USS New York - LPD-21 - Forged from the Steel of the World Trade Center

Okay, this isn't exactly library or disability related, but I thought it was pretty amazing... I had never heard of it before. Apparently they are using steel from the former World Trade Center in New York to construct a ship called the USS New York - LPD-21. The ship will be commissioned in 2009 in New York City.

"Out of the ashes of 911 comes a ship forged from the steel of the World Trade Center"

According to the website at http://www.ussnewyork.com/ussny_about.html:

"Steel salvaged from the World Trade Center wreckage has been used in the construction of New York. The shipyard and Navy inspected the steel and found that it was of sufficient material strength so that it could be incorporated into the bow stem of New York."

More info at http://www.ussnewyork.com/

Foods for Healthy Living (and why you should eat pumpkin this fall!)

The AARP bulletin features an article about foods for healthy living.

Taken from the article at http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/healthyliving/articles/foods_for_healthy.html:

For vision, weight control is one key because added weight causes inflammation that affects the eyes. Choose carrots, for the beta-carotene, and get more of that by cooking them. Spinach has vitamins and antioxidants that act as a sunscreen for the eyes. Wild salmon’s omega-3 fatty acids also protect the small vessels of the eye...

For arthritis, manage the condition by avoiding fatty foods and refined sugars and “load up” on fruits with great antioxidants, like pumpkin (not the pie filling, just canned or fresh pumpkin). Pumpkin “really helps with joint pain, and when you mix it with nonfat vanilla yogurt. It’s delicious. I eat that for breakfast a lot.” The second choice, two spices with great anti-inflammatory powers—turmeric, and ginger. The third food is a red bell pepper, which has more vitamin C than an orange (250 mg. vs. 90) and two antioxidants.

For full details, check out the original article at http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/healthyliving/articles/foods_for_healthy.html

What are you doing for National Disability Employment Awareness Month?

October will be National Disability Employment Awareness Month. What are YOU doing to celebrate the month?

For more information, check out http://www.dol.gov/odep/faqs/ndeam.htm

You can find some good disability employment related links at http://www.dol.gov/odep/related/rel.sites.htm

Learn about Guide Dogs and Talking Books too! Check out the latest Library Beat Longshots Podcast

Learn about Guide Dogs and Talking Books too! Check out the latest Library Beat Longshots Podcast at http://www.librarybeat.com/longshots/play/118

The guest is Polly Abbott, manager of Adult Rehabilitation Services for the Guild for the Blind in Chicago, Illinois. If you're not sure what someone working for adult rehabilitation services or vision rehabilitation services does, then you won't want to miss this podcast. Polly also discusses orientation and mobility training, and working with guide dogs.

Great podcast!!!

Ipod and Itunes are now accessible to the blind!

The Serotek blog has an interesting post titled "Ipod and Itunes are now accessible to the blind!" at http://blog.serotek.com/2008/09/ipod-and-itunes-are-now-accessible-to.html

Taken from the blog post:

"This was an important week for blind people. Apple, a company that has long ignored the need for accessibility in it’s consumer devices brought out a new 4th generation version of the Ipod Nano that, when combined with Itunes version 8, is accessible... Thanks to GW Micro, Apple made the digital lifestyle accessible. In doing so, Apple recognized that accessibility is not about compliance. It’s not about some minimal legal requirement to grudgingly make it possible for a blind person to have some small taste of what’s available to the general public. It’s about making fun accessible. It’s about eliminating barriers and making fun an eyes-free experience."

For full details, go to http://blog.serotek.com/2008/09/ipod-and-itunes-are-now-accessible-to.html

Protecting Your Assets As You Age - Third Annual Seniors Summit - September 22, 2008

There will be a free live webcast of the Third Annual Seniors Summit, to be held on September 22, 2008. It is held by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The topic is "Protecting Your Assets As You Age." To sign up for the free summit and for more information, go to http://www.sec.gov/investor/seniors/ss3.htm

The free webcast will be available on September 22 at the same link (http://www.sec.gov/investor/seniors/ss3.htm)

A program flyer is available at http://www.sec.gov/investor/seniors/ss3_am_flyer.pdf

You can even submit a question (to be answered at the summit) at http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/registration-form-ss

Deaf Awareness Week is coming!

Did you know that Deaf Awareness week is coming soon? It will be September 21 - September 27. (It is celebrated every year during the last full week of September).

For some ideas of Deaf Awareness events you can hold in your community, check out http://www.nad.org/site/pp.asp?c=foINKQMBF&b=180409

Online Auction to Help Those with Vision Loss!

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is having an online auction to help those with vision loss.

Taken from the wesbite at http://www.cmarket.com/auction/AuctionHome.action?vhost=hkaa

"The Helen Keller Achievement Awards Auction is now open!

The auction will run from September 12, 2008 to September 28, 2008, with items ranging from great vacation getaways to sought-after designer handbags. All proceeds will go to the American Foundation for the Blind to help expand possibilities for people with vision loss.

The Helen Keller Achievement Awards were established by American Foundation for the Blind in 1994 to acknowledge Helen Keller's extraordinary efforts and promote the notable achievements of individuals and organizations that have improved the quality of life for all people who are blind or visually impaired. "

Inclusive First Aid for People with Disabilities and World First Aid Day!

Did you know World First Aid Day was September 13?

In light of this, I recently learned that the Red Cross in the United Kingdom has a first aid program for people with disabilities. It's called "inclusive first aid." You can read more on their website at http://www.redcross.org.uk/TLC.asp?id=84878

Taken from the site at http://www.redcross.org.uk/standard.asp?id=85169

"Inclusive first aid is a unique programme designed to work with groups or individuals who may require a more flexible approach to learning first aid skills.

For example, someone with a mobility impairment may not be able to use their hands to deliver chest compressions to a casualty who is not breathing. Our trainers will consider the basic requirement of this skill – to apply pressure in the middle of the casualty’s chest – and work with a person’s ability to teach a suitable alternative, such as delivering compressions with an elbow or the heel of the foot."

After reading this, I was quite intrigued and wondered if a similar program existed with the United States Red Cross. So, I went to the United States' Red Cross website at http://www.redcross.org and searched for "disabilities" and/or "inclusive", but could not locate a similar program. I was quite disappointed.

If anyone is aware of such a program in the states (or in other countries as well), please contact me or post a comment here on the blog. I would love to see a Red Cross program like this get started here.

Michael McCarty To Discuss Fred's Head Companion Blog

I received this information via email from the Accessible World News Wire:

Topic: Fred's Head: Where You Go When You Gotta Know!

Presenter: Michael McCarty, Expert Database Coordinator
http://www.fredshead.info
American Printing House for the Blind http://www.aph.org
Direct Tel: 502-899-2396
APH Phone: 502-895-2405
Toll Free: 800-223-1839
Email: mmccarty@aph.org

Do you know where to find the most comprehensive accumulation of computer
related tips, techniques, tutorials, in-depth articles, and resources for
and by blind or visually impaired people?

Do you know who sponsors this collection and how long it has been in
existence?

Do you know how to easily access this valuable resource manually or have it
delivered automatically to your computer?

For answers to these and many more questions, plan now to attend the next
Tek Talk online training session when Michael McCarty, Expert Database
Coordinator of Fred's Head Database and Companion, will provide a brief
historical overview of how the American Printing House has been serving
blind people for 150 years, changes that are being made to aph.org website,
and then a detailed discussion of Fred's Head Database and evolution into
the Fred's Head Companion blog. He will explain the differences between the
original database and the blog, and will then provide a description on RSS,
podcasting, and how individuals can receive posts from the Companion blog.

Attendees in the virtual audience will have ample time to ask questions of
this exceedingly knowledgeable technology expert.

Date: Monday, September 15, 2008

Time: 5:00 p.m. Pacific, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, 7:00 p.m. Central,
8:00 p.m. Eastern and elsewhere in the world Tuesday 0:00 GMT.

Where: TekTalk Conference Room at:

http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsc9613dc89eb2

Or, alternatively,

http://www.accessibleworld.org. Select the TekTalk Room, enter your first
and last names on the sign-in screen.

All Tech Talk training events are recorded so if you are unable to
participate live at the above times then you may download the presentation
or podcast from the Tech Talk archives on our website at
http://www.accessibleworld.org.

All online interactive programs require no password, are free of charge, and
open to anyone worldwide having an Internet connection, a computer,
speakers, and a sound card. Those with microphones can interact audibly with
the presenters and others in the virtual audience.

If you are a first-time user of the Talking Communities online conferencing
software, there is a small, safe software program that you need to download
and then run. A link to the software is available on every entry screen to
the Accessible World online rooms.

Sign up information for all Accessible World News Wires and discussion lists
are also available at our website: http://www.accessibleworld.org.

Media Contacts:

Robert Acosta, Chair, Planning Committee
818-998-0044
Email: boacosta@pacbell.net
Web: http://www.helpinghands4theblind.com

Pat Price, Founder and Events Coordinator
The Accessible World Symposiums
Vision Worldwide, Inc.
317-254-1185
Email: pat@patprice.org
Web: http://www.accessibleworld.org

Blind Bloggers Group

Did you know there is a "Google Groups" for blind bloggers? According to the group description at http://groups.google.com/group/blindbloggers/about, the group is "A space where visually-impaired bloggers can discuss issues related to blogging and the accessibility of blogging for both readers and writers."

The Accessibility of Google Chrome

In case you haven't heard, there is a new free web browser called Google Chrome. You can learn more about it and download it at http://www.google.com/chrome

The browser is open source software, so that is a good thing. I encourage you to take a look at the browser and then give Google your feedback on the accessibility (or lack of accessibility) of the browser.

Enjoy!

Helping Hands for the Blind/Cookbook of the Month Club

Thanks to the Fred's Head Companion Blog post at http://tinyurl.com/5hk4yz, I learned about the Helping Hands for the Blind/Cookbook of the Month Club. According to Fred's Head, "Helping Hands for the Blind provides a "Cookbook of the Month Club." A person becomes a member by purchasing one book a year. Cookbooks are produced in interpoint braille. The club also has special offers."

You can find out more info on the Helping Hands for the Blind website at http://www.helpinghands4theblind.com