by Carly Eden Stokes | Jul 22, 2021 | Blog, News
Becca Meyers, a six-time Paralympic medalist who is deaf and blind, will miss the Tokyo Paralympics after being told she could not bring her Personal Care Assistant — her mother, Maria Meyers — to the Summer Games.
She called her decision to quit Team USA “gut-wrenching, and wrote: “So, in 2021, why as a disabled person am I still fighting for my rights?”
An image of Becca Meyers is depicted with the headline: “This deaf-blind Paralympian was told to navigate Tokyo alone. So she quit Team USA. Image/headline via New York Post.”
As Meyers has stated of being deaf and blind, “We must continue to fight and advocate for ourselves so that future generations can have an easier tomorrow.” Accessibility matters, inclusion matters, and disability rights matter. Read more about Becca’s story here.
by Carly Eden Stokes | Jun 20, 2021 | Blog, News
Echolocation is shared by many species, including whales and dolphins – even people can learn how to use it!
Now, new research shows that both sighted people and those who are blind can learn how to echolocate using clicking noise, either from one’s own mouth, footsteps, or walking cane taps, after just 10 weeks of training.
The VLANJ logo and an image via Discover Magazine depicting how human echolocation works is featured, with text that reads: “Human Echolocation: How It Works. Clicking noise creates ongoing sound waves. Sound bounces off object. Returning echo activates the visual processing area (circled) in the brain of an experienced echolocator.” Text below reads: “Blind Individuals Who See By Sound.”
by Carly Eden Stokes | Jun 2, 2021 | Blog, News
As originally reported by the Morristown Daily Record, Josh Schneider of North Haledon, a member of the New York Metro Blind Hockey Team, organized a learn-to-skate clinic for the visually impaired at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House in Newark on Sunday, May 23rd, 2021. Learn more here: dailyrecord.com
Josh Schneider is pictured in full hockey uniform on the ice.
by Carly Eden Stokes | May 25, 2021 | Blog, News
A team of scientists announced Monday that they had partially restored the sight of a blind man by building light-catching proteins in one of his eyes. Their report, which appeared in the journal Nature Medicine, is the first published study to describe the successful use of this treatment.
Depicted is a 58-year old volunteer with a genetic form of blindness in an experiment.
Click here to learn more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/24/science/blindness-therapy-optogenetics.html?action=click&module=In%20Other%20News&pgtype=Homepage
by Carly Eden Stokes | May 9, 2021 | Blog
VLANJ annually serves 1200 people with vision loss and their families.
We provided 871 instructional hours of service through 26 class offerings in 2020.
VLANJ program participants report a 95% satisfaction rate for our virtual classes.
VLANJ was able to translate our live programs and create virtual classes within two weeks of being closed by the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Did you know people with vision loss and blindness can use a smart phone or computer completely independently with the aid of magnification or built-in screen reading technology?
by Carly Eden Stokes | May 9, 2021 | Blog
2020 was a year like no other. We are grateful to our donors who continued to support our mission. VLANJ provided virtual support to help our program participants feel connected during an uncertain time. We received over $7000,000 in 2020, an 18% increase over last year, and were able to offer our virtual programs free of charge. We hope the accomplishments of VLANJ this past year are a source of pride for our donors who made this possible.
A special thank you to our Giving Circles donors. Your gifts had a significant impact on our programs! And to our new donors in 2020, welcome and thank you for choosing to support VLANJ!
2020 Giving Circles
2020 Presidents Circle 14 Gifts of $5,000 or more
2020 Benefactors Circle 7 Gifts of $2,500-$4,999
2020 Patrons Circle 17 Gifts of $1,000- $2499
2020 Friends Circle 37 Gifts of $500- $999
2020 Loyalty Circle 155 Gifts of 5 years of consecutive giving
