VISIONS

 

 

 

 

 

Canadian Council of the Blind Newsletter

June 2018

 

 

“A lack of sight is not a lack of vision”

 

President’s Message++

1Louise Gillis – CCB National President

Now that spring will soon be changing into summer many chapters will be slowing down their activities and events. One big event that did take place in May was the annual Atlantic Sports & Recreation Weekend (ASRW).

This year the ASRW was sponsored by the CCB Sydney Chapter as everyone knows a lot of planning many months in advance has to take place with a group of individuals who work independently on varying items and then come together on a regular basis to see how it is unfolding then continue on that path or work out alternate plans. We had that process here even including “Mother Nature” to work with us and on Saturday for the outdoor events we had fantastic weather so all went very well.

We had 45 individuals with vision loss of one sort or another who took part along with their drivers, support persons and some family members. What really helps in an event like this is to have sufficient volunteers, accessible venues and persons who are properly trained in how they can help people with vision loss find their way and get to where they need to be so all events run smoothly without long wait times. I personally, along with our chapter, would like to thank all who helped make this a successful weekend. Lots of medals and ribbons were won. These are very special to each person and just the fact of being able to participate is very important whether you win or lose. Participants don’t need experience in the events just a desire to be part of all the excitement. See you all in Summerside PEI next May.

To see/hear an interview on AMI.ca with Laura Bain talking about her experience on the weekend in Sydney go to: http://www.ami.ca/category/ami-week-sports/media/ccba-sports-and-recreation-weekend

The last week of May was a very busy week as well. Braille Literacy Canada held their AGM. Also some workshops on Braille technology –what is best for the individual needs, cost, access, and how best to use the newest refreshable braille note-takers. Check out their website.

The World Braille Council also met in Ottawa. As most of us know Braille is used by blind and partially sighted people to read the same books, and periodicals as those printed in a visual font. It is used for all European-based languages and has also been adapted to present Arabic, and Asian languages as well. Learning to read and write in braille allows a child to be fully literate and they can excel in learning from any books published in braille form.

One of the important notes of this meeting was the shortage teachers of Braille in all countries including Canada. Another issue is teaching Braille to students with multiple disabilities and in many cases the blind student sits in the class without any education being received. The technology sector collaborated to develop universal standard for braille displays during the event.

The World Blind Union (WBU) is the global organization representing the estimated 253 million people worldwide who are blind or partially sighted. Members are organizations of and for the blind in 190 countries, as well as international organizations working in the field of vision impairment. ​The WBU Executive Committee had their meeting in Ottawa as well this week. Below are a few bits of information from that event.

{While I understand many may not be able to connect to the links below I think it is important to include them for those who can and also for others with computers to go to the websites to see more information to share with their members}. You can check out a video of WBU North America/Caribbean Regional President, Mr. Charles Mossop, welcoming members of the Executive committee, representatives from regions and international organizations to the WBU Executive Committee at http://ow.ly/m0va30kg6Rt.

Dr. M.N.G. Mani, CEO of International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) emphasizes the strong collaboration between ICEVI and WBU during the WBU Executive Committee meeting.

2WBU Members, Mr. Ajai Mittal, Mr. Arnt Johannes Holte, Ms. Martine Abel-Williamson, Ms. Donatilla Kanimba, Dr. Fredric K. Schroeder, Ms Michiko Tabata, Mr. Fernando Riano, Mr. Santosh Kumar Rungta

Ms. Donatilla Kanimba the WBU Second Vice President appeals for access and use of technologies to the benefit of people with visual disabilities. Dr. Aubrey Webson, UN Ambassador for Antigua and Barbuda urges WBU to continue working within the UN system especially on SustainableDevelopmentGoals building on the promise of “leaving no one behind”.

“My first impressions here is how everyone comes from different continents to discuss issues we share together to improve the quality of lives of blind people” Ms. Nantanoot Suwannawut (Apple) from Thailand,

Each year, 37% of tourists with disabilities decide not to travel because of limited accessibility. With a strong EU AccessibilityAct that includes tourism the sector can generate revenues of almost € 90bn.

I, as President and our Executive Director, Jim Prowse accepted the Century of Change Award from the CNIB on behalf of CCB at Library and Archives Canada, in Ottawa. It was presented by CNIB President and Directors at a dinner in celebrating a 100 years of changing lives CNIB.

This last several months the WBU has carried out several surveys – Barriers for Women – Empowerment and Leadership, Survey for persons with low vision, and one for Elderly Persons with results currently being compiled. These surveys have been sent out in previous Newsletters for members to complete.

In the upcoming month CCB will be preparing and providing further information on our upcoming AGM on June 27^th for members.

Louise Gillis, National President

 

 

Announcements

 

CCB Toronto Visionaries to hold 5th Annual 5km Fund-raising Walk-a-thon & Beach BBQ! ++

 

On Wednesday, June 20th, the CCB Toronto Visionaries Chapter will host its 5th annual 5km ‘Walk-a-thon & Beach BBQ’ along the Woodbine Beach Boardwalk in Toronto.  Funds raised at this event will help support the Visionaries’ Chapter operations for the coming year.

 

The site of the Walk was selected for its accessibility, with good access to public transit, accessible washrooms, and a path that is tactile and easy to follow.  The Woodbine Beach Boardwalk is a 3km long wood plank walkway with sand on either side, following the shoreline of Lake Ontario in Toronto’s East End.  The Walk takes us from our picnic site, to the west end of the Boardwalk, where we turn and retrace about 2.5km and then return to the picnic area for a celebratory BBQ.  Hot dogs, hamburgers, all the trimmings, salads, potato chips and soft drinks will be served to all Walkers and sighted guides, free of charge, as all of the food is being donated by local merchants!  And since the only cost to our Chapter is the Parks permit, almost every dollar donated goes directly to our operating expenses.

 

In addition, the CCB Toronto Visionaries has invited other CCB Chapters active in the Toronto area and other blindness-related organizations to join us, making this a vision loss community event!  This year, the Visionaries will be joined by the Hands of Fire Blind Sculpture Group, the CCB Mysteries Chapter, and the Toronto Chapter of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians, each group raising funds for its own organization.  And the CNIB has not only lent us their BBQ, but will be transporting it to and from the picnic site!

 

But it’s more than just a blind community event.  We’ve partnered with so many other groups and organizations from the sighted community as well.  We’ve been working with City of Toronto Parks Recreation & Forestry, Toronto Public Health, and Boardwalk Place to secure the Special Event Permit.  We’ve partnered with local businesses, Bloor Meat Market, Cobs Bloor West Bakery & Nicholson’s No Frills, who are generously donating all the food for the Walk.  Our dedicated group of sighted volunteers will team up with any walker who’d appreciate an extra hand.  We’re even talking to Accessible Media Inc about the possibility of covering the Walk on AMI This Week, as part of our partnership-building strategy.  And if successful, we’ll have another tool in our communications toolkit, one that demonstrates the determination of the blind community to overcome barriers and exceed expectations.

 

The goals of this event are equally split between raising funds, bringing community partners together and encouraging member involvement.  While it is vital for us to raise money to fund our activities and events throughout the year, it is just as important to build a sense of community and encourage our members to come out, join in the fun, and set and exceed their own personal goals.  Not everyone can walk 5km and many don’t feel comfortable asking family or friends for charitable donations.  But to encourage as many people as possible to participate, we’ve made this a ‘Walk-what-you-can’ event, with members securing donations for whatever distance they think they can travel.  If you think you can walk 2km, then set your own goal and conquer it!  If walking 100meters is what you can do, secure donations to support that goal and come out and join us!

 

And if walking is not your thing, it’s perfectly okay to raise donations to participate as the cheering section!  If a CCB member, who thought their blindness meant they couldn’t possibly participate in, or contribute to, the success of our Chapter, comes out to the Walk, bringing a single donation of a few dollars, or even just coming out to cheer on the other walkers and be part of this event, then we’ve accomplished a big part of our mandate.  Its also great to know that so many of our members are out talking to their families, friends, co-workers and colleagues about the CCB and what it means to them.

 

In addition to all the community support we’ve received, our National Office in Ottawa has been enormously encouraging.  Being able to offer tax creditable receipts for donations makes a huge difference to our efforts.  Working with Mary Ellen Durkee, National’s Accountant, and the administrative team at the National Office, we’ve even been able to have donors direct funds to us through the donation link on National’s website, making online donations possible for any chapter without its own website or Pay-pal account.

 

At this year’s Walk, we’re targeting to raise a substantial portion of our annual budget to help fund the activities and programs so vital to our members throughout the year, and we’re hoping to increase the number of Walkers from last year who will come out to share our vision.  Walking with our peers, we’ll have encouraged our members to reach a little farther, strengthened the bonds between the CCB and its community partners, and we’ll have reached out to the broader sighted community for their support and to show them what we can accomplish.  We’ll be celebrating all this and more down on the Boardwalk, sharing a great BBQ on the Beach with friends on June 20th!

 

The CCB Toronto Visionaries

www.ccbtorontovisionaries.ca

 

Tele Town Hall Update++

As promised, at the end of our last tele meeting in March we committed to producing a report based on input from you over the course of our 5 tele town halls.  We are hoping to circulate these reports sometime in the summer; mid to late summer.

In the meantime, we wish you a super summer.

Signed

The tele town hall organizing committee

 

 

GTT Vancouver and New Westminster Meetings Agenda, The Accessible iOS Calendar App++

Get Together With Technology (GTT) New Westminster/Vancouver!

Sponsored by the Canadian Council of the Blind in partnership with Blind Beginnings and Vancouver Community College

 

People who are blind or partially sighted of all ages are invited to “Save the Dates” for these two sessions of the GTT Vancouver and New Westminster meetings where the Calendar App on iPhones/iPad/iPods will be demonstrated and thoroughly discussed.

 

June 2018 Theme: iOS Calendar App

Participants have expressed a desire to find accessible tools aimed at better organizing their busy leisure, work and volunteer lives, and one of those tools could be the great Calendar App found on the smart phones and tablets we now carry with us.  So, the upcoming GTT New Westminster and Vancouver meetings will work through the insertion of a calendar entry, how to set notifications, how to create a monthly recurring event, how to invite others to an event, and how to edit the date/time of an existing appointment.

 

 

 

Who Should Attend?

 

– People who would like to know what is possible to do with the iOS Calendar App;

– People who want to know how to set reminders for appointments;

– People who want to know how to invite others to their events/activities/appointments;

– People who want to know how to set recurring events like monthly meetings, birthdates etc;

– People interested in determining what other accessible Calendar Apps that are usable and accessible;

– People who want peer assistance with other assistive technology.

 

GTT New Westminster:

Date & Time: Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Where: Blind Beginnings Office, 227 6th Street, New Westminster

 

 

For more information contact either Shawn Marsolais or Albert Ruel:

 

shawn@blindbeginnings.ca or 604-434-7243.

Albert.GTT@CCBNational.net or 250-240-2343

 

 

 

 

CCB Health & Fitness++:

 

THE VIRTUAL 5K!

 

On June 1st we were pleased to have 13 people from coast to coast…and actually across the pond in Europe, participate in our event.  The walk/run is to help folks aim for a fitness goal and then tackle it alongside their friends.  We are still waiting on updates from the west coast but in Chatham Ontario, we had a big group on a beautiful day!

 

Congrats to Brenda from the West coast for winning our draw prize!

We will be airing to set up some more challenges and events as the year unfolds, so keep active, send us any ideas you have in terms of a goal and stay tuned to our social media for updates

 

 

PODCASTS:

Just a reminder that our podcast is pumping out great content regularly and the episodes are generally 20-30mins so nothing too long but just long enough to provide some great health and fitness topics.

Everything from blood pressure, to axe throwing, we cover lots of random and useful things.  If you have a topic you’d love to learn more about, we encourage you to suggest them!!!

Simply search “The Canadian Council of the Blind” on your Apple podcast search app or anywhere you find your podcasts

 

As always, if you have questions, want to chat 1 on 1 with Ryan for some fitness advice, or any feedback at all, just drop us an email.

ccb.healthandfitness@gmail.com

Have an awesome day!!

 

RYAN VAN PRAET (R. Kin)

CCB Health & Fitness

National Program Manager & Coach

ccb.healthandfitness@gmail.com

226-627-2179

 

Go to our page: https://ccbhealthandfitness.wordpress.com

To find links to Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Podcast & Email Chat List

 

Chapter News++

News Updates from the Peterborough Chapter

 

Hello everyone,

We have been busy here in Peterborough and would like to share some of our successes with you.

 

Our very own chapter member Devon Wilkins organizes and host a weekly radio show on Trent Radio 92.7. Devon, along with co-host Simon Treviranous of The BIG IDeA, presents this one-hour talk show to showcase all things accessible in Peterborough. The program’s goal is to bring awareness to the general public about disabilities and the barriers that result, as well as other organizations in our community assisting those with disabilities.

 

Devon and Simon are focusing on abilities, highlighting the positive stories of people with disabilities of all kinds. Congratulations to Deon and Simon for making this a success.

 

Another project of the CCB Peterborough Chapter is a program called “From the Blind for the Blind”. We are collecting any gently used visual aids that people are no longer using and then redistributing them to other folks within our community who can use the items. Often someone just needs to try out an item for a while before purchasing one. Or sometimes an item cannot be purchased because of affordability.

 

We would like to collect as much as possible so we are able to share the items with those who can use them. Our chapter member Debbie Haryett and chapter volunteer Aileen Hill have been putting a lot of work into starting this project up. They are also working with The Lions Club, which has offered storage space for us to use. In addition many of our local optometrists and doctors’ office are giving their support. A huge thank you to both ladies for doing this.

We also have a wonderful summer planned with picnics, local outings, boat rides on Little Lake, and much more. We just finished a tour of our newly rebuilt Peterborough Library, where we were shown the many accessible features in this lovely building, along with information about audio books and other accessible reading materials.

 

Bringing awareness of CCB to the general community is an important goal. That’s why we will be participating in Peterborough Pulse 2018 on July 21st. For this summer festival, Peterborough’s main street will be closed down for the day and community groups, clubs, businesses and other organizations will line the streets to share their stories with the public.  We, of course, will be there to talk about CCB Peterborough. It’s a fun-filled day of music, friends and laughter.

 

Later in the year, the Senior Summit will be held gain in the fall. We are looking forward to having an awareness table there to showcase CCB Peterborough.

 

We are proud here in Peterborough to be an active chapter. And soon – through our very own website – we will be able to share stories and pictures, and showcase the partnerships we have developed within our community.

 

Peterborough chapter members are happy to be active, and we believe in our Abilities not Disabilities.

 

Now Listen to Eyes On Success Podcasts on Smart Home Devices++

We recently added a new way for listeners to keep up to date with the latest episodes of Eyes On Success.

 

Now you can listen to Eyes on Success on your Alexa or google smart home devices.  Simply ask Alexa or Google to “play Eyes on Success podcast” and you won’t miss a thing!

 

3Promotion shot for Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey

We hope listeners enjoy this new capability and pass the word along to their friends.

 

The Hosts: Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey

Check out Eyes on Success (formerly ViewPoints)

A weekly, half hour audio program for people living with vision loss.

 

Find out more about the show and get links to past episodes at:

4Peter and Nancy Torpey

www.EyesOnSuccess.net

Find the podcast on iTunes or use the URL:

www.EyesOnSuccess.net/eos_podcast

Find us on social media at:

 

http://www.facebook.com/EyesOnSuccess

(http://www.facebook.com/EyesOnSuccess)

http://www.twitter.com/@_EyesOnSuccess

 

Meet the talking timer++

Hi there!  It’s Donna and as mentioned previously, I would like to concentrate on the lower levels of technology and today I’d like you to meet the talking timer.

 

Ah yes!  The talking timer and over the years this precious commodity has both shrunk in size and cost.  There was a time when the talking timer was not very portable and it was also extremely clumsy and clunky in shape.  Today however, the talking timer has shrunk in both size and cost and it is even now possible for you to stuff one in your pocket or purse.

 

The cost of a talking timer has also dropped dramatically and you can now buy one for less than $20.  The nice thing about the talking timer is that there is a variety of styles and sizes for you to choose from.

Some talking timers come with a talking clock add on while others do not.  I have both.

You can get a talking timer for your kitchen or have one that clips on to your belt.  I have a talking timer/clock that gives me the option of choosing different sounds for when the timer goes off and I also have one that does not give me the option.  They are both very portable and I can clip them onto my belt.

You’ll have to find the one that best suits you.  Just make sure that the one you want is the one you end up with.  The talking timer is a very nifty little gadget to have.  Use it to time your cooking and baking.  Use it when you wish to time yourself while you are pedaling away on your exercising equipment or use it for anything else.  The ones that I have work with AAA batteries.

 

Of course, the talking timer is now competing with other types of talking timers that can be found on your smart devices, and on your appliances.

 

Here are a few places for you to contact if you are interested to learn more.

CNIB – toll free = 1800 563 2642

Frontier Computing – toll free = 1-888-480-0000

Or visit http://www.futureaids.ca

You can also call them at 1-800-987-1231

 

So have fun now with your talking timer and see you next week.

 

 

 

 

Spotlight on CELA++

The Centre for Equitable Library Access, CELA, is Canada’s most comprehensive accessible reading service, providing books and other materials to Canadians with print disabilities in the formats of their choice. A national not-for-profit organization, CELA serves 90% of the estimated 3 million Canadians with print disabilities in partnership with member public libraries. CELA provides access to more than 500,000 professionally produced titles to provide people with print disabilities with a quality library experience.

 

Our collection includes award winners, best sellers, fiction and non-fiction with a special emphasis on Canadian authors and stories, and favourites for kids and teens.

Patrons have access to close to 50 newspapers and 150 DAISY magazines which are available on the same day they are published.

 

CELA Services

In addition to our collection, CELA supports libraries by offering marketing materials, training and staff development opportunities. The CELA website includes a variety of tutorials and training videos to assist libraries, educators and patrons in learning and troubleshooting the technology and apps needed to access our collection. In addition, patrons can call our dedicated Contact Centre for assistance and support.

 

We provide a level of service unattainable if each individual library were responsible for providing the service within their existing capacity.

 

What’s New at CELA?

150 New DAISY Magazines Available!

 

• Enjoy 150 of today’s most popular magazines as soon as they are published.
• See the complete list of titles

On our new Magazines page, search the catalogue or browse by category to find your favourites.

• Read the full text, including images, using popular DAISY apps for iOS and Android.
• Tutorials are available on our website.

 

Books by “Big Five” audio publishers now available

Just in time for summer reading, CELA is thrilled to announce access to audiobooks by the big five publishers. Thanks to our agreement with Recorded Books, we are now able to add more popular titles, New York Times bestsellers and favourites our patrons have been requesting. New titles have already been added to our collection, including one of our most requested books, All The Light We Cannot See, current New York Times bestsellers, Little Fires Everywhere, and the High Tide Club, and the shocking memoirs by James Comey and Hilary Clinton.

 

More titles will be added in the coming weeks and months.  Look to our communications for highlights as they become available.

 

For more information or to become a CELA member contact:

members@celalibrary.ca or 1-855-655-2273

 

Assistive Technology

Great news! The world’s best print-reading app for the blind and print-disabled is now even better, KNFB Reader Version 3.0, from the National Federation of the Blind and Sensotec NV++

 

KNFB Reader 3.0 represents the continued evolution of over forty years of text recognition technology. It now has more features for a wider variety of users than ever.

 

Since its first release in 2014, KNFB Reader has been allowing users all over the world to get access to print anytime and anywhere. The latest version of this award-winning app sports a new look and feel to help you work better and faster. Navigation within the app is easier, with tabs at the bottom of the home screen to access key functions quickly and easily. The enhanced cloud support for Dropbox, GoogleDrive and OneDrive allows easy access to all your documents when and where you need them.

 

KNFB Reader 3.0 now reads ebooks and documents in the increasingly popular ePub format, as well as PDFs (image or text, tagged or untagged). This makes it ideal for students and professionals who must read content in multiple formats from multiple sources. The app is also customizable, so that people with different reading needs can tailor its settings to meet those needs. Now able to recognize and read documents in over thirty languages, KNFB Reader 3.0 is a comprehensive reading solution for people who are blind or who have low vision, dyslexia, or other reading differences.

 

KNFB Reader 3.0 is a free update for existing customers. For new customers, the app is now available for USD $99.

 

To learn more about KNFB Reader 3.0, visit www.knfbreader.com

 

If you already have the app and love it, help us spread the word to others. You can also follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KNFB-Reader-1454343774846792/?nr and Twitter https://twitter.com/knfbreader to join the conversation about KNFB Reader 3.0.

 

Foundation Fighting Blindness RESEARCH NEWS++

RNA Therapies for Inherited Retinal Diseases (IRDs)

Dr. Mary Sunderland recently participated in a tremendously inspiring meeting, hosted by ProQR, a company that is creating new sight-saving treatments and planning a new clinical trial for people living with Usher Syndrome.

 

Read more at: https://ffb.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd4791060c94bfb5970956f29&id=5d1ea2d382&e=fef32467b9

 

 

 

 

In the News

 

Ford Develops Smart Window Prototype For

Blind Passengers — Feel the View!++

 

Ford has developed a prototype smart window, allowing blind passengers to feel the passing landscape outside.

 

The ‘Feel the View’ technology was created by an Italian startup, Aedo in collaboration with Ford. The prototype uses vibrations to give a blind or partially-sighted passenger a sense of the scenery outside.

 

The technology takes pictures of the passing scenery from the outer side of the window. The images captured are then converted into high-contrast black and white pictures. These monochrome images are then reproduced on the glass using special LEDs. On touching the images, the various shades of grey vibrate at different intensities up to the range of 255. These vibrations allow the blind passengers to touch the scene and rebuild the landscape in their mind.

 

As the finger moves over the different parts of the image, different intensities of vibrations provide haptic feedback to the person using the technology.

 

The smart window technology also has an AI voice assistant, which uses the car’s audio system to give the passengers a context of what they are feeling.

 

A Ford spokesperson stated, “We seek to make people’s lives better and this was a fantastic opportunity to help blind passengers experience a great aspect of driving. The technology is advanced, but the concept is simple – and could turn mundane journeys into truly memorable ones.”  This technology of the Smart Windows is part of Ford’s Advanced Research. The company has no plans of introducing it in the market anytime soon. This might be part of Ford’s autonomous vehicle program to research how a vehicle will interact with its passengers when travelling.

By Rahul Nagaraj

 

Virgin Atlantic Launches In-Flight Entertainment for Passengers Who Are Blind++

Virgin Atlantic has recently begun offering specially adapted iPads which provide audio descriptions for films and programming. For example, the recorded narration will explain what is happening during gaps in a film’s dialogue.

The technology was designed by the tech firm Bluebox and was tested by Guide Dogs for the Blind. Passengers can specially request the iPad from the flight crew prior to takeoff. The service is available on all aircraft providing travel to various destinations, including North America.

Source: https://coolblindtech.com/virgin-atlantic-launches-in-flight-entertainment-for-blind-travelers/

 

 

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