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Legally blind man refused guide dog because of bad neighborhood
Joseph Harris, a 54-year-old legally blind French Towers resident in Trenton NJ who spent months trying to obtain a seeing-eye dog, received the rejection letter yesterday from The Seeing Eye Inc., a guide-dog school based in Morristown. The letter said he was rejected because his apartment tower on the 600 block of West State Street "has a number of aggressive dogs within close proximity."
Harris, who walks with a cane, said he's "in definite need for the dog" now that his vision has deteriorated to near-total blindness. "I got to the point where it's really dark," he told The Trentonian from his apartment yesterday. "I can vaguely see lights. Everything is black with a little bit of gray. I have to move by memory."
His vision "really deteriorated" about five months ago from the glaucoma. It pushed Harris in the direction of looking for a top-quality dog guide from a reputable institution. But Harris considered more than his own personal health in making the decision to apply for a Seeing Eye dog.
In 2003, Harris met his future wife, Tina Rawls-Harris, who has been "totally blind" since 2001 as a result of her diabetes. The married blind couple said they had looked forward to advancing their lives with the assistance of a Seeing Eye dog.
"We just figured he'd get one for the family," Rawls-Harris, who moves about on a walker, said of her husband applying for the guide dog. "If they were gonna discriminate on the basis of the neighborhood, then they should put us in a place where they think their dogs will be comfortable. You can't deny someone a dog because of where they live at."
A Seeing Eye instructor arrived in Trenton last week to give Harris a trial run at using a a guide dog, Harris said. They mostly spent time working on commands out in front of the French Towers, but they also walked the canine a short distance down North Hermitage Avenue and a block down West State Street, to Overbrook Avenue, before returning to the towers, Harris said.
The instructor said several times that "he needs practice," but she never uttered anything that would suggest that this Trenton neighborhood wasn't good enough for their Seeing Eye dogs, Harris added.
So when he received a letter from The Seeing Eye yesterday, Harris expected it to be a congratulatory inscription informing him of when he'll begin his formal dog guide training. But when the security desk attendant opened and read the letter, "it messed my whole day up," the blind man said.
The letter, dated Aug. 11, says: "We ... regret to inform you that we will not be able to be of service to you. Our primary concern is with the loose dogs in your area. We would be reluctant to put a Seeing Eye dog at risk by placing him in a neighborhood that has a number of aggressive dogs within close proximity."
What do you think? Should this man be given a guide dog regardless of the possible dangers to the dog? Joseph Harris, a 54-year-old legally blind French Towers resident in Trenton NJ who spent months trying to obtain a seeing-eye dog, re... more -
Blind Surf the Web
Discovery-News.com: Audiopoint has released a service that enables the blind and visually impaired to surf the web.
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Would you rather be blind or deaf?
This pod asks a question I have tried to answer all of my life, and it's essay style filmmaking keeps the viewer connected to the material on several levels.
As soon as begin to think "I choose blindness" as my answer, I change my mind and realize I couldn't handle it. I'm a visual artist, but on the other hand I love music.
So, I set out to ask those around me and observe unlikely situations and objects that surround the topic of being blind or deaf.
My niece, who was temporarily blind for a day, gives a child's perspective on the topic.
Check it out. This pod asks a question I have tried to answer all of my life, and it's essay style filmmaking keeps the viewer connected to the... more -
Ravers lose sight at laser show
Since the Aquamarine Open Air Festival in Kirzhach, dozens of partygoers have been checking into Moscow's hospital complaining of eye and vision problems.
"They all have retinal burns, scarring is visible on them," Kommersant newspaper quotes one health official as saying.
"Loss of vision in individual cases is as high as 80% and regaining it is already impossible," the opthalmologist said.
Heavy rains meant organisers were forced to erect massive tents for the all-night dance party, and lasers that normally illuminate upwards into the sky were instead shone into the ravers' eyes.
"I immediately had a spot like when you stare into the sun," raver Dmitry told Kommersant.
"After three days I decided to go to the hospital. They examined me, asked if I had been at Open Air, and then put me straight in the hospital. I didn't even get to go home and get my stuff," he said.
Industry website www.laserfx.com said focused laser light can cause eye damage almost instantly.
The owner of a Moscow laser rental company said the accidental blindings were due to "illiteracy on the part of technicians".
"It was partly the rain, but also partly the size of the laser," said Valentin Vasiliev.
"Somebody set up an extremely powerful laser for such a small space," he added.
Mr Vasiliev said his company did not provide the Aquamarine lasers. Since the Aquamarine Open Air Festival in Kirzhach, dozens of partygoers have been checking into Moscow's hospital complaining of... more -
AnaTommy
“AnaTommy” is a portrait of the awe-inspiring story of Tommy Carroll. Diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, Tommy was left completely blind by the age of two. Despite having little recollection of being able to see, there is no question that this young man has a vision of his own… From skateboarding to wrestling, Tommy does it all, often more so than sighted people. Surprisingly, Tommy does not view his blindness as a handicap, but embraces his disability and regards it as an opportunity to excel in a multitude of activities. Tommy is a monumental figure who gives hope and inspiration to everyone who has the pleasure of being graced by his presence. “AnaTommy” is a portrait of the awe-inspiring story of Tommy Carroll. Diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, Tommy was left complete... more
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Blind But In Focus
These professional photographers take stunning photos despite the fact that they are blind.
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Money is Discriminating
The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the current U.S. currency discriminates against the blind.
"The decision could force the Treasury Department to make bills of different sizes or print them with raised markings or other distinguishing features." The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the current U.S. currency discriminates against the blind. ... more -
Paper money discriminates against blind people
The U.S. discriminates against blind people by printing paper money that makes it impossible for them to distinguish the bills' value, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The U.S. discriminates against blind people by printing paper money that makes it impossible for them to distinguish the bills' v... more
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Braille Graffiti // Comment Picked for TV
Check out what bdphvb thought of "Braille Graffiti." Thanks for the upload! http://current.com/items/88494351_braille_graffiti Check out what bdphvb thought of "Braille Graffiti." Thanks for the upload! http://current.com/items/88494351_braille_graf... more
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Blind Man Bowls a Perfect Game
The next time you hear someone say it's too hard, remind them about this Iowan. Sometimes it just takes vision ..
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Braille converter bridges the information gap
"A free, e-mail-based service that translates text into Braille and audio recordings is helping to bridge the information gap for blind and visually impaired people, giving them quick and easy access to books, news articles and web pages.
[The service] requires no more skill with a computer than the ability to send an e-mail.
Users simply attach a text they want to translate in one of several recognised formats, from plain text and Word documents to HTML and XML. They then e-mail the text to the service’s server. Software agents then automatically begin the process of translating the text into Braille or converting it into an audio recording through a text-to-speech engine. [...]
The user then receives the translation back by e-mail, which can be read on a Braille printer or on a tactile display, a device connected to the computer with a series of pins that are raised or lowered to represent Braille characters.
RoboBraille can currently translate text written in English, Danish, Italian, Greek and Portuguese into Braille and speech. The service can also handle text-to-speech conversions in French and Lithuanian.
At present, the service translates an average of 500 documents a day, although it could handle as many as 14,000. RoboBraille can return a simple text in Braille in under a minute while taking as long as 10 hours to provide an audio recording of a book.
As of January, the RoboBraille system had carried out 250,000 translations since it first went online."
For more information visit http://www1.robobraille.org/websites/acj/robobraille.ns... "A free, e-mail-based service that translates text into Braille and audio recordings is helping to bridge the information gap for... more -
Blind boy rides a bike, skiis and delivers papers
Zach is a 13 year old kid from Los Alamos, New Mexico. He rides a bike, skiis, kyacks and has a paper route. He goes to a regular school, and rides a regular bus. Seems pretty normal right?
The only difference is, he's totally blind. Zach is a 13 year old kid from Los Alamos, New Mexico. He rides a bike, skiis, kyacks and has a paper route. He goes to a regular scho... more -
a blind man given the gift of sight by gene therapy
A pioneering gene therapy trial has helped a blind man to see in a breakthrough that brings hope to millions affected by eye diseases. British scientists have claimed a world first for the revolutionary treatment, which involved a single injection into the retina at the back of the eye... A pioneering gene therapy trial has helped a blind man to see in a breakthrough that brings hope to millions affected by eye diseases.... more
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Blind runner finishes 7 marathons in 7 days
London, Apr 14 : A blind British runner became only the third person ever to complete seven marathons on seven continents in seven days when he crossed the London Marathon’s finish line on Sunday.
The gruelling week-long stretch saw 50-year-old Dave Heeley run a total of 183.4 miles (293.4 kilometres) — 26.2 miles a day — in the Falkland Islands, Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles, Sydney, Dubai, Tunis and London to raise money for guide dogs.
“To think last week I was in the Falklands, it’s just too incredible for words,” Heeley said after completing his last marathon of the week in five hours and 20 minutes
“I am the first blind person to do this. It’s been a fantastic adventure and one I’m going to talk about for a long time.”
Upon completing the London leg, Heeley was embraced by his wife, Debbie and daughters Dannie, Georgie Lee and Grace.
Heeley, from West Bromwich in central England, was born with an eye disease and lost his sight completely at the age of 16, curtailing a keen interest in running. London, Apr 14 : A blind British runner became only the third person ever to complete seven marathons on seven continents in seven day... more -
The Virgin Mary...IT BURNS!!!
At least 50 people in India have reportedly lost their vision after gazing at the sun looking for an image of Virgin Mary.
Way to go human race, you still amaze me! At least 50 people in India have reportedly lost their vision after gazing at the sun looking for an image of Virgin Mary. ... more -
Rare Helen Keller photo
"Researchers have uncovered a rare photograph of a young Helen Keller with her teacher Anne Sullivan, nearly 120 years after it was taken on Cape Cod and tucked inside a family album." "Researchers have uncovered a rare photograph of a young Helen Keller with her teacher Anne Sullivan, nearly 120 years after it w... more
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Colour-blind artist learns to paint by hearing
A color-blind artist who has learned to paint in color by using his hearing. He wears a device that converts 360 different colors into sounds. Amazing. A color-blind artist who has learned to paint in color by using his hearing. He wears a device that converts 360 different colors into... more
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Blind no more: The old tooth in the eye trick
Works again. This is a truly amazing story.
From Y! News,
"An Irishman blinded by an explosion two years ago has had his sight restored after doctors inserted his son's tooth in his eye, he said on Wednesday.
Bob McNichol, 57, from County Mayo in the west of the country, lost his sight in a freak accident when red-hot liquid aluminium exploded at a re-cycling business in November 2005.
"I thought that I was going to be blind for the rest of my life," McNichol told RTE state radio.
After doctors in Ireland said there was nothing more they could do, McNichol heard about a miracle operation called Osteo-Odonto-Keratoprosthesis (OOKP) being performed by Dr Christopher Liu at the Sussex Eye Hospital in Brighton in England.
The technique, pioneered in Italy in the 1960s, involves creating a support for an artificial cornea from the patient's own tooth and the surrounding bone.
The procedure used on McNichol involved his son Robert, 23, donating a tooth, its root and part of the jaw.
McNichol's right eye socket was rebuilt, part of the tooth inserted and a lens inserted in a hole drilled in the tooth.
The first operation lasted ten hours and the second five hours.
"It is pretty heavy going," McNichol said. "There was a 65 percent chance of me getting any sight.
"Now I have enough sight for me to get around and I can watch television. I have come out from complete darkness to be able to do simple things," McNichol said." Works again. This is a truly amazing story. From Y! News, ... more -
Blind Photographers
These professional photographers take stunning photos despite the fact that they are blind.
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