Public Event
Sign Language for Infants and Toddlers
Thursday June 19, 2014: 10:30am to
11:15am
Downtown Library: Youth Story Corner
Hearing Infants And Toddlers, 6 Months - 2 Years, With An Adult
Blog Post
Adult ADHD & Relationships
by Beth Manuel
Are you or a loved one affected with Adult Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder? If so, you may be interested in joining a local discussion group for information or support. This group meets from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the WISD Teaching and Learning Center each month. The next meeting is Tuesday, May 27th from 7:00-8:30 pm. This meeting is about Relationships and AD/HD, given by Dr. Arthur Robin. He will provide audience members with practical advice for how to succeed in intimate relationships with AD/HD. After reviewing AD/HD’s impact on relationships, he will discuss strategies for couples to improve their relationships; optimize AD/HD education and adjust attitudes. For more information contact: AnnArborADDults@gmail.com.
Public Event
VISIONS 2014 Vendor Fair: What's New In Technology And Services for the Blind And Visually Impaired
Wednesday May 14, 2014: 10:00am to
3:00pm
Washtenaw Community College - Morris Lawrence Building
Blog Post
From Obstacles to Opportunities
by monkk
The Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living invites you to an event for International Coaching Week- From Obstacles to Opportunities! Coaching for Improved Employment Outcomes: Using your strengths as building blocks for your best self. The event will be on Wednesday, May 21, from 10 am – 12 pm at the Ann Arbor CIL. Geraldine Markel, Ph.D. will speak about managing your mind for learning and performance and there will be mini-speed coaching sessions by career and abilities coaches from around the community. RSVP and request accommodations at: careerservices@aacil.org or (734) 971-0277 x 27.
Blog Post
Global Accessibility Awareness Day
by Sunny29
May 15th is Global Accessibility Awareness Day!
Stemming from a seemingly innocuous blog post in 2011 by a Los Angeles based web developer, Global Accessibility Awareness Day is now an international event with efforts to draw attention to digital accessibility, or lack there of. Challenge yourself any time at a computer by changing your digital habits: go mouse-less for an hour and use only key strokes to navigate your favorite website, or try re-sizing the text on your browser to 200% and check for any losses in content or functionality. You can also learn more about joining an in-person international or local event.
And don't forget about resources and assistive technology offered through the Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped at AADL, and the large print books available for check-out in the catalog!
Blog Post
Child in a Strange Country: Exhibit and Events
by muskrat
The traveling exhibit from the Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind, "Child in a Strange Country: Helen Keller and the History of Education for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired" officially opens this Friday, May 2, with a reception featuring library director Josie Parker, Museum Director Micheal A. Hudson, harpist Deborah Gabrion, and refreshments.
But the exhibit is already assembled enough (in the Downtown Library's lobby and 3rd floor) to see it will be fun and informative featuring a big globe with raised features, selections of writing such as Valentin Hauy’s tactile book and Louis Braille’s dot code, and insights, events, and photographs from Helen's life.
The title of the exhibit comes from Anne Sullivan's report about Helen in which she said, “For the first two years of her intellectual life she was like a child in a strange country,” and noted that no learning was possible until she could overcome the communication barrier posed by blindness and deafness. With that in mind, “Child in a Strange Country” explores four primary subjects: Reading, Science, Math, and Geography. Using Helen Keller’s educational journey as a lens, the exhibit uses tactile reproductions and authentic artifacts to uncover the roots of modern education for children with vision loss. The exhibit is designed to be fully accessible and interactive. You can touch and explore that big globe as much as you want.
If the exhibit whets your appetite, come see Child in a Strange Country or Why is Helen Keller at the Water Pump the Only Person Who Was Blind that Most Americans Know?, on Sunday, May 4 from 2 - 3:30 PM, a talk by Museum Director Micheal A. Hudson in which he explores major advances in learning and literacy since 1784 for people who are blind or visually impaired, introducing characters that most people do not know. Also join us on Wednesday, May 7 from 7 - 8:30 PM for Sensory Communication: Relaying and Receiving Information Through Touch, in which UM Performing Arts Technology Professor Sile O'Modhrain discusses touch, communication, and Helen Keller.
You may also be interested in Visions 2014 in the Morris Lawrence Building at Washtenaw Community College on Wednesday, May 14 from 10 AM - 3 PM, where a variety of exhibitors demonstrate the latest products and services for people with vision loss. The fair also features presentations by guest speakers from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Disabled, UM Kellogg Eye Center, WLBPD @ AADL, and the AT Guys.
Blog Post
Birding by Ear and Beyond
by iralax
The Environmental Interpretive Center is partnering with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to "Celebrate Urban Birds." On the morning of May 17, at 10am, they will be meeting at Gallup Park Canoe Livery in Ann Arbor. The day will be filled with birding along the shore of the Huron River and for an extra opportunity to hear waterfowl they will be canoeing on the river. Lunch will be provided in the park while celebrating urban birds through art and song until 2pm. This free event is sponsored by the Center's "Birding by Ear and Beyond" program, which offers an auditory experience for blind and visually impaired individuals. All are welcome to join. For further information contact Donna Posont at (313) 220-8140 or dposont@umich.edu.
Blog Post
Described Video Service/DVS
by Beth Manuel
AADL continues to grow its collection of films that have a Descriptive Video Service or DVS feature, which are more accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. More films are being produced for children and adults that are Described Video Recordings for L-Card users to borrow. There are comedies, action, animation, horror and science fiction films available. Many can be sent by mail to WLBPD patrons as Free Matter for the Blind. If there's a member of your family who has been missing out on movies due to low-vision, look at our list of described videos that you can watch together!
Public Event
Child In A Strange Country Exhibit Reception
Friday May 2, 2014: 7:00pm to
8:00pm
Downtown Library - 3rd Floor
Blog Post
Survey for Parents on their Educational Perspectives
by iralax
The Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness at Louisiana Tech University invites you to participate in a study to evaluate the services and to understand the educational experiences of blind and/or visually impaired youth in grades K through 12. Your feedback will improve policies and practices that prepare teachers in the future. Participation in this study allows us to gain a much richer and robust understanding of factors that impact service options and academic performance of blind and/or visually impaired youth.
For a parent or guardian to participate in this study, your child must meet the following criteria.
• Be between the ages of 5-22 and be enrolled in a school in the United States in grades K through 12
• Visual impairment must be listed as his or her primary diagnosed disability on his or her Individualized Education Plan (IEP);
• English is his or her primary spoken language;
Participation in this study is voluntary and you may quit the survey at any time. We appreciate your participation in this research.