WHAT'S NEW AT VISIONAWARE.ORG?

Vol 1, Issue 13, December 11, 2009

Holiday Shopping with VisionAWARE

Give the gift of independent living this holiday season and buy gifts from our online store. Every purchase you make helps enhance the quality of life and independence for adults with vision loss — thank you for your support!

All items in our Independent Living Aids Store were carefully selected by our team of vision rehabilitation professionals.

Enroll in Our Online Education Center

Our AWARE Online Education Center has been going strong for over a month now, and registration is still open! Learn more about vision loss, low vision and vision rehabilitation.

Courses are designed for health care and social service professionals, including social workers; occupational therapists; community advocates; recreational specialists; and personnel in independent living centers, senior centers, long-term care, assisted living communities, veterans’ centers and hospitals.

Select this link to learn more: http://www.awareusa.org/education.html

VisionAWARE Highlights

With your support, VisionAWARE is Meeting the Challenge — so far, we've raised $28,450! Remember, our goal is to raise $167,000, and every $1.00 gift is matched with $1.50 from the Reader's Digest Partners for Sight Foundation. So Donate Now to help us reach that goal!

Featured Content:

• My Story - Alena Roberts: A Blind Blogger with an Opinion About Everything: Alena Roberts is a blogger, Twitterer, and Facebooker extraordinaire. As Alena says on her blog, Perspectives from a Blind Point of View, “I am a blind blogger who has an opinion about everything,” and so she does!
• Bring foodie festivity and social good to your holidays with our Holiday Happy Hour, an interactive menu of gourmet holiday drink recipes adapted for people with vision loss. Each time you share a recipe or "Tip Your Bartender," you support VisionAWARE. Raising AWAREness has never been so much fun!
• Meet Dawn Pickering: Dawn Pickering is an OC(C), COMT, CLVT, Professional Practice Leader, Low Vision Services, CNIB (formerly known as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind). "On a personal note," she tells us in this exclusive interview, "my most important job is being the mother of an eight-year-old boy. I am a certified fitness professional and, being typically Canadian, I curl competitively, but mainly for fun!" Read more...
• 2010 United States Census Information - and Cautions: With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. The primary question is this: How can you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a "con artist"? Read more...

Events to Remember:

• First day of winter - December 21 marks the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. Keep track of the passage of time with an adapted timepiece from our Online Store:
  http://www.visionaware.org/product-catalog-watches
• Religious Holidays: Hanukkah (begins December 11); Christmas (December 25); Kwanzaa (begins December 26): Find products, resources, and services with religious relevance adapted for people who are blind or have low vision by selecting this link: http://www.visionaware.org/find_religious_products

More Holiday Resources:

• Large print, audio, and braille books
• Look your best for the holidays: Makeup tips if you’re blind or have low vision
• Home and kitchen safety hints
• Tips for efficient and effective housecleaning
• Hints and tips to make mealtimes more enjoyable
• Shopping tips for food, clothing, and holiday purchases, as well as tips for identifying and managing bills and coins

New Resources

• World T.E.A.M. Sports
• Maine Handicapped Skiing
• Cancer in Plain English
• Henshaws Society for Blind People (UK)
• California Transcribers and Educators for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Inc.
• BALANCE for Blind Adults (Canada)

Join our Facebook Community

www.facebook.com/VisionAWARE

Let's hear it for our fans on Facebook - you're getting us closer to our goal of 1,500 fans!

From Our Visitors

"I found your organization/site when I was looking for resources for my mother and myself. My mother has macular degeneration and cataracts, her mother had cancer in one eye and macular degeneration in the other. I am nearsighted, farsighted and have astigmatism and a cataract." — Anonymous Supporter, Mesa, AZ

About Us

Associates for World Action in Rehabilitation & Education (AWARE) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit social service organization. VisionAWARE is a "Self-Help for Vision Loss" web site that includes Questions & Answers on a wide range of topics, including eye diseases and disorders, home management, home modification, reading and writing, personal care and grooming, recreational activities, crafts, braille, computers and technology, and helpful services and resources.

For more information, e-mail Maureen A. Duffy, AWARE's Editorial Director.

VisionAWARE is made possible through the generous support of
    

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