by Eleni Gaves, COMS
Getting a first cane can seem overwhelming up front. From different sizes to materials and then to cane tips, there’s a lot of variety. And certainly, there is a lack of clarity about what each thing does or why so many variations exist. Add in the fact that you may be wondering how to hold […] Read More »
Tags: cane tips, mobility training, white cane
by Second Sense
Your invitation to participate in the 2020 census should arrive in your mailbox this month. Why Does the Census Matter to You? Here are some very important reasons: Transportation Billions of dollars in federal funds are distributed for transportation projects. This includes public transit, accessible pedestrian signals, truncated domes at intersections. Projects that improve […] Read More »
Tags: Census
by Polly Abbott, CVRT
It’s easy to get caught up in a daily habit of making many small choices that seem harmless at the time. But, these can end up creating a giant snowball of health-related issues. I am not a nutritionist or health professional. However, over the past 20 years of working with people with vision loss, I […] Read More »
by Amber Miller, Guest Blogger
There are plenty of challenges that come with blindness. Cats lounging on camoflaging area rugs. Eye contact. Stairs…bedeviled stairs. There are, however, some unexpected perks. It sounds cool. The acronym VIP makes me feel important. ‘Nuff said. Fewer distractions. When performing a reiki session, intuitive reading, or even getting to know someone on a […] Read More »
Tags: artistic perspective, imagination, Visually impaired
by David Flament
Sometimes, you just need to borrow a pair of eyes! Today, that personal visual assistance has become a reality with two apps, BeMyEyes and Aira. With the improvements in cameras on smart phones, a live person is ready and willing to assist. Aira and BeMyEyes are two apps that connect you to a person who […] Read More »
Tags: Aira, BeMyEyes, visual assistance
by Andrea O'Donnell
Meeting My Girl I will never forget the day I met my first guide dog, a beautiful black Labrador retriever named Fiona. It was around 1:00 in the afternoon, and I was patiently waiting in my room at Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) in San Raphael, California. I could hear the sounds of […] Read More »
Tags: Guide dog, Vision loss, working with a guide dog
by Kathy Austin, CVA
We’ve all been told how important exercise is for our health, again and again. But when we lose vision, movement starts to become more difficult. Perhaps it is our own fear of hurting ourselves. Maybe it is the people around us who fear for our safety and startle us with “watch outs” or “be carefuls.” […] Read More »
by Kathy Austin, CVA
These monitors show the difference between magnification set at 6X and the other at 12X. Imagine using the higher setting several years back when monitors were half as wide! David Flament, our Manager of Assistive Technology at Second Sense, tells his clients that when they need to use a 6x magnification with ZoomText on […] Read More »
Tags: coping with vision loss, letting go of vision
by Kathy Austin, CVA
Research in preventing vision loss and restoring vision due to inherited retinal disease (IRDs) has been advancing at an amazing pace. News of ground breaking new treatments was recently featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes program on April 29. For those of you with retinitis pigmentosa, stargardt, usher’s syndrome and other inherited retinal diseases, it […] Read More »
Tags: genetic counseling, genetic testing, retinal disease
by Kathy Austin, CVA
Second Sense is a small organization – we are a staff of eight people, but each year we serve over 500 individuals with vision loss. How do we do it? One huge reason is the generous gift of time and effort from our dedicated volunteers. As we celebrate National Volunteer Appreciation Week this April, we’d […] Read More »
Tags: National Volunteer Week