’s a little bit difficult because we need assistance with that,” she said.

Banking via touchscreen ATMs is an issue that was on the CNIB’s radar before the pandemic, and the issue has intensified since the beginning of March.

“If it doesn’t have tactile buttons, a blind person is not able to use it independently, so we’re giving our PIN numbers to perfect strangers to help us pay for our items,” said Bergeron. “That’s not just a COVID-19 thing. That’s a thing we’ve been trying to deal with for a number of years now.”

Bergeron said, the visually impaired community completely understands the measures public health authorities have put place, but is asking Canadians to be understanding of the hardships for a visually impaired person.

“We’re saying to people, please understand we don’t want to cause a problem. We need your help, so please identify yourself,” said Bergeron.

Verbal cues such as “to your right” or “to your left” are helpful, as is just being aware that for someone without their sight, feeling is how they relate to the world.

The CNIB advises both the blind person and their guide to wear masks and gloves. The CNIB has also sent letters to municipalities, chiefs of police and various large chain grocery stores to speak to frontline staff to let them understand that visually impaired people are an exception when it comes to physical distancing rules.

Those interested in helping those with visual impairments can sign up for the virtual vision mate program. Volunteers in the program help visually impaired peopled with groceries, prescriptions or even just reading mail.

“In this situation right now, we all need a little bit of empathy and understanding,” said Bergeron.

For the visually impaired, physical distancing measures are much more difficult to adhere to and the CNIB has heard from some members who have been treated harshly during the COVID-19 pandemic. SOURCE CNIB

If you ask Gabriel Lopez Kafati, 43, if he’s out, he’ll tell you about his tattoos. One, above his shoulder, is a rainbow-colored equality sign. The tattoo on his right leg is the word “aequalitas” (the Latin word for “equality.”). In another tattoo, his first name is in Braille. “On my lower back, there’s a heart with an error,” he said in a phone interview, “the rest is best left to your imagination.”

Lopez Kafati is one of the members of the LGBTQ community who are queer and blind or visually impaired. There have always been people who are LGBTQ and blind. Yet, in telephone interviews, they told the Blade, they often feel “unseen” in the queer community.

(This reporter is queer and visually impaired.)

Twenty years ago, Blind Friends of Lesbians and Gays (BFLAG), became an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), an advocacy group. In 2009, BFLAG’s name was changed to Blind LGBT Pride International (BPI).

Here are the stories of some of the people who have found their tribe in BPI.

BPI’s vice president, Leah Gardner, 44, who is lesbian and blind, lives in the Bay Area in California. “I grew up in a conservative part of New Hampshire,” Gardner said in a phone interview. “I came out as lesbian to my friends when I was 17.”

But, she didn’t come out about being blind until after she graduated from college. “I was mainstreamed in school,” she said, “I didn’t know a lot of other blind kids growing up.”

Gardner’s attitude began to change when she took a self-defense class and became friends with some of the other blind students. She went to her first ACB convention with them.

At the convention, there was a meeting of a group of LGBTQ blind people. They had the same dating woes and fears that Gardner had. “I was in a room with other queer blind people! I’d come home.”

People in the queer community are happy to see blind people as friends, but not as sexual, she said.

The Internet and social media have helped blind people connect to the LGBTQ community, Gardner said. But, “there’s still a chasm in terms of romance!”

Sarah Chung, 31, who’s queer and visually impaired, graduated from Adler University with a master’s degree in counseling in 2019. She was set to compete in judo in the Paralympics in Tokyo this summer. But, because of COVID-19, the Paralympics was canceled. Due to the pandemic, she hasn’t been able to find a job in counseling.

“It’s not easy,” says Chung, who uses a screen magnifier and “voice over” to read the screen on her phone, “employment’s so important.”

As a child of Korean parents, Chung found a hero in Margaret Cho. Chung, who identifies as non-binary came out recently to her Mom. Before that, she’d reached out to Asian-American, Pacific Islander Pride organizations. “They were incredibly helpful,” Chung said, “I’d no idea there were other queer Asian-Americans.”

Being queer and visually impaired made her feel somewhat alone. But, Chung said, “a friend invited me to join BPI.”

Since then, she’s met other LGBTQ blind people on BPI’s podcast “Pride Connection.” “It was great to meet folks from all over the nation,” Chung said.

How the queer community reacts to your being blind depends on the time, place and who you’re with, she said. Chung finds that LGBTQ bars can be disorienting if you’re blind. Because you can’t see non-verbal interactions or hear what people say over loud music.

“In bars, I’ll text my friends,” Chung said, “some view that as being uninterested. But, I’m doing that to get more information [about the surroundings and the people who are there]. To see through the eyes of my friends.”

Over the years, BPI has advocated on behalf of queer, blind people. The group urged the Library of Congress’s National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled to add an LGBTQ+ category to “talking books.” (The category was added to the Library’s main catalog in 2019 and appeared on BAARD, the program’s mobile app last summer.)

Blind people are vulnerable during the pandemic, BPI president Lopez Kafati said. If you’re blind, you can’t drive to get a COVID-19 test. If you’re visually impaired, you’ll need assistance if you go to get groceries.

To help blind people tell the media their pandemic stories, BPI developed Storytelling Camp. “We’re training them to make their points effectively,” Lopez Kafati said.

But BPI isn’t all work. It’s also for socializing and, sometimes, for romance.

Anthony Corona and Lopez Kafati met at a BPI mixer at ACB’s convention in 2019. The two have been together ever since.

Lopez Kafati, 43, was born in Honduras. He knew he was gay when he was in his mid 20s, but wasn’t fully out until he was 32. Lopez Kafati went to law school and worked as an attorney. But he began losing his vision from retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive eye disease. “I was convinced that I was the only person who was blind and gay in the world,” Lopez Kafati said.

He Googled “blind and gay.” “And BPI popped up,” he said. “It was life changing to find others who shared my experience.”

He came to the United States to enter rehab in Miami so he could learn to travel, work, and live independently as a blind person. Lopez Kafati earned an MBA from Barry University, and in 2015 he became a U.S. citizen. Today, he manages accommodations for students with disabilities at Miami Dade College.

“Often, gay people know so little about blindness,” Lopez Kafati said. “They think we can’t have sex!”

Gay men communicate so much non-verbally – through a wink or a nod – and he can’t see to respond. This makes Lopez Kafati feel excluded from the gay community.

“Gay friends almost make me feel like I’m charity,” he said, “like I have a gay blind friend who I help shopping. Not like, here’s a guy I want to date.”

When he went to his first ACB convention in 2012 and met other queer, blind people in the BPI suite, Lopez Kafati said to himself, “I’m home!”

Corona, 45, worked for the Associated Press for 10 years – on its East Coast arts and culture desk and later as an editor in its entertainment bureau. In 2011, he was in a white rafting accident. In March 16, he lost his vision 20 days after he contracted shingles. He was devastated by his loss. “I had to go through grief,” he said in a phone interview, “I’d enjoyed journalism. My life was good. Honey, I wasn’t lonely on any night!”

There were days when he didn’t want to live. Corona didn’t think there were other gay, blind men out there. He sought counseling. His love of life came back when he went to guide dog school and got Boaty, his guide dog. “He was born to guide!” Corona said.

Like others interviewed by the Blade, Corona says that many in the queer community don’t want to date blind people. Once, as an experiment, he went on a dating app. “When I didn’t disclose my blindness, I got hit up many times within an hour,” he said, “when I disclosed, I was lucky to get hit up even once in a day.”

Sometimes things, even sad things, happen for a reason, Corona said. On March 24, 2016, his vision was completely lost. On the same day, his father died. For three years, he spent every March 24 sobbing. But that changed after he and Lopez Kafati became a couple. “Gabriel’s birthday is March 24,” Corona said. “Now, I’m sad on the anniversary of the worst day of my life. But I’m happy because I’m celebrating the birthday of the love of my life!”

‘I was convinced that I was the only person who was blind and gay in the world,’ said Gabriel Lopez Kafati.

We all use a variety of methods and tools to read and write and obtain information, including calendars, watches, signs, print in magazines and books, and words on a computer screen. In the course of a day, you probably use a number of literacy tools for writing, such as a pen, pencil, and computer keyboard. Like you, your child with visual impairments and additional disabilities will need to have a variety of literacy tools. The tools that are most helpful to him will be those that match his needs and whose use he can understand, the ones that he can use most easily and effectively.

If you and your child are working with and as part of an educational team, various options will be considered for your child, such as reading, braille, or using another method, depending on his physical and cognitive abilities. The teacher of students with visual impairments will use a process called a learning media assessment to see which options are the best ones for him by gathering information about how your child uses his various senses to get information from the environment. On the basis of this process, the teacher can determine which sense—touch, for example—your child uses most effectively to obtain information and can also help prepare materials that your child can use to learn.

Print

If your child has usable vision, he may be able to use print for reading and writing. Through a functional vision assessment, which evaluates how your child uses any vision he may have, the teacher of students with visual impairments can determine what size print he sees best. The teacher can also look at what combination of print and background color your child can most clearly and easily see.

In order to view or read print, some children may need the help of optical devices such as a magnifier or monocular. These optical devices need to be prescribed for your child by a low vision specialist who conducts a clinical low vision evaluation.

Print can be found not only in books and magazines, but also on signs, on labels, and in many other places in the environment. It can be handwritten, such as on a shopping list, or it can be printed or generated from a computer, such as information printed out from a website. Helping your child find functional ways to use his devices to read print at home and in the community—that is, ways that are useful to him or produce a positive result he enjoys—will increase his awareness of print and his motivation to read it. For example, he might use his monocular to look for a sign at the mall so he can find a store he wants to visit.

To understand braille, children need to see it in the environment. On a mobility lesson, this fourth grader and his instructor explore braille signs around the school.

Braille

Braille is a system of raised dots that people can feel with their fingers and that represent letters and words for people who are blind or have severe low vision. Many children who are braille readers and have additional disabilities learn the alphabet in braille. You and other family members and friends can also learn braille so that you’re able to braille notes, labels, and other items for your child and read what he may have written. If your child has a teacher of students with visual impairments, this teacher can show you the braille alphabet and how to create it.

If your child is going to be a braille learner, look for opportunities for him to use braille as the two of you go about your daily routines. For example, he can have a braille label on his favorite box of cereal, a list in braille of the times and channels his favorite television shows are on, a braille shopping list, and directions in braille to a place to which the two of you are traveling.

Symbol Systems

Print and braille each use symbols—letters or braille dots—to represent words, which are in fact, themselves symbols that represent objects or thoughts. Instead of reading print, braille, or words, your child may use a different, more concrete kind of symbol system to represent his thoughts and to have others communicate thoughts to him. These types of symbol systems usually use pictures or tactile symbols that can be felt, but they can also use alphabet symbols or words in print or braille depending on what is most usable by a child. The symbols are usually displayed in some fashion, such as on a bulletin board or in a book, and your child might express himself by pointing to the symbol that conveys what he wants to communicate. Most symbol systems for children with visual impairments and additional disabilities are designed specifically for the individual child. (See “Symbol Systems for Communication by Children with Multiple Disabilities” for more information).

Google has unveiled a new update to its Lookout app, which can assist blind or visually-impaired consumers with handling groceries.

The Food Label module, a new feature of Google Lookout, enables users to quickly identify packaged foods by pointing a phone camera at the label, enabling them to be properly identified.

“This can be particularly helpful if you’re putting away groceries and want to make sure you’re handling the right items that might feel the same to your touch,” Scott Adams, product manager at Google Accessibility Engineering, explained.

“For example, Food Label would be able to distinguish between a can of corn and a can of green beans.”

Additional Services

Google has also introduced Scan Document, a system that enables the user to take a snapshot of a document, which is then read about by the screen reader.

The tech giant’s Lookout app is available for smartphones running Android 6.0 and later, and is available in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish.

“Expanding this app to more people and devices is part of our commitment to make the world’s information universally accessible and to build helpful products with and for people with disabilities,” Adams said.

Other recent features introduced by Google to Android phones include an Emergency Location Service to shorted emergency response times, an earthquake alert module, a scheduling assistant for motorists, and an aide to assist a peaceful night’s sleep.

© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.

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Gary Wagner, a blind Buffalo resident and subscriber to an app that connects him to a shopping assistant, looks for hot sauce at a Wegmans store in Amherst, New York. Ronald Peralta/WBFO hide caption

Gary Wagner, a blind Buffalo resident and subscriber to an app that connects him to a shopping assistant, looks for hot sauce at a Wegmans store in Amherst, New York.

When you’re blind, it can be hard to do things on your own that sighted people take for granted. This includes picking your seat on an airplane, matching your socks, or finding a specific brand of cereal on a grocery store shelf stocked with dozens of selections.

An app service known as Aira offers blind and visually impaired users the opportunity to use their smartphones as a second set of eyes. Wegmans, which is headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., and operates nearly 100 stores in six states, is the first supermarket chain in the nation to offer the service in all of its locations.

Suman Kanuganti founded Aira in 2015 in San Diego, Calif. He was inspired to start the company after observing the challenges facing a blind friend and communications professional.

The name Aira, pronounced “EYE-rah,” is derived from “Artificial Intelligence” and “Remote Assistance.”

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So, how does it work? Users download the app to their phone. When activated, it connects the user to a live operator who is able to use the smartphone camera to view the perspective of the client. Agents serving the user also have direct access to the host company’s own app at their work station during their interaction with the client.

“It turns the front of the camera on and then the person can see what you see,” explains Kevin Phelan, vice president of sales and marketing for Aira. “The agents also have this really great dashboard that has all sorts of information like the Wegmans app, which is fully integrated into their view.”

Some subscription plans include a pair of smart glasses with a camera attached, from which the agent views the user’s perspective.

Individual users pay a fee for a subscription Phelan likens to a cell phone family share plan. In the case of Wegmans, however, the company purchases its own minutes. By logging in to Wegmans’ Aira account as a guest, customers may use the store’s minutes instead of spending their own.

Gary Wagner, a blind Buffalo resident and Aira subscriber, had already tried the app once before he appeared at a Wegmans store in Amherst, New York, a suburb of Buffalo, to give a demonstration to WBFO Radio.

“The steps are really easy,” he says. “Once you download the app to your smartphone and register, it’s just a matter of tapping a button and being connected to an agent who will guide you through your environment.”

Wagner stood with his wife at the customer service section of the supermarket as he activated the app. He made contact with April, the Aira operator who would help him find hot sauce and granola bars.

As Wagner held up his phone, April led him from the customer service desk, where the transaction began, to an aisle lined with several Mexican-style hot sauces. This was a bit of a challenge for both customer and agent. Gary was specifically interested in Frank’s, a brand based on the Buffalo-style chicken wing sauce. That one was located one aisle over. After a brief moment of confusion, the problem was solved and the sauce was found.

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Next, Wagner wanted to find granola bars. While searching in one aisle, a metal pole partially obscured the view of the specific flavor he was looking for. But after a few moments of April instructing him to adjust the position of the phone, she saw the right box and directed it into his hands. Then she led him to the checkout counter.

Wagner was impressed.

“I think as the agents become more experienced with assisting blind and visually-impaired people to shop at Wegmans, they’ll develop techniques to make that process even easier,” he says.

April’s patience during the exchange was noticeable. Teaching agents like her to remain patient during moments of confusion is an important part of Aira training.

“The agents are really the lifeline of our business,” Phelan says. “They go through a 30-day ‘boot camp’ ” and get background checks. “We take great pride in that quality of service.”

Their training includes orientation and mobility training, or helping the blind person to navigate safely through an environment like a busy shopping center. Wegmans consumer affairs manager Michele Mehaffy says the company introduced the technology to their stores to further its customer service mission.

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“Every customer wants independence when they’re shopping,” Mehaffy says. “To provide something like this to our customers who are blind, who have low vision, it’s a great added feature for us.”

While some customers may eventually prefer to use Aira, Mehaffy says Wegmans will still offer live staff on site to assist blind or visually-impaired shoppers..

Wagner says he will next test out Aira at the airport during an upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. The service is now available in more than twenty airports nationwide including Boston, Houston, Atlanta and Seattle.

Phelan says in addition to airports and Wegmans, Aira is also available in many restaurants and college campuses, and is looking to expand.

Other companies offering access to Aira, according to Phelan, include Intuit, which sells financial, accounting and tax preparation software to small companies, accountants and individuals.

Phelan says the company is about to announce that a “major retailer” with more than 5,000 locations will soon be hosting Aira access. And, another major retailer will be announcing the launch of Aira service in October, he says.

The service is also available on more than 100 college campuses nationwide, including the University of California at San Diego, Ball State and Princeton.

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for a friend, family member or coworker who is blind or visually impaired? We’ve compiled a list of creative, thoughtful and useful gift ideas that fit a variety of budgets, interests and ages!

Stocking Stuffers

After realizing the need for creative greeting cards for the blind and visually impaired community, Blind Rehab Specialist MadelineSpencer launched “FeelMyDots” – an Etsy shop featuring a wonderful selection of Braille and embossed greeting cards.

Not only are the Swarovski crystal Braille ornaments from EmesArmy on Etsy beautiful and unique, but they serve a wonderful purpose. The ornaments are created by the extended family of a 9 year old girl named Emerie, who is losing her vision from Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis. Inspired to help the roughly 300 other kids in America diagnosed with the same disease, the family donates proceeds from every sale go to help fund an investigational treatment for LCA.

Gift Ideas for Blind and Visually Impaired Kids

When buying a gift for a blind or visually impaired child, you can’t go wrong with traditional toys and games that are adaptive in design. Here’s a few of our favorite ideas!

Adaptive audible balls are a great gift for active kids and teens who want to get in the game. From basketball to baseball, there are a wide range of beep balls that enable the blind and visually impaired to fully participate in sports.

Raised line coloring books are a huge hit, particularly among kids who have recently lost their vision. The Raised Line Art & Braille series has a nice variety of adaptive coloring books. Maxi-Aids also carries a nice line of coloring books, as well as Do-A-Dot Art Braille markers.

Board games are a fun way to spend quality time with your family, and many classic board games have Braille alternatives. Some of our favorites include Braille Scrabble and its fast-paced counterpart, Bananagrams. Of course, no household would be complete without a Monopoly board, which is also available in Braille!

Gift Ideas for Blind and Visually Impaired Adults

Travel-themed subscription boxes are a fun way to “travel” the world through food. Companies like Try the World and Universal Yums feature a different country each month, giving recipients the opportunity to explore new cultures and flavors.

Talking color identifiers are a useful gift for anyone – particularly those who pride themselves on their sense of style. The Rainbow II Color Reader and Colorino Talking Color Identifier are two of the more popular devices on the market.

A beautiful Braille necklace with an inspiring message is a fun and thoughtful gift for a blind or visually impaired loved one. The husband and wife team behind “Beadtography” – who also raise and socialize guide dog puppies in training – create and sell beautiful Braille necklaces, cuff bracelets, keychains, and even Braille art!

Audio books are always a wonderful gift idea for book lovers. Audible.com offers a fantastic gift membership, which will allow your loved one to download one book per month for the duration of their membership. Of course, if you’re familiar with the recipient’s taste in books, you can also purchase a specific audio book as a gift.

Kitchen supplies are always a welcome gift for anyone who’s in the process of stocking up their first home or simply someone who loves to cook. There are a wide range of useful adaptive kitchen supplies on the market, from talking measuring cups to low vision cutting boards.

A service that will help guide the blind and visually impaired is coming to the Buffalo and Niagara Falls International Airports.

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority has teamed up with a San Diego-based company named Aira whose agents can access visible information through a camera on your phone or special glasses. This service helps people like NFTA Commissioner Margo Downey.

“Connecting to agent Hannah. Starting video. Please wait,” an automated Aira message said.

Less than a second later, you could hear, “Thank you for calling Aira. This is Hannah.”

“Hi. I’m at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport,” Downey said to the agent.

It was Downey’s first time trying out the service in the airport. Her first call dropped, showing the system isn’t quite perfect, but shortly after, she reconnected with another agent to find out exactly where she needed to go.

“Hi Austin,” Downey said to a new agent. “Can you pull up the map for Buffalo-Niagara International Airport? And I want to get from the JetBlue ticket counter to the Delta ticket counter.”

“It’s not showing me ticket counter locations,” agent Austin replied, “but I do have gates for the specific airport. So in that case let me look around to your left here,” Austin said, now guiding her by the camera on Downey’s phone.

For Downey and others in the visually impaired community, the service has potential to grow.

“If you’re job searching, Aira helps with that. If you’re a college student, Aira helps a person probably navigate the campus for the first time,” she said.

Joining Downey in presenting Aira was Sassy Outwater-Wright, who has been blind all her life. She said when she travels alone through an airport, she generally has three choices.

“Go in alone and ask for directions along the way and remember what I can, or ask for assistance from somebody who may not know my individual preferences or needs or desires, or call an Aira agent,” Outwater-Wright said.

Outwater-Wright added, it puts her on even footing with everybody else.

“If I want information I don’t have to sit and wait for somebody to give that to me,” she said. “I can get that for myself, at a tap of a button, at a moment’s notice, 24/7—and that, for this community, is such an opportunity that we’re so grateful to have the chance to bring.”

Outwater-Wright said Aira is also currently free on the MBTA in Boston on a pilot project to study how people use it around the city.

Only about four years old, Aira continues to grow—now in the Buffalo and Niagara Falls International Airports.

Introduction

This is Mark Wilkinson from the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. In this presentation I will discuss sighted guide techniques that should be used by individuals who are blind or visually impaired, to help them travel safely in any environment.В

Additionally, the information we will be discussing can be used to teach family members and friends how they can function as a sighted guide.В

Using a sighted guide allows individuals who are blind or visual impairment a comfortable way to travel safely in any environment.В

The sighted guide technique is felt to be the most efficient way for a person who is blind or visual impairment to travel with a sighted person.

Offer Your Services

To offer your services as a sighted guide, approach the person who is blind or visually impaired, introduce yourself and ask if they would like your help.

Do not grab, push or pull a person with vision loss, regardless of their age.В This can be particularly terrifying for a child as well as an unsteady older adult.В

If they indicate they would like your assistance, verbally offer your arm and brush it against their hand or arm.В

The person being guided should lightly grasp the guide’s arm, thumb out, just above their elbow. В В

Right elbow of the guide will be grasped by the left hand of the person being guided, and vice versa.В The left elbow of the guide will be grasped by the right hand of the person being guided.

For children, have them grasp your wrist or hold your hand.

When an individual acts as a human guide, they should walk a half step ahead of the person they are guiding.

Narrow Areas and Doorways

When approaching a narrow area or doorway, the sighted guide will move their forearm and hand to rest against the lower portion of their back, palm facing outward.

The person being guiding should slide their hand down to their guide’s wrist and move directly behind the guide, at arm’s length.

Curbs and Stairs

The guide should approach curbs, stairs and doorways squarely, never at an angle.

At doorways, the guide should tell the person being guided which way the door opens so the person being guided can hold the door as both pass through.

The guide should let the person know when they are approaching steps.

At steps, the guide should inform the person they are guiding whether the steps go up or down and how many steps there are.

The guide should position the person so their free hand is closest to the rail.

The guide should pause at the first step and at each landing.

Chairs and Seating

When approaching a seat, the guide should tell the person they are guiding that they are in front of or beside the seat.

The guide will then place their guide arm hand on the chair back or chair arm and allow the guided person to follow the guide’s arm down to the seat.

The guide does not need to help the person they are guiding to sit down, unless the person being guided is frail or unsteady.

White Cane

A white cane can be a very helpful tool for individuals who are blind or visually impaired.В

Often, a white cane is used as a mobility tool for independent travel purposes. However, the white cane can also be used as an identification tool for others who may not realize the individual has a visual impairment.

When reviewing the functional problems my patients are having, I often learn that they will bump into people or objects when not using sighted guide technique. They may also mention missing steps or curbs as well as objects on the floor. When I mention using a white cane as a mobility aid or identifier, many are reluctant to do this because they know they are not blind, they just have trouble seeing detail and/or have trouble with their low light vision or peripheral vision.В В

I tell my patients who are visually impaired, when you look in the mirror, you do not see someone with a vision problem. In that same way, when others look at you, they don’t see someone with a vision problem. With this in mind, they may consider you rude or even worse if you bump into them. The white cane helps to clear a path and let others know, who don’t understand vision loss, that you have a vision problem.В В

With this in mind, even if you, a family member or your friend is using sighted guide technique, a white cane can add another level of safety and security when moving in both familiar and unfamiliar setting.В В

It is important to know that when a white cane is used for independent travel purposes, proper training by a qualified orientation and mobility specialist is required.

Conclusion

Now you know how to use or act as a sighted guide.В You also know how to teach others to serve as a sighted guide. Remember, the use of the sighted guide technique will help individuals with vision loss move safely and efficiently in all environments.В В

Suggested citation

Wilkinson ME. Guiding the Blind or Visually Impaired: Techniques for Sighted Guides. EyeRounds.org. posted March 14, 2016; Available from:

University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

If you’ve ever wondered how people who are blind ride the bus, raise kids or shop for groceries, here’s your chance to find out

By Alix Hackett and Karen Shih

“How do you do that when you can’t see?”

That’s a question every person who is blind has heard – more than once.

If you’re blind, how do you watch your favorite show on TV? Go skiing? Buy groceries? Get a job? Cook a meal? Raise kids? The fact is, there are a dozen things people with visual impairments do every day that leave sighted people scratching their heads.

To answer that question, we asked people who are blind or visually impaired to tell us how they do things – from ordinary chores like grocery shopping to complex activities like raising children. Their answers show that with a little ingenuity, the right technology and an occasional helping hand, nothing is as difficult as it seems.

Here’s how someone who is blind can…

Choose a career

People who are blind want a job that utilizes their talents and interests – just like everyone else. Take 20-something Boston resident Lindsay Yazzolino. She started out as a neuroscientist, but then switched to monitoring the accessibility of trains and buses for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It’s a good fit. “You have to know yourself and learn what you’re good at,” Yazzolino says. “You can’t listen to people who say blind people can only do this or do that.”

Almost every job can be adapted for someone who is blind. Use a computer? Text-to-speech software makes it accessible. Like customer service? People skills don’t require vision. Have a good ear? Being a musician or radio producer can be a smart choice. Ultimately, people who are blind just try to find the job that’s right for them. “One blind person might be super successful in one area, but that’s not necessarily the career I want,” Yazzolino says.

Travel by plane

Perkins Library Director Kim Charlson jokes that between flying to conferences and going on vacation, she’s at the airport more than her local bus stop. Like every experienced traveler, she’s got a system. She and her guide dog, Dolly, ride to the airport in a taxi or Uber and then check in at the ticket counter. (Self-serve kiosks aren’t accessible.) She then uses the airport’s meet-and-assist service, which provides a sighted guide. The employee escorts Charlson to security, where she and Dolly go through the metal detector, then to the gate.

Charlson usually pre-boards and settles into a window seat, with Dolly curled up under the seat in front of her. “People say, ‘You’re so amazing!’” she says. “But I don’t think I am. I’m just doing what I need to do.”

Go skiing

Perkins alumna Sara Mornis has been skiing since the age of 6, and can’t imagine a winter without her favorite sport. As a child, she took lessons to learn proper form – using a long pole to stay connected to her instructor. Today when she hits the slopes, she’s accompanied by a sighted guide, who tells her when to turn and alerts her to potential hazards like moguls or patches of ice. She wears a neon vest so other skiers know she’s visually impaired. “I just love the mountain. I love snow,” she says. “When I’m skiing I feel like I’m flying, like I’m free.”

Watch TV

How do you “watch” television without vision? With audio description, which brings scenes to life with vivid descriptions of action, scenery and facial expressions. The voice-over narration is inserted between lines of dialogue, and lets blind viewers know that the crazed killer is silently creeping around the corner – with a knife in his hand.

Shop for groceries

Thanks to grocery delivery websites like Peapod, Perkins employee Tim Cumings can stock up for the week without leaving his desk. He uses his computer’s screen-reading software to navigate the site, filling his virtual cart with everything from apples to sliced ham. He pays with a credit card, and groceries are delivered to his door within 48 hours.

Every so often Cumings visits a local grocery store like Trader Joe’s, where he requests a personal shopper from the customer service desk. But nothing beats the Internet in terms of convenience. “Shopping used to take an hour,” he says. “Now I’m done in 15 minutes.”

Raise kids

Dave Wilkinson never planned to have kids. Then he married Dawn, who had a little boy named Cameron. Suddenly, Wilkinson was a stepdad who was blind.

Since Cameron was already 4 years old, Wilkinson missed some of the “typical” blind parent experiences. He didn’t have to diagnose diaper rash by feel, and didn’t put bells on Cameron’s shoes to keep track of his whereabouts.

But he and his wife, who is also blind, made other adjustments. To help Cameron with schoolwork, they found online versions of textbooks to listen to. They enrolled him in extracurricular activities, using paid drivers and family friends for transportation. They made sure Cameron had typical childhood experiences – from doing chores to putting up Christmas lights. “We thought if other families could do it,” Wilkinson says, “we should be able to do it, too.”

Use an iPhone

Send a text. Play a song. Make a call. People with visual impairments can do all that by using the iPhone’s built-in accessibility features. Users can scroll a finger across the screen, and the voiceover function reads aloud every app and menu. Digital assistant Siri can read emails and texts – and even verbally describe emojis. This kind of accessibility deserves a “smiling face.”

Grill a steak

Perkins School for the Blind employee Jim Denham can sear a T-bone to perfection. How? By being hands-on, literally. Before lighting the grill, Denham uses his sense of touch to build a mental picture of his grilling surface as well as the meat he’s about to cook. His iPhone serves as a timer, and he relies on feel to determine whether a steak is cooked the way he likes it. “When you push it in the center, does it have the same firmness as your ear lobe? That’s medium rare,” he says.

Go on dates

The goal of dating is simple. You want to find someone you’re compatible with and attracted to. It’s the same for singles who are blind, but “attraction” can have a slightly different definition. For 27-year-old Perkins employee Tanja Milojevic, it’s all about good communication. “I want to meet some­one who genuinely cares about the topics we’re discussing,” she says – although having a nice voice helps, too.

Milojevic has learned to be upfront about her low vision, to weed out suitors who might be uncomfortable with her disability. She relies on advice from friends to ensure her makeup looks good before heading out on a date. She encourages her dates to let her know if they’re having a good time. “I might not see facial expressions,” she explains, “so I’ll check in to see how it’s going.” Does the conversation feel effortless? That’s when she knows she’s made a real connection.