2 + 4 = 1 is Finally Here

When I first heard about the 2 + 4 = 1 project, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I decided to have the editor of the book Kathy Nimmer interview me, and come up with a story for the book. The one that was chosen, and is included in the book is a funny story about me and my first guide dog Rico. Below is the press release about the book. Please spread the word and order yourself a copy to support all service dog teams.

For Immediate Release
November 19, 2010

Announcing the publication of Two Plus Four Equals One: Celebrating the
Partnership of People with Disabilities and Their Assistance Dogs!
Teacher and writer Kathy Nimmer has written and edited this inspiring
anthology of true stories and poems from around the world, just in time
for the holidays!

ABOUT THE BOOK

True, vibrant, honest, and emotional, eliciting compassion, joy, sorrow,
and love, promoting understanding, acceptance, awareness, and hope. Two
Plus Four Equals One offers over 100 stories and poems written by or
about men, women, and children, all either with disabilities or
connected to people who have disabilities. Joining them are Labradors,
German Shepherds, Poodles, Papillons, Goldens, Shelties, Chihuahuas, and
many other breeds, all trained to assist their disabled handlers. From
blindness to deafness, from mobility issues to psychiatric needs, from
diabetes to autism, the array of disabilities showcased in this
unforgettable book is as vast as the tasks performed by the canine
partners. This book highlights the strength, competence, and potential
of both the human and canine participants in an alliance where neither
partner is perfect but both together add up to an equation where two
hands/feet/eyes/ears plus four paws equals one magical union.

PURPOSE AND REACH

Attention to assistance dogs is growing in today‚s society. However,
people are largely unaware of how these dogs work and what tasks they
perform. This book offers an educational inroad through the power of
personal narrative.

There is also a great need for inspiration and hope these days,
something to warm the heart and lift the spirit. Love for dogs is
fundamental in our society. These writings of triumph, teamwork, humor,
success, and love will warm hearts and encourage hope in readers. They
will come away with a new confidence in the human spirit to overcome
obstacles and the canine spirit to step into a role of support in ways
never before imagined or understood.

People with disabilities are often segregated from the public at large.
Because of issues with transportation, communication, and unfair
judgments, many disabled people are isolated, unemployed, and
underutilized. While this book illuminates the working partnership
between assistance dogs and people with disabilities, it also refutes
longstanding, unhealthy misperceptions about disability.

ABOUT THE WRITER/EDITOR

Kathy Nimmer is an award-winning teacher, author, and motivational
speaker from West Lafayette, Indiana. In 2006, she won first place in
the Helen Keller International Memoir Competition and published a book
of poetry called Minutes in the Dark, Eternity in the Light. She
received the Butler-Cooley Excellence in Teaching Award in 2004, is a
two-time recipient of the Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship, earned
National Board Certification in 2003, and was presented with the Golden
Apple in 1998. In 2009, she was named a Lilly Distinguished Fellow,
giving her the opportunity to pursue a lifelong dream, the fulfillment
of which is Two Plus Four Equals One. Blind due to a rare retinal
disease, Nimmer teaches sophomore English and creative writing at
Harrison High School in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Learn more and order your copy at
http://www.servicedogstories.com

Helping A Blind 911 Operator Keep Her Job

It may seem like common sense to some that a blind person would be a good 911 operator, but actually their are very few working in that field. It is really hard to convince the city that we can do the job, and with the creation of new software, it is becoming even harder. Diane Garret though has been a successful operator in Tulsa for 8 years thanks to her knowledge of braille and her assistive technology.

Diane is performing a needed service, but because of the way our vocational rehabilitation system works, the only way for her to keep her technology up to date is by committing to only use that technology at her job. Diane's current braille display isn't working as well as it needs to, but because she wants to use the display for work and personal use, she has to come up with the money on her own to replace it. Thankfully, a non-profit in Iowa is stepping up to help her.

If you are interested in helping Diane get her new display, please visit www.techiepaws.org, or mail a check to TechiePaws, c/o Jesse O. Bolinger, 1005 N. Division St., Creston, IA 50801

I wish that all braille readers could afford their own assistive technology, but until the price comes down below the price of a used car, that just isn't possible.

Creating a Braille Library in a Public High School

When I started reading braille in high school, I had very limited options of where I could go to check out books. There were certainly none in my high school library, but thanks to a donation of 150 books and magazines, the blind students of Escambia Florida will now get to check out books they can read.

Heather Yasment, a graduate of Escambia high school decided to donate her braille book collection. She is excited that her books are going to be kept in a safe place, and that now her fellow braille readers will have access to more reading options.

This library is certainly one of it's kind. Braille books are extremely expensive to purchase, unless they are a children's book, or a magazine that is provided free of charge from the library of congress. I myself don't own any braille books because of their size and cost. I think that this library is going to be a fantastic resource for those students, and I hope Heather's generosity inspires others to create braille libraries like this one all over the country.

To read the full story of how this braille library came to be, please click here.

OMoby:The Free Bank Note Identifier for the Blind and So Much More

The iPhone as a device is amazing, but it's the apps that really make it one of the best phones out there for the blind. Each week I get at least one new app that either helps me have more fun or makes my life more simple. One of my most recent favorites is called "OMoby".

OMoby was originally developed to help shoppers find deals for the products that they want to buy. Unlike the apps that read bar codes, OMoby allows you to take a picture of the object, and then it uses a database to recognize the product. This means that someone like me doesn't have to hunt for the bar code which is not always where I think it might be located. This also means that I can identify objects if I can't remember what they are. Finally, for me, one of the best features is that it identifies US currency. Instead of having to buy an expensive bank note identifier, I can use a free application on my iPhone.

For my fellow iPhone users, I highly recommend this application. If you want to see a demo, please visit the Serotalk website. If you want to download the app, visit it's iTunes page.

A Review Of Whereoscope for the iPhone

Are you a parent that wants to keep track of your kids? Are you disabled, and want to be able to have your partner know where you are if you need their help? If you answered yes to either of these questions, than Whereoscope may be the right app for you. Whereoscope helps you know where your loved ones are using the built in GPS in the iPhone. I'm writing this review because I think it's a neat app, and because when we asked the developer to make it more compatible with VO they came through.

Since I like to be positive, I'll start with what I like about the app, and then I'll talk about it's short comings. First is that all the buttons are labeled and are visible to VO. The second thing is the notification settings. I like to know that my husband haS arrived at work safely, so I get notified when he gets there. I can also add more places to be notified about. This feature would be really great for parents. Finally, because it tracks my movements, if I get lost, I can call my husband and he can tell me where I'm at. It also means that if I need to be picked up in a new place, he would know where to find me if I'm unsure of my location.

Now that you know the positive aspects, here's what I think are the apps short comings. First of all it will notify me that my husband is less then a mile away when we're sitting right next to each other in the car. I think this is a problem with the code, and I hope they'll fix this in the future. The second problem is that it doesn't update all that often. One day I wanted to see how long I would be waiting for my husband to arrive home. Due to the lag in updating his location I ended up waiting much longer than I had anticipated.

Overall I think this is a pretty neat app. The developers are really open to suggestions, and the app is totally free. For more information about Whereoscope, please visit their website. If you start using the app, let me know what you think.

A Review Of Skobbler: A Free Turn By Turn GPS App for the iPhone

As I was perusing the iPhone App store yesterday, I came across a free, yes actually free, turn by turn GPS option. It's called Skobbler, and it's totally free because it relies on an open source map program that is similar to wikipedia. So with excitement and hesitation I downloaded it, not knowing if it would work with VoiceOver at all. The good news is that most of the functions are completely usable with VoiceOver, but the bad news is that I still don't think it meets my needs.

Since I said that it was mostly compatible with VO, I'll go over the features that I like. THe first is the take me home option. Just like almost all GPS solutions, this one has the option to set your home address, and then if you don't know how to get home, you can ask the program to get you there. I imagine using this when I'm going new places and I don't want to figure out the best route back. The second nice feature is that you can choose either pedestrian or car mode. I have currently only tried the car option, but if you're less than 3 miles from your destination than it always checks to see if you're walking or driving.

So those are the good things, but sadly the drawbacks mean that this is still not the GPS app I'm looking for. We'll start with the fact that there isn't a POI list that you can look at. If you don't know the name of your destination or it's address, than your out of luck. There is no near by feature. The second drawback is that there is no street name announcement, only turn left or right in so many feet. This may work well for sighted users, but I want to know what street I'm getting on. Finally, I can't get a list of directions so that I know where the app plans to send me. I think for a GPS to be useful to the blind, we need to be able to look the route over before we go.

So overall this is an app I will likely keep, but only use when I'm with others. I like that it is an open source project so the map can continuously improve. I also really appreciate that it only downloads the map for my nearby area because it means it isn't taking up a lot of space on the phone, unlike most GPS apps. I suggest that people give it a try and let me know what you think.

Here is the link to the Skobbler page, and here is the link to the app on iTunes. Happy travels.

A Drug that Treats Epilepsy May be Able to Treat RP

The great thing about science is that researchers are willing to try anything to solve the problem they're facing. When it comes to treating blindness, researchers are trying everything from artificial retinas, to stem cell therapy, to now drugs that are already approved for other diseases. Valproic Acid is a drug that is used to treat epilepsy, and now researchers believe that it can be used to treat RP.

According to Dr. Kaushal, the leading researcher, valproic acid is known to treat inflammation and cell death, the two main characteristics of RP. Seven patients with early stage RP have already been treated, and 5 of the patients had improved vision with the treatment. Since the first trial was such a success, more trials will now take place.

Everyday I feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel and that I will have my vision restored. At this point I hope they find multiple options so that patients have the option to try something else of the first treatment doesn't work. I ask all of my readers to consider giving to the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the leading organization for blindness research.

To read the full article about this potential new treatment, please visit this link.