Top Blindness Conferences
Interested in learning more about blindness and visual impairment? Want to gain insights into new research, assistive devices, therapies, statistics, trends, and more?Here are some of the top conferences regarding blindness and visual impairment in the United States (and Canada):
The PRPH2 and Autosomal Dominant Macular Dystrophy Workshop
March 29-31, 2023
Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines
San Diego, CA
California Transcribers and Educators for the Blind and Visually Impaired
63rd annual CTEBVI conference
April 20-23, 2023
San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront
San Francisco, CA
62nd Annual Conference and Convention of the American Council of the Blind
June 29 to July 8, 2023
Schaumburg, IL
the American Council of the Blind
14th International Conference on Low Vision Rehabilitation
July 24-27, 2023
Denver, CO
Deafblind International World Conference 2023
July 22-28, 2023
Ottawa, Canada
Getting In Touch With Literacy conference
November 29 - December 2, 2023
St. Pete Beach, Florida
Donate now to San Diego Center For The Blind
Here are a few fascinating statistics about blindness and visual impairment in the United States. Click below for even more.
Get inspired by these amazing athletes who succeeded despite their blindness or visual impairment:
All of these amazing timepieces are available for sale on Amazon, most fairly affordable:
News flash: blind people need to eat! Therefore, they often need to cook. Hopefully more than just microwaving food.
Here are 7 television shows which feature characters who are blind:
Yes, you read correctly. These 10 outstanding artists have succeeded despite their blindness:
So you or your loved one have Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
Lose Their Sight
Our next blind cook features Ella at Blind Mama Kitchen located in Portland, Oregon. Ella's content is focused on the food, but we do know that she loves to bake at night. At times, her lucky family gets some yummy midnight snack!
River blindness is a disease afflicting agricultural areas of Africa, particularly along the banks of the Niger River, and is transmitted through infected black flies. Niger has become the first nation in Africa to get rid of this scourge.
By the time most blind people are old enough to look for -- and hopefully find -- their life partner, they have usually attained a great deal of independence. However, in most married couples, partners want to help each other and accept help from each other in a variety of ways. So, how does this dynamic play out when one spouse is blind, particularly when they've already achieved and are happy with their independence?
An analysis of 21 studies concludes that blind people have similar spontaneous facial expressions to sighted people, but significant differences when it comes to voluntarily posed expressions.
g in school is hard enough, without adding the challenge of blindness or visual impairment. Of course, the best way to teach these students varies depending on the individual needs of the child. Nevertheless, here are 10 ways to maximize the effectivene4ss of teaching blind and visually impaired students:
Youth-onset type 2 diabetes contributes to blindness in children. Unfortunately, the prevalence of this disease has doubled in the past 20 years, and ballooned 77% during the COVID-19 pandemic. This disease also causes heart disease and kidney failure.
ys hard to figure out what someone wants or needs as a gift. It's even harder when that person is blind or visually impaired. So, here are ten great gift-giving ideas!
A recent analysis of eight research studies shows that air pollution can cause these eye diseases:
The Marshmallow-Style Roller Cane Tip, in addition to eliminating the audible sound of tapping, also provides improved tactile feedback. The cane includes a roller bearing that enables the tip to rotate, thereby making it easier to roll and eliminating the frequency of getting stuck in crevices. Also, it is a relatively inexpensive option and is durable.
In this video, an orientation & mobility specialist shows you how to use the Dakota Disk Cane Tip.
Phil Pressel, 85, is a longtime downtown San Diego resident who is losing his vision and needs help. The writing was on the wall for Phil, since his mother, who lived until age 104, became legally blind herself during the last 20 years of her life. Both Phil and his mother are used to overcoming adversity, both being Holocaust survivors.
Arthur Tatum Jr. was born October 13, 1909and became one of the great American jazz pianists. Arthur had impaired vision as an infant, likely related to cataracts. In his early twenties he was attacked, leaving left him completely blind in his left eye and with limited vision in his right eye. He consistently downplayed his blindness, not wanting to bring any attention to it. In fact, when he performed, he made sure he did not need to be led on stage to his piano.
Diane Schuur is an American jazz singer and pianist, born in 1953. Retinopathy of prematurity caused her to be blind from birth. She has performed with several other blind singers in this blog, including Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and Jose Feliciano. She has also performed at the White House.
George Shearing is a British jazz pianist who was born with congenital glaucoma and later emigrated to the United States. George lost his sight completely when he was a teenager, and he started to play music when he was a child. George was signed by a record label when he was 19, and he released his debut album “Piano Solos with Rhythm” in 1950. Since the release of his debut album, George has achieved much success, recognition, and many awards, and he is considered to be one of the most celebrated jazz pianists ever. George wrote jazz standards including:
Nobuyuki Tsujii is a Japanese musician who was born with poor eyesight from microphthalmia. Nobuyuki lost his vision completely when he was a child, and he started to play the piano when he was a teenager. Nobuyuki was signed by a record label when he was 21, and he released his debut album “Journey” in 2001. Since the release of his debut album, Nobuyuki has achieved much success, and he is considered to be one of the most successful musicians in Japan. Some of Nobuyuki’s most popular songs include:
Andrea Bocelli is an Italian singer and a composer who was born with congenital glaucoma. Andrea started to play music when he was a child, and he started to sing with a music band when he was a teenager. In the 1990s, Andrea started to pursue a solo career, and he has achieved a lot of success and recognition ever since. Andrea has earned a lot of prestigious awards, and his album “Canto” is considered to be one of the best-selling albums of all time. Some of Andrea’s most popular songs include:
Gilbert Montagne is a musician and a composer who was born with congenital glaucoma. Gilbert lost his vision completely when he was a child, and he started to play music when he was a teenager. Gilbert was signed by a record label when he was 20, and he released his debut album “Voyage” in 1967. Since the release of his debut album, Gilbert has achieved a lot of success and recognition, and he is considered to be an influential figure in the French music industry. Some of Gilbert’s most popular songs include:
Ronnie Lee Milsap was born almost completely blind due to a congenital disorder. Ronnie started to play music when he was a teenager, and he learned to play the guitar with his own method of music notation. Ronnie was signed by a record label when he was 22, and he released his debut album “Ronnie Milsap” in 1971. In the following years, Ronnie achieved great fame and recognition, and he is considered to be one of the most successful American country music singers. Ronnie had 40 #1 hits on the Billboard country chart. Some of Ronnie’s most popular songs include:
José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer and musician who lost his vision at the age of five. José used music as a means of expression when he grew up, and he was inspired by the protest songs of Bob Dylan. José published his first studio album “The Rhythm and the Blues” in 1968. In the following years, José achieved much success, and he became a respected figure in the world of music. Some of José’s most popular songs include:
Ray Charles was a musician, pianist, and a composer who was born with poor eyesight, possibly due to glaucoma. Due to his poor vision, he was unable to attend school, so he had to educate himself by listening to the radio. Ray published his first single “Confession Blues” in 1950. In the following years, Ray became one of the biggest figures in the world of music, and earned the nickname “The Genius”. Ray released a large number of acclaimed albums, and his album “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” is considered to be one of the most influential albums in the history of music.
Stevie Wonder, who is a true icon in the world of music, was born with an eye condition which left him completely blind after the age of six. Although Stevie had grown up with the fear of being an outcast due to his disability, he overcame all these fears by the time he turned 21. Stevie has achieved enormous success in his career, and his album “Songs in the Key of Life” is ranked as the 34th highest-selling album of all time. His most popular songs include:
As you might suspect, there is an enormous amount for the lay person, especially one who is not blind or visually impaired, to learn and understand about blindness. Mark Hollins' new book "Understanding Blindness" provides insightful answers to questions many of us have, such as:
Ever wonder who among our society's leaders are blind or visually impaired? Well, the list is long, but here are 12 of them. Among them is Dale Chihuly, the world-famous glass artist whos works are featured in his very own museum in the shadow of Seattle's Space Needle, as well as the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas, the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas, and many more installations throughout the world.
India and China represent 49% of the world's blindness and vision loss, while comprising 37% of its population.
Diabetic retinopathy results in vision loss and blindness those with diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy affects blood vessels in the retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of your eye).
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the U.S.' most common cause of legal blindness. AMD's most common symptoms are blurred vision and vision loss. AMD has two main types
The WHO has created a useful fact sheet on blindness and visual impairment. It includes interesting facts, definitions of visual impairment, prevalence, causes, impact, and more.
Here are some cool technologies to help those with blindness or visual impairment:
Imagine a sport where NO one can see where they are going. That sport is rowing … and Chris Downey especially loves it because it puts him on equal footing with his fellow crew members. That’s because Chris is blind.
Most smartphones now have an extensive array of accessible features. YOU can speak to your phone, and have it speak back to you. You can even adjust the voice's tone, speed, accent, and gender. Your phone likely has a magnifier, with adjustable magnification and lighting.
Many sighted people are uncomfortable or confused about how they should communicate with people who are blind or visually impaired.
José Saramago is the only blind Nobel Prize winner. In 1998, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his "parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony [with which he] continually enables us once again to apprehend an elusory reality."
It's actually not your doctor who defines whether or not you are legally blind. It's the United States government. This designation is critical to the ability to receive disability benefits and other accommodations.
The American Glaucoma Society does not consider medical marijuana to be an acceptable form of treatment for glaucoma. Nevertheless, 25% of glaucoma specialist surveyed reported a role for patients' use of medical marijuana (MMJ). Even more are routinely asked about MMJ by their patients, or are requested to provide prescriptions.
Every one of us, sighted or not, have our favorite movies we've watched with blind characters. So many of these films have main characters who provide inspiration to the blind, visually impaired, and everyone else.
Imagine being blind or visually impaired and having access to these amazing products. Well, they all are available now:
There are so many assistive technology devices available to help the blind and visually impaired. With many more to come. Here are some idea on Braille-related innovations we'd like to see hit the market soon. Some are already in development or testing, while other are simply ideas at the moment.
