Skip to main content
Second Sense - Beyond Vision Loss

Blog

A street scene under an overcast sky, with snow swirling and slick sidewalks.

Redefining Independence

July 14, 2022 | 1 Comment

by Siobhan Midgley, CVRT, COMS, TVI

It’s a blizzardy Saturday in Chicago; sidewalks slick, visibility low, fingers and toes frozen. I get a text from my client, and he has a conundrum. His usual route to his book club is just one stop away on the L. He knows the route well and normally has no difficulties traveling it. But he […] Read More »

Tags: , ,
Helen Keller seated with Laurence Jones, Martha Louise Morrow Foxx. staff and students in front of Piney Woods School in 1945.

Disability Rights and Civil Rights Intersect

June 16, 2022 | Leave a Comment

by Siobhan Midgley, CVRT, COMS, TVI

Helen Keller visited the Piney Woods School in 1945, from the website Hall of Fame: Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field: Laurence C. Jones, accessed 13 June 2022, <https://sites.aph.org/hall/inductees/jones/>   What is Juneteenth? When we learn about the end of slavery, we usually learn about the 1862 signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. But this […] Read More »

Tags: , ,
Cameras on iPhone 13 pro and 13 max

Seeing AI’s World Channel: Is it Useful?

May 16, 2022 | Leave a Comment

by Cody Froeter, CVRT

  Back in December of 2020, Microsoft’s Seeing AI released an update for the app that included a brand new channel. The new channel, called World, uses an iPhone’s LiDAR sensors to gain a spatial, 3D depiction of the environment in the phone’s camera lens. Using 3D spatial audio, the app notifies the user of […] Read More »

Tags: , ,
Woman pouring coffee in to a white mug

Motion Blindness: A Brain Blindness Disorder

April 14, 2022 | 1 Comment

by Siobhan Midgley, CVRT, COMS, TVI

This post is the second in a series by Siobhan Midgley, CVRT, COMS, TVI, on blindness disorders occurring in the brain.   Legal blindness is defined as having central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correction or field of vision less than 20 degrees. During my grad school days, if […] Read More »

Tags: , , ,
A pool cue is abour to strike a cue ball.

Last Pocket

March 15, 2022 | Leave a Comment

by Brian Marchetti

As a random disruption in my genetic code has replaced my vision with a constant series of swirling lines and exploding dots, I miss two things the most. I haven’t seen a human face in a decade. I have no idea what my wife looks like though I sleep next to her every night and […] Read More »

Tags: , ,
a grid of faces_face blindness

Face Blindness: A Brain Blindness Disorder

February 18, 2022 | 1 Comment

by Siobhan Midgley, CVRT, COMS, TVI

This post is the first in a series by Siobhan Midgley, CVRT, COMS, TVI, on blindness disorders occurring in the brain. In 2019, I was completing my teaching clinicals in a classroom with blind and visually impaired kindergartners. The classroom was set up with a desk in each corner for each teacher and paraprofessional. Each […] Read More »

Tags: ,
Make exercise fun with bright colors. Shown here are pink weights, yoga block and yoga band on a pink yoga mat

Accessible and Fun: Exercise Programs You Can Do at Home

January 19, 2022 | Leave a Comment

by Kathy Austin

Did you have a few too many delectable dishes and spirits over the holidays? Are your clothes a little bit more snug? Or perhaps the mix of Omicron and January’s cold and snow is preventing you from visiting the gym. If so, we have compiled some at-home exercise programs for you to try. You can […] Read More »

Tags: , ,
Sheet of paper with "Holiday Traditions" written on it surrounded by evergreen sprigs, glass ornaments and golden snowflakes

Holiday Traditions

December 15, 2021 | Leave a Comment

by Kathy Austin

Second Sense staff shares their holiday traditions

Tags: ,
Bat using echolocation to find a flower for its sap

Echolocation: It’s Not Just for Bats

November 15, 2021 | 2 Comments

by Siobhan Midgley, CVRT, COMS, TVI

  Bats, whales and other animals create sounds that bounce off objects to learn information about their environments. This strategy, called echolocation, helps them find prey and navigate under deep ocean depths and dark nighttime skies. Echolocation is now currently being researched as a tool for people with vision loss to also learn about the […] Read More »

Tags: , ,
Catharine is stopped at a street corner asking for assistance from a fellow pedestrian.

A Tool for Your Orientation and Mobility Toolbox: Asking the Public for Assistance

October 20, 2021 | Leave a Comment

by Eleni Gaves, COMS

As we celebrate White Cane Awareness Day, Eleni Gaves, our orientation and mobility specialist, talks about a skill that many with vision loss are reluctant to use – asking the public for assistance. Check out her suggestions and tips to become more comfortable with this useful tool for independent travel. Getting out and around brings […] Read More »

Tags: ,