Dear Readers:
Today’s Bulletin features a number of timely topics. Please note that we will not be publishing this coming Monday. The next Bulletin will be sent out on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, following the Veteran’s Day holiday.
Please continue to send suggestions for the Bulletin to: [email protected].
RDPFS Update: Grants Awarded to Advance Technology and Career Development Initiatives
At its recent meeting, the Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation (RDPFS) Board of Directors approved the awarding of two grants to not-for-profit partner organizations. While providing support to distinct programs and organizations, both grants recognize the growing role and potential of technology in enhancing independence and quality of life for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Grants have been awarded to The Chicago Lighthouse: IT Services Career Development—Expansion and Replication and Hadley: Workshops to Support the Microsoft Seeing AI App.
RDPFS Awards Grant to The Chicago Lighthouse: IT Services Development Initiative—Expansion and Replication
Many working-age individuals who are blind or visually impaired (BVI) face significant barriers to employment, including limited access to education, training, and workplace accommodations, as well as lack of knowledge and bias among employers. As a result, individuals with vision loss experience higher unemployment rates, lower wages, and greater poverty levels compared with their sighted [...]
RDPFS Awards Grant to Hadley: Workshops to Support the Microsoft Seeing AI App
Nearly three-quarters of adults who are blind or visually impaired own smartphones, which are becoming vital tools for independence, particularly when coupled with accessibility apps like Microsoft Seeing AI. This app leverages AI (Artificial Intelligence) to assist users in navigating their surroundings with more confidence in real time. By reading text, identifying objects and currency, [...]
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New Partnership Aims to Monitor and Improve Website Accessibility
by Daniel Parker, RDPFS Contributor: The accessibility providers Aira and Vispero have announced a new partnership with the goal of helping web developers make their content more accessible. Aira helps people with vision loss complete tasks and solve problems via “human-to-human interaction” with trained professional interpreters. Vispero is the company which now owns brands like [...]
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Free Instructional and Educational Resources and Webinar for the Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) Community
New Videos from the National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NRTC) NRTC has announced the release of new instructional videos and learning materials, described below: Instructional Materials on Blindness and Low Vision for University Classes consist of a video on the Basics of Blindness and Low Vision: Understanding a Low Incidence [...]
Veterans Day is November 11, 2024: New Grant Funding Strengthens Adaptive Sports for Veterans
by Daniel Parker, RDPFS Contributor: The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has recently awarded grants totaling $15.9 million to “fund adaptive sports, recreational activities, and equine therapy for Veterans and service members living with disabilities.” These grants were given to “91 national, regional, and community-based programs for fiscal year 2024 across all 50 [...]
Virtual Programs: Accessing Eye Care, Career Development and Job Opportunities, A Verbal Description Art Tour, and More
From the U.S. Access Board: On October 30, 2024 from 1:30 to 3 pm ET, the Board meeting of this agency is open to the public. Agenda items will include reports on latest activities related to accessible design, transportation, technology, and more. For more details and a Zoom link, visit the webpage for the U.S. Access [...]
NDEAM Spotlight: “Breaking Barriers” by Promoting Inclusive Work-Based Learning and Good Jobs
In continuing to recognize National Disabilities Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) is highlighting an innovative program from the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB). This initiative “provides youth and young adults with disabilities access to high-quality [...]
Having Trouble Reading Standard Print? Enjoy today’s bestsellers in easy-to-read large print: Subscribe to Reader’s Digest Fiction Favorites Large Print Books
Discover the joy of reading our collection of large print books, offering the best in contemporary fiction, romance, mystery, biography, adventure, and more! Our Fiction Favorites Large Print series brings you up to two expertly curated best-selling books in each volume (five volumes in all), in an easy-to-read format. A portion of the proceeds from [...]
