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We dedicate this issue of our e-newsletter in loving memory of Doris Flint, who passed away on August 22, 2019. Doris was a leader, a devoted mother and wife, and a passionate community volunteer. She served as national president for the Delta Gamma (DGs) fraternity, which is committed to doing philanthropic work for people living […]

Summer has gone by quickly and already kids are headed back to school. Society for the Blind’s CareersPLUS program is ready for the new academic year. Our After-School Academy, weekend youth workshops and “Family Fun” events will get underway on August 30th. Our After-School Academy is offered Mondays through Thursdays from 3:00pm-5:00pm for children in […]

A record number of people are expected to be traveling over the 4th of July holiday, be it by car, plane or rail. Maybe that trip is just across town or maybe it’s across the country, but having the freedom to travel when and where we want is something to be treasured. For people with […]

There is nothing like the sound of jack hammers on concrete to let you know progress is underway. As with any construction project, it’s a bit noisier and dustier at Society for the Blind these days – and that is just fine by us! Preliminary work has begun on our build-out, including the demolition of […]

YOU did it! Thanks to our generous friends, Society for the Blind had a very successful Big Day of Giving 2019. We raised $19,000 for our Music Support Program – $4,000 over our goal. Thank you! Music truly does transform lives, and it’s a great way for our students to make new friends while honing […]

On April 8, Society for the Blind board members, staff, clients and donors came together for an exciting event – the groundbreaking of our construction project. Over the next four to five months, we will build out the final 5,000 square feet of space at our Sacramento headquarters. For people of all ages living with […]

I had the honor and pleasure of accepting the Outstanding Community Service Award from the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society on February 28. This honor was bestowed on Society for the Blind in recognition of our work in Sacramento, Yolo, and El Dorado counties in 2018. The Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society is dedicated to […]

Talking about duct-work, ceiling tiles and flooring may not sound very exciting, but here at Society for the Blind we find it pretty exciting! It means we are getting close to the start of construction on the First Floor Build-out.  Since moving into our current headquarters in 2010, we have anticipated the completion of this […]

Celebrating 65 Years of Service We want to extend our deepest thanks to you for helping to make 2018 a very successful and meaningful year for everyone at Society for the Blind. Thanks to you, we were able to respond to increasing requests for our services from people throughout the 27 counties we serve. Some […]

Another year has entered its final turn, and it is with gratitude and appreciation that I look back over 2018. It has been a year filled with exciting changes and growth. I am grateful for new partnerships that enabled Society to improve its operations and provide more services to our students and patients. This was […]

By Aser Tolentino, Assistive Technology Instructor When working in the accessibility field, there’s nothing truly as fulfilling as seeing something just work the way it’s supposed to for people who never thought they’d be able to do something that was once very fundamental to their identity. Sometimes, all of the tools to make that happen […]

By Aser Tolentino, Assistive Technology Instructor The predominant image most people probably have of Braille is something completely static: a set of raised dots on an elevator control panel, or on plaques with room numbers in the halls of public buildings. Some people might think of Braille books – voluminous, hard-shelled tomes that when closed […]

By Aser Tolentino, Assistive Technology Instructor As summer draws to a close and students of all ages return to the classroom, checkout lines – both virtual and real – fill up with shoppers on the hunt for tools to make the coming school year a success. This is no different in the world of assistive […]

By Aser Tolentino, Assistive Technology Instructor Many years ago, stakeholders in the assistive technology industry began to gather at an annual conference hosted by California State University Northridge. Though the gathering has since far outgrown its humble beginnings, the conference is still hosted by the Center on Disabilities at CSUN, in downtown San Diego. There, […]

By Aser Tolentino, Assistive Technology Instructor When living with a visual impairment, the choice of technology has a profound impact on how you interact with the world around you. Here at Society for the Blind, our staff use a variety of tools to do their jobs and live life to the fullest. Working with Access […]

By Aser Tolentino, Assistive Technology Instructor This summer, Microsoft released an app called Seeing AI. It did so with relatively little fanfare when you consider just what the app represents. The app, currently available on iOS with an Android version to follow, provides access to powerful algorithms that recognize not only text, but barcodes, faces […]

By Aser Tolentino, Assistive Technology Instructor Every summer, members of the two national blindness organizations gather at conventions that are part professional conference, part social gathering, and complete pandemonium. The National Federation of the Blind traditionally holds its convention in Orlando, Florida while the American Council for the Blind rotates their venue around the country. […]