American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Summer 2021 WHAT'S HAPPENING
Lucy Devan Casting
Contact: [email protected]
Lucy Bevan Casting is currently searching for a blind girl to play a key guest speaking role in an upcoming Netflix limited TV series. They are looking for a girl who is blind or partially sighted/low vision between the ages of six and sixteen. The character is thoughtful, curious, intelligent, and courageous, and she must speak fluent English. Shooting will take place in Europe in 2022. No previous acting experience is necessary. Applications must be submitted by a teacher, parent, or legal guardian. If your child would like to be considered, please send their DOB, height, location, and a recent photo in one email. The agency will be in touch if they would like your child to audition.
Accessibility Boutiques
Contact: [email protected]
410-659-9314, Option 5
Accessibility boutiques and seminars are workshops presented by the NFB’s access technology experts that provide introductions to accessibility best practices and the latest trends in access technology. Past topics have included "Getting the Most out of Microsoft Office with a Screen Reader" and "Gaming for Everyone."
ShareBraille
ShareBraille.org
ShareBraille.org is a free service from the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults that facilitates the exchange of Braille books through an online community-run library. Its mission is to promote literacy among the blind by increasing the use and life of Braille materials. ShareBraille.org works by connecting those who want Braille books with those who have Braille books to give away. After you register and log in, you can share your own Braille books or browse the growing catalog. If a user requests a book that you have offered to share, the book can be shipped at no cost within the United States and Canada as Free Matter for the Blind.
Babies with CVI: Nurturing Visual Abilities and Development in Early Childhood
by Anne McComiskey
APH Press
https://www.aph.org/product/babies-with-cvi-nurturing-visual-abilities-and-development-in-early-childhood
Available in print and ePub editions
This book is geared to professionals, but parents may also find it useful. Material emphasizes ways to work with children from birth to age three who are affected by cortical visual impairment (CVI). The guide provides a checklist with specific tasks parents and teachers can perform to provide visual stimulation, based on the idea that brain-related problems sometimes can be mended or bypassed in very young children.
APH ConnectCenter Transition Hub
www.aphconnectcenter.org APHConnectCenter
Contact: Sara Brown, [email protected]
502-608-3271
The American Printing House for the Blind celebrates the launch of APH ConnectCenter Transition Hub, a one-stop comprehensive searchable national database of transition programs. The resource is available for school-age students, teachers of the visually impaired, vocational rehabilitation professionals, and family members. Users can search for programs by state, program type, attendance fees, and whether the program is offered year-round or seasonally. State schools for the blind, blindness vocational rehabilitation agencies, and partner nonprofit agencies that offer transition programs for teens and young adults will have the ability to register with the Transition Hub. The Transition Hub is made possible through a grant from the Gibney Foundation.
Hire Me SC
https://www.hiremesc.org/families
Able South Carolina, a center for independent living, has developed an initiative called Hire Me SC to change the culture of disability employment in South Carolina. Hire Me SC recently launched new employment resources for families of people with disabilities to help build strong advocates who empower their loved ones to find their dream job. Although the campaign is based in South Carolina, the tools and resources provided can have a national reach.
Study on Use of Tactile Maps
https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV9MiiWm2XYtiaoBg
Contact: Harrison Cole, [email protected]
A PhD student in the Department of Geography at Penn State is looking for people who would like to contribute to a study on the use of tactile maps to make natural disaster planning more accessible. The goal is to determine how tactile maps can be used for evaluating flood damage risk. His hope is that this research will help make tactile maps become a standard and convenient part of natural disaster planning. Participants must be legally blind and eighteen years of age or more.
Testing Maps and Search Apps
Contact: Stacie Dubnow, [email protected]
As part of our BUILD program, the National Federation of the Blind is searching for blind and low-vision individuals to participate in one hour of remote user testing of the accessibility maps and search apps. Compensation between $115.00 and $150.00 will be provided. Participants must be eighteen years of age or more and must rely on screen-reading software on their smartphone, must use an Android phone with system version 9.0 or higher, and use Google Maps and be open to updating the app to the latest version. In addition to a smartphone, participants must have access to a computer or tablet with an internet connection or to a land line phone, and they must consent to being observed. Interested persons who meet these criteria should email Stacie Dubnow with the subject line "Eyesquare Build Project Applicant."