by Kathy Austin
Asking for Help is Hard No one wants to be a burden. You may feel ashamed, embarrassed or have any number of other uncomfortable feelings when asking for help. But, could your feelings be misguided? Our western society puts a large value on “independence.” We may feel inadequate or incompetent when help is required. […] Read More »
by Kathy Austin
My first bird house was a well-crafted, sturdy red barn that hung empty for about seven years with no visitors. It came with us when we moved to a new house and amazingly, we had our first tenants, a family of sparrows. That bird house lasted for 20 years until the bottom finally rotted out. […] Read More »
Tags: birding
by Kathy Austin
When I was going to college back in the 90s and early 2000s, a textbook consisted of a cardboard box with dozens of four-track cassette tapes. I played them on a special tape recorder that I now cannot remember the name of. It was about the size of a textbook, but heavy in my […] Read More »
Tags: apps, technology
by Cheryl Megurdichian, CFRE
Ditching Resolutions My New Year’s resolutions were always bright and shiny, full of hope on New Year’s Day. But, by the end of the month they morphed into failures. When I set specific goals – I will walk 10,000 steps every day – one miss started a downward spiral. And just a few days […] Read More »
Tags: change, resolutions, self-improvement
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: billiards, pool, retinitis pigmentosa
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: Brain Blindness, Face Blindness
by Kathy Austin
Second Sense staff shares their holiday traditions
Tags: holidays, traditions
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: Echolocation, Mobility, O&M
by Aly Slaughter
“Is there anything in your life that your vision prevents you from doing?” This was the question I was asked by the resident ophthalmologist in November 2017. I was at the University of Iowa where I go every 2 years for a full day of tests and eye exams. This was a question I had […] Read More »
by Kathy Austin
The last book I read in print was The Osterman Weekend by Robert Ludlum, a CIA spy thriller. It was the second time I had read it and I struggled seeing the print under the dim light of a table lamp. Months later, I took my daughter to the library. I had to ask […] Read More »
Tags: audio books