Some days I’m trainers—steady, soft, sure.
Others, stilettos—off-balance, effortful.
Sometimes it’s wellies—heavy, trudging.
And now & then, knee-high boots—bold, unstoppable.
Blindness isn’t one story. I’m all of it.
Still walking. Always in my own way. #Blindness

So if web designers do too little in terms of #Accessibility they're wrong. If they do too much, they're equally wrong. No wonder some don't even try. #DamnedIfYouDoDamnedIfYouDon't. And while perhaps the larger issue may in fact be lack of training and awareness for those who are developers, designers, and coders; we should also remember the fastest increasing sector of those with #VisionImpairments or #Blindness may in fact be older people who either have to learn to embrace tech they've been familiar with from an entirely new angle or those who aren't familiar at all. I'm not saying it's simple by any means. But I've always found it helpful to remember that just because something comes easily to me doesn't mean it is so for all. Just my two cents literally no one may want, need or ask for in response to something I just read.

Studio 1

Great Australian Pods Podcast Directory: https://www.greataustralianpods.com/studio-1/

I am working on creating a handbook that describes the assistive technologies available in the FreeBSD operating system, which will be freely available online for anyone to consult. Currently, the effort is focused on gathering and documenting accessibility features for visual impairments, and it is sponsored by the @FreeBSDFoundation

If you are interested in the topic, a public repository is available for suggestions and corrections: https://gitlab.com/alfix/freebsd-accessibility

Veroniiiica: Customize Microsoft Edge Accessibility For Low Vision. “During a video call with a teacher of the visually impaired (TVI) a few days ago, I copied a link from the Microsoft Edge web browser and pasted it into the chat box. The TVI asked me how I did that, and at first I thought they were asking me how I used copy and paste. In reality, they were super excited about the fact […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/31/veroniiiica-customize-microsoft-edge-accessibility-for-low-vision/

MIT News: A new way to make graphs more accessible to blind and low-vision readers. “Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have now developed an approach that streamlines the design process for tactile chart designers. Their program, called ‘Tactile Vega-Lite,’ can take data from something like an Excel spreadsheet and turn it into both a […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/26/mit-news-a-new-way-to-make-graphs-more-accessible-to-blind-and-low-vision-readers/

https://www.europesays.com/1943530/ Report shows alarming measles resurgence in Europe and US #Antibodies #autism #blindness #brain #children #deafness #disability #europe #healthcare #hospital #hygiene #ImmuneSystem #InfectiousDiseases #Measles #medicine #Meningitis #MMR #Mumps #pathogen #Pneumonia #polio #PublicHealth #research #Respiratory #Rubella #Vaccine #virus

I'm visiting the #USA for the #CSUNATC25 conference. Buying coffee, I got the perfect #coin in change for a #blindness / #accessibility related conference: a 2003 Alabama quarter featuring Helen Keller.

This was the first US circulating coin to feature a representation of Braille (there was a non-circulating 1996 Paralympics coin).

A little on Helen Keller from Wikipedia: "American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when she was 19 months old.

Keller attended Radcliffe College of Harvard University and became the first deafblind person in the United States to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller

#numismatics #CoinCollecting #Braille #deafblind @numismatics @accessibility

Veroniiiica: How To Write Alt Text For Educational Content. “While a missing description can render an image or visual information invisible or inaccessible for assistive technology users, having descriptions that are not useful or meaningful can be just as frustrating for students with visual impairments that rely on them to access information. Here is a list of tips for writing meaningful […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/10/veroniiiica-how-to-write-alt-text-for-educational-content/

Arizona State University: Student exploring how AI can assist people with vision loss. “People with visual disabilities that can’t be remedied with glasses or contacts can sometimes struggle to safely navigate the world, with some having trouble reading street signs or dealing with changes in terrain while walking. A student in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/04/arizona-state-university-student-exploring-how-ai-can-assist-people-with-vision-loss/

Thank you to the lovely kind person from @AiraVI customer service who helped me change my plan this morning. Her kindness made doing a sad thing easier and being able to share a laugh made the day brighter. And the discount gained from being a member of one of the #Blindness organizations was like a bonus gift of goodness.

For the 1st time in Canada, surgeons put teeth in patients' eyes to restore sight

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/tooth-in-eye-surgery-canada-1.7470626

Vancouver surgeon first in Canada to use a #tooth to cure #blindness | Vancouver Sun https://vancouversun.com/health/vancouver-surgeon-uses-blind-womans-tooth-restore-vision “Lane will become the first patient in Canada to undergo a rare and bizarre procedure that could restore her vision: One of her teeth will be extracted, a hole will be drilled into the tooth, a lens will be glued inside, and then the tooth will be sewn into her left eye.” #EyeTooth

Does anyone know of some good WhatsApp groups to join? I’m interested in books, meeting new friends, Christianity, and anything blindness-related. #Books #Christianity #Blindness #Community #SocialGroups

Touching Your Night - Mori Moyori
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君の夜に触れる
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This is one of the most beautiful manga I've read to date. The artwork is nothing short of pure loveliness and the story wrenches the soul.

The story centres on a distressed man living in squalid settings with familial pressure on him to hurt and kill others.

During a day out, he finds a young blind man being robbed in the streets. He's able to save the lad's things and the two becoming friends.

This is a story of discovery, of broken innocence, of disability, and differing abuse placed on children by their families.

It doesn't feel like a manga, honestly. With the writing style, the artwork, and the softness of the characters, even under pressure, it feels like a brilliant tzar-era stage play. I really wish it were.

I can't wait to get a physical copy of this manga. I'm going to show it to everyone who'll listen.

Edit: This release has another name in English. A worse name, I feel. Touch Within The Abyss.

Darkness and night play such a central role in the metaphor and imagery that I'm surprised this is the name they've gone with for the English version. C'est la belle vie .

#TouchWithinTheAbyss

Accompanied by braille descriptions, Martin Kunz’s educational aids for blind students depict a wide range of plants, animals, and maps.

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/01/martin-kunz-tactile-graphics/