The Blind Buzz on Guide Dogs

<p><a href=”http://www.pawnation.com/2010/07/28/10-human-foods-dogs-can-eat/”&gt;
10 Human Foods Dogs Can Eat – Paw Nation</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://www.paw-rescue.org/dog_guide.php”&gt;
Bringing Your New Dog Home</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXMy2X_Se4o”&gt;
[Video] Campus Life at Guide Dogs for the Blind</a> – this is the California-based Guide Dogs for the Blind.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.dogspelledforward.com/canine-body-postures”&gt;
Dog Body Language | Reading Your Dog | Dog Language</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://www.dog-health-guide.org/index.html”&gt;
Dog Health Guide. Simple advice for dog illnesses and diseases</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://www.canismajor.com/dog/laws1.html”&gt;
Dogs and the law – Dog Owner’s Guide</a> – USA site.</p>
<p><a href=”http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/guide-dogs-for-the-blind-gdb/id307920262″&gt;
Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) (usa) – Download free podcast episodes on iTunes.</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://gentlewit.com/2007/12/15/gdb-discontinues-gsd-guide-dogs/”&gt;
GDB Discontinues GSD Guide Dogs « Gentle Wit</a> – German Shepherds are being phased out of the program at the USA Guide Dogs for the Blind – clearly this is contentious.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&amp;v=gYsopskZNp0″&gt;
[Video]   Guide Dog Training : Guide Dog Training: Curbs</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNviucVwV5A”&gt;
[Video]   Guide Dog Training : Guide Dog Training: Stairs</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://www.ehow.co.uk/video_4936436_guide-dog-training-interactions.html”&gt;
[Video] Guide Dog Training: Interactions: Guide Dog Training | eHow.co.uk</a> – don’t distract that guide dog.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.bbc.co.uk/videonation/articles/l/leicester_guidedogs.shtml”&gt;
Eric’s Guide Dog is a Good Boy</a> – BBC Video Nation (text and video). Eric Day asks kids’ questions on guide dogs.</p>
<p><a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guide_dog”&gt;
GuideDog</a> – Wikipedia page.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/topstories/8413012.Guide_dog_given_bravery_award_after_station_attack/?ref=rss”&gt;
Guide dog Neela given bravery award a year after savage attack in Cricklewood station (From Times Series)</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://animaldebate.com/2009/09/19/guide-dogs-valued-companions-or-slaves/”&gt;
Guide Dogs: Valued Companions or Slaves?</a> – an article biased against the use of dogs by blind people.</p>
<p><a href=”http://goldenretrievertraining10.blogspot.com/2010/09/aug-28-guide-dogs-new-eyes-for-blind.html”&gt;
Guide Dogs — New Eyes For The Blind – Golden Retriever Training</a> – some history and background.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.5min.com/Video/Guide-Dogs—Sandys-Guide-Dog-391419498″&gt;
Guide Dogs – Sandy’s Guide Dog Video – 5min.com</a> – Sandy has cerebral palsy and is blind. Her guide dog enables her to be independent.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.ehow.com/video_4936427_guide-dogs-blind-visually-impaired.html”&gt;
[Video] Guide Dogs for Blind &amp; Visually Impaired:  Guide Dog Training | eHow.com</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://www.trainingjournal.com/news/guide-dogs-launches-foundation-degree/”&gt;
Guide Dogs launches foundation degree – Training Journal</a> – 3-year degree in Canine Assistance can lead to full degree in 4th year.Launched by Guide Dogs in the UK with Chester University.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.helium.com/items/1916187-how-guide-dogs-are-trained”&gt;
How guide dogs are trained – by Betty Carew – Helium</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://www.google.com/url?q=http://watchmojo.com/index.php%3Fid%3D8259&amp;source=video&amp;vgc=rss&amp;usg=AFQjCNEp4pKTUCFdEwLt0pAea9PNo2QOTA”&gt;
[Video] How Guide Dogs Help the Disabled</a> – MIRA  (USA) provides Lab/Burmese Mountain Dog crosses to a wide range of people with disabilities.</p>
<p><a href=”http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/guide-dog.htm”&gt;
How Guide Dogs Work” – HowStuffWorks</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/16/AR2007041601563.html”&gt;
Minnesota’s Muslim Cab Drivers Face Crackdown – washingtonpost.com</a> – people with liquor and guide dogs refused lifts.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1295749/Muslim-bus-drivers-refuse-let-guide-dogs-board.html”&gt;
Muslim bus drivers refuse to let guide dogs on board | Mail Online</a> – as this is the Daily Mail, your own research suggested.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/sep/29/my-turn-off-leash-dogs-hinder-my-guide-dog/”&gt;
MY TURN | Off-Leash Dogs Hinder My Guide Dog » Kitsap Sun</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://cats-dogs.co.uk/2010/05/07/mypetbook-social-networking-for-pet-owners/”&gt;
mypetbook – a new social networking website for pet owners | Cats-dogs.co.uk</a></p>
<p> <a href=”http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070415131523.htm”&gt;
NASA Engineer Helps Train Puppy For Future Leadership Role</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://guidedogs.blogspot.com/”&gt;
No Bones About It Guide Dog Blog</a>&nbsp;
<a href=”http://feeds.feedburner.com/guidedogs”&gt;
No Bones About It: Guide Dogs’ Blog – RSS Feed</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://www.examiner.com/animal-news-in-washington-dc/no-dogs-allowed-dc-cab-drivers-pass-on-blind-people-with-guide-dogs”&gt;
No dogs allowed: DC cab drivers pass on blind people with guide dogs – Washington DC animal news | Examiner.com</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://www.google.com/url?q=http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/One-In-Three-Guide-Dogs-Are-At-Risk-Of-Being-Attacked-By-Other-Dogs-While-They-Are-Working/Article/201006315651493%3Ff%3Drss&amp;source=video&amp;vgc=rss&amp;usg=AFQjCNHobNSCzoAfPAMEfc6TYv4GMfHrmQ”&gt;
One In Three Guide Dogs Are At Risk Of Being Attacked By Other Dogs While They Are Working | UK News | Sky News</a> – text with embedded CCTV video.</p>
<p><a href=”http://ipadio.com/phlog_rss.asp?phlogid=34″&gt;
One Man and his Guide Dog – RSS Feed</a> – Mike Brace, CEO of Vision 2020 and former Paralympian Skier describes starting life with a new guide dog. The feed links to episodes 6 to 20 at present.</p>
<p><a href=”http://suzyguidedog.blogspot.com/”&gt;
Suzy’s guide dog</a> blog.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.guidedog.org/”&gt;
The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind</a> – based New York.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xekpah_using-an-assistance-dog-for-the-see_animals”&gt;
[Video] Using an Assistance Dog for the Seeing Impaired – Dailymotion</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://www.petsitterbusinessservice.com/pet-sitter-quotes/what-kind-of-dog-breeds-are-good-for-people-with-allergies-and-cats/”&gt;
What kind of dog breeds are good for people with allergies and cats?</a> – useful discussion, though it’s obvious there’s no universal answer.</p>

The Blind Buzz on Photography

<p><a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2010/sep/22/albert-watson-royal-photographic-society-medal”&gt;
Albert Watson, Royal Photographic Society centenary medal winner | Art and design | guardian.co.uk</a> – this article has some of his best shots.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.androidcentral.com/android-quick-app-vignette”&gt;
Android Quick-App: Vignette | Android Central</a> – examples of what camera apps can do on an Android phone.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.artbeyondsight.org/change/aw-crashcourse.shtml”&gt;
Art Beyond Sight: Telephone Conference Crash Course</a></p>
<p><a href=”http://scottwyden.com/color-blind-photographer-shout-out/”&gt;
Color Blind Photographer Shout Out – Mozilla Firefox</a> – if you are a colourblind photographer, Scott Wyden would like to have your link and information about how you operate.</p>
<p><a href=”http://thephoblographer.com/2010/09/23/hands-on-sony-bloggie%C2%A0touch/”&gt;
Hands On: Sony Bloggie Touch « The Phoblographer</a> – useful snapshot (sorry) of this pocket camcorder</p>
<p><a href=”http://behindthecurtain.us/2010/06/12/my-first-week-with-the-iphone/”&gt;
My First Week with the iPhoneBehind the Curtain | Behind the Curtain</a> – using the Color Idintifier app.</p>
<p><a href=”http://leestranahan.com/?p=911″&gt;
My Triple Whammy</a> – Lee Stranahan is a film-maker who is facing many challenges, including the possibility of going blind through diabetes.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/welcomes-introductions/218477-new-canada.html”&gt;
New from Canada – The Photo Forum – Photography Discussion Forum</a> – would-be professional photographer who is legally blind through achromatopsia open to reactions from others.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.abetterphotograph.com/home/2010/9/12/photographing-fall-colors.html”&gt;
Photographing fall colors – home – A Better Photograph</a> – not specifically aimed at blind photographers, but some handy hints on handling color/colour in the autumn/fall.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/photography/articles/40216.aspx”&gt;
Shooting Tethered – Digital Camera Tips</a> – tethering is having your camera (typically a DSLR) connected to a computer so that you have all the advantages of the big screen.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.parmfarm.com/blog1/?p=1724″&gt;
The Vision of a Blind Film Director | ParmFarm</a> – Joe Monks has directed a political / horror drama, &quot;The Bunker&quot;, He is raising funds to enhance the quality of the filmn.. If you want to donate by September 30th, please visit the <a href=”http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sightunseenpictures/blind-directors-feature-film-the-bunker/pledge/new?clicked_reward=false&amp;logged_in=false&amp;p=0&amp;v=u”&gt;
Kickstarter page for this project</a>.</p>
<p><a href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3eyDiIgcVQ”&gt;
[Video] The John Dugdale School of 19th Century Photography and Aesthetics  </a> – short film about the building of a new school by famed photographer John Dugdale, who is blind. It offers an intimate look into the life in his upstate NY farmhouse and his mission to create a one of a kind school. At the end, there’s an opportunity for people to purchase specially priced limited edition prints to help build the school.</p>
<p><a href=”http://alinaoswald.blogspot.com/2010/09/reflections-on-lifetime-of-living-with.html”&gt;
Writing/Photography: Reflections on a Lifetime of Living with AIDS (Excerpt from my book, Journeys Through Darkness) </a> by Alina Oswald, who has aIDS-related retinitis.</p>

The Blind Buzz on Photography

Blind Photographers reflects on life – this is a theatre performance at Heiquan Theatre, Hong Kong, where two photographers share their stories, and an actor interacts with video. Audio-description in Cantonese.

Color Blind Eyes | photoblog by Alex Vargas – Alex introduces himself and his photography.

Photographers help visually impaired kids “See” – Good News Pilipinas – John Chua has inspired photographers in the Philippines to work with blind children and run ‘~Touching Lives with Photography’ workshops where the children learn to use a point-and-shoot camera.

Stony Brook Student Develops Program To Turn Webcam into Scanner Camera « The Phoblographer -
Try the software

The Grumpy Girl’s Guide To Surviving Sight Loss – Holey Vision – ex-documentary film maker deals with retinitis pigmentosa, including using photography. An excellent, witty read for anyone concerned with sight loss. 

Holey Vision RSS Feed

Theresa Behind the Camera – Inside My Mind: - sighted girl uses a Brailler while blind girl tries a camera.

YouTube ADDBrasil Channel – several videos covering the Blind Click Campaign in Brazil.
Related web site: TheBlindClick.com (in Portuguese and English)

The Blind Buzz on Gardening

Blind Upper Burrell man creates awe-inspiring gardens – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review – Ed Novak lost his sight to glaucoma many years ago, but inspired by gardens in Italy, Japan and Britain, he is a talented garden designer.

Developing a Sensory Garden – presentation on Slideshare follows. Sorry, this is an inaccessible Flash control.

Developing a Sensory Garden

View more documents from Scott Rains.

F-State Visually Impaired Residents get Helping Hand – SABCNews – plot of land in South Africa will be self-sufficiency venture.

Gardening Against the Odds_YNET.com??? – award for blind and partially sighted gardeners who brought to life an unlikely plot of land in Bradford, Yorkshire.

Searching For The Garden « Losing Vision Gaining Insight – a familiar story about trying to find what is probably an underwhelming attempt at a sensory garden.

Sensory Garden Design Tips: Planning a Flower Bed or Border to Use all Five Senses

The Blind Buzz on Tandem Cycling

Back from Eurobike – reports – VeloVision Online – watch the site for reports of new products found at this year’s trade show.

[Video] Bike Trials Video 3 Winter – Matt Gilman pulls off some amazing acrobatics on a solo bike. He comments, "This is riding from late 2009 and early 2010. To see more please visit my web page at blindbiketrials. com"

Biking Blind, the Leadville Trail 100 – BlindVision Blog – some death-defying mountain biking experiences with Erik Weihenmayer Blind Adventurer.

Blind Cyclist Carrie Willoughby Eyes 2012 Paralympics – after many changes in her life, this Alabama tandem stoker aims for the London 2012 Games.

Blind cyclist claims silver medal | Stuff.co.nz – Jayne Parsons from the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand, achieved a silver medal from the Paracycling World Championships in Canada.

Blind Cyclist Clark Rachfal Eyes 2012 Paralympics – he’s emerged as one of the USA’s foremost cyclists.

[Video] Blind man find new life in tandem bike riding – after a boating accident, Kevin Meyers rediscovers exciting activity. WITI FOX 6 Milwaukee, WI.

Blind Stokers Club – Fred’s Head from APH – an introductory article about this tandem club based in San Diego, Calif, but open to a world-membership..

Comeragh Cycling Club » Club Notes week ending August 29th – the TalkTalk City Square Showcase on 4th Sept, 2010 was to promote and raise funds for the NCBI (National Council for the Blind Ireland). Comeragh cc raised enough money to purchase two tandem cycles to enable a number of visually impaired cyclists to take part in a number of cycling events earlier this year.

Cycling England board member hits back at cuts rumour | Bicycle business | News by BikeBiz – some straight talk for a Government Minister.

Cycling Proficiency test facing axe – Telegraph

Cycling push aids health budgets – Motoring News – RAC – Sustrans, UK, chief claims health and carbon savings for Cycle Network.

Cycling with sight in left eye only – Cycling Forums UK with some helpful suggestions from other members.

Disabled cyclist completes a 714-mile ride | News – great achievement for recumbent tricycle rider with multiple disabilities.

Double gold for GB cyclists at World Paracycling Champs – BBC Sport – Disability Sports – Sarah Storey and Rachel Morris won their second gold medals for Britain at the 2010 UCI World Paracycling Road Championships in Canada.

Embrace Your Abilities
No Bones About It: Guide Dogs’ Blog – note the statement in this article that there are not enough blind / visually impaired people taking part in sports.

How can I cycle if I’m blind or have low vision? – useful introduction to tandem cycling.

Inside Cycle Oregon 2010: some choice tidbits about the ride and its past | OregonLive.com

[Video] Leadville – Erik Weihenmayer becomes the first blind person to compete in the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race. This is the finish with his tandem partner, John Lemon. They finished in 11 hours 44 minutes and 23 seconds.

Lighthouse International hosting Double Up 4 Vision bike ride and walk | News | U.S. Paralympic Team
More information

London bus drivers get special lessons – in cycle awareness.

Mountain Biking with the Blind | Irvine, California 92614 | Saturday, November 06, 2010 – World Access for the Blind has a No Limits Philosophy. Funds raised at this event will go to youth programs in California and mobility services for blind people.

Tandem Cycling – IBSA – International Blind Sports Federation – Technical Department Section / – details of the types of tandem event.

Tandem Cycling at Lighthouse for the Blind Deaf-Blind Retreat | TUBULOCITY – experience of Seabeck Deaf Blind Retreat, Washington State. Also visit
Unlikely Cyclists Circle Lake Symington » Kitsap Sun

Tandem Rally hits Shipshewana – report of the event held 4th and 5th September, 2010.

VeloVision Online – "Our guide to special needs cycling resources in the UK and beyond… "

Visually Impaired Tandem Cyclists… From Around the World « The TandemGeek’s Blog

Women’s Cycling Ireland » Para-duathlon World Championships – Gold for Ireland – victory for Catherine Walsh and Francine Meehan

The Blind Buzz on Photography

Keith Cooper discusses black and white photography – a must-read if, like me, you just don’t get black-and-white.

Shutterbugs Ditching Digital for Film – some of the choices open to photographers are film, including doing your own processing, staying with the point-and-shoot digital and even making retro-style photos with your iPhone.

The Royal Photographic Society Awards Centenary Medal to Albert Watson – Mr. Watson joins the likes of David Bailey in the roll of honour. You may also like to read
Scots photographer snaps up top award – The Scotsman.

Touch Sight Camera | Communication | National Design Triennial: Why Design Now | Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum – this camera has a refreshable Braille display instead of an LCD screen, and records 3 seconds of audio when someone takes a shot. It is still described as a concept.

[Video] iPad apps for professional photographers – using lighting diagrams and mood boards.

Wireless photography with an iPad and ShutterSnitch – Rob Galbraith DPI – the flexibility of using the ShutterSnitch app on the iPad with a wireless-enabled camera such as many recent Canon and Nikon DSLRs.

The Blind Buzz on Photography

A retrospective Gerardo Nigenda – this great Mexican blind photographer died recently. He was curious about photography, and gradually developed ways of making images using all the senses, not just sight.

Beyond Sight – Joe Clawges uses the camera to see what his eyes cannot. Here there are photo galleries and an introduction to Joe’s photography. Visit
this site to get Joe’s advice on using a camera. He offers free training.

CameraBag for Windows Desktop | Bradford Smith – Bradford Smith introduces this desktop version of an iPhone app that contains loads of handy filters. A creative tool, not a PhotoShop replacement.

iPod touch (2010) first hands-on! (update: video!) — Engadget – many of the facilities of the iPhone without all the fuss of a mobile phone contract. Includes camera and microphone. Read
Apple’s Accessibility Page for details of VoiceOver, voice control, etc.

Life Goes On « see(more) photography blog – Laura Landry has put together some photos for the blog despite some life challenges.

our world our vision documentary | Blinkie Photography – a documentary is in the making about Andrew Follows, a legally blind photographer.

Photo now a ‘Capitol’ piece | lansingstatejournal.com | Lansing State Journal – Don Pixley had little experience of photography 5 years ago. Now, over 70 and colourblind, one of his photographs has been chosen for display at the Governor’s Mansion for a year.

Photography for the blind | Washington Times Communities – William Smith is a blind writer and photographer who has made many adaptations to deal with life. He is also the author of the
montgomery sideways blog.

SIGHTLESS NOT VISION-LESS. Blind With Camera- Exhibition @ St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai on 8th & 9th Sept

Taiwan student invents free photography software for the blind – Taiwan News Online – Taiwanese student invents a system called “Dark Angel, the blind people’s camera,”, where images are captured on a Google Android phone and transferred to a tactile display via Bluetooth.

Will the New Apple iPod Touch Weaken the Point-and-Shoot Market? « The Phoblographer

The Blind Buzz on Gardening

Please also visit my
Blind Gardening web page for more general information.

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A garden for all senses | syracuse.com – garden in Syracuse, NY, aims to awaken senses in people with many kinds of developmental disability.

Family Organic Garden – you can save a lot of money and avoid harmful chemicals in your food once you’ve read this book, so it says here.

First aid for eyes of a gardener! – BHM Forum – a cautionary tale about getting sap in the eyes, and how you might deal with the consequences.

Gardening jobs for September | Dan Pearson | | Life and style | The Observer

Gardens that grow themselves | G-Online, the best of green – Jonathan White introduces ecological gardening methods that could save you a great deal of work. Also visit
Jonathan The Fresh Food Garden Guru. There’s an e-book and video tutorial package expaining all this. This can be obtained from
Food4Wealth – about $39 or £27. I’m sorry that I don’t know how blind-friendly or otherwise this material is.

Smell the Roses: How Gardening Can Improve Your Health – some of the proven benefits of gardening for physical and mental health.

Unusual Vegetable Garden Ideas | eHow.com – both the vegetables and the ways of growing them may be unusual.

Why Is Gardening Good Medicine? – some of the benefits of herb and sensory gardening.