An Eye on Vision Issues
Volume one: Issue three
Week of January 01/15 to 01/22/2012

I. Education, Employment or Training Issues:

One area where visually impaired/blind individuals have made breakthroughs in education and employment is in the field of Lawyers/Attorneys. An organization called American Association of Visually Impaired Attorneys (AAVIA) has worked to continue to make sure visually impaired/blind individuals seeking to work as lawyers have an equal opportunity. I decided to acknowledge this organization for the work and effort in assisting the visually impaired/blind. If you are interested in this field the AAVIA organization is one organization you should learn more information about. The organization can assist in many different ways.

II. Health/Medical Issue:

AARP and the Blind!
The American Association of Retired People provides great information for people included in the visually impaired/blind category. I wanted to inform you of a page which was presented by the AARP covering some great information about blindness and eye care. Take some time and read the information on the page found from doing an Internet search using the following words:
Health Article – Blindness - AARP

III. Federal/State/Local Government Issue:

During the past week, a lady was hit by a car at the intersection near the apartment building where I live. The intersection has an auditable crossing signal which is very helpful but the intersection contains a turning lane without a turn arrow. Because there is no turn arrow cars can only turn when no traffic is coming. The situation causes cars to attempt to turn as soon as they think they can and usually, fail to check for crossing pedestrians. Pedestrians with visual impairments or who need extra time to cross are at risk from the turning cars. If a turn signal was available then pedestrians would know when to expect cars to turn and visually impaired pedestrians could be informed to cross only at the beginning of an announcement. The problem is getting the city to agree to the cost of placing a turn signal at the intersection. Work is on-going to have the signal placed. Does anyone have any similar situations in your area? Visit the vision issues forum and tell your story! Thanks.

IV. Visually Impaired/Blind Achiever:

Blind Attorney Isaac Lidsky goes from Supreme Court Clerk to Appellate Advocate.
In 2008 Isaac Lidsky was awarded the opportunity to work as a Supreme Court clerk but has now moved on to becoming an Appellate Court Advocate as of 2010. He continues to break through barriers for blind lawyers wanting to have the opportunity to work in and around the United States Supreme Court System. Way to go Isaac! Special note: Some of you may remember the television show “Save by the Bell,” Isaac played the role of “Screech.”

V. Editor Notes:

A. Organization/Website of the Week:
Guild for the Blind is an organization I came in contact with while searching for a cell phone. The Guild for the Blind offered a program demonstrating different types of cell phones designed for people with visual disabilities. I was searching for a cell phone that is compatible with the JAWS screen reader program. The organization helped me to locate more information about companies and programs assisting me in purchasing a cell phone to meet my needs. If you have a visual issue the Guild for the Blind may be able to help. Look up their website and read more about the organization.

B. Sports/Craft/Hobby of the Week:
I attended a computer training program in Chicago this past summer. While I was attending the program I met a person who manages the food service program in the training building and he told me about the Chicago Beep Baseball League. I was impressed by the number of participants involved. The league consisted of several teams and the season ended with the league’s version of a world series. Beep baseball is a great sport and continues to grow. Check out the sport and find out if there is a team near you. Have fun competing in any sport in which you participate.

C. Editor Special Notes:
Visit the vision issues site and read the article; “How I designed my grocery shopping plan!” You can read about my adventure to discover a method for buying groceries without all of the hassle.

Have a great week and THANKS for reading!


Here's the latest article from the Vision Issues site at BellaOnline.com.

How I Designed My Grocery Shopping Plan!
How does a visually impaired/blind person shop for groceries? Read the article and learn the formula I use for successful grocery shopping. You’ll discover some helpful techniques and organizational ideas.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art67372.asp

Please visit visionissues.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Vision Issues.

To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Vision Issues located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=293

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!

Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Dean Ingalls, Vision Issues Editor
http://visionissues.bellaonline.com

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