[accessibleimage] tactile diploma, photographer,game, model, garden,artists

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Christie Lynn Gilson recently graduated from the University of Illinois with a doctorate in special education. Because she is legally blind, she wouldn’t have been able to read her own diploma without the assistance of some dedicated university staff members.
When she was finishing her graduation plans, she asked a staff member in the records division of the Office of Admissions and Records <http://www.oar.uiuc.edu/> if she could receive a Braille diploma.... 

http://www.news.uiuc.edu/news/08/0819diploma.html
Blind photographer sees the big picture <http://carrborocommons.org/2008/02/01/blind-photographer-sees-the-big-picture/> Georg Gordon’s personal goal is to photograph every home basketball game this season at Carrboro High School <http://www.chccs.k12.nc.us/chs/>. This may not seem like a remarkably ambitious goal — except that Gordon is legally blind.
After multiple surgeries to correct developing macular holes, cataracts and the loss of pigment in his retinas, Gordon’s impairment forced him to retire from his career as writer, photographer and editor. Fortunately for the town of Carrboro, even the loss of his sight couldn’t stop him from doing what he loves.
“Digital [photography] has saved my life,” said Gordon. He knows the range of his camera and with help from the bold lines running the length of the court, he knows where to expect action. caption to picture: Legally blind photographer Georg Gordon stands ready with his camera during a triple-header on Jan. 25 at Carrboro High School. Walking the baseline, the experienced photographer is keeping his goal of shooting every home basketball game for the Jaguars. You can see his work weekly in the Carrboro Citizen. 

http://carrborocommons.org/2008/02/01/blind-photographer-sees-the-big-picture/

link
http://bestofbp.blogspot.com/2008/08/blind-artist-photographer-and-friend.h


art


 Singapore-MIT game lets visually impaired share the fun


May 13, 2008
A new computer game developed by MIT and Singaporean students makes it possible for visually impaired people to play the game on a level field with their sighted friends.
The game, called AudiOdyssey, simulates a deejay trying to build up a catchy tune and get people dancing. By swinging the remote-control device used by the Nintendo Wii, which senses motion, the player can set the rhythm and lay down one musical track after another, gradually building up a richer musical track. 

game download site
http://gambit.mit.edu/loadgame/audiodyssey.php

AudiOdyssey was developed with four research goals:

   * The visually-impaired and the sighted can enjoy the same level and
     quality of gameplay
   * Navigate game's menus with ease and efficiency approaching that of
     conventional UIs
   * Create a fun and natural control scheme using the Wiimote
   * An engaging game that relies more on high quality audio than visuals

article


 New technique allows blind to 'see' gatehouse
Barton upon Humber-based company Visually Impaired Media Access Consultants (Vimac) worked with Hull University's Design Enterprise Centre and English Heritage on the project.
A small part of the abbey's intricate facade was scanned into a computer and the data manipulated and fed into a "rapid prototyping" machine to produce a tactile plastic model, set within a stylised relief of the gatehouse. The technique has been used to recreate a medieval stone capital, showing the high-quality masonry of the abbey in its heyday.
Paul Thornton, from Vimac, said: "This was an exciting new development for us as a company and I believe it is the first time worldwide that this technique has been used in accessible interpretation of heritage sites. Everyone who has tried it has been impressed by the detail and also pleased that for once someone bothered to consider the needs of people who have a visual impairment." 

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/localnews/New-technique-allows-blind-to.4413468.jp

article


   Appealing to the senses


       CNIB's Fragrant Garden a 'place of tranquility'


       Pamela McDowell, For Neighbours

Published: Thursday, August 21, 2008
When Rosalie Cooksley steps out into the garden, she likens it to stepping into a Monet painting.
"The large blocks of colour are all a bit blurred. They sort of blend into one another, like a painting," she says.
Legally blind since 1984, Cooksley understands the impact a garden has on visitors on many different levels as it appeals to all our senses, and this became her guiding principle in designing the CNIB's Fragrant Garden. 

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/neighbours/story.html?id=d18c7423-f948-4e48-b9b1-447a67067daf


article

Art feature: Sculpting without sight: Woman creates with clay
Click photo to enlargeSherri Fizer talks about her sculpture work in her home on July 24 in Chico. Fizer is blind and...«12345»CHICO -- Sherri Fizer has a passion for making ceramics, but her favorite projects are her "praying people." She rolls the clay between her hands into long strands, pinching it off to make the bodies for the 5-inch kneeling people. A ball of clay gets put at one end of the strip for the head and another strip gets wrapped around for the arms.
She doesn't paint them because color wouldn't mean anything to her. Fizer hasn't been able to see colors or much else for more than 20 years.
"I like the creating part of it," Fizer said of her ceramic work. "I don't care what color it is. It's the construction and form of the piece that interests me."
Fizer was born with glaucoma, which worsened as she got older. Her left eye hemorrhaged when she was eight years old and her right eye continued deteriorating. Now she can only sense light perception. 

article

Art after injury: woman paints Santa Dollar art
Brooke Becker sits at her desk with the painting she did for the Santa Dollar program. Becker had a major head injury in a car accident in 1992, and this year her art will be featured on the Santa Dollar bills and cards nationwide.
CLEARWATER – At 14, Brooke Becker taught the 20-something models how to move for an ad. She was popular, wore a big smile and wasn’t afraid to give her dad a kiss when she later worked as a hostess in a Clearwater restaurant.
At 20, her date’s car was hit by a truck. She was in a coma for months. Her right side is paralyzed. The right side of both her eyes are blind. She can’t form sentences or say most words. 

But Brooke Becker can paint.
This summer, Brooke, 36, of Clearwater painted the Santa Claus face that will appear on more than a million Santa Dollars across the country and painted the picture that will appear on the cards. 

http://www.tbnweekly.com/pubs/clearwater_citizen/content_articles/082008_cit-01.txt

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