by admin | Feb 14, 2020 | Blog, News
When you finish a conversation with a person who is blind, let them know when you are leaving. It’s embarrassing to realize one is talking to him- or herself.
Help them orient themselves in a room also – tell them which way a speaker, stage or podium is so they can face the speaker rather than the nearest amplifier or surface that reflects the sound.
Have you or a friend or loved one lost a significant amount of eye sight? Would you like to connect with others who have gone through similar life experiences and learn skills for maintaining your independence? Reach out to Linda Groszew, our Program Director, by emailing her at lgroszew@vlanj.org or by calling 973-627-0055 ext. 1312.
by admin | Feb 13, 2020 | Blog, News
Some businesses in our community go above and beyond with their kindness. One of those is ShopRite – every week, they donate baked goods to our students for breakfast. Thank you!
Pictured (from left):
ShopRite of Parsippany Store Manager Frank Sblendorio, VLANJ student Ed Larson, and Pauly Maresits, Bakery Manager.
by admin | Feb 12, 2020 | Blog, News
Ever fallen asleep with your contact lenses in? 👁️👁️
The Center for Disease Control reports that this is the most common offense for contact lens users. But what’s so bad about it anyway?
Eyes, like the rest of our bodies, need oxygen to survive, and if you have lenses in for an extended period of time, your cornea – the outer surface of your eye – doesn’t get to breathe. Without oxygen, your corneas will get larger and swell up. This is called keratitis, which means your eyes’ physiology is being damaged or altered.
This inflammation causes small gaps to start to appear across the surface of the eyes and bacteria will start to make its way through those gaps to invade the cornea.
In most cases, this leads to eye infections. In worst case scenario, it can rob you of your eye sight.
Moreover, you can damage your cornea by trying to pick out dried out lenses, and develop other long-term problems that can eventually lead to loss of sight.
Why risk it? Keep your eyes safe & take those contacts out at night.
by admin | Feb 11, 2020 | Blog, News
Going out with a person who is blind or has low vision?
Let them take your arm and follow, rather than grabbing their arm and pulling them or pushing them ahead of you.
Help them feel at ease by telling them about the surroundings: the street you’re walking on, what lies beyond such as trees or bushes 🌳🌵; or when indoors – the size of the room, how many people are there and who some of them are, and so forth.
Image description: Four women are walking outside in pairs. The first pair is of a woman wth brown hair in a light blue coat, dark tights and sneakers. She is guiding a woman with light brown hair in a purple jacket, jeans and sneakers, who is holding a white cane. Behind them, in the second pair, a woman with brown hair in a ponytail is using a white cane. She is wearing a grey sweater, maroon shirt, dark pants and boots. She is guided by a woman with blonde-gray hair, who is wearing a red sweater, blue flower-patterned shirt, jeans, and sneakers.
by admin | Feb 10, 2020 | Blog, News
Shout out to Panera Bread for having an accessible ordering system!
The self-service ordering stations feature both Braille and VoiceOver, which make ordering simpler for people who have low vision or are blind.
Well done, Panera Bread. 👏 We’re always happy to see such excellent accessibility initiatives by members of our community!
Image is of an ordering screen at Panera. A woman is using her finger to tap on the screen and order an item. A black rectangular sign is sitting at the base of the screen, and there is writing in English & Braille on it.
by admin | Feb 9, 2020 | Blog, News
TapTapSee is an application designed specifically for users who are blind or have low vision, utilizing your device’s camera and VoiceOver functions to take a picture or vide of anything and identify it out loud for you! 📸
TapTapSee is one of the apps our students learn to use in the Apps Club, that meets on Thursdays as part of our Better Health & Wellness Program. Want to find out more? Reach out via email: LGroszew@vlanj.org, or via phone: 973-627-0055 ext. 1312.
Image description: A screen shot of the TapTapSee application as it appears in the Apple App Store. The top left indicates the thumbnail of the app, which is a white outline of glasses and eyebrows on a multicolor background featuring blue, pink and teal hues. The Text reads “TapTapSee camera for the Blind”, a 4 out of 5 star rating, indicating 995 reviews. The bottom shows three different phone screens, with the text, “Just Tap To Take A Picture” in the first image, with a picture of a phone taking a photo of a fuchsia colored flower, and the text “Listen To The Description” in the second image. All 3 images show different angles of the phone and flower.
