Testimonials
Stories of Hope
Life-changing services, programs and training stories of community members with visual impairments.
Encouraging Vs. Expecting Accessibility
I would like to discuss encouraging accessibility versus expecting accessibility. Over the years, I’ve had visually impaired friends and acquaintances who express the attitude of, “why is this or that not accessible? How dare they!” While we as blind people should...
Happy Birthday ADA!
This month marks the 28th anniversary of the signing of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). This law protects individuals with disabilities from being discriminated against because of their disability. Under the law, a person cannot be denied access to...
Let’s Talk Employment!
The visually impaired have a diamond in their employment portfolio. It is the Randolph Sheppard program, also known as the Business Enterprise Program (BEP). This employment option gives an individual who is blind the experience of being self-employed and earning a...
Convenience For Some, Accessibility For Others
There is one way the world is becoming more disability friendly without that being its intent. How is this, you ask? It’s in the form of food and grocery delivery, and ridesharing services. With so much inaccessibility still to conquer, these services seemed to be...
Social security: The Monster We Hate, or The Teddy Bear We Love?
Perhaps it’s a combination of the two. For most of us with disabilities, I suspect this is the case. Whether you are on Social Security Insurance (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), I am sure you have felt a conflict of emotions. We benefit from...
The Bark of the Underdog
A recent class assignment inspired the following thoughts. Will the disabled ever not be the underdog? Will we ever have equal access to employment, information, recreational activities, etc.? The pessimistic, yet realistic answer would be no. This does not mean we...
A Vacation Wrapped in Networking
June is the official beginning of summer. For those of us who are blind, it’s also the season of national conventions. There are two large conventions that are of most note during the summer: the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Convention, and the American...
Brought to You By Your Next Power Outage…Time travel!
It happens to all of us at one time or another. You’re sitting at your computer, or in front of the tv, and all of a sudden, the world stops. Or so it seems. It’s that minor, or not so minor inconvenience of a power outage. After having the luxury for roughly 130...
Inside Focus
In this blog, I will focus inward. Inward, meaning this. I will write about L.A.B and some of the latest news. As we start a new fiscal year here at L.A.B, we begin in a state of growth. Our obvious, and most impactful development is our acquisition of Hilburn...
Giving Thanks and Saying Thanks
November is the official beginning of the holidays. Hanging decorations, playing holiday music, shopping, eating! Oh, my my! Time to get festive! But it is also the month where we celebrate veterans. L.A.B is saying thank you to our veterans throughout November by...
A Sad Oversight
I have a friend who is an Elementary Special Education major at a local university. Given that we've been friends for years, and both have a passion for education, we often discuss our experiences, and ask each other's opinions. About a year ago, she was taking a...
Hot gift ideas for an accessible kitchen
It is that time of year! Time to share the love by giving that special someone, something special that will make their life better in some way. When it comes to blind chefs—yes there are such people—accessibility in the kitchen is the key to preparing a great meal....