Lighthouse Opens the NYSE
Lighthouse International visited the New York Stock Exchange on October 28, 2008, in recognition of World Sight Day, which was celebrated earlier in the month. Dr. Tara Cortes, President and CEO of the Lighthouse, rang the opening bell, accompanied by staff members and volunteers from the organization. See video of the event.
Information on Accessible Voting
With just weeks left until the November 4th general elections, voter accessibility has become a hot issue in the community. Up until recent years, blind and visually impaired voters needed assistance in order to cast their ballot. However, after the presidential election of 2000, election reform became a legislative priority and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was signed into law in 2002.
HAVA requires that each voting system used in federal elections must be accessible for individuals with disabilities, including people who are blind or have low vision. This includes the ability to vote independently and privately.
While each state complies with HAVA in their own way, for the coming election registered New York City voters will have the option to cast a ballot using a Ballot Marking Device (BMD). The Board of Elections in the city of New York is installing at least one BMD at each poll site. The BMD works by using either its ATM-style touch screen, Braille-enhanced keypad, sip & puff device or a rocker paddle.
BMDs are different in each state, so be sure to make yourself aware of your polling place's accommodations well in advance of November 4.
Apple Takes on iPod and iTunes Accessibility
In late 2001 the computer giant, Apple, released a product that would eventually change the way the world listened to music: the iPod. In the following 7 years, Apple has continued to improve on its original iPod, creating products such as the iPod Nano and Touch, revolutionizing portable music players.
However, up to this point, Apple had been missing a key component to its tech savvy designs: accessibility for people who were visually impaired.
"Before the release of the new iPod Nano, people with visual impairments either had to randomly shuffle through their music collections, memorize every menu and playlist, or simply not use iPods at all," said Dr. Tara Cortes, President and CEO of Lighthouse International.
But with the new iPod Nano, and an accompanying announcement of future iTunes accessibility improvements, that's all changed. The new iPod includes spoken menus, large font options, and high contrast settings. To read more about the new iPod Nano's enhanced functionality, click here.
Just weeks after releasing the updated iPod, Apple also announced strides it was making to create more fully accessible iTunes and iTunes Store interfaces. On September 29, the National Federation for the Blind and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announced an agreement with Apple to make iTunes fully accessible. Though the newest version of iTunes (iTunes 8) does boast expanded accessibility such as compatibility with screen readers, the company has agreed to make iTunes U (the iTunes store devoted to content from educational institutions) completely accessible by the end of this year, with full iTunes accessibility to follow by June of 2009. Read the full announcement here.
Said Dr. Cortes: "This is exciting news for people who are visually impaired. Audio files such as podcasts and online radio broadcasts have been a natural fit for our community, but many of our clients felt left behind in the iPod craze. We applaud Apple for making a commitment to ensure ALL users access to their products and services, and look forward to more such innovations in the future."
Target.com Website Accessibility Lawsuit Settled
On August 28, 2008 it was announced that the Target Corporation had agreed to a $6 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit filed in early 2006. The lawsuit, which was filed by the National Federation for the Blind (NFB), claimed that the company's website, Target.com, was not accessible to web users with visual impairments, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
As a part of the settlement, Target agreed to update it's website to ensure its accessibility, which the NFB will be checking annually in accordance with the settlement.
"Lighthouse International is extremely pleased with the announcement of the settlement not only because it ensures that people with visual impairments will have access to the same products and services as the rest of the public, but also because it once again spotlights the importance of website accessibility across the country, and around the world," said Dr. Tara Cortes, President and CEO of Lighthouse International.
One of the main contentions of the lawsuit revolved around tagging. These are tags that are included in the code of a website and provide alternate text for images found on a site. This ensures that individuals using software programs known as screen readers, which read the content on the computer screen aloud, will be able to identify what is included on the page.
For over a decade the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has urged web designers to keep things like tagging in mind when creating websites, including providing guidelines and techniques on how to create websites that are accessible to all users.
"Hopefully," said Dr. Cortes, "this settlement will encourage others who have not yet created fully-accessible websites to do so. The internet is an integral part of today's society, and one that everyone should have full access to."
Achilles Track Club Hope and Possibility Five-Mile Run
This summer, one current and six former participants of Lighthouse International Youth Transition Program joined six adults to form the Lighthouse International team in the Achilles Track Club Hope and Possibility five-mile run. The team had Lighthouse t-shirts made for the event, and their official times were calculated with time chips on their shoes. Before the race, the team met Governor Paterson and had a photo taken. The Friday prior to the event, some of the team met at the Lighthouse for a dinner with team captains and Achilles staff for a motivational presentation. This is the second year Lighthouse Youth Services has participated in the race, and they hope to run even faster next year!
Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School Pays Tribute to a Former Director
The staff and students of The Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School are saddened by the sudden death of one of its former directors, Dr. Joseph Fields. Dr. Fields or "Joe" started teaching piano at the Lighthouse in 1986 and later became the Music School Director from 1995-1997. In addition, to being the Director of the Music School, he was the conductor of our chorus and the director our former opera workshop.
One of Dr. Field's piano students was Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg. She studied piano with Joe, both at the Music School and even at home, when she was no longer able to leave her apartment. Today the legacy of Mrs. Greenberg lives on in the naming of the Music School. We thank Joe for the enormous role he played in Mrs. Greenberg's quality of life and the continued impact that her Foundation's generosity has had on the vibrancy of the Music School.
Upon departure from the Lighthouse in 1998, Dr. Fields became the music director and principal conductor of the Dance Theater of Harlem, conducting the company's orchestra on many tours here and abroad including the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., as well as concerts in China, Europe and Australia.
In 2005, Dr. Fields became an associate professor, administrator of the music school and orchestra director at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Fields is survived by his domestic partner, Ron Melichar of New York City and Scranton; his parents, Buddy and Betty; his brother David of Miami, Oklahoma; and a sister Sara and brother Daniel of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
