VISIONS 2006 - The Biggest One Yet!

It was, as they say, a blockbuster event!  More than 1,200 people of all ages participated in VISIONS 2006 at Washtenaw Community College this week.  The biennial day-long vendor fair, sponsored by the Washtenaw County Library for the Blind & Physically Disabled (LBPD) and the Michigan Commission for the Blind, is a great opportunity to help people meet the challenges of blindness and low vision with the very latest technologies and services.

50-plus companies and agencies presented a wide range of devices and services.  The technologies included software that reads digital spreadsheets and high-tech geographical devices that tell a blind person where they are located at present, and what streets are coming up next.

David Zacks, MD, PhD of the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center addressed an audience of more than 300 people on the "New Frontiers in Vision Research: From the Lab to the Clinic."  Zacks, a retinal specialist, discussed several eye conditions but focused particularly on the causes of age-related macular degeneration, and the new research changing the treatment of that disease.  (A cassette copy of Dr. Zacks' presentation is available from the Washtenaw County LBPD by calling 1-888-460-0680, or email Margaret Wolfe.)

Over 75 community volunteers served as personal guides for attendees needing assistance.  Most of the volunteers were students from Manchester High School and Ann Arbor Academy.

Get a good idea of the day's highlights with a pdf slideshow of the fair. (5MB, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)  It will take a while to download.  When it is open, use your right/left directional keys to move from slide to slide (you may also right-click your mouse and choose "Next page").

If you have questions or need any further information on VISIONS 2006 or services through the LBPD, please email Margaret Wolfe, or call her at (734) 973-2509.

 
 
 
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