Blogs

While you are probably familiar with Helen Keller and some of her achievements, do you know about Fanny Crosby? Fanny, whose formal name was Frances Jane van Alstyne (nee Crosby), preceded Helen Keller by about 60 years, living between 1820 and 1915. Like Helen, Fanny was well-known during her lifetime. Similarly, she left a lasting legacy worth remembering. Both women were blind pioneers with much to teach us. By looking back, we can gain inspiration and insights from Fanny, who proved to be a powerful and positive role model. In retrospect, we can see five aspects that contributed to…

The Instant Pot, a Magnificent Obsession By Jeannie Johnson This would make an excellent Mother's Day present. Here are some other great Mother's Day gift ideas! The Instant Pot is one of the latest cooking crazes, and with good reason! Actually, it is just one of many brands of a small kitchen appliance called a multicooker, a…

Who coined the term smartphone? It must have been a 12-year-old nerdy kid or a software developer that thought it would be a great idea to put a computer in the phone and take away the keyboard! Smart, in this instance is a very relative term! In the interest of full disclosure, this writer loves his dated Samsung Galaxy Android phone, a flat screen smartphone, so this is not a personal issue with smartphones, it’s a professional issue! For the umpteenth time in what seems like a very short while, one of the clients with whom I work went into a phone store and walked out with a new smartphone they couldn’t even…

Photo by Maribel Steel Editors note: In celebration of National Dog Day August 26th, peer advisor Maribel Steel shares her experience of being paired up to a new guide dog in Australia. Decision Time For almost a decade, Ive been using a white cane as my mobility aid. After my first guide dog went to the great kennel in the sky, I wasnt ready to train with another guide dog. It seemed easier to continue my independent travel with a cane. Yet my sight continued to fade and it became obvious that where once I felt confident on my own on a busy street, I was beginning to falter and to…

When the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed 29 years ago, the internet as we know it today and smartphone apps were not in existence. Fast forward to today and doing a Google search and downloading an app are as normal as drinking a cup of hot coffee in the morning. The majority of us, both sighted and blind, are constantly online searching, reading, and uploading information in order to work, live, and play. Smartphone apps make this even easier. Having access to technology has become extremely important, yet those of us with vision loss still struggle with accessible websites and apps. The ADA has assisted and many…

When you lose vision, at first it might feel like you are unable to participate fruitfully in a faith community. Whether you’re new or a long-term member, some aspects of congregation life that you’ve always taken for granted can suddenly feel uncomfortable as a worshipper with blindness or visual impairment. Who’s saying hello? What are the words we’re singing? How do they take the blessing or communion here? We’re sharing this information in hopes that you won’t give up attending your faith community of choice if you’re experiencing vision loss now, or that you’ll consider visiting a new one if you’re…