The Gift of Low Vision and Higher Education

Yokasta Urena, MS.Ed., Sp.Ed., TVI Doctoral Candidate at New England College Email:  Yokasta.urena1@gmail.com Instagram: beyond20201 The educational journey for people with low vision and blindness can be challenging. It is precisely those challenges that empower us. They build our character and can empower us to create lasting change in the lives of others. “If we … Continued

My SWEP Experience (Student Work Experience Program)  

by Daniel Blair Why take time away from my summer to go to SWEP?    As a visually impaired person, questions about independent living constantly arise! Whether it’s how I am going to succeed in my education and get a job that I love to do, or how I can learn to cook. There are many ways you … Continued

Advocacy: A Lifelong Journey

by Jaida Burrows Advocacy isn’t something you learn once and never have to work on again. Advocacy is a work in progress every day. There wasn’t a specific day or time when I started learning how to advocate for myself; advocacy has always been part of my life. Whether my mom asked for the information … Continued

The Places Internships May Take You

by Lindsay Kerr When I interviewed for an internship at 19, I never would have believed where it would take me or the connections I would make.   Looking back almost eight years, the only questions I remember my interviewer asking me were, what my career goals were, and what assistive technology skills I had. As a bonus I told him that I lived in … Continued

The Places Internships May Take You

by Lindsay Kerr When I interviewed for an internship at 19, I never would have believed where it would take me or the connections I would make.   Looking back almost eight years, the only questions I remember my interviewer asking me were, what my career goals were, and what assistive technology skills I had. As a bonus I told him that I lived in … Continued

2021 APH-Papano Scholars Announced

The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 APH-Papano Scholarship: Joel Gomez, Purdue University, Industrial EngineeringPayton Polk, UCLA, BiochemistryA student (under the age of 18) attending Monterey Peninsula College, Music  These bright students will each receive a scholarship to support their studies throughout the 2021 fall … Continued

Bread, Rice, or Tostada: Cultural Inclusion at The Transition Table, Part 4: Cake

Editor’s Note: In the fourth and final installment of our four-part blog series; Jovany Barba, a first-generation Latinx American, shares the experience of navigating the tensions between their parents’, teachers’, and own expectations of transition and independence. Read the full article here  When I think of food and celebrations that depict a transition in time, such as Quinceañeras, weddings, and graduations, I picture the intricate layered … Continued

Bread, Rice, or Tostada: Cultural Inclusion at The Transition Table, Part 3: Leafy Vegetables

Editor’s note: This blog, written by: Ann Wai-Yee Kwong, is the third of a four-part blog series. This piece features the narrative of a Chinese American youth finding balance between her parents expecting her to attend college immediately upon graduation and her teachers encouraging her to first master independent living and blindness skills. The APH ConnectCenter wants to thank all the authors for sharing their stories with … Continued

Low Vision Exam. What is it? Who Needs it? What comes next? 

Editor’s note: Join us on June 15, 2021, @ 12:30 pm (EST), for the second of two webinars in which Dr. Alexis G. Malkin, OD, FAAO, and David Bradburn from HumanWare will provide an overview of assistive technology and services that help people with low vision perform everyday tasks. Using the state of Massachusetts as an example, the presenters will illustrate the needs, available services, and funding for 3 different groups, namely: … Continued