News and issues on the disabled 13 Nov 2024

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Azmi Anuar

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Nov 12, 2024, 9:04:48 PM11/12/24

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Contents

1. MyHometownToday.com USA - Binghamton woman gets 7 years for assaulting 75-year-old blind man

2. Kashmir Despatch - Visually impaired feel neglected by govt, seek Minister Sakina Itoo’s intervention

3. Globe Newswire - Puppy Raisers Urgently Needed at Leader Dogs for the Blind

4. Mind Matters - At Scientific American: Humans can learn to echolate

5. KGUN 9 USA - VA rehab center offers hope, training for veterans with visual impairments -

6. Hexham Courant UK - From Puppy to Partner: The Journey Begins with Walkers

7. The Drum UK - How Canon and RNIB helped blind and partially sighted people feel photography

8. WGCU USA - FGCU's Adaptive Sports Day allows people with disabilities to try new activities

9. Scoop NZ - An Apology For The Apology? Blind Survivor Deplores Use Of Ableist Slur By Prime Minister At Historic Apology For Abuse

10. KMTV USA - zTrip accused of failing visually impaired users with broken payment cards

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1. MyHometownToday.com USA - Binghamton woman gets 7 years for assaulting 75-year-old blind man

12 Nov 2024

A Binghamton woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison after she was convicted of assault in the second degree.

According to the Broome County District Attorney’s Office, 35-year-old Rashima Rollocks committed a violent assault on a 75-year-old blind man inside his home in Binghamton on June 19, 2023.

“Rashima Rollocks has been sentenced to the maximum allowable term of 7 years in prison for her violent attack on a 75-year-old victim. Our office is dedicated to pursuing justice in
cases of violent assault, and we will continue to hold offenders accountable to the fullest extent of the law to ensure the safety and justice of all victims,” said District Attorney F. Paul
Battisti.

This case was investigated by the Binghamton Police Department. Deputy District Attorney Lucas Finley prosecuted this case for the District Attorney’s Office.

Rollocks will also serve three years of post-release supervision.

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2. Kashmir Despatch - Visually impaired feel neglected by govt, seek Minister Sakina Itoo’s intervention

11 Nov 2024

SRINAGAR, Nov 11: Around one lakh blind and visually impaired people in Jammu and Kashmir are expressing feelings of neglect, as they continue to face challenges without adequate institutional support. From daily struggles to systemic indifference, this community feels abandoned by both their families and the government, despite claims of welfare provisions on paper.

Several blind and visually impaired individuals shared their frustration, saying there is a lack of implementation of promises made by successive governments.

Hanif Ahmad, a visually impaired resident of Srinagar, expressed concerns over the government’s failure to translate its claims into tangible assistance. “The government claims that there are facilities for physically challenged persons, but these promises remain unfulfilled,” he said, adding that although a four percent reservation is supposedly allocated for people with disabilities, it has largely failed to materialise on the ground.

Ahmad said that while people with low vision have found some employment opportunities, those who are completely blind have been consistently overlooked. “The government says the blind can’t do anything, so why don’t they increase our monthly pension to a reasonable amount—something higher than the Rs 1,000 that we currently receive?” he demanded.

Hanif also criticised the practice of issuing disability certificates to people who don’t meet the criteria. “This leads to deserving candidates being denied positions set aside for disabled individuals,” he said.

He said blind and visually impaired people face difficulties even in availing of basic public services. “Fixed bus stops should be established, where seats at the front would genuinely be reserved for them,” he said.

“While the first two seats on buses are supposedly reserved for us, that rarely happens in practice,” Ahmad said, adding that the lack of infrastructure and awareness exacerbates their struggles.

Hanif also said that visually impaired persons face discrimination during examinations, where they are often not provided with qualified writers, thus hindering their ability to perform. He highlighted the financial difficulties faced by the community, saying many struggling to pay bills, including electricity charges, which are the same as those of normal households.

We also face challenges in accessing benefits such as BPL (Below Poverty Line) cards and loans, primarily due to our inability to find guarantors, he added.

Saima Jan, a visually impaired woman from Bijbehara, expressed concerns particularly regarding job reservations. “Even though a four percent reservation is meant to be provided, people with other disabilities, such as hearing or orthopaedic impairments, are taking up those jobs. The blind are being neglected,” she said.

Jan also said that blind persons face social isolation, particularly those who are uneducated. “Many blind people who cannot read or work are neglected even by their own families. They are left to fend for themselves, and many face financial hardship,” she added.

For many visually impaired individuals, the situation is dire. “Our issues are more grievous than those faced by orphans. Orphans may need one-time help, but we need support throughout our lives,” said one person.

The visually impaired persons expressed concern about the lack of empathy from both their families and the wider community, saying that the government’s neglect is exacerbating their situation.

The visually impaired community has now turned their hopes to the newly formed government, seeking intervention from Minister for Social Welfare, Sakina Itoo. They have called on her to address their grievances, particularly by implementing policies that guarantee real benefits and support for blind and visually impaired people.

A senior official in the Social Welfare Department acknowledged the importance of addressing the needs of weaker sections, including those with physical disabilities. However, the official said there are currently no specific programmes or schemes tailored to the visually impaired.

“The department has broader initiatives for people with disabilities but there is a gap when it comes to direct support for the blind community,” he said.

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3. Globe Newswire - Puppy Raisers Urgently Needed at Leader Dogs for the Blind

Rochester Hills, Michigan, Nov. 11, 2024 -- 'Tis the season for parties, presents, and puppies—and at Leader Dogs for the Blind, more than 70 adorable puppies are waiting for their chance to change someone's life. These future guide dogs need loving homes and dedicated volunteers to help them on their journey toward becoming trusted companions for individuals who are blind or visually impaired.

The need is urgent, but the commitment is beautiful in its simplicity: one year of your time to transform two lives—yours and that of a person who will gain independence through your caring and dedication. No prior experience is needed, just a willing heart and desire to give back to your community.

"Whether you've been a 'dog person' for years or have never had a dog, you can be a puppy raiser," explains Vijay Yoshi, Leader Dog manager of raiser and host experience. "You'll learn a lot of great skills, meet like-minded people in your community, have a daily walking partner and, most importantly, help someone who is blind experience safety and confidence when traveling independently."

Understanding that modern life comes with varying schedules and commitments, Leader Dogs for the Blind offers flexible options to fit different lifestyles. Traditional puppy raising involves fostering a puppy for 12-14 months, but innovative alternatives include co-raising (sharing duties between two households) and pass-along programs (splitting the commitment between two people into six-month periods).

As a puppy raiser, you'll receive comprehensive support, including:

Expert guidance from a dedicated puppy counselor
Free veterinary care at the Leader Dog campus
All initial supplies including toys, collar and leash
Detailed online training modules
Regular group meetings with fellow puppy raisers

Your role will focus on teaching basic obedience, good house manners, and socialization skills. You don't need a fenced yard, and you can have other pets. Singles, couples, families with children, working professionals, and retirees are all welcome to apply.

This holiday season, consider giving a gift that keeps on giving. By opening your home to a future Leader Dog, you're not just raising a puppy—you're raising hope, independence, and possibilities for someone waiting for their perfect guide dog match.

Ready to make a difference? Visit LeaderDog.Org/Volunteer or call 888-777-5332 today to learn how you can help transform a puppy into a life-changing guide dog.

All Leader Dogs for the Blind services are provided free to clients thanks to our volunteers and donations from individuals, foundations, corporations and service organizations like Lions Clubs International. Leader Dog receives no government funding or insurance payments.

Go to LeaderDog.org to learn more about Leader Dogs for the Blind.

About Leader Dogs for the Blind

Leader Dogs for the Blind is a nonprofit organization providing people who are blind or visually impaired with lifelong skills for safe and independent daily travel using a guide dog or a white cane. All services are provided free of charge. The organization also trains guide dogs for people who are DeafBlind, offers a summer camp for teens, and holds seminars for orientation and mobility (O&M) professionals and university students. Leader Dogs for the Blind partners with agencies and O&M professionals throughout the U.S. to provide their clients with supplemental O&M training. For more information, call (888) 777-5332 or visit LeaderDog.org.

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4. Mind Matters - At Scientific American: Humans can learn to echolate

11 Nov 2024

There is a basis for the surprising claim that humans can learn a bat’s sensory skill.

Some humans who cope with blindness have learned to click sharply with their tongues and then navigate by listening to the echoes from nearby objects. That’s roughly what naturally near-sighted bats do:

A recent article at Scientific American discusses a new study of the skill published at Cerebral Cortex which aimed at teaching the skill:

The researchers trained 14 sighted and 12 blind people for between two and three hours twice a week over 10 weeks. They started by teaching participants to produce mouth clicks, then trained them on three tasks. The first two involved judging the size or orientation of objects. The third involved navigating virtual mazes, which participants moved through with the help of simulated click-plus-echo sounds tied to their positions.

Both groups improved on all the tasks. “This study adds a significant contribution to a growing body of evidence that this is a trainable, nonexotic skill that’s available to both blind and sighted people,” says Santani Teng, a psychologist at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in San Francisco, who studies echolocation and braille.

During brain scans before and after training, participants also performed a task that involved recognizing mazes, with and without click echoes. After training, both groups showed increased auditory cortex activation in response to sound in general, as well as higher gray matter density in auditory areas.

Simon Makin, “Anyone Can Learn Echolocation in Just 10 Weeks—And It Remodels Your Brain” October 24, 2024 The paper is open access.

What this and other studies are showing is that human senses are not entirely fixed. They provide information in proportion to the extent that we pay attention to them. That’s true of the human sense of smell, for example. We tend to ignore it in favor of what we can learn from sight and hearing but, cultivated, it can tell us a lot.

You may also wish to read: Our brains don’t really rewire, neuroscientists caution Professors Tamar Makin (Cambridge) and John Krakauer (Johns Hopkins) say that when the brain adapts to losses, it uses “latent capacities,” not new ones. Makin and Krakauer caution that brain adaptation to overcome a disability is hard work. Perhaps it is driven, not by the brain alone, but by the restless mind.

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5. KGUN 9 USA - VA rehab center offers hope, training for veterans with visual impairments -

12 Nov 2024

William Leos, Jr., is a US Navy veteran who started coming to the Southwestern Blind Rehabilitation Center at the VA in 2017.

Leos has a progressive eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, which results in decreased vision at night and the loss of side vision. He was first diagnosed in 1989.

"My field of vision is real narrow at this stage in my life," he said, adding, "It's hard to accept it, but I have to learn to see in a different way."

Thanks to the program, Leos is learning how to live with the disease to the best of his ability.

"I'm a 100% cane user and that's the greatest thing I've learned here," he said. "Their mobility training is quite good. That keeps me going with independence, walking around."

The program celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. Program chief Diana Kellermeyer has been dedicated to its mission for the last 17 years.

"So, we'll see people who have limited vision to people who are totally blind," Kellermeyer said. "Someone who needs to come to the blind rehab center is someone who has multiple areas that they need training in."

The center has five core areas, helping veterans enhance everything from their mobility to their living skills.

Veteran John Stacey lost sight in his left eye in the Navy in the late 1950s, and he has since developed macular degeneration in his right eye.

"I can't read my phone or my computer," he said.

He has been coming to the center from the Phoenix area for the last two years.

"They teach you how to maneuver things in your life and stay happy," Stacey said

They also teach you manual skills, Stacey said. He recently made a table runner for his daughter.

There are only 13 rehab centers like the Southwestern Blind Rehabilitation Center in the VA system, which means people from all walks of life come to the facility.

"This one happens to get the most referrals," Kellermeyer said.

Leos said that all of the patients at the center have different goals as they deal with their own diagnoses.

"But we are all here for the same thing, to try and be more independent," he said.

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6. Hexham Courant UK - From Puppy to Partner: The Journey Begins with Walkers

12 Nov 2024

Before a guide dog leads its owner with confidence and trust, it takes its first steps guided by the dedicated hands of puppy raisers.

Guide Dogs for the Blind has been an inspirational organisation since 1931, when it was founded by two ambitious pioneers: Muriel Crooke and Rosamund Bond, with their German Shepard companions.

The creation of this organisation has aided the visually impaired for multiple generations, and has monumentally changed the life for those who have previously struggled due to their lack of sight.

The actual dogs go through multiple stages of their career through their lifetime: starting at 7 weeks old, the puppies are given to trusted and checked puppy raisers, who train the dogs basic commands such as sit, back, lie down, wait, etc; then, the dogs go to a professional Guide Dog school, where they are taught the more complex skills, and how to successfully lead a blind person with safety and precision; once they have graduated, the dogs go to work, where they stay with a blind person until they retire, which varies in time from dog to dog.

During their time at school, where they stay for 26 weeks to a year, they are given many challenges such as stopping at curbs, listening to traffic, ignoring distractions, finding shops such as a post office, and reliably leading the blind.

Before they go off to school, they stay for around a year with their puppy raisers.

These raisers play a crucial role, and are essential for a guide dog to be able to go on to be the heroic eyes for the blind.

To put it simply, if there aren’t enough puppy raisers, there aren’t enough guide dogs.

The dogs cannot progress if there are no puppy raisers to teach them the basic skills and care for them during their first childish year as a pup.

Over the past few years, Guide Dogs have seen a steep decline in the amount of puppy walkers to raise the dogs that are in high demand.

However, being a puppy raiser is not as easy as it may seem, although the basic skills are needed to train these bright K-9s, they are also required to take them to places where dogs may become overstimulated or over-excited.

These places include on trains, on buses, in shopping centres, in various shops, in restaurants, and even in some cases, puppies have been invited to Newcastle Airport to board a plane.

Being a puppy raiser is both challenging and rewarding, after the hard and difficult year, they give the dogs up, which can be emotionally conflicting: on one hand, you are heartbroken to lose a member of your family, but on the other, you are full of pride to know what they are going on to achieve.

Guide Dogs are currently running an advert, asking more people to volunteer to be a puppy raiser, and although it may seem daunting to give up a beloved pet, there are also multiple reasons to sign up:

The financial needs of the dog are taken care of

You are doing something worthwhile

You will be helping change the life of those with sight loss

There is support in training throughout your training

It is a rewarding and fulfilling experience

You create a positive impact on your community

You build bonds and relationships

I strongly encourage those who are interested in making a difference and helping others, to register for puppy raising and make the difference you wish to see.

Becoming a puppy raiser for guide dogs is a truly worthwhile experience, filled with moments of joy, learning and purpose.

By nurturing a future guide dog, you play a vital role in transforming the life of the visually impaired, giving them the gift of independence and companionship.

Your dedication and love will set the foundation for a lifetime of service and partnership.

So take the step today - become a puppy raiser and help shape the future of those who need it most.

The journey is demanding, but the impact is immeasurable.

For more information, visit Puppy Raiser | Volunteer | Guide Dogs UK

Or call the volunteering office: 0345 1430191

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7. The Drum UK - How Canon and RNIB helped blind and partially sighted people feel photography

11 Nov 2024

Our hypothesis was that when people are exposed to more of what Canon does and its purpose, the more they’ll love the brand. Our approach was to highlight Canon’s lesser-known technologies and the positive impact it can have on the world.

As our audience was diverse, and included businesses and consumers, employees and investors, press and more, we needed a bold creative idea that cut through. The inspiration for that idea came from its decades-old corporate philosophy kyosei, which means seeing all people, regardless of race, culture or ability, living and working together in harmony.

Empathy, however, comes from a place of understanding – and our research showed that understanding of sight loss among sighted people is low, with many believing that blind and partially sighted people see nothing at all. So, we partnered with the RNIB, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (the UK’s leading sight loss charity) to help raise awareness of different eye conditions and among the sighted and to help guide the experience for blind and partially sighted people.

The result was World Unseen, a branded experience, in-person and online, that met and exceeded the business objective of changing perception of the Canon brand, driving brand love, and activating on its brand purpose.

EXECUTION (CREATIVE THINKING AND IMPLEMENTATION)

World Unseen opened at Somerset House, April 5-7th 2024, but the work started a year earlier, as our creative team and clients at Canon curated photographs from Canon photographers that best represented the brand’s purpose: imaging to transform our world. Together, we curated the photography and prioritised photographs that inspired us and changed the way we think, feel, and behave. We interviewed the photographers to help tell the stories behind their work, in their words and in their voice.

We then worked with Canon printing partners and the RNIB to help blind and partially sighted people experience the photography through touch, and to present the photographs to sighted people in ways that simulated sight loss. For both audiences, we worked with a sound production company to bring the photography and its stories to life.

The result is World Unseen, the photography exhibition you don’t need to see, featuring 15 photographs from world-famous photographers, seen through someone else’s lens, and experienced through touch, words, and sound. They are obscured by screens simulating different kinds of visual impairments, so sighted people see photography as blind and partially sighted people do. But everyone feels them in immersive and inclusive ways: from large-print, braille, and audio descriptions to lifelike tactile prints, all made possible with Canon technology.

To reach even more people, we launched an online version of the exhibition, where you experience the photographs through visual impairment simulations, written and audio descriptions, and immersive soundscapes. We promoted both the in-person and online exhibition with an accessible ad campaign, featuring a video series that paired photographers with blind and partially sighted people and included closed captioning and audio descriptions; social media ads that featured alt tags and video descriptions, radio ads that described the photos, and digital-out-of-home that integrated NaviLens codes, so people living with sight loss could have the content read aloud.

RESULTS (OUTCOMES & EFFECTIVENESS)

We needed to shift the perceptions of Canon, from a ‘camera company’ to a brand that is inspiring change through a bold idea that unequivocally captured people's attention.

We tracked perception change through exit polls which showed an NPS score of 70 (outstanding), with 74% of visitors describing Canon as a ‘force for good’.

Brand lift studies solidified this perception shift across Canon’s social activity. The message association which is most closely linked to the World Unseen campaign performed well, showing a 1.7pts lift – a 55% increase versus the industry average. This equates to over 30 thousand more accounts that associated the Unseen World messaging with Canon after being exposed to the ads.

Switching focus to attention, over 171 news outlets around the world including BBC, ITV, Sky covered World Unseen, helped Canon reach a global audience of over 2 billion people. The Times described it as “the most ground-breaking exhibition I've ever experienced.”

Its social campaign reached over 500 million people with 2.7 million completed video views and a view-through rate of 600% above benchmark – the strongest view-through rate the brand has ever had across all video view activity.

During the campaign period, Canon saw an average 10 million impressions more per week versus the previous 5-week period and its website saw a 400% increase in traffic with a 500% increase in engagement.

By making photography more accessible for the blind and partially sighted people, World Unseen contributed to the achievement of the Reduced Inequalities Sustainability Development goal.

“I stopped going to exhibitions, because I can’t really enjoy them in the way that I used to,” one partially sighted visitor said. “But this has been wonderful.”

The exhibition was sold-out across all 3 days. World Unseen increased the visibility of visual impairment as an issue, with the reach of visual impairment content being up 49% in the campaign period versus the previous 5 weeks. 84% of those who attended the exhibition said they had a better understanding of the visual impairment experience and over 98% of people rated the World Unseen exhibition as amazing. Campaigners are calling for this technology to be rolled out in other exhibition spaces. “This is something that should be mainstream,” one visitor said.

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8. WGCU USA - FGCU's Adaptive Sports Day allows people with disabilities to try new activities

11 Nov 2024

The sports and recreation facilities at FGCU were busy last month, with the Adaptive Sports program helping people with disabilities try various sports, some for the first time.

Adaptive Sports Day at FGCU

Ellen Donald, an assistant professor in physical therapy at FGCU, helped organize the event.

“We have wheelchair tennis, we have wheelchair basketball, we have field games. We have adaptive waterskiing, with a group that's a professional group that really knows what they're doing -- they're out on the big lake. We have adaptive kayaking. We have blind yoga, we have some kids’ games, and that's a lot of what we've got today,” said Donald.

Sports were modified to be more inclusive. For example, a volunteer tapped the backboard so a woman with a visual impairment knew where to shoot the basketball.

Niki Dondero takes a shot while playing basketball with the help of students volunteers during Adaptive Sports Day at FGCU on Saturday, October 5, 2024.