News, Links and Commentary
Saturday, February 28, 2004
Australians With Vision Impairments Needed for Technology Survey
If you are Australian, aged 18 or over and are blind or vision impaired, then your input is requested for the National Blind and Vision Impaired Technology Survey. The survey is part of a Curtin University PhD student's research into use of the Internet by people with disabilities. Participants do not need to use the Internet to participate and may respond to print or Braille surveys, or answer the survey by telephone. If you know of others who might be able to participate, please spread the word!
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Friday, February 27, 2004
New Australian RD Chat Days
The Australian retinal dystrophy chat group (#ozrplist) has recently changed its session days. We now meet at 9pm Sydney time (currently on Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time - AEDT) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The chat is informal and participants may join us whenever they feel that a chat with others in a similar situation might be of some benefit. For more details, please visit the Australian RD Chat - #ozrplist Web page or feel free to contact me directly via e-mail.
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Sunday, February 22, 2004
Progress in Artificial Vision Research for Harvard-MIT Team
From the Harvard Gazette ('Electric eye under development', February 19, 2004) comes news of progress in the field of artificial vision:
The research team includes researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (an affiliate of the Harvard Medical School), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Research Laboratory of Electronics, and the Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center.
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Severely blind people have been able to temporarily see patterns of light with the help of an electric device developed by a Harvard-M.I.T. research team.
Five people with retinitis pigmentosa, the leading cause of inherited blindness, reported seeing spots and lines of light with the help of the device. A sixth person, about to lose her sight to cancer, also saw the light patterns.
The research team includes researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (an affiliate of the Harvard Medical School), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Research Laboratory of Electronics, and the Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center.
Friday, February 20, 2004
A Search For Mental Peace
Each week I receive a list of the search terms entered into the search boxes on my site. Along with the more common searches for treatments and specific retinal dystrophies, this week I noticed a search for "mental peace."
Often I have considered placing links to resources for people trying to cope with the psychological effects of gradual vision loss. Each time I wonder how I will know which resources might help my visitors - a good site about general mental wellbeing, inspiring writing by people who have dealt with vision loss, or maybe works of philosophy. Some of the issues faced by people with vision loss are the same as everyone else. Some of the issues are very specific to vision loss and the visual disturbances associated with retinal dystrophy. Some people have a greater need to understand what is happening to them and why. Some find mental peace more easily than others.
So I still don't have the magic links to mental peace, although I'm always working on finding and sharing them. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! And in the mean time, I wish us all a little mental peace.
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Often I have considered placing links to resources for people trying to cope with the psychological effects of gradual vision loss. Each time I wonder how I will know which resources might help my visitors - a good site about general mental wellbeing, inspiring writing by people who have dealt with vision loss, or maybe works of philosophy. Some of the issues faced by people with vision loss are the same as everyone else. Some of the issues are very specific to vision loss and the visual disturbances associated with retinal dystrophy. Some people have a greater need to understand what is happening to them and why. Some find mental peace more easily than others.
So I still don't have the magic links to mental peace, although I'm always working on finding and sharing them. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! And in the mean time, I wish us all a little mental peace.
Alternative Transportation Search
Dan Roberts from MD Support is asking for help in compiling a database of information about alternative transportation for people who are blind or vision impaired. The Low Vision Transportation Services search site is already live and Dan is hoping to extend the number of services and areas covered. If you live in the United States and would like to help by researching the alternative transportation available in your area, please contact Dan. The search may later be extended to places outside of the United States. Safe travels!
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Saturday, February 14, 2004
Melbourne Restaurant Out of Sight
Australia now has a restaurant/bar serving customers in total darkness. Zurich's Blind Cow restaurant was the inspiration for restaurants in New York and Paris that give all of their diners the opportunity to experience food, drink and conversation without the distraction of sight.
I like the idea of having the advantage of experience when dining out sans lighting and now I need only travel to Black Out in St Kilda Rd, Melbourne to see how well I cope compared to people who can usually see a little more. According to a report in The West Australian (Friday, February 13, 2004, page 9), opening night invites went to football and TV celebrity Sam Newman, cricketer Shane Warne, ex-criminal and writer Mark 'Chopper' Read and radio/TV personality Derryn Hinch. Scary. Black Out is different from the Blind Cow in that wait staff will be wearing infra-red glasses to see.
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I like the idea of having the advantage of experience when dining out sans lighting and now I need only travel to Black Out in St Kilda Rd, Melbourne to see how well I cope compared to people who can usually see a little more. According to a report in The West Australian (Friday, February 13, 2004, page 9), opening night invites went to football and TV celebrity Sam Newman, cricketer Shane Warne, ex-criminal and writer Mark 'Chopper' Read and radio/TV personality Derryn Hinch. Scary. Black Out is different from the Blind Cow in that wait staff will be wearing infra-red glasses to see.
Monday, February 09, 2004
Recreation For People With MD - Cooking and Art
People with macular degeneration in Florida are enjoying classes in art ('Art classes help legally blind,' News-Press, February 9, 2004), while in California cooking classes are helping others to adjust to everyday life with low vision ('A feel for cooking', SignOnSanDiego.com - The San Diego Union-Tribune, February 8, 2004).
Sunday, February 08, 2004
Blind Mice On The Trail
The Blind Mice Mart, which sells a range of products including some fun and useful items for people who are blind and vision impaired, was recommended by a member of the RPList today. The company offers scholarships for children who are blind or vision impaired or whose parents are blind or vision impaired using the money raised from sales. I have now added a link to the company on my Adaptive Equipment page.
Whenever I update a page, I test it using the World Wide Web Consortium's validator and link checker, to check that the page still meets current standards and does not include dead links.
Today I discovered that several links needed updating and discovered a few more. These included New Zealand's The BAT 'K' Sonar Cane, Californian training group Access Technology Institute and Colorado supplier of adaptive equipment and training Beyond Sight.
While searching for more about Beyond Sight, I learnt about the similarly named organisation Art Beyond Sight, which promotes art education and pictorial literacy for people who are blind or vision impaired.
After wondering about how people who cannot see the keyboard can learn to type, I was also pleased to re-discover MarvelSoft and their Talking Typing Teacher.
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Whenever I update a page, I test it using the World Wide Web Consortium's validator and link checker, to check that the page still meets current standards and does not include dead links.
Today I discovered that several links needed updating and discovered a few more. These included New Zealand's The BAT 'K' Sonar Cane, Californian training group Access Technology Institute and Colorado supplier of adaptive equipment and training Beyond Sight.
While searching for more about Beyond Sight, I learnt about the similarly named organisation Art Beyond Sight, which promotes art education and pictorial literacy for people who are blind or vision impaired.
After wondering about how people who cannot see the keyboard can learn to type, I was also pleased to re-discover MarvelSoft and their Talking Typing Teacher.
Thursday, February 05, 2004
A Poem Inspired By 'Macular Mayhem'
The Washington Post featured a poem by Marion Reh Gurfein, a woman who has age-related macular degeneration, that shows vision loss does not impair ones sense of humour. 'Macular Mayhem' and a little about the poet was published in 'Real People: Coping With Challenges' (February 3, 2004).
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ConsumerLab.com Report on Lutein Supplements
ConsumerLab.com have released a review of 19 products containing lutein as a supplement. While the amount of lutein recommended to be taken daily varied greatly, only one product contained less lutein than stated on the label. For more information about lutein and the products tested, visit ConsumerLab's Lutein and Zeaxanthin review.
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Arizona Artist Raises Awareness of RP
Phoenix artist Colin Danna, who has retinitis pigmentosa (RP), will be exhibiting his work at Floor Studio Inc in Phoenix from Friday until May ('Visionary art ...,' The Arizona Republic, February 4, 2004). The artist and venue, along with the Foundation Fighting Blindness and Cigna Healthcare, are working together to raise awareness about RP on the opening night by providing information and giving people the chance to try viewing the world using glasses that mimic RP's effect on vision.
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Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Risk Factors Associated With Central Serous Chorioretinopathy
Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR), a condition in which retinal cells detach and atrophy, may be associated with several systemic factors including corticosteroid use and pregnancy, antibiotics, antihistamines, alcohol use, tobacco use, and untreated hypertension according to research published in the February issue of Ophthalmology ('Alcohol, tobacco use can lead to retinal disorders: Study,' Yahoo! News/ANI, Monday February 2, 2004).
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Within Cooee of Cooinda
Cooinda Online provide resources and support for computer users with disabilities and have recently changed Web address. If you live in South Australia (or even if you don't) and have an interest in adaptive technology and computers then you might like to check out Cooinda Online's forum, advice for newbies or links page.
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