American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Special Issue on Cooking NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Kelly’s Kitchen
https://kellys-kitchen.org
Interactive Cooking Classes for People with Disabilities with Kelly’s Kitchen and the Color-Coded Chef
Classes: April-June 2024
Kelly’s Kitchen promotes healthy nutrition in the whole community, with a focus on providing education on ways to access healthy food, explore employment possibilities in the food and beverage industry for people with disabilities, ensure food security, and learn healthy preparation techniques. In 2023 Kelly received the Susan M. Daniels Award, which was established to honor those who are making a significant difference in the lives of youth and adults with disabilities through mentoring and raising awareness about the importance of mentoring individuals with disabilities. Kelly’s Kitchen is excited to partner with the Color-Coded Chef on an amazing opportunity for people with disabilities who want to increase their culinary skills. They are providing an accessible and inclusive cooking class series for individuals with disabilities. Join hands-on cooking classes with expert chefs! Classes are free and open to all skill levels. Each cooking class lasts ninety to one hundred and twenty minutes via Zoom. Classes are open to anyone in the fifty states and US territories. Recordings of all classes you miss can be provided to you, regardless of when you register.
Cooking in the Dark
https://cookinginthedark.libsyn.com/webpage/category/podcasts
Since 2007 Cooking in the Dark has presented a weekly podcast series showing that “you don’t need sight to cook dinner tonight.” Along with the folksy patter of the hosts, each podcast demonstrates the preparation of a recipe or an entire meal. The entire archive of Cooking in the Dark podcasts is available for free download.
National Braille Press
https://nbp.org
88 St. Stephen St.
Boston, MA 02115
800-548-7323
National Braille Press carries an assortment of cookbooks for sale. All titles are available in hardcopy Braille or BRF download. Titles include:
Braille Superstore
http://www.braillebookstore.com
800-987-1231
Over the past few years, the Braille Superstore has added more and more cookbooks, all filled with mouth-watering recipes. Select an area of interest and cook or bake to your heart’s content. Categories include Bestselling Cookbooks, Betty Crocker Cookbooks, and Recipe Cookbooks. The Braille Superstore’s Kitchen Corner offers a wide assortment of kitchen tools and gadgets including timers with raised markings, liquid level indicators, talking thermometers, salt and pepper shakers with Braille markings, and measuring cups with raised print and Braille.
Braille Bookstop
https://www.blindmicemegamall.com
This online bookstore, available as part of the Blind Mice Mart Megamall, sells Braille and digital cookbooks. Offerings include a series of books based on the Cooking in the Dark podcasts. Other titles include:
National Library Service
https://www.loc.gov/nls
The catalog of the National Library Service BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) lists 604 cookbooks in the Braille and Recorded Book collection. Under a recently implemented program, registered readers may request personal copies of any Braille title in the collection; up to five requests per month are permitted. The most frequently requested titles under this program are cookbooks.
NFB Independence Market
https://nfb.org/independence-market
Contact: 410-659-9314, Extension 2216
[email protected]
The Independence Market of the National Federation of the Blind is an extensive store that offers literature and hundreds of products created by and for the blind community.
Located at the NFB’s national headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, the Independence Market is a helpful resource for anyone who is blind or losing vision. In addition to household and kitchen tools, the Independence Market offers print and Braille writing aids, magnifiers, accessible medical devices, and NFB literature. Shop by email or phone.
The Blind Kitchen
https://theblindkitchen.com
Contact: [email protected]
The Blind Kitchen offers adaptive tools and appliances for blind and low-vision people who want to cook safely, confidently, and independently. It also provides blind-friendly tips and strategies for the many aspects of cooking that do not involve a specific tool or piece of equipment. The Blind Kitchen Library contains videos related to ways blind and low-vision people can organize their kitchen and pantry, identify food items in closed containers, label items in their kitchen, and entertain guests with confidence and grace. All videos are audio described.
LS&S
https://lssproducts.com
145 River Rock Dr
Buffalo, NY 14207
Contact: 800-468-4789
LS&S provides products that enhance independence, safety, and confidence for blind and hearing-impaired persons. Visit their website to request a product catalog.
Keystroke Compendium
National Braille Press
88 St. Stephen St.
Boston, MA 02115
www.nbp.org
Windows Screen Reader Keystroke Compendium: Covering JAWS, NVDA, and Narrator
Compiled by Dean Martineau
This booklet contains commands for the three main Windows screen readers. Included are keystrokes for general screen reader use, for web and app browsing, and for Microsoft Office. This update applies to JAWS 2024, NVDA 2024.1, and Narrator Version 2023H2. (Braille-related keystrokes are not included.)
Braille Book Fair
[email protected]
Date: July 5, 2024
Each year the Braille Book Fair is a greatly anticipated highlight of the NFB National Convention. Blind children and adults browse among the free offerings of donated books to select titles to add to their personal libraries. This is a great opportunity for you to give new life to those Braille books you no longer need. The Action Fund is seeking books for readers at all levels and in most genres (it does not accept Bibles, magazines, or textbooks). It is especially seeking Twin Vision titles and Braille/print titles. If you have gently used Braille books that you would like to donate, please send them to:
American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Attn: Braille Book Fair
1800 Johnson St.
Baltimore, MD 21230
Educational Technology Survey
https://nfb.org/legal/surveys
The NFB is gathering information regarding the accessibility of educational technology used in our nation's schools (kindergarten through graduate level). If you are a student, parent, teacher, or administrator who uses screen access software or other accommodations to participate nonvisually in educational programs or services, or if you are the parent, teacher, or administrator of someone who does, please complete the Education Technology Survey once a semester and contribute to this important research.
Your advocacy makes a difference. The National Federation of the Blind tracks and reviews many platforms, websites, software applications, and products for accessibility. Given the vast number of inaccessible apps and websites, it is vital that we work together to report issues, educate companies, and help make many more products and services accessible. Learn about self-advocacy for accessibility and tracking inaccessibility.