by Stephen Kuusisto (Nationally-known poet and disability advocate Stephen Kuusisto writes the “Planet of the Blind” blog on WordPress. The following is from his posts of Nov. 28 and Dec. 2.) When Helen Keller attended Radcliffe she observed that the experience was a “largely lonely triumph” and described how she was ignored by …
Category Archives: disability
Papa John’s To Pay $175K For Discrimination
by Kevin Burton Giant pizza-delivery chain Papa John’s will cough up a big chunk of dough, for employment discrimination against a blind man, according to multiple published reports. Louisville-based Papa John’s is the fourth-largest pizza delivery chain in the US, according to USA Today. On its website, Papa John’s lists “the values that …
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Blind Band, From Darkness To Limelight
by Xinhua GUIYANG — During the day, Yang Zhi works as a blind massage therapist, and at night, he is the lead singer of ‘Zhe Er Gen,’ a band that enchants the vibrant streets of Guiyang, capital of southwest China’s Guizhou Province. Bathed in the stage lights, passersby often halt in surprise as four …
Blind Marathon Runner Marries Her Guide
by Rebekah Absalom The Daily Mail A blind marathon runner has tied the knot with her guide after falling in love over the seven years he accompanied her on Parkrun. Kelly Barton, from Southport, Merseyside, met Mike Leatherbarrow in 2016 when he navigated her through a Saturday morning 5K race. The pair remained committed …
Here’s Yet Another Label For The Disabled
by Kevin Burton In at least one part of the world, people with disabilities are called “people of determination.” Have you ever heard of that? I had not. But I found a story about an expo where devices for the disabled were on display. (I include part of that story below).That story referred to …
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Discrimination Common For The Disabled
by Julia Metraux Mother Jones After becoming blind in his late 20s, designer and artist Marco Salsiccia had to learn to navigate the world through assistive technology—like a screen reader, software that speaks digital text and image descriptions aloud. Leveraging that experience, Salsiccia began work as an accessibility specialist, eventually working part-time at a well-known …
Robot Cane Device For The Blind Being Tested
by Kevin Burton Researchers are testing what they believe will be a revolutionary robotic mobility device for the blind. This is not your father’s cane. The device, called “Glide,” was demonstrated Saturday at the sixth annual Robot Block Party, a celebration of robotics, held in Boston. “The device incorporates robotics, sensors, and …
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The Bible Speaks Of Faith In Every Sense
by Kevin Burton As a legally blind man my mind never gets too far from vision as the five sense in general. That is partly because people often assume and talk about hearing being more acute for blind people than for others. That’s not true. It’s just that blind people rely on hearing …
Groom Wears Blindfold To Honor Blind Bride
by Heather Campbell Deadline News Lucy Edwards lost her eyesight at just 17 due to a rare genetic condition called incontinentia pigmenti, and married beau Ollie in an intimate wedding ceremony in Kew Gardens, London last month. The 27-year-old took a unique approach to her big day though, requesting that her hubby and …
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Producers Of Braille Are Touching Lives
by Kevin Burton Today we touch on two stories about braille being produced from unexpected sources. NBC Connecticut ran a story about female inmates at York Correctional Facility becoming certified as Braille transcriptionists. Five inmates completed the program Aug. 24. I wish NBC had quoited some of them. But here is part …