#NoSightNoLimits Our Favorite Stories This YearPublished on
Accessibility, and the independence, freedom, and integrity it affords people with visual and other disabilities, is everything to us here at Braille Works. We launched the #NoSightNoLimits campaign to share and celebrate the amazing accomplishments and victories achieved by people with blindness, low vision, or a visual disability. Here are a few of our favorites from this year.
A more accessible playground
Get your tissues ready–this #NoSightNoLimits story will tug your heartstrings.
Josh, who has been blind since birth, never played with his friends on the playground. He said it was too big, and he would lose them. A designer found a way to change that with guidance paving, which she described as “braille for the soles of your feet.” Now, Josh can spend his favorite time of the day playing with friends, like every child should.
A perfect snap to accessibility
Jake Olson lost his sight when he was 12. He never dreamed he’d grow up to be the quarterback for the University of Southern California, but he also never gave up. In September 2017, Braille Works heard of Jake Olson’s incredible story and were immediate fans. When Pacific-12 University of Southern California reached out to us for help in presenting Olson with a Player of the Week certificate, we jumped into action.
Using sonar to see
Daniel Kish, founder of World Access For The Blind, teaches other people with blindness a technique called “human flash sonar,” to help them to recognize and navigate their surroundings. He says, “Challenges of every kind become less challenging when we don’t fear them.”
Creating art and tearing down barriers
Macarena Peña was an accomplished artist, until she lost her sight due to diabetes. When Peña took an art class taught by a visually-impaired woman, she fell back in love and has been painting ever since. She is now president of the National Federation of the Blind’s Rio Grande Valley chapter.
Speaking of art, this #NoSightNoLimits story is a masterpiece of heart. Ava Tabbert, a third grader, doesn’t let being legally blind stop her artistic spirit. Ava’s art teacher helps Ava by first creating lines and texture with a hot glue gun. Then, Ava feels the lines and applies color. She’s gained national attention after placing second in the American Printing House for the Blind’s InSights Art Contest.
Braille Works team members were honored to volunteer this year at the West Florida Regional Braille Challenge here in Tampa. This amazing competition rewards and challenges students who are studying braille. While participants compete for braille reading comprehension, speed, accuracy, and proofreading skills, everyone gets to feel like a winner.
Running for life
Kyle Robidoux, who is legally blind, found that his sedentary lifestyle was affecting his health and could result in diabetes. He decided to make a change. With the help of his family and his sighted guides, he started running and lost 69 pounds. Now, he has his life and his health back, and has made unforgettable friendships along the way.
Improving braille literacy
Is there anything better than children? How about children learning braille to improve their educational outcomes? Thanks to a program called BELL (Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning), children in Phoenix like 18-month-old Alyssa and 2-year-old Gavin are learning braille and other critical skills for success as children with blindness or a visual disability. This is #NoSightNoLimits to the cuteness here.
We have loved sharing these inspiring, empowering stories with all of you, and there’s more to come in 2018. What was your favorite #NoSightNoLimits story of the year?