Program Spotlight – Healthy Options

Program Spotlight – Healthy Options

The picture focuses on a low pot, placed on a hot plate. A person's hand is seen holding a wooden spoon, stirring the contents of the pot. The lid of the pot is in the foreground and different cooking items like oils and sprays are in the background.In our Healthy Options class, students learn how to peel, chop, dice, and puree their way to preparing creative snacks, easy meals and health-conscious desserts by using whole, natural foods & learning about the health benefits they provide.

When vision loss occurs, it’s more likely individuals choose packaged and processed foods simply because they’re easy to prepare and cook. This class aims to offer healthier food options, while teaching short cuts, adaptive strategies, kitchen safety, and use of various kitchen appliances that save time and effort. Students get to work on re-gaining their independence, learn kitchen skills, and get well-rounded tactile experience.

Do you know someone who could benefit from taking our Healthy Options class? Have them get in touch with us for information about our next session!

Helpful tips for dealing with guide dogs

Helpful tips for dealing with guide dogs

A woman with short, curled blonde hair, is kneeling down on her right knee. She is wearing burgundy tights and a 1/2 sleeve black dress with white and red patterns. She has on purple dangling earrings and black-rimmed glasses. She is smiling, holding on to the harness of her guide dog, who is sitting. The guide dog is a yellow labrador retriever with some white and light brown pigment in her fur. She is wearing a dog harness, along with a festive collar. The collar is made up from orange and red sheer, triangles with red, yellow, brown and orange turkey shapes attached to the ends of them.Heather is such a cute puppy, especially in her Thanksgiving outfit that you can’t help but want to pet her… but remember that you shouldn’t! 🐶

She is a guide dog, trained by The Seeing Eye, Inc., to keep her owner, Lori, safe. When you see them out and about, Heather is working, and should not be distracted with talk, touch or treats.

Some helpful pointers for when you see a person with a guide dog:

Speak to the handler, not the dog. Some handlers will allow petting, but be sure to ask before doing so. If allowed, don’t pat the dog on the head; stroke the dog on the shoulder area.

If the handler says no when you ask to pet the dog, don’t be offended. The dog (or handler) might be having a bad day, or they might be in a hurry – you wouldn’t be offended if the person said no to you petting their white cane, would you?

What is Apple’s VoiceOver App?

What is Apple’s VoiceOver App?

n older gentleman is sitting at a desk. He has very short gray hair and is wearing sunglasses. He is also wearing a red and black plaid shirt. He is holding a cell phone in his hands and he has a headphone in his right ear.

Technology highlight for Tech Tuesday. What is Apple’s VoiceOver?

VoiceOver is a gesture-based screen reader that lets you enjoy using iPhone/iPad even if you don’t see the screen. Hear a description of everything happening on your screen, from battery level to who’s calling to which app your finger is on. You can also adjust the speaking rate and pitch to suit you.

How to set up: In settings, go to “accessibility” and click on VoiceOver at the top. Toggle it to “on”. You can also adjust everything from verbosity to commands.

How to use: With VoiceOver enabled, just triple-click the Home button (or the side button on iPhone X or later) to access it wherever you are in iOS.

Find out more about different types of apps and accessibility features by joining our 13-week Technology Program! Call Linda Groszew at 973-627-0055 ext. 1312.

A little fun for Monday Mindfulness

A little fun for Monday Mindfulness

cartoon image of a dog in a harness, speaking on his cell phone

Guide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead people who are blind and visually impaired around obstacles. They are not pets & are working on keeping their human safe!

Image description: Cartoon of a man in a red shirt, blue slacks and brown shoes holding the handle of a harness of his yellow guide dog. They are outside. The dog answers his cell phone and says “I told you not to call me at work, Denise.”

Technology news: Alexa’s Show and Tell feature

Have you heard about Amazon Alexa’s new Show and Tell feature? It was developed to help customers recognize household pantry items, such as cans, spices and boxed goods that feel similar to other items and are difficult to identify by touch. Check out this article to find out more about this handy tech tool!